Month: October 2019

Former Rep. John Conyers — the longest-serving black member of Congress — has died at age 90.

The retired Michigan Democrat joined the US House of Representatives in 1964, representing a district that included part of Detroit. He dedicated himself to civil rights causes, from working to quell riots in Detroit in 1967 to consistently introducing legislation that would have created a framework for the federal study of the impact of slavery and potential reparations. And during his final term in Congress in two years ago, he also put forward a sweeping single-payer health care bill reminiscent of Medicare-for-all.…

President Donald Trump stepped up to a White House podium on Sunday morning to announce the US military conducted an operation that resulted ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s death in what was a huge moment for the country and Trump’s legacy.

But instead of just declaring the so-called caliph dead, Trump chose to answer questions for roughly 40 minutes in what turned into a wild and jaw-dropping press conference.

Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

During his question-and-answer …

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the elusive ISIS leader whose death has been incorrectly reported several times over the last five years, died during a US military raid, according to President Donald Trump.

Trump announced the death Sunday, after hinting at the news on Twitter on Saturday night, tweeting, “Something very big has just happened!”

At a Sunday press conference at the White House, Trump said, “Last night the United States brought the world’s number one terrorist leader to justice. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead.”

According to Trump, the terrorist leader died after detonating a suicide vest following a battle at …

Philip Reeker, acting assistant secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, became the latest State Department official to testify on Capitol Hill in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump Saturday.

Although the testimony occurred behind closed doors, the Wall Street Journal reported that Reeker testified that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo actively neutralized support for ousted US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch before she was abruptly removed from her post in May. Reeker also reportedly described concerns raised in a July White House meeting about defense aid being withheld from Ukraine.

When she appeared before lawmakers, …

A promotional tweet became a political sensation Friday; when Sen. Bernie Sanders responded to a tweet from pop star Ariana Grande, the chunk of the internet where feel-good pop music and left-wing politics intersect exploded.

Grande, who is featured on the remix of Lizzo’s “Good As Hell,” tweeted a line from that song Friday: “baby how u feelin.”

“Ready to fight for Medicare for All,” Sanders tweeted in response.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who recently endorsed Sanders’s candidacy for president, jumped into the conversation as well, promoting the progressive politics that she and Sanders are known for, like the Green …

The Trump administration has attempted to block a key witness from testifying in the impeachment inquiry by claiming “constitutional immunity.” And that witness — former deputy national security adviser Charles Kupperman — has asked a judge to rule whether his testimony can proceed as planned.

Kupperman made the request in a lawsuit filed Friday; he was set to testify before lawmakers on Monday, after being subpoenaed. The House Democrats leading the impeachment inquiry have been calling key witnesses related to President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine at at a rapid clip, and the Trump administration has tried — and largely …

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg released his criminal justice policy platform on Saturday, delivering a comprehensive plan for “fairness and justice” that keeps in line with many positions supported by justice reform advocates and his fellow 2020 competitors.

Buttigieg’s plan outlines a number of issues the current South Bend, Indiana, mayor would address if he was elected, ranging from: reducing mass incarceration, police reform, marijuana legalization, juvenile justice and draining the school-to-prison pipeline, and additional supports to help people during and after incarceration.

“Rebalancing our criminal system and refocusing resources on areas like public health, economic opportunity, and alternatives to …

The news for President Donald Trump this week on the impeachment inquiry was grim.

Most significantly, a witness gave testimony to House committees that proved devastating to one of the White House’s key arguments — confirming that Trump personally seemed to link withholding military aid for Ukraine with his demand that Ukraine investigate his political opponents.

That witness, Bill Taylor, was one of what’s rapidly becoming a parade of government officials who are testifying to the inquiry despite the White House’s order not to. That’s emblematic of a broader trend of Trump’s weakness and ineffectiveness in responding to the scandal. …

Vox Sentences is your daily digest for what’s happening in the world. Sign up for the Vox Sentences newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday, or view the Vox Sentences archive for past editions.

Trump’s no good, very bad week in impeachment

• House Democrats issued subpoenas Friday for several Trump administration officials who previously were reluctant to testify. [CNN / Jeremy Herb and Manu Raju]
• It was the latest development in a week filled with bad news for President Trump. [Vox / Andrew Prokop]
• The most significant was the testimony of William Taylor,

The Trump administration just threw another obstacle at low-income immigrants by narrowing who can qualify for waivers of expensive fees associated with their applications for green cards, US citizenship, work permits, and dozens of other benefits.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Friday that, starting December 2, it will no longer consider use of certain public benefits in determining whether an immigrant is eligible for a fee waiver.

That means that fewer immigrants will be able to afford to pay the hefty fees for citizenship applications and green cards — which are typically $1,225 and $725 respectively — especially if …