'Mississippi sheriffs wield a tremendous authority in the counties they police'

'Mississippi "Goon Squad" didn't come out of nowhere'

Grace Elizabeth Hale at CNN

The torture of two Black men by white Rankin County, Mississippi, sheriff's deputies in the self-named "Goon Squad" was "horrific," says Grace Elizabeth Hale. But abuse under all-powerful Mississippi sheriffs "is not a new problem." Local law enforcement in the state grew out of wars against Native American tribes and the "slave patrols, loosely organized groups of white men set up to keep Black people in bondage." Many still treat "the law as a kind of personal power."

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'"Emergency" spending is out of control'

Eric Boehm at Reason

Emergency spending "has become a convenient way for lawmakers and presidents to hike spending — and add to the national debt," says Eric Boehm. Congress has authorized $12 trillion for emergencies in the last three decades. Half went toward addressing the Great Recession and the Covid-19 pandemic. Much of the rest went to "purposes that strain the definition of emergency" — one 2023 proposal was for replacing weather-forecasting airplanes — and should be "part of the normal budget process."

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'New York's lawfare threat to democracy'

Washington Examiner editorial board

"New York Attorney General Letitia James is doing grave harm to our democracy," says the Washington Examiner editorial board. A court will "eventually throw out the $464 million civil fraud judgment against former President Donald Trump as a textbook case of selective prosecution." But in the meantime, this partisan prosecutor's willingness "to stretch the law to inflict financial ruin on those with whom she disagrees" is setting "a terrible precedent that will surely be built upon."

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'Protecting our kids from abuse must be our highest priority'

Willie Wilson in the Chicago Tribune

Investigations show a "heartbreaking" amount of sexual abuse against students, says Willie Wilson. "How can a child learn if they are being abused by a teacher or staff member at their school?" Protecting kids should be the highest priority for elected officials and educators. Lawmakers should pass laws requiring schools to report improper teacher-student relationships; administrators must quickly hold offenders accountable. "Our children are the future, and we must protect them and provide them with a quality education."

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