In a Tuesday letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) signaled they're prepared to block the advancement of the GOP's police reform bill, championed by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.).
The senators said they do not consider the "threadbare" bill "salvageable," dismissing the idea that simply amending it would lead to a satisfactory outcome. Instead, they suggested the package requires a near-complete overhaul, negotiated via bipartisan talks. One of the major hold-ups appears to be that Scott's bill "does not contain any mechanisms to hold law enforcement accountable in court for their misconduct." Democrats say the bill fails to address issues like the federal criminal mens rea standard, qualified immunity, and the lack of independent investigations into misconduct.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - January 20, 2025Cartoons Monday's cartoons - swearing in, do not pass go, and more
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
-
The long road ahead to rebuild life in GazaThe Explainer As the Israel-Hamas ceasefire takes effect, Palestinians return to find 90% of homes destroyed, health and water infrastructure in ruins, and acute food poverty
-
Police ID driver of exploded Cybertruck, can't see motiveSpeed Read An Army Green Beret detonated a homemade bomb in a Tesla Cybertruck in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas
-
Teenage girl kills 2 in Wisconsin school shootingSpeed Read 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow fatally shot a teacher and student at Abundant Life Christian School
-
Penny acquitted in NYC subway choking deathSpeed Read Daniel Penny was found not guilty of homicide in the 2023 choking death of Jordan Neely
-
Suspect in CEO shooting caught, charged with murderSpeed Read Police believe 26-year-old Luigi Mangione killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
-
UnitedHealthcare CEO killed in 'brazen, targeted' hitSpeed Read Police are conducting a massive search for Brian Thompson's shooter
-
DOJ demands changes at 'abhorrent' Atlanta jailSpeed Read Georgia's Fulton County Jail subjects inmates to 'unconstitutional' conditions, the 16-month investigation found
-
China tries to bury deadly car attackSpeed Read An SUV drove into a crowd of people in Zhuhai, killing and injuring dozens — but news of the attack has been censored
-
Menendez brothers may go free in LA prosecutor planSpeed Read Prosecutors are asking for the brothers to be resentenced for the 1989 murder of their parents
