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'Abhorrent': Prison boss vexes DOJ with alleged intimidation
Read full article: 'Abhorrent': Prison boss vexes DOJ with alleged intimidationThe Justice Department says it is gravely concerned about allegations that a high-ranking federal prison official entrusted to end sexual abuse and cover-ups at a women’s prison may have taken steps to suppress a recent complaint about staff misconduct.
House Dems demand prison rape audit at Calif. federal lockup
Read full article: House Dems demand prison rape audit at Calif. federal lockupEight House Democrats are demanding the Bureau of Prisons make public an audit of sexual assault reports at a federal women's prison in California where inmates say they were subjected to rampant abuse.
Whistleblowers say they're bullied for exposing prison abuse
Read full article: Whistleblowers say they're bullied for exposing prison abuseFederal prison employees say they're being bullied and threatened for raising concerns about serious misconduct and claim it's indicative of widespread problems in the Bureau of Prisons.
Congress set to change military sexual assault prosecutions
Read full article: Congress set to change military sexual assault prosecutionsAfter years of debate, Congress is on track to change how the U.S. military handles sexual assault cases, by taking some authority out of the hands of commanders and instead using independent prosecutors.
Dems call for censure of GOP congressman over violent video
Read full article: Dems call for censure of GOP congressman over violent videoTen House Democrats say they will introduce a House resolution to censure Republican Rep. Paul Gosar for tweeting a video that included altered animation showing him striking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with a sword.
Army under fire from Congress over Fort Hood response
Read full article: Army under fire from Congress over Fort Hood response(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON – Lawmakers expressed frustration Tuesday with how slowly improvements are being made to criminal investigation at Fort Hood, Texas, where rates of violent crime and sexual assaults are particularly high. More than two dozen Fort Hood soldiers died in 2020, including in multiple homicides and suicides. The review also concluded that the Army CID was understaffed, overwhelmed and filled with inexperienced investigators. Elder Fernandes, who was missing for more than a week last year before he was found dead about 28 miles from Fort Hood. AdAs a result of the independent review and other investigations, the Army earlier this year took action against 14 officers and enlisted soldiers at Fort Hood.
The Latest: Pelosi ties rioters' actions to 'whiteness'
Read full article: The Latest: Pelosi ties rioters' actions to 'whiteness'Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., holds a news conference on the day after violent protesters loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. “It has been an epiphany for the world to see that there are people in our country led by this president, for the moment, who have chosen their whiteness over democracy,” Pelosi said. Pelosi says, “The complicity, not only the complicity, the instigation of the president of United States, must and will be addressed.”___1:25 p.m. Flight attendants have expressed concern that their flights could be carrying supporters of President Donald Trump who took part in Wednesday’s violent protest and siege of the U.S. Capitol. ___2:25 a.m.Democrats in Congress are laying the groundwork to impeach President Donald Trump.
Congress vows to watch Army response to Fort Hood violence
Read full article: Congress vows to watch Army response to Fort Hood violenceSecretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy speaks about an investigation into Fort Hood, Texas at the Pentagon, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, in Washington. A day after Army officials released an independent panel's report on chronic leadership failures and widespread violence at Fort Hood, lawmakers said they will ensure the Army makes long-delayed changes. Elder Fernandes, who was missing for more than a week before he was found dead about 28 miles from Fort Hood. Army leaders concluded that leadership failures contributed to the widespread crime problems at Fort Hood. The five-member panel spent three weeks at Fort Hood and conducted more than 2,500 interviews, including 647 in person.
'The military's #MeToo moment:' Fort Hood victims speak out
Read full article: 'The military's #MeToo moment:' Fort Hood victims speak outMembers of Congress launched an investigation of Fort Hood in September after Sgt. Elder Fernandes was found dead on Aug. 25 hanging from a tree in Temple, Texas, months after reporting sexual harassment. A Fort Hood officer went with his wife to their apartment during one altercation after Buxton called for help. A Fort Hood spokesperson said they had no information on this allegation. “How many more must die at Fort Hood for them to be held accountable?” Lupe Guillen said.
Texas soldier's slaying inspires bid to expand military code
Read full article: Texas soldier's slaying inspires bid to expand military codeReps. Jackie Speier, a Democrat from California, and Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, said their bill would make sexual harassment a crime within the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The bill is named I Am Vanessa Guillen after the hashtag that was used by military sexual assault survivors to denounce their experiences on social media when Spc. According to Natalie Khawam, who represents the Guillen family, Guillen told her mother that a soldier of a higher rank walked in and watched her while she was showering. A coalition of military sexual assault survivors along with Democratic and Republican members of Congress joined Speier, Mullin, the Guillen family and Natalie Khawam, who represents the Guillen family, to present the bill at the U.S. Capitol. Officials said they had evidence that Guillen did face other kinds of harassment by other people at the Central Texas base.
Women say they will fight sexism, 'ugly' attacks on Harris
Read full article: Women say they will fight sexism, 'ugly' attacks on HarrisWomen say they will fight sexism, 'ugly' attacks on HarrisPublished: August 12, 2020, 12:15 amFILE - In this March 9, 2020, file photo, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks at a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden at Renaissance High School in Detroit. Before Joe Biden named Harris his running mate, womens groups were readying a campaign of their own: Shutting down sexist coverage and disinformation about a vice presidential nominee they say is headed for months of false smears and brutal attacks from internet haters. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File) (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Watchdog who found hospital shortages unfazed by Trump barbs
Read full article: Watchdog who found hospital shortages unfazed by Trump barbsWe are operating as we did on May 1 when Trump nominated a new inspector general to replace Grimm. Grimm remains in charge of the office as principal deputy inspector general while Weida's nomination is pending. Trump called the report, based on a late March survey of 323 hospitals nationwide, "just wrong and suggested that its conclusions were skewed by politics. Give me the name of the inspector general, Trump told reporters. I do think independence is the cornerstone of what any office of inspector general does,'' Grimm said.