Hopes rise for a police reform compromise, but huge political hurdles loom
CNN
Real hope for police reform -- even in the rancorously divided US Senate -- shows the seismic impact of the guilty verdict in the trial for George Floyd's murder.
A day after former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on all counts, both sides in Washington sought common ground. The Senate's lead Republican negotiator put forward a potential deal on a sticking point that has stalled talks for the much of the past year. But hope goes only so far, and the feverish desire among Democratic activists to honor Floyd's life by passing federal legislation that would hold police accountable for brutality and misconduct is colliding with the realities of a polarized capital. While many Americans -- including some Republicans -- may approve of the verdict in the Chauvin case, Republicans and Democrats are still struggling to reconcile perspectives on how to make rogue officers accountable for their conduct, creating serious challenges for the proposed legislation.Elected officials, Jewish advocacy groups and civil rights leaders are vowing to “push back” against the message of a White nationalist group that staged a march last week near downtown Columbus, Ohio, calling the demonstration an act of hate unwelcome in their community – and the United States more broadly.
Senate Democrats have confirmed some of President Joe Biden’s picks for the federal bench this week in the face of President-elect Donald Trump’s calls for a total GOP blockade of judicial nominations – in part because several Republicans involved with the Trump transition process have been missing votes.