Politics & Government

'It Feels More Desperate Than 2020': Attorney On New Voting Restrictions

8:04pm May 11, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Marc Elias, a voting rights attorney with Perkins Cole, about the bills proposed by Republican state legislators to restrict how and when to vote in their states.

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Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, seen here during an April 15 bill signing, on Tuesday signed legislation making it easier to remove infrequent voters from a list of those who automatically get a mail-in ballot each election.

Politics & Government

Arizona Republicans Enact Sweeping Changes To State's Early Voting List

7:22pm May 11, 2021

by Ben Giles

Voters on the state's Permanent Early Voting List — or PEVL — are automatically sent a ballot for every election in which they're eligible to vote. The new law takes the "permanent" out of the PEVL.

Senate Rules Committee Chair Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., presides Tuesday over a markup of the For the People Act, which would expand access to voting and make other election reforms. House Democrats passed the bill in March.

Politics & Government

'The Stakes Could Not Be Higher': Senate Panel Debates Voting Overhaul

7:16pm May 11, 2021

by Pam Fessler

The Senate Rules Committee held a contentious markup of legislation to revamp the nation's voting and campaign finance rules, laying bare the deep partisan divide over how elections should be run.

Members of the National Guard and the Washington, D.C., police stand guard outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, after a pro-Trump mob stormed the complex.

Former Trump Officials To Defend Federal Response To Capitol Riot

6:39pm May 11, 2021

by Alana Wise

Former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller is set to testify that he was cautious about allowing military intervention during the siege on Jan. 6.

This image from a video released by the Justice Department shows Capitol Police officers, including Brian Sicknick, attempting to hold back a crowd that ultimately breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Politics & Government

2 Men Charged With Assaulting Police In Capitol Riot Ordered Jailed Pending Trial

6:34pm May 11, 2021

by Ryan Lucas

George Tanios and Julian Khater have been accused of conspiring to assault U.S. Capitol Police officers, including Brian Sicknick, who were protecting the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Biden To Sit Down With The 'Big Four' Leaders From Congress

5:21pm May 11, 2021

by Scott Detrow

It's taken more than three months for President Biden to get around to hosting his first meeting with the "big four" leaders from Congress. Instead, he has focused on rank-and-file lawmakers.

Gov. Hutchinson On States Opting Out Of Unemployment Relief

4:54pm May 11, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, about his decision to move towards ending federal COVID-19 unemployment benefits.

Ahmaud Arbery's relatives, including sister Jasmine Arbery (left) and his mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones (second from left), sit at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta on Monday to witness Gov. Brian Kemp sign a law repealing the state's citizen's arrest statute.

In Ahmaud Arbery's Name, Georgia Repeals Citizen's Arrest Law

4:33pm May 11, 2021

by Emma Hurt

Georgia's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, signed a law repealing the citizen's arrest law. The men charged in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery are using it as part of their defense in the murder case.

Bishops Debate Whether Politicians Who Support Abortion Should Receive Communion

4:22pm May 11, 2021

Should Catholic politicians who support abortion rights be able to receive communion? American bishops have been grappling with this since Biden became the second Catholic president in U.S. history.

The Shams sisters at their Sunshine Spice Cafe in Boise, Idaho. From left: Narges, Khatera, Bahar Amir (owner) and Homeyra.

Why Support For Refugees Is Higher Than You Might Think In Parts Of 'Trump Country'

4:08pm May 11, 2021

by Kirk Siegler

Some conservative, rural states have resettled refugees at the highest per capita rates. In Idaho, employers applaud President Biden lifting a Trump-era cap on refugee numbers.

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