Politics and Government News

Stay updated with the latest political and government news. MPR News covers local, state and national politics, providing in-depth analysis and updates on policies, elections and governmental actions.

January 15, 2021 9:21 AM

Justice Dept. watchdog opens probe of response to riot

The Justice Department's internal watchdog said Friday that it will investigate how the department and its law enforcement agencies prepared for and responded to last week's riots at the U.S. Capitol.

by The Associated Press

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January 15, 2021 8:33 AM

Response to Capitol riot could hurt minorities, civil libertarians say

They say new police and surveillance powers could, if history is a guide, be used against Blacks and other people of color in the justice system, not the white rioters who stormed the Capitol.

by Carrie Johnson

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January 15, 2021 6:18 AM

With impeachment trial and relief plan on deck, Harris stresses need to 'multitask'

The vice president-elect joins NPR to discuss the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the looming impeachment trial in the Senate and the massive rescue plan the president-elect just unveiled.

by Scott Detrow

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January 15, 2021 6:06 AM

Biden picks familiar faces for top roles at FEMA, CIA

President-elect Joe Biden is nominating New York emergency department commissioner Deanne Criswell to serve as the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator and has tapped former CIA deputy director David Cohen to return to the agency in the same role he served during the Obama administration.

by The Associated Press

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January 14, 2021 8:02 PM

Former U.S. Olympic swimmer Klete Keller charged in Capitol attack

Klete Keller, 38, is facing three counts: obstructing law enforcement, knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

by Brakkton Booker

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January 14, 2021 7:14 PM

Trump impeachment trial to focus on his attacks on election

President Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment could go to trial as soon as Inauguration Day, with U.S. senators serving not only as jurors but as shaken personal witnesses and victims of the deadly siege of the Capitol by a mob of his supporters.

by The Associated Press

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January 14, 2021 7:00 PM

$1,400 checks and help for the jobless: What's in Biden's plan to rescue the economy

President-elect Joe Biden is proposing a $1.9 trillion plan to address the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic crisis.

by Scott Horsley

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January 14, 2021 5:53 PM

Ex-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, 8 others criminally charged in Flint water crisis

Together the group faces 42 counts related to the drinking water catastrophe roughly seven years ago. The crimes range from perjury to misconduct in office to involuntary manslaughter.

by Brakkton Booker

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January 14, 2021 5:36 PM

From denial to obstruction: New book charts changing tactics of the fossil fuel lobby

Renowned climate scientist Michael Mann looks at the tactics fossil fuel interests are using to obstruct broad policy shifts that are our surest bet to “take back our planet.”

by Paul Huttner

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January 14, 2021 5:15 PM

Minnesota lawmakers seek longer sentences for injuring cops

Republican state lawmakers are proposing to increase the penalty for the attempted murder of a police officer a year after a southern Minnesota officer was gravely wounded while on-duty.

by The Associated Press

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