U.S. Attorney General Pushes to Stop Suing Local Police and More In Politics Today

It’s difficult to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in this country and to break through the clutter, so we’re here to make it easier. Here’s what we at Countable are reading today:

1. "Sessions pushes to stop suing local police"

"U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Tuesday that the federal government should stop spending money to sue local police departments, signaling a sharp departure from the previous administration's policy toward law enforcement exhibiting patterns of racism or excessive force.

In his speech to the National Association of Attorneys General in Washington, Sessions said the Justice Department should instead use its resources to help police figure out the best way to fight crime."

"He announced the formation of a Justice Department task force to look at deficiencies in current practices to combat crime and propose new legislation. The Justice Department is still weighing whether it should impose reforms on the Chicago Police Department, which was the subject of a critical report by the Obama administration."

Read more at Reuters.

2. "FCC chairman Ajit Pai calls net neutrality a ‘mistake’"

"New FCC chairman Ajit Pai has made his views on net neutrality clear in the past: He's against it. But today at Mobile World Congress, Pai gave a wide-ranging speech in which he made his most pointed comments against net neutrality since taking over as chairman. When discussing the rules put into place in early 2015, Pai said they were “a mistake" and praised “light touch” internet regulation -- something that's sure to be on the FCC's agenda going forward.”

"Pai also said that the new approach "injected tremendous uncertainty" into the broadband marketplace and made mention of the fact that the country saw its first-ever decline in broadband investment (outside of a recession) under the laws put into place in 2015. But, he thinks his leadership will turn that around."

Read more at Engadget.

3. "Trump signs orders on waters rule, black colleges"

"President Trump's newest executive orders target a water-protection rule and elevate an initiative on historically black colleges and universities into the White House.Trump signed the executive orders in back-to-back signing ceremonies at the White House on Tuesday. The first seeks to undo the Waters of the United States rule, an Obama administration regulation that sought to reinterpret the Clean Water Act to extend federal protections to smaller rivers and streams."

"A second executive order will move the federal initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs, into the White House Domestic Policy Council from the Department of Education, where it was housed under the Obama administration. Since President Jimmy Carter in 1980, every president has signed an executive order reorganizing the initiative. But Trump said moving the initiative into the White House will make it “an absolute priority."”

Read more at USA Today.

4. "Rubio is asked to leave Tampa office over disruption from weekly protests"

"Vocal crowds of demonstrators making weekly visits to the Tampa office of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio have gotten the Miami Republican booted from the building. The owner of Bridgeport Center has decided not to renew Rubio's lease. The reason: The rallies have become too disruptive to the other tenants and a costly expense for the company, said Jude Williams, president of America's Capital Partners."

"Rubio is now faced with the prospect of going without a brick-and-mortar office until a new location can be found. Rubio's annual lease expired in December and he has been renting on a month-to-month basis since then working to negotiate a new agreement, according to his office. The staff needs to leave by Friday and does not have a new location lined up. Negotiations with another building recently fell through."

Read more at the Tampa Bay Times.

5. "Holder: Obama ‘ready to roll’ and help Dems"

"Former President Barack Obama is getting for a public return to politics, says his one-time attorney general, Eric Holder. “It's coming. He’s coming," Holder told told reporters Tuesday, according to Politico, while discussing the new National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), which Obama asked him to chair last year. “And he’s ready to roll. [Obama] will be a more visible part of the effort,” Holder added.”

"Holder said he had discussed Obama fundraising for the NDRC and interacting with state lawmakers on the group’s behalf. The former attorney general also predicted Republicans would lose state legislative seats in 2018's midterm elections since they control the White House."

Read more at The Hill.

— Erin Wright

(Photo Credit: Valerie Everett via Wikimedia Commons)