law

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed an executive order Wednesday that automatically reinstates the voting rights of some convicted felons. The order will permit some Iowans who have completed their felony sentences — excluding those convicted for homicide — to automatically be able to vote in elections without having to petition the governor’s office individually. “When …

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, signed an executive directive on Wednesday ordering state employees to undergo “implicit bias training.” Executive directives allow the Michigan governor to establish procedures or basic policy for employees of the state’s executive branch. According to the directive, current state employees will be required to undergo “implicit bias training” by …

Most black Americans say they want police to continue their current presence in local areas, even as protests against racism and police brutality sweep the nation, and calls to reform and even defund police departments persist. Close to two-thirds, 61 percent, of black Americans said they want the police presence in their area to remain …

One-third of Migos, Takeoff, is being sued by a Los Angeles woman who claims the rapper raped her at a June party. According to the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the plaintiff — going by Jane Doe — was invited to a June 22 house party in Encino, Calif., by occasional Migos …

Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles Lawson, is the latest insider to demand that Anna Wintour hire more people of color at Vogue. Lawson, 66, posted a picture of British Vogue editor Edward Enninful on Instagram Monday night to congratulate him on the cover of the magazine’s September issue, which features 20 activists from around the world, …

The Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution will hold a congressional hearing Tuesday on violence and criminal acts tied to Antifa. The committee, chaired by Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas), will hold a hearing titled “The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble: Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence.” “Americans have a constitutional right to gather, …

Homicides and gun violence have spiked in major cities around the country since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, spurred by an economic recession and unrest that arose from protests against police brutality. Across the nation’s 50 largest cities, homicides are up 24 percent this year, totaling 3,612 so far, according to a Wall Street Journal …

A new federal court filing Monday from the Manhattan district attorney suggests the prosecutor’s office may be investigating President Trump and his company for bank and insurance fraud. The filing, from District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., argues that Trump’s accountants must comply with a subpoena to turn over eight years of corporate and personal tax returns, citing …

A “hostile crowd” prevented Portland police from investigating a stabbing at the site of nightly racial justice protests and rioting on Monday. A woman had walked into Lownsdale Square park in downtown Portland and was taking photos or recording video just before 6:30 p.m. when an argument began between the woman and other people in …

Seattle police chief Carmen Best is urging the city council to take a stand against protestors intimidating public officials and employees after “a large group of aggressive protestors” visited her home on Sunday night. “I urge both of you, and the entire council, to stand up for what is right,” Best wrote Monday in a …