Monday, July 13
á Federal judges greenlighted, then delayed, the first federal executions since 2003. Although heavily pushed by the administration of President Donald Trump, District Judge Tanya Chutkan delayed the executions due to unresolved legal issues, saying Ňthe public is not served by short-circuiting legitimate judicial process.Ó
á The Department of Justice revealed TrumpŐs grant of clemency to longtime friend and advisor Roger Stone not only commuted his prison sentence but also relieved Stone from having to pay a $20,000 fine and complete two years of supervised release.
á Immigration courts reopened in New Jersey, Maryland and Michigan to non-detained immigrants despite the coronavirus pandemic with a backlog of 1.2 million cases.
Tuesday, July 14
á The United States carried out its first federal execution in 17 years, putting to death by lethal injection Daniel Lewis Lee, a man charged with killing an Arkansas family in a white supremacist plot in the 1990s, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned MondayŐs ruling by Judge Tanya Churkan.
á Kansas Rep. Steve Watkins was charged with three felony counts of voter fraud related to 2019 municipal elections.
á
District Judge Alvin Hellerstein
rejected a proposed $18.9 million civil settlement for women subjected to
sexual abuse and workplace harassment by movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
á The White House rescinded a rule that would have required international students to leave the country or transfer schools if they could not take in-person classes next semester because of the coronavirus pandemic.
á Trump downplayed police violence against Black people by saying more white people are killed by law enforcement. While technically true, as white people account for nearly half of police killings in the country, the presidentŐs comment avoids addressing the disproportionate rate of murder: A Washington Post analysis showed Black Americans make up 23 percent of police killings despite being only 13 percent of the population.
Wednesday, July 15
á
District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan
blocked the second federal execution in 17 years hours before it was set to
take place due to the mental incompetence of the subject, Wesley Purkey, 68, who has diagnosed Alzheimer's, schizophrenia,
bipolar disorder, depression and psychosis. Lawyers argued Purkey
is no longer mentally coherent enough to understand his punishment.
á The White House took control of data collection on U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations from the Centers for Disease Control. Patient information will now be sent to a database in the nationŐs capitol run by the Department of Health and Human Services.
á Medical doctors told Congress that the U.S. border patrol is responsible for the 2018 deaths of two children, Felipe Gomez Alonzo, 8, and Jakelin Caal, 7, who were detained at the U.S.-Mexico border, calling for more protections of migrant childrenŐs health. "Available records make clear that Jakelin and Philippe both suffered terrifying and painful deaths that could potentially have been prevented by timely access to pediatric medical care," said pediatrician Fiona Danaher.
Thursday, July 16
á
The U.S. joined with the United Kingdom and
Canada in accusing Russia of trying to steal information from academic and
pharmaceutical research institutions involved in COVID-19 vaccine development.
á
The U.S. Supreme Court overruled Judge ChutkanŐs execution block, allowing the federal government
to perform its second execution in 17 years on Wesley Purkey.
á
The Supreme Court declined to overturn a federal
courtŐs decision to block Florida residents convicted of felonies from voting
if they have not paid off their related fines and fees.
á
Canada and the U.S. announced the extension of
restrictions on non-essential travel at land borders between the U.S., Canada
and Mexico until August 21.
á The House Ethics Committee cleared Rep. Lori Trahan of claims by conservation groups that she failed to properly disclose all of her personal financial assets until after winning her House race in 2018.
Friday, July 17
á Federal officers deployed to Portland, Oregon, with the stated goal of subduing violence performed by opportunists during the Black Lives Matter protests in the city were filmed tear gassing and shooting rubber bullets into crowds of protestors, beating people with batons and even taking individuals off the streets and driving away with them in unmarked rental vehicles.
á
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper
issued a policy for a de facto ban on displays of the Confederate flag at U.S.
military installations globally.
á
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals effectively
blocked the Trump administration from implementing a policy barring women who
are fleeing domestic abuse or violence from seeking asylum in the U.S.
Saturday, July 18
á Congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis died at age 80. Left-leaning politicians and activists have called for a renewed Voting Rights Act, a cause Lewis spent much of his life campaigning for, in the wake of his death. ŇHe loved this country so much that he risked his life and his blood so that it might live up to its promise," former President Barack Obama said.
á OregonŐs Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced she filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, the Marshals Service, Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Protection Service, which were deployed to Portland, Oregon to quell protests without state or city oversight, due to their tactics, which Rosenblum argues infringe upon the protestersŐ civil rights.
Sunday, July 19
á Trump refused to answer if he would publicly accept the results of the November presidential election should he lose.