House to vote on bill to address anti-Asian hate crimes
CBSN
Washington — The House will vote on a bill Tuesday to address the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act was overwhelmingly approved last month by the Senate by a vote of 94 to 1.
The legislation would direct the Justice Department to expedite the review of hate crime incidents and provide more guidance to state and local entities to make it easier to report hate crimes, as well as expand public education campaigns designed to increase awareness and outreach to victims. The bill, sponsored by Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and New York Congresswoman Grace Meng, was introduced amid a dramatic rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans during the pandemic. The organization Stop AAPI Hate said last month that it had received a total of 6,603 reports of hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders between March 19, 2020, and March 31, 2021.Supreme Court to weigh constitutionality today of anti-camping ordinances in major homelessness case
Washington — The Supreme Court is convening Monday to hear arguments in a dispute over whether laws that ban public camping violate the Constitution's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
Opening statements are set to begin this morning in former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York. Prosecutors will begin laying out their case for jurors, alleging Trump falsified business records to cover up a "hush money" payment during his 2016 campaign, while defense attorneys are expected to argue Trump has been charged on flimsy evidence from an untrustworthy key witness.