
Justice Department civil rights chief calls on Congress to pass voting rights bill
CNN
The leader of the Justice Department's civil rights division told Congress Monday that "voting rights are under pressure to an extent that has not been seen since the Civil Rights era."
US Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke is testifying in front of a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing about voting rights legislation, as the House prepares to move forward a major element of Democrats' voting rights push. Her prepared opening statement addressed provisions in the 1965 Voting Rights Act that were gutted by Supreme Court in 2013. House Democrats are preparing to introduce legislation to revive the VRA's so-called "preclearance" regime, which, before the 2013 ruling, required localities with a history of racial voting discrimination to get the department's or a federal court's approval for election procedure changes.
Janet Mills and her allies are counting on a gender gap to narrow Platner’s wide lead ahead of the June 9 primary to decide who will face incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins. They are betting that the unfiltered style that has brought Platner widespread attention as someone who could help Democrats reach young men will backfire with women.

As a shrinking number of Transportation Security Administration agents work to keep hourslong security lines moving despite not being paid, President Donald Trump stepped into the fray Saturday, announcing he will send Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to airports by Monday if Congress doesn’t agree to a plan to end the partial government shutdown.











