After the Election Ed Lesson Eight — This week in politics
Written by Rachele Terranova, Graphics by Nadia Nugent
With finals coming to a close this week, I’m sure many other students experienced the same “What the heck is going on in the world!?” moment as I did when I finally clicked off my last final. I looked into three more prevalent topics that surfaced this week so we all can be in the know.
Third COVID Relief Bill Synopsis
Who qualifies, how much and when ?
There are lots of conflicting statements out there both Democrat and Republican on the details of the third COVID-19 stimulus bill — even on the Senate floor. Here is a brief overview of some of what we know for sure is included in the bill. Stimulus checks are being delivered to some people already.
Checks are $1,400 and now dependents (aka many students) & disabled people also qualify. There will be $3,000 – $3,600 extra per child in a family. Up to $7,000 will be paid by FEMA for COVID-19 funeral reimbursements. Unemployment Insurance is $300 weekly and the first $10,200 of unemployment income will not be taxed federally. Housing assistance (rent and mortgage) as well as assistance for independent restaurants and bars is included. Affordable Care Act (ACA) healthcare exchange premiums will be cheaper if not free for some people.
Capitol Riot Investigation Update
The Investigation
We know the investigation on the Capitol attack would be long, hard and taxing but Justice Department lawyers said, “The investigation and prosecution of the Capitol Attack will likely be one of the largest in American history, both in terms of the number of defendants prosecuted and the nature and volume of the evidence.” With some cases requesting up to two month delays due to the workload put on prosecutors. It is said to be the most complex investigation the DOJ ever prosecuted with 15,000 hours of surveillance to comb. Not only have they executed 900 search warrants in almost every state, but they also have about 1,600 electronic devices to review. There have been dozens of federal prosecutors sent nationwide to D.C. to lend a hand to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Who is being arrested ?
In terms of cases, most of them are against individuals who took part in the insurrection. In addition there have been conspiracy charges filed against family members of Capitol attendees. Members of the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and far-right extremist groups are also seeing conspiracy cases brought against them.
More than 300 people have been charged in federal court with at least 100 more coming. Of the 292 unsealed cases, at least 101 defendants were indicted by grand juries according to reviews done by CBS News.
At least 42 states outside of Washington have individuals who were involved— topping the states were Texas with 27, New York with 24, Florida with 23 and Pennsylvania with 22. Of the rioters, at least 46 have been connected by authorities to extremist groups such as Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, Texas Freedom Force and QAnon. 34 of those arrested so far are current or former military members with 15 U.S. Marines, 11 Army, two Navy and two Air Force. In terms of law enforcement members, at least five arrested were law enforcement employees when the riot happened and three were previously police officers. Four of the five have lost their jobs since the riot. There was also a firefighter, former firefighter and paramedic arrested.
Though the majority of those arrested were men, at least 35 were women. The oldest rioters were two 70-year-old, one an alleged Oath Keeper and one is said to have brought along, “A car full of weapons and explosives,” according to authorities. The youngest rioter was an 18-year-old who was accused of assaulting a police officer. He also posted online, “President Trump is calling us to FIGHT!”.
The most common charges include 40 people being charged with assault on law enforcement officers, 25 charged under a destruction of government property statute, 195 or more were charged with, “Restricted building or grounds,” and at least 20 have been charged with conspiracy.
149 rioters have been released by posting bail or agreeing to a supervised release.
Gun Safety Bill
On Mar. 11, the House passed two bills regarding gun safety meant to enhance background checks on gun purchases. Though there is Republican opposition to these advances, the Democratic vote succeeded. The votes remained largely within party lines as expected when it comes to gun safety laws. It was proposed to require background checks for all gun buyers, the vote passed 227 to 203. In terms of extending the time, the FBI has to vet when the national instant check system flas an individual the vote passed 219 to 210.
In an attempt to close gaps in gun laws, these two pieces of legislation are more specifically targeted. For example, the “Charleston loophole” that gives the FBI only three days to background check gun buyers — this loophole allowed white supremacist Dylan Roof to kill nine people in the shooting of the historically Black church in Charleston in 2015. In addition, the other piece of legislation would make it so gun buyers using online sellers that are private or at gun shows to have background checks prior to receiving the weapon. This is not currently the case for these two instances though it is for all in person gun purchases.
In 2013 a bipartisan effort to expand background checks failed in the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting though a 2019 Ipsos poll laid out that 90% of gun owners & non-gun owners would support these universal background checks. The hope is that the political transformations America has faced since 2013 will make it possible to pass the new provisions.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a slew of other House Democrats wore orange face masks and attire in solidarity with the movement for increased gun safety. When it comes to the 50-50 Senate, the Democrats will need to win the support of 10 Republicans in order to pass a measure as major as this. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “No more thoughts and prayers. A vote is what we need. A vote.”
Sources and Resources
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMTevgOH3iZ/
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/12/politics/us-capitol-riot-investigation-plea-deal/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/capitol-riot-arrests-2021-03-12/
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/12/politics/gun-control-senate-fight/index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/11/us/politics/biden-gun-control-bill.html
