Top news stories and must-read articles from the week.
Headlines
Florida ballot initiative looks to expand voting rights
The initiative “Second Chance Florida” hopes to expand voting rights to the more than 1.5 million disenfranchised ex-felons living in Florida. The movement reached an important milestone this week by receiving enough signatures to get on the November ballot
Challenging solitary confinement in Pennsylvania
All Pennsylvanian prisoners facing death sentences are held in solitary confinement while they await execution or release. Almost 80% of the prisoners on death row have been awaiting execution for more than a decade. This past week, the ACLU partnered with other groups to challenge this brutal, unconstitutional treatment with a class action lawsuit.
Still no DACA protections
Many Democrats this week voted with Republicans on a short term spending bill in order to reopen the government. However, no agreement was reached to protect the thousands of Dreamers living in this country. Congress needs to stop playing politics and protect these Americans.
Grassley to release transcripts in Russia probe
Senator Grassley, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced that the committee would release transcripts from interviews of numerous people who are part of the Russian investigations. While this is a major step forward, it is still critical to push for more transparency in these hearings.
