Former state Sen. Jake Files of Fort Smith spent his first full day in federal prison Friday on an 18-month sentence after pleading guilty to wire fraud, money laundering and bank fraud. According to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, Files, registration number 14956-010, reported Thursday morning to the Satellite Prison Camp, a minimum-security facility adjacent to the Federal Correctional Institute at El Reno, Okla. In a minimum-security prison, according to the bureau’s Program Statement, Files is eligible for the two lowest custody levels, described as “community,” the lowest, and “out,” the second-lowest. Under the designations, Files could be assigned to the lowest- or near-lowest-security housing, including any that is outside the prison’s perimeter; may work on outside details with minimal supervision; and, in some cases, may participate in community-based programs. At the out level, he would be under two-hour intermittent staff supervision. Files … [Read more...] about 1½-year sentence starts for ex-state senator after guilty plea on fraud, money laundering charges
Senators for each state
Why Liberals Should Stop Whining About the Senate
“The conservative takeover” of American politics, the New Yorker’s John Cassidy wrote not long ago, “hinged on ruthless power politics: the G.O.P. exploiting its unearned advantage in the Electoral College, the U.S. Senate, and the Supreme Court itself.” Reaching for an especially damning piece of evidence, Cassidy pointed to the “two senators for every state” rule, a constitutional quirk that has led to a system “where the 1.7 million residents of Idaho receive the same number of representatives as the 39.5 million residents of California.” Like Cassidy, virtually every critic of the Senate compares the plight of California with that of a ruby red-state like Idaho. If Google is a guide, the state most often cited is Wyoming, with its measly 579,000 residents. Yet almost no one points to the identical outrage in which the 28.3 million residents of Texas receive the same number of senators as the 623,000 residents of Vermont or the … [Read more...] about Why Liberals Should Stop Whining About the Senate
Joe Biden is on a huge winning streak — and he’s planting the seeds for 2020 in the biggest election of the year
Joe Biden is on a winning streak, as candidates he’s backed have pulled off impressive – and sometimes long-shot – victories. He’s looking to extend that winning streak in Pittsburgh’s suburbs with his support of Democratic congressional candidate Conor Lamb. Some Lamb supporters want Biden to run for president. PITTSBURGH – Former Vice President Joe Biden, on an extended winning streak, is planting the seeds for a potential 2020 run by boosting boost a surging candidate in the nation’s most-watched special election. Unlike other prominent Democrats like former President Barack Obama and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, Biden has been all over the campaign trail since President Donald Trump took office last year. He’s campaigned for candidates in Senate races, gubernatorial contests, and state-level bouts – even mayor’s races. And in recent months, the candidates he’s been stumping for have … [Read more...] about Joe Biden is on a huge winning streak — and he’s planting the seeds for 2020 in the biggest election of the year
Only A Few States Are Meeting The Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call on the nations of the world to meet grand challenges on poverty, education, health, and the environment. Currently, many of the 50 U.S. states are falling short. The “America’s Goals Report Card” scores the states on seven SDGs, including issues like worker rights and healthcare. In most cases, the U.S. ranks poorly overall, though some individual states are approaching international standards. For example, the U.S. remains the only advanced nation in the world that does not guarantee workers paid family leave. But several states do have their own leave policies, including Oregon and Rhode Island, New York, Washington, Arkansas and New Jersey (the first two offer paid sick leave as well). The interactive America Goals map lets you look results for each state, and ranks everywhere on the good-to-poor color scheme. States in the south more often than not appear in red (a poor ranking) while states on the … [Read more...] about Only A Few States Are Meeting The Sustainable Development Goals
Democratic senator slams Congress for not doing enough to prevent mass shootings
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy lashed out at lawmakers on the Senate floor Wednesday as authorities were still investigating the scene of a deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school. “This happens nowhere else other than the United States of America,” Murphy, the senator from Connecticut, said. “This epidemic of mass slaughter – this scourge of school shooting after school shooting. It only happens here not because of coincidence, not because of bad luck, but as a consequence of our inaction.” At least 17 people were killed and 14 injured on Wednesday, local authorities said. Murphy has long been a staunch supporter of gun control measures. He was a congressman representing Connecticut’s 5th district when 20 children were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012. He has served as a US senator for the state since 2013. Three days after an ISIS-affiliated gunman killed 49 people at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in June 2016, … [Read more...] about Democratic senator slams Congress for not doing enough to prevent mass shootings