Page 2 - aruba-today-20220831

A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 31 august 2022
Continued from Front December, and it's well be-
"We're not stopping here. low the percentage nam-
I'm determined to ban as- ing many of the other top
sault weapons in this coun- issues for Americans.
try! Determined. I did it Biden has tried to balance
once before. And I'll do it his approach to crime by
again." acknowledging voters'
As a U.S. senator, Biden fears and praising law en-
played a leading role in forcement, but also urging
temporarily banning as- more accountability for
sault-style weapons, includ- officers. The White House
ing firearms similar to the has also repeatedly pro-
AR-15 that have explod- moted the additional fund-
ed in popularity in recent ing for local police that
years, and he wants to put was tucked into its sweep-
the law back into place. ing coronavirus relief pack-
Biden argued that there age in the early months of
was no rationale for such Biden's presidency.
weapons "outside of a war He's rejected the activist
zone" and noted that par- slogan "defund the police,"
ents of the young victims at which Republicans have
Robb Elementary School in used as a cudgel against
Uvalde had to supply DNA Democrats in general, by
because the weapon used President Joe Biden speaks at the Arnaud C. Marts Center on the campus of Wilkes University, calling for more money for
in the massacre rendered Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. cops.
the bodies unidentifiable. Associated Press Biden's trip to Wilkes-Barre
"DNA, to say that's my was originally scheduled
baby!" Biden said. "What cent event that crime has uniform every single day," inals" from prisons or that for July 21 but was can-
the hell is the matter with gone up on his opponent's said Shapiro, who spoke he's in favor of "emptying celled when the president
us?" watch and that Shapiro shortly before Biden's re- prisons." contracted COVID-19 and
Tuesday's speech marked "stands aside" as homicides marks at Wilkes University. Fetterman was not in Wil- went into isolation while he
Biden's first of three trips to rise across Pennsylvania. "We know that policing is kes-Barre with Biden on was contagious.
Pennsylvania in the com- Homicides have been in- a noble profession, and Tuesday, but he's expect- Biden has laid out a $37
ing week, underscoring the creasing in Pennsylvania, we know that we need to ed to march in Pittsburgh's billion plan for address-
state's role as a key political but overall crime seems to stand with law enforce- Labor Day parade when ing crime and boosting
battleground. Trump is host- have fallen over the last ment." the president visits Sept. 5. law enforcement resourc-
ing his own rally in Pennsyl- year, according to state In the U.S. Senate race, Biden also will be in Penn- es. He wants Congress to
vania on Saturday. statistics. heart surgeon turned tele- sylvania on Thursday for a spend $13 billion to help
Democrats are trying to As attorney general since vision celebrity Dr. Mehmet prime-time speech that the communities hire and train
blunt Republican efforts to 2017, Shapiro has toured Oz, the Republican nomi- White House said will ad- 100,000 police officers over
use concern about crime the state discussing the nee, has tried to portray the dress "the continued battle five years. Another $3 bil-
to their advantage in the need to crack down on Democratic candidate, Lt. for the soul of the nation" lion would go to clearing
midterms. It's a particularly gun trafficking and ghost Gov. John Fetterman, as and defending democ- court backlogs and resolv-
fraught issue in Pennsyl- guns, and to recruit more extreme and reckless on racy. It's unclear whether ing cases involving murders
vania, a key swing state police officers. Last De- crime policy. crime will end up as a piv- and guns, and $5 billion
where a U.S. Senate seat cember, he said that state Fetterman has endorsed otal issue in November. more would go to support
and the governor's office agents and Philadelphia recommendations that Only 11% of U.S. adults programs that could help
are up for grabs. police officers working to- more geriatric and reha- named crime or violence stop violence before it oc-
The Republican candi- gether had reduced the bilitated prisoners can be as one of the top five issues curs. In addition, Biden is
date for governor, Doug number of shootings in ar- released from state prisons they consider most impor- looking for $15 billion to
Mastriano, accuses Demo- eas that were confronting without harming public tant for the government to provide grants to initiatives
crat Josh Shapiro of being gun violence related to safety. Oz and Republicans work on in the next year, for preventing violent crime
soft on crime as the state's drug trafficking. have distorted that into the according to an AP-NORC or creating public health
twice-elected attorney "The real heroes here are claim that Fetterman wants poll conducted in June. responses to nonviolent
general, saying at one re- the people who put on the to release "dangerous crim- That's unchanged since incidents.q

New political restrictions set for Justice Dept. appointees

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Trump's home and the Jan. proval. The new policy bans carry out the department's — as a political weapon-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The 6, 2021, Capitol riot, said in attendance altogether. mission," Garland wrote. ization of the Justice De-
Justice Department will no a memo that the restrictions It also removes an excep- On his first day in office partment. A rash of online
longer allow political ap- are to ensure that politics tion that had allowed peo- more than a year ago, threats against federal
pointees to go to fundrais- "both in fact and appear- ple with close family mem- Garland vowed to prioritize agents followed.q
ers and other campaign ance" won't affect the way bers running for office to at- the Justice Department's
events under restrictions the law is enforced or how tend political events during political independence af-
handed down Tuesday inquiries are carried out. presidential election years, ter the departure of Trump,
that are aimed at main- Appointees, hired under and it bars attending such who had insisted on offi-
taining the department's in- presidential administrations events on the evening of cials' personal loyalty.
dependence from politics. rather than making long Election Day. More recently, Trump and
Attorney General Merrick careers at the Justice De- "It is critical that we hold his allies have sought to
Garland, who is currently partment, have been al- ourselves to the highest cast the Aug. 9 search at
overseeing investigations lowed to attend political ethical standards to avoid Mar-a-Lago — part of an
including the FBI search of events passively on their even the appearance of investigation into the re-
former President Donald personal time with prior ap- political influence as we moval of classified records
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