Reporter
Criminal justice reporter for BuzzFeed News
PROFILE
Albert Samaha
FROM Albert Samaha
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Dallas Police Praised for Community-Policing Approach Protests were peaceful Thursday in Dallas before shooting broke out. The Dallas Police Department had been posting pictures of the demonstrations on Twitter, including one of officers smiling alongside a protester. The department is well regarded for its relationship with the community it serves. In recent years, Dallas PD has taken a community policing approach, and they credit that approach with a decrease in excessive force complaints and arrests. Community policing has been adopted in cities across the country, especially since President Obama formed a task force to push that approach following the chokehold death of Eric Garner in 2014. Will this week’s events alter the community-oriented approach of police departments across the US?
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Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Accusations of lying fly between James Comey and White House During his testimony Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey accused President Trump and other White House officials of lying when they said the FBI was in disarray and its staff had lost confidence in him. President Trump’s lawyer said Comey was wrong -- that the president never asked for his loyalty, and never asked him to back off the investigation into former NSA director Michael Flynn.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Terrorism in London: Lessons for the US This weekend’s terrorist attack in London left seven people dead and almost 50 injured. London police fatally shot the attackers, and ISIS claimed responsibility.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why did Jared Kushner want a back channel with Russians? News broke Friday that President Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, tried setting up a back channel between the Trump transition team and the Russian government. What are the consequences for Kushner, President Trump, and the investigation into Russian meddling?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why is Trump so behind on filling staff jobs, establishing concrete policies? Yesterday Donald Trump signed a “decision memo” to revamp the air traffic control system. But there was little legislative detail in the plan. There’s not much to other splashy announcements from the White House, including tax cuts and the arms deal with Saudi Arabia. And hundreds of positions are unfilled in federal agencies.