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Washington Post
Matt Zapotosky is a national security reporter for the Washington Post, covering the Justice Department.
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Matt Zapotosky
FROM Matt Zapotosky
To the Point
Friendly fire in the Trump Administration as president berates AG America's top law enforcement officer is in danger of losing his job. After two days of caustic presidential tweets about Attorney General Jeff Sessions, press secretary Sara Huckabee Sanders was asked about his standing at today's White House briefing. She acknowledged the president's disappointment in Sessions, but told reporters, "I think that's a decision that, if the president wants to make, he certainly will. That frustration certainly hasn't gone away and, you know, I don't think it will." Matt Zapotosky, who covers the Justice Department for the Washington Post 's National Security Team, says the president's anger – not just with Sessions, but with the Justice Department as a whole -- has been simmering for months.
To the Point
Reviving the war on drugs Barack Obama's Attorney General, Eric Holder, ordered federal prosecutors not to bring charges against minor drug offenders that could lead to lifelong penalties. Today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said those days are over. "Going forward I have empowered our prosecutors to charge and pursue the most serious offense as I believe the law requires, most seriously readily available offense." Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post says the new policy will likely lead to more federal prosecutions as well as an increase in the federal prison population.
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Private prisons: justice and profits Incarcerating criminal convicts is part of the justice system, which is run by government. So, why do we have private prisons? It goes back to the Reagan Administration, the War on Drugs and the crackdown on crime, which led federal prisons to be overcrowded. But the government refused to build new ones. Privatization was said to be cheaper and more efficient — and a new, very profitable, industry was born. Now, the Obama Administration says private prisons are unsafe, unhealthy and too expensive. As it ends the practice , will states and the Immigration Service go along?
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FBI Won’t Recommend Criminal Charges in Clinton Email Investigation FBI Director James Comey announced today that the agency does not recommend bringing criminal charges against Hillary Clinton in the case involving her handling of classified information as secretary of state. Comey did, however, denounce Clinton and her colleagues for the way they handled the private email server. Matt Zapotosky is covering the story for the Washington Post.
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To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
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Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
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Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?