Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Historic commutations: “President Joe Biden announced Monday that he is commuting the death sentences of 37 inmates, leaving only three people on death row in federal prisons. The commuted sentences will be reclassified to life sentences without the possibility of parole, according to the White House.”
* In the Middle East: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said Monday that ‘progress’ was being made toward a deal with Hamas to release hostages held captive in Gaza for more than a year, but dismissed pressure to act faster.”
* A Jan. 6 criminal case that’s different from most: “A former D.C. police lieutenant was found guilty in federal court Monday on charges that he improperly warned Proud Boys leader Henry ‘Enrique’ Tarrio of his pending arrest two days before the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, then lied about it to investigators.”
* A longtime Democratic priority: “The Senate passed bipartisan legislation early Saturday that would give full Social Security benefits to a group of public sector retirees who currently receive them at a reduced level, sending the bill to President Biden. The vote to clear the measure was a lopsided 76 to 20, reflecting the broad popularity of an effort to allow approximately more than 2.8 million public pension recipients — some of them teachers, firefighters and police officers — to collect Social Security benefits at the same level as other beneficiaries.”
* A notable development from Missouri’s Republican governor: “Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Friday commuted the prison sentence of former Kansas City police detective Eric DeValkenaere, the first Kansas City officer ever convicted of killing a Black man, an explosive decision that will infuriate residents and risk damaging the state’s relationship with the city.”
* At the border: “Illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border have continued to drop through the last several months of President Joe Biden’s term, with the number of migrants stopped by Border Patrol agents falling in November to 46,610, according to data published Thursday.”
* A heartbreaking report: “The Washington Post has found more than three times as many deaths as the U.S. government documented in its investigation of Indian boarding schools.”
* A notable development for a rising star in Democratic politics: “Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland last week accepted a Bronze Star for his Army service in Afghanistan nearly two decades ago, putting to rest a controversy over the award that had trailed him through his career.”
This’ll be my last post before a brief holiday break, but I’ll be back on Friday morning. See you then.