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Since 2012, Russia has become subject of ever more Western sanctions. Some have been unilateral U.S. sanctions, while Western allies have joined in others. Currently, the United States has about 15 different sanctions programs for Russia, and several others have been proposed. Sensibly, the Biden administration has called for a review of U.S. Russia sanctions. Sanctions should be effective. They should deter, punish and hopefully reverse bad behavior. Narrowly targeted and clearly defined sanctions are usually more effective than broad sanctions that, for example, aim at regime change. The more countries that participate, the more effective sanctions tend to be. Therefore, the Biden administration is right in its intent to return to far-reaching coordination with European allies in its Russia sanctions. The first American sanctions on Russia after the Cold War was the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012. It targets violators of human rights and corruption in … [Read more...] about How to rethink Russia sanctions

Lawmakers traded barbs Wednesday over the root causes of domestic terrorism while House Judiciary Committee Democrats focused their attention on how the FBI can reboot after the Jan. 6 attack. During Judiciary Committee hearing, lawmakers expressed an interest in expanding the information collected by the FBI and other agencies in order to better assess threats and head off a similar attack. “To truly understand what is driving this increase in hate crimes, and the link to violent extremists, we still need better and more comprehensive data,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler Jerrold (Jerry) Lewis Nadler House Judiciary split on how to address domestic extremism George Floyd police reform bill reintroduced in House Nadler presses DOJ to prosecute all involved in Capitol riot MORE (D-N.Y.) told the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, arguing the FBI needed to simplify its reporting and make it easily accessible. … [Read more...] about House Judiciary split on how to address domestic extremism

Members of a House subcommittee Wednesday debated the merits of legislation that would establish a federal commission to explore reparations for Black Americans, marking the first time the panel has held a hearing on the topic since 2019. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties held a virtual hearing to discuss a bill first introduced by the late Rep. John Conyers John James Conyers House subcommittee debates reparations bill for Black Americans House subpanel to hold hearing on reparations for Black Americans Bottom line MORE (D-Mich.) in 1989. The legislation has never received a floor vote. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Sheila Jackson Lee House Judiciary split on how to address domestic extremism The Hill's Morning Report - Democrats ready mammoth relief bill for 10-day sprint House subcommittee debates reparations bill for Black Americans MORE (D-Texas) reintroduced the measure, H.R. 40, in … [Read more...] about House subcommittee debates reparations bill for Black Americans

WASHINGTON - A declassified version of a U.S. intelligence report expected to be released Thursday finds that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, four U.S. officials familiar with the matter said. The officials said the report, for which the CIA was the main contributor, assessed that the crown prince approved and likely ordered the murder of Khashoggi, whose Washington Post column had criticized the crown prince’s policies. President Joe Biden, a Democrat who succeeded the Republican Donald Trump five weeks ago, told reporters Wednesday he had read the report and expected to speak soon by phone with Saudi Arabian King Salman, 85, father of the crown prince, the country's 35-year-old de facto ruler. The report's release is part of Biden's policy to realign ties with Riyadh after years of giving the Arab ally and major oil producer a pass on its human rights record and its intervention in Yemen’s civil war. Biden is … [Read more...] about US Report on Khashoggi Death Expected to Single Out Saudi Crown Prince, Sources Say

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - As Saudi Arabia faced intensifying international skepticism over its story about the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a senior government official laid out a new version of the death inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul that in key respects contradicts previous explanations. The latest account, provided by a Saudi official who requested anonymity, includes details on how the team of 15 Saudi nationals sent to confront Khashoggi on Oct. 2 had threatened him with being drugged and kidnapped and then killed him in a chokehold when he resisted. A member of the team then dressed in Khashoggi’s clothes to make it appear as if he had left the consulate. After denying any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, 59, for two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Saturday morning said he had died in a fistfight at the consulate. An hour later, another Saudi official attributed the death to a chokehold, which the senior official reiterated. Turkish officials suspect … [Read more...] about Saudi Official: Chokehold Killed Journalist; Body Carried Out in Rug