Politics. On Point.

  Is "the state of our union really strong? Are we really building back better than ever? President Biden unveiled his 2023 budget this week with a few familiar focused items. The president is again calling for those who make millions of dollars to pay their fair share of taxes. His 2023 budget makes it plain that billionaires should also do the same.  (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Outlining his budget plans the president makes the claim that, " The tax code currently offers special treatment for the types of income that wealthy people enjoy. This special treatment, combined with sophisticated tax planning and giant loopholes, allows many of the very wealthiest people in the world to end up paying a lower tax rate on their full income than many middle-class households. To finally address this glaring problem, the Budget includes a minimum tax on multi-millionaires and billionaires who so often pay indefensibly low tax rates. This minimum tax would apply only to the wealthiest...

President Obama, in an effort to extend his initiative to assist young men of color with opportunities, announces his My Brother's Keeper Alliance.  The Alliance  is a new nonprofit organization of private sector organizations and companies that have committed themselves to  opening doors for young people. Using his familiar 'no matter who, where, what, how' mantra, the president reiterated to a group of your men of color that, " if you work hard, if you take responsibility, America is the place where you can make something of your lives", said the president. Adding, "We do strive to guarantee an equal shot for everybody who's willing to work for it." The Alliance announcement comes on the heels of recent riots in Baltimore after a young, unarmed Freddie Gray, 25, died at the hands of cops who shackled him like an animal and put him in a police van, unrestrained. Gray sustained a spinal injury, paralyzing him from the neck down.  He later die...

Today the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) released  Implementing a Body-Worn Camera Program: Recommendations and Lessons Learned .  The report analyzes some of the costs and benefits of law enforcement using body-worn video technology. “Law enforcement agencies across the nation are contemplating how best to use body-worn cameras and these guidelines will help them weight the costs and benefits,” said COPS Office Director Ronald L. Davis.  “There are many considerations when implementing a body-worn camera and this report   will help chiefs and sheriffs make the best decision for their jurisdiction.” The publication was developed jointly by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and COPS through a cooperative agreement under the FY 2013 Community Policing Development Program.  PERF conducted research on the use of body-worn cameras, identified promising practices and lessons learned from the fi...

The Obama Administration awards “Vets to Cops” hiring grants as part of Veterans Job Corps initiative. The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) today announced funding awards to over 220 cities and counties, aimed at creating or saving approximately 800 law enforcement positions.  The grants will fund over 600 new law enforcement positions and save an additional 200 positions recently lost or in jeopardy of being cut due to local budget cuts.  All new law enforcement positions funded in the COPS 2012 Hiring Program must be filled by recent military veterans who have served at least 180 days since September 11, 2001.  In his State of the Union Address, President Obama called for a new Veterans Jobs Corps initiative to help put veterans back to work on a range of projects that leverage skills developed in the military, including first responder jobs. In February, the President announced that preference for this year’s COPS and S...