1A Remaking America: Crime, The Senate, And Washington D.C.

1A

NPR

News

4.3 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2023

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dozens of Democratic senators voted alongside their Republican counterparts last week on the issue of crime and safety in our nation's capital. The Senate voted 81-14 to block a criminal code rewrite that was unanimously approved by the D.C. City Council.

The criminal code overhaul included major changes to criminal sentencing – including reducing maximum sentences for carjacking and eliminating mandatory minimums.

We discuss the intersection of politics and criminal justice policy and what say Congress should have over D.C.'s affairs.

This show was part of 1A's Remaking America collaboration with six partner stations around the country. Remaking America is funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Transcript

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0:00.0	In a rare show of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill, dozens of Democratic senators voted with
0:14.0	their Republican counterparts to block DC's new criminal code.
0:18.2	The DC City Council passed the new criminal code with unanimous support late last year,
0:22.9	the first time it was changed in more than 100 years.
0:26.2	The Senate vote was 81-14.
0:29.5	Democratic New Jersey Senator Cory Booker spoke to concerns from the City Council prior
0:33.4	to that vote.
0:34.4	I have a distinction of being the only one of the 100 senators actually born in Washington,
0:39.4	DC.
0:40.4	This is the city my parents met in.
0:42.1	This is the city they married in.
0:44.6	And I am disappointed that there is nobody in this body who was officially elected to speak
0:50.0	for this city.
0:51.0	After the break, we discuss what the vote means for the district's ability to self-govern
0:55.4	by Congress has a say over DC affairs and why crime in the nation's Capitol is causing
1:00.8	bipartisan reaction.
1:02.9	This show is part of one A's Remaking America project, looking at how our government is
1:07.1	and is not working for everyone.
1:09.5	I'm Jen White.
1:10.5	You're listening to the One A podcast where we get to the heart of the story.
1:13.6	We'll be back with more in just a moment.
1:15.7	Stay with us.
	...

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