In brief: Priest abuse victims group wants investigative panel
MILWAUKEE – A group of clergy sexual abuse victims called Tuesday for an independent commission to investigate molestation accusations that are sealed as part of a bankruptcy case involving the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
The move comes a day after church lawyers formalized a $21 million settlement between nearly 400 abuse victims and the archdiocese. It advances a position the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests has held for years: that church officials shouldn’t be the first authorities to review clergy abuse reports.
Many of the abuse allegations have been made public as part of the case, but SNAP says outside investigators should have access to all the complaints to ensure that there aren’t children who are still at risk.
Church officials, meanwhile, have maintained that claims have been properly and transparently investigated and that they’ve worked to make sure children are safe.
Judge bans execution drugs
JACKSON, Miss. – A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the state of Mississippi from using two drugs in executions, shutting down the death penalty in the state for now.
U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate issued a temporary restraining order saying Mississippi officials cannot use pentobarbital or midazolam, two drugs used to render prisoners unconscious. Mississippi law requires a three-drug process, with the sedative followed by a paralyzing agent and a drug that stops an inmate’s heart.
Grace Simmons Fisher, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Department of Corrections, wrote in an email that the order bars the state from using any drug to execute a condemned inmate. The state quickly filed notice Tuesday saying it will ask the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal to overturn Wingate’s order.
Clinton wins Vilsack’s backing
WASHINGTON – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has become the first member of President Barack Obama’s Cabinet to endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Vilsack said in an opinion piece in the Gazette of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that he’s backing Clinton because she has the right policies to strengthen and expand the middle class.
He says she’s also “battle tested” and has the experience and relationships to lead and govern.
The former Iowa governor endorsed Clinton when she challenged Obama for the 2008 Democratic nomination.
Planned Parenthood files suit
BATON ROUGE, La. – Planned Parenthood is asking a federal judge to stop Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration from ending Medicaid payments to the organization’s Louisiana clinics.
Jindal, a Republican presidential candidate, announced plans this month to cut off the funding, citing hidden-camera videos that accuse the organization of profiting from fetal tissue sales. Planned Parenthood denies the allegations.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast says termination of its Medicaid provider agreements will limit health services for poor people. The lawsuit says the Jindal administration is violating federal law and unconstitutionally penalizing patients for their association with Planned Parenthood.
The Medicaid payments are set to end Sept. 2 unless Planned Parenthood gets the injunction it’s seeking.
L.A. opens airport to Uber
LOS ANGELES – In a nod to consumer demands and the realities of disruptive technology, Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation Wednesday to open the door for ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft to fully operate alongside taxis at its airport.
After weeks of debate over the potential risks of app-based ride companies, the L.A. City Council approved a policy that would allow Uber and Lyft to apply for permits to pick up passengers at Los Angeles International Airport, a service they’re currently barred from providing.
Mother faces murder charges
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A woman accused of killing her three young sons over a 13-month period out of jealousy at the attention her husband paid them was indicted Tuesday on aggravated murder charges that carry the possibility of a death sentence.
The charges against Brittany Pilkington in Bellefontaine, in western Ohio, about 55 miles from Columbus, include capital punishment factors of multiple victims and victims under 13.
Logan County Prosecutor William Goslee had previously said death penalty charges were unlikely given the circumstances, which included what he said was Pilkington’s abusive childhood and life with her controlling husband, who previously was her mother’s boyfriend.
He described a troubled woman who wanted “to eliminate male children” so her husband would have more time for her and her daughter.