Cyntoia Brown has been granted clemency
Cyntoia Brown, now 30, has been granted clemency according to the Tennessee governor’s office, reported by CNN. Brown had served the first 15 years of her life sentence for killing the man who bought her for sex. Brown’s story caught public attention after celebrities like Kim Kardashian West and Amy Schumer heard about the tragic case. After shooting Johnny Mitchell Allen in the head while he was sleeping in 2004, Brown stole money, guns and a truck and fled the scene. Prosecutors alleged Brown was motivated by robbery, rather than self-defense. Brown explained that she was scared to return empty-handed back to her pimp, “Cut Throat.” Brown will be released to parole supervision on Aug. 7.
Coast Guard Members go without pay
Unlike the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps, some 42,000 Coast Guard servicemen are being impacted by the partial government shutdown, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Coast Guard, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, an entity that has not been funded since late December 2018, is now unable to find funds for payroll for its servicemembers— this past week was the first missed paycheck. However, a bipartisan-supported bill has been drafted in the House and Senate that may restore pay to servicemembers until the shutdown ends.
President Trump offers temporary exchange for wall funding
On Saturday, Trump proposed an offer to the democratic party to end the partial government shutdown. According to CNN, this proposal includes a three-year reprieve of deportation to DACA members or undocumented individuals who entered the United States as children in exchange for $5.7 billion in funding for the southern wall border. The democrats rejected the proposal and called for a re-opening of the government before any negotiation on immigration.
