Dannel P. Malloy is a socially progressive Democratic governor trying to make prison a place for second chances. Scott Semple is a Republican who came of age as a correction official when the primary mission of U.S. prisons was to punish. Together, they are trying to remake criminal justice in Connecticut.
Dannel P. Malloy
Posted inPolitics
DeLauro defies Obama on State of the Union issue
WASHINGTON — Once again, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro is defying President Obama as he prepares to give his State of the Union address to the nation. Once again, the split is over trade.
Posted inPolitics
Obamas to put Malloy in spotlight at State of the Union
WASHINGTON — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy will be one of the most notable guests at Tuesday’s State of the Union speech, sitting with Michelle Obama.
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U.S. asks CT, other states, for help enforcing gun rules
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration coupled its move to tighten gun laws with a plea to Connecticut and other states for help to strengthen a flawed system used to screen gun buyers.
Posted inJustice
Malloy gives early peek at 2015 stats showing falling crime
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy demonstrated one of the first rules of modern politics Thursday: If you have good news, get it out. And he says it looks like the news on crime in Connecticut is continuing to be good.
Posted inPolitics
Challenges at home as Malloy raises national profile
He’s already had five years of crisis, conflict and close calls. But 2016 is dawning as a pivotal year for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, a Democrat taking on a leadership role in national politics while trying to solidify a legacy in Connecticut.
Posted inJustice
Another Connecticut prison is bound for mothballs
EAST LYME – The Connecticut prison system shrinks again this weekend when the final two dozen inmates depart the Niantic Annex, a section of a century-old complex of prisons that was reopened in 2011.
Posted inPolitics
Obama’s action on guns fulfills promise to Newtown families
WASHINGTON — Tearing up as he spoke of the slaying of 20 Newtown first-graders, President Obama made an emotional appeal to the nation for support of his gun-control initiatives on Tuesday, saying, “Every time I think about those kids, it makes me mad.”
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White House rolls out new gun control measures
WASHINGTON — With support from Connecticut lawmakers, President Obama is taking executive actions that will broaden FBI background checks of gun buyers and anger Republican members of Congress who say the president has overstepped his authority.
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A governor’s visit to a smokehouse that offers second chances
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy dropped in on Bear’s Smokehouse in Hartford on the day before Christmas for a low-key photo opportunity to promote his Second Chance initiatives and to thank the owners, Cheryl and Jamie “Bear” McDonald, for hiring ex-offenders. He stayed for the brisket.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Malloy gun proposal NOT about terrorism
No one wants terrorists to have guns. However, Gov. Dan Malloy’s recent proposal to ban gun purchases from those who appear on a nebulous terrorist “watch list” is a step too far. There is no doubt that Gov. Malloy is not a big fan of the Second Amendment. Unfortunately, this plan also guts the 14th Amendment due process clause by suspending the right to purchase and potentially confiscating legally owned property without providing ANY evidence to do so.
Posted inPolitics
Malloy mum on authority to change firearm screening
Nearly a week after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced his intention to use terrorist watch lists to screen gun buyers, it remains unclear how his executive powers would allow him to unilaterally alter criteria set by state law. He has not sought an opinion from the attorney general.
Posted inPolitics
N.J. already using U.S. watch lists to screen gun buyers
The New Jersey State Police said Friday they have used the U.S. government’s terrorist watch lists to screen gun purchasers for two years under a law signed by Gov. Chris Christie, providing a model for how Connecticut might access the same data.
Posted inPolitics
Education bill and gun control dominate on Capitol Hill
A new federal education law replacing No Child Left Behind and a stepped-up campaign to bar those on terrorist watch lists from purchasing firearms dominated the discussion on Capitol Hill this week.
Posted inPolitics
At Sandy Hook observance, families press Congress for action
Thursday’s Capitol Hill commemoration of the anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, which occurred three years ago on Dec. 14, was also a memorial to the victims of the San Bernardino massacre – and to dozens of other victims of gun murders across the nation.
