Jun 19, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Activist DeRay Mckesson: Data from the FBI doesn't support current police funding

Screenshot: Axios Events

Violent crime data from the FBI does not support funding local police departments at current levels, activist DeRay Mckesson said Friday during an Axios virtual event.

What he's saying: "Even if you made the argument that we need to have the police to deal with the most violent crimes, that is literally only 5%...What if you took 95% of the budget and moved it somewhere else? The data would support something like that. And that's FBI numbers. That's not even a homegrown number from a think tank," Mckesson said.

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Jacob Knutson
Jul 9, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Pew poll: Americans support allowing citizens to sue officers for misconduct

A police officer arresting a demonstrator in Portland, Oregon, on July 4. Photo: John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

66% of Americans support repealing qualified immunity for police officers and allowing civilians to sue officers for misconduct and excessive use of force, even if it makes law enforcement’s jobs more difficult, according to a Pew Research Center survey released Thursday.

Why it matters: Qualified immunity shields government officials from liability. When applied to police officers, it makes successful prosecution of misconduct difficult. Black Lives Matters is calling for an end to qualified immunity for police, and the practice has been at the center of debate on police reform.

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Ina Fried
2 mins ago - Technology

U.S. pushes homegrown drone industry amid China battle

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Alarmed at the prospect of relying on Chinese-made drones for public safety and monitoring critical industries, U.S. investors and the federal government are newly backing a domestic drone industry of hardware and software companies.

The big picture: The moves come as the industry continues to be led by DJI, a Chinese hardware maker — and as concerns grow both in China and the U.S. about reliance on the other country's technology.

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Sara Fischer
15 mins ago - Economy & Business

Exclusive: The N.Y. Times doubles down on TV and film ambitions

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

One of the country's oldest and most established media companies is starting to look more like a Hollywood studio than a traditional newspaper.

Driving the news: The New York Times has 10 scripted TV show projects in development, as well as 3 feature documentaries coming out this year and several other documentary projects in development and production, executives tell Axios.

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