Oct 17, 2018

Prison bureau says U.S. prisons are reaching capacity

Jeff Sessions. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Low-security correctional facilities are running out of space to house inmates because of convicted immigrants who are being housed in them, according to a redacted document filed by the United States Bureau of Prisons.

Why it matters: The bureau is requesting an extension on a contract with a private prison operator to run a correctional facility in Texas. The filing claims that the 32 low-security facilities in the Bureau of Prisons are unable to handle more inmates and says the bureau's "overall population is expected to increase significantly" as a result of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' requirement for mandatory charges at their highest severity for all immigrants illegally crossing the border.

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Alayna Treene, Sam Baker
37 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Amy Coney Barrett's immediate impact

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

In her first week on the job, Amy Coney Barrett may be deciding which votes to count in the presidential election. By her third week, she’ll be deciding the fate of the Affordable Care Act.

Where it stands: The Senate votes on Barrett’s nomination tomorrow. If she’s confirmed, Chief Justice John Roberts is expected to swear her in at the Supreme Court within hours, an administration official tells Axios.

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Alexi McCammond, Hans Nichols
45 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Texas Democrats beg Biden to spend now

Photo: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

The Biden campaign is rebuffing persistent pleas from Texas Democrats to spend at least $10 million in the Lone Star state, several people familiar with the talks tell Axios.

Why it matters: If Texas — which has 38 electoral votes and is steadily getting more blue, but hasn't backed a Democrat for president since 1976 — flipped to the Biden column, it would be game over. But the RealClearPolitics polling average stubbornly hovers at +2.6 for Trump — and Team Biden appears more focused on closer targets.

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Alayna Treene, author of Sneak Peek
54 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Election night in Trumpworld

Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Chris Carlson-Pool/Getty Images

A luxe election-night watch party at the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue is being planned for President Trump's donors, friends and advisers — but Trump's hand in it is minimal because he's "very superstitious" — people familiar with the plans tell Axios.

The big picture: This "mecca for all things MAGA," as one adviser described it, is one of three hubs where they say Trumpworld will watch returns. The others are the war room at campaign HQ in Rosslyn, Virginia, and the White House residence, where Trump and the first lady will gather close family and advisers before heading to the hotel later that night, the sources said.

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