Mayor Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten collectively have $131,296 of student debt, putting them among the 43 million people in the U.S. struggling with federal college loans, reports AP.
Why it matters: By sharing the specific amount of money he and his husband owe, Buttigieg makes the topic of college debt more personal. If elected, he'd be the first president with school loans — signifying how pervasive the issue has become, per AP.
This week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) watchdog released tworeports detailing the dangerous and concerning treatment of migrants in immigration detention spaces.
Details: At a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility in El Paso, Tex. more than 150 migrants were held in a cell meant for just 35 people. And in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in New Jersey, a noose hung in a detainee's cell, kitchens were stocked with expired food and inadequate medical care was provided.
Following decades of a rapidly growing prison population, the percentage of Americans in prison is the lowest it has been in more than 20 years. Still, the U.S. incarcerates people at a higher rate than any other country — 655 people for every 100,000 of the population.
The latest: This comes as many cities and states have enacted various criminal justice reform measures to combat mass incarceration. Even Congress passed a bill that eased certain sentencing guidelines and instituted new rehabilitation programs in federal prisons.
By the numbers: As of November 2017, 71% of detained immigrants were being held in private detention facilities, according to government data obtained by the National Immigrant Justice Center.
The House Intelligence Committee announced on Friday that it will hold an open hearing on June 12 covering the "counterintelligence implications" of the Mueller report.
Driving the news: "Our Committee's goal will be to explain to the American people the serious counterintelligence concerns raised by the Mueller Report, examine the depth and breadth of the unethical and unpatriotic conduct it describes, and produce prescriptive remedies to ensure that this never happens again," Chairman of U.S. House Intelligence Committee Rep. Adam Schiff wrote in a statement.
The Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity will be open to supporting Democrats and independents during the 2020 election cycle, CNBC reports.
Why it matters: The Koch network has only put its political and financial weight behind Republican candidates in the past, highlighting the libertarian-leaning organization's difficulty finding a foothold in the party during President Trump's tenure.
In a dramatic reversal, 2020 frontrunner Joe Biden told a DNC summit in Atlanta Thursday night that would call for a repeal of the Hyde Amendment, per AP.
The federal government has plans to open up a new detention facility in Texas that will house migrant children, and is also considering housing minors at military bases, reports AP.
Why it matters: Border Patrol facilities are overwhelmed, and this new Carrizo Springs, Tex., facility will house 1,600 minors while 3 military bases in Georgia, Montana and Oklahoma could support another 1,400 kids, per AP. The new facility will be considered "temporary housing," so the federal government won't be required to meet child welfare licensing requirements.
