The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Ohio's voter registration law in a 5-4 ruling Monday that loosens restrictions on how and when the state can purge its voter rolls. Proponents of the law argue it keeps their record books cleaner, while voting rights activists argue it punishes registered voters for not exercising that right, and disproportionally removes minority and Democratic names.
Though Pennsylvania already has similar voter registration laws on the books--it takes about eight years for a Pennsylvanian to be culled from the rolls--Ohio's are stricter and faster. Could the SCOTUS decision push other conservative state legislatures to tighten their laws?
Reporter Tim Darragh of The Morning Call weighs in with Vic Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of Pennslyvania, on how changes nextdoor could affect Pennsylvania.
Next in the program...
Suicide was back in the headlines nationwide this week following the deaths of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade. Here at home, the suicide rate has been climbing for the past eight years.
Sean Hamill of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on the rise of suicides in Allegheny County and across the country, plus what contributes to those surging numbers.
Coming up...
Condoms are a common and effective way to prevent pregnancy, and are the only method of birth control that protects agaist the spread of sexually trasmitted diseases, including HIV. But they can also be illegal.
Possessing an instrument of crime levies more serious consequences than a prostitution charge alone and can result in jail time. Public health advocates, legal experts and others argue its bad policy that puts an already stigmatized population in danger. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Megan Guza reports.
Later on...
A Pittsburgh Trib report found the Allegheny County Jail has failed to comply with at least three requirements stemming from the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2013, which a few inmates say left them vulnerable to sexual harrasment and abuse by guards. Last year, four women sued the prison because of the alleged sexual abuse. Reporter Theresa Clift explains.
And finally...
Veteran Pittsburgh editorial cartoonist Rob Rogers was fired Thursday from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after conservative page editors repeatedly spiked cartoons critical of President Donald Trump. Rogers joins to share his side.
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s weekly news program. Each week, reporters, editors and storytellers join veteran journalist and host Kevin Gavin to take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here.
