Democrats: GOP police bill ‘not salvageable,’ demand talks

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Democratic leaders in the Senate say the Republican policing bill in response to the protests over killing of Black Americans is "threadbare and lacking." Democrats are signaling they intend to block the GOP measure and demand negotiations on a new, more bipartisan package. That's according to a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from the Democrats obtained by The Associated Press. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and others say the GOP bill is "not salvageable." The opposition from Democrats is being backed by leading civil rights organizations and the lawyer, Benjamin Crump, representing the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, whose deaths in police interactions sparked protest over law enforcement procedures.