WHAT'S BREWING
DOJ TO INSPECT PRISONS AS INMATES FALL SICK The Justice Department’s inspector general will conduct remote inspections of Bureau of Prisons facilities to ensure they are following best practices to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus after hundreds of federal inmates tested positive for the virus. The review comes as the federal prison system struggles with a growing number of coronavirus cases and complaints from inmates, advocacy groups and correction officers about how officials are handling the pandemic among their 122 facilities. [AP]
PASTORS SUE CALIFORNIA GOV. FOR LIMITING GATHERINGS Pastors from three California churches are suing Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and several local officials for restricting religious gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic, arguing that their congregations can worship in person and practice social distancing at the same time. In a federal lawsuit, the evangelical Christian plaintiffs insist it’s unconstitutional for the state to allow some businesses to stay open ― such as grocery stores ― while houses of worship are forced to close. [HuffPost]
KENTUCKY GOP PASSES VOTER ID LAW AMID PANDEMIC Kentucky’s GOP-controlled legislature successfully overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) veto of a voter ID bill, a move that adds an extra hurdle for people to vote in November. The bill requires people to show government-issued photo identification in order to cast a ballot, starting in November. The reelection of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) will be on the ballot. This legislation comes at a time when people are already struggling to vote in primary elections because of the coronavirus pandemic. [HuffPost]
SAN FRANSISCO TO TRACE COVID-19 PATIENTS' CONTACTS San Francisco officials announced a new contact tracing program that establishes a system for identifying everyone a coronavirus-infected patient interacted with. Currently in its testing phase, the program will entail interviewing every newly infected patient in the city to establish the network of people they may have infected and then informing those people they could be possible carriers ― all without revealing anyone’s identity. [HuffPost]
FEDERAL JUDGE INVALIDATES KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE PERMIT A federal judge in Montana overturned a key water crossing permit needed to build the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, handing a major victory to environmental groups that said the oil network could imperil endangered species and threaten drinking water. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris said that the Army Corps of Engineers had failed to consider how a 2017 permit allowing the pipeline to cross waterways could harm some species. [HuffPost] | 
