The News
US President-elect Donald Trump vowed to direct his administration to “vigorously pursue” the use of the death penalty, criticizing his outgoing predecessor’s decision to commute 37 death sentences.
President Joe Biden’s announcement came following calls from anti-capital punishment activists as well as Pope Francis, but has sparked division in the US, and stands in marked contrast to Trump’s own views: During Trump’s prior term, 13 federal prisoners were put to death, and he has said he wants to expand the use of the punishment.
The US as a result represents the countervailing trends when it comes to the death penalty, which is used more than it has been in a decade, but by a dwindling number of countries.
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