Midday Roundup: Feds to free 6,000 inmates at end of month

Released. The Justice Department plans to release 6,000 federal inmates under new sentencing guidelines for nonviolent drug offenders. The U.S. Sentencing Commission’s approval of the guidelines last year is one of several efforts underway to overhaul how the government handles nonviolent drug crimes. The release, scheduled to start Oct. 30, is one of the largest ever by the federal Bureau of Prisons. About one-third of the inmates will be turned over to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement for deportation.

Waterlogged. Though the rain has passed in South Carolina, the danger remains. Coastal towns are bracing for a second wave of flooding as waters from swollen rivers make their way downstream. Some rivers are not forecast to crest until this weekend. Flooding has breached more than a dozen dams throughout the state, and evacuations and rescues continue. The temporarily homeless are finding comfort in 26 shelters stocked with food, water, and blankets, and relief organizations are in the process of opening more. The University of South Carolina in Columbia canceled classes for the rest of the week, citing safety concerns for commuting students and lack of a safe, reliable water supply.

Reauthorized. The House approved legislation to reauthorize the work of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for four more years. The Senate already approved the bill, which now heads to the president’s desk for signature. Congress created USCIRF in 1998 as an independent, government-funded body to provide recommendations to the president, secretary of state, and Congress on religious liberty conditions around the world.

Relocated. Under cover of darkness Monday night, workers used a large crane to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the Oklahoma State Capitol grounds in Oklahoma City. State officials feared protesters might interfere with efforts to remove the 2 1/2-ton monument that had been on display at the capitol since 2012. The state Supreme Court recently ruled the placement of the monument on state property violated Oklahoma’s constitution. The monument was relocated a few blocks away on property belonging to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, a nonprofit, conservative think tank.