US religious leaders call for halt to federal executions

More than 1,000 US religious leaders urged President Donald Trump on Tuesday to abandon plans to resume federal executions after a hiatus of 17 years. “As our country grapples with the COVID 19 pandemic, an economic crisis, and systemic racism in the criminal legal system, we should be focused on protecting and preserving life, not carrying out executions,” the leaders from various Christian faiths said in a statement. “Stop the scheduled…