EXCLUSIVE: Jailed and Pregnant
When Chasity Congious went into labor for the first time, there were no doctors or nurses. No clean blankets to swaddle the coming baby. There were no family members, no friends.
Congious wasn’t even in a hospital. She was alone in a jail cell.
The baby girl was born into the pant leg of her beige uniform on May 17, 2020, in the Tarrant County, Texas, jail. The umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck — a common problem often resolved with a quick unraveling by a doctor’s hands.
But no one was there to help. Her daughter, named Zenorah, did not survive.
Horrific scenes like this are unfolding in jails across the country, according to a yearlong investigation from Bloomberg Law and NBC News that reveals systemic failures. In a first-of-its-kind analysis of federal civil rights lawsuits from 2017 to 2024, reporters found at least 54 pregnant women or their families have alleged severe mistreatment or medical neglect in jails.
Pregnant women are locked up, often for petty crimes, their cries for help ignored. They are miscarrying or giving birth in excruciating pain into cell toilets or onto filthy jail floors. Newborns are suffering infections and long-lasting health issues. Some babies die.
Read the exclusive investigation
New Margin
Later today, House Republicans will see their majority grow. Their margin of control will shift to 219-213 after the resignation of Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D) takes effect, Greg Giroux reports.
Sherrill is the governor-elect of New Jersey. Though she won’t be sworn into her new job until January, her formal resignation will create a vacancy and allow the current governor, Democrat Phil Murphy, to call a special election.
Two Sides of the Coin
It’s an oddly intense week on Capitol Hill, finally fully populated after the long shutdown-provoked absence of House members. One thing our team’s noticed: Congress being contradictory.
Example A: Legislative animosity. Maeve Sheehey describes the strong feelings behind Rep. Nancy Mace’s (S.C.) bid to force a vote on kicking a fellow Republican off his committees. She cited allegations of assault and stolen valor in pressing for a censure of Rep. Cory Mills (Fla.). “Never met a trashcan I didn’t want to kick,” she posted on social media.
Mace’s move came a day after 23 House Democrats broke with their party’s leadership to disapprove of Rep. Chuy Garcia’s (D-Ill.) last-minute retirement, which allowed his chief of staff to run uncontested in the Democratic primary. It also came before the House Ethics Committee announced it’s opening a probe of Mills.
Now the flip side. Example B: Tax-break kumbaya. Zach C. Cohen reports on a bipartisan effort to expand the work opportunity tax credit, which offers an advantage to companies that employ veterans, ex-felons, and recipients of needs-based benefits. The bicameral effort is about to bear fruit. They’re introducing legislation to that effect, which also incorporates a separate bill to expand the credit’s eligibility to businesses that hire military spouses.
“You win by adding,” said Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who’ll be the lead Senate sponsor.
The outlook for talks is much more bleak when it comes to the looming expiration of health insurance subsidies. See today’s Congress Tracker for where things stand.
Lawmaker Indicted
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), already the subject of a House ethics investigation, has been indicted on charges accusing her of stealing $5 million in federal funds and using some of the money to aid her 2021 campaign, the Justice Department said.
DOJ alleged that Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother worked through their family healthcare company on a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract, which received an overpayment of $5 million. She could face up to 53 years in prison if convicted, the department said. Read More
See Also:
- Trump Signs Epstein Files Bill After Fight That Split GOP
- House Republican Weighs Forcing Stock Ban Vote Post-Thanksgiving
- Democrats Float Long-Shot Bill to Reinstate SNAP Funding, Access
Let the 2026 Planning Begin
Now that the Senate has released its planner for 2026, Washington folks are able to make their get-out-of-town reservations. Here’s the combined congressional calendar.
Eye on the Economy
Heads up, would-be borrowers: if you’re counting on interest rates coming down a little more next month, maybe take a step back.
After combing through the newly released minutes of the most recent meeting of Federal Reserve officials, Amara Omeokwe reports that keeping interest rates steady for the remainder of 2025 had notable backing. Read More
Saudi Announcement
President Donald Trump said $270 billion in deals were signed at a US-Saudi Investment Forum, Kate Sullivan reports.
A full list of the deals wasn’t immediately available to detail the latest in a series of huge numbers Trump has announced during this week’s visit to Washington by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The president in the past has touted investment pledges that have struggled to stand up to scrutiny. Read More
See Also:
- Trump’s Green Light of Saudi F-35s Is Only the Beginning
- Saudi Air Force Struggles to Pay US $13 Million From Years Ago
- US Approval for Advanced Chips Boosts UAE, Saudi AI Ambitions
Before You Go
Muscle on Behalf of AI: The president is preparing to sign an executive order that would allow the Department of Justice to sue states over artificial intelligence regulations it deems unconstitutional, according to a draft making the rounds on K Street, Capitol Hill, and seen by Bloomberg Government’s Oma Seddiq. Read More
And the Chips That Power It: White House officials are urging members of Congress to reject a bill that would limit Nvidia’s ability to sell AI chips to China and other adversary nations, Mackenzie Hawkins reports, citing people familiar with the matter. Read More
New Yorker Meetup: New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani says he wants to talk about the cost of living when he meets Trump at the White House on Friday, Skylar Woodhouse reports. Trump had said he would pull federal funding from the city if Mamdani won. Read More
Watch This Space: The New York Times reports that attorney and social media maestro George T. Conway III, one of Trump’s fiercest critics, is moving closer to announcing a run for Congress in one of Manhattan’s wealthiest and bluest districts. He’s pitching himself to potential donors as a top attorney who does not “have any more effs to give.” Read More
Feeling Pain: Here’s a sign that sanctions and drone attacks on Russia’s refineries are having an impact: the country’s fuel shipments in the first half of November fell to the lowest since the invasion of Ukraine began, Prejula Prem reports. Read More
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