North Carolina: Butterfield says report justifies black mistrust. US Rep. G. K. Butterfield (D-NC), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said last week that the Justice Department’s report on Ferguson showed that African Americans’ distrust of police is well-founded. “For years, the Congressional Black Caucus has asserted that black Americans are treated unfairly and disproportionately in the criminal justice system… The world now knows the truth about Ferguson and the criminal justice system,” he said in a news conference reported in The Hill ……. Florida: Rubio introduces tax plan. US Sen. Marco Rubio (R) announced his tax plan last week, along with US Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT). The plan would reduce the individual income tax rates from seven to two, 15% and 35%. It would also create a new child credit and remove the marriage penalty. To stimulate economic growth, Rubio’s proposal contains tax reforms for businesses ……. Kentucky: Paul again introduces measure to block aid to Palestine. US Sen. Rand Paul (R), a likely presidential candidate, has introduced “The Stand with Israel Act of 2015” to prohibit US aid to the Palestinian Authority unless it renounces terrorism and recognizes the state of Israel. Paul said in a statement that his bill “sends a clear message” to the Palestinians. He introduced a similar bill last year, but it failed to get out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee …….