Journalist skirmish in the Senate: What you should know

Protesters chanted in the Senate visitor galleries July 25 as legislators prepared to vote to open debate on a bill repealing parts of the Affordable Care Act, prompting the Capitol Police to arrest the protesters—and, reportedly, to tell some journalists to delete photos or videos they had taken of the arrests. The protesters began yelling “kill the bill, don’t kill us” from the galleries after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made his opening remarks. Asked to restore order, the Capitol Police removed the protesters and arrested some in the Senate hallways, where journalists trying to document the scene clashed with police and other officials.

Daily Beast reporter Andrew Desiderio tweeted that “Capitol Police made me delete the video I recorded.” HuffPost reporter Jennifer Bendery tweeted that journalists were kept away from hallways where arrests were occurring—and that an officer pushed her when she tried to “get a look” at the protesters.