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Federal judges blocking executive orders, DOJ targeting law firms and political opponents, and battles over court compliance
Former U.S. Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer testified Thursday that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche fired her after she refused to recommend restoring firearms rights to actor Mel Gibson, and urged the Senate to reject Blanche's nomination…
2026-07-16 · 3 MIN READPresident Donald Trump fired Roger Rogoff, the newly appointed top federal prosecutor for Seattle, less than an hour after federal judges unanimously appointed him, Rogoff said Wednesday.
2026-07-16 · 3 MIN READThe Trump administration has proposed installing a fence around Lafayette Park to restrict public access when law enforcement determines it is necessary and building an underground visitor screening center, plans set for review Thursday by…
2026-07-16 · 3 MIN READJay Clayton, President Donald Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence, declined to say Wednesday that Joe Biden won the 2020 election during his Senate confirmation hearing, instead stating that Biden was 'certified' as…
2026-07-15 · 3 MIN READHunter Biden said he is "grateful that the rule of law prevailed" after a federal judge awarded him $1.7 million in punitive damages in his defamation lawsuit against former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne. U.S. District Judge Stephen…
2026-07-14 · 4 MIN READThe Trump administration issued subpoenas to several New York Times journalists last week, compelling them to testify before a federal grand jury about the newspaper's reporting on security concerns involving President Donald Trump's new…
2026-07-14 · 3 MIN READThe Pentagon and the Justice Department have formed a joint taskforce to identify and prosecute unauthorized disclosures of sensitive information to the press, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday. Hegseth announced the move in a…
2026-07-13 · 4 MIN READWeidong "Bill" Guan, the former chief financial officer of The Epoch Times, interrupted jury selection at his money laundering trial Thursday to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge in a $67 million fraud scheme, federal prosecutors said.
2026-07-09 · 3 MIN READNASA Administrator Jared Isaacman flew a vintage Northrop F-5 Tiger II jet in the Fourth of July air show over Washington, D.C., after the Federal Aviation Administration denied his request to operate the planes, deeming them "very…
2026-07-05 · 3 MIN READHundreds of masked members of Patriot Front, which The Guardian describes as a neo-fascist, white supremacist organization, marched through Washington DC on July 4 carrying Confederate flags and chanting "Reclaim America!" The group,…
2026-07-04 · 3 MIN READThe FBI has directed field offices nationwide to assign 260 investigative analysts and staff operations specialists to its investigation of the 2020 election in Georgia's Fulton County, according to an internal memo and people familiar…
2026-07-02 · 3 MIN READMichael Scurr, a volunteer at Britain's National Archives, discovered a rare 1776 Exeter printing of the Declaration of Independence while cataloguing Royal Navy correspondence in late May, just weeks before America's 250th anniversary.…
2026-07-02 · 3 MIN READThe Supreme Court on Thursday declined to intervene in a case that could force former Fox News investigative reporter Catherine Herridge to pay $800 per day in fines for refusing to reveal a confidential source. The high court rejected…
2026-07-02 · 3 MIN READA congressional investigation released Thursday alleges that President Donald Trump orchestrated a takeover of the United States' 250th anniversary celebrations to enrich political allies, harvest voter data, and promote Christian…
2026-07-02 · 3 MIN READ
The Education Department has not released its Civil Rights Data Collection for the 2023-24 school year, now six months past its own December deadline. Lindsay Kubatzky, policy director at the National Center for Learning Disabilities, said…
2026-07-02 · 4 MIN READThe National Labor Relations Board dismissed 34.7% of unfair labor practice charges filed by labor unions and 67.4% of charges filed by workers during the first 16 months of the Trump administration, according to a new analysis by the…
2026-07-01 · 3 MIN READThe District of Columbia has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by Sam O'Hara, who was detained by police after he followed an Ohio National Guard patrol while playing Darth Vader's theme song on his cellphone, according to a…
2026-06-29 · 3 MIN READLuigi Mangione appeared Monday at Manhattan federal court for a pretrial hearing in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The court appearance came after his defense team withdrew a formal notice of intent to mount an…
2026-06-29 · 3 MIN READThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is suing John Dehlin, an excommunicated sixth-generation member, to stop him from calling his podcast “Mormon Stories,” arguing that the branding mimics copyrighted church materials and…
2026-06-28 · 3 MIN READUFC heavyweight Josh Hokit said he intended his declaration that former first lady Michelle Obama "is a man" as a compliment, defending the remark he made after winning his fight at the White House's UFC Freedom 250 event.
2026-06-27 · 3 MIN READFederal authorities have detained eight people in connection with an alleged conspiracy to assassinate President Donald Trump during the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14, according to court documents reviewed by The…
2026-06-27 · 3 MIN READThe Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has canceled its contract for a surveillance tool called Webloc that enabled warrantless tracking of mobile devices, following legal concerns raised by a bipartisan group of…
2026-06-26 · 3 MIN READThe District of Columbia has settled a First Amendment lawsuit filed by Sam O'Hara, a protester who was detained and handcuffed after playing Darth Vader's 'Imperial March' theme music behind National Guard troops last September. The…
2026-06-26 · 4 MIN READA top Federal Emergency Management Agency official who drew scrutiny for past remarks including that he once teleported to a Waffle House has been pushed out of the agency, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
2026-06-26 · 3 MIN READA senior Trump administration official told a right-wing conference in London that British police make thousands of "freedom of speech" arrests per year, drawing an immediate rejection from the UK government. Sarah B Rogers, the…
2026-06-26 · 3 MIN READJohn Bolton, who served as former President Donald Trump's national security adviser, is expected to plead guilty Friday in federal court to one count of illegally retaining sensitive national security information, according to multiple…
2026-06-26 · 3 MIN READFormer National Park Service employees, calling themselves Resistance Rangers, held a teach-in at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park on Juneteenth to draw attention to Black history exhibits removed under President Donald Trump's…
2026-06-26 · 3 MIN READVice President JD Vance said Thursday that the Watergate scandal would last a single news cycle in today's political environment, calling the idea that it could bring down a presidency "crazy." Speaking at the Nixon presidential library in…
2026-06-26 · 3 MIN READAssociate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, the third-ranking official at the Justice Department, has told antitrust enforcers he prefers they settle cases rather than take them to trial, according to people familiar with the matter. The…
2026-06-25 · 3 MIN READFederal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said Thursday that ABC is running a "campaign of misinformation" about the agency's inquiry into "The View," escalating the standoff between the Disney-owned network and the…
2026-06-25 · 3 MIN READFormer Facebook policy executive Sarah Wynn-Williams, whose memoir 'Careless People' has been blocked from promotion by a Meta-enforced arbitration order for more than a year, filed a federal lawsuit Thursday challenging the validity of…
2026-06-25 · 3 MIN READA federal judge in Boston on Thursday blocked parts of President Donald Trump's executive order limiting mail-in voting, the latest court ruling to curtail the administration's efforts to assert federal control over election procedures.
2026-06-25 · 3 MIN READSen. Elizabeth Warren warned Thursday that the wave of corporate mergers approved under the Trump administration, including the pending $111 billion combination of Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount Skydance, could be undone by a future…
2026-06-25 · 3 MIN READErnest Dykes, who spent 31 years in prison including most of that on Death Row for a fatal shooting he said was unintentional, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday accusing the Alameda County District Attorney's office of violating his right to…
2026-06-24 · 4 MIN READA federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Kennedy Center to file a status report explaining its plans for operations, programming, and renovations, and to account for the tarpaulin and scaffolding that have covered the arts complex's front…
2026-06-24 · 3 MIN READA federal judge last week dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit seeking access to Maryland's voter records, marking the ninth state in which the Trump administration has lost a similar legal effort. U.S. District Judge Stephanie…
2026-06-23 · 4 MIN READGOLDEN, Colo. — A former forensic analyst with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation pleaded guilty Tuesday to four felony counts stemming from accusations that she manipulated and omitted data to speed up the DNA testing process, calling…
2026-06-23 · 3 MIN READThe Justice Department withdrew grand jury subpoenas issued to four journalists from The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, resolving legal battles that press organizations condemned as unconstitutional attacks on newsgathering.
2026-06-23 · 3 MIN READResearcher Kent Kiehl has spent two decades scanning the brains of prisoners to identify psychopathy, and his work has been cited in thousands of U.S. criminal cases. But critics say the science is unreliable, revives discredited eugenic…
2026-06-23 · 3 MIN READWall Street Journal Washington coverage chief Damian Paletta walked the circumference of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Monday and reported water in 'probably 10 different colors,' peeling paint on the bottom, and a heavy but…
2026-06-23 · 3 MIN READFilmmaker Rory Kennedy will release a sequel to her 2022 documentary “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing” after the death of whistleblower John Barnett, who took his own life in 2024 while in South Carolina for a deposition in his…
2026-06-23 · 3 MIN READFederal authorities have arrested two additional suspects — one in Washington state and another in Missouri — in connection with an alleged plot to attack President Donald Trump's UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14,…
2026-06-23 · 4 MIN READA federal judge on Monday ruled that a Trump administration program that aggregated Americans' personal data to check voter eligibility is unlawful, finding that the overhauled SAVE system violated privacy and administrative laws. The…
2026-06-22 · 4 MIN READABC on Monday launched an on-air campaign urging viewers to oppose the Federal Communications Commission's early review of its broadcast licenses and a separate investigation into its talk show "The View," escalating a confrontation…
2026-06-22 · 4 MIN READA federal judge on Friday rejected Joe Biden's attempt to block the Trump administration from releasing audio recordings he made with a ghostwriter, ruling that the public interest in the material outweighed the former president's privacy…
2026-06-19 · 3 MIN READThe International Criminal Court has scheduled a vote for July 24 to decide whether to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan from office, after the court’s oversight body found that sexual-assault allegations against him were credible. The…
2026-06-18 · 3 MIN READCameron Hamilton, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told senators Wednesday he would be "fair and reasonable" in assessing disaster aid requests, seeking to take the helm of an agency the…
2026-06-17 · 3 MIN READBrazil's Supreme Federal Court on Wednesday convicted former federal lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, of coercion during judicial proceedings and sentenced him to four years and two months in prison. The…
2026-06-17 · 4 MIN READLuigi Mangione will mount a psychiatric defense at his New York state trial for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a judge said Wednesday, a strategy that would acknowledge he killed Thompson but argue he was suffering…
2026-06-17 · 3 MIN READFBI Director Kash Patel has been accused by the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee of directing more than $1 million in taxpayer-funded bonus payments to a small circle of loyalist agents, in what Representative Jamie Raskin…
2026-06-17 · 3 MIN READDavid Walbert, a veteran voting rights litigator who argued election cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and testified before Congress, warned that President Donald Trump's campaign to challenge election results "is setting the stage for a…
2026-06-17 · 4 MIN READPardoned January 6 defendants who assaulted police officers are pursuing millions of dollars in compensation from the Trump administration through an obscure federal process with minimal oversight, the Guardian reported.
2026-06-17 · 3 MIN READA special counsel team in South Korea on Wednesday sought an 18-month prison sentence for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on charges of accepting illegal political funds linked to opinion polls he received ahead of the city's 2021 mayoral…
2026-06-17 · 3 MIN READBoxer Floyd Mayweather is facing two felony charges in Las Vegas over allegations that he wrote a bad check to buy a watch from a luxury resale store. Prosecutors allege Mayweather issued a $200,000 check from a Wells Fargo account with…
2026-06-16 · 3 MIN READThe Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled confirmation hearings for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in mid-July, even as some Republicans remain undecided about whether to support his permanent elevation to the post. Blanche,…
2026-06-16 · 3 MIN READStephen Colbert, on his final episode hosting CBS's *The Late Show*, played Vince Guaraldi's iconic *Peanuts* song 'Linus and Lucy' as a final jab at the network, joking about the potential cost to CBS. The network subsequently reached a…
2026-06-16 · 3 MIN READA federal judge who was disciplined after an investigation found she had sex with a police officer in her chambers and lied about it has recused herself from a Georgia election records case, citing concerns over a potential perception of…
2026-06-16 · 4 MIN READDavid Rush, a senior supervisor in the CIA’s science and technology division, was arrested in May on charges of theft of public money after authorities said he created a fake classified intelligence program to fraudulently obtain tens of…
2026-06-16 · 5 MIN READThe Freedom of the Press Foundation said Paramount Skydance refused to air a 30-second ad that criticized the network's leadership, CEO David Ellison, his billionaire father Larry Ellison, and the company's acquisition of Warner Bros…
2026-06-16 · 3 MIN READThe Trump administration is pursuing a coordinated effort to restrict voting access through justice department lawsuits seeking voter data from 30 states, FBI investigations into debunked 2020 election fraud claims, and an executive order…
2026-06-16 · 3 MIN READWorkers have removed the bronze letters spelling "Donald J Trump" from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., after a federal judge ordered the removal by midnight on June 12. A blue-and-white…
2026-06-16 · 3 MIN READPresident Donald Trump's personal attorney Boris Epshteyn was discussed inside the Justice Department as a presence in the effort by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani to get federal fraud charges dropped, according to people familiar with…
2026-06-16 · 4 MIN READA federal judge dismissed most of singer Dawn Richard's lawsuit against hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs on Monday, ruling that key claims of physical and emotional abuse were filed well past New York's one-year statute of limitations.
2026-06-15 · 3 MIN READThe Justice Department closed its antitrust investigation into Paramount's $81 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery on June 12, overruling career staff who had spent months scrutinizing the deal and had been leaning toward…
2026-06-15 · 3 MIN READCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that President Trump directed the Justice Department to investigate him and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, alleging that federal agents have been contacting family members and former employees in…
2026-06-15 · 3 MIN READThe Justice Department under acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has intensified efforts to investigate and prosecute people President Donald Trump has identified as adversaries, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. More than four…
2026-06-15 · 4 MIN READGuardian opinion columnist Moira Donegan described the Ultimate Fighting Championship event held on the White House lawn on President Donald Trump's 80th birthday as a "frantic and unbeautiful spectacle" that reflected Trump's "own most…
2026-06-15 · 3 MIN READThe Lincoln Memorial will serve as the backdrop for a Friday night press conference and weigh-ins for a UFC cage fight to be held on the White House lawn this weekend, an event that historian Ted Widmer described as a desecration of 'a…
2026-06-14 · 3 MIN READCharlie Javice, who was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for defrauding JPMorgan Chase, has been seeking a presidential pardon from the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the matter. The 31-year-old…
2026-06-14 · 3 MIN READThe Trump administration told a federal appeals court this month that construction of a 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom has progressed too far for judges to halt it, arguing that only Congress can now decide whether to stop the…
2026-06-14 · 5 MIN READPresident Donald Trump announced Saturday that he would nominate James McDonald, a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell and one of his personal lawyers, to serve as the top federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York. McDonald, who…
2026-06-13 · 4 MIN READFormer federal prosecutor Barbara McQuade argues in her new book that President Donald Trump governs the United States like a mob boss, trading favors for loyalty and using intimidation to silence critics, raising alarms about the erosion…
2026-06-13 · 3 MIN READA federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore removed plaques and exhibits at national parks, ruling that the White House was "telling half-truths" about American history. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley gave officials…
2026-06-13 · 3 MIN READA federal appeals court on Friday rejected Sam Bankman-Fried's bid to overturn his fraud conviction and 25-year prison sentence for the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange. A three-judge panel of the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals…
2026-06-12 · 3 MIN READThe Trump administration has ordered the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis to stop using "noise infusion" — a statistical technique that protects individual privacy by making certain data fuzzy — leaving the agencies with…
2026-06-12 · 3 MIN READThe Justice Department has cleared Paramount's $81 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, removing a major regulatory hurdle for the entertainment megadeal, according to the Wall Street Journal and the BBC's news partner CBS.
2026-06-12 · 3 MIN READA federal judge ruled Friday that Blake Lively is entitled to attorneys’ fees in her legal battle with “It Ends With Us” co-star Justin Baldoni, but denied her request for damages.
2026-06-12 · 3 MIN READThe FBI raided the Cleveland office of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative on Thursday, seizing computers and phones in what board members and elected officials described as a coordinated attack on voter registration efforts ahead of the…
2026-06-12 · 3 MIN READFormer Western Asset Management chief investment officer Ken Leech pleaded guilty Friday to obstructing a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation, days before he was set to stand trial on a broader set of fraud charges.
2026-06-12 · 3 MIN READAn administration that campaigned as the workers' party is shredding the agency whose only job is to enforce the labor law.
President Donald Trump has delayed the nomination of Jay Clayton to be director of national intelligence, using the stalled appointment as leverage to pressure Congress to pass Trump-endorsed election legislation that currently lacks the votes to advance. Clayton, who has served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York since April 2025, is now in indefinite limbo while his current post remains unfilled.
The board of directors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts told a federal judge this week that the venue has no plans to schedule new programming and will likely remain closed for a two-year renovation project. The disclosure came in a court filing Friday, as the board weighs three potential paths forward.
Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director with no prior intelligence background and a record of investigating Trump political adversaries, assumed the role of acting director of national intelligence on Friday after a weekslong standoff between President Donald Trump and lawmakers in both parties.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is dismissing a sprawling criminal case that alleged President Donald Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and others tried to overturn Trump's 2020 loss in the state, the Democrat announced Thursday.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., introduced a bill Thursday that would require congressional approval before a president could send military personnel or federal law enforcement to polling places during elections.
The Trump administration has redirected $352 million in federal funds meant for the Secret Service to the president's White House ballroom project, according to Office of Management and Budget records, despite Trump's repeated promises that the construction would be financed entirely by private donations.
Don Berthiaume, President Donald Trump's nominee for permanent inspector general at the Department of Justice, refused to describe the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot as an 'attack' during his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, drawing criticism from Democrats who said his wording raised concerns about his independence.
The Justice Department on Wednesday joined a lawsuit against Evanston, Illinois, seeking to halt the city's Restorative Housing Program, a $10 million effort funded by cannabis tax revenue that provides grants of up to $25,000 to Black residents whose families experienced housing discrimination between 1919 and 1969. The Trump administration argues the program constitutes unconstitutional race discrimination.
President Trump said early Wednesday he is delaying the nomination of Jay Clayton to be director of national intelligence, canceling a confirmation hearing scheduled for later that day, in a move that will keep acting Director Bill Pulte in the role and further complicate efforts to renew a lapsed foreign surveillance law.
FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that the agency thwarted a plot targeting a UFC event held Sunday on the South Lawn of the White House, with multiple suspects in custody following a "multi-state operation."
FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that law enforcement officials disrupted “planned attacks” targeting the Ultimate Fighting Championship cage-fighting event staged at the White House on Sunday, and that five people have been arrested from states including Ohio, Missouri, and California.
Eric Trump, the son of President Donald Trump, denied allegations that he sought inside information from a UFC analyst ahead of the White House's cage-fight event Sunday, calling screenshots that appeared to show him asking about rigged fights "completely fake."
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page's lawsuit against former FBI Director James Comey, letting stand lower-court rulings that Page's claims were filed too late.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a request from Judge Pauline Newman, the oldest active federal judge, to lift her suspension. Newman, who turns 99 this week, has been suspended since September 2023 for refusing to submit to mental fitness testing, a dispute that has raised questions about judicial independence and lifetime tenure.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship held its first event on White House grounds Sunday night, staging a seven-fight card called UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn as part of President Donald Trump's 80th birthday celebration, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Thousands of people, including prominent Republican lawmakers, members of Trump's family, and business leaders, attended a cage fight on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship will pay bonuses to fighters in a form of cryptocurrency issued by Trump family business World Liberty Financial at Sunday's White House mixed martial arts event, the UFC announced Friday, connecting the Trump family's financial interests to a high-profile competition on government property.
Senate Democrats allowed a key foreign surveillance authority to expire this week, the latest escalation in a broader strategy of blocking bipartisan legislation to pressure President Donald Trump and Republican leaders. The move marks a sharp turn from a year ago, when Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer drew criticism from his own party for helping Republicans keep the government open.
A federal judge on Friday blocked a lawsuit by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, finding that Paxton filed the suit in retaliation for the platform's fundraising for Paxton's political rival, U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico.
A federal judge on Friday extended a court-ordered block on the Trump administration's $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund," rejecting the government's argument that the lawsuit challenging the fund is now moot.
A 154-foot-tall red, white and blue skeletal structure called "the Claw" has risen on the South Lawn of the White House, enclosing a fighting cage where the Ultimate Fighting Championship will stage matches June 14 to celebrate President Donald Trump's 80th birthday. The event has drawn lawsuits from nonprofit groups alleging it is an unlawful private commercial spectacle, while the Justice Department has argued in a separate case that the president has the authority to proceed with such projects without judicial review.
A key provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act expired at midnight Friday after Congress failed to pass a reauthorization, leaving a central tool for U.S. intelligence agencies in legal limbo. House Speaker Mike Johnson accused Democrats of blocking renewal over the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, while privacy advocates said the statutory lapse does not immediately halt surveillance operations.
The Trump-appointed board of the Kennedy Center voted Thursday to seek a stay of a federal judge's order requiring removal of the president's name from the performing arts venue, according to a person familiar with the move.
Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly used demeaning language toward female journalists who question him, drawing a new round of criticism and prompting debate about how the press should respond. Guardian US columnist Margaret Sullivan on Friday called on news organizations to stop tolerating the behavior, arguing the current approach of deference in the name of professionalism has failed.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo acquitted Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander on Thursday, exonerating him of criminal charges stemming from a protest at a New York City immigration court last September. The verdict concludes a one-day trial in Manhattan and clears the former city comptroller as he campaigns in the Democratic primary against U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman.
President Trump and his House allies are pushing a resolution to declare his two impeachments "expunged," a symbolic move that legal experts said has no constitutional basis.
A government court filing made public Thursday disclosed that the Ultimate Fighting Championship event planned for the White House lawn this weekend has cost more than $60 million so far, as a lawsuit seeks to halt the celebration of President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday on federal park grounds.
The US House of Representatives on Thursday failed to pass a short-term extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in a 198-218 vote, after Democrats blocked the measure to protest President Donald Trump’s appointment of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence.
Federal authorities are investigating a large etching of the numerals "8647" into the grass of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., an incident that comes amid heightened security around the president and weeks before the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations.
President Donald Trump has nominated Jay Clayton, the former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission and current U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to serve as director of national intelligence, the White House announced Thursday. The nomination follows widespread criticism of Trump's decision to install Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence while searching for a permanent candidate.
A nonprofit fund linked to prominent election deniers with ties to President Donald Trump sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to groups that ran misleading advertisements in swing states ahead of the 2024 election, according to tax documents reviewed by the Guardian.
A group of former FBI agents and intelligence analysts has launched a support network to assist colleagues who have been fired or forced out under the Trump administration, citing mental health crises and "moral injuries" from what they describe as an "unprecedented assault" on the bureau's institutional integrity.
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland said Tuesday he was barred from attending a championship fight card at the White House after making public criticisms of President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law transferring authority over fatal police shooting investigations from local jurisdictions to the California attorney general's office, a move intended to enhance independence and speed while eliminating conflicts of interest.
The Justice Department has sent subpoenas to JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo as part of a probe into whether the banks improperly closed customer accounts for political reasons, according to people familiar with the matter. The investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., led by Jeanine Pirro, escalates President Trump's campaign against alleged discrimination against conservatives by financial institutions.
A Florida man is suing several law enforcement agencies after an AI facial recognition algorithm falsely identified him as a suspect in an attempted child luring, leading to his arrest and months of prosecution before charges were dropped.
President Trump on Wednesday called on Congress to pass a short-term extension of a federal surveillance program set to expire at the end of the week, as he faces lawmakers' objections to his interim pick to oversee the nation's intelligence agencies.
The Justice Department told Congress this week it is abandoning plans for a $1.8 billion fund to compensate political allies of President Donald Trump, but the department has not reversed a separate agreement that bars the Internal Revenue Service from continuing audits of the president, his family and their affiliates.
President Donald Trump is moving forward with plans to install Bill Pulte, a political loyalist with no national security experience, as acting director of national intelligence, a move that has drawn bipartisan criticism and threatens the reauthorization of a key surveillance law set to expire this week.
Multiple performers withdrew from events marking the nation's 250th anniversary after saying they were misled about the political nature of the festivities, according to a Guardian opinion piece published Wednesday. President Donald Trump later replaced the withdrawn acts with himself, the piece said.
Three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian are suing the Trump administration to block construction of a proposed 250-foot Triumphal Arch on a traffic circle near the main entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, arguing the project lacks congressional authorization and would desecrate hallowed ground.
President Trump’s cultural influence appears to be fading, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Tuesday. The president was booed by New York Knicks fans at Game 3 of the NBA Finals, artists have withdrawn from a Washington concert series he was set to headline, and a judge ordered his name removed from the Kennedy Center, halting renovation plans. Several high-profile podcast allies have also distanced themselves from Trump over the war in Iran and the handling of Epstein files, the Journal reported.
A retired University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor who received a $313 trespassing fine for walking his dogs along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Shorewood, Wis., has appealed the case, arguing that Wisconsin law entitles the public to use dry sand beaches above the waterline.
The Trump administration on Monday filed 17 denaturalization actions in federal courts across the country, accusing the targeted individuals of immigration fraud including sexual abuse of a minor, wire fraud, and drug distribution.
President Donald Trump on Monday nominated Todd Blanche, his former personal lawyer who has served as acting attorney general since April, to become the nation's top law enforcement officer on a permanent basis. The nomination requires Senate confirmation, where Republicans currently hold the majority.
A federal judge in Boston on Monday ruled that the $100,000 fee President Donald Trump imposed on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers is unlawful and must be invalidated, handing a victory to 20 Democratic-led states that challenged the fee in court.
The Public Integrity Project on Saturday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking to stop a Ultimate Fighting Championship event scheduled for the White House South Lawn, claiming the event violates National Park Service regulations and improperly benefits President Donald Trump and his allies.
Sam Bankman-Fried, the former cryptocurrency billionaire serving a 25-year federal prison sentence for fraud, has applied for a pardon from President Donald Trump, according to records from the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney.
The Kennedy Center has removed President Donald Trump's name from its website, complying with a federal judge's order that the performing arts venue cannot be renamed without an act of Congress. The removal on Monday, June 8, came ahead of a June 12 deadline set by the center's general counsel.
The Senate voted 47-52 on Friday against advancing legislation to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, as five Republicans joined most Democrats in blocking the measure over constitutional concerns and objections to President Trump's choice of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence. The program's congressional authority expires June 12, but it will continue under a court order issued in March.
A former senior CIA officer arrested last month on charges of stealing more than $40 million in gold bars from the agency now faces allegations that he also created a fraudulent intelligence program to siphon additional funds, according to U.S. officials and court documents.
President Donald Trump declined Sunday to rule out using nearly $1.8 billion from an "anti-weaponization" fund to compensate individuals who were charged with assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying in a television interview that he would pay "the kind of money that they deserve."
A D.C. Superior Court judge dismissed a breach of contract lawsuit against musician Chuck Redd on Friday, ruling that the Kennedy Center's suit violated Washington's Anti-SLAPP law. Redd had canceled a Christmas Eve performance after the venue's board added President Donald Trump's name to the facility.
President Donald Trump has granted a full pardon to Stephen Buyer, a former Republican congressman from Indiana who served nearly two years in prison for insider trading, the White House announced Friday.
The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the writer who won two defamation judgments against President Trump, focusing on whether she misrepresented funding for her lawsuits, according to a report.
The House Armed Services Committee voted along party lines Thursday to codify the Department of Defense's name change to the Department of War, advancing an amendment to the annual defense policy bill. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, introduced the measure, which would restore the original name of the department founded by President George Washington in 1789.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is scheduled to hear arguments Friday over whether the Trump administration has the authority to build a White House ballroom without congressional approval, while construction continues under a prior court order.
Senate Republicans on Thursday narrowly defeated a Democratic attempt to block President Donald Trump from using a $1.8 billion fund to pay financial settlements to allies, including people connected to the January 6 insurrection. The 49-50 vote kept the president’s controversial “anti-weaponization” fund alive for now, even as dissent over the proposal spread within his own party.
The FBI on Friday fired five analysts connected to the creation of a 2023 intelligence memo that warned of a potential threat from Catholic 'violent extremists,' their attorney said, the latest wave of personnel actions under Director Kash Patel.
The U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles announced Friday it had opened multiple election fraud investigations related to California's elections and dispatched a prosecutor to the county's vote-counting center, escalating federal scrutiny of the state's drawn-out primary ballot tally.
Attorneys general from as many as 10 states are preparing to file an antitrust lawsuit in the coming weeks to block the proposed $111 billion merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg and The Wrap.
President Trump said he wants Bill Pulte, his incoming acting director of national intelligence, to fire a large number of employees and reduce the size of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, warning the agency overseeing 18 federal intelligence units is "unnecessary and/or too big."
President Trump announced plans to nominate acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to the permanent position, citing his refocusing of the Justice Department to benefit administration allies and target critics.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has removed at least 2,228 webpages from its website since February, deleting press releases, consumer advisories, and congressional testimonies that covered enforcement actions and consumer rights, according to an analysis by the Guardian.
The Trump administration has abandoned its $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization fund' after bipartisan lawmaker opposition, but the Justice Department is signaling it will use existing legal channels—including an 80-year-old damages law—to compensate allies who claim they were politically targeted by the federal government.
Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, a former senior Trump administration official who oversaw intelligence community spending across 18 agencies, said she resigned last month in part because of frustration with a lack of oversight of taxpayer funds — including gold bullion held by the CIA.
The Senate voted 53-45 on Wednesday to advance a roughly $72 billion immigration enforcement bill after Republicans removed $1 billion earmarked for security upgrades tied to President Donald Trump's White House ballroom construction, ending a months-long stalemate.
Giant banners bearing President Donald Trump's likeness have appeared on multiple federal buildings in Washington, and the administration has pursued plans to put his name on currency, monuments, and infrastructure projects — a proliferation of presidential imagery that critics compare to authoritarian display practices.
A 63-year-old Oklahoma man has been charged with eight counts related to threatening to assault and murder Senate Majority Leader John Thune and members of his family, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Thursday that a grand jury has reindicted two former FirstEnergy Corp. executives whose initial prosecutions in the state's long-running $60 million bribery scandal ended in mistrial earlier this year.
The Kennedy Center ordered its staff Thursday to remove all references to President Donald Trump from the center by June 12, the first sign the institution is complying with a federal judge's ruling that the board overstepped its authority when it voted to add Trump's name to the performing arts venue.
The Arizona Supreme Court on June 4 denied an appeal by prosecutors seeking to overturn a lower-court order that sends the state's fake elector case back to a grand jury, marking another setback for Attorney General Kris Mayes as she seeks to advance the 2020 election interference prosecution.
John Bolton, the former national security adviser who served under Donald Trump and later became one of the president's most prominent critics, plans to plead guilty to a single count of illegally retaining sensitive national security documents and will pay a fine exceeding $2 million, multiple outlets reported Thursday.
Former CIA senior official David Rush was arrested last month at his Virginia home, where investigators found over 300 gold bars valued at more than $40 million, according to The Wall Street Journal. The gold bars were allegedly taken from the CIA for work-related expenses, though Rush has not been charged in connection with them.
Andrew Left, a prominent short seller known for betting against companies including Evergrande, was convicted of securities fraud on June 2, a verdict that has unsettled the activist investing community and raised new questions about how prosecutors can police traders’ public statements.
A wave of lawsuits and legislative efforts across the U.S. is pushing to restore statues of Confederate generals, Christopher Columbus, and other historical figures that were removed from public spaces during the 2020 protests against police violence and racism. The efforts, which have gained momentum ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary next month, are dividing communities over whether the monuments represent a reclaimed heritage or a celebration of oppression.
President Donald Trump has appointed Bill Pulte, a close political ally with no intelligence experience, as acting director of national intelligence, a move that senior Democrats say could collapse bipartisan efforts to renew a key surveillance program before its June 12 expiration.
A Rutgers University graduation speaker was disinvited for pro-Palestinian social media posts, as campus free speech advocates warned that the move reflects a broader trend of universities canceling commencement speakers over controversial opinions during the 2026 graduation season.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stripped nine Navy officers — including all three women and two of four Black service members — from a promotion list last month, according to a person familiar with the matter, resulting in an all-male, overwhelmingly white slate of 22 nominees for promotion to one-star admiral. Hegseth did not explain the removals to the Navy, and a service official said the service had been "very confident" with the original list.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday stripping civil service job protections from approximately 8,000 senior federal workers earning up to nearly $200,000 annually, the White House and Office of Personnel Management said. The order classifies the employees as "influencing" government policy, making them at-will workers subject to removal without cause.
A New York judge held a sealed virtual proceeding in the Luigi Mangione murder case on Wednesday, barring the press and public from attending despite objections from media organizations who were given no opportunity to argue against the closure.
CBS fired veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley on Tuesday night after he challenged new leadership at the program, accusing editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and executive producer Nick Bilton of attempting to inject political bias into stories. The dismissal is part of a broader shake-up at CBS News under new owners David and Larry Ellison, who have made concessions to the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he expects acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to become his permanent choice for the nation's top law enforcement officer, according to an interview broadcast on Pod Force One.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blocked the appointment of nine Air Force colonels to one-star general and delayed the promotion of at least two dozen more senior officers, according to current and former U.S. officials. The moves have raised concerns in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill that Hegseth is targeting officers based on race, gender, or perceived loyalty, officials said.
The National Science Foundation has suspended nearly $21 million in research grants to UC Berkeley, alleging that principal investigators failed to disclose foreign funding from traditional U.S. allies — several of whom said they never received such funding.
Two supporters of President Donald Trump who were wounded during an assassination attempt at his July 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, sued the federal government Monday, alleging the Secret Service failed to properly secure the event and that their injuries were preventable.
Former Republican congressman George Santos, who served four months in federal prison before President Trump commuted his sentence, is under investigation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Justice Department for insider trading on the prediction market site Kalshi, according to three people with direct knowledge of his trades who spoke to NPR. Santos allegedly misled the public about his plans to attend President Trump's State of the Union address and then bet on his own absence, turning a profit in the tens of thousands of dollars.
The White House Correspondents’ Association has rescheduled its annual dinner for July 24, 2026, nearly seven weeks after a shooting during the April 25 gala forced its cancellation, WHCA President Weijia Jiang announced Tuesday. President Donald Trump, who was swiftly evacuated from the original event, has pledged to attend and speak at the rescheduled dinner.
The Trump administration's $1.776 billion fund to compensate people it says were victims of political "lawfare" is facing mounting legal and political challenges, with a federal judge temporarily blocking its operation and critics from both parties denouncing it as a corrupt slush fund that could reward participants in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) responded to President Donald Trump calling her "crooked as hell" by pointing to his record of pardoning convicted fraudsters, including those tied to some of the largest health care and financial fraud schemes in U.S. history, and to his administration's creation of a $1.8 billion fund for individuals pardoned for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The Pentagon has redesignated its press office as a classified facility, barring credentialed journalists from entering the space where they have long worked alongside defense department officials. The decision, first reported by the Washington Post and confirmed by acting defense department press secretary Jose Valdez on social media, marks the most recent step in a months-long campaign to limit press access to the military's headquarters.
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a recusal motion asking a federal judge in Atlanta to remove herself from an ongoing dispute over Georgia election records, citing recent disciplinary proceedings and prior public appearances that the department says call her impartiality into question.
The Justice Department is weaponizing a confidential reprimand to steal Fulton County election records.
Actress Blake Lively's lawyers asked a federal judge on Monday to force "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni to pay her legal fees and other penalties, arguing she is entitled to the costs under California law after a judge threw out Baldoni's countersuit last year.
The Department of Justice said on June 1 that it will comply with a federal judge's order to temporarily halt work on the Trump administration's anti-weaponization fund, pausing disbursements ahead of a scheduled mid-June court hearing. The nearly $1.8 billion initiative has drawn strong opposition from members of Congress, and its continued operations threatened to derail the president's push to secure separate funding for immigration enforcement measures.
The Justice Department said Monday it will comply with a federal court ruling that temporarily blocks the Trump administration's $1.776 billion 'anti-weaponization fund' while a legal challenge proceeds. The department said it 'disagrees strongly' with the ruling but will abide by it.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison condemned the state Republican party on Saturday after delegates at the annual convention held a moment of silence for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd.
A federal judge on Friday reopened Trump v the Internal Revenue Service to scrutinize a $1.8 billion out-of-court settlement that created a discretionary fund for the Trump administration, after a bipartisan group of federal judges filed a lawsuit in Florida arguing the deal "is a product of collusion and is itself a fraud on the court."
President Donald Trump announced he will relinquish control of the Kennedy Center to Congress following a federal judge's order blocking his proposed renovations and mandating the removal of his name from the venue.
Pardoned supporters of Donald Trump who pleaded guilty to illegally entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, are moving to claim compensation from a nearly $1.8 billion federal fund created by the administration to address what it describes as government weaponization.
Meta legal action forced former Facebook executive Sarah Wynn-Williams to sit silently on stage during an hour-long event at the Hay festival on May 31, 2026, after the company's lawyers warned that speaking could trigger $50,000 fines.
The lead prosecutor in former FBI director James Comey's criminal case over an '86 47' seashell photo has withdrawn from the proceedings, according to a court filing the Department of Justice submitted Friday evening. No reason was given for the departure of Matthew Petracca, a prosecutor from the U.S. attorney's office for the eastern district of North Carolina, who has been replaced by assistant U.S. attorney Timothy Severo.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the funding structure and stated purpose of a Washington concert series planned for the United States' 250th anniversary on Sunday, declining to commit to publicly naming the event's backers after multiple performers withdrew over political concerns.
A federal judge said Wednesday that the Oakland Police Department could be released from one of the longest-running federal police reform oversight programs in the country as early as September, after the department's federal monitor reported full compliance with all 51 court-mandated reforms for the first time in 23 years.
A federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, on Friday temporarily halted the Trump administration's $1.776 billion fund for compensating political allies who say they were targeted by a weaponized government, issuing a restraining order that bars any payouts for at least two weeks.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have indicted former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier on additional charges of bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy, alleging he accepted a substantial bribe to exit an NBA game early in March 2023, according to a superseding indictment unsealed Thursday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago is not investigating E. Jean Carroll for perjury, the office’s top federal prosecutor said, undercutting earlier reports that the Justice Department was examining whether Carroll lied during her civil lawsuits against President Donald Trump. Instead, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that the investigation actually concerns a nonprofit that helped fund Carroll’s litigation.
A federal judge based in the Southeastern United States had an extramarital affair with a high-ranking police officer that included sexual encounters in the judge’s chambers overheard by court staff, an investigation by the federal judiciary found. The judge initially lied about the conduct but remains on the bench after receiving only a private reprimand, according to a disciplinary order affirmed last week.
ABC-owned television stations across eight U.S. markets filed coordinated objections on Thursday with the Federal Communications Commission, calling the agency's demand for early license renewal applications arbitrary and unconstitutional.
Three Pennsylvania news organizations sued leaders of the Penn State Board of Trustees in federal court Wednesday, alleging that a bylaw provision barring trustees from making critical public statements about the board or the university violates the First Amendment.
Andrew Boutros, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said Thursday evening that his office has not opened a criminal investigation into advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, contradicting earlier reports from multiple news organizations.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Comedian Conan O'Brien delivered a Harvard University commencement address Thursday that paired jokes about the Ivy League's Nobel laureates and white-collar criminals with a call for empathy and a defense of international students, the Associated Press reported.
Anna Gomez, the lone Democrat on the Federal Communications Commission, is pressing media companies — starting with Disney — to resist what she describes as a Trump administration campaign to censor and control news and entertainment content through regulatory investigations.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Wednesday that prohibits any person — including federal agents — from accessing California voter rolls or election technology without a court order. The measure, taking effect immediately ahead of next Tuesday’s primary, also restricts law enforcement officers from disrupting election workers, except in public safety emergencies.
Lawyers for the Southern Poverty Law Center asked a federal judge on Tuesday to dismiss the Justice Department’s April indictment of the civil rights nonprofit, arguing the charges are part of a top-down campaign of retribution against President Donald Trump’s perceived political enemies and constitute a vindictive prosecution.
The Department of Justice acknowledged on May 23, 2026, that it removed news releases detailing criminal charges, convictions, and sentencings of defendants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot from its website, describing the prosecutorial information as “partisan propaganda.”
A Washington tourist pleaded not guilty in federal court Wednesday to charges accusing him of throwing a rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal, and a judge ordered him to stay away from the islands' beaches and marine wildlife while the case proceeds.
Attorneys for journalist Don Lemon argued Wednesday that a wave of recent findings of prosecutorial misconduct in grand jury proceedings warrants the unsealing of the secret transcripts that led to his indictment on federal civil rights charges stemming from a protest at a Minnesota church.
A former senior CIA official with top-secret security clearance, David Rush, was arrested and charged with criminal theft of public money after federal agents found more than $40 million in gold bars, $2 million in cash, and 35 luxury watches at his Virginia home, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court.
Former President Joe Biden sued the U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday in an effort to prevent the release of audio recordings and transcripts from interviews he gave to a ghostwriter that were obtained during a special counsel investigation into his handling of classified documents.
The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed requiring all current and future federal employees to sign non-disclosure agreements, the latest move in a continuing crackdown on leaks to the media. The proposed rule, published on the Office of Personnel Management website, seeks to document employees' acknowledgment of legal obligations to safeguard non-public information while preserving rights to make disclosures authorized by law.
In an interview, Anna Gomez said her warning to Disney came after what she described as a campaign by the FCC to control and censor speech. Gomez, the only Democrat on the Federal Communications Commission, described FCC actions she says are aimed at media companies—including Disney’s ABC—as the Supreme Court weighs challenges to Trump administration moves. She also said she checks daily to see whether President Donald Trump has fired her.
Alabama-based nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center asked a judge to dismiss a federal indictment it says is the result of “top-down” political retaliation by the Trump White House and FBI leadership. Prosecutors accuse the group of misleading donors through a scheme involving informants inside white supremacist and other extremist organizations.
Joe Biden sued the Justice Department in federal court Tuesday seeking to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts of his 2016 and 2017 interviews with a ghostwriter. Biden’s lawyers said the Justice Department plans to provide the materials to Congress and to the Heritage Foundation. They argued that releasing the files would be an “unwarranted invasion of President Biden’s privacy.”
A man who opened fire Saturday near a White House security checkpoint is dead after being shot by U.S. Secret Service officers who returned fire, the agency said. The shooting happened near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue and did not injure President Donald Trump, the Secret Service said.
Michael Waldman, president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice, told NPR that he views some moves by the Trump administration as “epic corruption in plain sight.” Waldman pointed to a proposed nearly $1.8 billion “antiweaponization” fund tied to a lawsuit settlement, criticism from lawmakers in Trump’s own party, and disclosures about Trump’s stock trades. He also called for legislative changes to limit dark money and strengthen conflict-of-interest rules.
A 21-year-old gunman was fatally shot by U.S. Secret Service officers after he opened fire near a White House security checkpoint Saturday evening, leaving an innocent bystander hospitalized in serious but stable condition, authorities said Sunday.
A man who opened fire Saturday near a U.S. Secret Service security checkpoint outside the White House is dead after officers returned fire, the Secret Service said. The shooting happened near the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue shortly after 6 p.m. EDT, and a bystander was also struck, though it was not clear whether the person was hit by the suspect’s initial bullets or by officers’ shots.
The Justice Department has granted former President Donald Trump, his sons and the Trump Organization blanket immunity from any pending Internal Revenue Service audits, ending a $10 billion lawsuit the president filed after a 2018 leak of his tax returns. The settlement, released Tuesday, bars the IRS from examining the former president’s current tax filings while a $1.8 billion fund was set aside to compensate people the president claims were improperly investigated. Tax policy experts say the unprecedented move could erode confidence that tax rules apply equally to all Americans.
Federal judges in Maine and Wisconsin on Thursday dismissed U.S. Department of Justice lawsuits seeking to compel the states to turn over detailed voter registration information, according to a decision in each case. A Wisconsin judge said the state voter registration list was not a record that could be requested under the Civil Rights Act of 1960, while Maine’s chief federal judge characterized the government’s argument as “half-hearted.”
President Donald Trump’s demand for a proposed $1.776 billion compensation fund for people he says were wrongly prosecuted for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack met resistance from Republican senators, who helped postpone a key vote and pushed budget negotiations out to next month. The Senate vote was postponed as angry GOP lawmakers bristled with the scope of the White House plan and other related requests, leaving Trump’s June 1 deadline to have a roughly $70 billion package on his desk unmet, according to the Associated Press.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice said it removed from its website news releases about criminal cases connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The department described the purged information as “partisan propaganda.” In the latest development since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, the DOJ also announced a $1.776 billion fund aimed at compensating Trump allies who say they were unjustly investigated and prosecuted.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche is facing Republican resistance over a Justice Department plan to create a $1.776 billion fund to compensate people who say they were unjustly investigated and prosecuted under President Donald Trump’s opponents. The fund, announced this week, also includes a guarantee of immunity from tax audits for Trump and his eldest sons, according to the Justice Department. Blanche has defended the effort as seeking justice based on facts and law, but Democrats and others have raised concerns that he remains too closely tied to the president.
President Donald Trump’s critics, including a fired former prosecutor, sued Friday to block payouts from a newly announced $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” aimed at resolving the president’s IRS-related lawsuit over the leak of his tax returns. The plaintiffs, backed by Democracy Forward and others, asked a federal court to halt the fund and prevent the Justice and Treasury departments from disbursing money.
A federal judge in Manhattan has dismissed author Michael Wolff’s lawsuit against first lady Melania Trump, ruling that Wolff’s attempt to stop Trump from suing him over his statements “is not how the federal courts work.” Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil said Wolff and Trump “have a real dispute,” but that it “must litigate it according to the same procedures as everyone else.”
Advocates marked the 230th anniversary of Ona Judge’s escape from slavery on May 21, 1796, with events in Philadelphia and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In Philadelphia, a rally at the President’s House site emphasized keeping exhibits and telling the full history, after panels were removed last month. In New Hampshire, a mural depicting Judge is set to be unveiled Saturday.
The U.S. Secret Service said late Saturday that a person who approached a White House security checkpoint and began firing at posted officers has died, and a bystander was struck. A preliminary investigation found the suspect removed a weapon from his bag and fired at officers shortly after 6 p.m. ET, the agency said.
The Internal Revenue Service has agreed to drop pending probes into whether Donald Trump properly paid federal taxes, resolving a lawsuit over the leak of his tax returns. Tax experts said the settlement’s broad immunity terms are unusual and could weaken public confidence in tax enforcement.
PHILADELPHIA (MSI) — Philadelphia marked the 230th anniversary of Ona Judge's escape from slavery by formally declaring May 21 as Ona Judge Day, while a historical marker and a portrait were unveiled in New Hampshire where she settled, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
A federal judge in Manhattan on Friday dismissed author Michael Wolff’s lawsuit against first lady Melania Trump, ruling that his “contorted” attempt to prevent her from suing him for $1 billion over statements about Jeffrey Epstein “is not how the federal courts work.” Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, a Trump appointee, rebuked Wolff for “an inappropriate level of tactical gamesmanship” and said the court “will not be conscripted to oversee an abusively presented spat.” The judge acknowledged that the two “have a real dispute” but must litigate it “according to the same procedures as everyone else.”
A coalition of individuals who have faced legal action from the federal government — including a fired federal prosecutor and a university professor acquitted of assaulting officers during a protest — filed a lawsuit on Friday, May 22, 2026, seeking to halt a new $1.776 billion fund created by the Trump administration to compensate allies who claim they were victims of a weaponized government.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he may release his current tax returns after a legal team agreement with the Justice Department. The deal would permanently drop tax claims against Trump, his family and associates and would bar the government from pursuing or prosecuting current tax examinations tied to the case.
Federal judges in Maine and Wisconsin on Thursday dismissed U.S. Department of Justice lawsuits seeking detailed voter registration information, court filings described. The decisions come as the Trump administration has pursued similar demands in multiple states, arguing for access under federal civil-rights law.
El gobierno de Estados Unidos aceptó retirar de forma permanente sus reclamos fiscales contra el presidente Donald Trump como parte de un acuerdo para poner fin a una demanda que él presentó contra el IRS por la filtración de sus declaraciones fiscales, según un documento divulgado por el Departamento de Justicia. El arreglo impide que el gobierno investigue o procese no solo a Trump, sino también a sus hijos y a la Organización Trump por auditorías fiscales actuales, de acuerdo con el texto.
President Donald Trump’s demand for a nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” compensation fund for Jan. 6 defendants helped drive rare resistance from Republican senators this week, according to the Associated Press. Senate Republicans postponed a key vote on a roughly $70 billion budget package that would fuel Trump’s immigration and deportation operations through 2029, pushing the matter back to next month and past his June 1 deadline, AP reported.
The Trump administration’s Justice Department acknowledged it removed from its website news releases about criminal cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, calling the information “partisan propaganda.” The change comes as the department has moved to vacate some convictions and has created a $1.776 billion fund intended to compensate people it says were unjustly prosecuted.
A coalition of President Donald Trump’s critics filed lawsuits seeking to stop payouts from a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” meant to compensate Trump allies they say were targeted by a “weaponized” government. The federal case was filed in Alexandria, Virginia, and attorneys are asking a court to halt the fund’s implementation and bar disbursements.
Brittney Brown, a biologist at Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, has signed a $485,000 settlement after she was fired over a social media repost involving conservative activist Charlie Kirk after his death. The settlement, she said, covered backpay and damages and came as her case challenged how the agency disciplined employees for political speech.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche is at the center of a Republican firestorm over a $1.776 billion Justice Department fund meant to compensate people who say they were unjustly investigated and prosecuted. The fund, announced this week, also includes a guarantee of immunity from tax audits for President Donald Trump and his eldest sons, prompting Democrats and some Republicans to question whether Blanche is acting as the president’s personal lawyer rather than as the nation’s top law enforcement official.
A group of three congressional Democrats said Thursday that federal rules aimed at blocking foreign adversaries from buying cell-phone location data leave out some of the most sensitive government sites, including the White House and the CIA’s headquarters. They urged the Trump administration to close the gaps and create a broader “protection zone” covering Washington, D.C. rather than listing individual buildings.
Advocates marked the 230th anniversary of Ona Judge’s escape from slavery by George Washington with events in Philadelphia and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In Philadelphia, a Thursday rally honored Judge on what the city has declared Ona Judge Day, even as federal property exhibit changes linked to President Donald Trump face legal uncertainty.
The Internal Revenue Service has agreed to drop all pending investigations into whether President Donald Trump paid his fair share of federal taxes as part of a legal settlement, a move tax law experts described as highly unusual and possibly without precedent. The agreement, reached on Tuesday, resolves a lawsuit Trump filed against the agency over the leak of his tax returns, placing the president in the rare position of securing immunity from a tax authority within his own administration.
Two police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack sued the Trump administration to block payouts from a new $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” aimed at people they say were politically targeted. The lawsuit, filed in federal court Wednesday, asks a judge to prevent anyone from receiving money from the fund, including Jan. 6 rioters, and challenges the fund as an unconstitutional slush operation.
Former Los Angeles police detective Mark Fuhrman, convicted of lying during testimony in the O.J. Simpson murder trial, has died, according to Idaho’s Kootenai County. He died May 12 at age 74, the county’s chief deputy coroner said.
Federal judges in Maine and Wisconsin on Thursday dismissed lawsuits filed by the U.S. Department of Justice that sought to compel the states to hand over detailed voter registration information. The rulings add to a string of defeats for the Trump administration’s campaign to force states to disclose voter rolls, with judges having rejected similar requests in at least seven other states.
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts approved the design for the 250-foot triumphal arch that President Donald Trump wants built in the nation's capital, a key procedural step that does not guarantee construction begins soon. The vote on Thursday came despite overwhelming public opposition to the project, one of several the president is pursuing to leave his mark on Washington's monumental landscape.
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans, pushed to a breaking point by President Donald Trump’s demand for a $1.776 billion fund for Jan. 6 rioters, refused to advance the party’s $70 billion immigration and deportation budget package this week, leaving the GOP’s top legislative priority in shambles and missing Trump’s June 1 deadline.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has drawn sharp Republican criticism after approving a nearly $1.8 billion fund intended to compensate President Donald Trump’s allies for what the administration calls political prosecutions — a move that has galvanized GOP discontent and raised new questions about Blanche’s independence from the president he once represented as a personal attorney.
Three Democratic members of Congress warned that new federal regulations aimed at restricting foreign adversaries from buying cell phone location data leave key government sites, including the White House and CIA headquarters, unprotected.
Federal judges in Maine and Wisconsin on Thursday dismissed lawsuits by the U.S. Department of Justice that sought to compel the states to turn over detailed voter registration information. The rulings add to a series of defeats for the Trump administration’s efforts to obtain voter-roll data, including in other states where judges rejected similar requests.
A former federal prosecutor in Florida has been charged with sending to her personal email a special counsel report describing President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents, according to an indictment unsealed this week. Prosecutors said the report was subject to a judge’s order keeping it sealed and that she altered the file name before emailing it.
Joey “Jaws” Chestnut will defend his Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating title at the July 4 contest while on probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge in Indiana, his attorney said. A judge granted Chestnut permission to travel outside the state so he can compete, according to Major League Eating officials and his lawyer.
Open Society Foundations said it will invest $300 million over the next five years in U.S. democracy initiatives aimed at defending democratic rights and advancing economic security. The pledge came as the Trump administration and allies have accused the Soros family of promoting division, including by targeting nonprofits. “We are continuing our work unabated. We will not be intimidated into silence,” managing director Laleh Ispahani said.
A trio of congressional Democrats warned that new rules aimed at stopping foreign governments from buying Americans’ phone-location data include gaps that leave sensitive federal sites unprotected. In a letter, Sens. Ron Wyden and Martin Heinrich and Rep. Sara Jacobs urged the Trump administration to fix those oversights and expand the approach to cover the entire Washington, D.C., region.
Florida officials will pay $485,000 to a biologist who was fired by the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission after she reposted a meme about conservative activist Charlie Kirk on social media following his death, the biologist and an attorney said Thursday. Brittney Brown reached a settlement with agency directors that includes backpay, damages and attorney costs, according to the lawsuit.
Republican senators are considering whether to drop a proposal for $1 billion in security funding for the White House complex and President Donald Trump’s ballroom after it failed to build enough support in the Senate. The plan was pushed alongside an immigration enforcement package that Republicans are trying to advance through a budget process, but lawmakers including Sen. John Kennedy and Sen. Thom Tillis have questioned the cost and demanded more detail.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he may release his current tax returns after his legal team reached a deal with the Justice Department involving his IRS tax examinations. The settlement would permanently drop tax claims against Trump, his family and associates, and would bar the government from pursuing or prosecuting current tax examinations. The Justice Department said the deal resolves Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit over a leak of his tax returns and creates a $1.776 billion fund to compensate Trump allies.
U.S. government officials said they will permanently withdraw tax claims against President Donald Trump as part of a settlement in a lawsuit over allegations of leaked confidential tax returns. The agreement, disclosed through a document posted by the Justice Department, would also bar the government from examining or prosecuting existing IRS audits involving Trump, his children and the Trump Organization.
The Justice Department announced on May 18 that it will establish a $1.776 billion “Anti‑Weaponization Fund” to compensate individuals who claim they were unfairly targeted for political reasons. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described the fund as a “lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.” Critics in Congress called the plan an unconstitutional slush fund that could reward Trump supporters, including some convicted of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Acting Attorney General **Todd Blanche** told a Senate oversight hearing on May 19 that a newly created $1.776 billion “Anti‑Weaponization Fund” could be available to anyone who believes they were a victim of political weaponization — including participants in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Blanche declined to say whether the five‑member commission that will administer the payouts will bar people convicted of violence, saying his personal feelings “don’t matter.” Democrats on the panel blasted the proposal as an illegal abuse of power, while some Republican senators expressed discomfort with the fund’s purpose.
Two police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, are suing to block payouts from a $1.776 billion settlement fund to those who claim to be victims of politically motivated prosecutions, including rioters.
The U.S. government will permanently drop tax claims against President Donald Trump, according to a settlement addendum posted Tuesday that expands a deal resolving Trump’s IRS-related lawsuit over the leak of his tax returns. The document says the government will be “forever barred and precluded” from examining or prosecuting Trump, his sons and the Trump organization’s current tax examinations, and from looking into Trump’s family, affiliates and others.
Former Los Angeles police detective Mark Fuhrman died on May 12 in Kootenai County, Idaho, at age 74, the county’s chief deputy coroner said. Fuhrman, who was one of the first two detectives sent to investigate the 1994 killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, was later convicted of perjury for lying under oath during the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Alan Dershowitz, a member of Simpson’s defense “Dream Team,” called Fuhrman “a very, very aggressive detective” whose use of the “n‑word” helped the defense, while former witness Kato Kaelin posted a respectful tribute on X.
A mixed-reality exhibit celebrating Ohlone culture opened Sunday at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, defeating a Trump administration attempt to block the $450,000 federal grant that funded it. A federal judge ordered the National Science Foundation grant released in April, ruling the freeze likely violated the First Amendment by punishing the university for its viewpoint.
President Donald Trump took reporters to a construction platform Tuesday to showcase the White House ballroom he is building on the former East Wing site, as lawmakers spar over a $1 billion request for security upgrades tied to the project. The Senate parliamentarian ruled the money could not be included in a bill funding immigrant enforcement agencies for three years, and some Republican lawmakers balked at the price in an election year. Trump said the ballroom would be funded by donors rather than taxpayers and described security features including a roof he said is “drone-proof.”
A federal jury acquitted two business executives of charges that they conspired to bribe a retired four-star U.S. Navy admiral in exchange for a military contract and a postretirement job, according to court records. The verdict ended the retrial in Washington, D.C., after an earlier trial for Next Jump co-CEOs Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger ended in a hung jury and a mistrial.
George Soros’ Open Society Foundations pledged $300 million for U.S. initiatives it says will defend democratic rights and advance economic security over the next five years, the organization said Wednesday. The pledge comes as the Trump administration has targeted the Soros family and as lawmakers have pressed the IRS and DOJ to investigate nonprofits for activities they dispute.
Competitive eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut will defend his hot dog eating title on July 4 after pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery and receiving 180 days of probation in Indiana, the Associated Press reported. A judge granted permission for him to travel outside the state for the Nathan’s Famous contest on Coney Island.
The Justice Department announced Monday it will create a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who say they were unjustly investigated and prosecuted after a settlement resolving President Donald Trump’s lawsuit over the leak of his tax returns. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the arrangement would provide “a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization.” Democrats and government watchdogs denounced the deal as “corrupt” and unconstitutional.
A former federal prosecutor in Florida, Carmen Lineberger, has been charged with sending to her personal email account a special counsel report from the investigation into President Donald Trump’s classified-documents case, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday. Prosecutors said the report was supposed to remain sealed under a judge’s order. Lineberger pleaded not guilty in federal court in West Palm Beach.
El gobierno de Estados Unidos retirará “de forma permanente” sus reclamos fiscales contra el presidente Donald Trump como parte de un acuerdo ligado a una demanda de 10.000 millones de dólares por filtraciones de declaraciones fiscales, informó el martes el Departamento de Justicia. El documento del acuerdo también indica que el gobierno queda “para siempre impedido y excluido” de examinar o procesar auditorías fiscales actuales de Trump, de sus hijos y de la Organización Trump.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he may release his current tax returns after his legal team reached a deal with the Justice Department that includes permanently dropping certain tax claims against him and others. The Justice Department said the government is “forever barred and precluded” from pursuing or prosecuting current tax examinations tied to Trump’s finances, and the settlement was meant to resolve Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit over an alleged leak of his tax returns.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers on Tuesday he would not bar people convicted of violence during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot from receiving payouts from a new $1.776 billion Department of Justice fund created to compensate individuals who say they were politically targeted.
The U.S. government has permanently agreed to drop all tax claims against President Donald Trump and to bar the Internal Revenue Service from any future examination or prosecution of Trump, his adult sons, and the Trump Organization, according to a settlement addendum made public Tuesday. The one-page document signed by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was quietly posted to the Justice Department's website a day after the broader settlement resolving Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns was announced.
Mark Fuhrman, the former Los Angeles police detective whose testimony at the O.J. Simpson murder trial led to his conviction for perjury, died May 12 at his home in Idaho, the Kootenai County coroner's office said. He was 74.
The U.S. government will permanently drop tax claims against President Donald Trump under a settlement document made public Tuesday, expanding an earlier deal tied to Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit over leaks of his tax returns, according to the Justice Department addendum. The document says the government is “forever barred and precluded” from examining or prosecuting Trump, his sons and the Trump organization’s current tax examinations.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on May 18 announced the creation of an "Anti-Weaponization Fund" worth nearly $1.8 billion, a program Democrats have criticized as unconstitutional and corrupt, as part of a deal to resolve Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns.
Three federal judges in Wyoming dismissed felony grand jury indictments against nine defendants Friday, citing widespread misconduct by interim U.S. Attorney Darin Smith that began with "some of the first words spoken to the grand jury" and extended into off-the-record conversations during breaks between cases.
More than three weeks after a gunman opened fire at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, the event has not been rescheduled, and the association is considering a pared-down gathering at a smaller venue, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The Justice Department announced the creation of a $1.776 billion fund Monday to compensate allies of President Donald Trump who claim they were targeted for prosecution for political purposes, resolving his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. Democrats and government watchdogs immediately criticized the arrangement as unconstitutional, while acting Attorney General Todd Blanche framed it as a necessary corrective measure against the weaponization of law enforcement.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday took reporters to the construction site of the White House ballroom he is building on the former East Wing, shouting over the noise of heavy equipment as he defended the project that has encountered resistance in Congress. The administration has requested $1 billion for security additions on the White House campus, including the ballroom, but the Senate parliamentarian has ruled the proposal cannot be included in a bill funding immigrant enforcement agencies, and several Republican lawmakers have balked at the cost amid an election year where voters are grappling with high prices from the Iran war and disruptions to oil supplies.
A proposal to add $1 billion in security upgrades for the White House campus, including the president's new ballroom, faces uncertain support from Senate Republicans ahead of an anticipated vote this week, even as President Donald Trump and the Secret Service press for the funding. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Tuesday that passage depends on leadership's ability to secure votes after the Senate parliamentarian ruled the plan cannot be included in immigration enforcement legislation.
The New York Times filed its second lawsuit in five months against the Defense Department on Monday, arguing that a policy requiring journalists to be escorted while on Pentagon grounds violates the First Amendment. The Times called the escort requirement 'an unconstitutional attempt … to prevent independent reporting on military affairs,' while the Pentagon said the suit amounts to 'an attempt to remove the barriers to them getting their hands on classified information.'
A federal jury in Washington, D.C., has acquitted two business executives of charges they conspired to bribe retired four-star Navy Adm. Robert P. Burke, who is currently serving a six-year prison sentence for his own corruption conviction.
U.S. prosecutors have moved to dismiss criminal fraud and conspiracy charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, whom authorities in 2024 accused of orchestrating a massive bribery scheme to secure a lucrative solar power contract in India. The Department of Justice said it will not devote further resources to the case as a matter of prosecutorial discretion.
Three federal judges dismissed felony grand jury indictments against nine defendants in Wyoming, saying prosecutors’ misconduct involving interim U.S. Attorney Darin Smith “could have prejudiced” the grand jury. The judges stayed the dismissal through Wednesday or until Smith does not contest it, and the dismissals were issued without prejudice. Defense attorneys said Smith improperly told jurors defendants were “bad guys” and “murderers” and that deliberations “won’t take long,” and they later urged the judges to make the dismissals permanent or punish Smith.
A panel of officials and media figures are debating whether the White House Correspondents’ Association should reschedule its annual dinner, more than three weeks after a man opened fire at the event and prosecutors said he was trying to kill President Donald Trump. The association said its president, Weijia Jiang of CBS News, continues to weigh options, while Trump said on social media the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days.
The Trump administration is creating a \$1.776 billion fund to compensate allies who believe they were unjustly investigated and prosecuted. The move has been criticized by Democrats and government watchdogs.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A proposal to fund $1 billion in security additions for the White House campus and President Donald Trump’s new ballroom is facing growing opposition from Republicans ahead of an expected vote this week. Republicans are revising the plan after the Senate parliamentarian said Saturday it did not meet requirements to be included in legislation to fund immigration enforcement agencies, but several GOP senators have questioned whether the security spending should move forward.
A federal jury in Washington, D.C., acquitted two business executives of charges they conspired to bribe a retired four-star Navy admiral tied to a government contract. The retrial in Washington ended Monday with jurors acquitting Yongchul “Charlie” Kim and Meghan Messenger of all counts, after an earlier trial ended in a hung jury and mistrial.
Jeff Titus, who spent nearly 21 years in prison for the 1990 deaths of two Michigan hunters, agreed to a $5.25 million settlement after alleging police withheld evidence that could have helped him at trial, a lawyer said Monday.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday told Congress he would not rule out considering people who used violence during the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot for payouts from a new $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” that is intended to compensate those who say they were targeted politically. Blanche, appearing before lawmakers for the first time since taking over the Justice Department last month, also declined to say whether he would direct a five-member commission he appoints to restrict eligibility to people convicted of violence.
El gobierno de Estados Unidos retirará de forma permanente sus reclamos fiscales contra el presidente Donald Trump como parte de un acuerdo para poner fin a una demanda por la filtración de sus declaraciones tributarias. Según un documento del Departamento de Justicia publicado esta semana, el acuerdo también impide investigar a Trump, a sus hijos y a la Organización Trump por auditorías fiscales actuales.
Former Los Angeles Police Department detective Mark Fuhrman, who was convicted of lying during testimony in the O.J. Simpson murder trial, has died. He was 74, according to Kootenai County Chief Deputy Coroner Lynn Acebedo. Fuhrman, one of the first detectives assigned to the 1994 killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, became a central figure after recordings surfaced showing he used anti-Black racial slurs.
The New York Times sued the Pentagon for a second time in five months, arguing a requirement that reporters be escorted while on Pentagon grounds violates the First Amendment. The paper and reporter Julian E. Barnes filed the new case in federal court in Washington on Monday, after earlier rulings involving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s media access rules.
Rachel Maddow is writing a history of the U.S. Justice Department that will be published Nov. 10 by Crown, a division of Penguin Random House, according to an announcement Monday. The book, titled “Department of Fate,” will examine the department’s 150-year record and link DOJ priorities to constitutional protections and democratic governance.
President Donald Trump’s Justice Department announced a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund for allies who say they were wrongly investigated or prosecuted, with critics calling it unconstitutional and corrupt. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” will offer “a lawful process” for “victims of lawfare and weaponization.” Democrats and watchdogs warn the money could become a taxpayer-funded slush fund, while the administration links the payout to a deal that resolved Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the release of his tax records.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday showed reporters a construction site for the White House ballroom he is building on the former East Wing, as lawmakers resist an administration request for $1 billion in added security funding. Trump told reporters the building would be “drone-proof” and said the $400 million ballroom cost would be covered by donors, not taxpayers.
A coalition of Democratic-led states sued the Trump administration to challenge new caps on federal student loans, saying the limits will restrict access to certain health care training. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, argues the rules will disproportionately affect students pursuing degrees in critical health fields, taking effect in July.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers he would not rule out considering people who assaulted police during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol for payouts from a new $1.776 billion fund. During a Congressional hearing, Blanche said anyone could apply if they believe they were a victim of “weaponization,” and he declined to say whether he would direct a commission to exclude those convicted of violence.
President Donald Trump’s allies who say they were wrongly investigated or prosecuted could soon seek compensation through a new Justice Department fund announced Monday, the Justice Department said. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” as a “lawful process” for people targeted for “improper and unlawful political, personal, or ideological reasons.” Democrats and other critics said the arrangement would be unconstitutional and corrupt, funded through the federal judgment fund and overseen by a commission appointed by Blanche.
Rachel Maddow, the liberal MSNBC host and bestselling author, will publish a history of the U.S. Department of Justice titled “Department of Fate” on Nov. 10, Crown, a division of Penguin Random House, announced Monday. The book, arriving one week after this year’s midterm elections, promises to trace the DOJ’s 150-year record of “triumphs and misdeeds” from the Red Scare to cabinet scandals and the upheaval of norms during President Donald Trump’s second term, according to the publisher.
Federal judges on Friday dismissed felony grand‑jury indictments against nine Wyoming defendants, finding that interim U.S. Attorney Darin Smith’s prejudicial remarks to the grand jury could have tainted the proceedings. Defense lawyers said Smith called the defendants “bad guys” and “murderers” and suggested deliberations “won’t take long,” statements the judges said jeopardized the grand jury’s right to an unbiased evaluation of evidence.
The White House Correspondents’ Association says it is still weighing options to reschedule this year’s dinner after a gunman opened fire at the Washington Hilton in an attack prosecutors said was meant to kill President Donald Trump. More than three weeks later, the WHCA has not announced a date, while some journalists and ethics experts argue the event should not return in any form.
A Michigan man who spent nearly 21 years in prison for the deaths of two hunters in 1990 agreed to a $5.25 million settlement after suing, according to a lawyer. Jeff Titus was released in 2023 and his murder convictions were erased at the request of prosecutors, following work by an Innocence Clinic and investigators that raised questions about the original investigation.
Alex Murdaugh has filed a federal lawsuit against former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill, accusing her of violating his right to a fair trial after South Carolina’s Supreme Court overturned his murder convictions. Murdaugh’s filing, submitted Sunday, seeks punitive and compensatory damages and attorneys’ fees, saying Hill’s conduct during his 2023 trial “egregiously attacked” his credibility. The state Supreme Court said Hill suggested to jurors that Murdaugh was guilty and that his testimony could not be trusted.
The Justice Department announced Monday that it has created a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who say they were unjustly investigated or prosecuted in connection with the Trump administration’s IRS tax-returns lawsuit. The department said the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” is part of a settlement that resolves President Donald Trump’s case tied to a leak of his tax returns. Democrats and watchdogs called the deal “corrupt” and unconstitutional.
The New York Times sued the Pentagon on Monday for the second time in five months, arguing that a requirement that journalists be escorted while on Pentagon grounds violates the First Amendment. The paper filed the new case in federal court in Washington, seeking a ruling directly addressing the escort rule, which it says is intended to limit coverage to what Pentagon officials approve.
Rachel Maddow will publish a new book on the U.S. Justice Department, Penguin Random House’s Crown announced May 19. ‘Department of Fate’ is set for release Nov. 10, one week after this year’s midterm elections.
The Washington Post filed a federal court petition on January 21 to recover electronic devices the FBI seized from reporter Hannah Natanson's Virginia home, arguing the search violated her free speech rights and journalistic protections. A magistrate judge temporarily barred the government from examining the materials and scheduled a February 6 hearing. The agents seized a phone, two laptops, a recorder, a portable hard drive and a smartwatch during the search, which was part of an investigation into a Pentagon contractor accused of illegally handling classified information.
In late January, Pentagon contractor Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones was indicted on charges he illegally removed and shared classified national defense information with a journalist. The indictment centers on documents he passed to a Washington Post reporter, a case that drew national attention after federal agents searched the reporter's home.
A Georgia Power critic will not face prosecution after being arrested for allegedly stealing a notebook containing trade secrets, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announced last week. Patty Durand took the notebook during a Georgia Public Service Commission meeting break on Oct. 21, 2025, and voluntarily returned it the same day. She spent almost two days in jail.
In April, Federal Judge Richard Leon ruled that above-ground construction of a $400 million White House ballroom cannot proceed without congressional approval, restricting work to below-ground facilities including a bunker and national security infrastructure planned for the site where the East Wing was demolished.
Thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington on Sunday for a daylong Christian worship rally billed as a “rededication of our country as One Nation under God,” according to the Associated Press. President Donald Trump appeared via a pre-recorded video reading from 2 Chronicles, and a lineup of top Republican officials and evangelical leaders addressed the crowd against a stage backdrop that mixed American founding imagery with Christian symbols.
President Donald Trump’s administration held a conservative Christian prayer gathering on the National Mall Sunday as part of celebrations for the nation’s 250th birthday. The event, organized by Freedom 250 with work involving the White House, featured speeches in video messages from Trump and other administration officials, along with remarks from members of Congress and faith leaders.
Thousands gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on May 17 for “Rededicate 250,” a prayer festival that organizers said is partially funded and organized by the Trump administration. NPR’s Emily Feng reported from the lawn as Religion News Service reporter Jack Jenkins described the event’s tightly secured setting and the dominance of evangelical speakers, alongside attendees’ views that faith should be more openly present in politics.
The White House has designated Sunday as the date for a daylong prayer event on the National Mall, organized with private church organizations and federal agencies, NPR reported. The event, called “Rededicate 250,” marks the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding and has drawn concern from religious scholars about church-state separation. NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe spoke with Georgetown religious studies scholar Matthew D. Taylor about the ideology behind the program.
The Justice Department announced Monday it is creating an Anti-Weaponization Fund of $1.776 billion as part of a settlement that would resolve President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over a leak of his tax returns. The department said people who believe they were unfairly investigated and prosecuted for political purposes can apply for payouts overseen by a five-member commission. Democrats and government watchdogs criticized the deal as “corrupt” and unconstitutional.
A judge ruled Monday that a gun and notebook prosecutors say connect Luigi Mangione to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson can be used in his state murder trial, while other evidence from a warrantless search was excluded, according to court testimony and rulings. State Judge Gregory Carro said prosecutors can show jurors a possible murder weapon and motive tied to the backpack items, but he barred parts of what officers found in Altoona, Pennsylvania, before a warrant was obtained.
Federal judges dismissed felony grand jury indictments against nine defendants in Wyoming, citing “deeply concerning” misconduct by interim U.S. Attorney for Wyoming Darin Smith that the judges said could have prejudiced jurors. The judges ordered the dismissal stayed until Wednesday or until Smith decides not to contest the ruling, and said the dismissals were “without prejudice.”
U.S. prosecutors asked a federal judge on Monday to dismiss criminal fraud and conspiracy charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani. The move would end a case accusing Adani of duping Wall Street investors tied to a large solar power project in India.
More than three weeks after a man stormed the Washington Hilton lobby and fired shots during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, the association has not set a date for a rescheduled event. WHCA president Weijia Jiang said the group is “continues to weigh options for rescheduling the event,” while critics and security experts argue over whether the dinner should be held again and, if so, where it can be done safely.
Thousands streamed onto the National Mall in Washington on Sunday for a daylong, America-themed prayer rally billed as a “rededication of our country as One Nation under God,” organized as part of this year’s 250th anniversary celebrations. The event, which featured Christian worship and Republican officials, included remarks and appearances from President Donald Trump and other top figures, as well as progressive and religious counterprogramming nearby.
The U.S. Department of Justice on April 14 demanded that Michigan's Wayne County turn over all ballots from the 2024 presidential election, marking an expansion of federal election record requests to swing states that Trump won. Harmeet K. Dhillon, head of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, justified the demand by citing three instances of fraudulent votes in 2020 and a civil lawsuit over absentee ballot processing. Michigan officials immediately contested the move. Attorney General Dana Nessel called it "weaponizing the Justice Department" and "an attempt to interfere in state elections." Governor Gretchen Whitmer said the demand "is a poorly disguised attempt to justify more doubt and misinformation about our elections as well as direct federal interference."
President Donald Trump's lawyers are in talks with the Internal Revenue Service to resolve a $10 billion lawsuit the president filed against his own tax collection agency. In a Friday federal court filing, Trump's legal team asked a judge to pause the case for 90 days while the two sides explore settlement options. The lawsuit stems from the leak of Trump's confidential tax records to news outlets between 2018 and 2020.
The FBI is offering a $200,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Monica Elfriede Witt, a former U.S. Air Force counterintelligence specialist who defected to Iran in 2013 and was later indicted on espionage charges, the bureau announced Wednesday. Witt, 47, remains at large and is accused of disclosing national defense information to Tehran and helping Iran target her former U.S. colleagues. The announcement comes during the ongoing U.S.–Iran war, though the FBI did not specify a triggering event.
The Senate parliamentarian ruled that a proposal to provide $1 billion in White House security additions — including for President Donald Trump’s new ballroom — cannot be included in a narrow Republican budget bill, Democrats said on Saturday. The ruling threatens GOP plans to move the funding through a process that requires only a simple majority.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, commuted the nine-year prison sentence of former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters on Friday, granting her release effective June 1 and citing the sentence's unusual length for a first-time, nonviolent offender. The decision followed months of sustained pressure from President Donald Trump, who had publicly attacked Polis and directed his administration to restrict federal funding to Colorado over the case.
The Alaska Legislature voted 29-31 on Thursday to reject Stephen Cox as the state's attorney general, making him only the second cabinet appointee in state history to fail confirmation. Opponents pointed to his sharing of confidential voter data with federal authorities, his support for more than 110 amicus briefs aligned with Trump administration policies, and his creation of new senior positions within the Department of Law shortly after pledging to tread lightly. Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who had appointed Cox acting attorney general last August, immediately named him counsel to the governor and elevated Deputy Attorney General Cori Mills to acting attorney general.
The FBI is offering a $200,000 reward for information leading to the capture and prosecution of Monica Elfriede Witt, a former U.S. Air Force counterintelligence specialist accused of defecting to Iran in 2013 and later charged with revealing classified information to Tehran. Daniel Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, announced the reward in a news release Wednesday.
FBI Director Kash Patel participated in a "VIP snorkel" over the sunken USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor in August 2025, according to government emails obtained by The Associated Press. The excursion was not disclosed by the FBI, which had highlighted Patel's visit to its Honolulu field office and meetings with local law enforcement while omitting his two-day return to the island after official visits to Australia and New Zealand.
President Donald Trump and several top administration officials will participate in a Sunday prayer gathering on the National Mall that organizers bill as a “rededication of our country as One Nation Under God,” but critics decry as a government-sponsored Christian nationalist event, the Associated Press reported.
A federal appeals court heard arguments Thursday on whether to continue blocking President Donald Trump's executive orders sanctioning four major law firms, as the firms' lawyer warned that the orders "strike at the heart of the First Amendment." A Justice Department attorney urged the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to reverse lower court rulings, arguing that the president is entitled to control security clearances and anti-discrimination investigations.
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit Wednesday in federal court seeking to block the D.C. Bar from sanctioning former Trump administration lawyers Jeffrey Clark and Ed Martin, arguing that the disciplinary proceedings are politically motivated.
Michail Chkhikvishvili, the 22-year-old leader of an Eastern European neo-Nazi group, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison Wednesday for soliciting violent attacks against Jews and racial minorities, including a plot to dress as Santa Claus to hand out poisoned candy to children in New York City.
Miami residents sued President Donald Trump, Miami Dade College and Florida officials on Wednesday, arguing a state decision to donate downtown property for a Trump presidential library violates the U.S. Constitution’s Domestic Emoluments Clause. The complaint says the land would become a Trump hotel complex and keep the parcel from MDC’s student and community uses.
President Donald Trump and other administration officials will join a daylong prayer gathering on Washington’s National Mall on Sunday billed as a “rededication of our country as One Nation Under God” to mark the U.S. 250th birthday, organizers said. The event, called “Rededicate 250,” is being promoted by Cabinet officials and religious leaders, while critics in Congress say it blends American and Christian identities and risks blurring church-state separation.
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit in Washington seeking to challenge efforts to sanction attorneys from the first and second Trump administrations, arguing the District of Columbia Bar is politicizing the legal discipline process. In a statement, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said the department wants federal prosecutors to be able to share candid legal advice without being targeted for disagreement.
The FBI Director Kash Patel visited Hawaii last summer for official meetings at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, but emails obtained by The Associated Press say he later took part in a military-coordinated “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona memorial. The FBI did not disclose the snorkeling session or say Patel returned to Hawaii for two more days after his initial stopover.
President Donald Trump’s efforts to sanction some major law firms “strike at the heart of the rule of law,” an attorney for the firms told a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Thursday. The panel heard arguments on whether to keep court orders blocking executive actions that the government attorney urged the appeals court to reverse.
Federal judge Carl Nichols heard arguments Thursday in a lawsuit seeking to block President Donald Trump’s executive order that would require the Department of Homeland Security to compile an eligible voter list for each state and would limit the U.S. Postal Service’s sending of absentee ballots.
Lawyers for Democratic Party organizations and civil rights groups argued in federal court Thursday that President Donald Trump exceeded his constitutional authority when he issued an executive order to restrict mail-in voting and create a federal list of eligible voters. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols did not rule from the bench on the plaintiffs' request to block the March 31 order.
A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked enforcement of an $83 million defamation judgment against President Donald Trump while he seeks Supreme Court review, requiring him to post a $7.4 million bond. The ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday means Trump will not have to pay the award to writer E. Jean Carroll while the high court decides whether to take the case.
A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Lu Jianwang, 64, on Wednesday of acting as an illegal agent for China after prosecutors said he established a secret police outpost in Manhattan’s Chinatown that monitored and intimidated pro-democracy dissidents. Lu was also convicted of obstructing justice for deleting WeChat messages with his Chinese handler, though he was acquitted on a conspiracy charge. His defense maintained the outpost was a community center offering driver’s license renewals, not a spy operation.
Miami residents, a Miami Dade College student and others sued President Donald Trump, the Trump presidential library foundation and Florida officials, alleging the plan to donate a prime downtown parcel for the library — potentially including a hotel — violates the U.S. Constitution’s Domestic Emoluments Clause. The lawsuit says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis helped transfer the 2.63-acre site last year.
President Donald Trump will not have to pay an $83 million defamation award to E. Jean Carroll until the U.S. Supreme Court reviews the case or rejects an appeal, according to a court filing Tuesday. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to let Trump delay payment and required him to post a $7.4 million bond to cover any additional interest costs.
South Carolina’s Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned Alex Murdaugh’s murder convictions and life sentence in the shooting deaths of his wife and son, citing misconduct by a court clerk during his trial. Prosecutors said they plan to retry him on the murder charges, even as he remains imprisoned on federal convictions tied to stealing from clients.
A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Lu Jianwang of acting as an illegal foreign agent for allegedly running a secret Chinese police outpost in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The jury also found him guilty of obstructing justice by deleting text messages prosecutors said contained Beijing orders aimed at silencing pro-democracy dissidents.
The former New York City judge Edward Harold King was charged Wednesday with a wire fraud conspiracy involving real estate investors, after he resigned last year while under investigation for professional misconduct, the Associated Press reported. Prosecutors said King and politically connected developer Yechiel “Sam” Sprei abused King’s position to obtain at least $5 million from investors for a bogus property bid, then returned only part of the money. King, 72, and Sprei, 37, were released on bail and were scheduled to return to Brooklyn federal court on Monday.
A man pleaded guilty Wednesday to intentionally ramming his car into the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, telling a federal judge he did so to damage the Jewish landmark. Prosecutors said Dan Sohail drove into the entrance five consecutive times in January after moving barriers and urging people to get out of the way.
Republican senators left a closed-door meeting with U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran on Tuesday requesting more details on the $1 billion security plan for the White House, including $220 million to fortify President Donald Trump’s new East Wing ballroom. The request is attached to a partisan spending bill that would restore funding for immigration enforcement agencies, but GOP skepticism could jeopardize the legislation.
President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis face a lawsuit over a plan to donate a downtown Miami parcel for Trump’s presidential library, with plaintiffs alleging the deal violates the Constitution’s Domestic Emoluments Clause. The suit, filed in Miami by attorneys representing a Miami Dade College student and others, seeks to block the land transfer and characterizes the proposed library as potentially including a hotel.
A Florida judge has ruled that Tiger Woods’ prescription drug records will be handed over to prosecutors in a DUI case, after a hearing in Martin County court on Tuesday. The records involve Woods’ medications from a Palm Beach pharmacy, subpoenaed for the period from the start of the year through the end of March.
Cannes Film Festival opened Tuesday on the French Riviera with a tribute to director Peter Jackson, who received an honorary Palme d’Or. The opening also featured Jane Fonda and Gong Li, as the festival’s jury discussions centered on politics and artificial intelligence.
Republican senators on Tuesday left a closed-door meeting with the U.S. Secret Service director saying they need more details on a $1 billion security plan for the White House, including $220 million to harden President Donald Trump’s new East Wing ballroom. The group said it wants specifics on how the money would be spent as lawmakers weigh whether to keep the funding in a partisan Senate package tied to restoring immigration enforcement money.
A Florida judge on Tuesday approved an agreement between Tiger Woods' defense team and prosecutors that will hand over the legendary golfer's prescription drug records to authorities investigating his March arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Workers began preliminary surveys and testing Monday at the proposed site of a 250-foot Triumphal Arch sought by President Donald Trump, adding a new step to the contentious project as a federal lawsuit seeks to block construction. The site, between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, was fenced off with pink survey flags, and the work was disclosed in a court filing Thursday in the ongoing suit.
Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic push Wednesday to overturn several Trump-era policy changes at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, preserving the agency’s sharply diminished role under acting director Russell Vought.
Senate Republicans blocked Wednesday votes by Senate Democrats to roll back several Trump-era policy changes at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, including rules tied to how overdraft fees can be charged. The Senate rejected three Democratic resolutions as Democrats used the votes to press Republicans in an election year, while Republicans defended the CFPB changes and said the agency has too much centralized power.
Workers began preliminary surveys and geotechnical testing Monday at the proposed site for a Triumphal Arch sought by President Donald Trump in Washington, the Associated Press reported. The work is being carried out between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery as part of steps the administration said are needed before any final authorization to build. The proposal, which would be about 250 feet tall, has drawn opposition including a federal lawsuit.
A presidential commission on religious liberty is developing recommendations that include rejecting the constitutional separation of church and state, according to proceedings from the panel's April meeting. The commission's chair, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, called church-state separation 'a lie' and suggested printing 'a million bumper stickers' to that effect, drawing no dissent from members.
Cole Tomas Allen, the California man accused of storming the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with guns and knives and attempting to kill President Donald Trump, pleaded not guilty in federal court Monday. His attorneys immediately moved to disqualify acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro from the prosecution, arguing the two senior Justice Department officials were present at the event and could be considered victims or witnesses — creating a conflict of interest.
Commissioners for a Trump religious liberty advisory panel met in April and shared policy “wish lists” for a final report still being drafted, according to the Associated Press. Several of the recommendations would expand religion-related exemptions and government support for faith groups, while critics argue the panel is dominated by conservative Christian viewpoints and threatens the constitutional separation of church and state.
The National Science Foundation suspended at least 18 research grants to UC Berkeley in April, attorneys representing university scientists said, raising concerns the Trump administration is circumventing a federal court order that restored previously canceled projects.
The Trump administration opened a new chapter in government transparency on unidentified anomalous phenomena Friday, releasing a trove of declassified videos, memos, and imagery that it hopes will let the public draw its own conclusions about decades of unresolved sightings.
A Washington-based nonprofit filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking to stop the Trump administration's ongoing repainting of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, arguing the project violated historic preservation laws by proceeding without required reviews on one of the most iconic sites on the National Mall.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced a civil investigation Monday into the Southern Poverty Law Center's fundraising practices, issuing a subpoena for records of donations and payments to informants. The inquiry comes after a federal criminal indictment unsealed last week accused the nonprofit of fraud for using funds to pay informants inside extremist groups. The SPLC said it is reviewing the subpoena and has called the federal allegations 'provably wrong.'
Senate Republicans added $1 billion in Secret Service funding for President Trump's White House ballroom project to a partisan spending bill, defending it Monday as necessary to protect the president in a dangerous world. Democrats called it a "staggering waste" and pledged to strip it, while some GOP senators demanded more detail and reaffirmed that construction costs should come from private donors.
The Pentagon on Friday began releasing a new batch of declassified files on unidentified anomalous phenomena, including decades-old State Department cables, FBI interviews, NASA transcripts and military sensor videos, as President Donald Trump encouraged the public to draw their own conclusions from the material.
A federal judge in Delaware has dismissed a defamation lawsuit brought by Raymond Epps against Fox News, ruling that the former Trump supporter failed to provide sufficient evidence that the network knew its Jan. 6 conspiracy theories were false.
ABC has filed a strongly worded legal brief accusing the Trump administration's Federal Communications Commission of attempting to chill constitutionally protected free speech by revisiting whether the network's long-running talk show "The View" should be subject to equal time rules. The filing, made public Friday on behalf of the network and its Houston station KTRK-TV, escalates a broader legal battle between major U.S. media outlets and the White House over press freedom and the administration's posture toward outlets whose journalism runs counter to the president's agenda.
The Pentagon began releasing a new batch of records and videos about unidentified anomalous phenomena on Friday, as President Donald Trump renewed attention on the topic and urged the public to “decide for themselves.” The files include old State Department cables, FBI documents and NASA transcripts, along with military videos and written reports describing hundreds of sightings dating to the 1940s.
A Washington-based nonprofit filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the Trump administration from repainting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool a blue color and to require restoration of historic elements, arguing federal preservation laws were bypassed. The suit, filed Monday against the Interior Department and the National Park Service, says the work proceeded without relevant reviews. Trump said Monday the pool would reopen “sometime next week” and called the project “highly sophisticated stuff,” while Interior’s Katie Martin said the work will make the capital “a shining beacon.”
Cole Tomas Allen, accused of storming the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and firing a shotgun at a Secret Service officer, pleaded not guilty Monday in federal court in Washington. His attorneys asked the judge to disqualify senior Justice Department officials from any role in prosecuting him, arguing they could be considered victims or witnesses. Allen faces a federal attempted-assassination charge and other counts, and is scheduled to return to court on June 29.
The Pentagon on Friday began releasing a new batch of declassified records related to unidentified aerial phenomena, including older State Department cables, FBI documents and NASA transcripts. The files describe cases the U.S. government still considers unresolved, and President Donald Trump highlighted the release as the public tries to interpret what the records show.
A federal judge dismissed Raymond Epps’ defamation lawsuit against Fox News, ruling that Epps did not show enough evidence that the network knew its statements were false. U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Hall granted Fox’s motion to dismiss in Delaware on Friday, a second dismissal in the case.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced a civil investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center’s fundraising practices. The probe follows a federal indictment of the organization announced by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Senate Republicans said they will move forward with a proposal to give the U.S. Secret Service up to $1 billion for security upgrades to Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project, with Democrats pledging to fight the plan. The proposal adds the money to a partisan spending bill that Republicans say would restore funding for immigration enforcement agencies.
The Trump administration suspended at least 18 research grants to UC Berkeley in April, according to an attorney representing university scientists in a class action lawsuit. The suspensions occurred despite a federal court injunction restricting such actions, the attorney said, and the NSF declined to comment. UC Berkeley spokesperson Dan Mogulof said the university is engaging with the government and remains committed to compliance with federal rules.
Attorneys for Cole Tomas Allen, the man charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, asked a federal judge Thursday to disqualify Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro from the case, arguing their presence at the event creates a conflict of interest.
Members of a White House-created religious liberty advisory panel have proposed tearing down the constitutional separation of church and state, rewarding a baker who refused to serve a same-sex couple, and ordering the Justice Department to defend Amish parents and Catholic nuns in exemption battles, according to a report by the Associated Press. The wishlist, aired during a meeting in April, also includes printing a million bumper stickers with the message “There is no separation between church and state,” a federal hotline repeating that claim, and requiring governments to pay the legal fees of religious plaintiffs who win in court.
The Cohutta, Georgia, town council voted Friday to reinstate the city’s entire police department, reversing Mayor Ron Shinnick’s decision to terminate the chief and about 10 officers two days earlier. The council acted after the town attorney advised that the firings violated the town charter’s requirement for 30 days’ notice before employee removal, Vice Mayor Shane Kornberg told The Associated Press.
A man charged in the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner attack wants a judge to disqualify senior Justice Department officials from direct involvement in prosecuting him, citing a potential conflict because they were present as victims or witnesses. In a court filing late Thursday, Cole Tomas Allen’s lawyers argued Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro attended the April 25 event at the Washington Hilton and were affected by the shooting.
Cohutta, Georgia, reinstated its police department and returned jobs to the officers the mayor fired two days earlier, following a special Town Council meeting. The council reinstated the officers immediately and directed back pay, while citing a charter requirement for 30 days’ notice before suspending or removing employees. Mayor Ron Shinnick said the firings followed social media comments by officers.
La Comisión de Libertad Religiosa creada por el presidente Donald Trump busca, entre sus recomendaciones, ampliar el rol de la expresión religiosa en escuelas públicas, facilitar fondos públicos para organizaciones basadas en la fe y promover exenciones religiosas en áreas como trabajo, aulas y atención médica. En su más reciente reunión, en abril, miembros del panel también discutieron la frase “No existe separación entre la Iglesia y el Estado”, incluida en una grabación automatizada atribuida al presidente de la comisión.
A federal judge in New York ruled Thursday that the Trump administration’s cancellation of more than $100 million in humanities grants was unconstitutional, permanently blocking the Department of Government Efficiency from terminating the funding. U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon found the cuts violated the First Amendment’s free-speech protections and the Fifth Amendment’s equal-protection guarantee, and she sharply criticized DOGE’s use of artificial intelligence to identify grants for elimination.
A federal judge in Manhattan ruled Thursday that the Trump administration’s cancellation of more than $100 million in humanities grants was unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon permanently barred the administration from terminating the grants and said the Department of Government Efficiency lacked lawful authority to end funding.
Rapper Kodak Black was arrested in central Florida and booked into the Orange County Jail on a felony MDMA trafficking charge, according to the Associated Press. Kodak Black, whose legal name is Bill Kapri, pleaded not guilty and asked for a jury trial, with bond set at $75,000.
Former FBI Director James Comey asked a judge to cancel his scheduled court appearance in eastern North Carolina, saying he already surrendered in Virginia and has faced a judge there in the Trump threat case. The Department of Justice is supporting the request.
Blake Lively’s lawyers said a court settlement in her lawsuit over “It Ends With Us” is a “resounding victory,” three days after announcing the deal. Her attorneys said the settlement waives the right to appeal and leaves Baldoni and others facing “personal liability” for allegedly abusing the legal system. Justin Baldoni’s lawyer said the other side views the settlement as “a win and total victory,” with fees issues remaining.
Former FBI Director James Comey asked a federal judge Thursday to cancel his upcoming court appearance in North Carolina on charges that he threatened President Donald Trump, arguing he had already surrendered to authorities in Virginia.
The leader of the Southern Poverty Law Center pleaded not guilty Thursday on behalf of the civil rights group to federal charges that it defrauded donors by failing to disclose money would be paid to informants inside extremist groups. Bryan Fair represented the nonprofit in U.S. District Court in Montgomery, where prosecutors outlined allegations tied to money laundering conspiracy, wire fraud and false statements to a bank.
Tens of millions of taxpayers penalized by the IRS during the coronavirus pandemic for filing late or failing to pay may qualify for penalty refunds or abatements, the national taxpayer advocate said Tuesday. Relief is not automatic, and most taxpayers need to file a claim by July 10, after a federal court ruled late last year that COVID-19 emergency laws extended certain filing deadlines.
ATLANTA — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the U.S. Justice Department does not have to return 2020 election ballots seized by the FBI from a warehouse near Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia. In a decision after Fulton County sought to undo the Jan. 28 seizure, U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee found the county did not show its constitutional rights were “callously disregarded,” and noted the government had provided the county copies of the documents. The Justice Department said the investigation would continue.
The Justice Department agreed to return Rep. Andy Ogles’ personal cellphone seized during an investigation into his campaign finances, according to a court filing revealed by his lawyers. The FBI confiscated the phone in August 2024 and the case has been tied up in court over whether investigators could review the device and Ogles’ email accounts.
A federal indictment unsealed in New York says Vladimir Sklarov, who used multiple aliases, ran a bogus stock-backed loan scheme that authorities say helped him steal about $450 million from Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego. Prosecutors said Sklarov used the Astor family name and false claims of financial backing to convince Salinas to provide the loan in 2021.
A California man accused of trying to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and attempting to kill President Donald Trump was indicted Tuesday on a new assault charge. Prosecutors said the man fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer during the April 25 attack at the Washington Hilton.
The Department of Justice is seeking the names and personal contact information of every person who worked on the 2020 election in Georgia’s Fulton County, according to a court filing by the county. Lawyers for the county filed a motion Monday to quash a grand jury subpoena they called “a chilling escalation in the campaign to terrorize Fulton County election workers.” The subpoena, dated April 17, demands the “name, position/function, residential and email addresses, and personal telephone number(s)” of thousands of employees and volunteers.
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Justice does not have to return 2020 election ballots seized by the FBI from a warehouse near Atlanta that held records for Fulton County, Georgia. The county had argued the seizure was improper and violated the Constitution, but the judge said it did not show the government’s rights were “callously disregarded” and noted the Justice Department has already provided copies of the documents.
The Justice Department has agreed to return U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles’ personal cellphone that was seized as part of an investigation into his campaign finances, signaling it is abandoning the probe. The FBI confiscated the Tennessee Republican’s phone in August 2024, and defense lawyers disclosed in a Tuesday court filing that the department would promptly return the device and destroy information it obtained from it and from his Google email account.
The IRS may owe a refund or require the termination or abatement of certain penalties for some taxpayers penalized for filing late, failing to pay, or missing estimated tax payments during the COVID-19 period. A federal court decision extended the deadline for filing returns in the case and taxpayers have been urged to act quickly—most need to file a claim by July 10.
The leader of the Southern Poverty Law Center pleaded not guilty Thursday on behalf of the civil rights group in a federal donor fraud case. Bryan Fair appeared in federal court in Montgomery as the Justice Department alleges the group defrauded donors by using money to pay informants inside extremist organizations.
A Federal Aviation Administration contractor in New Hampshire was arrested and is expected to face court on Tuesday after federal prosecutors accused him of sending a threatening email to the White House, saying he intended to “neutralize/kill” President Donald Trump.
Washington interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said Tuesday that 13 officers were placed on administrative leave as part of an internal investigation into how the department collects crime statistics. Carroll said the probe began earlier this year after a referral from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and that he would not release specifics.
The Trump administration sued Denver and the city’s police department on Tuesday, seeking to strike down an assault-weapons ban that has been in place in Colorado’s largest city since 1989. The lawsuit follows Denver officials’ public rejection of a U.S. Department of Justice request to repeal the ordinance.
The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking the names of people who worked the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia, seeking records that include personal contact information for county employees and poll workers, according to a court filing. Lawyers for Fulton County asked a judge to quash a grand jury subpoena served after an FBI seizure of ballots and related records from the county earlier this year, arguing the request is overly broad and cannot yield evidence for a criminal case because time limits have expired.
Senate Republicans have added $1 billion for White House security upgrades to legislation that would otherwise fund immigration enforcement agencies, a move aimed at President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project. The money is slated for the U.S. Secret Service for “security adjustments and upgrades” tied to the ballroom after a man was charged with trying to assassinate Trump at last week’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
A U.S. indictment unsealed this week says Vladimir Sklarov, who also used multiple aliases, duped Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego with a bogus stock-backed loan scheme using the Astor family name. Prosecutors said Sklarov set up a sham lender, Astor Asset Group, connected to the storied New York family to persuade Salinas to hand over shares worth at least $450 million.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes told the Trump administration not to cut down more than 10 trees at the historic East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, D.C., without first giving notice, pending a lawsuit alleging the planned renovation would violate an 1897 law establishing the park for “the recreation and the pleasure of the people.”
A federal appeals court panel on Monday expressed skepticism about the Trump administration’s practice of keeping top federal prosecutors in office for extended periods without U.S. Senate approval, in a case involving First Assistant U.S. Attorney John Sarcone in northern New York. Judges at the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments over a lower court ruling that Sarcone was not lawfully serving as the district’s top prosecutor and that his actions were voidable.
A federal judge told the U.S. government Monday not to cut down more than 10 trees at the historic East Potomac Golf Course without providing notice, while a legal dispute over the planned renovations moves forward. U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes said she would not issue a temporary restraining order yet in the case brought by the DC Preservation League.
Louisiana’s Gov. Jeff Landry signed a law to eliminate the elected Orleans Parish criminal court clerk position before Calvin Duncan’s term began, but a federal judge blocked the change on Sunday. Duncan, a Louisiana man whose murder conviction was vacated after decades in prison for a wrongful conviction, briefly began work Monday before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals froze the decision. The case now heads through appeals as civil rights groups argue Duncan’s term cannot be cut short.
Actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni agreed Monday to end their legal feud over the 2024 film “It Ends With Us,” avoiding a trial in New York. The parties settled a civil case brought by Lively and involving Baldoni’s countersuit, which had been set for jury selection May 18.
Two opposition lawmakers in Mauritania were sentenced to four years in prison after they posted messages insulting President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani and accusing the justice system of racial bias, their lawyers told The Associated Press. The case was decided in criminal court in Nouakchott after the lawmakers were charged last month with attacking symbols of the state and calling for gatherings to undermine public security.
Secret Service officials said a man opened fire on plainclothes officers near the Washington Monument on Monday before being shot by law enforcement in an exchange. The incident prompted a brief lockdown near the White House as President Donald Trump continued a small business event, officials said.
The Washington Post won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service on Monday for scrutinizing the Trump administration’s overhaul of federal agencies. The Associated Press won the prize for international reporting about surveillance. The announcement also recognized work by The New York Times, Reuters and The Minnesota Star Tribune, among others.
Authorities have determined that buckshot fired by the man charged with trying to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner struck a Secret Service agent, the federal prosecutor leading the investigation said. Prosecutor Jeanine Pirro told CNN the agent’s bullet-resistant vest shows evidence the shot came from the suspect’s shotgun. The Secret Service officer survived, and the man remains jailed pending trial.
Federal appeals judges said Monday they were skeptical that President Donald Trump can keep certain top federal prosecutors in place for extended periods without U.S. Senate approval. The concern arose as the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reviewed a decision involving First Assistant U.S. Attorney John Sarcone and his role in New York’s northern district.
President Donald Trump said the Pentagon is preparing to release some “very interesting” UFO files uncovered by his administration, during remarks at a White House event celebrating NASA astronauts. He also previously directed federal agencies to release records related to extraterrestrial life and UFOs, setting off debate over whether the disclosures will amount to new revelations.
The Trump administration has been found in violation of court orders in at least 31 lawsuits since February 2025, an Associated Press review of court records shows. Legal experts warn the defiance, which includes more than 250 additional instances of noncompliance in immigration petitions, is eroding respect for the rule of law.
The Trump administration violated court orders in at least 31 lawsuits during its first 15 months in office, an Associated Press review of court records has found. The violations span issues from mass deportations and spending freezes to immigration detention practices, and legal experts say the pattern has no precedent in modern U.S. history.
The Associated Press review found district court judges ruled the Trump administration violated court orders in at least 31 lawsuits over a wide range of policy areas during the administration’s first 15 months. The review also found higher courts, including the Supreme Court, sided with the White House in nearly half of those cases, a pattern critics say can embolden noncompliance. The administration said it will continue to comply with lawful court rulings.
NEWARK, N.J. — Federal prosecutors in New Jersey have charged four residents with illegally voting in federal elections, saying they were not U.S. citizens when they registered and cast ballots. The U.S. attorney’s office also alleges the defendants lied on naturalization applications by claiming they had never voted or registered to vote in a federal election.
Federal judges have raised alarms in recent months about the Trump administration’s failure to follow court orders in individual immigration cases, according to an Associated Press review of court records. The AP found district judges ruled the administration violated an order in at least 31 lawsuits dating back to the first days of President Donald Trump’s second term.
FEMA told a U.S. District Court it has begun offering new appointments to term-limited disaster workers whose contracts expired in January, reversing a nonrenewal decision that triggered a lawsuit. An attorney for the Trump administration told the court on May 2 that FEMA has “initiated contact to offer new appointments” to some former CORE staff after the contracts were not renewed.
The Justice Department task force created by President Donald Trump alleged in a new 200-page report that the Biden administration discriminated against Christians in areas including education, tax law and how it pursued anti-abortion protest cases. Progressive groups and Christian-right advocates criticized the report’s methodology and said it treats policy disagreements as persecution.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei blocked accredited reporters from entering the government’s headquarters at the Casa Rosada, drawing condemnation from press-freedom groups and lawmakers. Milei said on social media that journalists are “filthy scum” and shared an image depicting a reporter in an orange prison jumpsuit. Rights watchdogs and a Catholic Church statement denounced the move as an attack on freedom of expression.
Federal prosecutors released a video showing a man authorities say carried guns and knives as he tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Washington Hilton and attempt to kill President Donald Trump. The release came amid questions about who shot a Secret Service officer during the attack.
The Senate has approved a bipartisan resolution banning senators and their staff from placing bets on prediction markets, with the rules change taking effect immediately. Sponsors and lawmakers said the measure is meant to prevent members with access to sensitive information from using it for wagers on major events.
Congress on Thursday approved a short-term extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act provision that lets spy agencies collect communications from foreign targets without a warrant, pushing off its Friday expiration while broader negotiations continue. The House sent the measure to President Donald Trump after the Senate cleared it earlier in the day, with the temporary authorization set to run through June 12.
The Onion’s proposed deal to temporarily take control of Infowars, Alex Jones’ conspiracy media platform, remained in legal limbo Thursday after a Texas appeals court paused the transfer of Infowars assets, according to court proceedings reported by The Associated Press. A hearing that had been set for Austin, Texas, was pushed into a May 28 date, while Jones’ lawyers argued the deal should not proceed during pending litigation. The dispute unfolds as Infowars faces liquidation over more than $1 billion in defamation judgments that Jones owes relatives of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
Vatican prosecutors on Thursday said they would not deposit all evidence collected in the Vatican’s big financial trial with the appeals court-ordered defense deadline, setting up another fight in the long-running case. A June 22 hearing is scheduled after prosecutors told judges the withheld material was “irrelevant” and could “pose a grave danger” to the Vatican’s interests.
A man charged in an alleged attempt to kill President Donald Trump before the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner took a photo of himself with a knife in his hotel room shortly before moving toward the event, prosecutors said in a court filing. Investigators said Cole Allen wore a shoulder gun holster and had an ammunition bag as he tried to reach the ballroom area near the Washington Hilton. Trump was uninjured, and a Secret Service officer wearing a bullet-resistant vest was shot and survived.
A divided federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected a request for an en banc rehearing of an $83 million defamation verdict against President Donald Trump tied to statements about magazine advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it would not convene all active judges to hear the appeal, a decision coming after Carroll won a defamation case in federal court. Trump’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. Justice Department said it moved Wednesday to roll back and modify gun regulations, in a shift in federal firearm policy as Senate-confirmed ATF chief Robert Cekada takes charge. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the changes are designed to align regulations with Supreme Court precedent and reduce burdens on firearms sellers and lawful gun owners. Gun control advocates criticized the move as dangerous, citing the recent gunfire at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Brazil’s Senate voted Wednesday to reject President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s nomination of Jorge Messias to the Supreme Court, a setback for Lula ahead of his October re-election bid. The Senate vote was the first rejection of a Supreme Court nominee in more than 130 years, according to the Associated Press. Only 34 senators voted to approve Messias, while 42 rejected him.
Rashaad Muhammad, a Georgia man held at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, said medical neglect there led to amputations of his fingers and lower legs, his lawyers said. Muhammad met with Sheriff Pat Labat on Wednesday, and attorney Ben Crump described the treatment as “the very definition of deliberate indifference.” The Fulton County Jail has faced scrutiny for years, including a U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation and a later court-enforceable consent decree.
Former FBI Director James Comey made his first court appearance Wednesday in a criminal case brought by the Justice Department that alleges he threatened President Donald Trump with a social media post featuring the numbers “86 47.” Prosecutors charge Comey in North Carolina on Tuesday with making threats tied to the Instagram photograph, while his defense argues the message was political speech and not a call for violence.
NEW YORK — A father and daughter pleaded guilty in federal court in New York after prosecutors said they used fake artworks of major artists, including Andy Warhol and Banksy, to defraud art dealers and auction houses out of at least $2 million. Prosecutors said the pair, Polish citizens living in New Jersey, forged paintings and passed them off to buyers, including consigners and major auction firms.
A coalition of cultural and historic preservation organizations asked a federal judge to stop President Donald Trump from proceeding with major renovations to the Kennedy Center ahead of a July 6 start date. The groups urged U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper to issue a preliminary injunction, arguing the changes could violate historic preservation rules.
A Romanian man, Thomasz Szabo, was sentenced to four years in prison in Washington, D.C., for organizing a swatting and bomb-threat scheme that prosecutors said targeted dozens of U.S. government officials, including members of Congress and federal judges. Prosecutors said the calls and threats hijacked police and other first responders and reduced resources available for real emergencies. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson also ordered three years of supervised release after the prison term, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
The Onion is asking a Texas judge to approve its proposed takeover of Alex Jones’ Infowars platforms, a move Jones is trying to block through last-minute appeals in state and federal courts. The hearing comes as Jones faces legal fights tied to more than $1 billion he owes Sandy Hook shooting victims’ relatives after he falsely portrayed the 2012 massacre as a hoax.
Federal agents executed multiple searches in Minnesota on Tuesday, seizing records and other evidence in an ongoing fraud investigation tied to publicly funded social programs for children, authorities said. The searches occurred months after a right-wing influencer posted a video claiming Minnesota’s Somali community was running fake childcare centers to collect federal subsidies, a claim inspectors said was inaccurate. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz welcomed the raids, saying agencies “catch criminals” when state and federal officials share information.
Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted again Tuesday in a case tied to a social media photo that officials said constituted a threat against President Donald Trump. Prosecutors charged Comey in a North Carolina federal court over a message officials linked to “86 47,” which Comey said he believed was a political reference, not a call to violence.
Former NBA player Damon Jones pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to conspiracy counts tied to a sports betting scheme and to rigged poker games, according to court proceedings reported by The Associated Press. Jones told Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo that he used insider information from his relationships as a former player to gain an edge in bets.
Federal prosecutors charged Cole Tomas Allen with attempted assassination of President Donald Trump after an attack at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington that left shots fired and Trump unharmed. Prosecutors said Allen traveled from California and that investigators believe he had been planning the assault for at least several weeks.
Upstate New York businessman Miles “Burt” Marshall pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges stemming from a Ponzi scheme that prosecutors say stole more than $50 million from hundreds of people and organizations, according to the state attorney general. Marshall faces four to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty in Madison County Court to second-degree grand larceny, securities fraud and first-degree scheme to defraud, prosecutors said.
A federal judge dismissed a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against Arizona seeking access to the state’s detailed voter records, dealing a new setback to the Trump administration’s bid to obtain voter data. In the ruling, U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich, a Trump appointee, said Arizona’s statewide voter registration list is not a document the attorney general can request under federal law.
A former senior adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci, David Morens, has been indicted on federal charges that allege he concealed communications related to COVID-19 research while working at the National Institutes of Health. The Justice Department said Morens used a private email account to intentionally circumvent public records laws and allegedly concealed or destroyed records of discussions tied to COVID-19 research grants.
New York federal judge Colleen McMahon said she felt “assaulted by SantaCon” as the organizer of the annual New York City bar crawl, Stefan Pildes, appeared in Manhattan federal court for the first time in a fraud case. McMahon said the day is marked by “drunken kids who are wearing Santa costumes” crowding the city’s sidewalks. Pildes, who was arrested a week earlier and released on bail, pleaded not in the appearance and denied any wrongdoing through his lawyer.
In New York on April 28, a federal judge ruled that Maurene Comey can pursue her lawsuit claiming she was wrongfully fired as a federal prosecutor. Judge Jesse M. Furman rejected the Justice Department’s request to move the case out of district court and said the government’s stated reason places the dispute outside the usual administrative-review channel.
The Justice Department urged a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit by a historic preservation group over a planned $400 million White House ballroom, filings submitted after a shooting at a media gala at the White House. The government said the lawsuit should end, arguing it would “greatly endanger the lives of all Presidents, current and future.” The preservation group, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, argued Congress and key federal agencies had to approve the project before construction.
WASHINGTON — Preservationists plan to press ahead with their lawsuit seeking to block President Donald Trump’s planned $400 million White House ballroom after the Department of Justice asked them to withdraw the case following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation said. Trust attorney Gregory Craig told the Justice Department that the legal issues at the heart of the dispute remain unchanged, even as the government said it would seek dismissal if the Trust did not voluntarily drop its complaint.
A judge ordered Hisham Abugharbieh held without bond on Tuesday, days after a SWAT team arrested him in the case involving the deaths of two University of South Florida doctoral students from Bangladesh. Hillsborough County Judge Logan Murphy prohibited Abugharbieh from contacting witnesses or the victims’ relatives during a brief Tampa court hearing.
Authorities said a man accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner railed against President Donald Trump in writings he sent to family minutes before the attack at the Washington Hilton.
A California man arrested after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington on Saturday was identified by authorities as Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, officials said. The Associated Press reports that Allen will face charges including using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer.
Republicans in Congress on Monday introduced new efforts to approve and fund President Donald Trump’s proposed White House ballroom, arguing it would reduce security risks after a shooting attempt at Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. The renewed push includes a bill introduced by Republican senators to authorize $400 million for construction and security work.
The Southern Poverty Law Center told a federal court it was not hiding its paid informant program from law enforcement, as it fights fraud and money-laundering charges. In filings, the Alabama-based nonprofit said the Justice Department and agents received information from its confidential informants for years, rejecting assertions by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that authorities had “no information.” Bryan Fair, SPLC’s interim president and CEO, said in a statement Tuesday that information shared with the FBI “has saved lives.”
El hombre arrestado tras un ataque en la cena de corresponsales de la Casa Blanca en Washington, a la que asistieron el presidente Donald Trump y miembros de su gobierno, ha sido descrito por autoridades como tutor y desarrollador de videojuegos en California. El sospechoso, Cole Tomas Allen, fue detenido el sábado por la noche en Washington cuando intentaba pasar un punto de control de seguridad con armas de fuego y cuchillos, según autoridades policiales citadas por The Associated Press.
The Justice Department urged the National Trust for Historic Preservation to drop its lawsuit over President Donald Trump’s planned $400 million White House ballroom, citing security concerns after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday the time had come to proceed with the ballroom project, and the department set a deadline of 9 a.m. Monday for the preservation group to dismiss its case.
President Donald Trump was preparing to speak Saturday night at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner when a gunman tried to storm the event, triggering chaos for journalists in the ballroom at the Washington Hilton. In the immediate aftermath, reporters described sheltering under tables, struggling with cell service, and trying to file fast updates while accuracy was still uncertain.
Luther Davis, 37, entered guilty pleas in federal court in Atlanta on Monday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft as part of a scheme that prosecutors said used makeup and wigs to impersonate NFL players for investor loans. Prosecutors said Davis and co-defendant CJ Evins used fake bank and email accounts to convince lenders they represented athletes or were the athletes themselves.
President Donald Trump and members of his administration were moved from the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner after a gunman tried to breach the ballroom during the event, the Associated Press reported. AP said the crowd of about 2,300 ducked as security shouted “Shots fired,” and law enforcement responded as shots rang out outside the ballroom. Officials said at least one Secret Service officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest and was recovering, and the suspect was later in custody.
Nearly a quarter-century after Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC was shot to death, Jay Bryant pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to a murder charge connected to the 2002 killing. Prosecutors said Bryant helped other people get into a Queens recording studio to ambush the DJ, whose real name was Jason Mizell.
Guillermo Sainz Gurrola, a Pennsylvania voter registration drive manager, pleaded guilty Monday to three misdemeanor counts and was sentenced to a month in county jail, the Associated Press reported. Prosecutors said his operation offered financial incentives to canvassers who met registration quotas in 2024, while the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office said additional charges against six canvassers remain pending.
A divided federal appeals court panel ruled Monday that the Defense Department can require journalists to be escorted on Pentagon grounds while the Trump administration appeals a lower-court decision blocking enforcement of a Pentagon press access policy challenged by The New York Times. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit suspended an April 9 ruling by Judge Paul Friedman, who found the policy violated journalists’ constitutional rights.
Two brothers from California face federal conspiracy charges tied to an alleged scheme to import nearly half a million armor-piercing rounds into the United States, prosecutors said. They also allege the brothers recruited the chief of police in a small town in southeastern Wisconsin to help them submit a fraudulent paperwork application to import the ammunition.
In the minutes after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, reporters snapped into action to provide real-time, scene-based accounts — yet conspiracy theories still flooded the internet. An Associated Press report described how multiple unfounded narratives, including claims the attack was staged, spread even as live reporting provided rapidly corroborated facts.
President Donald Trump was scheduled to speak at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner Saturday at the Washington Hilton when a shooting suspect was detained, and officials said the suspect appeared to have reached the hotel’s outer perimeter because he was a guest. Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that the suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, had a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Security at the Washington Hilton has changed substantially since Ronald Reagan was shot outside the hotel in 1981, and a new incident Saturday at a Washington Hilton dinner forced the evacuation of President Donald Trump and other officials. Officials said a gunman fired at least one shot near security checkpoints leading to a ballroom during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, but did not get close to the president.
El hombre acusado de abrir fuego en la cena de la Asociación de Corresponsales de la Casa Blanca en Washington había expresado quejas contra el gobierno de Donald Trump en escritos enviados a familiares minutos antes del ataque, según informó The Associated Press. Investigadores usan esos mensajes, publicaciones en redes sociales y entrevistas con familiares para evaluar el estado mental del sospechoso y sus posibles motivos.
The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday in Washington was disrupted when shots were fired as a gunman charged toward the ballroom, and President Donald Trump was rushed offstage. The Secret Service and police took the suspect into custody, and authorities said an officer was shot but protected by a bullet-resistant vest.
The suspect detained after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was believed to have entered the hotel through its outermost security layer because he was staying as a guest, officials said Saturday. At the event at the Washington Hilton, several additional checks—including magnetometers run by the Secret Service and TSA—were used to reach the ballroom, where Secret Service agents maintained a buffer around President Donald Trump, officials said.
Un hombre acusado de abrir fuego en la cena de la Asociación de Corresponsales de la Casa Blanca en Washington había enviado a familiares escritos minutos antes del ataque en los que criticaba políticas del gobierno de Donald Trump, según autoridades citadas por The Associated Press. La fiscalía provisional dijo que el hombre habría intentado atacar a personas que trabajan para el gobierno y que está previsto que enfrente cargos el lunes.
TMZ is expanding its celebrity-gossip brand into Washington with a new “TMZ DC” team that aims to capture candid images of lawmakers “paparazzi-style,” and has already produced viral moments. The effort comes as Congress faces heightened public scrutiny and several lawmakers have resigned amid allegations, according to Gallup polling cited by The Associated Press. In a sign of attention from the Trump administration, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the outlet during a Pentagon briefing on Friday.
A jury convicted Brian Scott Lorenz in the 1993 killing of Deborah Meindl near Buffalo, ending his third trial after decades of legal proceedings. Lorenz was convicted Friday on murder and burglary charges, according to court proceedings described by the Associated Press.
South Korean prosecutors rejected a police request for an arrest warrant for Bang Si-Hyuk, the chairman of HYBE and founder of the agency behind BTS, prosecutors said. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency had sought the warrant as Bang faces a high-profile investigation into alleged investor fraud.
A U.S. Army major who works as a nurse at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, has been charged with conspiring to provide financial and tactical support to separatist fighters in Cameroon, according to federal court records unsealed this week. The charges accuse Maj. Kenneth Chungag and co-defendant Mercy Akwi Ombaku of plotting to transfer money from the U.S. to buy AK-47 assault rifles for the Ambazonia Defense Forces.
Peru police raided the home of now-resigned elections chief Piero Corvetto and five other officials Friday as part of a widening investigation into a ballot shortage and other irregularities in the April 12 first round of the presidential election, police said. Corvetto resigned Tuesday to take responsibility for the election shortcomings and denied wrongdoing.
The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner this weekend is drawing fresh scrutiny after President Donald Trump is expected to attend, despite his past clashes with major news organizations. The event, long billed as a spring Washington tradition for journalists in tuxedos, has prompted debate among reporters over whether attending alongside Trump signals acceptance or accountability.
Civil rights groups condemned the Southern Poverty Law Center’s criminal indictment as a threat to civil rights and vowed coordinated support as the case begins in federal court in Alabama. The Justice Department alleges the nonprofit used a network of paid informants in extremist groups to commit wire fraud, bank fraud and money-laundering conspiracy.
A prominent Georgia Republican, Edwin Brant Frost IV, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to a single federal wire fraud count tied to a Ponzi scheme involving First Liberty Building and Loan, prosecutors said. Federal prosecutors said the charge stems from an investigation that began after the company collapsed last June. The charge carries a potential 20-year prison sentence, and U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said prosecutors plan to recommend a sentence close to the top of the range.
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity on Thursday refused to approve more than $1 million in payments for security systems and other upgrades made to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s private home after an intruder set fire to the state-owned governor’s residence last year.
Six people have been charged in a federal indictment alleging they plotted to steal at least 20 cars from the Washington, D.C., area and sell them in the United States and Ghana, according to prosecutors. The indictment was unsealed Wednesday, and authorities searched an automobile storage facility in Decatur, Georgia, they said was linked to the ring.
The Justice Department has settled a lawsuit brought by former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page for $1.25 million, resolving Page’s claims that he was subjected to unlawful surveillance during the FBI’s Russia investigation. The settlement, announced in a filing to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, came while Page’s appeal was pending after lower courts dismissed his case as filed too late, according to court filings discussed by the Associated Press.
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Times said the FBI investigated whether a reporter, Elizabeth Williamson, violated laws against stalking after she published a story about federal agents assigned to protect and transport FBI Director Kash Patel’s girlfriend. The FBI said its agents interviewed Patel’s girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, when she expressed concern about a death threat after Williamson’s article was published, and took no further action.
A federal appeals court has allowed President Donald Trump to continue work on a planned White House ballroom even as litigation continues over the project, which is set to include security facilities beneath the East Wing site. The case has offered a rare glimpse of a bunker concept tied to the White House’s underground “continuity” plans.
Six people were charged in a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday alleging they plotted to steal at least 20 vehicles in the Washington, D.C., area and sell them in the United States and Ghana, West Africa. Investigators also suspect the group stole more than 100 cars in the District and more than 30 in Maryland’s Prince George’s County, according to the U.S. attorney’s office of Jeanine Pirro. Authorities searched a car storage facility in Decatur, Georgia, tied to the alleged ring.
The New York Times said the FBI investigated whether one of its reporters, Elizabeth Williamson, violated laws against stalking after she wrote a story about federal agents assigned to protect and drive FBI Director Kash Patel’s girlfriend. The FBI said agents interviewed Alexis Wilkins after Wilkins expressed concern about a death threat, but took no further action.
The Justice Department has reached a $1.25 million settlement with Carter Page, a former adviser to President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign who sued after saying he was the target of secret surveillance during the FBI’s Russia investigation. The settlement was announced after Page’s appeal reached the Supreme Court, and the court filing did not disclose the dollar amount.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, a U.S. civil rights group, was indicted Tuesday on federal fraud charges alleging it improperly paid informants to infiltrate extremist groups without disclosing the payments to donors, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said. The Justice Department alleges the center used donor money in ways it described as aimed at dismantling extremism, while prosecutors say the money funded informant-linked activity by extremist groups. The center’s CEO Bryan Fair denied the allegations, saying the payments supported confidential informants used to monitor threats of violence and that the information was shared with law enforcement.
New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Coinbase and Gemini in Manhattan on Tuesday, arguing their prediction market platforms operate as illegal gambling without state licenses. The lawsuit seeks to stop the companies from offering the platforms in New York unless they obtain authorization from the state Gaming Commission.
The Justice Department has withdrawn subpoenas issued in its investigation of former CIA Director John Brennan, and is now asking for voluntary interviews instead of grand jury testimony, AP sources said Tuesday. The shift followed a change in the team leading the inquiry, according to people familiar with the matter.
ATLANTA — Georgia State Patrol fired three troopers and their supervisor after an internal investigation found they violated department policy and ethical standards by allegedly seeking personal-injury payouts tied to high-speed pursuits, according to the agency. The probe started in January after another trooper reported hearing jokes about which chases would qualify for a “check,” the Department of Public Safety said.
The Justice Department has subpoenaed witnesses to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington as part of its investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan, according to three people familiar with the matter. The subpoenas were issued in recent days, indicating prosecutors are pressing forward with the months-old inquiry despite a key prosecutor's recent departure. The investigation centers on a 2023 congressional hearing where Brennan testified about the intelligence community's assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election — a case that has become a flashpoint in ongoing disputes over that election.
FBI Director Kash Patel sued The Atlantic magazine for $250 million Monday in federal court in Washington, accusing the publication of defamation over an article that alleged excessive drinking and mismanagement. The Atlantic said it stands by its reporting and will vigorously defend against what it called a "meritless lawsuit."
Carmine Agnello, the reality-TV-star grandson of late mob boss John Gotti, was sentenced Monday to 15 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining $1.1 million in federal pandemic-relief loans meant for small businesses. Federal Judge Nusrat Choudhury imposed the sentence in U.S. District Court on Long Island, along with a requirement that Agnello repay the funds and perform 100 hours of community service.
The National Guard troops roaming Washington's streets, parks and metro stations arrived eight months ago as part of President Donald Trump's declared crime emergency. With more than 2,500 members still deployed and no announced endpoint, local officials and civil-rights advocates question the indefinite military presence in the nation's capital.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta unsealed court filings Monday alleging that Amazon pressured major retailers, including Walmart and Levi Strauss, into a price-fixing scheme. According to the filing, Amazon leveraged its market dominance to demand that vendors increase prices on competing websites, threatening them with promotion restrictions or removal from Amazon's platform if they refused.
The FBI and Justice Department are scrambling to rebuild workforces depleted by a wave of resignations and departures over the past year, easing hiring requirements and accelerating recruitment in ways that current and former officials say are lowering long-accepted professional standards. The changes include abbreviated training for FBI agents transferred from other federal agencies, waived written assessments for support staff seeking agent positions, and the Justice Department's decision to hire prosecutors fresh out of law school to fill vacancies in U.S. attorney's offices. Some officials also say the FBI is promoting less experienced employees into senior leadership positions more quickly than historically customary.
Federal judge Troy L. Nunley blocked a $6.2 billion merger between television giants Nexstar Media Group and Tegna on Friday, finding that state attorneys general and DirecTV are likely to prevail in their antitrust lawsuit challenging the deal. The merged company would have owned 265 television stations across 44 states and the District of Columbia, the judge noted.
A lead prosecutor in the John Brennan investigation was removed from the case Friday after expressing concerns to Justice Department officials about the strength of potential criminal charges, according to a person familiar with the matter. Maria Medetis Long, who heads the national security section at the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of Florida, informed defense lawyers that she was no longer participating in the probe.
A federal appeals court on Friday temporarily halted a lower court's order blocking above-ground construction on President Trump's $400 million White House ballroom, allowing work to resume while the court scheduled a full hearing for June.
President Donald Trump signed legislation on Saturday extending a controversial national security surveillance program until April 30, setting up a new Capitol Hill conflict over privacy safeguards and government power. The measure, which passed the Senate on Friday in a last-minute scramble, grants a short-term reprieve to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — a program that allows the CIA, NSA, FBI, and other intelligence agencies to collect and analyze vast amounts of international communications without a warrant.
A New York judge declined Friday to dismiss murder charges against Pedro Hernandez in the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz, clearing the path for a third trial in a case that became emblematic of the nation's missing-child crisis. Judge Michele Rodney rejected arguments from Hernandez's lawyers that prosecutors waited too long to charge him and that he cannot receive a fair trial after decades of media coverage. "The court will carefully work, together with the parties, to ensure that jurors are selected who promise to be fair and to consider only the evidence and the law, despite what they have learned about the case from the media," Rodney wrote.
The Senate approved a temporary extension of surveillance powers through April 30 on Friday, after the House staged a chaotic post-midnight struggle to prevent a critical counterterrorism program from expiring. The measure passed by voice vote without formal roll call, clearing a Monday deadline and heading to President Donald Trump for his signature. The action sets up another showdown in weeks as Congress wrestles with Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — a tool that balances what U.S. officials describe as uniquely effective intelligence gathering against what critics say are significant privacy risks.
A federal judge Friday dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit demanding that Rhode Island provide detailed voter registration data, ruling that federal law does not permit such a demand. U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy sided with election officials and civil rights advocates, finding that the Justice Department was conducting what amounted to a "fishing expedition."
Jonathan Gerlach, 34, of Lancaster County is charged with stealing more than 100 human remains from Pennsylvania cemeteries across multiple counties, authorities said. Gerlach was arrested in January near Mount Moriah Cemetery on the outskirts of Philadelphia after police spotted bones and skulls in his car, investigators said.
A federal judge sentenced a former Wisconsin resident to 20 months in federal prison on Wednesday for funneling over $400,000 in illegal campaign donations into U.S. elections after renouncing his U.S. citizenship and becoming a citizen of the Caribbean nation Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Luther Davis, a former University of Alabama defensive tackle, and his co-conspirator CJ Evins are accused of defrauding lenders of nearly $20 million by impersonating NFL players on video calls. Federal prosecutors say Davis used makeup, wigs, and fake driver's licenses bearing the athletes' photos to secure at least 13 fraudulent loans between early 2024 and July 2026, with proceeds used to purchase real estate, jewelry, and cars.
A federal judge on Thursday blocked above-ground construction of a planned $400 million White House ballroom, ruling that the Trump administration's claim that the entire project qualifies as a national security measure is "neither a reasonable nor a correct" reading of his earlier order. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said that below-ground work on a bunker and other security facilities at the site may continue, but that the ballroom's surface structure may not.
Authorities allege SantaCon organizer Stefan Pildes pocketed most of $2.7 million raised for charity from 2019 to 2024, using proceeds for personal expenses rather than neighborhood charities. Pildes, 50, of Hewitt, New Jersey, was arrested and appeared in Manhattan federal court after prosecutors filed a wire fraud charge, federal prosecutors said.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said in a federal court filing Thursday that it has completed its review of the Second Avenue subway project and will resume reimbursing New York transit officials for construction costs, ending a seven-month funding freeze that state officials had challenged in court. The $7.7 billion expansion is building new stations northward along Manhattan's Upper East Side toward the Harlem neighborhood, with the federal government covering approximately $3.4 billion of the total cost.
Marty Baron, the retired editor of The Washington Post and former leader of The Boston Globe and The Miami Herald, warned Wednesday that American journalism is losing its shared ethical foundation, telling an audience at New York University that "to each his own" is becoming the evolving ethos for many who cover and comment on the news. Baron delivered the critique in a keynote address as NYU presented its annual journalism awards, praising the Associated Press and criticizing CBS News leadership, partisan cable networks, and mainstream reporters he said failed to aggressively cover former President Joe Biden's fitness for office.
The California Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered John Eastman disbarred, stripping the attorney who devised a plan for then-Vice President Mike Pence to block certification of the 2020 presidential election of his license to practice law in the state. The court ordered Eastman's name stricken from the California roll of attorneys, capping a yearslong disciplinary proceeding that the State Bar's chief trial counsel said was driven by clear evidence of misconduct.
A federal jury in New York found Wednesday that Live Nation Entertainment ran a harmful monopoly over large concert venues across the United States, handing a victory to more than 30 states that pressed ahead with an antitrust trial after the Trump administration reached a separate settlement with the company. The jury found that Ticketmaster, Live Nation's subsidiary, overcharged customers $1.72 per ticket in 22 states — an amount a judge could order the company to repay, potentially costing Live Nation hundreds of millions of dollars. Live Nation said Wednesday that the verdict "is not the last word on this matter."
Former NBA player Damon Jones is expected to become the first person to plead guilty in a federal gambling sweep that led to the arrests of more than 30 people, including reputed mobsters and other basketball figures, according to the Associated Press. Jones, 49, is scheduled for plea change hearings on April 28 in Brooklyn federal court in two separate cases — one charging him with profiting from rigged poker games and another alleging he sold non-public injury information about LeBron James and Anthony Davis to sports bettors.
Jay Bryant, one of three men charged in the 2002 killing of Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay, has signaled his intent to plead guilty in federal court, according to court records reviewed Thursday — a development that would mark the first admission anyone has made in court to any role in the death of Jason Mizell more than two decades after he was gunned down in his Queens, New York, recording studio. Bryant's attorney and federal prosecutors told the court in recent letters that they were negotiating a plea agreement, the Associated Press reported. A court docket entry Thursday indicated Bryant intends to change his plea, though no date was set and prosecutors declined to comment.
Mississippi State Auditor Shad White on Monday demanded that Management & Training Corporation pay $7.4 million to the state for failing to maintain required staffing levels at two Mississippi correctional facilities, in what White called among the largest civil demands in the history of his office. MTC, a Utah-based private prison company, manages the East Mississippi Correctional Facility in Meridian and the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility in Woodville, as well as numerous other prisons across the country. White said he has referred the matter to the attorney general's office for enforcement after MTC failed to pay within the 30-day deadline required by Mississippi law.
The Kennedy Center’s new leadership is guiding lawmakers on tours through parts of the Washington venue to argue the building needs a fundamental renovation, ahead of a scheduled two-year closure beginning in July. Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Matt Floca said the effort is meant to show Congress and the public “what’s at stake and why the work can’t wait.” The tours have included Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and a representative for Mayor Muriel Bowser, among others.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson delivered a sustained public critique of the Supreme Court's conservative majority Monday, calling the emergency stay orders that have allowed President Donald Trump to implement contested immigration and federal spending policies "back-of-the-envelope, first-blush impressions" that can "seem oblivious and thus ring hollow." Jackson spoke for nearly an hour at Yale Law School, addressing roughly two dozen emergency orders the court issued last year that let the Trump administration move ahead with immigration restrictions, steep federal funding cuts, and other controversial policies while lower courts were weighing whether those measures were likely illegal. Yale Law School posted video of the event on Wednesday.
Congress is set to consider the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a program that allows U.S. spy agencies to collect overseas communications without a warrant. President Donald Trump urged lawmakers to extend the foreign surveillance authority for 18 more months, even as critics push for warrant requirements and tighter limits on how Americans’ data is handled. House Republican leaders canceled planned votes earlier this week amid difficulties reaching an agreement, with Congress facing an expiration deadline on Monday.
The annual SantaCon bar crawl in New York is facing federal wire-fraud charges tied to allegations that organizer Stefan Pildes pocketed most of money raised for charity from 2019 to 2024. Federal prosecutors say Pildes, president of Participatory Safety Inc., diverted more than half of proceeds to personal expenses and unrelated purchases, including renovating a lakefront property in New Jersey and trips to Hawaii and Las Vegas.
Democrats in Congress introduced resolutions aimed at overturning Trump administration changes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness, arguing the rule is political and could deny relief to some eligible borrowers. The program cancels remaining federal student loans for qualified public service workers after 10 years of payments, but the administration’s new rule would let the Education secretary remove certain employers from eligibility based on a vague standard.
The U.S. Justice Department asked a federal appeals court on Tuesday to throw out seditious conspiracy convictions of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers leaders in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack cases. The filing would vacate the convictions so prosecutors can permanently dismiss the indictments, the government said.
A Florida grand jury indicted Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky on a second-degree manslaughter charge for an Aug. 21, 2024 surgery in which prosecutors say he removed a patient’s liver instead of his spleen. The case stems from the patient’s death on the operating table after what authorities described as catastrophic blood loss.
A coalition of international press freedom and human rights groups urged Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to drop criminal charges against journalists placed under house arrest and to revise laws they say restrict media freedom. In a letter sent Monday, the groups said arrests and harassment of independent outlets have escalated and warned the pressure could fuel “a climate of fear and self-censorship.”
Body-camera video released Monday shows a St. Louis police officer fatally shooting a 17-year-old in the back of the head as he fled, contradicting an earlier police account that said the teen pointed a gun at officers. The family’s attorney, Al Watkins, said he obtained the video through discovery in a federal lawsuit after a records request attempt failed.
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen urged the company’s owner, The Magnum Ice Cream Co., to sell Ben & Jerry’s, calling Magnum a barrier to the brand’s social activism. Cohen made the remarks Tuesday in Burlington, Vermont, as Ben & Jerry’s marked its annual Free Cone Day.
A federal judge in Florida dismissed President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch on Monday. Judge Darrin P. Gayles said Trump had not yet made the argument needed to show the article was published with malicious intent, but he allowed Trump to file an amended complaint.
Democrats in Congress on Tuesday introduced measures to overturn changes the Trump administration made to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, saying the new policy is political and could cut off some borrowers from promised relief. The rule is set to take effect in July, according to the Associated Press.
The U.S. Justice Department asked a federal appeals court to throw out seditious conspiracy convictions for leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers over their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Prosecutors said the government wants to vacate the convictions and permanently dismiss the indictments. The motion also targets convictions for other named leaders, while some defendants already received Trump commutations or pardons, including founder Stewart Rhodes, who was not pardoned last January.
Congress is set to consider renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a program that allows U.S. spy agencies to collect and analyze communications of foreigners overseas and that can also incidentally capture Americans’ communications. President Donald Trump said the program is “extremely important” and urged lawmakers to extend it. Critics want changes such as warrants before authorities can access Americans’ data and limits on how the government uses internet data brokers as the current authorization expires Monday.
A U.S. magistrate judge ordered Courtney Williams, an Army veteran accused of leaking classified information about a special military unit at Fort Bragg, to be released on home detention with location monitoring pending a possible trial. The judge also barred Williams from contacting the media or using social media.
A federal judge temporarily barred Arizona from enforcing its gambling laws against prediction market operator Kalshi and paused an Arizona criminal wagering case against the company. The order calls off a Monday arraignment and comes in a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration.
A federal appeals court ruled Saturday that a judge overseeing a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s planned $400 million White House ballroom must reconsider how halting construction could affect national security. The D.C. Circuit panel said it lacked enough information to determine what parts of the project could be suspended without jeopardizing the safety of the president, his family, or White House staff.
A federal judge in Massachusetts dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit seeking the state’s detailed voter registration records, a new setback for the Trump administration’s efforts to obtain sensitive data on voters. U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin said the government failed to make the factual showing required by federal law for such demands.
Plaintiffs who sued to stop the Trump administration from cutting funding for an agency that supports U.S. libraries said Thursday they reached a settlement with the Justice Department. The American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said the deal would allow the Institute of Museum and Library Services to keep awarding grants and operating programs.
The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that the city of Boulder cannot charge journalists fees for body camera footage tied to a complaint of officer misconduct. The decision came in a lawsuit from Yellow Scene Magazine after Boulder sought more than $8,000 for footage connected to a December 2023 shooting in which officers killed Jeanette Alatorre.
A man convicted and later cleared in the killing of Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC will remain in jail as federal prosecutors seek to block his release on $1 million bond, according to a federal appeal filed after a judge granted bail with electronic monitoring. Karl Jordan Jr. was positioned for release on Friday, but the judge agreed to put the bond order on hold while the government’s appeal is argued.
A federal judge ruled Thursday that the Pentagon is violating an order meant to restore access for reporters, siding again with The New York Times. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s team tried to evade his March 20 ruling by adopting new credential rules that require reporters to be escorted and could bar them from the building. The Defense Department said it complied with court orders and plans to appeal.
A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the Trump administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status for more than 5,000 Ethiopians, saying it was done “without regard for the process delineated by Congress.” The decision, issued Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, keeps the protected status in place while legal challenges to the administration’s TPS terminations continue.
A federal judge in Arizona rejected Kalshi’s bid to halt the state’s criminal prosecution of the prediction market operator on wagering charges, saying it was too early in the case to rule on whether federal law overrides state gambling rules. The Arizona attorney general has charged Kalshi with 20 misdemeanor counts of wagering, alleging it accepted bets tied to political outcomes, college sports results and individual player performance.
Weeks after federal agents searched their homes, New York City Council member Farah Louis and her sister Debbie Louis, an aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul, appeared Thursday at a rally organized by supporters who said the probe is baseless. The sisters have declined to publicly respond to a federal investigation that is examining whether they accepted bribes to steer city funds to a Brooklyn shelter provider.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the Supreme Court has granted the Trump administration an increasing number of emergency docket appeals in part because the conservative justices view blocking executive actions as legally unfixable harm. Speaking Thursday at the University of Alabama School of Law, Sotomayor said the court’s emergency docket approach has shifted the “paradigm” for whether justices grant quick relief.
Leaders on the University of Wisconsin board of regents said Thursday they rejected fired system president Jay Rothman’s claim that he was “blindsided” by their decision to oust him, describing disputes over artificial intelligence and other issues as key factors. The regents voted unanimously with no public discussion after a closed-door meeting that followed Rothman’s Tuesday dismissal. Rothman, meanwhile, told The Associated Press that he was kept in the dark about the reasons for his firing.
The California Supreme Court has ordered Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco to pause his investigation into election fraud allegations involving ballots from a November 2025 special election while the court reviews the legal challenge to the probe. The order came after state Attorney General Rob Bonta asked the justices to intervene, saying the sheriff lacked authority over election materials.
Prosecutors in Florida are seeking subpoenas for Tiger Woods’ prescription drug records from a Palm Beach pharmacy, according to court-docket filings. The request comes a week after Woods’ vehicle crash and his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence, and prosecutors say any objections must be filed within 10 days.
A special prosecutor said a Wisconsin mayor who removed an absentee ballot drop box before the 2024 election will not face charges. Wausau Mayor Doug Diny had moved the box from outside City Hall in September 2024, before voters began receiving absentee ballots, according to the city’s elections clerk. Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney, acting as special prosecutor, said the evidence would not support a case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The three former employees of the Psychiatric Institute of Washington have been charged in the death of a patient in 2020, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said. Prosecutors allege the employees failed to provide adequate medical care before the patient died nearly six years ago, and that the neglect lasted at least 21 minutes.
RALEIGH, N.C., (AP) — An Army veteran has been charged with sharing classified information about an elite commando unit with a journalist, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Courtney Williams, 40, of Wagram, North Carolina, is accused of violating federal law and nondisclosure agreements tied to her work at Fort Bragg.
Madison, Wisconsin, regents fired Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman after a closed-door discussion, and he told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he was “blindsided” and was not given reasons. The regents have not publicly disclosed why he was dismissed, while Regent President Amy Bogost said the decision was about the future of the 13-university system. Rothman said he is unlikely to sue.
Prosecutors in Florida said they plan to subpoena Tiger Woods’ prescription drug records from Lewis Pharmacy in Palm Beach, seeking documentation tied to a DUI arrest after a crash on Jupiter Island. Woods pleaded not guilty in the case last week, and prosecutors said the subpoena would cover medication records from the start of the year through the end of last month.
WASHINGTON — Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general elevated to acting attorney general after Pam Bondi was replaced last week, told reporters Tuesday that “nobody” except President Donald Trump knows why she left the post. Asked whether Bondi was removed because prosecutors failed to bring cases against the president’s perceived adversaries, Blanche said he did not know and pointed to Trump’s role in the change.
Steve Bannon won a Supreme Court order on Monday expected to clear the way for a lower court to dismiss his criminal contempt conviction over refusing to testify before a House committee. The justices threw out an appellate ruling upholding the conviction, allowing a trial judge to consider a request tied to “the interests of justice,” according to court actions reported by the Associated Press.
The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents scheduled a Tuesday vote to consider firing system president Jay Rothman after he refused an offer to quietly resign, according to letters he sent to regents. Board of Regents President Amy Bogost said Rothman was not given notice and the process was not sudden, and Rothman has said he was not told the reason for the proposed ouster.
The Associated Press has published a year-in-review roll call of influential people who died in 2026, including former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III and martial arts star Chuck Norris. The list also highlights other notable deaths through March, including White House aide Alexander Butterfield and actor Mary Beth Hurt.
A federal judge granted $1 million bond to Karl Jordan Jr., who was acquitted of fatally shooting Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC, and could be released within days if prosecutors do not appeal. U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall said there is “a real chance” Jordan could be freed soon and warned him he must comply with bond conditions.
Oklahoma City Police Department placed officers on administrative leave after an April Fools’ Day 911 call prank led to a pursuit that was later determined to be false. Police Capt. Valerie Littlejohn said an internal investigation is ongoing and that officers involved were aware of “a reported pursuit” that included “serious claims” later deemed untrue.
A federal judge in Boston has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's effort to collect data from colleges and universities to ensure they are not considering race in admissions. The order follows a lawsuit from 17 Democratic state attorneys general.
The Trump administration urged a federal appeals court to pause a judge’s order that temporarily halted White House ballroom construction, arguing the shutdown poses national-security risks for President Donald Trump and his family. In a filing, National Park Service lawyers said materials planned for the project would create a “heavily fortified” facility that is safer than current conditions at the open construction site.
A federal judge in Boston has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's attempt to collect data from colleges and universities to prove they are not considering race in admissions. The preliminary injunction was granted following a lawsuit by 17 Democratic state attorneys general.
From the first widely reported UFO sighting in 1947 to a 2024 Pentagon review that found no evidence of alien life, the American UFO story has repeatedly shifted between government investigation, public reports and pop-culture portrayals.
The Trump administration urged a federal appeals court to pause a judge’s order that temporarily halted construction of a new $400 million White House ballroom, arguing the stoppage creates national-security risks. In a motion filed Friday, National Park Service lawyers said the project—including provisions described as bomb shelters and other security and medical facilities—must continue without interruption as the administration appeals.
A federal judge in Boston halted a Trump administration effort that would have required many colleges and universities to provide detailed data meant to show they were not considering race in admissions. In granting a preliminary injunction, U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV said the data request was rolled out in a “rushed and chaotic” manner after a 120-day deadline. The order applies to public universities in a lawsuit brought by 17 Democratic state attorneys general.
The Trump administration has asked a federal appeals court to pause a judge’s order that halted construction of a new White House ballroom valued at $400 million, arguing the stop would create national-security risks. The request asks the appeals court to act by Friday and to extend a temporary 14-day pause while the case moves through higher courts.
A former Utah death row inmate, Douglas Stewart Carter, asked a judge Friday in Provo to dismiss his aggravated murder case ahead of a retrial ordered by the Utah Supreme Court. Carter’s defense argues misconduct by investigators led to constitutional violations and says prosecutors have yet another evidentiary problem, including allegedly suppressed material pointing to other suspects. The judge scheduled a bond hearing for June, and prosecutors have not yet filed a response to the new motion.
A Republican legislative leader criticized efforts by the University of Wisconsin system’s board of regents to remove President Jay Rothman, saying the board is threatening to fire him without explaining why. In letters to regents obtained by The Associated Press, Rothman said the board was trying to force him to resign or face dismissal. Regents declined to comment.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal said it will no longer print the Las Vegas Sun as an insert for the first time in more than 75 years, escalating a dispute over Nevada’s last joint operating agreement under a 1970 federal law. The Sun’s attorney said the change would “irreparable harm” and the two papers are set to appear in court Friday seeking a judge-ordered restart of daily printing.
Pam Bondi has been removed as U.S. attorney general after prosecutors failed to secure criminal cases against President Donald Trump’s political enemies. The Justice Department has run into obstacles from judges, grand jurors, and even within its own workforce, and the next attorney general will likely confront the same evidentiary and legal hurdles.
The president of the University of Wisconsin system, Jay Rothman, said regents have told him to resign or be fired, but he has been given no reasons and will not step aside. Rothman told the Associated Press that he has refused to resign in letters to regents, including one to board president Amy Bogost dated March 26.
President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom won final approval Thursday from the National Capital Planning Commission, days after a federal judge ordered a halt to construction unless Congress allowed what would be the biggest structural change to the White House in more than 70 years, according to the Associated Press. The commission voted 8-1, with two commissioners voting present and one absent, and said the judge’s ruling affected construction activities but not the planning process.
The Trump administration is appealing a judge’s order that blocked the Pentagon from taking punitive measures against artificial intelligence company Anthropic over a dispute about military use of AI. Department of Justice attorneys filed a notice of appeal in San Francisco federal court, and the Ninth Circuit set an April 30 deadline for the government to file its arguments.
The federal government sued Connecticut, Arizona and Illinois, challenging those states’ efforts to rein in prediction market operators such as Kalshi and Polymarket, the Associated Press reported Thursday. State regulators have issued cease-and-desist orders and, in Arizona, prosecutors filed criminal charges, while federal regulators argue the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has exclusive oversight.
The Trump administration has scaled back plans to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, proposing an agency that would be smaller than under President Joe Biden but also larger than a version Trump initially envisioned. The plan would reduce authorized staff from 1,700 to about 550, and would likely require a federal judge to approve changes amid a lawsuit by the bureau’s employee union.
President Donald Trump on Thursday elevated defense attorney Todd Blanche to acting U.S. attorney general, placing a former federal prosecutor who previously represented Trump at the center of the Justice Department’s leadership.
A three-judge panel assessing a United Nations sexual misconduct investigation into International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan said the prosecutor could potentially resume his duties. The panel rejected the U.N. probe as not conclusive enough, and the final decision now rests with the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties.
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that DNA testing has linked Ted Bundy to an unsolved Utah teen’s 1974 death, updating the list of confirmed victims tied to the serial killer. The sheriff’s office said the breakthrough came as investigators built Bundy’s full DNA profile.
A federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump is not immune from civil claims alleging his Jan. 6, 2021, “Stop the Steal” remarks incited the Capitol attack. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said the Ellipse rally speech “plausibly” falls outside presidential immunity protection under the First Amendment.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said his office persuaded a securities firm to refund $6.7 million to investors who lost money in an alleged $156 million Ponzi scheme tied to First Liberty Building & Loan.
A federal judge in Tyler dismissed a lawsuit brought by Texas churches and national Christian groups that sought to allow churches to endorse political candidates without losing their tax-exempt status. The plaintiffs argued the limits of the Johnson Amendment violated their First Amendment rights, but District Judge Cam Barker said he lacked authority to approve a proposed settlement that would halt the law’s enforcement before taxes were at issue.
Authorities said reports of loud booms in a suburban New York neighborhood this week led to a search of an apartment in White Plains, where prosecutors allege a man was storing more than two dozen improvised explosive devices.
Pennsylvania’s first two years of state investment in indigent defense have led county offices to hire new attorneys and support staff and adopt case management systems, according to reports released earlier this year. The funding also supported statewide standards through a new Indigent Defense Advisory Committee, which has submitted those standards to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for approval. Still, the reports found staffing gaps, turnover and workload pressures that have left the system short of what is needed for adult criminal cases.
Jurors in Akron, Ohio, failed to reach a verdict Tuesday in the corruption trial of two fired FirstEnergy Corp. executives charged in connection with an alleged $60 million bribery scheme. The deadlock came after more than eight days of deliberations in the six-week trial of former CEO Chuck Jones and former senior vice president Michael Dowling.
HARARE, Zimbabwe — A parliamentary public hearing on proposed constitutional amendments that could extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s time in office descended into chaos on Tuesday at a sports complex in Harare, the Associated Press reported. Human rights lawyer Doug Coltart was attacked, with his cellphone taken and his glasses broken, as supporters and critics clashed amid broader tensions around the changes.
A federal judge has permanently blocked the Trump administration from implementing a directive to end federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, citing First Amendment protections. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruled that the order is unlawful and unenforceable and said the government cannot target speech it disfavors.
A jury is expected to begin deliberating Wednesday in the trial of Guy Rivera, charged in the 2024 shooting death of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller in Queens. Prosecutors said Rivera intentionally shot Diller during a March 25, 2024, traffic stop, while defense attorneys argued the prosecution did not prove the shooting was intentional. The case briefly became a focal point during Donald Trump’s 2024 White House campaign, when the former president attended Diller’s wake and criticized the city’s crime record.
A federal judge in Rhode Island ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration’s effort to dramatically change the criteria for federal homeless funding is unlawful. Judge Mary McElroy said the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s new Notice of Funding Opportunity violated the Administrative Procedure Act. The ruling orders HUD to scrap the new policy.
Three FBI agents fired after participating in an investigation related to President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat have sued to try to get their jobs back, according to a class action filed in federal court in Washington. The agents, Michelle Ball, Jamie Garman and Blaire Toleman, said they were illegally punished for their work and were removed without due process, adding to a broader personnel purge they say has followed the same pattern. The lawsuit names FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi as defendants.
A federal judge ordered the University of Pennsylvania to turn over records about Jewish employees to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in an investigation into antisemitic discrimination. The ruling allows employees to refuse participation but says the agency needs the chance to talk directly to potential witnesses. The judge set a May 1 deadline for compliance and limited what Penn must disclose, including not requiring specific employees’ affiliation with a particular Jewish-related organization.
A federal appeals court has rejected a request from dozens of families to reopen a criminal case against Boeing tied to two fatal 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019, court records show. The families had argued the U.S. Department of Justice violated their rights under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act when prosecutors reached a deal that led a lower court to dismiss a criminal conspiracy charge.
A federal appeals court panel on Tuesday suspended a judge’s order directing the Trump administration to return Voice of America employees from paid leave, court records and filings show. The stay was granted while the government appeals a March 17 ruling, leaving more than 1,000 employees on administrative leave as the case proceeds.
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to suspend construction of a $400 million ballroom at the White House after the administration demolished the East Wing to make space for it. The order, issued Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, bars work from proceeding without congressional approval.
A federal judge in Denver on Tuesday dismissed a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit challenging Colorado and Denver “sanctuary” laws. The judge said the federal government cannot require states or local governments to use their resources to carry out federal immigration enforcement.
Eric Swalwell’s lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to FBI Director Kash Patel demanding he immediately stop any plan to release records from a decade-old FBI investigation involving the California congressman and a suspected Chinese intelligence operative. The attorneys warned Patel that proceeding would violate federal law and Justice Department policy, and asked for a response within three days.
A federal judge dismissed the remaining claim in a lawsuit against Fox News filed by fired journalist Jason Donner, who alleged he was targeted over sick-leave requests and political views. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruled the sick-leave dispute was not protected under Washington, D.C.'s sick leave law.
A jury in Ohio failed to reach a verdict Tuesday in the corruption trial of two fired FirstEnergy Corp. executives charged in a $60 million bribery scheme tied to a proposed $1 billion nuclear bailout, court officials said. The judge declared an impasse after more than eight days of deliberations in the Akron case. Prosecutors have said the bribery included payments connected to the state Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, including the chair-to-be, Sam Randazzo.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said his office has paused the probe into election fraud allegations after legal challenges from California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the UCLA Voting Rights Project. Bianco previously said a Riverside County judge approved the seizure of more than 650,000 ballots from the Nov. 2025 election.
WASHINGTON — The New York Times urged a federal judge on Monday to compel the Pentagon to follow an order that blocked a policy limiting reporters’ access to the Defense Department’s headquarters. The Times said the Pentagon implemented a revised “interim” press policy that works around U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman’s March 20 ruling, which the judge said applies to “all regulated parties.” The Pentagon and Justice Department attorneys told the judge that the Defense Department has complied “in good faith” with the order.
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety said it discovered rare Ku Klux Klan-related artifacts during an office move, then transferred them to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The materials include a handbook, charters, meeting minutes and ledgers, and KKK recruitment propaganda. Officials said processing the collection will take months, while civil rights advocates said the find underscores how recently the Klan operated.
A small explosive device was found near an apartment building door in White Plains, New York, after residents reported hearing booms early Monday, police said. City and county police, FBI agents and federal explosive experts spent hours at the scene, and authorities later said there was no threat to public safety.
Tallahassee Memorial Hospital has dropped its lawsuit seeking to evict a woman from a room months after she was discharged, the hospital said. The hospital filed for an injunction earlier this month to compel her to leave room 373 and said a hearing scheduled for Monday was canceled after the notice of voluntary dismissal with prejudice was filed.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican and gubernatorial candidate, said his office has paused its probe into election fraud allegations tied to the 2025 election, citing legal challenges. The California Attorney General and a voting rights group have argued Bianco lacks authority over election materials seized in the investigation.
A year after President Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, began cutting federal jobs, employees fired and rehired through a churn of layoffs say they still don’t know whether the effort was worth the disruption. The upheaval included changes at the U.S. Institute of Peace, where about 300 workers were fired, rehired and fired again after a judge and an appeals court took opposing actions.
A federal judge dismissed charges against two former Louisville police officers accused of falsifying parts of a warrant used to enter Breonna Taylor’s apartment the night she was shot to death, court papers show. U.S. District Judge Charles Simpson issued the dismissal after prosecutors asked the court to throw out the case. Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany had faced federal charges tied to allegedly false statements in the warrant.
A musician who canceled a Christmas Eve performance at the Kennedy Center in protest of President Donald Trump’s influence over the venue has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit the performing arts institution filed. Chuck Redd’s lawyers said in a motion filed in D.C. Superior Court that he was not contractually obligated to perform because the Kennedy Center’s contract was never signed.
A year after President Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, set off broad federal layoffs and reshaped agencies, many workers who lost jobs and saw their offices disrupted say they still do not know what was saved. In interviews reported by The Associated Press, former staff at the U.S. Institute of Peace described being fired, rehired and fired again, as litigation and court orders left their futures unsettled.
Attorneys for Fulton County and the Trump administration argued in U.S. District Court in Atlanta on Friday over Fulton County’s demand that the FBI return seized 2020 election ballots and related materials. Fulton County’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, described the January seizure as “unusual” and said the search-warrant affidavit did not allege a specific crime. Federal prosecutors, including Justice Department criminal division assistant attorney general A. Tysen Duva, said the investigation has a basis and that the government already provided the county with digital copies.
The U.S. Department of Justice has settled a lawsuit brought by former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn for about $1.2 million, court papers filed this week show. The settlement resolves Flynn’s 2023 suit in which he claimed the Russia case against him amounted to malicious prosecution.
Rep. Joyce Beatty is asking a federal judge to block efforts to attach President Donald Trump's name to the Kennedy Center. In a motion filed Wednesday, Beatty argues that Congress intended the Kennedy Center to be named solely for President John F. Kennedy.
A judge heard arguments Friday in a legal fight over whether the FBI should return seized 2020 election ballots and related materials to Georgia’s Fulton County. Fulton County lawyers argued the January seizure was “unusual” and not supported by probable cause, while federal prosecutors said the Justice Department still needs the physical records for its investigation.
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland released a letter Wednesday that quotes a newly disclosed Justice Department memo describing what federal prosecutors said they found after a June 2022 flight from Washington to Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club. Raskin, the top House Judiciary Committee Democrat, said the memo described a classified map prosecutors believed Trump may have shown passengers aboard. The White House disputed the letter’s claims, and Raskin said he is seeking additional information from Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The NAACP has hired ex-Justice Department civil rights chief Kristen Clarke to lead its legal advocacy as general counsel, the organization announced March 25. Clarke will oversee the NAACP’s legal strategy and operations and lead litigation efforts on voter access, gerrymandering and the First Amendment, among other civil-rights and social-justice issues.
The Senate confirmed Colin McDonald, a veteran federal prosecutor, to lead a new Justice Department division focused on prosecuting fraud nationwide. The vote was 52-47 on Tuesday, despite critics raising concerns about the White House’s influence over investigations and prosecutions.
A California man serving life for his wife’s 1982 murder told the parole board he wants to be released later through the courts, not earlier through parole, as he contests his conviction tied in part to the death of his K-9 partner. Paul Kovacich, 76, argued that newly uncovered FBI misconduct should overturn his 2009 cold-case conviction, and his defense says suppressed evidence bears on how the dog, Fuzz, died.
President Donald Trump showed a classified map to people aboard a 2022 flight to his New Jersey golf club, according to a letter from Rep. Jamie Raskin to Attorney General Pam Bondi released Wednesday. Raskin said the allegations come from a January 2023 Department of Justice memo prosecutors wrote as they pursued a felony indictment in the special counsel’s classified documents investigation. The White House denied the claims, saying Raskin lacks credibility.
The Pentagon will close the “Correspondents’ Corridor,” a long-used media area in the building, after a federal judge ordered it to reinstate press credentials for New York Times reporters, a department official said Monday. The changes will also remove Pentagon media offices, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman said last week he found the credentialing policy sought to limit access to “disfavored journalists,” a ruling the department said it plans to appeal.
A judge fined San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju $26,000 for contempt after he refused to stop declining new felony and misdemeanor cases ordered by the court. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harry Dorfman imposed $1,000 fines for each of 26 cases Raju rejected since an earlier January order, and set another hearing in April.
A U.S. Park Police officer was seriously wounded in a shooting Monday evening in Southeast Washington, D.C. According to Park Police Chief Scott Brecht, the officer was "ambushed" by two gunmen while working an investigation.
The Senate confirmed Colin McDonald, a veteran federal prosecutor, to lead a new Justice Department division focused on prosecuting fraud nationwide, according to an Associated Press report. The vote was 52-47, with critics raising concerns about how the effort could be influenced by politics as the White House seeks a larger role in shaping the unit’s priorities.
President Donald Trump voted by mail in Florida’s March 24 special election for state legislative seats, according to Palm Beach County voter records cited by the Associated Press. While continuing to criticize mail ballots as fraud-prone, Trump has urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would bar universal mail voting and limit mail ballots to certain voters.
A federal judge on Monday named Robert Frazer as U.S. attorney for New Jersey, ending a court fight over the Trump administration’s control of the post after previous appointees were disqualified. The appointment followed disqualifications of three Department of Justice officials who were sharing authority over the office, a move that fed a broader dispute between judges and the administration over whether judicially appointed prosecutors could be replaced.
A coalition of cultural and historic preservation groups sued President Donald Trump, the Kennedy Center and others in his administration on March 23, seeking to block further physical changes to the Kennedy Center ahead of a two-year closure. The lawsuit says Trump’s hinted, more substantial overhaul should instead go through the standard review process used for major projects in Washington.
Giorgia Meloni, primera ministra conservadora de Italia, se enfrenta a un referendo de dos días sobre su reforma judicial, que inició el domingo y se prolonga hasta el lunes, y que se ha convertido en un pulso político sobre su liderazgo. Con 12 horas de votación del primer día, el Ministerio del Interior informó que la participación superó el 38% de los votantes habilitados.
Robert S. Mueller III, the former FBI director who led the agency after the Sept. 11 attacks and later served as special counsel investigating ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, has died. He was 81. His family said he died Friday night, adding that they asked that their privacy be respected.
Federal prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss charges against former Louisville Detective Joshua Jaynes and former Sgt. Kyle Meany in the Breonna Taylor case, accusing them in federal filings of falsifying a warrant used in a raid the night Taylor was killed. A hearing is scheduled for April 3, and it was unclear when the judge would rule.
The Justice Department filed a new lawsuit against Harvard University in federal court in Massachusetts, alleging the school failed to address antisemitism and seeking to recover federal research funds and block future grant money. The suit also asks a judge to require Harvard to call police to arrest protesters who block campus areas and to appoint a government-approved independent monitor. Harvard said it has taken “substantive, proactive steps” to address antisemitism and emphasized protections for Jewish and Israeli community members.
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a Pentagon policy that would limit news reporters’ access to the Pentagon, ruling that parts of the rules are unlawful. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman sided with The New York Times, which sued over the Pentagon credentialing policy and argued it violates journalists’ constitutional rights.
Albany, N.Y. — A New York man pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to cyberstalking after harassing and threatening voicemail messages left for a relative of Brian Thompson, the late UnitedHealthcare CEO.
Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino testified Thursday at a New York antitrust trial tied to the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, portraying the industry as intensely competitive. Rapino defended the company’s use of exclusive deals and disputed claims by attorneys for 33 states and the District of Columbia that Live Nation has locked out rivals and driven up prices for concertgoers.
Federal judges read profane death threats and described personal attacks during an unusual forum hosted by Speak up for Justice on Thursday, as the judges said threats against the judiciary have risen. Chief Justice John Roberts, at the event, warned that personal criticism of federal judges “it’s got to stop.”
The two former FBI agents fired last year said in a federal lawsuit filed in Washington that they were terminated “solely” for doing work connected to the FBI’s “Arctic Frost” investigation into President Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election results. The lawsuit also alleges the firings followed political disclosures about the probe and sought reinstatement and a court declaration that the terminations were unlawful.
Rapper Afroman won a defamation lawsuit against seven Ohio sheriff’s deputies over viral music videos that mocked a 2022 raid of his home using home security footage. Afroman, whose real name is Joseph Foreman, shouted a victory message outside the courthouse after the verdict and later posted the clip to social media.
The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved Nexstar Media Group’s acquisition of Tegna, allowing the local broadcast-industry deal to proceed as two lawsuits seek to block it. The agency said it agreed to divest six stations and that the transaction will give broadcasters resources to keep investing in local news.
Markwayne Mullin, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, told a Senate panel on Wednesday that FEMA has a “great mission” and rejected eliminating the agency. In his hearing, Mullin said he supports changes aimed at speeding disaster assistance payments and improving federal support for rural communities.
A federal judge in Trenton, New Jersey, threw a Justice Department prosecutor out of a hearing and ordered senior officials who oversee the U.S. attorney’s office in the state to testify under oath, citing questions about the office’s management. The judge’s demands came during a tense hearing tied to a case involving child sexual abuse material in which the judge said an investigation was “sloppy” and that a plea deal had moved too quickly.
Luigi Mangione’s lawyers asked a federal judge to postpone his federal trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson until January 2027 and to seek a delay of his state murder trial until September. They argued that the current schedule, with a state trial in June and a federal trial in September, would force him to prepare simultaneously for “two complicated and serious trials.” Federal prosecutors oppose the request and said they will respond in a letter.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is letting ousted interim federal prosecutor Brad Schimel continue overseeing cases in the Eastern District of Wisconsin under a new title, after federal judges declined to extend his 120-day interim term. The move comes as Democrats in the U.S. Senate delay confirmation votes on President Donald Trump’s appointees.
Attorneys for John Connolly, a former FBI agent convicted in Florida of second-degree murder and racketeering, filed a motion seeking to vacate his conviction in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Monday, citing what they call newly discovered evidence. The motion draws on a handwritten manuscript and FBI reports containing statements attributed to the late mob figure James “Whitey” Bulger.
A judge in suburban Detroit sentenced Shawn Wilmoth to at least four years in prison for an election petition scandal that blocked five Republican candidates from qualifying for Michigan’s 2022 gubernatorial primary ballot, according to the attorney general’s office. Wilmoth will be allowed to stay out of prison while he appeals his convictions for forgery and other crimes, the judge said. Perry Johnson, one of the candidates affected, said he is running again and plans to ask petition signers to confirm by text message.
President Donald Trump’s sweeping clemency for people charged over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot could also apply to a man facing federal charges for placing pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees, his attorneys argued in court. Brian J. Cole Jr., accused of planting the devices on the night before the riot, asked a federal judge on Monday to throw out his case before trial, saying the alleged conduct is “inextricably tethered” to what happened at the Capitol the next day.
Jurors in Akron, Ohio, began deliberating Tuesday in the corruption trial of two fired FirstEnergy Corp. executives accused of paying $4.3 million in alleged bribes tied to a bailout of two nuclear plants. The prosecution says the former leaders helped corrupt Ohio’s Public Utilities Commission chair-to-be, Sam Randazzo, ahead of legislation known as House Bill 6.
Arizona became the first state to file criminal charges against prediction market company Kalshi, accusing it of operating an illegal gambling business within the state. The 20-count charging document alleges Kalshi accepted bets on political outcomes and college sporting and player performance, which Arizona says violates its gambling laws and election-betting ban.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts warned Tuesday that personal criticism of federal judges is dangerous and “it’s got to stop,” two days after President Donald Trump attacked a federal judge who ruled against the administration. Speaking at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy in Houston, Roberts said criticism tied to legal rulings “comes with the territory” but hostility directed at judges personally is “dangerous.”
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority sued the Trump administration in federal court to restore nearly $60 million in withheld federal funding for extending the Second Avenue subway line in Manhattan, according to the complaint. The MTA said the U.S. Department of Transportation has withheld more than $58.6 million for the project and warned work could come to “a screeching halt” if the suspension continues.
College Republicans sued the University of Florida’s president in federal court, saying the university unlawfully deactivated its campus chapter after being notified that at least one member engaged in an antisemitic act. In the lawsuit filed Monday, the group asked a judge to halt the enforcement of the decision and to restore access to campus facilities. A university spokeswoman said the school does not comment on pending litigation.
A federal judge ruled that Rep. Joyce Beatty is entitled to participate in a Kennedy Center board meeting to discuss President Donald Trump’s plan to close the performing arts center for two years of renovations. The judge ordered the board to provide her with documents about the closure and renovation plans ahead of Monday’s session but stopped short of requiring that she be allowed to vote.
The Justice Department moved to dismiss charges against Army veteran Jay Carey, who set fire to an American flag near the White House last year as a protest of President Donald Trump’s executive order on flag burning, according to a court filing. Federal prosecutors had charged Carey with two misdemeanor offenses not directly focused on flag burning, after he was arrested Aug. 25 in Lafayette Park, where the National Park Service has jurisdiction.
Federal authorities in New York arrested and charged lobbyist Joshua Nass with attempted extortion, federal prosecutors said. Prosecutors allege Nass sought $500,000 from a former client and tried to intimidate the client’s son using a confidential witness. Nass appeared Saturday before a magistrate judge in Brooklyn and was released on $5 million bond.
A federal jury in Fort Worth, Texas convicted eight people of terrorism charges in connection with a shooting outside the Prairieland Detention Center last summer, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors said the incident involved people they linked to antifa, a decentralized far-left movement that the Trump administration has sought to dismantle.
A Brooklyn judge freed Kenneth Windley, 61, on Monday after prosecutors agreed he did not commit a robbery for which he spent nearly 19 years in prison. The case began in 2005 after Windley bought a stove using a money order prosecutors later said was stolen, and Windley was convicted in 2007. Prosecutors said new evidence, including confessions from two other men, led them to seek the conviction’s dismissal.
The man who opened fire in a classroom at Virginia’s Old Dominion University was released early from federal prison after completing a drug treatment program, even though he had been convicted of providing material support to the Islamic State group, according to U.S. Bureau of Prisons records. The Bureau says it has since closed the loophole that allowed inmates with certain terrorism-related convictions to receive time-credit reductions through the Residential Drug Abuse Program.
State senators in Atlanta grilled former special prosecutor Nathan Wade on March 13 about his work on Georgia’s racketeering case against President Donald Trump, focusing on communications his team had with federal investigators. The Republican-led inquiry into Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her prosecution largely ran into Wade’s repeated claims that he could not recall details.
Tommy Thompson, the deep-sea treasure hunter who found the sunken S.S. Central America off South Carolina in 1988, was released from prison last Wednesday, federal Bureau of Prisons records reviewed by The Associated Press show. Thompson spent more than a decade incarcerated after refusing to answer court questions about the whereabouts of 500 gold coins from the ship’s treasure.
The U.S. Justice Department charged Kenya Chapman with making false statements during a firearm purchase and selling a stolen gun to Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, the former Army National Guard member who shot and killed one person at Old Dominion University in Virginia, federal authorities said. The charges come a day after Jalloh, who had previously been sentenced in an Islamic State case, opened fire at a university classroom where ROTC students and active-duty servicemembers were present.
A media-rating company, NewsGuard Technologies, sued the Federal Trade Commission and its chairman, Andrew Ferguson, in U.S. District Court in Washington, arguing the agency is using its power to censor speech. The FTC says the company’s accusations are “untethered from both law and fact,” according to court filings.
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, hit back at Tom Bower, the author of a new book on Britain’s royal family, calling his writing “deranged conspiracy and melodrama.” In a statement issued Saturday, they accused Bower of “cross[ing] the line from criticism into fixation,” after excerpts published in The Times of London described claims involving Queen Camilla and the couple’s relationships with other royals.
A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a bid for a temporary restraining order that would have forced Washington House lawmakers to grant press passes to three conservative media figures. The case stemmed from the House declining earlier this year to issue legislative press credentials to Ari Hoffman, Brandi Kruse and Jonathan Choe over a dispute about who qualifies as a journalist and whether the credentialing process was arbitrary.
Live Nation and the U.S. Justice Department announced a tentative settlement that critics say does not separate Ticketmaster from its parent, leaving consumers with an uncertain path to lower concert-ticket costs. The deal would require court approval after a federal trial and would also create a $280 million settlement fund for states’ damages claims, if states sign on.
The Social Security Administration’s internal watchdog is investigating a whistleblower complaint alleging misuse of tightly restricted Social Security Administration data by a former Department of Government Efficiency worker, according to a document reviewed by The Associated Press. The inspector general said it opened the probe after receiving an anonymous complaint, and Sen. Ron Wyden called the allegations, if true, “one of the largest known data breaches in American history.”
Federal agents searched the home of Los Angeles Unified’s superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, and the district’s headquarters as he remained on paid leave during a federal investigation. On Wednesday, Carvalho denied wrongdoing and asked the school board to reinstate him as head of the district. Authorities have not publicly detailed the investigation or any alleged crimes.
Court scheduled for Wednesday in New Hampshire for Elijah Allman, the son of singer and actress Cher, was canceled after he appeared with an attorney, according to authorities and court reporting. Allman was arrested March 1 in Windham, New Hampshire, and faces charges including burglary and criminal mischief.
A federal judge ordered a competency evaluation for Jack LaSota, the leader of a group sometimes referred to by outsiders as the “Zizians,” who faces a federal gun charge. The judge said LaSota would remain in federal custody while the exam is completed, after a lawyer argued there is reason to believe LaSota is mentally incompetent to stand trial.
The Justice Department said it reached a tentative settlement with Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster over an antitrust lawsuit targeting ticketing practices, a deal the judge overseeing the Manhattan case called “entirely unacceptable” because it was disclosed only late Sunday. The term sheet would allow venues to use ticketing rivals for some tickets, cap Ticketmaster service fees at certain amphitheaters, and set up a $280 million settlement fund, but more than two dozen states and some lawmakers said they would keep fighting.
Voting technology firm Smartmatic filed a motion in Miami federal court Tuesday seeking to dismiss a criminal money laundering indictment, with attorneys arguing that President Donald Trump and his allies drove the prosecution as retaliation for the company's role in a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Trump's media supporters.
A court hearing scheduled for Wednesday for Cher’s son Elijah Allman on allegations he broke into a New Hampshire home was canceled, according to authorities. Allman, 49, had been arrested March 1 and was being held at the Rockingham County Department of Corrections. His attorney, Sarah Landres, took the case before the hearing, and officials said they were continuing the case to an undetermined date.
A Virginia boater, Nicholas Lailas, has filed a class-action lawsuit against DC Water in federal court in Maryland, seeking compensation tied to a Jan. 19 collapse of a sewer pipe that leaked millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. The lawsuit says DC Water, which owns and operates the Potomac Interceptor, failed to keep the ruptured pipe in a reasonably safe condition.
A GOP-led push in Texas to curb what Republican lawmakers call “liberal indoctrination” has reached the University of Houston, where some deans have asked faculty to certify that they “teach, not indoctrinate.” The university says the steps are tied to a new state law and that a draft checklist is optional, not required.
PHOENIX — Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen said he complied “late last week” with a federal grand jury subpoena and that “The FBI has the records,” handing over materials tied to a contentious 2020 election audit in Maricopa County. The Arizona attorney general, Kris Mayes, criticized the move, saying prior reviews found no evidence of widespread fraud that could have affected the outcome.
The White House said it fired National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman after reports of misconduct, including alcohol use on the job and harassment of staff, but Inman denied the allegations. Inman said he had been fired on Friday without explanation, despite a term that was supposed to run through the end of 2027.
A federal judge in Manhattan urged more than two dozen states on Tuesday to negotiate a settlement in their antitrust case against Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster, a day after the Justice Department announced it had settled and dropped out of the trial. A lawyer for Live Nation told Judge Arun Subramanian the chance all states would agree to terms by Friday was "about zero."
Alameda County Chief Public Defender Brendon Woods refused to proceed with a misdemeanor trial Thursday after the jury pool in an Oakland courtroom contained no Black prospective jurors, triggering a confrontation with the presiding judge and a partial remedy that legal observers said still left the defendant with slim odds of a Black juror. The defendant, Eboni Route, is a Black Oakland woman facing misdemeanor charges of battery against a police officer and resisting arrest. Woods told Judge Pelayo Llamas that without any Black representation in the panel, Route could not receive a fair trial by her peers.
Washington's attorney-discipline office filed professional misconduct charges March 7 against Ed Martin, the Justice Department's pardon attorney, accusing him of violating the Constitution when, as interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., he threatened Georgetown Law School's dean with a student hiring freeze if the school did not eliminate its diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The charges were filed by Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton Fox with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which enforces ethics standards for D.C.-licensed attorneys. Fox is asking a D.C. Court of Appeals panel to determine whether discipline is warranted. Martin, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment, has 20 days to formally respond in writing.
Washington's attorney ethics office has filed professional misconduct charges against Ed Martin, the Justice Department's pardon attorney, for a letter he sent last year to Georgetown Law School's dean threatening to bar the school's students from federal prosecutor jobs unless the university eliminated its diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The Office of Disciplinary Counsel filed the charges on Friday, accusing Martin of violating his oath of office and the Constitution's protections for free speech and due process. Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton Fox is asking a panel of D.C. Court of Appeals officials to determine whether discipline is warranted.
A federal judge ruled Saturday that Kari Lake, President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, did not have legal authority to take actions that largely dismantled the Voice of America. U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth said Lake could not serve as a principal officer because she did not meet the requirements in law or the Constitution, and he wrote that only the Appointments Clause or the Vacancies Act’s structure can authorize such service.
Federal judges in Milwaukee decided Tuesday not to extend interim U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel’s appointment for Wisconsin beyond next week. The interim term runs for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, headquartered in Milwaukee, and is set to expire March 17.
In a federal courtroom lecture, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Justice Brett Kavanaugh sparred over the Supreme Court’s emergency orders that allow President Donald Trump to move forward with parts of his agenda while legal challenges proceed. Jackson criticized what she called a “real unfortunate problem” in the court’s approach to the emergency docket, while Kavanaugh said administrations often have to “push the envelope in regulations” as Congress becomes harder to navigate.
A federal judge in Pennsylvania will decide whether the University of Pennsylvania must produce records sought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in an investigation into whether antisemitism created a hostile work environment for Jewish employees and faculty. The EEOC asked U.S. District Judge Gerald Pappert to enforce an administrative subpoena filed against Penn’s board of trustees, according to court filings described at a Tuesday hearing. Penn argues the dispute is limited to the EEOC’s request that it build lists that could reveal employees’ Jewish faith or ancestry and other personal details, including home addresses and contact information.
A federal judge on March 9 disqualified three Justice Department officials from overseeing federal prosecutions in New Jersey, saying they were appointed as part of an illegal power grab by the Trump administration. U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann ruled that the Trump administration’s structure violated the Constitution’s Appointments Clause, which requires Senate confirmation for U.S. attorneys.
Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said he was fired by the Trump administration without explanation. In a statement Sunday, Inman said he received notice from the White House personnel office on Friday that his NTSB position was “terminated effective immediately.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Two former New York City police officers accused by prosecutors of stealing a brothel key and robbing a sex worker face federal charges after a state case was dismissed on speedy-trial grounds, according to federal prosecutors.
New York City police are investigating after a counterprotester lit and threw a device packed with nuts, bolts and screws at an anti-Islam demonstration near Gracie Mansion on Saturday, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. A second device was handed to the same individual moments later; he dropped it. Three people were arrested in connection with the confrontation, Tisch said, and no injuries were reported.
Workers installed a plaque at the U.S. Capitol overnight Saturday honoring police officers who defended the building on Jan. 6, 2021, completing an installation required by law more than two years after its legal deadline had passed. The plaque — the first official marker of the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol — was placed on the Senate side after years of delay blocked by House Speaker Mike Johnson, with two injured officers saying their lawsuit over the installation's compliance with federal law will continue.
Georgia's Republican-controlled Senate passed legislation Friday expanding the grounds for disciplining or removing local prosecutors, as Republican leaders pointed to the dismissed criminal case against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as evidence the oversight is needed. The lead measure extends the authority of the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission, a body the Legislature created in 2024 to oversee elected district attorneys and solicitors general. Its fate in the Republican-controlled House, which is considered less partisan than the Senate, remains uncertain.
President Donald Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday after two days of congressional hearings in which Republican lawmakers criticized a $220 million DHS advertising campaign that featured Noem prominently, including in a video filmed near Mount Rushmore. An administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the deliberations, cited the campaign and "many unfortunate leadership failures" — including fallout from a federal immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota and mismanagement of her staff — as reasons for her dismissal after 13 months in office.
A federal judge heard arguments Friday in Washington on whether to block a Pentagon policy that stripped press credentials from journalists who refused to sign new access agreements last October. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman expressed skepticism of the government's defense at the first hearing in the New York Times' lawsuit against the Defense Department and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and said he would issue a ruling "as prompt a decision as I can."
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Tuesday used his line-item veto power to cut grants and earmarks totaling $4 million from six sections of a fast-tracked emergency bill. In his veto message, Lamont said his objection was to “the process” used to set aside funds for specific entities outside a competitive or formula-driven framework.
Florida Bar officials have walked back an earlier statement indicating they were investigating former Trump aide Lindsey Halligan, saying on Friday that there is no pending Florida Bar investigation into her. A bar representative previously told a watchdog group and The Associated Press that there was an “investigation pending” or an “open file” tied to the matter.
A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked enforcement of a Florida executive order issued last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis that designated two Muslim groups as foreign terrorist organizations. The ruling halted the order’s application while a lawsuit brought by civil rights groups moves forward.
A Florida handyman convicted in the 2021 Capitol riot and later pardoned by President Donald Trump was sentenced to life in prison for molesting two children in Florida, according to prosecutors.
In the United States, the Christian phrase "Christ is king" has increasingly surfaced in political debates involving far-right figures and disputes over Israel and Zionism, drawing criticism that it has been used in ways hostile to Jews. An Associated Press report highlighted the controversy during a Feb. 9 hearing of a Religious Liberty Commission created by President Donald Trump, where witnesses and commissioners debated whether the slogan’s pairing with slurs makes it antisemitic.
WASHINGTON — Members of the public voiced opposition to President Donald Trump's proposed 90,000-square-foot White House addition Thursday, calling it "ugly," "grossly out of scale," and an "invitation for corruption" at a federal review hearing that drew more than two hours of testimony. Of 31 people who testified before the National Capital Planning Commission, virtually all urged the panel to reject or substantially revise the project, which carries an estimated $400 million price tag that Trump plans to cover with donations from wealthy individuals and corporations with active business dealings with the federal government. Despite the public pushback, the commission's approval process showed no sign of slowing. A final vote is scheduled for April 2.
A 20-year-old Wisconsin man was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison for setting fire to Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman's district office in Fond du Lac, after telling police he acted because the federal government was shutting down TikTok in violation of his constitutional rights, according to court records. Fond du Lac County Circuit Judge Tricia Walker also sentenced Caiden Stachowicz, of Menasha, to seven years of extended supervision.
A Wisconsin teenager received two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole Thursday for killing his mother and stepfather to fund a plan to assassinate President Donald Trump with explosives dropped from a drone. Nikita Casap, 18, was sentenced in Waukesha County Circuit Court after pleading guilty in January to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide. Judge Ralph Ramirez called the crimes "horrific" and "inexplicable" and declined to set any date for parole eligibility.
The FBI said it is investigating suspicious cyber activity on an internal, unclassified system that stores sensitive law enforcement information, including returns from court-authorized surveillance operations and personally identifiable information on subjects of FBI investigations, according to a congressional notification obtained by the Associated Press.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signaled Tuesday he is open to granting clemency to former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who is serving a nine-year prison sentence for a scheme that copied election computer system data in search of evidence of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The governor's remarks drew immediate backlash from the state's attorney general, secretary of state, and county election officials, who warned the move could signal tolerance for election interference ahead of the 2026 midterms.
A Washington state Senate bill that would have created an independent statewide jail oversight body failed after a watered-down version stalled in the Ways and Means Committee, lawmakers and oversight experts said. The proposal, Senate Bill 5005, was scaled back from requiring regular jail inspections and broader “oversight” language to a plan centered on a “jail council” intended to study issues.
A man in prison for more than 25 years was freed after prosecutors acknowledged his 1999 confession to a Detroit murder was coerced by a rogue police officer. George Calicut Jr. was released Tuesday from a life sentence in Coldwater, Michigan, following a judge’s dismissal of the case at the request of lawyers on both sides.
A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from reversing New York’s congestion toll for most vehicles entering Manhattan south of Central Park. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman ruled the U.S. Department of Transportation lacked authority to unilaterally rescind federal approval of the $9 toll that began Jan. 5, 2025, according to court documents and statements. Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had moved to end the program, calling it harmful to working-class residents and small businesses.
The Trump administration reversed course on Tuesday after backing out of a court fight over executive orders targeting major law firms, according to filings in Washington. In a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the Justice Department said it withdrew an earlier motion to dismiss but then filed a new position after judges rejected challenges brought by firms including Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, Susman Godfrey and WilmerHale.
The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday opened a high-stakes antitrust trial accusing Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster of illegally maintaining power over the concert ticket market. A case in Manhattan federal court, led by Judge Arun Subramanian, could result in remedies including a breakup of Live Nation, the parent company.
New York City paid more than $117 million last year to settle police misconduct lawsuits, covering cases that ranged from violent arrests of protesters in 2020 to allegations of wrongful convictions in the 1980s, according to an analysis of city data released this week. The payouts add to a total of nearly $800 million since 2019, The Legal Aid Society said.
Justin Timberlake has sued the village of Sag Harbor and its police department to block the release of police body-camera footage from his 2024 drunken-driving arrest in the Hamptons, according to court filings. His lawyers argued that releasing the video would reveal intimate, highly personal details and cause severe reputational harm.
Paramount’s planned buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery has cleared a major hurdle after it beat Netflix in a contested takeover effort, but the next test is regulatory. The U.S. Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission and other oversight bodies must assess whether the deal would give Paramount too much power and potentially harm customers.
Federal prosecutors said they will not appeal a judge’s ruling that bars them from seeking the death penalty against Luigi Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Deputy U.S. Attorney Sean Buckley told Judge Margaret Garnett the government won’t ask the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse her decision, clearing the way for a federal trial scheduled to begin in September.
Los Angeles school superintendent Alberto Carvalho was placed on paid leave after the FBI served search warrants at his home and at district headquarters, the Associated Press reported on Friday. The FBI has not said what the federal probe involves, and officials have not accused Carvalho of wrongdoing.
NEW YORK (AP) — Sherry Xue Li, a New York businesswoman, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison after pleading guilty to money laundering and to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government by obstructing the Federal Election Commission’s administration of campaign finance laws. Prosecutors said Li and her co-defendant, Lianbo Wang, duped more than $30 million from foreign investors and funneled some of the money into U.S. political campaigns, including a Trump fundraiser.
A federal judge on Thursday rejected a request by a preservationist group to temporarily halt President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project after demolition of the East Wing. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said the group’s legal challenge was unlikely to succeed and urged the National Trust for Historic Preservation to amend its lawsuit.
A man was arrested in New York City after police said he pelted officers with snow and ice during a large snowball fight at Washington Square Park earlier this week. Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, was charged with obstructing governmental administration and harassment, and appeared in handcuffs in Manhattan criminal court on Thursday.
The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education will meet in a closed session Thursday to discuss Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, a day after the FBI searched his home and district headquarters, the district said. The FBI served search warrants at Carvalho’s home and also searched a third location near Miami where he previously led Florida’s public schools, federal authorities have not detailed the investigation.
The FBI searched the home of Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and served search warrants at district headquarters and a location in Florida, according to an Associated Press report. Authorities did not provide details about what the federal investigation is focused on. The superintendent has previously led large school systems and has been outspoken on immigration enforcement near schools.
The FBI has fired additional agents who worked on an investigation into President Donald Trump, including employees who participated in the probe into his retention of classified documents, people familiar with the matter said Feb. 25. The firings are described as part of personnel changes under FBI Director Kash Patel, a Trump appointee, and come amid similar DOJ-wide dismissals of prosecutors since Trump took office.
The FBI served search warrants Wednesday at Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters and at the home of Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, federal officials said. The FBI declined to provide details of the investigation, saying the affidavits supporting the warrants are under seal.
Cody Roberts, accused of hitting a wolf with a snowmobile, taping the animal’s mouth shut, displaying it in a rural Wyoming bar and later killing it, has agreed to a plea deal that would spare him a trial. Prosecutors in Sublette County reached the deal last week and filed it in court Wednesday. Under the agreement, Roberts would pay a $1,000 fine and serve 18 months of probation.
A federal jury convicted Supreme Court litigator Thomas Goldstein of tax evasion and related charges on Wednesday, finding him guilty on 12 of 16 counts after a six-week trial in Greenbelt, Maryland. Prosecutors said the convictions stemmed from his secretive lifestyle as an ultra-high-stakes poker player and alleged he diverted money from his law firm to cover gambling debts while making false tax-related statements.
A Pakistani man accused of trying to orchestrate the killing of a U.S. politician, possibly President Donald Trump, went on trial in New York this week on federal terrorism and related charges, according to prosecutors. They said the defendant paid $5,000 to people he believed were hit men, who were actually undercover FBI agents.
President Donald Trump used a moment during his State of the Union address to invite House Democrats to stand up if they agreed that the government’s first duty was to protect American citizens rather than “illegal aliens,” leaving Democrats facing a dilemma. Republicans behind him stood and applauded, while most Democrats remained seated as Trump mocked those who did not. The exchange has since been seized upon by Trump allies and criticized by some Democratic and cable news figures as a stunt.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he does not believe criminal charges are warranted after New York Police Department officers were hit with snowballs during a post-blizzard snowball fight in Washington Square Park. Police department leadership, including Commissioner Jessica Tisch, denounced the incident as “disgraceful” and “criminal,” and the department has circulated images while searching for four people it says hurt officers. The dispute has widened as the mayor and the NYPD take opposing views on how the incident should be handled.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is appealing a judge’s order blocking the Pentagon from punishing Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly for participating in a video that urged troops to resist unlawful orders, according to a court filing. U.S. Justice Department officials asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review the Feb. 12 ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon.
New York Attorney General Letitia James sued video game developer Valve in state court, alleging “loot boxes” in Counter-Strike and other titles illegally promote gambling. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, asks the court to order Valve to stop the practice and to pay restitution and damages to users, along with a fine tied to its profits from the features.
President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead a new Justice Department fraud division said he would pursue prosecutions “without fear or favor,” as questions surfaced about how the unit will operate amid a White House-declared “war on fraud.” The proposed National Fraud Enforcement Division would create another channel to investigate fraud, even though the department already handles fraud cases through its Criminal Division.
The FBI has fired additional agents who worked on investigations involving President Donald Trump, AP reported, including personnel who participated in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents probe. The firings come amid a wider personnel overhaul under FBI Director Kash Patel, and people familiar with the matter told AP that 10 or more employees were terminated. An agents’ association condemned the move as unlawful and said it would endanger national security.
The FBI searched Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s home Wednesday as part of a federal investigation, according to the Associated Press. Agents also served search warrants at LAUSD headquarters and at a location near Miami where Carvalho previously served as superintendent, AP reported.
A Pakistani man went on trial this week in New York on federal charges that he tried to orchestrate the killing of a U.S. politician, potentially President Donald Trump as he campaigned in 2024, according to prosecutors. As the trial began Wednesday, prosecutors said the defendant, Asif Merchant, met with and paid $5,000 to people he believed were hit men who turned out to be undercover FBI agents.
A federal jury in Maryland found Supreme Court litigator Thomas Goldstein guilty of tax evasion and related charges tied to millions of dollars in high-stakes poker income, the Justice Department said. Prosecutors said Goldstein diverted money from his law firm to cover gambling debts and failed to report the full scope of his gambling activity. Goldstein, who also co-founded SCOTUSblog, denied wrongdoing.
The U.S. Justice Department sued the University of California, Los Angeles, alleging it failed to protect Jewish employees from antisemitic harassment during pro-Palestinian protests in 2023 and 2024. The federal complaint, filed in California, focuses on allegations that UCLA did not discipline people involved in protests that included an encampment and arrests in 2024.
Donald Trump has settled a lawsuit with the estate of Isaac Hayes that accused the president of using the 1966 hit “Hold On, I’m Coming” in campaign videos and events without permission, the Hayes family said Feb. 24. Hayes’ son Isaac Hayes III announced the settlement on X, and the parties did not disclose the terms.
Federal authorities are barred from conducting an “unsupervised, wholesale search” of devices seized from Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s home in Virginia during a classified-leaks investigation, a U.S. magistrate judge ruled Tuesday. Magistrate Judge William Porter said he will personally review the contents of Natanson’s devices rather than allowing a Justice Department “filter team” search.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel joined the U.S. men's hockey team in their locker room Sunday after they won the Olympic gold medal in Milan, videos of the moment show. In footage circulating online, Patel drank from a bottle of beer and sprayed beer around the locker room while the athletes celebrated. After one player draped his gold medal around Patel's neck, he jumped up and down with the team. The celebration drew swift criticism from those questioning whether Patel's use of a government plane to travel to Milan represents an appropriate use of federal resources.
A federal judge on Monday permanently barred the release of special counsel Jack Smith's report on his investigation into President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents, blocking public scrutiny of a prosecution that once stood as the most perilous of four criminal cases against the Republican. Judge Aileen Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, granted the president's request to keep the report sealed. Smith's investigations produced indictments that were abandoned after Trump's 2024 election victory, citing Justice Department legal opinions prohibiting prosecution of sitting presidents.
An armed man breached the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago early Sunday morning and was shot and killed by Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy, according to federal authorities. President Donald Trump was not at the resort when the incident occurred around 1:30 a.m.
President Donald Trump has stocked his administration with people who promoted his false 2020 election conspiracy theories, according to the Associated Press. The appointments include lawyer Kurt Olsen, who pushed the Justice Department to back Trump's claims about the election and now leads a sweeping probe of the 2020 vote, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, who helped Trump attempt to overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
The U.S. Justice Department fired James Hundley on Friday after judges had unanimously chosen him to replace Lindsey Halligan as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, according to the Justice Department and the court-driven appointment process described in a report. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Hundley was fired in a post on X shortly after the judge selection.
Caleb Flynn, 39, a former contestant on the singing competition "American Idol," pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of murder, assault and tampering with evidence in the death of his wife, Ashley Flynn, 37. She was found dead Monday at their home in Tipp City, Ohio, after officers received a report of a burglary and shooting. Judge Samuel Huffman set his bond at $2 million.
JPMorgan Chase acknowledged for the first time in writing that it closed President Donald Trump's bank accounts in February 2021, according to a court filing submitted this week in his ongoing lawsuit against the bank and its leader, Jamie Dimon. Trump is seeking $5 billion, alleging the closures were motivated by political retaliation for his role in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose seven members were appointed by President Donald Trump, on Thursday approved Trump’s proposal to build a ballroom on the site of the former White House East Wing, according to the commission’s meeting. The project still faces review by the National Capital Planning Commission and legal challenges, with a lawsuit by the National Trust for Historic Preservation seeking to halt construction.
A federal judge dismissed a racketeering lawsuit filed by Thomas Donlon, the former interim NYPD commissioner, that accused Mayor Eric Adams and his top deputies of running the police department as a “criminal enterprise.” Judge Denise Cote said the complaint did not describe the defendants acting with “a common purpose.” City Law Department spokespersons said the dismissal left “no legal basis” for the case to continue.
Minnesota federal prosecutors have dismissed or dropped cases as the office in charge of U.S. criminal prosecutions in the state has been depleted by resignations and retirements amid disputes over Justice Department directives. The upheaval contributed to Cory Allen McKay, convicted 12 times, being released after his meth trafficking case was dropped following a prosecutor’s retirement. Local officials and defense lawyers say the churn is forcing delays and reducing the office’s ability to pursue some serious drug, violent and sexual offense cases.
Washington’s U.S. Department of Justice building displayed a large banner featuring President Donald Trump’s face on Thursday, an act prosecutors and critics said symbolizes political pressure on the law-enforcement agency. The banner’s slogan, “Make America Safe Again,” echoed the administration’s messaging on immigration enforcement and violent crime, while DOJ said it is celebrating the department’s 250-year history.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal judge in Philadelphia set a Friday deadline for the Trump administration to restore an exhibit on the nine people enslaved by George Washington at his former home on Independence Mall. Senior U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe issued the deadline Wednesday while the Justice Department appealed her earlier order to reinstate the display.
Karl Jacobson, 56, the former police chief in New Haven, Connecticut, was arrested Friday on larceny charges following allegations he stole $85,000 from two department accounts. Jacobson, who abruptly retired in January, turned himself in on an arrest warrant and was later released on a court-set bond of $150,000, according to the state prosecutor's office. He faces two counts of larceny related to defrauding a public community.
A U.S. appeals court on Friday allowed the Trump administration to halt work on a slavery exhibit at Philadelphia's President's House on Independence Mall, blocking implementation of a lower court order to restore it. The decision pauses a disputed effort to display information about slavery during the founding era as the city prepares for the nation's 250th anniversary.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington of Michigan was charged with drunken driving following his arrest on October 3, with a blood-alcohol level of 0.27, well above the legal limit of 0.08.
A federal judge signaled Friday he intends to order the government to return electronic devices seized from a Washington Post reporter's Virginia home during an investigation into a leaked classified documents case.
Melania Trump donated her white and black-trimmed inaugural ball gown to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History on Friday, continuing a longstanding tradition of first ladies preserving their formal wear for the public record. The strapless sheath gown, designed by Herve Pierre and paired with a reproduction Harry Winston diamond brooch, joins the museum's First Ladies Collection.
Speaker Mike Johnson's office has denied a request from the family of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson to have his remains lie in honor in the United States Capitol Rotunda, citing precedent that the space is typically reserved for former presidents, military members and select officials. Jackson, the pioneering civil rights leader whose two presidential campaigns transformed American politics for generations, died this week at age 84.
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts approved President Donald Trump’s plan for a new White House ballroom, choosing a final design on Thursday, according to an Associated Press report. The 90,000-square-foot ballroom would be built on the site of the former East Wing and would hold about 1,000 people, the report said.
A federal judge in Philadelphia set a Friday deadline for the Trump administration to restore an exhibit on nine people enslaved by George Washington at his former home on Independence Mall. Senior U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe issued the deadline Wednesday while the Justice Department appealed her order restoring the exhibit.
A federal judge has thrown out a racketeering lawsuit filed by former interim NYPD commissioner Thomas Donlon that accused Mayor Eric Adams and his top aides of running the police department as a “criminal enterprise.” The ruling was issued on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan. The city’s Law Department said it was “pleased the court agreed there was no legal basis for this case to continue,” and Donlon’s attorney John Scola indicated the decision will be appealed.
A large banner featuring President Donald Trump’s face was hung Thursday on the exterior of U.S. Justice Department headquarters in Washington, where it drew criticism that it symbolized growing White House control over the agency. The banner, placed between columns on a corner of the building, displays the slogan “Make America Safe Again.”
As a Maryland trial neared its end, prosecutors told jurors that Thomas Goldstein was a willful tax cheat, as the government prepares to lay out its case against the Supreme Court lawyer and co-founder of SCOTUSblog. Defense attorneys argued the government rushed to judgment, characterizing prosecutors’ evidence about Goldstein’s gambling as “made-up.”
The Camden, N.J., Catholic diocese has agreed to pay $180 million in a clergy sexual abuse settlement, with the deal requiring approval by a bankruptcy court, the Associated Press reported. AP said the diocese had fought for years against a state grand jury investigation before relenting last year, and that it filed for bankruptcy after a wave of lawsuits that followed the relaxation of the statute of limitations. The AP also compiled examples of other large Catholic clergy abuse settlements reached in the U.S.
The White House on Wednesday hosted a Black History Month reception with President Donald Trump, speaking about honoring Black Americans and highlighting what he said were policy benefits. The event came less than two weeks after Trump posted a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and his wife as primates in a jungle, a post he later deleted amid bipartisan backlash.
The Fulton County District Attorney's office acknowledged "grave and clear" prosecutorial misconduct Wednesday in the 2002 murder conviction of Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a onetime Black Panther leader, while standing by the conviction based on DNA evidence and ballistic testing. The filing accuses the original lead prosecutor, now a superior court judge, of conduct that "crossed the line from aggressive advocacy into misconduct that undermined the core principles of justice." Al-Amin died in prison in November; his family is seeking a public hearing to clear his name.
President Donald Trump’s administration has nominated George Kelesis, a longtime Nevada defense lawyer and chair of the Nevada Tax Commission, to serve as Nevada’s next U.S. attorney, a post that has been filled on an interim basis. Kelesis, 70, would oversee federal prosecutions in Nevada if confirmed by the U.S. Senate, according to the nomination. Nevada Democratic Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto said they are reviewing the choice after a federal judge ruled last year that Trump’s administration had appointed former interim U.S. attorney Sigal Chattah to the acting role illegally.
The Justice Department has issued new subpoenas in a Florida-based investigation tied to allegations involving political opponents of President Donald Trump and the government’s response to Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The subpoenas seek documents covering the years since the Obama administration’s intelligence assessment was published, the people said, speaking anonymously because the requests are not public.
The Trump administration is backing prediction market operator Kalshi and Polymarket in a federal case with Nevada over whether the platforms can operate under state gambling rules. The move comes from Michael Selig, newly appointed chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, who is weighing in with a “friend of the court” filing as the companies appeal an order that blocked Kalshi from operating in Nevada.
The Trump administration has selected Las Vegas attorney George Kelesis to replace Sigal Chattah as Nevada’s top federal prosecutor after an appeals court review raised questions about Chattah’s eligibility to serve. Chattah was appointed in March, and her continued role has been tied up in court as the Ninth Circuit heard arguments last week.
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore an exhibit about nine enslaved people at George and Martha Washington’s former home in Philadelphia after the National Park Service removed exhibit panels last month. U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe said the materials must be returned to their original condition while a legal challenge to the removal plays out.
The NAACP and allied civil-rights groups asked a federal judge on Monday to limit the government’s use of personal voter information seized by FBI agents from an elections warehouse outside Atlanta. In a motion filed late Sunday, the groups said the seizure of ballots and other records from Fulton County’s elections hub “breached” privacy protections and interfered with the right to vote, and they urged the judge to restrict use of the data to the criminal investigation cited in a search warrant affidavit.
Apple’s Lockdown Mode—an “optional, extreme” iPhone security setting—kept federal agents from extracting data from Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s iPhone, according to a court filing. Agents seized the reporter’s iPhone, two MacBooks and other devices last month during an investigation involving a Pentagon contractor accused of illegally handling classified information.
The U.S. Justice Department has sued Harvard University in federal court, alleging Harvard refused to provide admissions records the department demanded as part of an investigation into whether the school stopped using affirmative action after the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision. In the lawsuit filed Friday in Massachusetts, the department asked a judge to order Harvard to turn over five years of undergraduate admissions data, including applicants’ grades, test scores, essays, extracurricular activities, race and ethnicity, and admissions outcomes.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump pardoned five former professional football players, including one posthumously, in a round of clemency announced Thursday by White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson. The players’ crimes ranged from perjury to drug trafficking.
Donald Trump’s Justice Department is suing Harvard University, days after Trump attacked a New York Times story about his fight with the school and threatened comedian Trevor Noah over comments tying Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. The move follows a long pattern of using lawsuits and public threats—against people and institutions, including media outlets—to challenge critics and try to shape outcomes, court and otherwise.
A former high-ranking New York Police Department official has been charged with accepting $35,000 in cash and other perks in a bribery scheme tied to a Florida company seeking to sell “panic button” devices to the city’s public schools and police, federal prosecutors said. Kevin Taylor, who commanded the NYPD’s School Safety Division, is accused of trying to steer an $11 million contract to the company, SaferWatch, prosecutors said.
A federal judge in Illinois temporarily blocked Trump administration officials from rescinding $600 million in public health grants allocated to four Democratic-led states, halting the cuts for 14 days. The states—California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota—argued the decision violates the Constitution by imposing retroactive conditions on funding Congress had already awarded, according to the lawsuit.
In a fresh dispute over how federal prosecutors are selected, the Justice Department dismissed Donald Kinsella less than a day after judges appointed him to serve as U.S. attorney for northern New York, the Associated Press reported Feb. 12. Todd Blanche, deputy attorney general, announced the firing, saying the president—not judges—picks U.S. attorneys. Judges said they acted within their legal authority in making the appointment.
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson has written to Apple CEO Tim Cook to complain that Apple “suppressed” content from conservative news outlets in the Apple News feed. Ferguson said the FTC is not the “speech police,” but has authority to protect consumers from misleading and omitted information. Apple had no immediate comment to an AP request on Thursday, the report said.
The U.S. House’s press gallery overlooking the chamber was renamed after abolitionist, writer and presidential adviser Frederick Douglass in a bipartisan move announced during Black History Month. The renaming was brokered by Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., with House Speaker Mike Johnson and other lawmakers attending a ceremony inside the Capitol.
Police in France detained nine people as part of an investigation into a suspected decade-long Louvre ticket fraud scheme, Paris prosecutors said. The arrests were carried out Tuesday as part of a judicial probe opened after the museum filed a complaint in December 2024, prosecutors said.
A U.S. judge on Wednesday rejected the BBC’s bid to delay proceedings in President Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit, setting a provisional Feb. 15, 2027 start date for a two-week trial. The case stems from Trump’s complaint over how the BBC edited a Jan. 6, 2021 speech in a documentary that aired days before the 2024 election.
U.S. Justice Department antitrust chief Gail Slater is leaving her post after about a year, according to a post on social media Thursday. Slater’s departure follows disputes over whether to greenlight major mergers, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s deal to buy Juniper Networks.
A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Pentagon from punishing Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly for participating in a video urging troops to resist unlawful orders, ruling the action would violate Kelly’s First Amendment rights. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said the Pentagon also “threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees,” while Kelly seeks to stop a Jan. 5 censure by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from transferring 20 former death row inmates with commuted sentences to ADX Florence, the nation’s most secure federal prison. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said the government could not use a “sham” process to decide where the prisoners would be held for life. The ruling preserves life sentences for the plaintiffs while their lawsuit proceeds.
Nebraska’s Republican secretary of state said the state will turn over sensitive information on every registered voter to the U.S. Justice Department on Thursday after the Nebraska Supreme Court rejected a bid to block the move. Secretary of State Bob Evnen said the court denied the injunction Wednesday, after Common Cause and a state judge had tried to stop the release, including dates of birth, addresses and partial Social Security numbers.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, chair of the Trump administration’s Religious Liberty Commission, said a member was removed after a contentious hearing this week that turned on disagreements over how to define antisemitism. AP reported the ousted commissioner, Carrie Prejean Boller, challenged witnesses and argued that prominent commentator Candace Owens had never made antisemitic remarks.
Democrats took to the Senate floor Wednesday to denounce the Justice Department’s effort to indict lawmakers over a 90-second video in which they urged military members to resist “illegal orders.” The senators spoke after a Washington grand jury declined to indict six Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is ending a task force she created to examine changes to the U.S. intelligence community after a little less than a year, her office said. The panel, known as the Director’s Initiative Group, was formed in April and focused on what she described as rooting out politicization in intelligence gathering, potential budget reductions and declassification questions. Gabbard said the effort was always intended to be temporary as she continues overseeing coordination across the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies.
A Washington grand jury declined Tuesday to indict Democratic lawmakers tied to a video in which they urged U.S. service members to resist “illegal orders,” according to a person familiar with the matter. The Justice Department had opened an investigation into the lawmakers’ statements, including Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin.
The FBI relied on years-old claims about the 2020 presidential election when it sought a warrant to seize ballots and election records from Fulton County, Georgia, an affidavit unsealed this week shows. The case began after a referral from Kurt Olsen, who the affidavit says advised President Donald Trump and now oversees his election “security and integrity” efforts. Fulton County officials said the accusations have been debunked and vowed to fight the matter in court.
Congressional Democrats accused the Trump administration of trying to take control of plans for America’s 250th anniversary, including by using the National Park Foundation to solicit private donations for the president’s priorities, during a House hearing Tuesday. Rep. Jared Huffman said President Donald Trump and allies are trying to “promote an alternate reality,” while Republicans defended the effort as a patriotic reminder of progress.
Republican lawmakers questioned telecommunications officials at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing about what they said were invasive tactics in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of President Donald Trump. Lawmakers pressed representatives from Verizon and other companies about how prosecutors obtained phone records for certain sitting members of Congress.
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice seeking detailed access to Michigan’s voter rolls, an additional rejection in the administration’s efforts to obtain state voter data. In an opinion issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou said the federal laws cited by the Justice Department do not require Michigan to disclose the records sought.
One year after the Trump administration took control of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, consumer advocates and Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s office say the agency has retreated from enforcement and regulatory work—costing Americans at least $19 billion in financial relief, according to a report provided to The Associated Press. The authors say the bureau harmed consumers by abandoning major protections, stalling investigations, and dismissing lawsuits.
Democrats on Tuesday accused the Trump administration of trying to hijack plans to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary and of using the nonprofit National Park Foundation to solicit private donations for the president’s projects, including a planned national arch in Washington. The accusations came during a House hearing on the 250th anniversary commemoration before a subcommittee of the House Committee on Natural Resources.
In a letter Monday, the general counsel for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard warned an attorney for an anonymous government employee not to directly share a top-secret complaint about Gabbard’s handling of classified material with members of Congress. The dispute centers on allegations that Gabbard withheld top-secret information for political reasons, which two intelligence community inspectors general reviewed and said did not appear credible, according to a memo to lawmakers.
Federal judges dismissed lawsuits accusing author Neil Gaiman of sexually assaulting his children’s nanny in New Zealand, according to court decisions. The rulings followed filings in multiple U.S. states and included the dismissal of a Wisconsin case and the tossing of parallel claims in New York and Massachusetts.
Two men were convicted Monday in a Michigan election petition scandal tied to bogus signatures that derailed Republican candidates’ bids for the 2022 governor’s race. The Michigan Attorney General’s office said the scheme used forged signatures to keep candidates off the GOP primary ballot, and it said the fraud denied voters a choice in that election.
A North Carolina district attorney turned over criminal cases involving a secretive religious group to a special prosecutor, according to court filings discussed by the Associated Press. The move followed a petition to remove District Attorney Ted Bell from the retrial of Brooke Covington, a former leader of the Word of Faith Fellowship accused of abuse in 2013.
An Ohio man has been charged with threatening to kill Vice President JD Vance while the vice president was visiting his home state last month, according to federal prosecutors. Prosecutors also charged Shannon Mathre with possessing digital files depicting child sexual abuse discovered during the investigation.
Congressional Black Caucus chair Rep. Yvette Clarke said a video posted to President Donald Trump’s social media account showed “intent to harm people, to hurt people,” after the post was deleted Friday. In an interview with The Associated Press, Clarke said the White House’s shifting explanations—from dismissing “fake outrage” to deleting the post and blaming a staff member—did not match what she said the video conveyed.
A federal judge in Manhattan ordered the Trump administration to restore $16 billion in funding for a new rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey, as construction was set to shut down. The ruling followed a funding freeze announced in the wake of a government shutdown and was sought by New York and New Jersey to keep money flowing while their lawsuit proceeds.
President Donald Trump deleted a 62-second racist video post featuring former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as primates in a jungle after backlash from Republicans and Democrats, the Associated Press reported. The White House later said the video was posted erroneously by a staffer, after press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed criticism as “fake outrage.” Trump said Friday aboard Air Force One that he would not apologize, telling reporters: “I didn’t make a mistake.”
A federal jury found former major league outfielder Yasiel Puig guilty of obstruction of justice and lying to federal officials investigating an illegal gambling operation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday. The verdict followed a multiweek trial that included testimony from Major League Baseball officials and a Hawaii baseball coach identified in court as a middleman for the bets.
Prosecutors in Centre County, Pennsylvania, dropped the most serious assault charge against Penn State hockey player Gavin McKenna after reviewing evidence from the altercation that led to his arrest last weekend. District Attorney Bernie Cantorna said the aggravated assault case would have required proof McKenna intended to cause serious injury or acted with extreme indifference to the value of human life.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said it is investigating Nike for allegedly discriminating against white employees through the company’s diversity policies. The EEOC disclosed the probe in a motion filed in Missouri federal court seeking full compliance with a subpoena, including information on layoffs, race and ethnicity tracking, and programs described in court documents as offering race-restricted mentoring or career development.
Three-dozen families that lost relatives in two fatal Boeing 737 Max crashes asked a federal appeals court in New Orleans on Thursday to revive a criminal case against Boeing. The families argued federal prosecutors violated their rights when they agreed to dismiss the charge after a deal with Boeing. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it would issue a decision at a later date.
Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan is refusing to voluntarily comply with a Justice Department investigation seeking an interview about a video she helped organize that urged U.S. service members to resist “illegal orders,” according to letters obtained by The Associated Press.
A federal judge on Tuesday questioned the Pentagon’s legal justification for censuring Sen. Mark Kelly after he joined a video urging troops to resist unlawful orders from the Trump administration. During a hearing, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon said he was not aware of Supreme Court precedent that would support the Defense Department’s actions against a sitting senator.
Fulton County officials asked a federal court to order the FBI to return ballots and other 2020 Georgia election documents seized last week, escalating a dispute that comes as President Donald Trump talks about taking over elections. County Chairman Robb Pitts said the case is about election integrity statewide and cited the FBI search warrant’s list of sought items, including ballots, ballot images and tabulator tapes.
A federal judge in Fort Pierce, Florida, on Wednesday sentenced Ryan Routh to life in prison after jurors found him guilty in 2024 of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump at a golf course. The judge also imposed a consecutive seven-year gun sentence, and ordered his other federal sentences to run concurrently. Prosecutors said Routh’s attempt was unacceptable “in this country or anywhere.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday she is not concerned that Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, could taint an FBI investigation tied to a search of a Georgia elections office. Bondi’s comments came as Gabbard’s role in the FBI operation remained a point of scrutiny from congressional Democrats.
A New York man who was pardoned by President Donald Trump for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, pleaded guilty Thursday to threatening Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, according to court records and a law enforcement report. Christopher P. Moynihan, 35, pleaded guilty in town court in Clinton, New York, to a misdemeanor harassment charge and agreed to three years of probation, with sentencing set for April 2.
Luigi Mangione said in court Friday that scheduling his New York state murder trial for June would force him into “the same trial twice,” warning of “double jeopardy” concerns. A judge set the state trial to begin June 8, three months before jury selection in his federal case, while also leaving open a delay to Sept. 8 if an appeal affects the federal timeline.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Florida seeks $10 billion after what Trump describes as a leak of confidential tax information. Legal experts said the case raises questions about whether it is appropriate for Trump, who leads the executive branch, to sue the government he directs.
New York and New Jersey sued the Trump administration on Tuesday, asking a federal judge to declare unlawful a freeze of $16 billion in federal funding for a Hudson River rail-tunnel project. The states said construction could be forced to stop as early as Friday, unless payments resume.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told lawmakers that President Donald Trump asked for her to be present during an FBI search of Georgia’s Fulton County election center last week, according to a letter sent to top House and Senate intelligence committee Democrats on Monday. In the letter, Gabbard said she “facilitated” a brief phone call between Trump and FBI agents who conducted the search, and she said neither she nor Trump issued directives to agents.
A federal judge in Manhattan appeared skeptical during arguments on Wednesday about whether President Donald Trump can move and then overturn his New York hush-money conviction in federal court on presidential-immunity grounds. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein said Trump’s team waited too long after a U.S. Supreme Court decision changed the legal landscape and called the effort “two bites at the apple.”
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has withheld for eight months a complaint alleging misconduct by her from members of Congress, an attorney for the complainant said Monday. The attorney said the complaint—reviewed by the intelligence community inspector general—has not been referred to the House or Senate intelligence committees as allowed under federal law. Gabbard’s office disputed the allegations and said an inspector general determination that the complaint was not credible was made during the Biden administration.
Conservative activist Ed Martin has been removed as head of a Justice Department working group tasked with scrutinizing federal prosecutions tied to President Donald Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter. The group was created when Attorney General Pam Bondi took office last year, and Martin is said to no longer be based at Justice Department headquarters.
President Donald Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in federal court in Florida over a leak of his and the Trump Organization’s confidential tax information. Legal experts said the case raises questions about how the president, as head of the executive branch, pursues litigation against an agency he oversees.
Black History Month centennial celebrations are unfolding as advocates warn of a tightening political climate around how Black history is taught in the United States. DeRay Mckesson, a longtime activist, said state and local leaders are “nervous about retribution from the White House,” even as organizers plan curricula, teacher training and public programming for the milestone year.
A federal appeals court judge dismissed a misconduct complaint filed by the Justice Department against U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, the judge who blocked deportation flights to an El Salvador prison. The complaint alleged Boasberg made comments at a closed-door judicial conference in March 2025 that the Trump administration would trigger a constitutional crisis by disregarding federal court rulings.
President Donald Trump said Sunday he will move to close Washington’s Kennedy Center for two years starting in July for construction, making the venue’s latest overhaul part of his efforts to reshape the institution since taking office again. The president’s announcement came after a wave of cancellations by major performers and groups.
A federal judge in Philadelphia warned Justice Department lawyers that statements they made about the Trump administration deciding what parts of American history to display at National Park Service sites were “dangerous” and “horrifying.” The comments came during a hearing over the abrupt removal of an outdoor slavery-history exhibit at the former home of President Donald Trump’s predecessors on Independence Mall.
A federal judge overturned Karl Jordan Jr.’s murder conviction in the death of Jam Master Jay, and Jordan’s lawyers are now seeking his release on a $1 million bond while prosecutors appeal. The filing, made in Brooklyn federal court, says the decision created “seismic changes in circumstances” that warrant Jordan’s release with electronic monitoring.
Don Lemon and another reporter face federal civil rights charges tied to a protest that interrupted a worship service at a Minnesota church earlier this month, according to an indictment unsealed after a grand jury in Minnesota. The charges center on allegations involving the First Amendment rights of worshippers and federal laws that can carry prison time.
Patrick James, the former CEO of bankrupt auto parts supplier First Brands Group, and his brother Edward were indicted on federal fraud charges and arrested Thursday in Ohio, according to the U.S. government. Prosecutors said the brothers carried out a yearslong scheme that allegedly bilked banks and investors out of billions of dollars using fake documents and false financial reports.
The Army general tapped to lead the National Security Agency told the Senate Intelligence Committee that, if confirmed, he would follow the Constitution and the law governing the agency’s surveillance powers. Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd, President Donald Trump’s nominee to run the NSA and the Pentagon’s Cyber Command, faced skepticism from lawmakers including Sen. Ron Wyden over whether the administration would seek to use foreign-intelligence surveillance authorities against Americans for political reasons.
FBI agents seized hundreds of ballot boxes and other election records this week at Fulton County’s elections hub outside Atlanta, an action tied to the agency’s efforts to pursue President Donald Trump’s long-running claims about the 2020 election in Georgia. Federal authorities have not publicly explained the purpose of Wednesday’s search and seizure, and the warrant was under seal.
The FBI searched the Fulton County elections office in Union City, Georgia, seeking records related to the 2020 election, according to an Associated Press report. Agents sealed off an area at the county’s main election facility and removed boxes that an FBI spokesperson said contained ballots. The search came about a week after President Donald Trump predicted prosecutions over the 2020 election.
A federal judge on Thursday refused to order the pretrial release of Brian J. Cole Jr., who is charged with placing two pipe bombs near the national headquarters of the Democratic and Republican parties on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruled Cole must remain in jail while awaiting trial, overturning arguments from defense attorneys for home detention with electronic monitoring.
Federal prosecutors can’t seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a federal judge ruled Friday, after she dismissed a murder charge that enabled capital punishment. Judge Margaret Garnett also dismissed a gun charge but left stalking charges in place that carry up to life in prison.
President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit in Florida federal court seeking $10 billion from the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department, accusing the agencies of failing to prevent leaks of his tax information to news outlets between 2018 and 2020. The suit, filed Thursday, names Trump, his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., and the Trump Organization as plaintiffs.
LONDON (AP) — Matvei Rumiantsev, a 22-year-old London receptionist, was convicted Wednesday of assault after Barron Trump called police in London during a video call he said he witnessed, court and police records described by the case show. The conviction followed police action at an address in London on Jan. 18, and prosecutors previously said Trump’s call played a role in the investigation.
Manhattan prosecutors asked a judge on Wednesday to set a July trial date in Luigi Mangione’s state murder case over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, arguing the state would be unfairly prejudiced by waiting until after a federal death-penalty case. The defense called the request “unrealistic,” saying it needs time to prepare for the federal proceedings.
The FBI on Wednesday executed a search warrant at Fulton County's main election office in Union City, Georgia, seeking records from the 2020 election. The search came one week after the Trump administration predicted prosecutions related to the contest, even as courts and federal officials have repeatedly found no evidence of widespread fraud that would have altered the outcome.
A federal judge in Oregon dismissed a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit seeking the state’s unredacted voter rolls on Monday, saying the Justice Department did not meet the legal standard for obtaining the records. U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai scheduled the hearing after letters from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi that also urged state support for federal immigration enforcement.
The U.S. Treasury Department has ended its contracts with Booz Allen Hamilton, citing the defense contractor's failure to safeguard confidential tax information. The decision follows the 2024 conviction of Charles Edward Littlejohn, a former Booz Allen employee who worked as an IRS contractor and was sentenced to five years in prison for leaking tax data about thousands of wealthy Americans, including President Donald Trump.
Former Alaska Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum deviated from state policy when investing $50 million in a private equity fund, according to an outside review released Monday. The investigation, conducted by D.C. law firm WilmerHale at Gov. Mike Dunleavy's direction, found that Crum failed to perform necessary due diligence before committing the funds to DigitalBridge and violated fiduciary duties under state law. The state ultimately lost roughly $859,000 on the investment after selling it to an Israeli insurance company.
A federal judge in Georgia dismissed a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit seeking voter information from the state, ruling the government filed the case in the wrong city. U.S. District Judge Ashley Royal ruled the Justice Department should have sued Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in Atlanta rather than in a separate federal judicial district in Macon.
A federal judge in Georgia dismissed a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit seeking voter information from the state Friday, ruling the government had sued in the wrong judicial district. U.S. District Judge Ashley Royal found the Justice Department should have sued Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in Atlanta rather than Macon, where the secretary of state maintains an office. The dismissal was issued without prejudice, meaning the Justice Department can refile the lawsuit. The dispute marks the latest setback for the Trump administration's effort to collect detailed voter data from states.
The Justice Department moved Friday to permanently seal a classified-documents report produced by former Special Counsel Jack Smith, calling it the "illicit product of an unlawful investigation and prosecution" that belongs in the "dustbin of history." The filing escalates a legal battle over whether Smith's report on his investigation into President Donald Trump's handling of sensitive documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate should be made public.
Philadelphia sued the Trump administration Thursday to reverse the removal of an exhibit documenting slavery at Independence National Historical Park, challenging an executive order directing federal agencies to review historical interpretations for "accuracy, honesty, and alignment with shared national values." The National Park Service removed the display detailing nine enslaved people who lived at the President's House when George and Martha Washington occupied the residence during Philadelphia's tenure as the nation's capital.
New York City sued Jordan McGraw and his production company this week for breach of contract over an unfinished documentary series about the New York Police Department, obtaining a court order that blocks them from releasing or selling footage from the show, tentatively titled "Behind the Badge."
Former special counsel Jack Smith testified Thursday that President Donald Trump caused the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the 2020 election results, according to his five-hour appearance before the House Judiciary Committee. Smith said Trump "sought to prey" on his supporters and "looked for ways to stay in power," culminating in the assault on the Capitol. "Our investigation revealed that Donald Trump is the person who caused Jan. 6, it was foreseeable to him, and that he sought to exploit the violence," Smith testified.
Former special counsel Jack Smith testified Thursday before the House Judiciary Committee to defend his investigations into President Donald Trump, insisting he had acted without political motive. "No one should be above the law in our country, and the law required that he be held to account," Smith said of Trump. The hourslong hearing split immediately along partisan lines, with Republican lawmakers seeking to undermine Smith while Democrats sought to elicit evidence of Trump's conduct.
President Donald Trump sued banking giant JPMorgan Chase and CEO Jamie Dimon for $5 billion on Thursday, alleging the bank closed his accounts in February 2021 for political reasons. The lawsuit, filed in Miami-Dade County court in Florida, claims JPMorgan terminated multiple accounts with just 60 days notice and no explanation, and placed Trump and his businesses on a "reputational blacklist" used to prevent future banking relationships.
President Donald Trump's budget office this week ordered most federal agencies to compile data on the federal money sent to 14 mostly Democratic-controlled states and the District of Columbia. According to a memo obtained by The Associated Press, the administration described the effort as a tool to "reduce the improper and fraudulent use of those funds." The order comes one week after Trump said he intended to cut off federal funding to states harboring "sanctuary cities" that resist his immigration policies, with the threatened action to begin Feb. 1. Trump has not disclosed implementation details.
Virginia's newly inaugurated Attorney General Jay Jones filed a motion Wednesday to withdraw from an agreement his predecessor made with the U.S. Department of Justice to invalidate the state's Dream Act, which allows undocumented immigrants to receive in-state tuition rates at Virginia colleges and universities. Jones took office this month as a Democrat, replacing Republican Jason Miyares, who had joined the federal government's legal challenge to the 2020 law.
Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar Jr. was indicted Thursday on five felony fraud charges for allegedly operating a private disinfecting business using county resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. The indictment comes four days after President Trump pardoned his brother, Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, in a separate federal bribery case. The sheriff appeared in federal court in Texas and was released on bond. He has pleaded not guilty.
Florida's attorney general released an opinion Monday questioning the constitutionality of roughly 80 state laws that support minority contracting and promote diverse hiring, drawing swift condemnation from Black lawmakers Thursday. James Uthmeier claimed the laws violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because "they mandate discrimination based on race," and said he would no longer enforce what he called their "discriminatory" provisions. The timing—on Martin Luther King Jr. Day—drew particular criticism from Democratic legislators, who characterized the move as a political stunt and a threat to decades of civil rights protections.
The Washington Post asked a federal court Wednesday for an order requiring the government to return electronic devices seized from reporter Hannah Natanson's Virginia home. A magistrate judge in Alexandria temporarily blocked the government from reviewing material from the seized devices and scheduled a February 6 hearing on the newspaper's request. The seizure was part of an investigation into a Pentagon contractor accused of handling classified documents.
Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith defended his investigations of President Donald Trump at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, saying “No one should be above the law.” Smith testified publicly after previously appearing behind closed doors and described the evidence he said prosecutors assembled in separate cases tied to Trump’s 2020 election loss and documents kept at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
The Trump administration is dropping its appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked an anti-diversity, equity and inclusion effort that threatened federal funding to schools and colleges. In a court filing Wednesday, the Education Department moved to dismiss its appeal, leaving in place an August decision by U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher that found the guidance violated the First Amendment and federal procedural rules.
The Internal Revenue Service announced a major leadership reorganization on Tuesday to improve taxpayer service and modernize the agency, according to Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano. The changes include naming Gary Shapley—a whistleblower who publicly testified about Hunter Biden tax investigations—as deputy chief of the Criminal Investigation division. Guy Ficco, the Criminal Investigation head, is set to retire, and Jarod Koopman will replace him while also serving as chief tax compliance officer. The agency is implementing new tax relief provisions for tips and overtime, along with deductions for older Americans.
A federal judge sentenced Joseph Bongiovanni, a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent who spent nearly two decades in law enforcement, to five years in prison Wednesday for using his position to shield childhood friends who ran a drug trafficking network in western New York.
Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez reversed course Tuesday, announcing that the state will investigate a 2022 case in which an unnamed state legislator accepted $35,000 in a paper bag from a bribery subject. Governor Josh Green and Lopez jointly determined that a state investigation is warranted in the public interest. The reversal follows weeks of mounting public pressure, including a citizen petition signed by more than 1,000 people and calls from lawmakers for disclosure of the legislator's identity.
A federal judge in Buffalo, New York sentenced former Drug Enforcement Administration agent Joseph Bongiovanni to five years in prison Wednesday for using his law enforcement position to protect childhood friends who ran a drug trafficking network. U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo imposed the sentence after a jury convicted Bongiovanni, 61, in 2024 on counts of obstruction of justice, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and making false statements to law enforcement. Prosecutors had sought 15 years.
William D. DeFoor, 26, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in federal court in Cincinnati to charges stemming from the January 5 vandalism of Vice President JD Vance's Ohio home. Prosecutors charged DeFoor with damaging government property, physical violence against property in a restricted building or grounds, and assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.
Lindsey Halligan, appointed by President Donald Trump to lead the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, left her position Tuesday after federal judges declared her appointment unlawful and issued orders preventing her from continuing in the role.
Communities across the United States held parades, church services, and rallies Monday for the 40th federal observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with many participants and organizers saying the current political climate gives the holiday renewed urgency. In Atlanta, speakers at Ebenezer Baptist Church — where King preached — called out what they described as attempts to rewrite the history of racial injustice. In Washington, hundreds braved cold weather to march along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. At Indiana University Indianapolis, administrators canceled a King Day dinner for the first time in 60 years. And in Westbrook, Maine, a church called off its service after reports that immigration enforcement agents were operating in the area.
The Trump administration’s firings and departures of career lawyers at the Justice Department have left many prosecutors and judges describing fear and uncertainty about whether they could be removed for doing their jobs, according to interviews and details from firings described by The Associated Press. The upheaval has continued into Pam Bondi’s early tenure as attorney general, including the dismissal of veteran prosecutor Michael Ben’Ary after he was leading a case tied to the Kabul airport bombing. The AP reported Friday that some of those leaving or being discharged described cases being pulled back, staff shortages and backlogs, and a broader erosion of institutional experience.
The Justice Department lost more than 6,400 lawyers, agents and other employees over the past year through firings and voluntary departures, as the Trump administration removed career staff it viewed as insufficiently loyal or tied to prior Democratic administrations, according to The Associated Press, which interviewed more than a half-dozen fired employees and a network of department alumni. Among those fired were counterterrorism prosecutors, Jan. 6 investigators, civil rights enforcers, immigration judges, an ethics officer and attorneys who defend administration policies in court. Attorney General Pam Bondi approaches her first year on the job with the terminations as a defining feature of her tenure.
A federal judge dismissed a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against California seeking detailed voting records and personal data on its 23 million registered voters, saying the request was “unprecedented and illegal.” The judge said the Trump administration “may not unilaterally usurp the authority over elections” without Congress, and warned that consolidating election power would threaten “the right to vote.” California’s top elections official said the state would continue to challenge the lawsuit.
New Jersey's attorney general sued the town of Clark and three current and former officials on Friday, alleging that former Mayor Sal Bonaccorso directed police to systematically stop and harass Black and Hispanic motorists while working to keep minorities out of the New York suburb. The complaint names Bonaccorso, suspended Police Chief Pedro Matos, and current Police Director Patrick Grady as defendants.
The Associated Press published an interactive quiz Thursday testing readers' knowledge of President Donald Trump's first year in his second term, arriving four days before the one-year anniversary of his Jan. 20, 2025, return to the White House. The quiz covers topics including Federal Reserve policy, U.S.-Iran relations, and the Kennedy Center Honors, according to topical metadata attached to the AP article.
President Donald Trump this week appointed four members to the Commission of Fine Arts, restoring a quorum to the federal panel that must review his proposed 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom addition. The appointments, revealed in court papers filed Thursday, set up a Jan. 22 commission meeting at which the administration's East Wing Modernization project is on the agenda. The panel had been unable to meet for months after Trump dismissed six of its members last fall.
The Trump administration on Friday delayed plans to resume seizing wages and federal tax refunds from Americans who have defaulted on federal student loans, reversing course weeks after announcing it would restart collections this month following a pandemic-era pause. The Education Department said both administrative wage garnishment and withholding of federal payments through the Treasury Offset Program will remain on hold while the agency finalizes new repayment options.
FBI agents searched a Washington Post reporter’s home in Virginia as part of a classified documents leak investigation, the Justice Department said. The search targeted reporter Hannah Natanson, while the Justice Department said the reporter and the newspaper were not targets of the probe, according to the Post.
Washington press freedom advocates raised alarm after federal agents searched Washington Post journalist Hannah Natanson’s home in Virginia this week, saying the action could deter reporting that relies on government whistleblowers. The Washington Post said the search targeted Natanson’s phone, laptops and a Garmin watch, while the Justice Department obtained a warrant connected to an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified materials. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the search was done at the request of the Defense Department and that Natanson was obtaining and reporting classified, illegally leaked information.
The Pentagon announced Thursday that it is directing Stars and Stripes, the congressionally protected military newspaper, to eliminate what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's spokesman called "woke distractions" and refocus content on service members. Hegseth's spokesman, Sean Parnell, said in a post on X that the publication would cover "warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability and ALL THINGS MILITARY," and that the Defense Department would generate half of its content while ending reprints from the Associated Press and Reuters. The publication's own publisher said he first learned of the changes by reading Parnell's social media post, not through any communication from the Pentagon.
The House Republican-led Select Committee on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack held its first hearing Wednesday in Washington, focused on the FBI's five-year investigation into pipe bombs planted outside Democratic and Republican party headquarters that day. Republicans on the panel challenged the established account of the attack, suggesting that Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol had been essentially misled into doing so, while portraying central militia groups as having been entrapped by the federal government. The top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, warned he and other Democrats would not remain silent.
A 55-year-old woman was jailed Thursday after intentionally driving her vehicle into a South Florida federal courthouse late Wednesday night, causing an estimated $200,000 in damage, West Palm Beach police said. No injuries were reported in the crash, which occurred after regular business hours at a downtown federal building.
More than six months after Hawaiʻi's Legislature approved a 20% pay raise for state public defenders, 101 attorneys have gone through 12 consecutive pay periods without seeing the increase in their paychecks, according to records obtained by Honolulu Civil Beat. Staffing shortages at the state Department of Budget and Finance — the agency responsible for processing salary adjustments for the Office of the Public Defender and six other state agencies — have stalled implementation of the raises that took effect July 1.
A federal grand jury indicted William D. DeFoor, 26, of Cincinnati on three counts Wednesday in connection with the early-January vandalism of Vice President JD Vance's Ohio home, according to the Associated Press. The charges include damaging government property, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers. DeFoor faces up to 20 years in prison on the most serious count.
The executive director of a nonpartisan group that supports Georgia prosecutors filed a court document Wednesday arguing that the state law President Donald Trump and co-defendants in the dismissed Georgia election interference case are using to seek millions of dollars in attorney fees is likely unconstitutional. Pete Skandalakis, who heads the Georgia Prosecuting Attorneys' Council and took over the case before dismissing it in November, wrote that the law has "serious and potentially unconstitutional deficiencies" because it denies county governments any due process when defendants seek reimbursement. Trump is seeking more than $6.2 million; together, Trump and other defendants have requested nearly $17 million, Skandalakis noted.
Democrats who appeared in a video urging troops to resist “illegal orders” said Wednesday that they have been contacted by prosecutors as part of an investigation led by the Trump administration. Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan said the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Columbia reached out to ask to interview her, after President Donald Trump accused the lawmakers of sedition over the video.
A federal grand jury indicted William D. DeFoor, 26, of Cincinnati on Wednesday on three federal charges in connection with the vandalism of Vice President JD Vance's Ohio home. According to federal prosecutors, DeFoor breached the property on Jan. 5 after midnight, armed with a hammer, breaking 14 historic window panes and attempting to damage an unmarked Secret Service vehicle. He faces up to 10 years in prison on each of the first two charges—damaging government property and engaging in physical violence against property in a restricted building—and up to 20 years on a third charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.
Tony Herbert, 61, who served as City Hall's liaison to New York City's public housing residents under former Mayor Eric Adams, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges of bribery, kickbacks, and fraud in Manhattan federal court. He was released on $50,000 bail after his arrest, according to the Associated Press.
The Justice Department on Tuesday accused a federal judge of abusing his power after he ordered a Trump-appointed prosecutor to explain why she continues to identify herself as a U.S. Attorney despite a ruling that her appointment was illegal. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Lindsey Halligan co-signed the department's response, calling the court's approach "a gross abuse of power and an affront to the separation of powers."
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that William D. DeFoor, 26, of Cincinnati, must remain jailed while awaiting trial on charges that he attacked Vice President JD Vance's Cincinnati home with a hammer on Jan. 5. Chief Magistrate Judge Stephanie Bowman issued the detention order, keeping DeFoor in Hamilton County jail ahead of a preliminary hearing set for Jan. 20 in federal district court in Cincinnati.
The Smithsonian Institution on Tuesday gave White House officials new documents detailing its planned exhibits, meeting a deadline set by the Trump administration, which has threatened to withhold federal funding unless the institution presents a more positive portrayal of American history. Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III told staff in an email, obtained by The New York Times and The Washington Post, that "we transmitted more information in response to that request." Bunch added the institution would continue to engage by providing "relevant and appropriate materials."
Jack Smith, the former Justice Department special counsel who led two criminal investigations into President Donald Trump, is scheduled to testify publicly before the House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 22, the panel's Republican chairman announced Monday. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio confirmed the hearing during a Fox News interview, and a spokesman for Smith said Tuesday that Smith would appear. The hearing follows a closed-door deposition Smith gave to the same committee last month, a transcript of which has since been released publicly.
The former chief executive of a California camp for children with chronic and life-threatening medical conditions faces 15 felony counts after prosecutors alleged he embezzled approximately $5.2 million from the nonprofit over seven years. Christopher L. Butler, 49, of Porter Ranch, California, was expected to be arraigned Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The Painted Turtle, based in Lake Hughes, California, is one of several camps for seriously ill children co-founded by the late actor Paul Newman.
A nonpartisan group backing Georgia prosecutors says a state law being used in the dismissed Fulton County election interference case is likely unconstitutional. In a Wednesday filing, Pete Skandalakis of the Georgia Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council said the law has “serious and potentially unconstitutional deficiencies,” including limits it places on county governments’ ability to contest fee and cost requests.
The Justice Department has accused a federal judge of abusing his power by pressing a Trump appointee, Lindsey Halligan, to explain why she still identifies as a U.S. attorney for Virginia after a court ruled she was illegally appointed. The dispute has become a separation-of-powers fight over how federal courts should handle Halligan’s continued use of the title.
A Colorado appeals panel on Wednesday appeared skeptical that a trial judge could use former county clerk Tina Peters’ public embrace of election conspiracy theories as part of the justification for sentencing her to nine years in prison for a data breach involving election equipment. The three-judge panel grilled state prosecutors over remarks made by District Court Judge Matthew Barrett during sentencing, including comments that the court said went beyond the crimes the jury convicted Peters of.
Democratic lawmakers who urged U.S. service members to resist “illegal orders” in a video message say they have been contacted by the Justice Department in an escalating probe. The lawmakers include Sen. Elissa Slotkin and House members Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan, and Maggie Goodlander, who said prosecutors reached out for interviews in recent days.
A federal judge in Manhattan on Monday rejected one of three brothers' bid to use his engagement and marriage as evidence of withdrawal from an alleged sex trafficking conspiracy, ruling the argument legally insufficient and barring the evidence from trial. Jury selection in the case is scheduled to begin the following week.
Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona sued the Pentagon on Monday, seeking to block a censure issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and halt proceedings that could strip the retired Navy captain of his military rank and cut his retirement pay. Kelly, a former U.S. Navy pilot, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., arguing that the Jan. 5 censure violated his First Amendment rights by punishing him for participating in a video that called on troops to refuse unlawful orders from the Trump administration. Kelly asked the court to declare the censure, any rank-reduction proceedings, and all related punishments "unlawful and unconstitutional." U.S. District Judge Leon, nominated by Republican President George W. Bush, scheduled a hearing for Thursday on Kelly's request for a temporary restraining order.
Washington's inspector general announced Monday that his office has opened an investigation into the Metropolitan Police Department's crime data reporting system, adding to two prior probes that found evidence of data misclassification but stopped short of recommending criminal charges. Inspector General Daniel Lucas said in a letter to interim police Chief Jeffery Carroll that his objective is to evaluate the design, implementation, and operation of MPD's internal controls for collecting, classifying, and reporting crime data.
President Donald Trump's motorcade took an alternate route to Palm Beach International Airport on Sunday after a suspicious object was discovered during pre-arrival security sweeps, the White House said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said further investigation of the object prompted the route change.
Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith is set to testify publicly before the House Judiciary Committee next week about his investigations into President Donald Trump, the panel’s Republican chairman said. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio told Fox News that Smith would appear on Jan. 22, and Smith’s spokesman confirmed the hearing.
The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery has removed references to President Donald Trump's two impeachments from his portrait display, the Associated Press reported Sunday, the latest apparent change at an institution Trump has accused of bias as his administration reshapes how federal museums document U.S. history. A new photograph of Trump — taken by White House photographer Daniel Torok and showing him with brow furrowed, leaning over his Oval Office desk — replaced an earlier image at the museum's "America's Presidents" exhibition. The accompanying text block that had described his first term, including his impeachments, was removed. As of Sunday, Trump was the only president in the gallery whose display did not include extended biographical text.
Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly sued the Pentagon on Monday, saying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is trying to punish him for warnings about “illegal orders” and that the action violates his free-speech rights. Kelly asked a federal court in Washington, D.C., to block a censure letter and related proceedings that could affect his retired military rank and retirement pay.
A federal judge in Seattle blocked most of President Donald Trump’s executive order on elections from being enforced against the vote-by-mail states of Washington and Oregon, according to court filings and lawyers’ statements. The order, issued in March, would require people to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote and would require all mail ballots to be received by Election Day.
Donald Trump’s administration has taken steps that a number of critics describe as retribution against officials who opposed the Republican president or did not comply with his preferences, according to an Associated Press review published Monday. The most recent focus is Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who said the Justice Department has subpoenaed the central bank and threatened criminal indictments. The review also describes cases involving former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and other former or current government officials.
A federal judge in Seattle on Friday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from enforcing most of his executive order on elections against Washington and Oregon, finding that requirements for documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and for all mail ballots to be received by Election Day exceeded the president's constitutional authority.
Brian J. Cole Jr. of Woodbridge, Virginia, pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges accusing him of planting two pipe bombs outside the national headquarters of both major political parties on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Cole faces two counts of transporting and attempting to use explosives, which together carry up to 30 years in prison, including a five-year mandatory minimum on one count.
A judge in upstate New York on Thursday ruled that a Trump administration prosecutor, John Sarcone, was unlawfully serving in the role of acting U.S. attorney, expanding a broader pattern of federal court decisions. The same judge also denied Sarcone’s request for a court order directing the IRS to disclose tax return information in a separate criminal investigation, saying Sarcone lacked the authority to seek the records.
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said Friday that Luigi Mangione's federal death penalty trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson could begin as early as December, setting a tentative schedule while she weighs defense motions to strip the case of its capital designation and dismiss two of the four charges against him. If the death penalty remains on the table, Garnett said, trial could begin in December or possibly January 2027; if it is removed, trial could start in October. Either way, she said, jury selection is expected to begin around Sept. 8.
Christopher Raia, the head of the FBI's New York field office, was named co-deputy director of the bureau Friday, replacing Dan Bongino following Bongino's recent departure, an FBI spokesperson said. Raia is scheduled to start next week.
Hackers broke into University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center servers in August and exposed Social Security numbers and other personal information belonging to participants in a cancer research study, according to a report the university submitted to the Hawaii Legislature in December. Four months after discovering the breach, the university had not yet notified the individuals whose data was stolen.
U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield ruled Thursday that a Trump administration prosecutor in upstate New York, John Sarcone, was unlawfully serving and that he lacked authority to seek tax return information in a criminal investigation.
A federal judge in Boston said Friday she expects to temporarily block efforts by the Trump administration to end Family Reunification Parole, a program that has offered temporary legal protections to more than 10,000 family members of U.S. citizens and green card holders. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said she planned to issue a temporary restraining order after a hearing, while scrutinizing whether the government gave adequate written notice to affected people.
A federal judge on Thursday disqualified the Trump administration's acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York from overseeing investigations into state Attorney General Letitia James, ruling that he had no lawful authority to hold the position. U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield blocked subpoenas that John Sarcone had sought seeking information about James' lawsuits against President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association, finding that the Justice Department had circumvented the statutory process for appointing interim prosecutors after district judges declined to extend Sarcone's tenure.
A federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocked the Trump administration from requiring Head Start grant applicants to strip out words associated with diversity, equity and inclusion, and barred the Department of Health and Human Services from laying off additional federal employees in its Office of Head Start. U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez issued the order Monday in a lawsuit brought by organizations representing Head Start providers and parents against HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other administration officials. The suit accuses the administration of illegally dismantling the six-decade-old early childhood program.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser amended a federal lawsuit Thursday, accusing the Trump administration of waging a "revenge campaign" against the state by cutting federal funds and ending programs after Colorado refused to release Tina Peters, a former Mesa County elections clerk serving a nine-year prison sentence for orchestrating a data breach scheme rooted in false claims about the 2020 election. Weiser linked a series of adverse federal actions directly to the administration's demands that Colorado free Peters and abandon its mail-in voting system.
The Senate voted Thursday without objection to display a plaque honoring police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack, acting during the fifth-anniversary week of the siege and amid a White House campaign to reshape the historical record of that day. The bipartisan floor action came after senators learned that the plaque — mandated by Congress more than three years ago and required by law to be installed in 2023 — had never been displayed at the Capitol, with many House lawmakers instead hanging replicas outside their office doors.
President Donald Trump has filed a motion seeking $6,261,613.08 in attorney fees and costs from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office after an election-interference case against him was dismissed, according to a filing reported by The Associated Press. The case was dismissed after prosecutors involved in the Georgia racketeering prosecution were removed from it over an “appearance of impropriety” tied to a romantic relationship between Willis and a special prosecutor.
Block Communications Inc. announced Wednesday it will cease publication of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on May 3, closing one of Pennsylvania's oldest newspapers after the company said two decades of financial losses had become unsustainable. The announcement came on the same day the U.S. Supreme Court declined PG Publishing Co. Inc.'s emergency appeal to halt a National Labor Relations Board order requiring the company to honor health care coverage terms from an expired union contract.
The Trump administration and Louisiana officials have lifted another decades-old school desegregation order in DeSoto Parish, where a federal judge approved a joint motion to dismiss a 1967 lawsuit. The order had required the district, a northwest Louisiana system of about 5,000 students, to eliminate segregation and provide regular progress reports.
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday criticized Luigi Mangione’s lawyers for making what they called “meritless” and “misleading” claims about Attorney General Pam Bondi’s ties to a lobbying firm and her decision to seek the death penalty in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Prosecutors said the defense wrongly claimed Bondi was continuing to receive income through the firm’s profit-sharing arrangement.
President Donald Trump filed a motion Wednesday seeking $6,261,613.08 in attorney fees and costs from the Fulton County District Attorney's office, invoking a Georgia law that entitles defendants to recoup legal expenses when a prosecutor is disqualified for misconduct and the case is subsequently dismissed. The filing comes two months after the election interference case against Trump and 18 co-defendants was dismissed, following the court-ordered removal of District Attorney Fani Willis.
The Montana Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that a proposed ballot initiative aimed at ending corporate spending in state political campaigns is unconstitutional, siding with Attorney General Austin Knudsen's earlier rejection of the measure. The initiative, backed by a group of former Montana public officeholders, would have prohibited corporations, nonprofits, and other incorporated entities from donating to campaigns and political committees — and would have closed a pathway through which individuals make anonymous political donations by routing money through corporate entities.
Aldrich Ames, a 31-year CIA veteran who admitted selling U.S. intelligence secrets to Moscow for $2.5 million and whose disclosures are blamed for the deaths of Western agents behind the Iron Curtain, died Monday in a Maryland prison. He was 84.
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division sued Connecticut and Arizona this week for refusing to provide detailed voter information, bringing to 23 the number of states the department has targeted in a broad effort to obtain voter registration data from states that have declined to comply. The department has also filed suit against the District of Columbia.
A federal judge disqualified a Trump administration prosecutor from overseeing investigations into New York Attorney General Letitia James, ruling that the prosecutor was not lawfully serving as an acting U.S. attorney. U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield, in an order issued Thursday, blocked subpoenas requested by John Sarcone, the acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York.
Captain Brandon Fisher, the Alaska Airlines pilot praised by the heads of the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Boeing executives for safely landing Flight 1282 after a door plug panel separated from the aircraft in January 2024, has sued Boeing in an Oregon court. Fisher's lawyers allege that Boeing, despite a federal finding that the blowout resulted from a manufacturing defect, attempted to shift blame onto him and the crew — leading some passengers to name Fisher in their own litigation against the manufacturer.
The Texas American Federation of Teachers filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Texas Education Agency and its commissioner, alleging the state launched an unconstitutional campaign of retaliation against public school employees who posted social media comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk following his killing in September. The suit accuses Commissioner Mike Morath of directing school districts to document educators' online posts that the agency described as "vile content" — actions the union argues violated teachers' First Amendment rights.
Ryan Thornton, 37, of Racine, Wisconsin, was sentenced to two years of probation after Dane County prosecutors dropped a felony stalking charge against him in exchange for guilty pleas on two misdemeanor counts, resolving a case in which he was accused of sending threatening emails to Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Jill Karofsky, according to court records.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott on Monday appointed two former federal prosecutors to the state's Supreme Court, naming Christina Nolan and Michael Drescher to fill two recent vacancies on the five-member court. Both appointments require confirmation by the Vermont Senate.
WASHINGTON — The fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol brought rival ceremonies to Washington on Tuesday but no shared memorial, as Republicans and Democrats diverged sharply in their accounts of the day that killed at least five people and reshaped American politics.
William D. DeFoor, 26, appeared in separate state and federal courtrooms in Cincinnati on Tuesday, facing charges that he broke the windows of Vice President JD Vance's Ohio home with a hammer during a late-night breach that Secret Service agents captured and interrupted before he could flee. Vance and his family were not home at the time.
A bipartisan House spending package released Monday allocates $32 million for operating expenses at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts through September 2027 — using the venue's original statutory name, not the "Trump Kennedy Center" branding the center's board adopted in December. The appropriation, released by House Speaker Mike Johnson, funds the center through Sept. 30, 2027 with no acknowledgment of the board's December rebranding vote, which added President Donald Trump's name alongside President John F. Kennedy's on the building's exterior and website.
As the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol arrived, the official plaque Congress ordered installed to honor the law enforcement officers who defended the building that day remained out of public view — its location not publicly known and believed to be in storage — and never formally unveiled by House Speaker Mike Johnson. The Trump administration's Justice Department, meanwhile, is seeking to dismiss a federal lawsuit by two officers demanding the marker be displayed as the 2022 law that created it requires.
A Cincinnati man was detained by U.S. Secret Service agents early Monday after breaking windows at Vice President JD Vance's Ohio home and vandalizing a federal vehicle, authorities said. William D. DeFoor, 26, faces federal charges including damaging government property and assaulting federal officers, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Ohio's southern district. Vance and his family were not at the residence at the time, having returned to Washington the day before.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday that he censured Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, initiating proceedings that could result in a demotion from Kelly's retired rank of Navy captain and a reduction in his retirement pay. The censure, a formal letter that Hegseth described as "a necessary process step," follows Kelly's participation in a November video in which six Democratic lawmakers called on U.S. service members to uphold the Constitution and defy "illegal orders."
A federal judge on Monday reduced former Republican state Rep. Robin Smith's prison sentence to one year of probation, sparing her incarceration after President Donald Trump had pardoned the two co-conspirators whose corruption convictions Smith's testimony helped secure.
Five years after the Jan. 6, 2021 siege of the U.S. Capitol, officers who defended the building say they are still dealing with physical injuries, psychological trauma, and a public narrative that has played down the violence they encountered. For several officers, President Donald Trump's pardons of approximately 1,500 people convicted for their roles in the attack compounded wounds that had not healed. On Jan. 20, 2025 — the day of Trump's second inauguration — former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell put his phone on silent and stepped away from the news. That evening, calls flooded in from federal prosecutors, FBI agents, and the federal Bureau of Prisons, all notifying him that Trump had just pardoned rioters who had injured him. "They told me that people I testified against were being released from prison," Gonell said. "And to be mindful."
A federal judge dismissed Louisville’s proposed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over police reforms after the Justice Department withdrew its support earlier this year, according to a ruling reported by The Associated Press. The deal, spurred by the 2020 death of Breonna Taylor, would have required changes aimed at curbing alleged racial bias and excessive force.
A federal magistrate judge on Friday refused to order the pretrial release of Brian J. Cole Jr., who is charged with planting two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican national parties on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh ruled that no conditions of release could reasonably protect the public from the danger prosecutors say Cole poses. Cole’s attorneys asked for home detention with GPS monitoring, saying he does not pose a danger and has autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
President Donald Trump said he is dropping for now his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, a move that came after court rulings blocked parts of the plan. In a post on Wednesday, Trump said the federal troop presence was responsible for crime drops but that he would “come back” when crime rises again.
A federal magistrate judge refused to order the pretrial release of Brian J. Cole Jr., who is charged with planting two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican national parties on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh ruled that no conditions could reasonably protect the public from the danger prosecutors say Cole poses.
A federal judge in Kentucky dismissed Louisville’s proposed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over police reforms after the department withdrew support of the plan earlier this year. U.S. District Judge Benjamin Beaton ruled Dec. 31 that Louisville’s compliance obligations must remain with elected city representatives.
2025 was a rough year for media workers, with the Committee to Protect Journalists saying the number of journalists killed worldwide by early December matched 2024’s total and that impunity remains a central obstacle to accountability. In the United States, the AP reported 170 reports of assaults on journalists in 2025, with 160 attributed to law enforcement, while PEN America’s Tim Richardson said the assault on the press has been among the most aggressive in modern times.
The Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol “does not happen” without former President Donald Trump, former special counsel Jack Smith told members of the House Judiciary Committee in a closed-door deposition released this week. Smith, in the Dec. 17 interview, characterized Trump as “the most culpable and most responsible person” in the criminal effort to overturn the 2020 election results.
In a closed-door deposition before the House Judiciary Committee, former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers that his investigators “developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that President Donald Trump criminally conspired to overturn the 2020 election results. Smith also said his team accumulated “powerful evidence” that Trump unlawfully hoarded classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and obstructed efforts to retrieve them, according to portions of his opening statement obtained by The Associated Press.
Attorneys for President Donald Trump urged a federal judge to rule that Trump is protected by presidential immunity from civil claims tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta did not rule from the bench after arguments on Friday from Trump lawyers and from lawyers for Democratic members of Congress who brought the case.
President Donald Trump said he is dropping “for now” his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, after legal challenges blocked parts of the effort, according to a Wednesday social media post. Legal roadblocks previously prevented the Guard from operating on the streets in Portland and from being deployed in the Chicago area, while Los Angeles troops were removed earlier this year.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he has abandoned, at least for now, his effort to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland after courts blocked the initiative at nearly every stage. "We will be back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime spikes again," Trump wrote on social media. "Just a matter of time."
Several artists have canceled upcoming appearances at the Kennedy Center after the facility added President Donald Trump’s name, prompting new withdrawals including a jazz group that pulled out of a New Year’s Eve show and a New York dance company that canceled a planned April performance.
Florida wildlife officials said 52 black bears were killed during the state’s first black bear hunt in a decade, which ran from Dec. 6 to Sunday. The hunt was limited to 172 permit holders who won vouchers through a random lottery drawn from more than 160,000 applicants. Critics, including the Florida chapter of the Sierra Club, questioned the hunt’s management and said the state withheld details about the kill count.
A federal judge blocked a White House effort to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, ruling the agency should continue receiving money through the Federal Reserve even as a court fight over layoffs continues. The decision came days before the bureau’s funding would have likely run out, according to the court opinion.
NEW YORK — A federal district court judge blocked the White House from stopping funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, ruling that the CFPB should keep getting money from the Federal Reserve, so employees can keep getting paid. The decision came days before the bureau’s funds would have likely run out, according to the court.
The president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday criticized musician Chuck Redd for canceling a Christmas Eve performance days after the White House announced President Donald Trump’s name would be added to the center. Richard Grenell said he would seek $1 million in damages, writing that the withdrawal was “classic intolerance” and “very costly” to the nonprofit. Redd said he canceled after seeing the renaming on the Kennedy Center website and then on the building.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Brian J. Cole Jr., accused of placing two pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican national committees’ headquarters in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, told FBI agents he targeted the political parties because they were “in charge,” according to a Justice Department memo. Prosecutors said the man also expressed sympathy for claims that the 2020 election was stolen and told investigators someone needed to “speak up” for people who believed the vote was “tampered with.”
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused an emergency request by the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area, leaving in place a federal judge’s order blocking the plan for now. The justices declined to overturn a ruling by U.S. District Judge April Perry that had stopped the deployment tied to the administration’s immigration crackdown.
The Kennedy Center said artists are canceling performances after President Donald Trump’s name was added to the facility, with new withdrawals announced this week. The Cookers pulled out of “A Jazz New Year’s Eve,” Doug Varone and Dancers canceled a scheduled April performance, and Chuck Redd canceled a Christmas Eve show last week, according to The Associated Press. The announcements come as the venue faces declining ticket sales and weaker viewership for the Dec. 23 broadcast of the Kennedy Center Honors.
The Kennedy Center’s president, Richard Grenell, threatened a $1 million lawsuit on Friday after jazz musician Chuck Redd cancelled his annual Christmas‑Eve Jazz Jam in protest of the venue’s recent renaming that adds former President Donald Trump’s name to the building’s exterior.
A federal district court judge ruled Tuesday that the White House cannot stop funding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau through the Federal Reserve, a decision aimed at keeping the CFPB able to pay its employees. The ruling came as the administration argued the bureau would run out of money based on the Fed’s “combined earnings” for the agency.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Brian J. Cole Jr., accused of placing two pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican national committees on Jan. 6, 2021, told FBI investigators he targeted U.S. political parties because they were “in charge,” according to a Justice Department memo prosecutors cited in seeking to keep him detained.
