Law

National

Attorney General Jeff Sessions Orders Tougher Sentences For Drug Defendants

5:35pm May 12, 2017

by Martin Kaste

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a reversal of the Obama-era "smart on crime" policy on drug cases. Federal prosecutors now have less freedom to opt for lesser charges with shorter sentences.

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe (from left), Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Vincent Stewart and Nation

4 Big Intelligence Stories You Missed Amid The Comey Headlines This Week

4:19pm May 12, 2017

by Philip Ewing

There's a lot more going on in the shadowy world of America's spies than just the controversy over the abrupt dismissal of James Comey as director of the FBI.

New York Reacts To Firing Of FBI Director James Comey

Friday News Roundup - Domestic

3:18pm May 12, 2017

The controversial firing of FBI Director James Comey dominated the news this week. Guest host John Donvan and a panel of journalists discuss that and other happenings around the U.S., including the Texas governor's ban on sanctuary cities and how Shaquille O'Neal might do as a sheriff.

Protesters march during a May Day demonstration outside of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office on May 1, 2017 in San Francisco, California.

Where ICE Already Has Direct Lines to Law-Enforcement Databases With Immigrant Data

1:44pm May 12, 2017

by George Joseph

Immigration and Customs Enforcement documents show that for years, law enforcement in hundreds of jurisdictions, including major sanctuary cities, are feeding information into regional databases.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions addresses the Sergeants Benevolent Association of New York City at an event Friday in Washington, D.C. During his speech, Sessions said federal prosecutors "deserve to be unhandcuffed and not micromanaged from Washington."

National

Sessions Tells Prosecutors To Seek 'Most Serious' Charges, Stricter Sentences

1:19pm May 12, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

The move, which was announced in a memo, reverses an Obama-era recommendation that asked federal prosecutors not to hit low-level drug offenders with charges that carry mandatory minimum sentences.

The cast of "Miss Saigon" takes part in the curtain call on opening night at the Broadway Theatre on March 23, 2017 in New York City.

This Week In Race: Census Worries, Yellowface And Kendall Jenner. Again.

8:48am May 12, 2017

by Karen Grigsby Bates

In this edition: posers, pretenders and passers.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions at a speech in April.

Recused And Accused: Critics Say Sessions Should Have Stayed Out Of Comey Firing

5:00am May 12, 2017

by Scott Horsley

Attorney General Sessions' recommendation that President Trump fire the FBI Director has raised eyebrows. Sessions had promised to keep his distance from an investigation of last year's campaign.

Queue Listen Now

A plaque memorializes 29 miners killed in a 2010 explosion at a Massey Energy mine in West Virginia. Former Massey CEO Don Blankenship wants the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn his conviction on charges of willfully violating mine safety and health standar

National

Convicted Coal Mine CEO Is Taking His Case To The U.S. Supreme Court

7:35pm May 11, 2017

by Howard Berkes

Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship announced his plan to appeal after he completed a one-year federal prison sentence for conspiracy to violate federal mine safety laws.

Former Rep. Corrine Brown — seen talking with the press in Tallahassee, Fla., in 2015 — was convicted Thursday of more than a dozen charges in her federal fraud trial.

Former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown Convicted Of Stealing From Phony Charity

5:05pm May 11, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

Prosecutors alleged the Florida Democrat and her chief of staff pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars they'd raised for scholarships — and jurors agreed, convicting her of conspiracy and fraud.

National

Arizona Radio Station Stops Airing Advice On Hiding Child Pornography

3:41pm May 11, 2017

by Bill Chappell

"In many cases, the penalty for possession of pictures is worse than the penalty for murder," the owner of a country music station stated in a PSA that ran for around two years.