The Justice Department is ramping up its efforts to reduce violent crime in the U.S., launching a specialized gun intelligence center in Chicago and expanding task forces to curb carjackings.
Stories by associated press
Justice Department Ramps up Efforts to Reduce Violent Crime With Gun Intel Center, Carjacking Forces
New Leader of Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition Steps Down Just Months After Taking the Job
The Rev. Frederick Haynes III told The Associated Press that he submitted a letter with his resignation as head of the Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH Coalition, effective immediately.
Biden’s Latest Plan for Student Loan Cancellation Moves Forward as a Proposed Regulation
It’s a more targeted proposal than the one the U.S. Supreme Court struck down last year. The new plan uses a different legal basis and seeks to cancel or reduce loans for more than 25 million Americans.
Chicago Woman Pleads Guilty, Gets 50 Years for Cutting Child From Victim’s Womb
Prosecutors have said Clarisa Figueroa strangled 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez with a cable on April 23, 2019, after luring the teenager to her home with the promise of free clothing for her unborn child. Ochoa-Lopez was nine months pregnant.
Trump Trial: Why Can’t Americans See or Hear What is Going on Inside the Courtroom?
It’s a moment in history — the first U.S. president facing criminal charges in an American courtroom. Yet only a handful of observers are able to see or even hear what is going on. New York state law regarding media coverage of court proceedings is one of the most restrictive in the country.
Biden Administration Recruits 15 States, Including Illinois, to Help Enforce Airline Consumer Laws
Under U.S. law, the federal government alone regulates consumer-protection laws covering airlines. The carriers are not legally required to respond to state investigations. Consumer advocates have pushed to expand enforcement power to the states.
Trump’s Historic Hush-Money Trial Underway; 1st Day Ends Without Any Jurors Being Picked
It’s the first criminal trial of any former U.S. commander-in-chief and the first of Trump’s four indictments to go to trial.
Tax Day Reveals a Major Split in How Joe Biden and Donald Trump Would Govern
Tax Day reveals a major split in how Joe Biden and Donald Trump would govern: The presidential candidates have conflicting ideas about how much to reveal about their own finances and the best ways to boost the economy through tax policy.
8-Year-Old Girl Killed, 10 People Including Small Children Wounded in Southwest Side Shooting: Chicago Police
Four victims were children, police said Sunday. An 8-year-old girl was fatally shot, while a 1-year-old boy and a 8-year-old boy were each shot multiple times and listed in critical condition.
‘I’m Dying, You’re Not’: Terminally Ill Patients Ask More States to Legalize Physician-Assisted Death
A bill moving through the Illinois legislature to allow certain terminally ill patients to end their own lives with a doctor’s help had made progress. Vermont and Oregon permit any qualifying American to travel to their state for the practice.
Robert MacNeil, Creator and First Anchor of PBS ‘NewsHour’ Nightly Newscast, Dies at 93
Robert MacNeil first gained prominence for his coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings for the public broadcasting service and began his half-hour “Robert MacNeil Report” on PBS in 1975 with his friend Jim Lehrer as Washington correspondent.
Man Accused of Lighting Fire Outside Bernie Sanders’ Office Had AK-47 Confiscated in Illinois Last Year
Security video shows Shant Michael Soghomonian throwing liquid at the bottom of a door opening into Sanders’ third-floor office in Vermont and setting it on fire with a lighter last Friday, law enforcement officials say.
OJ Simpson, Fallen Football Hero Acquitted of Murder in ‘Trial of the Century,’ Dies at 76
Simpson earned fame, fortune and adulation through football and show business, but his legacy was forever changed by the June 1994 knife slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles.
Arizona Can Enforce an 1864 Law Criminalizing Nearly All Abortions, Court Says
Under the decision, a long-dormant law that predates Arizona’s statehood would take effect. It provides no exceptions for rape or incest, but allows abortions if a mother’s life is in danger. Enforcement can take effect in 14 days.
Appeals Court Rejects Donald Trump’s Latest Attempt to Delay April 15 Hush Money Criminal Trial
Justice Cynthia Kern’s ruling was the second time in as many days that the state’s mid-level appeals court refused to postpone the trial, set to begin next week, further narrowing any plausible path to the delay that Trump’s legal team has repeatedly sought.
A Total Solar Eclipse Races Across North America as Clouds Part Along Totality
It promised to be North America’s biggest eclipse crowd ever, thanks to the densely populated path and the lure of more than four minutes of midday darkness in Texas and other choice spots. Almost everyone in North America was guaranteed at least a partial eclipse, weather permitting.
Biden Promotes ‘Life-Changing’ Student Loan Relief in Wisconsin Ahead of Chicago Campaign Event
President Joe Biden said Monday that college graduates would see “life-changing” relief from his new plan to ease debt burdens for more than 30 million borrowers, the latest attempt by the Democratic president to make good on a campaign promise that could buoy his standing with young voters.
State Republicans Killed an Indiana City’s Lawsuit to Stop Illegal Gun Sales. Why?
Gary, Indiana, was among dozens of U.S. cities to sue major gun-makers and sellers in reaction to the out-of-control homicide rates and violent crime of the 1990s.
An Earthquake Centered Between NYC and Philadelphia Rattles Much of the Northeast
While there were no immediate reports of serious damage, officials were checking bridges and other major infrastructure, Amtrak slowed trains throughout the busy Northeast Corridor, and a Philadelphia-area commuter rail line suspended service out of what it said was “an abundance of caution.”
Former Donald Trump Officials Among the Most Vocal Opponents of Returning Him to the White House
As Donald Trump seeks the presidency for a third time, he is being vigorously opposed by a vocal contingent of former officials who are stridently warning against his return to power and offering dire predictions for the country and the rule of law if his campaign succeeds.
Federal Report Finds 68,000 Guns Were Illegally Trafficked Through Unlicensed Dealers Over 5 Years
The guns were used in 368 shooting cases, which are harder to investigate because unlicensed dealers aren’t required to keep records of their sales that could allow federal agents to trace the weapon back to the original buyer.
Another Month of Robust US Job Growth Points to Continued Economic Strength
Friday’s report from the Labor Department also showed that the unemployment rate dipped from 3.9% to 3.8%. The jobless rate has now remained below 4% for 26 straight months, the longest such streak since the 1960s.
When Voters Say ‘No’ to New Stadiums, What Do Professional Sports Teams Do Next?
he defeat Tuesday of a three-eighths cent sales tax to fund a new downtown Royals ballpark and renovate the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium was almost assuredly not the end of the matter. Other teams and cities have faced similar setbacks, and that hasn’t slowed a wave of stadium construction underway across the U.S.
Powerball Jackpot Jumps to $1.23 Billion After Another Drawing Without a Big Winner
The jackpot, which now ranks as the eighth-largest in U.S. lottery history, has been growing for more than three months, reflecting the long odds of 1 in 292.2 million of winning the top prize.
Lawsuit Seeks to Force Ban on Menthol Cigarettes After Months of Delays by Biden Administration
The lawsuit is the latest effort to force the government to ban menthols, which are disproportionately used by Black smokers and young people. It comes amid growing concerns from advocates that the federal plan could be derailed by election-year politics.
Prosecutors in Donald Trump’s Classified Documents Case Sharply Rebuke Judge’s Unusual and ‘Flawed’ Order
In an unusual order, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had asked prosecutors and defense lawyers to formulate proposed jury instructions for most of the charges even though it remains unclear when the case might reach trial.
