Deputy accused of sexual abuse

A Texas sheriff's deputy is accused of a crime so heinous that his boss said it's "disgusting and infuriating." Bexar County Deputy Jose Nunez, 47, allegedly sexually assaulted a 4-year-old girl -- then told the girl's mother, an undocumented immigrant, that she would be deported if she told authorities.

Trial of former New England mob boss accused of murder to wrap up

R: Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, Stephen Flemmi, Francis Salemme Jr and Luigi Manocchio appear in a U.S. government surveillance phot BOSTON - Jurors are due to hear closing arguments on Monday in the trial of a former New England mob boss and an associate accused of participating in the 1993 murder of a Boston nightclub manager whose remains were discovered in Rhode Island two years ago. Federal prosecutors in Boston will make their final case for why jurors should find Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme, 84, and Paul Weadick, 63, guilty for participating in the slaying of Steven DiSarro.

ND Republican’s Senate campaign ‘fact-checking’ website…

"Heitkamp's talk of deficits is pure speculation and none of it takes into account the economic growth the Trump pro-growth agenda is delivering." - statement on the website Get the Facts ND, June 4, 2018 One pernicious response to the growth of political fact-checking is the trend by politicians to create their own faux fact-checking websites.

At the Border: Families Torn Apart

From Texas Monthly: "What's Really Happening at the Border " -- an interview with Anne Chandler, "executive director of the Houston office of the nonprofit Tahirih Justice Center, which focuses on helping immigrant women and children, she has been traveling to the border and to detention centers, listening to the parents' stories." What they do: care.

Congress tackles mounting opioid epidemic

House Republicans are beefing up their efforts to tackle the nation's deadly opioid crisis, but some experts question how effective their piecemeal approach will be. Congress is touting its recent flurry of action - the House is on track to pass more than 50 bills addressing the issue by the end of this week - on an issue that is hitting many constituents hard, and one that lawmakers are sure to hear about on the campaign trail this year.

Trump’s drug-cost plan tests ’03 law

In his effort to bring down prescription drug prices, President Donald Trump is testing the limits of a law that prohibits the government from interfering in negotiations between drug manufacturers and the insurance companies that provide drug coverage to more than 42 million people on Medicare. The prohibition was adopted 15 years ago when a Republican-controlled Congress added drug benefits to Medicare, and since then Republicans have repeatedly invoked it to quash Democratic demands for the government to rein in drug costs.

Beto O’Rourke to march to Tornillo tent city for immigrant children

U.S. Rep Beto O'Rourke announced he is leading a march on Father's Day to the tent camp that is housing immigrant children in Tornillo. O'Rourke, who is currently running against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, sent an email out announcing the march, which will start at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at 18051 Island Guadalupe Rd. He also posted about the march on Twitter.

Kim Kardashian West to Jerry Brown: Test the DNA of Kevin Cooper

Kim Kardashian West, coming off her a recent a success in getting President Trump to pardon a grandmother serving a life sentence, has taken to Twitter to ask California Gov. Jerry Brown to give San Quentin death row inmate Kevin Cooper the DNA tests he has been denied, tests which could prove his innocence. a Cooper has been imprisoned for 34 years for a a savage crime he insists he did not commit-the slaughter of chiropractors and Arabian horse breeders Doug and Peggy Ryen, both 47, their 10-year-old daughter Jessica, and her 11-year-old friend Christopher Hughes, in 1983.

The Unsinkable Scott Pruitt?

Conservatives crave sticking their middle fingers in the faces of their real or perceived ideological adversaries. To that end, one can't help wondering if the reason Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt-surely among the top five names on any list of the most corrupt Cabinet members in United States history-still has a job is because Trump knows that Pruitt's continued presence in his position serves as a constant irritant to progressives.

Trump’s Drug Pricing Plan Tests Limits of the Law

In his effort to bring down prescription drug prices, President Trump is testing the limits of a law that prohibits the government from interfering in negotiations between drug manufacturers and insurance companies that provide drug coverage to more than 42 million people on Medicare. The prohibition was adopted 15 years ago when a Republican Congress added drug benefits to Medicare, and since then Republicans have repeatedly invoked it to quash Democratic demands for the government to rein in drug costs.

Democrats unveil new policies before gubernatorial primary

Democrats vying for Michigan governor head into the final two months of their primary fight with a number of new policy initiatives in hand, including a single-payer system of universal health care, a college scholarship program and a plan to offset child care costs so women can work. The first Democrat-only televised debate is Wednesday, a natural forum for the three candidates to tout their agendas to a broader audience after several weeks of unveiling fresh items.

Problems at the Justice Department and FBI Are Serious

And when finally called on it, the Justice Department circled the wagons: proceeding with its tainted prosecution, referring the now-retired Chaves for an internal investigation that has gone exactly nowhere after nearly two years, and using legal maneuvers to block the courts and the public from scrutinizing the scope of the misconduct. The Ethos of Law Enforcement It has become a refrain among defenders of the FBI and Justice Department that critics are trying to destroy these vital institutions.

Trump Insiders Are Said to Seek Pardon for Milken, King of Junk

Some of President Donald Trump's closest confidants have urged him to pardon Michael Milken, the 1980s "junk bond king" who has unsuccessfully sought for decades to reverse his securities fraud conviction, according to people familiar with the matter. The idea of a Milken pardon is being supported by Anthony Scaramucci, the financier who briefly directed White House communications; Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin; and Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, the people said.

Farmers in Trump country protest Pruitt’s ethanol policies

Deep in the heart of Trump country, Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt is being met with protests by farmers and ethanol producers concerned that he is undermining the industry with his strong support of oil and gas. Their unhappiness is being broadcast on billboards, at rallies and in meetings the EPA chief is holding during a tour of heartland states, and comes as Pruitt battles a series of allegations of ethical misconduct back in Washington.

Trump Insiders Seek Pardon for Milken, King of Junk

Some of President Donald Trump's closest confidants have urged him to pardon Michael Milken, the 1980s "junk bond king" who has unsuccessfully sought for decades to reverse his securities fraud conviction, according to people familiar with the matter. The idea of a Milken pardon is being supported by Anthony Scaramucci, the financier who briefly directed White House communications; Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin; and Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, the people said.

FBI’s decisions not politically-motivated but still harmful: DOJ watchdog

FBI Director James Comey makes a statement regarding Hillary Clinton's emails at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., July 5, 2016. The Justice Department's internal watchdog has concluded that the FBI's most controversial decisions during the 2016 presidential election were not politically-motivated, but the FBI's reputation has nonetheless been gored by the actions of some of its agents -- findings that come after a nearly two-year assault on the FBI by Donald Trump and other Republicans alleging FBI officials allowed political considerations to influence investigations.

House to vote on a dangerousa bill to escalate drug war, potentially ban kratom

In an effort to show the House of Representatives is serious about taking on the opioid overdose problem, the House is considering dozens of bills dealing with the issue. Among them is H.R. 2851, The Stop Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Analogues Act, which would significantly expand the powers of the Department of Justice to unilaterally prohibit synthetic drugs chemically similar to currently banned drugs and determine penalties accordingly.

In reversal, Trump signs order stopping family separation

Bowing to pressure from anxious allies, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday ending the process of separating children from families after they are detained crossing the U.S. border illegally. It was a dramatic turnaround for Trump, who has been insisting, wrongly, that his administration had no choice but to separate families apprehended at the border because of federal law and a court decision.