Divided Supreme Court sides with businesses over workers

A divided Supreme Court ruled Monday that businesses can prohibit their workers from banding together in disputes over pay and conditions in the workplace, a decision that affects an estimated 25 million non-unionized employees. With the court's five conservative members in the majority, the justices held that individual employees can be forced to use arbitration, not the courts, to air complaints about wages and overtime.

Democrats’ newest midterm pitch: A crackdown on corruption

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arrive to speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 22, 2018. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arrive to speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 22, 2018.

Texas school shooting suspect won’t face death penalty

Accused Santa Fe HS shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, won't face the death penalty if he is convicted of capital murder , and could be paroled when he's 57, thanks to two US Supreme Court rulings. A 2005 decision made it unconstitutional for anyone under 18 at the time of their crime to face execution, and a 2012 ruling outlawed life without parole.

Legislation would make attack aboard train federal crime

U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and John Hoeven of North Dakota marked the anniversary of the shooting of an Amtrak conductor in suburban Chicago with the introduction of legislation that would make such an attack a federal crime. On Wednesday, the Democrat Duckworth and the Republican Hoeven introduced the Passenger Rail Crew Protection Parity Act that calls for those suspected of assaulting or intimidating rail crewmembers to be charged under federal law.

Prosecutor Will No Longer Request Bail for Small Crimes

A Florida prosecutor who got into a legal fight with the governor for her blanket refusal to seek the death penalty now says her office will no longer request monetary bail bonds for defendants accused of low-level crimes. Instead, prosecutors in the Orlando-area jurisdiction of State Attorney Aramis Ayala will recommend releasing defendants on their own recognizance for crimes involving possession of small amounts of cannabis, driving without a license, panhandling, disorderly conduct or loitering.

Trump reversal of mining pollution rule challenged in court

Environmental groups challenged the Trump administration in federal court Wednesday over its rejection of an Obama-era proposal that would have required mining companies to prove they have enough money to clean up their pollution. The Idaho Conservation League, Earthworks, Sierra Club and other groups filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. asking it to review last year's move to drop the rule.

2 on death row for killing Houston police lose appeals

A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal from a Houston police officer's convicted killer whose attorneys argued the presence of uniformed officers during his trial prevented him from receiving a fair trial. Lawyers for 50-year-old death row inmate Shelton Jones told the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that nearly two dozen officers who attended Jones' trial daily implied to jurors that they must convict him of fatally shooting Houston Sgt.

Marino moves on to November

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Sanctuary cities could get boost from sports betting ruling

A man watches a baseball game in the sports book at the South Point hotel-casino, Monday, May 14, 2018, in Las Vegas. The Supreme Court on Monday gave its go-ahead for states to allow gambling on sports across the nation, striking down a federal law that barred betting on football, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states.

High court gambling ruling could aid sanctuary cities’ fight

In President Donald Trump's former life as a casino owner, he might have cheered Monday's ruling from the Supreme Court that struck down a federal law that barred every state but Nevada from allowing betting on most sporting events. But the Trump administration opposed the outcome reached by the high court at least in part because it could signal trouble in its legal fight against so-called sanctuary states and cities.

Watchdog: EPA’s Pruitt demanded 24/7 armed security on Day 1

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt demanded and received unprecedented around-the-clock armed security protection on his very first day, according to new details disclosed Monday by the agency's internal watchdog. EPA Inspector General Arthur Elkins said in letters to Democratic senators that Pruitt himself initiated the 24-hour-a day protection.