Imprisoned Blagojevich awaits Obama decision on commutation

In this July 15, 2011 file photo, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich arrives at the federal courthouse in Chicago. Blagojevich is asking a U.S. appeals court to nullify his 14-year prison term and order a third sentencing hearing.

Assange: Clinton win would have been a ‘consolidation of power’ in the U.S.

Hillary Rodham Clinton Assange: Clinton win would have been 'consolidation of power' Assange praises Trump for bringing 'opportunities for change' America's Jews are at war MORE in a new interview, denying that any documents he released during the presidential campaign were damaging to the former Democratic nominee. Assange said he has been publishing documents on Clinton "for years" and that the leaks during the campaign were no different, he told Italian newspaper la Repubblica in an interview first published by The Guardian.

US defence bill: More security cooperation with India, conditional aid for Pakistan

Washington, Dec 24 : US President Barack Obama has signed a $618 billion defence policy bill which when in place, will enhance security cooperation with India. [NK US] The National Defence Authorization Act , which was passed by both the House and the Senate with veto-proof majorities earlier this month, was signed by Obama on Friday in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he is currently vacationing.

Blagojevich seeks presidential commutation of prison term

Imprisoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is seeking a presidential commutation of his 14-year sentence on a corruption conviction. U.S. Department of Justice spokeswoman Dena Iverson said Friday the department has received a petition for commutation from Blagojevich.

James Gill: What to do with death row? Some say speed it up, others say kill it

Advocate staff photo by Richard Alan Hannon -- An aerial view of the offices and death row area of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, shot in 2011. Advocate staff photo by Richard Alan Hannon -- An aerial view of the offices and death row area of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, shot in 2011.

Prosecutors: ‘Making a Murderer’ inmate’s confession legal

A Wisconsin inmate featured in the Netflix series "Making a Murderer" has no basis for his claims that his confession wasn't voluntary and shouldn't be released from prison as a judge has ordered, state attorneys argued in a court filing. Brendan Dassey, now 27, was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 in the death of photographer Teresa Halbach two years earlier.

How Trump Can Repeal and Replace DACA

The issue of illegal immigration was a central plank in the campaign of President-elect Donald Trump and played no small role in getting him elected to the White House. His populist, "America First" position spoke to the economic anxieties of many Americans, and it could be argued that he has a mandate to make immigration enforcement a key priority in the first year of his presidency.

Who elected Putin master of the GOP? | Editorial

If America lets Russia get away with this cyberattack, who will be the next target? Russia launched cyberattacks into our election, and senior U.S. intelligence officials now say they have "high confidence" Vladimir Putin ordered the hacking and was personally involved in deciding how the stolen material was leaked and used. We can't just shrug that off and say there's nothing to be done.

Death penalty falls to new low as voters seek resurgence

Use of the death penalty in the United States fell to a historic low in 2016, even as voters in three states passed ballot initiatives in support of capital punishment, according to a year-end report from the Death Penalty Information Center . Thirty death sentences are expected to be imposed by the end of the year - a 39 percent decrease from 2015 - marking the lowest number of executions in a single year since 1972, the beginning of a four-year moratorium on capital punishment.

Courts could be a firewall if Trump seeks to expand presidential powers

President-elect Donald Trump speaks Dec. 13 at the Wisconsin State Fair Exposition Center during his thank you tour. Donald Trump is moving into a White House that has seen presidential powers markedly expanded by its previous two occupants.

Obama makes final push on key legacy areas

President Barack Obama, as his tenure draws to a close, is deploying his legal authority in a last-minute bid to cement the areas of his legacy threatened by Donald Trump's incoming administration. Obama has tasked his staff with locating as many areas as possible where his top agenda items could be calcified and protected from Trump's wrecking ball, according to officials.

Death sentences decline sharply as public attitudes shift

Only 30 people were sentenced to death in the United States this year, the lowest number since the early 1970s and a further sign of the steady decline in use of the death penalty. The number is a sharp drop from the 49 death sentences last year and just a fraction of the peak of 315 in 1996, according to a report from the Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit organization that opposes capital punishment and tracks the issue.

The Latest: Man held for death of ex-reality show contestant

Volkswagen reached a deal with U.S. regulators and attorneys for car owners for the remaining 80,000 diesel vehicles caught in the company's emissions cheating scandal, a federal judge announced Tuesday. Volkswagen reached a deal that will give at least some owners of the remaining 80,000 diesel vehicles caught in the company's emissions cheating scandal the option of a buyback and provide compensation to all of them... The California Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a voter-approved measure intended to speed up the appeals process for the state's Death Row inmates to give it time to consider a lawsuit challenging the measure.

JOY is slammed as sexist after encouraging women to dress like ‘marriage material’

Pop icon to the rescue! Richard Marx helps take down deranged passenger in epic four-hour battle involving tasers and a rope in the skies over China after crazed man started attacking hostesses Slain Russian ambassador's wife sobs on his coffin as he is flown home to Moscow amid elaborate ceremony after being gunned down in front of her eyes in Istanbul The ONE thing every successful person does in the morning to ensure they have the most productive day China claims to have a working version of NASA's impossible engine orbiting the Earth - and will use it in satellites 'imminently' Dinner to die for: Photographer recreates the last meal chosen by every death row prisoner who was executed in 2016 Teenage girl 'was drugged and raped by a frat boy as his friend filmed the horrific attack' inside a frat house in Charleston Rocky Mountains and northern Great Plains can expect a White ... (more)