Texas Legislature passes ban on so-called ‘sanctuary cities’

The Texas Legislature on Wednesday passed a ban on so-called "sanctuary cities" that allows police officers to ask about a person's immigration status and threatens sheriffs and police chiefs with jail time if they don't work with federal authorities. The GOP-led Senate passed the bill Wednesday despite objections from Democrats, who call the bill a "show-me-your-papers" measure that will be used to discriminate against Latinos.

a We will get it done,a says Trump, hopeful of Mideast peace

Despite bleak prospects for success, President Donald Trump promised on Wednesday "to do whatever is necessary" to forge an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. At a White House meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Trump pledged to reinvigorate the stalled Mideast peace process that has bedeviled his predecessors and said he would serve as "a mediator, an arbitrator or a facilitator" between the two sides.

Full public FBI reveal is rare for Trump-Russia type probes

Don't expect FBI Director James Comey to reveal much about the bureau's months-long investigation of potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia when he speaks publicly before members of Congress on Wednesday. In fact, there's no guarantee Comey and his agency will ever fully lay bare those findings for the American public, because such investigations rarely end in criminal charges that offer a full picture.

Hatch, Feinstein bill would make threats against religions, worshippers federal crime

Citing past persecution of early Mormons and recent bomb threats at Jewish community centers, Sen. Orrin Hatch introduced bipartisan legislation Tuesday to strengthen protections for religious minorities. The bill would expand criminal law to include threats to intentionally deface, damage or destroy any religious property or to threaten to obstruct - by force or threat of force - a person's exercise of their religious beliefs.

Don’t Blame Trump for Obama’s Position on Losing Citizenship Over Fibs

A Yale professor illustrates the tendency to frame what should be critiques of government power as complaints about particular politicians. Yale philosophy professor Jason Stanley is rightly alarmed by the federal government's position that naturalized Americans can lose their citizenship based on trivial misstatements to the Department of Homeland Security.

Twitter goes wild as P Diddy lies down at Met Gala 2017

The night of the young guns! Gigi, Bella and Kendall battle it out to rule the red carpet as they join a host of stars at the Met Gala The hero truck driver who comforted a badly-burned dying woman while others took PHOTOS after her truck crashed and burst into flames The truth about diet and cancer: Top dietitian JANE CLARKE reveals what to eat to beat the disease Andrew Jackson 'would never let it happen!' Trump doubles down on his claim that the seventh president could have stopped the Civil War - if he hadn't died 16 years before it started Kim Jong-un accuses America of pushing him to the brink of nuclear war after 'two US bombers practiced bombing in North Korea' 'Troubled' Christian biology student knifeman stabs aspiring singer to death and wounds three others in terrifying stabbing rampage at the University of Texas Johnny Depp must undergo mental evaluation for 'compulsive ... (more)

Gov. Kasich revises execution schedule tied up in courts

Ohio's lethal-injection process remains tied up in court, so Gov. John Kasich unsurprisingly on Monday revised the state's schedule to resume carrying out executions that have been on hold more than three years. The earliest an inmate now could be put to death is July 26, assuming the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals lifts a stay that has blocked the state from moving forward.

Detroit officer critical after shooting; suspect killed

Immigrant and union groups will march in cities across the United States on Monday to mark May Day and protest against President Donald Trump's efforts to boost deportations. A former anchorman whose girlfriend was fatally shot on live TV says he's seeking a Virginia state House seat to give back to the community that helped him through his darkest days.

Latest use of sedative keeps death penalty debate alive

By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS, Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio - Is unorthodox the same as cruel and unusual punishment? It's the central question of the current U.S. death penalty debate, highlighted by the latest execution involving a disputed sedative that appeared to involve discomfort to the inmate. States struggling to find lethal drugs believe they've got the answer in midazolam, a sedative that's taking the place of barbiturates and anesthetics no longer available because drug manufacturers don't want them used in executions.

WRAPUP 1-S.Korea says U.S. reaffirms it will pay THAAD costs; joint drills wrap up

A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptor is seen in Seongju, South Korea, April 26, 2017. Lee Jong-hyeon/News1 via The Nimitz-class U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson sails offshore Nagasaki prefecture, southern Japan, in this aerial view photo taken by Kyodo April 29, 2017.

Restructure police force to fight crime says former FBI agent

He was denied the job as Jamaica's police commissioner on two occasions and accepts the decision, but the former Federal Bureau of Investigation man, Wilfred Rattigan, is rankled by the seeming lack of appreciation for the contribution he, and others in the diaspora, can make to the island. Rattigan is also convinced that his proposals to reduce the number of police divisions across the island and to cut the number of persons who make up the Police High Command would be important steps in the fight against crime.

Trump celebrates first 100 days as president

News selected on topics and regions - oil and gas, business, politics, IT, the South Caucasus, the Caspian Sea region, Central Asia Ranking of the Azerbaijani banking sector U.S. President Donald Trump hit the road on Saturday to celebrate his first 100 days in the White House with cheering supporters at a campaign-style rally, touting his initial achievements and lashing out at critics, Reuters reported. Trump told a Pennsylvania crowd he was just getting started on meeting his campaign promises.

Houston’s Cruel War on the HomelessBy Liz Wolfe

There's nothing shocking, really, about Houston's new law making it easier for homeless people to be arrested simply for being homeless. Not when over 100 American cities have effectively criminalized everyday life for the homeless, making crimes of things from sleeping outside to brushing teeth in public.