Critics question top US prosecutor’s style after blunt words

With two dust-ups in a week, first with a judge in Hawaii and another with leaders of the nation's largest and most powerful police department, Attorney General Jeff Sessions sounds to some more like the conservative senator from Alabama he once was rather than the top prosecutor he is today. And some observers say the Republican's blunt style could strain relationships with the very law enforcement officials whose partnerships he contends are vital and risks politicizing criminal justice issues that demand the Justice Department's attention.

Ashtabula man indicted on drug and firearms charges

An Ashtabula man was charged in federal court with drug trafficking and firearms crimes, said Acting U.S. Attorney David A. Sierleja and FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony. George R. Williams, 35, was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, methamphetamine and crack cocaine; possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and of being a felon in possession of a firearms and ammunition.

Trooper ambush killer sentenced to death in Pennsylvania

Eric Frein, the would-be revolutionary who shot two Pennsylvania troopers, one fatally, in a late-night attack at their barracks, was sentenced to death late Wednesday. The jury's decision that Frein should die by lethal injection brought a shouted "yes!" from a gallery that included high-ranking state police brass, the slain officer's mother and the trooper who suffered debilitating injuries after Frein shot him with a high-powered rifle.

Texas poised to pass ‘sanctuary city’ ban with jail penalty

Texas Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, at podium, is surrounded by fellow lawmakers as he speaks against an anti-"sanctuary cities" bill that has already cleared the Texas Senate and seeks to jail sheriffs and other officials who refuse to help enforce federal immigration law today in Austin, Texas. AUSTIN, Texas>> Texas Republicans were poised today to take a big step toward banning "sanctuary cities" in their state, debating a bill through which police chiefs and sheriffs could even be jailed for not cooperating fully with federal immigration authorities.

The Latest: Texas inmate in murder plot loses appeal

A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal from a 60-year-old Texas inmate condemned for helping a former suburban Houston police officer murder his wife more than 22 years ago. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday refused arguments from lawyers for Joseph Andrew Prystash that raised questions about jury selection and juror instructions and the propriety of evidence.

Sen. Enzi on tutu anecdote: ‘I regret a poor choice of words’

Republican Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming said Tuesday he regrets using "a poor choice of words" when he suggested to students last week that if a man wears a tutu in a bar and ends up getting bullied, then it's partly the man's fault because he "kind of asks for it." In an emailed statement to CNN, Enzi said he does not believe "that anyone should be bullied, intimidated or attacked because of their beliefs" and that his message "was intended specifically to be about promoting respect and tolerance toward each other."

California taking slow steps to resume executions

California has long been what one expert calls a "symbolic death penalty state," one of 12 that has capital punishment on the books but has not executed anyone in more than a decade. Prodded by voters and lawsuits, the nation's most populous state may now be easing back toward allowing executions, though observers are split on how quickly they will resume, if at all.

A Municipal Vote in Providence for Police Reform Carries National Implications

Visionary police reforms in Providence, Rhode Island, provide an example for the rest of the country to follow. After three years of sustained community mobilization and advocacy, the Providence City Council in Rhode Island voted this Thursday to unanimously approve among the most visionary set of policing reforms proposed around the country to protect civil rights and civil liberties, including digital liberties.

DHS Sec. Kelly On Rape Victim Deportation Fears: ‘911 Process Is Anonymous, If You Want It To Be’

DHS Secretary John Kelly tells CNN's Dana Bash that women who are worried about being deported after reporting sexual assault shouldn't be because his department isn't targeting Dreamers for deportation, and that the "911 process is anonymous, if you want it to be." Bash asked Kelly about recent criticism from the Los Angeles Chief of Police that reports of rape and domestic violence are way down among Hispanics, and here was his response: BASH: Well, let's talk about some of those problems, and one of them is the question of what to do about the young immigrants known as Dreamers.

Sanctuary cities threatened with loss of federal grant money

Attorney General Sessions speaks after he and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly toured the ports of entry and met with Department of Justice and DHS personnel in El Paso, Texas, Thursday, April 20, 2017. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, right, speaks as Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly listens after the pair toured the ports of entry and met with Department of Justice and DHS personnel in El Paso, Texas, Thursday, April 20, 2017.

Justice Department threatens sanctuary cities in immigration fight

The Trump administration intensified its effort to crack down on so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to comply with federal immigration authorities, sending letters Friday to nine jurisdictions threatening to withhold grant money unless they document cooperation. The letters went to officials in California and in major cities including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and New Orleans, all places the Justice Department's inspector general has identified as limiting the information local law enforcement can provide to federal immigration authorities about those in their custody.

Caretaker’s suspicions led cops to missing teacher, student

After the caretaker of a remote northern California property became suspicious of two people he initially thought were in distress, his tip led police to a teacher accused of kidnapping his 15-year-old student and taking her on a 2,500-mile cross-country journey. Griffin Barry said the pair told him their names were John and Joanna and they needed money for food, gas and a place to stay, ABC News Good Morning America reported Friday .

Justice Dept. may withhold grant money from sanctuary cities

The Justice Department is moving to crack down on so-called "sanctuary cities" like New York, threatening to withhold major grant money if the cities don't prove they're complying with the law, the latest effort from Attorney General Jeff Sessions to punish cities for protecting undocumented immigrants from deportation. In a statement, the DOJ claimed that many of the jurisdictions are "crumbling under the weight of illegal immigration and violent crime."

Arkansas executes inmate after U.S. Supreme Court gives go-ahead

Arkansas executed its first inmate in 12 years on Thursday after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the inmate's request to halt the lethal injection in a late-night ruling. Ledell Lee, 51, was the first to be put to death out of a group of eight men that Arkansas originally planned to execute within a span of 11 days, before the expiration of one of the drugs the state uses for the lethal injection.

Court whittles down jury pool for trial of man accused of killing son, 3

CAMDEN -- Several of the 120 potential jurors in a Camden County Superior Courtroom Tuesday shook their heads when Judge John T. Kelley announced the charges brought against David "D.J." Creato Jr.: murder and endangering the welfare of a child. Creato, 23, of Haddon Township, is accused of killing his son, Brendan Creato, 3, and leaving his body in a park near his home in 2015.

If your hair is bouncin’ and misbehavin’, you might get…

Crime labs are being set back by Jeff Session's order to shut down The National Commission on Forensic Science Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced this week that the Justice Department is closing a federal agency formed four years ago that was designed to instill more scientific rigor in the forensic sciences. The National Commission on Forensic Science had been working on best practices for crime labs and had been funding research to assess reliability in whole fields of evidence.

Pa. primary: What offices are up for a vote ina

It's not a presidential election year, but voters have plenty of races to cast ballots on in Pennsylvania in 2017. Pa. primary: What offices are up for a vote in 2017? It's not a presidential election year, but voters have plenty of races to cast ballots on in Pennsylvania in 2017.