Tagged News

• Justice Department announces nearly $1.8B fund to compensate Trump allies claiming political targeting

  May 18, 2026 8:23 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration announced Monday the creation of a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate allies of the Republican president who believe they have been unjustly investigated and prosecuted, an arrangement that Democrats and government watchdogs derided as "corrupt" and unconstitutional. The "Anti-Weaponization Fund" of $1.776... more »

• Justice Department targets slow immigration judges as Trump pushes faster deportations

  May 7, 2026 1:32 PM

  PHOENIX (AP) — The Justice Department is aiming to weed out immigration judges who it feels are ruling too slowly or aren't following the law, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Wednesday, as the Trump administration seeks to remake the courts and cut down on the backlog of 3.7 million... more »

• Justice Department to allow firing squads for executions in move to ramp up capital punishment

  April 24, 2026 4:21 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department will adopt firing squads as a permitted method of execution as the Trump administration moves to ramp up and expedite capital punishment cases, officials said Friday. The Justice Department is also reauthorizing the use of single-drug lethal injections with pentobarbital that were used... more »

• The informant earned millions working for the DEA. He paid no taxes.

  April 16, 2026 4:08 PM

  MIAMI (AP) — A longtime informant who traveled the world partying with rogue U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents avoided a prison sentence this week after admitting he failed to pay taxes on nearly $4 million he received for years of undercover work. Andres Zapata was sentenced Wednesday in Austin,... more »

• Supreme Court considers letting Trump administration revive restrictive immigration asylum policy

  March 24, 2026 2:48 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court grappled Tuesday with whether the Trump administration should be able to revive an immigration policy that has been used to turn back migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. Some conservative justices seemed receptive to the Justice Department's push to overturn a lower-court... more »

• Ghislaine Maxwell fights release of more Epstein documents, calling disclosure law unconstitutional

  February 22, 2026 10:46 AM

  NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for imprisoned British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell are fighting the requested release of 90,000 pages related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell, saying a law used to force the public release of millions of documents is unconstitutional. The lawyers filed papers late Friday in... more »

• DOJ has opened a federal civil rights probe into the death of Alex Pretti, deputy AG says

  January 30, 2026 10:50 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights probe into the death of Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis resident killed Saturday by Border Patrol officers, according to federal officials. "We're looking at everything that would shed light on that day," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said... more »

• Justice Department says it's releasing 3 million pages from its Jeffrey Epstein files

  January 30, 2026 10:48 AM

  NEW YORK (AP) — The Justice Department on Friday released many more records from its investigative files on Jeffrey Epstein, resuming disclosures under a law intended to reveal what the government knew about the millionaire financier's sexual abuse of young girls and his interactions with the rich and powerful. ... more »

• Mexico sends 37 cartel members to US in latest offer to Trump administration

  January 20, 2026 2:46 PM

  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's security minister said Tuesday that it had sent another 37 members of Mexican drug cartels to the United States, as the Trump administration ratchets up pressure on governments to crack down on criminal networks it says are smuggling drugs across the border. Mexican Security... more »

• After missing deadline, DOJ says it may need a 'few more weeks' to finish releasing Epstein files

  December 25, 2025 11:11 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a "few more weeks" to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with last Friday's congressionally mandated deadline. The... more »

• Voluminous new Epstein document release includes multiple Trump mentions, but little revelatory news

  December 23, 2025 5:21 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department has released tens of thousands more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, a tranche that included multiple mentions of President Donald Trump but added little new revelatory information to the long-anticipated public file on the late financier and convicted sex offender. The release... more »

• Justice Department asks appeals court to block judge's contempt inquiry in mass deportation case

  December 12, 2025 5:49 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department asked an appeals court Friday to block a contempt investigation of the Trump administration for failing to turn around planes carrying Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador in March. The department also is seeking Chief Judge James Boasberg's removal from the case, accusing him... more »

• Judge orders Trump to end California National Guard troop deployment in Los Angeles

  December 10, 2025 11:14 AM

  The Trump administration must stop deploying the California National Guard in Los Angeles and return control of the troops to the state, a federal judge ordered Wednesday in an emphatic ruling. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco granted a preliminary injunction sought by California officials, but also... more »

• Justice Department can unseal records from Epstein's 2019 sex trafficking case, judge says

  December 10, 2025 11:10 AM

  NEW YORK (AP) — Secret grand jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein's 2019 sex trafficking case can be made public, a judge ruled Wednesday, joining two other judges in granting the Justice Department's requests to unseal material from investigations into the late financier's sexual abuse. U.S. District Judge Richard M.... more »

• Justice Department can unseal Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking case records, judge says

  December 9, 2025 6:25 PM

  NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday granted the Justice Department's request to publicly release grand jury transcripts and other material from Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking case, citing a new law that requires the government to open its files on Jeffrey Epstein and his longtime confidant, but he... more »

• Trump pardons Rep. Henry Cuellar in bribery and conspiracy case

  December 3, 2025 10:56 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump pardoned Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case on Wednesday, citing what he called a "weaponized" justice system. Trump, who has argued that his own legal troubles were a partisan witch hunt, said on social... more »

• Judge dismisses Comey, James indictments after finding that prosecutor was illegally appointed

  November 24, 2025 12:36 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday dismissed the criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, concluding that the prosecutor who brought the charges at President Donald Trump's urging was illegally appointed by the Justice Department. The rulings from U.S.... more »

• Epstein's accusers grapple with complex emotions about promised release of Justice Department files

  November 22, 2025 1:12 PM

  For Marina Lacerda, the upcoming publication of U.S. government files on Jeffrey Epstein represent more than an opportunity for justice: Lacerda says she was just 14 when Epstein started sexually abusing her at his New York mansion, but she struggles to recall much of what happened because it is such... more »

• Congress acts swiftly to force release of Epstein files, and Trump agrees to sign bill

  November 18, 2025 2:42 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Both the House and Senate acted decisively Tuesday to pass a bill to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a remarkable display of approval for an effort that had struggled for months to overcome opposition from President... more »

• Trump pardons Jan. 6 rioter for gun offense and woman convicted of threatening to shoot FBI agents

  November 15, 2025 2:02 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has issued two pardons related to the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021 riot, including for a woman convicted of threatening to shoot FBI agents who were investigating a tip that she may have been at the Capitol, officials said Saturday. In a... more »

• Trump says he'd have final say on money he seeks over past federal investigations into his conduct

  October 22, 2025 11:04 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the federal government owes him "a lot of money" for prior Justice Department investigations into his actions and insisted he would have the ultimate say on any payout because any decision will "have to go across my desk." Trump's comments... more »

• Supreme Court will consider whether people who regularly smoke pot can legally own guns

  October 20, 2025 4:44 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said on Monday that it will consider whether people who regularly smoke marijuana can legally own guns, the latest firearm case to come before the court since its 2022 decision expanding gun rights. President Donald Trump's administration asked the justices to revive a... more »

• Bolton pleads not guilty in Justice Department case accusing him of sharing government secrets

  October 17, 2025 12:40 PM

  GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — John Bolton pleaded not guilty Friday to charges accusing the former President Donald Trump national security adviser turned critic of emailing classified information to family members and keeping top secret documents at his Maryland home. Bolton was ordered released from custody after making his appearance... more »

• Supreme Court rejects appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell, imprisoned former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein

  October 6, 2025 12:57 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein. On the first day of their new term, the justices declined to take up a case that would have drawn renewed attention to the sordid sexual-abuse saga after... more »

• Trump asks Supreme Court to uphold restrictions he wants to impose on birthright citizenship

  September 27, 2025 11:57 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump 's administration is asking the Supreme Court to uphold his birthright citizenship order declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens. The appeal, shared with The Associated Press on Saturday, sets in... more »

• Trump escalates retribution campaign with charges against Comey and threats against liberal groups

  September 26, 2025 6:26 PM

  NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump's unprecedented retribution campaign against his perceived political enemies reached new heights as his Justice Department brought criminal charges against a longtime foe and he expanded his efforts to classify certain liberal groups as "domestic terrorist organizations." Days after Trump publicly demanded action... more »

• US attorney under pressure to charge Letitia James in mortgage fraud case has resigned

  September 19, 2025 7:28 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal prosecutor in Virginia whose monthslong mortgage fraud investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James has not resulted in criminal charges resigned Friday under pressure from the Trump administration. Erik Siebert confirmed his departure in an email to colleagues, reviewed by The Associated Press,... more »

• Chief Justice Roberts keeps in place Trump funding freeze that threatens billions in foreign aid

  September 9, 2025 7:13 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday temporarily kept in place the Trump administration's decision to freeze nearly $5 billion in foreign aid. Roberts acted on the administration's emergency appeal to the Supreme Court in a case involving billions of dollars in congressionally approved aid. President Donald... more »

• Trump note to Epstein that he denies signing is released by Congress

  September 8, 2025 6:53 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released on Monday a sexually suggestive letter to Jeffrey Epstein purportedly signed by President Donald Trump, which he has denied. The letter was included as part of a 50th birthday album compiled in 2003 for Epstein, a wealthy and well-connected... more »

• Pentagon authorizes up to 600 military lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges

  September 2, 2025 4:07 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges, according to a memo reviewed by The Associated Press. The military will begin sending groups of 150 attorneys — both military and civilians —... more »

• Long-elusive Mexican drug lord Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada pleads guilty in US

  August 25, 2025 3:50 PM

  NEW YORK (AP) — Former Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada pleaded guilty Monday to U.S. drug trafficking charges, saying he was sorry for helping flood the U.S. with cocaine, heroin and other illicit substances and for fueling deadly violence in Mexico. "I recognize the great harm illegal... more »

• Kilmar Abrego Garcia faces new deportation efforts after ICE detains him in Baltimore

  August 25, 2025 3:46 PM

  BALTIMORE (AP) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose case has become a flashpoint in President Donald Trump's aggressive effort to remove noncitizens from the U.S., was detained by immigration authorities in Baltimore on Monday to face renewed efforts to deport him after a brief period of freedom. Abrego Garcia's attorneys... more »

• The Texas redistricting fight has been the backdrop for the Trump administration to test a new legal strategy

  August 25, 2025 3:33 PM

  " The Texas redistricting fight has been the backdrop for the Trump administration to test a new legal strategy " was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.... more »

• Justice Department won't defend grants for Hispanic-serving colleges, calling them unconstitutional

  August 22, 2025 8:14 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said Friday it will not defend a decades-old grant program for colleges with large numbers of Hispanic students that is being challenged in court, declaring the government believes the funding is unconstitutional. In a memo sent to Congress, the Justice Department said it... more »

• Epstein's former girlfriend told Justice Department she did not see Trump act in 'inappropriate way'

  August 22, 2025 4:43 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Jeffrey Epstein's imprisoned former girlfriend repeatedly denied to the Justice Department witnessing any sexually inappropriate interactions with Donald Trump, according to records released Friday meant to distance the Republican president from the disgraced financer. The Trump administration issued hundreds of pages of transcripts from interviews that... more »

• Judge denies Justice Department request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts

  August 20, 2025 4:14 PM

  NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration's request to unseal grand jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking case, joining two other judges in denying the public release of material from investigations into the late financier's decades-long sexual abuse of young women and girls.... more »

• Prosecutors seek death penalty against Zizian member charged with murdering Vermont border agent

  August 14, 2025 2:25 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department said Thursday it will seek the death penalty against a member of the cultlike Zizians group accused of killing a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont in the latest Trump administration push for more federal executions. Teresa Youngblut, 21, of Washington state, is... more »

• Transcripts of grand jury that indicted Epstein ex-girlfriend Maxwell won't be unsealed, judge says

  August 11, 2025 11:59 AM

  NEW YORK (AP) — Transcripts of the secret grand jury testimony that led to the sex trafficking indictment of Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell won't be released, a judge ruled Monday, saying the government's suggestion that they'd reveal new information about the crimes was "demonstrably false." Judge Paul... more »

• Justice Department subpoenas New York AG James as it investigates whether she violated Trump rights

  August 8, 2025 11:31 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has subpoenaed New York Attorney General Letitia James as part of an investigation into whether she violated President Donald Trump's civil rights, according to two people familiar with the matter. The subpoenas sought records related to the lawsuit James filed against Trump over... more »

• What to know as Trump's immigration crackdown strips tuition breaks from thousands of students

  August 6, 2025 8:29 PM

  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Tens of thousands of U.S. college students without legal resident status are losing access to in-state tuition prices as part of President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration. The Justice Department has been suing states to end tuition breaks for students without legal residency, starting with... more »

• House committee issues subpoenas for Epstein files and depositions with the Clintons

  August 5, 2025 3:02 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department on Tuesday for files in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation and is seeking depositions with the Clintons and former law enforcement officials, part of a congressional probe that lawmakers believe may show links to President Donald Trump and... more »

• Request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts likely to disappoint, ex-prosecutors say

  July 20, 2025 5:50 PM

  NEW YORK (AP) — A Justice Department request to unseal grand jury transcripts in the prosecution of chronic sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein and his former girlfriend is unlikely to produce much, if anything, to satisfy the public's appetite for new revelations about the financier's crimes, former federal prosecutors say. ... more »

• Trump administration seeks release of Epstein grand jury records but not Justice Department files

  July 19, 2025 11:07 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Under intense pressure from President Donald Trump's own supporters, his administration on Friday asked a federal court to unseal secret documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's case in an effort to put to rest for good a political crisis largely of its own making. But even if... more »

• Trump sues Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch over reporting on Epstein ties

  July 19, 2025 11:04 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch Friday, a day after the newspaper published a story reporting on his ties to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein. The move came shortly after the Justice Department asked a... more »

• Trump's birthright citizenship order remains blocked as lawsuits march on after Supreme Court ruling

  July 18, 2025 12:43 PM

  BOSTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's plan to end birthright citizenship for the children of people who are in the U.S. illegally will remain blocked as an order from one judge went into effect Friday and another seemed inclined to follow suit. U.S. District Judge Joseph LaPlante in New... more »

• Judge will consider Abrego Garcia's request to try to avoid deportation before his trial

  July 10, 2025 12:00 PM

  GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday will consider Kilmar Abrego Garcia's request to be sent to Maryland to await trial on human smuggling charges, a bid aimed at preventing the Trump administration from trying to deport him again. Abrego Garcia could be released as soon as... more »

• Epstein 'client list' doesn't exist, Justice Department says, walking back theory Bondi had promoted

  July 7, 2025 3:01 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Jeffrey Epstein did not maintain a "client list," the Justice Department acknowledged Monday as it said no more files related to the wealthy financier's sex trafficking investigation would be made public despite promises from Attorney General Pam Bondi that had raised the expectations of conservative influencers and... more »

• What to know about Texas ending in-state tuition for undocumented students

  June 14, 2025 2:31 PM

  " What to know about Texas ending in-state tuition for undocumented students " was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Sign up for The Brief , The... more »

• Nationwide protests against immigration raids escalate, leading to arrests and curfews

  June 13, 2025 1:20 PM

  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids have been flaring up around the country as officials in cities large and small prepare for major demonstrations against President Donald Trump. Although many demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been peaceful, others have led to clashes with... more »

• Judge blocks Trump's election executive order, siding with Democrats who called it overreach

  June 13, 2025 1:15 PM

  ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump's attempt to overhaul elections in the U.S., siding with a group of Democratic state attorneys general who challenged the effort as unconstitutional. The Republican president's March 25 executive order sought to compel officials to require documentary proof... more »

• Undocumented students ask judge to let them challenge sudden loss of in-state tuition

  June 11, 2025 2:45 PM

  " Undocumented students ask judge to let them challenge sudden loss of in-state tuition " was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Sign up for The Brief... more »

• Trump suggests Biden aides acted without then-president's knowledge -- but says he has no evidence

  June 5, 2025 5:49 PM

  Trump suggests Biden aides acted without then-president's knowledge -- but says he has no evidence By WILL WEISSERT and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is alleging that officials in Joe Biden's administration might have in effect forged their boss's signature and taken broad... more »

• Man Sentenced in Father and Son's Murder Play Video

  October 5, 2019 10:14 PM

  STARR COUNTY - The suspect in a 2016 double murder was sentenced to life in prison Friday. Jesus Angel Rebollar was found guilty of murdering 41-year-old Hector Garcia and 3-year-old Julian Garcia Thursday. A gunman, later identified by authorities as Rebollar, opened fire on Garcia's truck in November... more »