The Justice Department is investigating whether Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have impeded federal immigration enforcement through public statements they have made, according to two people familiar with the matter. The investigation focused on potential violation of a conspiracy statute, the people said. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss a pending investigation by name. Walz and Frey both issued statements calling it an attempt to intimidate them. The investigation comes during a weekslong immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and St. Paul that the Department of Homeland Security has called its largest recent immigration enforcement operation.
A judge has ruled that Tennessee prison officials must grant expanded access to media members to view state-run executions. The ruling Friday comes after a coalition of news organizations including The Associated Press sued on claims that state execution protocols unconstitutionally limit thorough and accurate reporting. The coalition’s lawsuit argued that protocols limiting reporters' access to short time periods violate the public and press’s constitutional rights to witness the entirety of executions. Myles’ order granted a mandatory temporary injunction allowing media members and other witnesses to see more of the execution process, with security procedures in place for those carrying out the procedures.
As Attorney General Pam Bondi approaches her first anniversary on the job, the firings of career attorneys have defined her turbulent tenure. The terminations and a larger voluntary exodus of lawyers have erased centuries of combined experience. They have also left the department with fewer career employees to act as a bulwark defending the rule of law when President Donald Trump is testing the limits of executive power by demanding prosecutions of his political enemies. Interviews by The Associated Press of more than a half-dozen fired employees offer a snapshot of the toll throughout the department. The Justice Department has disputed the accounts of some of those who have been fired or quit.
Supreme Court will hear appeal by maker of popular Roundup weedkiller to block thousands of lawsuits
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal from agrochemical manufacturer Bayer to block thousands of state lawsuits alleging it failed to warn people its popular weedkiller could cause cancer. The justices said Friday they'll consider whether the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of the Roundup weedkiller without a cancer warning should rule out state court claims. The justices will hear a case from Missouri, where a man developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after spraying Roundup on a community garden. The Trump administration has weighed in on Bayer’s behalf, reversing the Biden administration’s position. Some studies associate Roundup’s key ingredient, glyphosate, with cancer. The EPA has said it's unlikely to be carcinogenic to humans when used as directed.
A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison on some charges related to his imposition of martial law. The verdict is the first against Yoon in the eight criminal trials over the decree he issued in late 2024 and other allegations. The most significant charge against him alleges that he led a rebellion in connection with his martial law enforcement and it carries a potential death penalty. The Seoul Central District Court in the case decided Friday sentenced him for other charges like his defiance of authorities’ attempts to detain him and his alleged fabrication of official documents.
A large-scale immigration crackdown by an influx of federal law enforcement officers is not the only way President Donald Trump's administration is putting pressure on Minnesota. It's also seeking to withhold billions in federal money from state programs and on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the state over its hiring practices. The administration's actions come as the president criticizes the state's governor and Somali population — and they go farther than in other Democratic-controlled states. Much of the money the administration says it will withhold funds from services including child care and medical transportation for low-income people. The state has been pushing back in court and through administrative processes.
Prosecutors are seeking a 20-year sentence for a former South Carolina legislator who pleaded guilty to distributing child sex abuse videos on social media. RJ May, who resigned earlier this year, admitted to sharing hundreds of videos of involving children over a five-day period in 2024. May used the screen name “joebidennnn69.” Prosecutors say May deserves a harsh sentence because he supported laws as a legislator to protect children. May is asking for a five-year sentence, citing addiction to pornography and screens, an increased sex drive from testosterone treatments and personal struggles with an abusive mother.
A top Justice Department official says there is not currently any basis to open a criminal civil rights investigation into the killing of a woman by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis. The decision to keep the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division out of the investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good marks a sharp departure from past administrations, which have moved quickly to probe shootings of civilians by law enforcement officials for potential civil rights offenses. While an FBI probe is ongoing, lawyers in the Civil Rights Division were informed last week that they would not play a role in the investigation at this time, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The next U.S. census is four years away, but two lawsuits playing out this year could affect how the head count will be done and who'll be counted. Allies of President Donald Trump are behind the lawsuits challenging various aspects of the once-a-decade count by the U.S. Census Bureau that's used to determine congressional representation and federal aid to states. The lawsuits align with parts of Trump's agenda, even as his administration must defend the Census Bureau and its methods in court. Democratic-aligned groups are trying to intervene because of concerns over whether the Justice Department will defend the bureau vigorously.
U.S. forces have boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. The announcement was made Friday by the U.S. military. The Trump administration has been targeting sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. The pre-dawn action was carried out by U.S. Marines and Navy, taking part in the monthslong buildup of forces in the Caribbean, according to U.S. Southern Command, which declared “there is no safe haven for criminals” as it announced the seizure of the vessel called the Olina. The Olina is the fifth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of a broader effort by Trump’s administration to control the distribution of Venezuela’s oil products globally following the U.S. ouster of President Nicolás Maduro.