Executive department overseeing federal law enforcement and justice in the United States.
A US judge has allowed a Libyan claim of a forced confession in the Lockerbie bombing case to be used as evidence. Abu Agila Mas’ud Al-Marimi, extradited from Libya in 2022, faces trial in Washington for the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 attack. Defence alleging the confession was coerced has been rejected; the trial remains scheduled for January after multiple delays.
A high court judge has ruled Thames Valley Police obtained search powers for warrants used at the former Duke of York’s Sandringham and Royal Lodge homes under the wrong law and declared the warrants unlawful. The force has said its wider investigation into alleged misconduct in public office continues and has applied to retain seized property under a different statutory power.
David Ellison has closed the roughly $110 billion merger that combines Paramount and Warner Bros. into a single company rebranded Skydance. The deal has folded HBO Max and Paramount+ together under one owner, brought CBS and CNN into the same corporate roof, and left the new firm carrying heavy debt while promising film release minimums and editorial safeguards.
Cornell University has suspended all parties and social events at Interfraternity Council houses through the 2026–27 academic year, has introduced a zero-tolerance enforcement policy, and has pledged to transfer criminal investigations to New York State Police while adding survivor support staff and outside reviewers to examine the university's handling of a 2024 sexual‑assault allegation.
The FCC is considering a request that would allow political groups to run AI-generated robocalls without prior consent. The move has prompted warnings of misinformation and voter manipulation ahead of midterm elections. Public comment is open, with a decision expected later this fall.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has launched a judicial review against Thames Valley Police over his February arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has asked a judge to rule on the lawfulness of search warrants used at Sandringham and Royal Lodge after documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein were released by the US Justice Department. He has denied wrongdoing and regrets his friendship with Epstein.
Courts have extended temporary protections for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, preserving White House press credentials as the broader case proceeds. Several rulings have kept outlets in the White House pool, with judges emphasizing due process and first-amendment protections while allowing continued government hand in access decisions.
The Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Pharmacy have dropped Teva UK from sponsorships and exhibitions, citing ongoing due diligence and concerns over Teva’s activities. Campaign groups have urged further action across other royal colleges and NHS purchasing decisions. Teva has faced multiple fines for price-fixing and sanctions in recent years.
Landowners in Texas’s Big Bend region resist the administration’s border-wall plans, challenging survey access and pursuing court action as a judge halts work amid a broad, bipartisan backlash and a $7.5 billion investment to fortify the border.
Lisa Cook’s lawyers have told the White House that a November 5 hearing cannot proceed because she will be performing Federal Reserve duties in Europe and preparing for the December FOMC meeting. Attorney Abbe Lowell has also warned that the White House committee is biased, citing members’ prior comments and unspecified additional allegations that must be disclosed before any fair hearing.
The Justice Department has opened an antitrust inquiry into whether the five-network White House TV pool violated the Sherman Act after the pool paused coverage in protest of the administration's temporary ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico. A federal judge has restored the outlets' White House credentials, but CNN says the White House is still excluding it from Air Force One and pool duties and has warned it will return to court.
Homeland Security Investigations has executed a court-authorised search of Representative Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence on 12 October as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. Agents have seized phones, notebooks, a passport and other items; grand jury subpoenas have been issued to some relatives. No charges have been announced.
Federal authorities have expanded an ongoing criminal probe into Rep. Ilhan Omar’s immigration paperwork, seizing items from her Washington, D.C., home and issuing grand jury subpoenas to relatives. Omar’s lawyers call the operation politically motivated, while investigators say it complies with court orders. The case remains active ahead of the November elections.
AP and Independent reports reveal a surge of U.S. troops at the Rio Grande border, with officials citing cartel activity and human trafficking concerns. The coverage notes opposition from landowners in Big Bend and broader political implications as midterm politics loom.
The Justice Department has reached a settlement with CVS over a 2024 lawsuit that accused the company of dispensing large quantities of opioids and other controlled substances to fuel profits, sidelining public health. The agreement requires additional safeguards to ensure prescriptions are medically appropriate, with no admission of wrongdoing by CVS.
The high court has intervened for a second time in CREW’s bid for access to DOGE records from the early Trump era. The court’s conservative majority has limited prior orders to produce documents, while CREW argues DOGE is a federal agency subject to FOIA. The dispute centers on transparency of a presidential advisory body and its broad authority.
Federal prosecutors have charged Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old OpenAI engineer, after the company has found a sophisticated audio recorder concealed in an executive conference-room television on Sept. 30. OpenAI has fired the engineer, used its models to trace the device to him, and referred the matter to the FBI; Alfozan has been held in federal custody and appeared in court.
Federal prosecutors have paused Sue Mi Terry's case for a year and will drop all charges if she remains out of legal trouble, after she faced trial on charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent. The deal defers prosecution to allow ongoing interests of both Terry and the United States to be served. The agreement notes she passed notes to a South Korean intelligence officer and accepted designer items valued at about $9,245.
The Justice Department has sued California and asked courts to block counting mail ballots from people it identifies as "likely noncitizens" until citizenship is verified, and it has pressed Los Angeles County and other officials to review a password‑protected list. State officials have disputed the data and timing and have challenged the administration's authority to intervene weeks before the Nov. 3 midterms.
Saudi tech adviser Abdulrahman Alfozan has been charged after a hidden recording device was found in an OpenAI conference room. Investigations show he advised Saudi agencies and joined RAED Ventures as a venture partner; OpenAI says the device is linked to him, and officials warn that AI security is a national priority.
Prosecutors have charged Abdulrahman Alfozan, a former OpenAI engineer, with using a device to intercept oral communications. They say he sought to flee to Saudi Arabia; OpenAI has terminated him. The case hinges on new court filings and travel plans connected to Saudi ties.
OpenAI faces questions about security after a Saudi engineer allegedly planted a covert device in San Francisco offices. Investigations show concerns over espionage, intellectual property, and the governance of AI research as global powers compete for supremacy. Authorities say the case highlights urgent national security implications of AI development.
The US has filed a new indictment accusing Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, of leading a state‑sponsored system of repression that tortured opponents, including American citizens. They have pleaded not guilty and deny the charges as they await trial in New York next June.
Democrats have gained ground on voter confidence in elections as concerns about ballot integrity rise among Republicans. AP-NORC data shows Democrats retain higher trust while Republicans grow more confident than four years ago; fear of federal overreach and threats to voting processes shape the landscape ahead of Election Day.
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has exited after a five‑day tenure marked by a controversial briefing and questions over her legal credentials. Trump has said she does not need the role, as officials confirm she is transitioning out while the administration faces mounting political headwinds ahead of the midterms.
Leslie Roberts has been sentenced to three years and 10 months in federal prison for wire fraud tied to a Warhol-forgeries scheme. He must repay about $2.6 million. Co-conspirator Carlos Melendez pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation. The cases echo a broader wave of fake Warhol activity in South Florida.
Democratic Party leaders have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that President Trump and his administration are threatening state and local election officials to influence the upcoming midterm elections. The suit argues such actions undermine election administration and violate the separation of powers, citing assurances about citizenship checks and ballot integrity. The case underscores ongoing partisan battles over voting procedures and federal oversight.
Demonstrators have organized more than 3,000 events nationwide to urge early voting ahead of the 2026 midterms, with protests highlighting concerns about democracy and voting access. Authorities say the events are nonpartisan but politics remain in the air as lawsuits and high-profile figures weigh in on mail voting.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear cases challenging the 1868 home-distilling ban, with two circuits delivering conflicting rulings on whether Congress has the power to restrict home distillation. The Sixth Circuit upheld the ban; the Fifth Circuit found it unconstitutional as an overreach, and the Court’s review could redefine federal taxing authority and private-home activity.
Federal agents have raided Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C. home as part of an investigation into her immigration status. The White House says the inquiry is aimed at restoring law and order, while Democrats call the move an abuse of power. Obama has weighed in, arguing the investigation risks weaponizing the federal government against critics ahead of the midterms.
The Department of Homeland Security has ordered federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek products and any tools built with its models from government IT systems and to stop new purchases. The order, issued in late July and made public Monday, cites risks that sensitive U.S. data on systems used by government employees could be accessed from servers in China.
The government has announced a major crackdown on fraud in federal aid programs, indicting more than 40 defendants linked to SNAP and related schemes. Officials say millions have been siphoned from taxpayers, with actions spanning Ohio, Georgia and beyond. A rapper-turned-defendant is among those charged, alongside several retailers and storefronts that allegedly facilitated the fraud.
The Gambia Reparations Commission has received $2,573,414.10 from the sale of Yahya Jammeh’s Maryland mansion. The funds are deposited into the Reparations Fund at the Central Bank and will be used exclusively to compensate victims of abuses under Jammeh’s rule, which ended in 2017.
Democrats allege federal interference aims to intimidate state officials and disenfranchise voters; the DOJ seeks to delay counting about 20,000 ballots amid noncitizen eligibility checks. California officials contest federal overreach; lawsuits have intensified as federal and state actors clash over voter list accuracy.
The president has launched a campaign stop in Kansas as Democrat challenger Adam Hamilton narrows the race in a state long viewed as GOP stronghold. Marshall remains the Republican incumbent but faces a closer contest amid local economic strain and tariff tensions.
The government has argued that Big Bend warrants swift construction to deter illegal entry, while opponents say waivers and environmental concerns must be heeded. Court injunctions have halted work, and the administration is appealing to higher courts to resume progress. The dispute centers on waivers and the environmental protections surrounding Big Bend National Park.
The Department of Justice has dropped two appeals of a June ruling on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, with both sides agreeing to cover their own fees. Advocates say the move preserves a program that forgives loans for government and nonprofit workers after a decade of qualifying payments.
A DHS inspector general referral has prompted a DOJ inquiry into potential contracting abuses under Kristi Noem’s tenure, involving Lewandowski and a 220-million advertising deal. Presidents, aides, and contractors face scrutiny as officials deny wrongdoing.
The Justice Department has filed a federal lawsuit in Anchorage seeking to delay certification of Alaska’s Senate vote after naming two candidates with similar names on the ballot. The action aims to determine whether votes for Daniel J. Sullivan were meant for Senator Sullivan, while Alaska’s Supreme Court has allowed both candidates to remain on the ballot. The case adds a new dimension to the tightly watched race between Dan Sullivan and Mary Peltola.