Emily Zantow

Justice Department launches gun ‘strike forces’ in five major cities

The Biden Justice Department is deploying gun trafficking "strike forces" to Washington and four other major cities this week, part of a push to contain a recent national surge in violent crime.

July 22, 2021

D.C. parents sue over law permitting minors to get vaccinated without their consent

Parents in the nation's capital are suing city officials over a new law that allows children 11 and older to get vaccinated without telling their parents.

July 21, 2021

Biden presses states on housing aid before eviction ban ends

The Biden administration wants states to speed up getting federal dollars to millions of renters as the country braces for fallout when a pandemic-related eviction moratorium ends in less than two weeks.

July 21, 2021

Backlogs of murder cases, sexual assault and other violent crimes overwhelm reopening courthouses

At least 250 murder cases and 400 sexual assault cases are among a pandemic-related backlog of more than 3,000 violent crime cases pending in the superior court of Seattle's largest county, a local lawyer says.

July 20, 2021

New chief selected for Capitol Police following Jan. 6 insurrection

A longtime police veteran has been selected to serve as the new chief of the U.S. Capitol Police force, according to news reports.

July 19, 2021

U.S. Capitol rioter who breached Senate gets 8 months for felony

The first defendant to be sentenced on a felony charge for breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 will spend less than a year behind bars, a federal judge ruled Monday.

July 19, 2021

DOJ tightens rules for secretly obtaining reporter phone, email records

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday formally prohibited federal prosecutors from seizing the records of journalists in leak investigations, with limited exceptions, reversing years of department policy.

July 19, 2021

Watchdog seeks probe into whether officials were pressured to hide ‘true nature’ of Barr memo

An ethics watchdog wants the Justice Department's inspector general to investigate whether members of the Trump administration pressured officials to hide the "true nature" of a memo cited by former Attorney General William P. Barr in the decision to forgo charging the former president with obstruction.

July 15, 2021

Biden admin. ramps up ransomware attack effort

The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled new efforts to address rising cyberattacks across the country.

July 15, 2021

Report spotlights FBI miscues in Larry Nassar sex assault cases

FBI officials failed to properly investigate sexual abuse allegations against ex-Olympic gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, according to a report by the Justice Department Inspector General.

July 14, 2021

Police are being attacked in major cities grappling with cop shortages

Two officers were shot on Monday in Baltimore, three law enforcement officials were shot last week in Chicago, and one officer was physically assaulted in May in Portland, Oregon.

July 14, 2021

Former bank CEO convicted of bribing Paul Manafort

The former chief of a Chicago bank was convicted Tuesday of approving millions of dollars in loans to former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort in an attempt to secure a job within the administration.

July 13, 2021

Two Baltimore detectives shot by suspect in mall parking lot

A man suspected of murder is dead after shooting and injuring two police officers in Baltimore on Tuesday, according to police.

July 13, 2021

‘Skyrocketing costs’: Prisoner advocates push Biden to close 20 federal prisons

A prisoner advocacy group on Tuesday launched what it says will be a multiyear effort to convince government officials to close more than a dozen federal prisons, which the California-based nonprofit says are wastes of taxpayer money.

July 13, 2021

Local leaders, police spar over deadly gun violence epidemic

Gun violence and homicides are up in major cities where police and local officials are sparring over the uncertain future of policing in America.

July 12, 2021

D.C. Police Union criticizes city leaders over crime surge, cop shortage

The D.C. Police Union is criticizing the city council for "demonizing" officers as the Metropolitan Police Department struggles to maintain staff amid an uptick in violent crime.

July 12, 2021

FBI still on hunt for suspects in Capitol riot despite more than 500 arrests

More than 500 people have been arrested for the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, as authorities search for more suspects six months later.

July 6, 2021

Advocates say DOJ federal execution moratorium ‘not enough’

Anti-death penalty advocates are criticizing the Biden administration's moratorium on federal executions as inadequate, while some conservatives are calling the move "disgraceful."

July 2, 2021

Trump Organization, CFO Allen Weisselberg pleads not guilty to tax crimes

Attorneys for the Trump Organization and finance chief Allen Weisselberg pleaded not guilty Thursday to tax crime charges stemming from a two-year probe into former President Donald Trump's business dealings.

July 1, 2021

White House scrambling for solutions as eviction moratorium expiration looms

The White House, racing against the clock with just a month left before a pandemic-related moratorium on evictions expires, hosted a virtual meeting Wednesday to hear authorities warn that millions of renters, and the landlords who depend on them, are in dire straits across the country.

June 30, 2021