🇺🇸 United States · Society, Crime & justice
40 storiesEx-‘American Idol’ contestant Caleb Flynn sentenced to life without parole
Caleb Flynn, 40, a former Ohio music pastor and brief “American Idol” contestant, was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering his wife, Ashley Flynn, 37, in their Tipp City home in February. Judge …
Chicago woman shot by Border Patrol agent sues US government
Marimar Martinez, a Chicago teaching aide, filed a federal civil lawsuit against the U.S. government on Monday over being shot by Customs and Border Protection agent Charles Exum during an immigration enforcement operation in October 2025. …
Trump approves firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan
The Pentagon said President Donald Trump approved execution by U.S. Army firing squad for Nidal Hasan, who was convicted in the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, that killed 13 people and wounded 32. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell…
California couple charged with child abuse in surrogacy case involving 21 children
Guojun Xuan, 66, and Silvia Zhang, 39, were arrested Tuesday at their Arcadia, California, home and charged with child abuse, conspiracy to commit child abuse, accessory after the fact and dissuading a witness, Los Angeles County District A…
Christa Pike conscious and speaking after failed Tennessee execution, lawyers say
Christa Pike, 50, is conscious and speaking and receiving critical medical care nearly a week after Tennessee's attempt to execute her with the drug pentobarbital failed, her attorneys said Tuesday. They said her prognosis remains unclear, …
Ex-CIA official David Rush pleads guilty to $194 million fraud
David J. Rush, a former senior CIA official, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, to one count of wire fraud in a scheme prosecutors say cost the federal government about $194 million. Prosecutors said Rush fa…
Lawyers for ex-Olympian David Hearn seek watchdog inquiry into Reflecting Pool case
Lawyers for former Olympic canoeist David Hearn asked the inspectors general of the Justice and Interior departments on Tuesday to investigate what they call a flawed investigation and prosecution over damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflect…
Three friends of Nolan Wells sue Terrell Owens for defamation
Three friends of Nolan Wells, a Black college student who went missing from a Mississippi island on the Fourth of July and was later found dead, are suing NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens for defamation. The federal lawsuit, filed Monday by …
Rescue kittens explore Sea Life aquarium at Mall of America
About two dozen rescue kittens from the Twin Cities-based Bitty Kitty Brigade spent nearly two hours at the Sea Life aquarium at the Mall of America, in a suburb of Minneapolis, before it opened to the public. The visit, the group's sixth a…
FBI Director Kash Patel and country singer Alexis Wilkins announce engagement
FBI Director Kash Patel, 46, and country singer Alexis Wilkins, 27, announced their engagement on Sunday in social media posts. Wilkins posted a black-and-white photo showing her ring with the caption “Went and got the law involved,” and Pa…
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor asks UK court to quash Epstein-linked search warrants
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, has filed a claim at the High Court in London to quash the search warrants used at two of his homes before his February arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office. A private hear…
US charges Washington state resident in Canada school shooting case
US authorities arrested and charged James Cody Bryant, 30, of Bellingham, Washington, with conspiring to murder people in a foreign country over the Feb. 10 school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. Officials say Bryant communicat…
Cornell Rape-Allegation Lawsuit Prompts Push for Campus Assault Protections
A lawsuit alleging rape at Cornell University has led women on campus and beyond to share their own experiences of sexual violence, The New York Times and NPR reported. The Hill reported that a former Cornell University student accused seve…
Japan protests after U.S. Marine is arrested over killing of woman in Okinawa
Japanese police have arrested U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, on suspicion of robbing and killing Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in Naha, Okinawa, police say. Japan lodged a strong protest with the United States, and Prime Minist…
UK police arrest seventh man over security incident at US-run RAF Fairford base
British counterterrorism police arrested a 22-year-old British national in central London on Tuesday on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, the seventh arrest in an investigation into a security incident at the US-run RAF Fairford base l…
Trial opens in London for three men accused of spying for Iran
A trial opened in London for three men accused of spying for Iran and targeting journalists, according to UPI. Reuters reported the three are Iranians on trial for spying on dissident journalists, while AP described them as alleged Iranian …
Cornell records show accuser said she “felt like bait”; New York AG to investigate
Records from Cornell University’s disciplinary investigation show a woman who says she was gang-raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024 told investigators she “felt like bait,” according to excerpts reviewed by The Associated …
US military in Okinawa restricts troops after Marine's arrest in killing
The U.S. military in Okinawa is pausing all operations for two days and restricting troops from leaving their bases after a Marine was arrested on suspicion of killing a local woman. Okinawa prefectural police arrested Lance Cpl. Devin Jaco…
Former German BND chief August Hanning arrested on espionage suspicion
August Hanning, the former president of Germany's foreign intelligence service, the BND, was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of treasonous espionage, spying out state secrets, attempted treason and espionage, the federal prosecutor's offic…
Massachusetts man pleads guilty to importing plutonium from Russia and selling it to 67 customers
Jacob D. Miller, 44, of South Hadley, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to charges including importing nuclear material without lawful authority and mailing hazardous materials, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts said.…