WASHINGTON -- As former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) was allegedly paying hush money to hide prior misconduct, he was also allegedly bilking the federal government of thousands of dollars to subsidize his lobbying work and private interests.

Hastert was indicted Thursday on charges of lying to...

WASHINGTON -- For St. Louis County, the first step is admitting there’s a problem. For years, the county has enabled small municipalities scrounging for funds to exploit citizens for money. After slapping residents with fines for offenses like overgrown grass, saggy pants and “manner of walking,” municipalities have...

WASHINGTON -- The city of Cleveland has reached an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department intended to rein in the use of force by officers in a police department that has seen several high-profile shootings in the past few years.

Under a proposed 105-page consent decree, which still must be...

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Justice announced Friday that its agencies deploying surveillance drones in the U.S. will conduct annual privacy reviews. It also placed some limited restrictions on the use of such unmanned aircraft systems.

Under the new policy guidance, DOJ employees will need to "assess the relative intrusiveness...

WASHINGTON -- In a declassified and heavily redacted report on a controversial Patriot Act provision, the Justice Department’s inspector general found that the government had failed to implement guidelines limiting the amount of data collected on Americans for seven years.

Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which is...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's executive order banning the federal government from transferring certain types of military-style equipment to police forces would remain in place if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency in 2016.

Clinton is "supportive of the recommendations and of the need for reform," a spokesperson for...

A lawsuit filed earlier this year in Tennessee alleges that the state’s election officials are ignoring court orders to restore voting rights for former felons.

The state, which has one of the most restrictive felon disenfranchisement laws in the country, allows circuit courts to restore the full...

WASHINGTON -- A Navy nurse who refused to force-feed detainees hunger-striking at the military detention center in Guantanamo Bay will not face disciplinary action and will keep his job, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

The unidentified nurse, who has been in the military for 18 years and is...

City officials in Ferguson, Missouri, are defending the arrest of an observer who was filming an arrest during a protest last month, telling a federal court that the city should not be held in contempt for violating an earlier order intended to protect the rights of...

ST. LOUIS -- A study of policing in the St. Louis area released Monday, which criticized the profit-driven practices of many departments in St. Louis County, revealed a startling statistic about arrests for minor crimes made in one tiny municipality.

Beverly Hills, Missouri, population...

WASHINGTON -- The head of a respected police research organization that has studied policing in St. Louis over the past several months said his organization has "never before encountered" the types of profit-driven policing practices it found in parts of St. Louis County.

“Our organization found a situation...

WASHINGTON -- Tuesday's high-profile Supreme Court hearing on same-sex marriage was briefly interrupted by a man screaming about gay people going to hell.

About half an hour into oral arguments, the man, who was sitting in the audience, suddenly jumped up and started shouting his views.

"If you support gay...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday seemed to be debating how -- not if -- same-sex marriage should become legal in every state in the country.

During oral arguments, the nine justices weighed whether now is the right time to force states to let same-sex couples marry, pointing to...

Baltimore protesters hurled rocks and bricks at police officers in riot gear Monday, injuring seven, on the day of the funeral for Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old who died after being injured in police custody. The demonstrators also smashed police cars and looted stores.

"We will find the people...

BALTIMORE -- Hundreds of people took to the streets here on Saturday to demonstrate against police brutality and call for accountability for the police officers involved in the arrest of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old who died April 19 as the result of a severe spinal injury that occurred when he...

WASHINGTON -- The embattled head of the Drug Enforcement Administration will resign next month, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Tuesday.

DEA chief Michele Leonhart has long clashed with the Obama administration on drug policy and recently received bipartisan criticism for her handling of the discipline of DEA...

CONWAY, S.C. -- Antonio was “surprised.” Dai was “shocked.” Michael said it was “crazy.” When the three men and four others walked into the recreation center in this small city near Myrtle Beach last week, they found blue folders awaiting them. Inside were photos taken with hidden cameras during undercover...

WASHINGTON -- The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration defended herself on Tuesday against charges by skeptical members of Congress that the DEA dealt overly lax punishments to agents who participated in “sex parties” with prostitutes in Colombia.

At a hearing held by the House Committee on...

After months of turmoil following the death of Michael Brown, voters in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson showed up to the polls in record numbers this week, putting two additional black representatives on the Ferguson City Council. Half of the council members in the majority black city...