A Mississippi police officer who fatally shot a 1-year-old boy during a Walmart shoplifting investigation has been cleared in the state's criminal review, despite the child's family disputing the police account and demanding the release of body-camera footage.Kohen Wiley was sitting in his mother's lap inside a car outside a... Read More »

Mahmoud Khalil, the former Columbia University graduate student who spent 104 days in immigration detention over his pro-Palestinian activism, asked the U.S. Supreme Court on October 19, 2026, to overturn a ruling that could send him back into ICE custody as the Trump administration pursues his deportation.Khalil, a lawful permanent... Read More »

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is expected to leave her Texas federal prison in August 2027, years before completing her original 11-year sentence for defrauding investors, after a judge cut her prison term and federal credits accelerated her release timeline.Holmes, 42, has been approved for transfer to the Austin Transitional Center,... Read More »

Federal prosecutors charged 28 green card holders with voting-related crimes in California on October 19, 2026, arresting 11 as the Justice Department fights to block ballots tied to more than 20,000 voters it suspects are noncitizens ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.The arrests escalate a federal lawsuit filed four... Read More »

Child sexual abuse charges against The West Wing actor Timothy Busfield have been thrown out after a New Mexico judge found that prosecutors improperly blocked witnesses sought by grand jurors, undermining the proceedings that led to his indictment.State District Judge Joseph Montano dismissed the four-count indictment on October 16, 2026,... Read More »

Illinois has erased more than $1.4 billion in medical debt for nearly 700,000 residents through a state program that requires no application from patients. People whose qualifying bills are purchased through the program are notified by mail that some or all of the debt has been canceled.Gov. JB Pritzker announced... Read More »

The Arizona Supreme Court has unanimously approved Grand Canyon University's new law school, allowing its graduates to take the state bar exam and pursue careers as licensed attorneys without attending a program accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). The October 15, 2026, decision marks the first approval of its... Read More »

A 19-year-old New York man faces a possible life sentence after federal prosecutors accused him of giving two Fashion Institute of Technology students fentanyl disguised as cocaine, then raping one of the women while she was unconscious. The student never regained consciousness and died three days later, while her roommate... Read More »

The family of slain rapper Drakeo the Ruler has reached settlements with Live Nation and other companies accused of failing to protect him before he was fatally stabbed backstage at a Los Angeles music festival in December 2021. The agreements come nearly five years after his death, while separate negligence... Read More »

Rapper Pooh Shiesty has asked a federal judge to intervene over conditions at a Texas jail where his attorneys say he is confined to his cell for 23 hours a day despite having no disciplinary violations. In an emergency motion filed October 15, 2026, his lawyers argue that the isolation... Read More »

A federal judge has found that the Trump administration likely exceeded its authority when it waived dozens of federal laws to build border barriers in Texas's Big Bend region, citing evidence that the sprawling sector has the lowest migrant apprehension rates along the U.S.-Mexico border.In a 14-page opinion issued October... Read More »

Rapper Cordae is facing a $25 million federal lawsuit from a record label seeking to block the release of his upcoming album with Anderson .Paak, alleging that the project violates an exclusive recording contract signed eight years ago. The suit, filed October 15, 2026, comes just eight days before Heavy... Read More »

A federal judge has thrown out the Trump administration's lawsuit against New York City's sanctuary laws, rejecting its attempt to force local authorities to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. The October 15, 2026, ruling preserves city restrictions on assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).U.S. District Judge Ramón E. Reyes... Read More »

Tempe has become the first city in Arizona to outlaw police-operated license plate readers, shutting the door on Flock-style surveillance systems even as the new law leaves officers a way to obtain vehicle-tracking data collected elsewhere.The City Council approved the ban in a 6-1 vote on October 15, 2026, adopting... Read More »

President Donald Trump has suspended sweeping new sanctions against Russia just four weeks after signing them into law, invoking a national interest waiver to halt Congress-approved economic penalties two days before they were set to take effect.The October 16, 2026, executive order puts major restrictions on hold, including a 500%... Read More »