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Law

National

Justice Department official told prosecutors that U.S. should 'just sink' drug boats

Ryan Lucas

NPR interviews with current and former officials reveal more of the backstory around the military's strikes in the Caribbean.
National

Hundreds of National Guard troops will leave Portland and Chicago

Juliana Kim

The decision by the Defense Department comes as Guard deployments in Chicago and Portland have been stalled for weeks by the courts.
Politics

At Trump's urging, Bondi says U.S. will investigate Epstein's ties to political foes

The Associated Press

Acceding to President Donald Trump's demands, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday that she has ordered a top federal prosecutor to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's ties to Trump political foes.
National

Judge says he'll approve opioid settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue and Sackler family

The Associated Press

A federal bankruptcy court judge said he will approve OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma's latest deal to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids that includes some money for thousands of victims of the epidemic.
Politics

Supreme Court extends its order blocking full SNAP payments, with shutdown potentially near an end

The Associated Press

The high court's decision keeps in place a chaotic situation. People who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in some states have received their full monthly allocations, while others have received nothing.
National

The Supreme Court will hear a challenge to grace periods for mail ballot returns

Ashley Lopez

The Supreme Court will hear a case that could decide whether states can count postmarked mail ballots that arrive after Election Day — something that about 20 states and territories currently allow.
National

Families accuse Camp Mystic of ignoring risks in Texas lawsuit over flood deaths

The Associated Press

The families of some of the 25 girls and two teenage counselors who died in catastrophic flooding in Texas on July 4 are suing Camp Mystic and its owners.
National

Supreme Court declines to revisit gay marriage decision

Alyssa Kapasi

The challenge to the court's 2015 ruling came from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky clerk who refused to issue same-sex licenses after the court's Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which recognized a constitutional right to same-sex marriage.
Science & Technology

Immigration agents have new technology to identify and track people

Jude Joffe-Block

The Department of Homeland Security is adopting powerful new tools to monitor noncitizens. Privacy advocates are worried they erode privacy rights for all Americans.
National

Supreme Court allows Trump to prohibit gender election on passports

Nina Totenberg

Alyssa Kapasi

The court's decision is not a final ruling, however; it just permits Trump's passport policy to go into effect while litigation continues in the lower courts.