Indiana superintendent criticized for letter seeking prayers
A southern Indiana school superintendent’s letter asking local churches to pray for the district has led to criticism that he may have overstepped the boundary between church and state.
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Acting AG overseeing Mueller probe says he’s not interfered
Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said on Friday he has “not interfered in any way” in the special counsel’s Russia investigation as he faced a contentious and partisan congressional hearing in his waning days on the job.
Whitaker: There’s been no change in Russia probe management
Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker will tell lawmakers on Friday that there has been no change since his arrival on the job in the “overall management” of the special counsel’s Russia investigation. He also will say that he has run the Justice Department to the best of his ability, with “fidelity to the law and to the Constitution.”
Senate panel approves Trump’s attorney general nominee
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved William Barr’s nomination for attorney general along party lines Thursday, with Republicans praising his credentials and Democrats questioning how transparent he’ll be once special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation concludes. The vote now heads to the full Senate, where Barr is expected to be confirmed in a vote as soon as next week.
Indiana, Ohio leading 6th Circuit appeal supporting law regulating Kentucky abortion clinics
The Hoosier state has filed its second abortion-related appeal this week, this time urging a federal appeals court to uphold states’ authority to regulate abortion clinics. Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill joined forces with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to lead a 16-state coalition in favor of a Kentucky law requiring abortion clinics to maintain transfer-and-transportation agreements with local hospitals and ambulance services.
Senate panel set to approve Trump’s attorney general nominee
The Senate Judiciary Committee is poised to approve William Barr’s nomination to be attorney general Thursday in a vote that is likely to be mostly along party lines as Democrats have questioned how transparent Barr will be once special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation concludes.
Indiana Senate panel backs easier ballot access for parties
Smaller political parties would face lower requirements to get their candidates on Indiana's ballot under a bill backed by a legislative panel.
Indiana appeals 18-hour ultrasound injunction to U.S. Supreme Court
Indiana is again appealing to the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn a preliminary injunction blocking a state abortion law, this one requiring women to get an ultrasound at least 18 hours before the procedure. The provision was included in House Enrolled Act 1337, which was signed into law by then-Gov. Mike Pence in 2016.
Federal prosecutors subpoena Trump’s inaugural committee
Federal prosecutors in New York issued a subpoena Monday seeking documents from Donald Trump’s inaugural committee, furthering a federal inquiry into a fund that has faced mounting scrutiny into how it raised and spent its money.
Creation of agency settlement fund rankles Indiana AG
Indiana’s attorneys general have long participated in and even led multistate settlement work, but statutory language quietly slipped into the biennial budget during the 2017 legislative session has changed where the state’s portion of the money goes. And Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill’s office says the switch has curtailed the investigations it can now pursue.
Outcome of SCOTUS case provides window into court’s view of abortion rights
The outcome of a fight over a Louisiana law regulating abortion providers could signal whether a fortified conservative majority on the Supreme Court is willing to cut back on abortion rights.
Counties could be required to have paper trail for voting by 2024
A bill that would require counties using electronic voting systems to also maintain a paper trail is moving forward at the Indiana General Assembly.
Trump says release of Mueller report up to attorney general
President Donald Trump says it’s “totally up to” his attorney general whether the public gets to read special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report. Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said last week the probe is “close to being completed.”
Trump, Pelosi remain far apart on border wall issue
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has declared that there’ll be no “wall money” in any compromise border security deal as she and President Donald Trump signaled congressional negotiators may never satisfy his demands for his Southwest border proposal.
Prosecutor: New charges possible in Russia probe leak case
New charges and arrests are possible in the prosecution of a U.S. Treasury Department employee accused of giving a journalist confidential banking reports related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, a prosecutor said Wednesday. Treasury worker Natalie Edwards, 40, is awaiting trial on charges she gave a BuzzFeed journalist reports about wire transfers made by Paul Manafort and other suspects in Mueller’s investigation.
Stone heads to court; Mueller cites potential evidence trove
Donald Trump confidant Roger Stone is due back in court Friday in the special counsel’s Russia investigation as prosecutors say they have recovered “voluminous and complex” potential evidence in the case, including financial records, emails and computer hard drives.
Trump friend Stone pleads not guilty in Russia probe case
Roger Stone, a longtime adviser and confidant of President Donald Trump, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges in the Russia investigation after a publicity-filled few days spent torching the probe as politically motivated.
Acting AG Whitaker says Russia probe ‘close’ to being completed
The special counsel’s Russia probe is “close to being completed,” the acting attorney general said in the first official sign that the investigation may be wrapping up. Meanwhile, the sixth former Trump aide indicted in the probe is due to make his initial court appearance today.
Stone accused of lying and witness tampering, but not collusion
Donald Trump confidant Roger Stone may be accused of lying and tampering with witnesses, but it’s equally notable what he’s not charged with: colluding with the Kremlin in a grand conspiracy to help Trump win the presidency in 2016. The case is the latest in a series brought by special counsel Robert Mueller that focuses on cover-ups but lays out no underlying crime.
Senate panel set to take up nomination of Trump’s AG pick
The Senate Judiciary Committee this week is set to take up the nomination of William Barr, President Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general. The committee’s Republican chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said the panel will vote on Barr on Tuesday, though it’s likely Democrats will seek to postpone it.