Eyder Peralta

A New York Police Department procedure known as stop-and-frisk violates the civil rights of minorities and should be overseen by an independent monitor, a federal court judge ruled Monday.

The New York Times explains:

"In a decision issued on Monday, the judge, Shira A. Scheindlin, ruled that police ...

Eighteen of the 19 diplomatic missions that were shuttered this week because of a terror threat will reopen this Sunday, the State Department said.

"Our embassy in Sanaa, Yemen will remain closed because of ongoing concerns about a threat stream indicating the potential for terrorist attacks emanating from Al ...

After Obama proposed reforms to some surveillance programs run by the NSA, the Justice Department issued a long-awaited white paper (pdf) on the legal reasoning for the bulk collection of telephone records.

Much of it centers around Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which authorizes the warrantless ...

In the shadow of classified leaks that exposed some of the government's most secret surveillance programs, President Obama said he will work with Congress to reform the law governing their function.

Speaking at a press conference in the East Room of the White House on Friday, Obama defended the ...

How's this for surprising news: The Obama administration and the GOP have found some common ground.

Both sides have filed amicus briefs with the United States Supreme Court supporting the right of local town boards to begin their meetings with a prayer. The Los Angeles Times explains Town of ...

President Obama named 16 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom today. President Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey are among the brightest stars.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the highest civilian honor, which was first presented by President John F. Kennedy and has been given to 500 ...

The email service allegedly used by "NSA leaker" Edward Snowden is no more.

The owner and operator of Lavabit, which encrypts communication between two people, shut down the site and left a cryptic message on its homepage.

"I have been forced to make a difficult decision: to become complicit ...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stuck by its earlier prediction, today, that the summer will bring with it an "above normal" Atlantic hurricane season.

NOAA reports:

"'Our confidence for an above-normal season is still high because the predicted atmospheric and oceanic conditions that are favorable for ...

Nine young activists who have come to be known as the "Dream 9" were released from an immigration detention center on Wednesday, while their asylum cases come before a court.

The Los Angeles Times has the background:

"Last month, the five women and four men, who were brought ...

The judge presiding over the case of Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who is accused of killing 13 people during a 2009 shooting rampage in Fort Hood, Texas, said Hasan can continue to defend himself, The Associated Press reports.

Thursday's ruling comes after the standby defense team advising Hasan asked ...

Two military veterans are the latest women making allegations against San Diego Mayor Bob Filner.

Eldonna Fernandez, a retired master sergeant from the Air Force, and Gerri Tindley, an Army veteran, said Filner made unwanted advances back when Filner was serving his 10th term as a U.S. congressman in 2012. ...

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the civil rights' movement March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, President Obama will deliver remarks from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the White House said today.

It was on those same steps that 50 years ago on August 28, that Martin Luther ...

Earlier today, diplomatic relations between the United States and Russia suffered a substantial blow, when President Obama pulled out a of planned bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September.

As Mark reported, it is "the most dramatic effect so far on U.S.-Russian relations in the wake of ...

The military judge presiding over the sentencing of Pfc. Bradley Manning today reduced the maximum possible sentence the former intelligence analyst could face.

Manning, 25, who was found guilty of espionage and theft in the largest leak of classified intelligence in U.S. history, could face up to 90 years ...

CNN, The Wall Street Journal and NBC News are reporting that the United States has filed charges against a number of people suspected of orchestrating the attacks against the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

The charges would be the first connected to the Sept. 11, 2012 ...

The Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it was suing Bank of America for allegedly lying to investors about the riskiness of about $850 million worth of mortgage-backed securities back in 2008.

According to a press release by the Justice Department, the action is part of efforts of the ...

PBS says Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff will share the job of anchoring public television's News Hour.

"The veteran correspondents were also named managing editors of the weekly news program," PBS reports on the Newshour blog.

The longtime host of the show, Jim Lehrer, stepped down in June ...

There's a video making the rounds on the Internet that is pure gold. First the caveat: We don't know what exactly is going on. The assumption, based on their dress, is that it features two Mormon missionaries dominating a pickup basketball game.

First, you see the young men in white ...

George Duke, the legendary jazz keyboardist, died on Monday, his publicist tells NPR.

Duke's career spanned five decades and he always straddled the line between disparate genres, collaborating with artists such as Miles Davis, Barry Manilow, Frank Zappa, George Clinton and some of Brazil's top musicians.

Here's how NPR's Felix ...

The Washington Post Co. will sell its flagship newspaper and one of the most respected news organizations in the country to Amazon.com founder Jeffrey P. Bezos, the company announced in a press release. The Post has been a family-owned business for four generations.

Amazon, the company said, will play ...