Law

News Brief: U.S. Troops To Leave Syria, Courts Deal Setbacks To Asylum-Seekers

6:22am December 20, 2018

President Trump says it's time for U.S. forces to leave Syria. Roughly 2,200 U.S. troops have been fighting ISIS in Syria. And, another federal court decision blocks Trump's immigration crackdown.

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Los Angeles Dodgers' Yasiel Puig in October. On Wednesday, U.S. Major League Baseball and Cuba's baseball federation reached an agreement, allowing Cuban players to sign with U.S. teams without defecting.

'Realization Of An Impossible Dream:' MLB And Cuba Make Historic Deal

11:37pm December 19, 2018

by Sasha Ingber

The agreement, negotiated over years, represents the first time since Cuba's revolution that baseball players can sign with U.S. teams without defecting.

People line up to cross into the United States from Tijuana, Mexico, seen through barriers topped with concertina wire at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego. A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the administration from enforcing a ban on asylum-see

National

Another Legal Setback To The Trump Administration's Effort To Crack Down On Asylum

7:39pm December 19, 2018

by John Burnett

In June, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a ban on asylum-seekers fleeing gang violence or domestic abuse. A federal judge on Wednesday blocked that ban, saying it had "no legal basis."

The Cuban government announced plans to remove wording that would open the island to same-sex marriage from the latest draft of its new constitution. In October, Cubans who protested the controversial amendment hung posters saying, "I'm in favor of the or

Cuba Scraps Words Establishing Same-Sex Marriage From Drafted Constitution

7:21pm December 19, 2018

by Sasha Ingber

The amendment stirred controversy on the island. The National Assembly said this week that eliminating a definition of matrimony was "a way of respecting all opinions."

Canada eliminated a number of obsolete and redundant laws last week — but not soon enough for an Ontario woman charged with fake witchcraft. The East Block of Canada's Parliament Buildings are seen here.

World News

Woman Charged With Fake Witchcraft, Days Before Canada Scraps Old Law

6:12pm December 19, 2018

by Laurel Wamsley

Police say the woman "attempted to elicit funds ... in return for protection from some form [of] potential danger." The law was scrubbed from Canada's criminal code last week.

Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has made overhauling the criminal justice system one of his top projects in the White House, attended the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the Capitol last month.

Bipartisan Criminal Justice Bill Closer To Becoming Law After Senate Approval

9:21pm December 18, 2018

by Ayesha Rascoe

The Senate voted in favor of legislation that would reduce sentences for some drug crimes and offer training programs for prisoners.

Nheb Thai, a Cambodian refugee who was deported from the U.S., serves a meal to other deportees in Battambang last year. Cambodia has taken in 566 deportees since inking a 2002 pact with the U.S. that opened the door for hundreds with criminal records to

U.S. Deports Dozens More Cambodian Immigrants, Some For Decades-Old Crimes

8:22pm December 18, 2018

Many were granted refugee status after fleeing U.S. bombing during the Vietnam War and the massacres of the Khmer Rouge, and know little about the country where they're being forced to return.

The Trump administration is moving to ban bump stocks, like the one attached to the rifle above, which allow semiautomatic weapons to fire rapidly.

Justice Department Bans Bump Stocks, Devices Used In Deadly Las Vegas Shooting

8:14pm December 18, 2018

by Ryan Lucas

New regulations will bar the sale of the accessories that enable rifles to fire faster, and will require current owners to turn them in or destroy them.

President Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn arrives at federal court in Washington. D.C., Tuesday.

Federal Judge Delays Michael Flynn Sentencing After Plea Of Lying To Feds

7:45pm December 18, 2018

The judge ordered both sides to file status reports by March 13. He said he has outstanding questions, including how the Russia investigation was impeded and the impact of Flynn's lies on the inquiry.

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Chief Justice John Roberts administers the constitutional oath to Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh as his wife, Ashley Kavanaugh, holds the Bible. They're accompanied by their daughters, Margaret and Liza.

Politics & Government

Federal Panel Of Judges Dismisses All 83 Ethics Complaints Against Brett Kavanaugh

7:03pm December 18, 2018

by Nina Totenberg

The judges acknowledged that the complaints are "serious" but noted there is no existing authority for lower court judges to hold Supreme Court justices accountable.