Convicts

Some of those seeking to overhaul the nation’s criminal justice system want to cut the prison population by more than a million inmates. An agreement in Washington this week, hailed as a landmark bipartisan moment, falls well short of that: about 7,000 people might get out early. The bill, endorsed by President Trump, makes shorter sentences for crack cocaine retroactive for a few thousand inmates. It increases the number of people eligible to sidestep mandatory minimum sentences, but only by a nudge. And it reduces the three-strikes penalty from life to a still-lengthy 25 years. The proposed legislation is very much a compromise, one that, at least in the short term, will do little to solve the country’s mass incarceration problem. Its name, the First Step Act, is apt as its sponsors consider it an initial attempt at reform. To many advocates, releasing 7,000 inmates — less than 4 percent of the federal inmate population — is unacceptably low given the huge number of people … [Read more...] about Just How Much of an Overhaul Is This Overhaul of the Nation’s Criminal Justice System?

Former President Donald Trump could launch a second "violent attack" if he's indicted in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' probe into his actions surrounding the 2020 presidential election, former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner warned Saturday. Willis is investigating whether or not Trump's call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger , in which he allegedly asked him to "find" enough votes to tilt the election in his favor amid his efforts to try to overturn President Joe Biden 's win, violated state election interference laws. A special grand jury wrapped up its investigation last month. Willis is now tasked with reviewing the report and deciding whether to call a traditional grand jury, which would have the authority to issue an indictment against the former president. Kirschner said during an appearance on the The Dean Obeidallah Show on Saturday that indictments are "imminent in Georgia." However, he also warned that Trump may urge his … [Read more...] about Trump indictment will lead to “violent attack,” Kirschner predicts

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A Wisconsin man convicted of shooting at a group of children who threw snowballs at his car in 2020 received a 16-year prison sentence on Friday. WITI-TV reports that prosecutors had asked for a 25-year prison sentence after jurors found William Carson guilty of two counts of first-degree reckless injury and five counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety in November. According to court records, seven children were throwing snowballs at passing cars on Milwaukee’s north side in January 2020. A driver later identified as Carson turned his car around, got out and fired a gun at the group. Prosecutors have said two of the children were hurt after being shot in the thigh and arm. A third child’s jacket was grazed by a bullet. Judge Michael Hanrahan also included 10 years of extended supervision in Carson’s sentence. “There is this other side of you that is impulsive, reckless, violent — I think self-centered,” Hanrahan said during a … [Read more...] about Man given 16 years for shooting at kids throwing snowballs

WASHINGTON — President Biden probably will not put it quite this way when he gets up before Congress to address the nation this week, but the state of America’s union is disunion. To see that, he will need only turn around to find a Republican House speaker seated behind him, determined to block his every move. So Mr. Biden’s message of unity, a hard sell already during his first two years in office, may prove even more out of sync on Tuesday night as he delivers his first State of the Union address of this new era of divided government. Yet for a president who prides himself on working across the aisle, a unity pitch may paradoxically be a useful cudgel to hammer his newly empowered opponents. Mr. Biden plans to present himself to what is likely to be his largest television audience of the year as the adult in the room, willing and able to reach bipartisan compromises in an age of deep partisanship, according to advisers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the … [Read more...] about For Biden, a Chance for a Fresh Start in a New Era of Divided Government

The Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth, a pastor in Birmingham, Ala., in the 1950s, was called by the historian Andrew Manis “one of the least known but most impactful figures in the civil rights movement.” Shuttlesworth was a close friend and colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but nearly his opposite in personality — boisterous, direct and exuberant by nature. In his obituary , The Times contrasted the two men, saying: “Where Dr. King could deliver thunderous oratory and move audiences by his reasoned convictions and faith, Mr. Shuttlesworth was fiery.” He was, the author Diane McWhorter told The Times, “King’s most effective and insistent foil: blunt where King was soothing, driven where King was leisurely, and most important, confrontational where King was conciliatory.” The segregationist Commissioner of Public Safety in Birmingham, Bull Connor, saw Shuttlesworth as his nemesis. When asked about chest injuries Shuttlesworth incurred from being sprayed by a fire hose at close … [Read more...] about The Astonishing Moral Beauty of Rev. Shuttlesworth and the Black Church

Here’s what you need to know: Schiff called on the Senate to demand witnesses and documents so far denied by the Trump administration. Managers accused Trump of using his power ‘to cheat’ in the election. Trump set a new Twitter record as he lashed out at House managers seeking his removal from office. Schumer ruled out witness bargain that would call both Bolton and Hunter Biden to testify. Bound to silence on the floor, Trump’s lawyers and allies stewed with no chance to respond until later in the week. The White House ceded a chance to try to swiftly dismiss the case. Republicans bristled at House managers for their aggressive tone during the procedural debate. Schiff called on the Senate to demand witnesses and documents so far denied by the Trump administration. After a day of outlining the substance of the case against President Trump , the lead House impeachment manager returned in the evening session to lobbying the Senate for testimony … [Read more...] about Day in Impeachment: Key Moments From the Managers’ Opening Arguments

close Video Fox News Flash top sports headlines for February 5 Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. A man has been arrested in connection with an incident at a girls’ high school basketball game in Corona, California, where he allegedly punched several female athletes and brandished a firearm. During a game between the Centennial High School Huskies and Santiago High School Sharks on Jan. 24, players began shoving each other after a scrum for the ball led to a foul call. Then, police say, a man came down from the stands and punched several of the female athletes on the court. The man injured three girls, who were 16 and 17 years old, and the game was subsequently suspended in the fourth quarter. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM A man has been arrested in connection with an incident at a girls’ high school basketball game in Corona, … [Read more...] about Man arrested after punching teenage girls, brandishing gun during high school basketball game

After decades of loyal service to Donald J. Trump, Allen H. Weisselberg on Tuesday testified in the criminal tax-fraud trial of the former president’s family business, kicking the proceedings into high gear as he assumed an uncomfortable role: star witness for the prosecution. Mr. Weisselberg, the company’s longtime chief financial officer, pleaded guilty this summer to the same crimes for which the company is now on trial in a Manhattan court. As part of his deal, which is expected to spare him a lengthy prison sentence, Mr. Weisselberg agreed to give evidence against the company, even as he remains on its payroll and has refused to implicate Mr. Trump. Mr. Weisselberg, who took the stand on the same day that Mr. Trump announced his third run for president, provided crucial facts to bolster the Manhattan district attorney’s case, which centers on lucrative off-the-books perks that the company paid to Mr. Weisselberg and other executives. The benefits — including apartment rentals, … [Read more...] about Top Trump Organization Executive Testifies Against Firm He Helped Build

CLEARWATER, Fla. — In a major victory for Republicans in the battle for control of Congress, David Jolly, a former lobbyist, narrowly won a special election for a House seat on Tuesday in a hotly contested swing district, giving the party an expensive triumph in its fight against President Obama’s health care plan. After months of diligent courting by the three candidates and a $9 million barrage of political advertising by outside groups, voters in Pinellas County chose Mr. Jolly over Alex Sink, a Democrat and his main rival. Mr. Jolly won 48.4 percent of the vote and Ms. Sink received 46.5 percent. A third candidate, Lucas Overby, a Libertarian, won 4.8 percent. It was a disappointing defeat for Ms. Sink and the Democratic Party, which had worked arduously to try to claim the longtime Republican seat. Taking the stage to thunderous applause after his victory, a beaming Mr. Jolly, 41, said he would work across party lines to best represent the district. “I did not run … [Read more...] about Victory in Florida Race Bolsters Midterm Hopes for Republicans

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that would reduce the disparities between mandatory federal sentences for crack and powder cocaine violations, a step toward ending what legal experts say have been unfairly harsh punishments imposed mainly on blacks. The bill, which passed the Senate in March, was adopted by the House in a voice vote and now goes to President Obama for his signature. Administration officials have described the sentencing disparity as “fundamentally unfair,” and Mr. Obama said during the 2008 presidential campaign that it “disproportionately filled our prisons with young black and Latino drug users.” Under the current law, adopted in 1986 after a surge in crack cocaine smoking and drug-related killings, someone convicted in federal court of possession of five grams of crack must be sentenced to at least five years in prison, and possession of 10 grams requires a 10-year minimum sentence. With powder cocaine, the threshold amounts for those … [Read more...] about Congress Moves to Narrow Cocaine Sentencing Disparities