Carrie Johnson

Court says CIA can't have it both ways on drones

Carrie Johnson — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:57:11 +0000

A federal appeals court has rejected an effort by the CIA to deny it has any documents about a U.S. drone program that has killed terrorists overseas, ruling that the agency is stretching the law too far and asking judges "to give their imprimatur to a fiction of deniability that no reasonable person would regard as plausible."

The ruling by a three judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C.

Judge approves BP's manslaughter plea in 2010 Gulf oil spill

Carrie Johnson — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:41:35 +0000

A federal judge has approved a guilty plea by BP to manslaughter charges in connection with the 2010 Gulf oil spill.

The approved deal includes a record $4 billion in criminal penalties.

Eleven workers on the Deep Water Horizon rig died in the April 2010 explosion.

Will the feds try to snuff out state marijuana laws?

Carrie Johnson — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:20:34 +0000

The Justice Department has a big decision to make.

Parts of new laws in Colorado and Washington that legalize small amounts of recreational marijuana will take effect early next month. The Obama administration needs to choose whether it will sue to stop the legislation or let those states go their own way — even though the drug remains illegal under federal law.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, says the message he got from voters is unambiguous.

"Our voters want marijuana to be regulated, like alcohol," Hickenlooper said at a recent news conference.

Republicans Keep The House; Democrats Likely To Retain Senate

Carrie Johnson — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 04:39:00 +0000

Republicans have easily maintained their hold on the House, while missteps from Tea Party favorites helped Democrats retain a majority in the Senate.

That means the two chambers of Congress remain deeply divided, with prospects for agreement on such big-ticket items as deficits, tax rates and climate change unclear.

In the House, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, gloried in his party's victory — and laid down a marker.

The Battle For Congress: Senate And House Races To Watch

Carrie Johnson — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 13:45:14 +0000

For Republicans itching to regain control of the Senate, Tuesday's election presents a rare opportunity. Only 10 GOP incumbents are on the ballot, compared with nearly two dozen Democrats and independents who caucus with them.

That means the magic number for Republicans is low. They need only a net gain of three or four seats to take over the Senate — and, assuming they keep the U.S. House of Representatives, consolidate their influence on Capitol Hill.

Holder Spells Out Why Drones Target U.S. Citizens

Carrie Johnson — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 06:09:30 +0000

It's one of the most serious actions the U.S. government could ever take: targeting one of its own citizens with lethal force.

Since last year, U.S. drones have killed three Americans overseas. But Attorney General Eric Holder says the ongoing fight against al-Qaida means those kinds of deadly strikes are now a way of life. And judging from the reaction to his national security speech at Northwestern University Law School on Monday, so is the hot debate over the legality of the U.S.