Crime

ABC News reports: The Secret Service announced that a vehicle rammed into a security barrier outside of the White House Friday afternoon. According to the official Secret Service Twitter account, the vehicle struck a barrier at the corner of 17th Street NW and E Street NW, just to the south of the Eisenhower executive office. CNN reported that the female …

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports: Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens was indicted and taken into custody Thursday for felony invasion of privacy, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner’s office announced Thursday afternoon. About 3:45 p.m., on the first floor of the Carnahan Courthouse in downtown St. Louis, a Post-Dispatch reporter saw Greitens being led down a hallway by several St. …

The Washington Post reports: New charges were filed Thursday against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his business partner, ratcheting up the legal pressure on them as they prepare for a trial later this year. A new indictment has long been expected in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s prosecution of Manafort and his right-hand man, Rick Gates, on …

Courthouse News reports: A former Arkansas judge was sentenced Wednesday to five years in federal prison for dismissing minor criminal cases in exchange for nude photographs or sexual favors from male defendants. U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker also fined 72-year-old Boeckmann $50,000 and sentenced him to three years of supervised release after he does his time. O. Joseph Boeckmann, a …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump supports laws to strengthen the background check system for gun purchases in the wake of the Parkland, Florida high school shooting that killed 17, the White House announced on Monday. “The President spoke to Senator [John] Cornyn on Friday about the bi-partisan bill he and Sen. [Chris] Murphy introduced to improve Federal Compliance with Criminal …

The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reports: Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old accused of killing 17 students and teachers in Parkland, Florida, would plead guilty if prosecutors agree not to seek the death penalty, his lawyers say. Public Defender Howard Finkelstein said guilt is not an issue in the case of Cruz. “There is no way anyone can minimize the tragedy of what …

The New York Post reports: A California mom pleaded guilty to torturing to death her 8-year-old son because she thought he was gay. Pearl Sinthia Fernandez, 34, agreed to a plea deal Thursday for first-degree murder in the 2013 death of her son Gabriel Fernandez. The Palmdale mom also confessed to a special circumstance allegation of murder involving torture. Fernandez …

CNN reports: In a private Instagram group chat, confessed school shooter Nikolas Cruz repeatedly espoused racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic views and displayed an obsession with violence and guns.  CNN, investigating comments the shooter may have left on a now-deleted YouTube channel, was added to the private Instagram group by one of the active members in it. The responding group members, …

The Associated Press reports: The troubled teen authorities say killed 17 people at a Florida high school excelled in an air-rifle marksmanship program supported by a grant from the National Rifle Association Foundation, part of a multimillion-dollar effort by the gun group to support youth shooting clubs. Nikolas Cruz, 19, was wearing a maroon shirt with the logo from the …

Via press release from the FBI: On January 5, 2018, a person close to Nikolas Cruz contacted the FBI’s Public Access Line (PAL) tipline to report concerns about him. The caller provided information about Cruz’s gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting. Under …

Hawaii News Now reports: The head of a mega-church in the Philippines was detained at Honolulu’s airport after federal agents found $350,000 in cash on the private jet he was on. Apollo Quiboloy was among six people on the Cessna Citation Sovereign, which was to leave for the Philippines. But before it departed, Customs and Border Enforcement agents boarded it. …

The New York Daily News reports: Authorities across the country are responding to “copycat threats” as schools remain on high alert one day after a gunman fatally shot 17 people at a Florida high school. A Broome High School student in South Carolina was arrested after he shared a Snapchat photo of himself holding what appears to be an assault …

Mediaite reports: Remember Pastor Mark Burns? He’s the prosperity gospel evangelist who glommed onto Trump during the 2016 election and was exposed for lying about his education and military service, leading to his memorable walkout of a CNN interview. [Second video below.] Recently, he’s gained notice for his off-the-rails TV segments in which he defended accused pedophile Roy Moore and …

“Donald Trump does nothing, Paul Ryan does nothing, Mitch McConnell does nothing. They choose to the on the side of the four percent and on the wrong side of the ninety-five percent who want common sense gun safety laws enacted. Donald Trump knew this day was coming. Donald Trump knows another school shooting is coming. Donald Trump knows another church …

Politico reports: Looking to seize on activist outrage in the wake of the Florida school shooting, Everytown for Gun Safety — the group backed by former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg — is launching a “five-action plan” to energize supporters ahead of the midterms. The plan is the beginning of what is expected to be a major injection of …

The New York Daily News reports: A neighbor captured a chilling video of Nikolas Cruz nonchalantly firing a BB gun in his backyard just months before he shot up a Florida high school, according to a report. The cellphone video, which was taken in broad daylight last October, shows Cruz wielding a BB gun in the backyard of his home …

CNN reports: Lori Alhadef, the mother of shooting victim Alyssa Alhadef, appeared on HLN to speak about her daughter, but the topic quickly turned to the U.S. President. After describing the morning she dropped her daughter off at school for the last time, Alhadef asked, “How do we allow a gunman to come into our children’s school? How do they …

The Associated Press reports: The leader of a white nationalist militia says Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz was a member of his group and participated in paramilitary drills in Tallahassee. Jordan Jereb told The Associated Press on Thursday that his group wants Florida to become its own white ethno-state. He said his group holds “spontaneous random demonstrations” and tries …

ABC News reports: In what has become a familiar ritual of grief, President Donald Trump planned to address the nation Thursday morning about a deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school, after focusing on mental health, rather than guns, in his early comments. The president’s address comes a day after a former student opened fire at the Parkland, Florida, …

Mediaite reports: A Twitter user believed to be a student at the Florida high school devastated by a mass shooting on Wednesday called President Donald Trump a “fucking piece of shit” for his response to the massacre. In a tweet that has since gone viral, “Sarah,” urged Trump to take action in response to the shooting instead of offering prayers. …