Crime News
The Daily Signal reports on crime news with analysis and commentary on policies, crime rates, and policing debates.
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news
Amid Calls for New Special Counsel, Silence on Internal Probe of FBI, DOJ Abuses
After nearly two years, special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report is finished. But one year after his assignment to probe possible related misdeeds by FBI and Justice Department officials, U.S. Attorney John Huber’s work remains a mystery. Huber, who oversees federal prosecutions in the District of Utah, is working collaboratively in the internal investigation with… -
news
Trump Says FBI and Justice Department Will Review ‘Outrageous’ Jussie Smollett Case
President Donald Trump said the FBI and Department of Justice will review the “outrageous” Jussie Smollett case. “FBI & DOJ to review the outrageous Jussie Smollett case in Chicago,” Trump tweeted Thursday. “It is an embarrassment to our Nation!” FBI & DOJ to review the outrageous Jussie Smollett case in Chicago. It is an embarrassment… -
news
Cartels Are ‘Abusing’ Asylum Laws, Causing a Human Trafficking ‘Crisis,’ Texas Lawmaker Says
A Texas lawmaker says the situation on the southern border is “a real crisis” because human traffickers are exploiting our asylum laws, which he says are “broken.” “We have a sophisticated enterprise where cartels are profiting by moving people across the border,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said on the fourth installment of the House Freedom… -
news
Justice Department Says It Agrees With Judge Who Ruled Obamacare Unconstitutional
The Department of Justice sided with a district court ruling Monday that found the Affordable Care Act violated the Constitution. U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor issued the ruling in December 2018, finding that the Obamacare individual mandate had been rendered unconstitutional due to the partial repeal Republicans passed in 2017. The ruling has been appealed to… -
opinion
These New Laws Will Strengthen US Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking
The U.N.’s International Labor Organization in 2016 estimated that there were 40.3 million victims of modern slavery throughout the world, including 24.9 million in forced labor and 15.4 million in forced marriages. It was with that as backdrop that President Donald Trump on Jan. 9 signed into law the reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection… -
news
Graham Calls for New Special Counsel to Probe Justice Department
Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., announced his committees will launch a probe into the Justice Department’s alleged abuse of spying, widely believed to be the predicate for investigations into alleged ties between President Donald Trump and Russia. “I’m going to get answers to this. If no one else cares, it seems that Republicans do,”… -
news
Attorney General Sees No Case for Obstruction as Mueller Finds No Collusion With Russia
It’s no longer only President Donald Trump and his allies saying “no collusion.” Special counsel Robert Mueller has reached the same conclusion that the Trump campaign did not conspire with Moscow to gain advantage in the 2016 election. Mueller also did not uncover actionable evidence in his 22-month probe that Trump sought to obstruct justice… -
news
Mueller Delivers Report on Russia Probe to Attorney General
Special counsel Robert Mueller delivered a report Friday on his investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and allegations of collusion by the Trump campaign. Attorney General William Barr, who took office Feb. 14, informed the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees that he had received Mueller’s report…. -
opinion
College Admissions Bribery Scandal Shows How Higher Ed Culture Has Descended Into Signaling
How much is an elite education worth to you? How about $500,000—and a jail sentence? That’s how much wealthy actresses, business leaders, and financiers have pawned off to bribe their children off to colleges like Stanford University, Yale University, and the University of California. According to The New York Times, actress Lori Loughlin and fashion… -
opinion
College Admissions Scandal Is Likely Tip of the Iceberg
The recently disclosed college admissions scandal has angered everyone because it involves the classic vices of greed, lying, subterfuge, dirty money, snitches, and cheating. It also underscores the notion that the rich play by a different set of rules, and that the college admissions process is not based on merit. By unsealing the indictment and… -
news
House Republicans Urge Sending Cohen Case to Justice Department for Alleged Perjury
Two leading House Republicans are ramping up pressure on House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings to refer the case of former Trump attorney Michael Cohen to the Justice Department because of allegations that he perjured himself during congressional testimony. Republicans Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows claimed in their letter that Cohen… -
news
School Choice Program Reduces Young Adult Crime, Study Shows
A first-of-its-kind paper on private school vouchers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, looks beyond student test scores and focuses on the impact the school choice vehicle has on crime reduction. “We took a representative sample of participants in the [Milwaukee Parental Choice Program] and carefully matched them to similar Milwaukee public school students and then tracked their… -
opinion
FBI Exposes Wealthy Parents Rigging College for Kids. But It Was Always Rigged.
The FBI dropped a new bombshell on Tuesday, and this time the scandal is Russian-free. Dozens of wealthy parents, including notable celebrities, were charged in a college admissions scandal and accused of paying a total of $25 million in payments to cheat their children into school. According to Politico, “parents paid a college counseling test… -
opinion
Florida Set to Follow Congress’ Lead on Criminal Justice Reform
Criminal justice reform in Florida is poised to follow in the footsteps of federal legislation signed into law by President Donald Trump in December. It’s an issue that has gained substantial traction at both the state and federal level. The Florida First Step Act, drafted by Florida state Sen. Jeff Brandes, was passed unanimously by… -
opinion
New Cases of Armed Citizens Stopping Criminals in February
Last month, we documented some extraordinary examples from January of armed citizens relying on their Second Amendment rights to protect themselves and others. We pointed out that these were average, everyday Americans who were just going about their lives. They did not go looking for evil but were nonetheless prepared to deal with the evil… -
news
Conservative Activist Describes Being Assaulted at UC Berkeley
This transcript is from a Thursday recording of The Daily Signal Podcast at the Conservative Political Action Conference and has been edited for length and clarity. The full interview is available on the podcast here. Katrina Trinko: We’re here at CPAC and with me is Hayden Williams. You might have heard about him in the news coverage this week. He was at University of California, Berkeley last… -
news
After Nearly Going to Jail for Shoplifting, This Football Player Now Advocates Criminal Justice Reform
Growing up in a small town outside of Jackson, Mississippi, NFL linebacker Demario Davis had never seen a two-parent household that put faith first. His mother had him when she was 16 years old and his father served in the Army. As a child, he was surrounded by drugs, crimes, and gangs. His football career… -
opinion
Podcast: Jussie Smollett’s Hate Crime Hoax Unravels
Jussie Smollett, the now-disgraced actor from “Empire,” has turned himself in. Chicago police say he fabricated a hate crime against himself in order to get attention because he was dissatisfied with his salary. In this episode, we recount what happened, the media’s careless response, and what Smollett’s actions mean for the real victims of hate… -
opinion
Smollett Case Highlights Reasons for Skepticism About Hate Crime Statistics
Update: The Chicago Police Department took “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett into custody early Thursday on a charge of making a false report to police. “Bogus police reports cause real harm,” Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at a press conference announcing Smollett’s arrest. Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good narrative…. -
opinion
The Sick Phenomenon of Fake Racist Crimes
Is it any wonder that American news consumers are at the end of their ropes of patience with the “mainstream media”? Three weeks ago, when I first documented troubling questions, contradictions, and doubts about Trump-hating, attention-craving actor Jussie Smollett’s absurd hate crime claims, few in the “professional” journalism herd paid heed. Now, with a grand…