Jackie Sartoris, District Attorney for Cumberland County, discussed recent crime trends, noting a decrease in overall violent crime but a concerning increase in gun-related crimes by juveniles. She highlighted the challenges of managing repeat offenders with multiple criminal cases and the impact of systemic issues like mental health and substance abuse on the criminal justice system. Sartoris emphasized the importance of testing sex assault kits, mentioning a $2.5 million federal grant to test all outstanding kits in Cumberland County. She also addressed the lingering effects of COVID-19 on bail practices and the criminal justice system’s staffing and resource constraints.
Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing lawmakers at a congressional hearing Tuesday amid growing questions about political influence over a Justice Department that has already criminally charged one of President Donald Trump's longtime foes and is facing intense White House pressure to prosecute others.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that he ordered another strike on a small boat he accused of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela, expanding what the Trump administration has declared is an "armed conflict" with cartels.
President Donald Trump has declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and says the United States is now in an "armed conflict" with them, according to a Trump administration memo obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, following recent U.S. strikes on boats in the Caribbean.
