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A federal agency that touches the lives of people across the U.S. by funding the 988 crisis line, naloxone distribution and addiction treatment may be weakened and possibly eliminated in the proposed overhaul of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In Secretary Robert Kennedy plan, the $8 billion Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, would be absorbed into a new office, where its more than 700 staffers would co-exist with employees from other agencies responsible for chemical exposures and work-related injuries. Five agencies would be swallowed up under what will be called the Administration for a Healthy America, or AHA, echoing Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again slogan, reports the Associated Press. Merging SAMHSA into a larger agency “will increase operational efficiency and assure programs are carried out because it will break down artificial divisions between similar programs,” said an HHS news release. “Millions of Americans who get mental health and substance use services depend on SAMHSA even if they have never heard the name of the agency,” said Brendan Saloner, an addiction researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Kennedy said in his confirmation hearings that he was addicted to heroin for 14 years and has been in recovery for 42 years. He called medication-assisted treatment such as Suboxone (buprenorphine) and methadone medically necessary, but considers the gold standard to be 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. SAMHSA was created by Congress in 1992, so closing it is illegal and raises questions about Kennedy’s commitment to treating addiction and mental health, said Keith Humphreys, a Stanford University addiction researcher. “Burying the agency in an administrative blob with no clear purpose is not the way to highlight the problem or coordinate a response,” he said. Other experts said crippling SAMSHA could stall progress on overdose deaths. The agency regulates methadone clinics and pays for addiction prevention efforts in all 50 states. “There’s a reason why we have reduced overdose in this country, it’s because SAMHSA has been doing its job so well,” said Dr. Ruth Potee, medical director for seven methadone clinics in Massachusetts. “My jaw drops at this news.”

Public attention on crime and public safety has largely focused on fixing problems in cities, despite troubling safety challenges in rural and suburban areas as well.   One result of this fragmented approach has been a wave of policymaking centered on restoring “law and order” in cities, which has largely prioritized policing, penalties, and prisons as the primary deterrents to crime, the Brookings Institution says in a new report. At the state level, this includes efforts to exert state control over local police departments, curtail the powers of prosecutors, and roll back criminal justice reforms aimed at shrinking the size of the incarcerated population. Some cities are increasing prosecutions for low-level crimes, embracing :stop and frisk policing and enacting youth curfews. Brookings suggests that rather than siloing public safety and economic development efforts, governments should align the two objectives, particularly in “left-behind” communities, whether urban or rural.   A large body of evidence finds that approaches linking public safety efforts to those bolstering employment, education, After speaking withCook County, Il., jail inmates, former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said,“What I heard dozens and dozens of times was a job for $12 or $13 dollars an hour…If we could employ people and give them a chance to heal, get their high school diplomas and grow, they will make that choice. They’re happy to make that choice.”   An Ohio police officer said, “Whether it’s an urban area with gangs or a rural area with trailer parks, crime comes down to depressed economics. Some people, especially single moms, are working five jobs and when their kids come home. Nobody’s there. It’s not because they don’t care, it’s because they can’t be there. But young people still want a family atmosphere. They’re looking for mentorship, people that care about them, and family. That’s what gangs provide." Brookings presents analysis from 10 states (Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin) and evidence-based recommendations to address the intersection between place, public safety, and the economy.     Crime is not limited to cities, but varies widely across cities, suburbs, and rural areas, with some suburbs and rural areas reporting higher per capita crime rates in recent years than urban peers.    The report said there is a strong relationship between place, economic opportunity, and public safety in cities, and a similar relationship across select suburban and rural areas.    Investments in youth, families, and neighborhood revitalization can mitigate crime and help break the cycle of violence in communities over the long run.    Bookings suggests ways in which state, regional, and local leaders can join forces to make a tangible difference for safety and economic growth in urban, suburban, and rural communities alike.

The Trump administration stopped funding a national database tracking domestic terrorism, hate crimes and school shootings in a sweeping round of cuts to violence prevention projects, reports the Washington Post . The cancellation involves nearly $20 million for 24 projects dating as far back as July 2021. The database, run by the University of Maryland and supported by $3 million from DHS disappeared Tuesday from the START consortium for terrorism research’s website. A DHS emai said “the scope of work performed under this award no longer effectuates Department priorities” without providing details. The data had showed there were nearly three violent events daily, killing nearly 400 people and injuring more than 700, wrote Michael Jensen, the project’s principal investigator and the research director at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terror. Jensen said the cancellation comes at a time when the first two months of 2025 saw a 25 percent increase in terrorism and targeted violence incidents compared to the first two months of last year. Amy Cooter of the Institute for Countering Digital Extremism , worries that the cuts to violence prevention efforts across the federal government will hamper the fight against domestic terrorism. “We’re seeing a real end of our ability to stay on top of extremist trends and threats from a governmental perspective,” Cooter said. A research project to avert school shootings, an evaluation of a method used to redirect online searches away from extremist content and a study focused on early detection and intervention of people planning terrorist attacks were among those to lose funding

A 69-year-old man slowly suffocated to death in a rural Colorado jail after his ribs were broken in an altercation with a deputy and he languished in a cell for a week without medical care, alleges a new lawsuit. Michael Burch’s 2023 death was ruled a homicide. Prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges against the deputy who used a Taser on Burch and wrestled with him in a Huerfano County jail cell. District Attorney Henry Solano cited self-defense laws. An autopsy found six of Burch’s right ribs had broken and his right lung collapsed. He wasn’t taken to a hospital but instead was transferred to another cell where he was found dead seven days later, the Associated Press reports. “The simple act of breathing became so painful as Mr. Burch’s shattered ribs continued to pierce and tear through his organs that his body stopped using his right lung, which shrank to half the normal size,” lawyers for Burch’s estate said in the federal lawsuit. Defendants include the Huerfano County commissioners, sheriff’s office, individual sheriff’s officials, paramedics and the hospital they worked for, as well as nurses and the nonprofit company contracted to provide health care to inmates. The lawsuit accuses them of causing Burch’s fatal injuries and not doing anything to treat them, violating his constitutional rights. A family lawyer, Qusair Mohamedbhai, said Burch’s relationship with his children had been strained by his mental health problems, but they had hoped he would have a relationship with his grandchildren. Now they have nightmares about how painful their father’s final days must have been. “This is Gulag-type behavior that simply should not exist anywhere,” he said.

The Justice Department is investigating whether the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department violated the Second Amendment rights of residents through a pattern of long delays in issuing concealed carry permits. DOJ said the investigation was part of a larger push to protect gun rights. It added that it could open similar investigations in “any other states or localities that insist on unduly burdening, or effectively denying, the Second Amendment rights of their ordinary, law-abiding citizens.” The Supreme Court has upheld Second Amendment rights in recent cases. DOJ said some states “have resisted this recent pro-Second Amendment case law.” The department called California “a particularly egregious offender,” saying it had passed laws restricting the right to bear arms. It said some areas of California had also imposed excessive fees and lengthy wait times on concealed carry permits, the New York Times reports. A 2023 federal lawsuit by gun rights advocates claimed it had taken more than a year to obtain a concealed carry permit from the Los Angeles County Sheriff. Last year, a federal judge agreed that the Second Amendment rights of two individuals in the lawsuit had most likely been violated when the county made them wait 18 months before they received a decision. The Justice Department said it believed others had also experienced long delays in obtaining permits.. The Sheriff’s Department said it respected the Second Amendment and that it was committed to processing all concealed carry permits, but it added that it was facing a “staffing crisis” and had a backlog of cases. It said it had around 4,000 applications to process, with only 14 people to review them. “The Second Amendment is not a second-class right,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi in announcing the investigation in Los Angeles, “and under my watch, the department will actively enforce the Second Amendment just like it actively enforces other fundamental constitutional rights.”

The federal judiciary launched a task force focused on ensuring the continued security and independence of the courts as President Trump and his allies ramp up their criticism of judges who block his agenda, Reuters reports. The Judicial Security and Independence Task Force's launch was detailed in a memo issued after calls by Republican lawmakers to limit the reach of judges' rulings, reduce the judiciary's funding, or impeach judges who have ruled against Trump's administration. Judge Robert Conrad, the director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, did not mention Trump in the memo sent to judges and court officials nationally. Conrad said the task force would be chaired by Baltimore-based U.S. District Judge James Bredar and "identify, analyze, and propose responses to ensure the continued security and independence of courts and judges. ...Through its efforts, it is hoped that the security of individual judges will be enhanced and that judicial independence will be assured.." Bredar, an appointee of former President Obama, is among the numerous judges hearing the 130-plus lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's actions. This month, in a lawsuit brought by 19 states under Democratic leadership and Washington, D.C., Bredar ordered the administration to reinstate 25,000 workers at 18 agencies who lost their jobs during Trump's purge of the federal workforce. Task force members include U.S. Circuit Judge Richard Sullivan, who chairs the judiciary's security committee, and U.S. District Judge John Bates in Washington. Bates, an appointee of President George W. Bush, is among six judges who have issued rulings against the administration. House Speaker Mike Johnson this week said congressional power over the judiciary covered its funding and the authority to eliminate entire district courts. The House is expected to take up a bill that would prevent district judges from issuing nationwide injunctions blocking policies.

Lawmakers on Thursday unveiled a pair of bipartisan bills — one that would give federal judges permission to allow cameras in their courtrooms and another that would require the Supreme Court to open up certain proceedings to television crews, Courthouse News reports. Cameras and video recording have long been prohibited in federal courts. Democrats and Republicans say their proposed legislation will shine light on the justice system and increase the public's confidence in the judiciary at every level. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is leading the charge on the two measures. He’s working with Democrats including Illinois Senator Dick Durbin and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. “The judicial branch has a massive impact on our daily lives and the lives of generations to come, yet few Americans get the chance to see our nation’s courts in action,” Grassley said. “Allowing cameras access to the federal and Supreme Courts would boost transparency and help Americans grow in confidence and understanding of the judiciary.” The Sunshine in the Courtroom Act would allow judges in U.S. district and appellate courts to permit photography, recording and broadcasting at their discretion. The proposed camera rules come with some exceptions. At the appellate level, a judge could refuse to allow video or photography during proceedings that would violate the due process rights of any of the parties involved. In cases where a panel of judges are presiding, those restrictions could be placed via majority vote. The legislation gives U.S. district judges similar bandwidth and requires trial courts to let witnesses choose to obscure their face or voice on broadcast. The bill would also ban media coverage of jurors. The U.S. Judicial Conference would develop mandatory guidelines for judges to follow when deciding whether to obscure certain “vulnerable witnesses” on video, such as victims of crime, minors, cooperating witnesses or undercover law enforcement officers. Grassley has for decades championed efforts to bring cameras into federal courts, sponsoring similar legislation since 2005.

Federal authorities arrested Henry Josue Villatoro Santos – a 24-year-old alleged leader of MS-13, the Mara Salvatrucha gang – on a gun charge Thursday in northern Virginia. Villatoro Santos is facing one felony charge. The Justice Department and other federal officials said Villatoro Santos is a Salvadoran national with unlawful status in the U.S, USA Today reports. Despite only a single charge, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi identified him as one of the three main leaders of MS-13 in the U.S., responsible for the East Coast. “America is safer today because one of the top domestic terrorists in MS-13 is off the streets,” she said. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said the arrest was made in Dale City, 28 miles south of Washington, D.C., in a coordinated effort with federal, Virginia and local law enforcement agencies. Youngkin blamed local leadership in northern Virginia, which leans Democratic, and the Biden administration for not arresting the alleged leader sooner. Federal prosecutors have charged Villatoro Santos with possessing a firearm by an alien. In an affidavit, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deportation Officer Jason Klepec said officials executed a federal search warrant for Villatoro Santos at a home where his mother had reported a burglary in August. FBI agents had seen Villatoro Santos entering and exiting the residence in March. He is not legally present in the U.S.. Agents first tried to knock and announce their presence, then breached the front and back doors of the home, They found Villatoro Santos in an alcove leading to the garage, which agents later discovered was his room. He allegedly ducked behind a small wall, and officials said he didn’t comply with orders to leave the home. Agents used a stun grenade, and he eventually was pulled out of the residence. Villatoro Santos was taken into custody on an outstanding immigration warrant. When agents searched his room, they found a 9mm handgun, three other firearms, ammunition and two suppressors. Agents also found “indicia of MS-13 association” in his bedroom.

The deaths of two women during conjugal visits with their significant others at a California prison last year should prompt a suspension of the visits altogether while authorities conduct a "top-to-bottom" review, a county prosecutor said Thursday, USA Today reports. "That's the responsible thing to do when you have two tragedies that have occurred in the same institution in the same program within a very short time span, is take a look at whether or not the protocol, policies and procedures are adequate," said Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe. The two women, 47-year-old Tania Thomas and 62-year-old Stephanie Dowells, were both allegedly strangled during what the state prison system calls "family visits" − extended visits in apartment-like facilities at Mule Creek State Prison in northern California. Thomas' domestic partner Anthony Curry, 48, was charged with murder and accused of strangling her in July 2024. He was already serving a life sentence for attempted second-degree murder. Dowells' husband, David Brinson, 54, hasn't been charged but is a suspect in her death in November. He was already serving a life sentence for murder. The prosecutor's call for action joins those of family members like Thomas' cousin, Jeanine Rojo. "Something needs to be done, and it should have been done two homicides ago,” Rojo told NBC News. Only four U.S. states allow family members of inmates to participate in some form of a conjugal visit, and last year's deaths have thrown the controversy surrounding them into the national spotlight. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said visits have not been suspended. "Family visits were not modified or paused ... and continue to be available to eligible incarcerated individuals," the agency said. Riebe called the deaths "hard to fathom" and said in his 30 years as chief public defender and then district attorney, he has never seen violent crimes during family visits at Mule Creek State Prison.

High-caliber shooting ranges are expanding their niche thanks to a new wave of gun-curious Americans, including women, minorities, liberals and the apolitical. About 26.2 million people became first-time gun owners in the past five years, catalyzed by the pandemic and subsequent social unrest and crime spikes, according to annual surveys of gun retailers by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a gun-industry trade group, reports the Wall Street Journal.  “You want a place where they feel comfortable coming in and shooting,” said Oklahoma-based gun-range consultant Jeff Swanson. He tells prospective clients that old-school ranges—what he calls “stale, pale and male”—had better evolve so as “not to become the next RadioShack or Linens ‘n Things.” Some shooting sports businesses have tried for years to lure a broader clientele with more high-tech, upscale offerings. Now, with the sharp influx of new gun owners, more businesses are moving quickly to transform. Some appear to be hitting the target.  Lake Erie Arms in Milan, Oh., includes a clay pigeon shooting range, fully automatic rifle rentals and the Caliber Club, a members-only bar and restaurant. This new breed is reimagining ranges as something akin to Topgolf for guns: modern, brightly lit complexes replete with gourmet food, date nights, babysitting and concierge services and more. They champion safety classes and, notably, decouple guns from politics. Memberships are available, and include privileges, but aren’t necessary to walk in and shoot. In many ranges, staff are prohibited from carrying guns—because customers can find it intimidating. Jim West, co-owner of Lake Erie Arms, opened the large indoor shooting complex in September 2023 as an alternative to the typical “smoky gun ranges where you can taste the lead,” he said. The 94,000-square-foot facility has hosted weddings, baby showers and a “Bonnie and Clyde” night for couples.

A manufacturer of DNA testing kits warned the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in August to stop using certain test kits that had proved prone to giving incomplete results. A civilian employee didn’t throw the kits out or send them back, reports the Los Angeles Times. Thee department kept using the faulty kits for another six months, testing thousands of samples criminal cases and investigations. It wasn’t until Monday that a supervisor discovered the testing-kit company’s notice. The department has opened an internal investigation into the incident as officials face the daunting task of retesting 4,000 samples to see how much the flawed kits may have affected criminal cases. In some cases, existing samples may be too small to retest. “We take the integrity of our criminal investigations and the reliability of our forensic testing very seriously,” said Sheriff Robert Luna, adding that his agency "is working diligently to assess the impact and to prevent such situations from occurring again.” The department used the defective kits for eight months, from July 2024 through February 2025. Officials said the faulty kits were "not likely to have falsely identified any individual.” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office had begun working with the Sheriff’s Department to assess the scope of the problem and make sure those involved are kept informed. Brooke Longuevan, president of the public defenders union, called the situation “deeply concerning.” “This failure will undoubtedly delay criminal cases, leaving our clients in custody waiting even longer for their trials to move forward,” she said. “Serious oversights like this not only jeopardize the integrity of individual cases but also sow public distrust in the criminal legal system and call into question the efficacy and accuracy of criminal investigations.”