WASHINGTON - At the same time Justice Department officials were crafting letters assuring lawmakers that fired U.S. Attorney Carol Lam was "vigorously" enforcing immigration laws, they privately questioned her prosecution philosophy, made snide remarks that she "can't meet a deadline" and suggested she be put "on a very short leash" or be removed.   Carol Lam Internal memos released Monday demonstrate conflicting views within the Justice Department over Lam and seven other U.S. attorneys whose abrupt firings ... [full story]

Governor's signature would make state the 29th with official English law WASHINGTON - The Idaho House of Representatives voted 46-20 last night to make English the official language of the state, sending the bill to Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter for his signature. If signed into law, Idaho will be the 29th state to enact official English legislation. "Idaho residents should be proud of the effort their legislators have made to maintain economic prosperity and the American ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Two former White County corrections officers were found guilty on Friday by a federal jury in Nashville, Tenn., of violating the constitutional rights of an inmate at the White County Jail in May 2004. The announcement was made by Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, and Craig Morford, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. "These defendants violated the public's trust and broke faith with ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - The Senate appears ready to curb the president's power to hire and fire U.S. attorneys such as San Diego's Carol Lam, whom Democrats claim was ousted because she aggressively pursued corruption cases involving Republicans. Senators vowed Monday to use subpoenas, hearings and legislation to prevent what they called an "abuse of power" that led to the recent firings of Lam and seven other federal prosecutors. "Our country is based on the principle of ... [full story]

SAN DIEGO - Ten years ago next week, one of the strangest events in San Diego County history exploded into the public's consciousness. For several days, it was the biggest news story in the world. It began unfolding the afternoon of Wednesday, March 26, 1997, during a period when the Hale-Bopp comet could be seen in the night sky.   HEAVENSGATE - 'We didn't know what to expect going in there,' said sheriff's Deputy Robert Brunk, ... [full story]

LOS ANGELES - A televised celebrity murder trial seemed unlikely to ever happen again after the infamous O.J. Simpson trial, which left lasting scars on the judge, the lawyers, the media and even the legal system. But 12 years later, a judge just down the hallway from the Simpson trial courtroom has agreed to allow live television coverage of rock 'n' roll producer Phil Spector's murder trial in connection with the 2003 shooting death of ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Rep. Ralph Regula's clout has plummeted since Democrats took control of Congress, according to an assessment of lawmakers' power released Thursday. But for a Republican, the Bethlehem Township lawmaker is still ranked pretty high - 150th out of 435 lawmakers - in a report from Knowlegis, a government relations company. Regula, an 18-term veteran and senior member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, ranked a much higher 10th in Knowlegis' first report published ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Robert Lewis Young of Detroit was sentenced today to 25 years in federal prison for running a criminal operation prostituting adults and children, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and Steven J. Murphy, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan announced. Following the 25-year sentence in federal prison, Young will face five years of supervised release for operating a prostitution ring spanning from Michigan to Hawaii. Young recruited ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - A plan introduced in Congress Thursday that would allow states to opt out of the No Child Left Behind law without losing federal funds does not appear to have a bright future. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., author of the legislation in the House, contends the plan is needed to free school districts from what he says are increasingly onerous testing requirements and the threat of losing federal funding when goals are not met. ... [full story]

Union Cites Labor, Human Rights, and Environmental Abuses WASHINGTON - Teamsters rallied today at NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament games in Buffalo, New York; Lexington, Kentucky and Sacramento, California to urge the NCAA to drop key sponsor Coca- Cola. The union cited concerns about Coca-Cola's destruction of natural resources in developing countries, its worker and human rights abuses in the U.S. and abroad, and the elimination of good-paying U.S. jobs at Coke bottler and distributor Coca-Cola ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Defenders of Wildlife applauded the Environmental Protection Agency's Good Neighbor Environmental Board's new report on Thursday, which outlines recommendations to protect habitat and wildlife along the U.S.-Mexico border. The report, "Environmental Protection and Border Security on the U.S.-Mexico Border," was released earlier this week at a conference held by the independent federal advisory committee commissioned through the Environmental Protection Agency. "Defenders is extremely pleased to see this report detail very specific ways to ... [full story]

Democrats Must Be Clear in Speaking of Morality and American Families WASHINGTON - Today, the National Stonewall Democrats issued the following statement in response to remarks made by Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-IL) when each was asked to clarify if a same-sex sexual orientation made someone immoral. Both Senators have refused to answer the question which followed comments made by Marine General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to ... [full story]

LOS ANGELES - A federal judge on Monday ordered death sentences for two men who headed a vicious kidnapping-for-ransom scheme in which five people were killed and their bodies were dumped in a Northern California reservoir. Lithuanian immigrant Jurijus Kadamovas, 40, and Iouri Mikhel, 41, a native of Russia, are the first people to have their executions ordered in Los Angeles federal court in more than 50 years. Last month, a jury quickly decided that ... [full story]