Florida, California worst in nation on FBI crime reporting

The Department of Justice announced Thursday it has seized the computer servers and dark web sites associated with a prolific ransomware gang that's targeted U.S. hospitals, schools and other critical infrastructure. Driving the news: Members of the Hive ransomware gang put a notice on its website earlier today claiming the...

Reports of hate crimes committed because of someone's race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity have skyrocketed locally, new data shows. But officials say the numbers don’t paint the full picture. Why it matters: Anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric has increased among some far-right groups, leading to safety concerns. Last month, armed...

Houston's Ehrhardt Elementary School found a black teen's body hanging from a tree. Harris County Sheriff's Office located the body in Ehrhardt Elementary School's parking lot.

Shawn Denning, the top officer in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, used the app Wickr to run drug deals because he thought it was safe, prosecutors said.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson reacts to the killing of Tyre Nichols and voices his concerns over people using his death to justify riots on "Tucker Carlson Tonight."

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities released video footage Friday showing Tyre Nichols being beaten by five Memphis police officers who held the Black motorist down and repeatedly struck him with their fists, boots and batons as he screamed for his mother. The video is filled with violent moments showing the officers, who are also Black, chasing and pummeling Nichols and leaving him on the pavement propped against a squad car as they fist-bump and celebrate their actions. The footage emerged one day after the officers were charged with murder in Nichols’ death. The chilling images of another Black man dying at the hands of police renewed tough questions about how fatal encounters with law enforcement continue even after repeated calls for change. Protesters gathered for mostly peaceful demonstrations in multiple cities, including Memphis, where several dozen demonstrators blocked the Interstate 55 bridge that carries traffic over the Mississippi River toward Arkansas. Semitrucks were backed up for a distance. In Washington, dozens of protestors gathered in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House and near Black Lives Matter Plaza.

The footage shows the president not answering questions about classified documents ahead of White House Lunar New Year reception.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump joined Florida students on Wednesday in announcing they would sue the state and its Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, if they don't reinstate the African American studies course in the Advanced Placement curriculum. Driving the news: There's growing outrage at the Florida Education Department's decision to...

A synthetic opioid up to 40 times more powerful than fentanyl is scrambling the public health response to the addiction crisis in a growing number of U.S. cities. The big picture: Nitazine comes in powder, pill and liquid form and requires time-consuming lab work to trace. Often laced into substances that users think is fentanyl or heroin, it's potentially lethal or can cause a more severe onset of withdrawal symptoms.

“As usual, the devil is in the details. Republicans have given zero information on how much this will cost taxpayers,” Herald Editorial Board writes | Opinion

The U.S. has been rocked this week by multiple mass shootings. We asked you if fear of shootings is affecting your life and behavior, and we heard from one group more than any other: parents. Plus, Germany and the U.S. agree to send tanks to Ukraine. Guests: Northwestern University’s Dr....

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said Friday that video of the arrest of Tyre Nichols shows "unconscionable" behavior from the five former officers who have each been charged with second-degree murder over Nichols' death. Driving the news: Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, died days after a forceful traffic stop. Attorneys...

More than two dozen people have been charged for their involvement in a scheme to sell fraudulent degrees and transcripts from Florida-based nursing schools to aspiring nurses, according to newly unsealed court documents. Driving the news: The wire fraud scheme distributed over 7,600 fake diplomas, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. These...

The Department of Justice on Friday announced three new arrests related to an alleged murder-for-hire plot to kill a New York-based journalist and human rights activist who was critical of the Iranian government. Why it matters: The Justice Department alleged that the three arrested men were members of an Eastern...

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis on Wednesday said she had fired five police officers who were found to be "directly responsible" for the "physical abuse" of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died days after a forceful encounter with officers during a traffic stop. Why it matters: Davis said...

A trio of freshmen House Democrats is asking House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to organize a classified briefing on mass shootings, according to a letter obtained by Axios. Why it matters: The move follows a string of mass shootings in recent weeks and demonstrates...

A report addressing potential fraud at Stockton Unified School District will be ready for the Board of Trustees to review at a Feb. 14 meeting, a California education official confirmed.   Michael Fine, chief executive officer of the state’s Financial Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT), said their audit of SUSD is nearly complete. FCMAT has spent nearly a year determining if fraud, misappropriation of funds or other illegal fiscal practices took place within Stockton’s largest school...

The Biden administration effectively banned mining across a swath of land in northern Minnesota, putting a roadblock in front of the Twin Metals mining project for at least two decades. Why it matters: House Republicans are eviscerating the move’s timing because it happened just after Biden struck a deal for...

Florida drivers love to express themselves — whether it be flipping you off in traffic or doing donuts at the intersection. Others will pay a $15 fee to get a custom license plate showing off their personality.Driving the news: More than 540 vanity license plate requests were rejected by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles last year, an increase from the 412 rejected in 2021. Why it matters: The rejected plates offer a glimpse into the mind of Florida drivers and our local decency standards. The rules: The department's policy is to reject any license plate requests with "obscene or objectionable words," a spokesperson tells Axios. Zoom in: We got our hands on the list and while we can't publish most of the submissions, a close inspection shows that drivers wanted to:Hype themselves up, maybe after a recent Brazilian Butt Lift? (BBLBTCH, BOUJEAF, THICKAF).Represent the 305, especially the Miami Dolphins (WESUCK).Make a political statement (5AY 6AY, WTFBDN, 47TRUMP).Here are some of our other favorites: KAREN AFHMBL AFTOXICAF

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Friday said "mistakes were made" regarding the classified documents found at his home earlier this week. Driving the news: "While I was not aware that those classified documents were in our personal residence, let me be clear: Those classified documents should not have been at my personal residence," Pence said during a speaking engagement at Florida International University.