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Gun control advocates acknowledged they'll face big obstacles in Congress to a new ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. But they say the shooting last month of 20 schoolchildren in Connecticut could make a difference.

The deal also includes a record $4 billion in criminal penalties. Family members for some of those victims had urged stiffer sanctions.

The lawsuit takes aim at provisions that limit early voting periods and require a government photo ID as an illegal form of discrimination against minorities at the ballot box, according to a person briefed on the Justice Department's plans.

The sentencing of a Somali-American man convicted of trying to bomb a holiday tree-lighting ceremony in Portland, Ore., in 2010 is in limbo. The hold comes days after the Justice Department notified his lawyers that part of the case against him had been "derived from" secret NSA electronic surveillance.

Prosecutors say the soldier downloaded thousands of diplomatic cables and war field reports and sent them to the website WikiLeaks. His trial, which begins Monday, highlights the U.S. government's aggressive campaign to keep secrets.

Federal prisoners can request compassionate release if they are terminally ill, but a recent investigation found that many die while their requests drift through the system. Now, prison leaders say they will simplify the approval process and start tracking requests electronically.

While the ATF is a fraction of the size of its sister agency, the FBI, it runs the show when it comes to tracing weapons at crime scenes and investigating bombs and arson. But the agency has been without a permanent director for almost seven years.

In a bombshell decision, a federal appeals court panel has invalidated President Obama's recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board. Legal experts say the ruling deals a big victory to Senate Republicans in an era of congressional gridlock, and could push the issue to the Supreme Court.

In his first full week on the job, FBI Director Jim Comey expressed "intense concern" that sequester cuts could result in two weeks of furlough days for agents and the loss of 3,000 positions. He says it's a big national security worry.

Prosecutors acknowledge they built their case against Somali-born U.S. citizen Mohamed Osman Mohamud partly with secret surveillance information — an admission that could delay his sentencing.