Martin Kaste

A police officer hangs yellow crime tape at Brown University in Providence, R.I., on Dec. 13, 2025, during the investigation of a shooting.

U.S. murder rate approaches a record low

Martin Kaste

A few years ago, experts worried about a "new normal" of elevated violent crime in the U.S. Now the country is flirting with breaking its all-time low murder rate

With World Cup days away, public safety officials scramble to get ready for crowds

Martin Kaste

With games spread over 38 days and 11 cities, the World Cup is the biggest crowd security challenge U.S. law enforcement has ever faced. Homeland Security's extended shutdown complicated matters.

New green card policy requires more people to wait abroad while applying

Martin Kaste, Adrian Florido

The Trump administration wants more people who are seeking a green card to leave the U.S. and apply from their home countries.

The DOJ's civil rights division is investigating gun rights violations

Martin Kaste

The Justice Department has a new special unit investigating violations of gun rights, and it's suing cities and states with gun control laws that may be vulnerable after recent Supreme Court rulings.

Several states considering ban on legal personhood for AI

Martin Kaste

Is it time to consider prosecuting AI models for breaking the law? Some say it's time. Others say that would be an insult to humanity. Some states are considering laws blocking AI personhood.

Carla Wale, the director of the Gallagher Law Library at the University of Washington School of Law, is developing optional AI ethics training for law school students.

NPR Headlines

Penalties stack up as AI spreads through the legal system

Martin Kaste

Early scandals have not slowed lawyers' adoption of AI tools, even as court sanctions over fake legal briefs continue to rise.

Barbed wire fencing is shown behind a sign in English and Spanish in a recreation yard used by detainees during a media tour of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in 2019 in Tacoma, Wash.

NPR Headlines

The human and financial costs rack up as immigration detention expands

Martin Kaste

The Trump administration is pouring billions of dollars into thousands of new detention beds, when cheaper enforcement alternatives might be just as effective.