The nation in brief

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a plenary session of China's National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Friday, March 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a plenary session of China's National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Friday, March 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Sessions in talk berates 'activist' judges

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions lashed out at "activist" judges who issue nationwide injunctions, actions that have so far created a roadblock to President Donald Trump's plan to enact new rules for so-called sanctuary cities and illegal aliens.

"I am shocked by the actions of certain judges who fail to respect the constitutional responsibilities of the executive and legislative branches," Sessions said in prepared remarks Saturday at the Federalist Society, an organization of conservatives and libertarians.

Sessions has voiced his frustration with nationwide injunctions in the past, saying they are attempts by district courts to micromanage decisions. Notably, he spoke out against the practice in 2017, when the Trump administration wanted to temporarily block travelers from several countries from entering the U.S.

Injunctions are filed by judges and apply nationally, essentially blocking the government from imposing new rules until the matter can be heard in court. For example, a federal judge in San Francisco in January issued a ruling that temporarily blocked the Trump administration's order to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for illegal aliens who were brought to the U.S. as children.

Court order targets lawmaker's ex-lover

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- A Pennsylvania state lawmaker who got a restraining order against a fellow lawmaker she accuses of threatening to kill her said through her lawyers Saturday that she has come forward to help others.

State Rep. Tarah Toohil said in a statement released Saturday by her lawyers that she was in a consensual relationship with fellow Republican Rep. Nick Miccarelli six years ago "but there were terrible moments that were non-consensual."

Miccarelli hasn't been charged with any crime and has denied the accusations.

Toohil's protection order request alleges that he pointed a gun at her at one point and has harassed and stalked her since their relationship ended, and she has been "in fear for my safety at work" since filing a complaint against him in the state House.

A Luzerne County judge granted the restraining order Friday, barring Miccarelli from contacting Toohil and prohibiting him from possessing firearms.

Democrats at odds on 'insider influence'

WASHINGTON -- The Democratic Party's hierarchy on Saturday acknowledged the "perceived influence" of insiders over voters in picking a presidential nominee, but don't know yet how to settle an issue that bedeviled the nomination fight between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in 2016.

At issue is the role of Democratic National Committee members, elected officials and other party dignitaries -- known collectively as superdelegates. They overwhelmingly favored Clinton, who won the nomination, though her wide advantage among this group ultimately saddled her with charges of favoritism.

The committee, at its winter meeting, approved language that committed the party to reducing the "perceived influence" of those party leaders in the nominating process, a goal that both Clinton and Sanders endorsed during the 2016 convention. The committee didn't say how it would accomplish that.

The dispute pits Democrats who want to tie the nomination more exclusively to the voters' preferences against veteran party hands who want to maintain their sway in presidential politics.

The committee's chairman, Tom Perez, insists the party "will improve the democratic process" before 2020.

Agency defends street arrest of mother

NATIONAL CITY, Calif. -- The U.S. Border Patrol said Friday that agents acted appropriately during the videotaped arrest of a woman who was pulled away from her daughters on a street in Southern California.

The agency said Perla Morales-Luna, 36, recruited drivers to take people who crossed the border illegally to a house in National City, near San Diego.

The agency put her in deportation proceedings and is not pursuing smuggling charges.

Video of the woman being pulled from her daughters on March 3 in the San Diego suburb had drawn nearly 10 million views on Facebook by Friday afternoon. At least one person can be heard crying uncontrollably as agents forced Morales-Luna into a vehicle and drove away.

The Border Patrol issued a more detailed response as criticism mounted. It said Morales-Luna declined to surrender after being contacted by phone in the smuggling investigation and that she tried to flee in a nearby vehicle when agents confronted her on the street.

Her daughters -- 17, 15 and 12 and U.S. citizens -- are now living with family members in the San Diego area.

A Section on 03/11/2018

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