(CNN) -- A rodeo stunt at the Missouri State Fair has come under criticism after a clown donned a Barack Obama mask and stuck a broom up his backside.

In 2008, payday lenders suffered a major defeat when the Ohio legislature banned high-cost loans. That same year, they lost again when they dumped more than $20 million into an effort to roll back the law: The public voted against it by nearly two-to-one.

On the fiftieth anniversary of the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, President Barack Obama will award the honor to a group that includes former President Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey, the billionaire media mogul.

For millions of prisoners, placing a call home means paying exorbitant rates that can exceed $1 a minute. Now, federal regulators are poised to ease the burden.

National Security Agency Director Gen. Keith Alexander, FBI Director Robert Mueller and CIA Director John Brennan say the government needs to gather data  to protect the nation from harm.

A Florida man posted a confession on Facebook saying he killed his wife. Derek Medina, 31, asked for understanding

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Justice Department is preparing an overhaul of how federal prosecutors deal with non-violent criminal offenders in a move that could mark the end of the tough-on-crime era, which began with strict anti-drug laws in the 1970s and accelerated with mandatory minimum prison sentences and so-called three-strikes laws.

(CNN) -- The first television ad released by New York City mayoral hopeful Bill de Blasio highlights the candidate's mixed-race family, a dynamic he has prominently featured in his public life.

SAN DIEGO (CNN) -- Kidnapping and murder suspect James DiMaggio was so close to the family whose life he is alleged to have turned upside down, that they considered him one of their own.

The Department of Justice announced a civil lawsuit on Tuesday alleging that Bank of America defrauded buyers of mortgage-backed securities by lying about the quality of the home loans involved.