WASHINGTON, Sept 6 (Reuters) – The U.S. government must
tell the public how it tracked suspects by cellphone without
having given a judge detailed reasons for the tracking in some
cases, an appeals court ruled on Tuesday, in a case pitting new
technology against privacy rights.

A leading civil liberties group claimed victory in one of
several cases making its way through the court system weighing
privacy rights against law enforcement using data available
through the proliferation of new technologies like the Global
Positioning System (GPS), cellphones and laptop computers.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. judge on Friday refused to throw out the perjury case against baseball star Roger Clemens over steroid use after a mistrial was declared when prosecutors presented evidence that had been barred.

Judge Reggie Walton agreed to start a second trial on April 17, 2012, over whether the former pitcher lied when he told Congress and investigators in 2008 that he had never taken steroids or performance-enhancing drugs.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A judge on Friday refused to throw out the perjury case against baseball star Roger Clemens over steroid use after a mistrial was declared when prosecutors presented evidence that had been barred.

Judge Reggie Walton agreed to start a second trial on April 17, 2012, over whether the former pitcher lied when he told Congress and investigators in 2008 that he had never taken steroids or performance-enhancing drugs.

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters) – The U.S. government
on Wednesday sued to block AT&T Inc’s (T.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) $39 billion
purchase of T-Mobile USA, citing concerns it will harm
competition in the wireless market and lead to higher prices.

The surprise move, which was the biggest antitrust
challenge yet by the Obama administration, caught the carriers
by surprise and if successful would end AT&T’s move to unseat
Verizon Wireless as the No. 1 U.S. mobile carrier.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson appeared on cable television early on Wednesday to tout his $39 billion deal to buy T-Mobile USA and how it could bring back 5,000 jobs to the United States from overseas once done.

But just hours later, the proposed acquisition appeared to be hanging by a thread after U.S. antitrust enforcers at the Justice Department filed a surprise lawsuit to block the deal that would combine the No. 2 and No. 4 U.S. wireless carriers.

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters) – The U.S. government
sued to block AT&T’s (T.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) $39 billion deal to buy T-Mobile USA
because of anti-competition concerns, launching the biggest
challenge to a takeover by the Obama administration.

A failed deal would be expensive for AT&T, which plans to
fight the government’s decision in court. It promised to pay a
breakup fee worth an estimated $6 billion, including $3 billion
in cash, spectrum and a roaming agreement for T-Mobile USA.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The head of the U.S. agency that oversaw a botched attempt to track arms flowing to drug cartels in Mexico is being reassigned to Justice Department headquarters, the Obama administration said on Tuesday.

Kenneth Melson, who has been acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, has been under fire and admitted mistakes in the sting operation meant to try to crack down on the flow of weapons to violent drug gangs.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Food and Drug Administration chemist and his son accused of making millions of dollars with inside information about drug approvals are close to reaching plea agreements, according to court papers.

Federal prosecutors charged Cheng Yi Liang and his son Andrew in March with conspiracy, securities fraud and wire fraud for making $2.27 million in trades involving five pharmaceutical companies between November 2007 and March 2011.

WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) – U.S. Attorney General Eric
Holder on Wednesday met family members of those killed during
the Sept. 11 attacks but offered no details about a probe of
whether reporters for News Corp (NWSA.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) tried to hack the
victims’ phones.

The Justice Department has been looking into an unconfirmed
report by Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper that reporters at
the rival News of the World had offered to pay a New York
police officer for private phone records of some victims of the
2001 attacks.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. prosecutors on Friday urged a federal judge to give them another chance at trying pitching star Roger Clemens for perjury after a mistrial was declared over their introduction of evidence that was banned.

Clemens, who is facing charges that he lied to Congress when he denied taking performance-enhancing drugs, asked Judge Reggie Walton to bar government prosecutors from getting another chance to try the case.