Carrie Johnson

Plans that would allow John Hinckley to leave a mental institution and go live with his mother are on hold. His doctors say the man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan is well enough to deserve more freedom.

But a key part of the treatment plan is now up in the air.

Therapists in Virginia, near the home of John Hinckley's elderly mother, say they want to withdraw from a plan to treat him several days a week.

Hinckley's longtime defense lawyers say they want to quit too, because they're not getting paid any more.

Drone strikes ordered by the Obama administration have killed more than a dozen al-Qaida leaders around the world, in places ranging from Afghanistan to Somalia. In speeches and public appearances, U.S. officials say those attacks are legal and essential to protect the nation's security.

But when civil liberties groups asked for more information about targeted killing, the CIA told them it's a secret.

On Thursday, they'll square off in front of a federal appeals court in Washington.

Pushing For Records

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The mayor of New Jersey's capital city faces corruption charges that could send him to prison for decades. The FBI arrested Tony Mack in Trenton today. Prosecutors accused the mayor, his brother and a top political supporter of an extortion scheme worth more than $100,000. Here's NPR's justice correspondent Carrie Johnson.

With only a couple of months before the election, authorities are putting out word that federal employees need to beware of the line between protected political activity and prohibited electioneering. A few high-profile dustups have attracted attention already this year and watchdogs are investigating 168 possible violations of the Hatch Act.

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The Justice Department will not bring any criminal charges in the deaths of two detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prosecutors say they don't have enough evidence to prove the men had been tortured by CIA interrogators. Human rights groups are outraged. NPR's Carrie Johnson has more.