A decades-old law has been the stumbling block behind a string of recent legal defeats for President Donald Trump, stymying his push to reverse Obama-era policies, NBC News reported.

Courts have cited the Administrative Procedure Act, from 1946, when blocking the administration's attempts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, delay a regulation requiring oil and gas companies to reduce methane leaks and postpone a rule that would give low-income families more access to housing in wealthier neighborhoods.

The law requires federal agencies to give a reasoned justification for policy decisions and offer the public the chance to weigh in on changes.

Critics of the Trump administration, like California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, have slowed its agenda with this kind of procedural challenge. Legal experts say the approach can yield quicker, more favorable results than challenging the policy itself.

Three employees were arrested at a suburban Chicago day care center last week after police say they gave a class of toddlers gummy bears with melatonin to calm them down for nap time.

Authorities said they were called to the Kiddie Junction Daycare Center in Des Plaines Friday afternoon for a “suspicious incident.”

There, three teachers admitted to distributing gummy bears with melatonin to children, though the use of the substance had not been approved by parents, police said. The class had 12 children between the ages of 2 and 3, officials said. 

“Allegedly, this was done in an effort to calm [the kids] down before nap time,” a release from Des Plaines police read.

The employees involved told authorities they didn’t think giving the children melatonin-laced gummy bears was inappropriate because it is an over-the-counter sleep aid, police said.

Parents with children attending the day care were contacted and told what happened, according to authorities.

Kristen Lauletta, 32, of Niles; Jessica Heyse, 19, of Des Plaines; and Ashley Helfenbein, 25, of Chicago, were each charged with two counts of endangering the life or health of a child and two counts of battery. Police said additional charges are still possible and the Department of Children and Family Services will also conduct an investigation.

The three are expected to appear in Skokie court next month.

Kiddie Junction did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was not immediately clear if the accused employees had attorneys. 

Hillary Knight won a gold medal at the Winter Olympics and brought that medal to Saturday Night Live Saturday night, appearing on a skit with Leslie Jones.

Knight, a member of the 2007 graduating class of Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, appeared on Weekend Update and helped Jones give a few zingers to Colin Jost. 

State legislators are hearing a bill that could change up Halloween celebrations by designating the last Saturday of October as "Trick or Treat Day."

It would allow all municipalities in the state of Connecticut to observe Halloween on a Saturday, instead of whenever October 31 falls each year.

Some parents in Durham said they thought it was a great idea and would be less stressful than observing Halloween on a school night.

“It makes life easier for parents I think to get kids ready, to send them off to school and then they don’t have to worry about waking up so early in the morning, including myself,” said Bonnie Sirignano of Killingworth.

“I think it might actually be easier for parents who during the week run home trying to get dinner on the table, the young kids are knocking at the door. It might not be a bad idea,” said Kathy Nizen of Durham.

Others said a Saturday could be a safer option.

“School nights make it difficult, with the time change it is dark. So a Saturday night does probably make more sense,” said Debbie George, Durham.

But other parents said they thought legislators should not even be hearing bills like this.

“I don’t think Halloween should be on the list much less up for discussion. That’s not where our concerns are right now as parents,” said Oanh Stephan of Durham.

Oanh Stephan has children in elementary and high school. She said the priority should be on keeping children safe, especially at a time when students are making threats against schools, like recent incidents at Coginchaug Regional High School where her two sons attend.

“They’re dealing with a lot of stresses growing up. Now they’re dealing with weapons and being afraid for their lives. That’s just completely wrong,” Stephan said. “Let’s you know, get our time cracking putting some laws together that make a difference in their lives.”

A 48-year-old Pawcatuck man has been arrested after a New London resident watched surveillance of a break-in through a smart device Sunday morning and contacted police to report it.

Police said the homeowner was watching a home surveillance system on some sort of smart device and saw a man rob the house, so officers immediately responded after being alerted to the burglary and found signs of a break-in, but no suspect.

Soon after, Waterford police called New London police when they had a suspect matching the description from the home break-in stopped on Route 1, near the East Lyme town line.

Police identified the suspect as 48-year-old Michael Algiere, of Pawcatuck, and said he confessed to the burglary.

He was charged with third-degree burglary, sixth-degree larceny and third-degree criminal mischief and held on a $25,000 bond.

Police said they also recovered items that had been stolen.

ICE is not enforcing the removal of a mother in Meriden who was supposed to be deported to Ecuador last week. 

Nelly Cumbicos has lived in the United States for the last 18 years, most recently in Meriden.

She married a U.S. citizen in 2015 and applied for citizenship two years later. That is when she learned there had been a deportation order for her since 2002 for failure to appear in court. She said she was not aware of the court date she was supposed to appear for.

"Nelly Cumbicos is not at risk of being detained as ICE will not set a new departure date while her motion to reopen her case is pending," Meriden Councilman Miguel Castro said. "I am excited that this is a good step in the right direction. While she is safe for now, it does not mean this is over. We will continue to put in every effort that she gets due process and she can remain home where she belongs." 

Two weeks ago, Cumbicos received a stay as a court reviewed her immigration status. Days later, she was told her stay had been reversed and she was due to be deported on Feb. 28.

Speaking in Spanish on Mar. 1, she said she left Ecuador after her family received threats there and her whole family, including her sister Flor, lives in the U.S.

The state treasury is holding onto more than $750 million and some of it might belong to you. All you need to do is file a claim to get the process started.

The list, called the CT Big Li$t, has almost 1.4 million names of people who have money coming to them from forgotten savings accounts, utility deposits or from money they might have inherited but never knew about.

The 10 cities and towns with the most money coming to residents are Stamford, Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Greenwich, Norwalk, Waterbury, Danbury, Westport and Hamden, as of Feb. 5.

Search here to see if the state is holding onto your money. 

Enter at least a last name in the box and click the “Search Properties” button to get a list of matching names.

If the name you are searching for comes up, click the checkbox next to the property number displayed and click the “Claim Properties” button.

To create claim form, fill in claimant's information and click the “Submit Claim” button to get a pre-filled claim form containing the information you entered. Once you click on the "Submit Claim" button the property will be removed from our website.

Print out and complete the claim form and review the “Required Documentation” section of the form.

Mail the completed claim form with the claimant’s signature and notarization, as well as required documents listed on the instruction sheet to:

State of Connecticut, Office of the State Treasurer, P.O. Box 5065, Hartford, CT 06102.

Citing ill health, Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced Monday that he will resign his Senate seat, effective April 1.

The early departure clears the way for Gov. Phil Bryant, a fellow Republican, to appoint an interim successor — perhaps Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves — and sets up a special election on Nov. 6, NBC News reported.

"I intend to fulfill my responsibilities and commitments to the people of Mississippi and the Senate through the completion of the 2018 appropriations cycle, after which I will formally retire from the U.S. Senate," Cochran said in a statement released by his office.

Top Republican officials in Washington, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have tried to persuade Bryant to appoint himself — or technically, to step down in a deal to have Reeves appoint him — but people close to the governor say he's not interested in the job.

The first male to make accusations against disgraced former doctor Larry Nassar came forward Monday, adding his name to a federal lawsuit against Nassar, USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University.

Jacob Moore, 18, said he was “inspired by his sister” to speak out about the abuse Nassar inflicted on him as a minor, NBC News reported. Moore’s older sister is Kamerin Moore, who described her own abuse in a victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing for Nassar in January.

Jacob Moore said he hopes to inspire other male victims of Nassar, if there are any, to not be afraid to come forward.

“I don’t want them to be scared to come out because of the stigma that guys can’t be sexually abused or taken advantage of,” Moore said Monday.

Nassar was sentenced to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to abusing seven — out of more than 200 — of his accusers over the years he spent as a gymnastics team doctor.

Sam Nunberg, a former Donald Trump campaign aide, plans to defy a subpoena from special counsel Robert Mueller requesting campaign documents related to the Russia investigation, saying Monday that it would be "really funny" if he were arrested.

"The president's right, it's a witch hunt," Nunberg told MSNBC's Katy's Tur.

"I'm not going to cooperate when they want me to come into a grand jury for them to insinuate that (former Trump adviser) Roger Stone was colluding with (Wikileaks founder) Julian Assange," he added.

The empty movie theater in East Windsor will be demolished within the next six weeks, and it started with construction equipment knocking down corner on the southeastern side of the building.

The demolition is the first phase of transforming the lot into what would be Connecticut’s third casino and its first off of the tribal land.

Mohegan Tribal Council Chairman Kevin Brown said the demolition is the first step toward protecting casino and construction jobs in Connecticut, during the demolition ceremony which closely resembled a groundbreaking.

“We have all of the tools at our command right now to start like we’re starting here today with this demolition,” Brown said from the podium.

The third casino is facing regulatory and political heeadwinds, as it currently has the most vital support it needs in Connecticut government.

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs has not yet authorized the third casino, which would be considered a tribal-run commercial enterprise. There are also unresolved legal questions surrounding the state’s revenue compact with the state and what impact a commercial casino would have.

In addition, there is a very strong political effort by MGM to stop the East Windsor casino, in favor of a proposal to redevelop the waterfront in Bridgeport with a new casino in the state’s largest city.

“The Legislative Office Building looks like MGM’s corporate office,” said Rodney Butler, the chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe that operates Foxwoods, of MGM’s heightened lobbying presence in the state capitol.

MGM’s Senior Vice President and Legal Counsel, Uri Clinton, who’s been a regular face in Hartford in recent years said of the demolition, “The MMCT is no closer today to the legal approvals they require, and no closer to producing a realistic construction schedule, than they were more than a year ago when they said construction would be completed in 2018. If ever there was a textbook example of 'there’s less here than meets the eye,' this is it."

Brown and Butler said they are still going through the design phase of the casino and would look to start construction shortly after its complete, taking an estimated time of twenty months to complete.

On whether the tribes will get a favorable decision from Washington, Brown was confident, saying, “There have been much more complex cases that have ultimately landed to the good of the tribes and this one is going to land that way, as well.”

New Haven’s mayor is proposing an increase to the city’s property tax rate in order to make up for less funding from the state, she said on Monday.

As part of her budget proposal, Mayor Toni Harp has recommended raising the mill rate by 4.30 mils to 42.98.

Jennifer Kaylin enjoys living in the East Rock home where her children grew up.

“To me, it’s my favorite neighborhood in New Haven, it's beautiful,” Kaylin said.

But she is alarmed by the mayor’s proposed increase on property taxes that would raise homeonwers’ bills by 11 percent.

“I mean that’s a huge jump and even the taxes we pay now are a stretch, a bit of a burden,” Kaylin said. “I think it’s very troubling.”

The state budget stalemate that did not end until October left municipal governments with less time for their budget planning. Mayor Harp said she has asked every single city department to make cuts.

“We cut as much as we could and still provide the services people are used to and we are now going to have to raise taxes in order to maintain services,” Harp explained.

New Haven Public Schools asked for a $10 million budget increase, but Harp said she can only recommend an extra $5 million. The mayor would like to fill three new positions at the police department to oversee the storage of body camera footage.

The mayor told NBC Connecticut she is disappointed the New Haven delegation of lawmakers did secure more funding for the city.

“They didn’t realize that there was this kind of cut and frankly, I met with the delegation today, and we showed them the runs and many of them were surprised,” Harp said.

“At a time of painful cuts throughout state government and reductions in the workforce, funding for formula aid grants for our largest cities has grown - including for New Haven - which has increased from over $194 million in 2011 to over $226.5 million in 2018,” Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney said.

As Kaylin and her husband plan the next stage of their lives, she said they may look to move out and sell their house sooner.

“These kinds of increases that we’re hearing about could influence our decision,” she said.

If the Board of Alders approves the tax rate increase, Mayor Harp said New Haven would still have a lower tax rate than neighboring Hamden and larger cities like Waterbury and Bridgeport.

Residents will have the chance to weigh in on this budget proposal next Monday night at City Hall. 

First came the warning about skimming but now officials are warning about shimming.

Skimming is when hackers attach a device to places where you swipe your debit card and steal personal information through the magnetic strip. Shimmers are paper-thin devices hidden inside the credit card machine slot, so when someone inserts their card, the information can be compromised. 

Amber Kellogg believes she was a victim of shimming. She doesn’t use cash, so when she saw two back-to-back ATM withdrawals totaling $400 on her bank statement, Kellogg called Chase to report suspicious activity.

At first, Kellogg said Chase told her the bank would return her money, but then didn't because they said chip cards like Kellogg’s can’t be hacked.

"They told me there's no way someone could have used my card at an ATM without my physical card," Kellogg said.

But Kellogg insists her card never left her possession.

Jill Gonzalez, who works for personal finance website WalletHub, said Kellogg was likely a victim of shimming.

"Unfortunately your information can still be compromised, even though that's kind of why these chips were created," Gonzalez said. "Shimmers are on the inside of the slot, very flat devices. You don't really feel anything when you're inputting your card."

Security experts said the thieves can’t clone a chip card but they can copy the data they steal onto a magnetic strip. They can use the counterfeit card by swiping it at an ATM or payment terminal.

"As a person that uses their debit card every day, it's scary. It's really unnerving," Kellogg said.

After NBC OTS reached out to Chase, the bank put $400 back in Kellogg’s account.

In a statement, Chase simply said victims of fraud should contact the bank immediately.

While shimming is hard for consumers to spot, it should be easy for banks to prevent. Security experts said shimming only works if banks skip a basic and crucial step during verification.

David Stemerman is prepared to spend millions of his own money to ensure he is the GOP nominee for governor and eventually sitting in the governor’s office.

“I will pursue a race that I believe will lead to victory and my personal financial support will be one of the ways that we will get there,” said the Greenwich resident during one of his first interviews as he pursues Connecticut’s highest elected office.

Stemerman is joining a crowded GOP field that now exceeds a dozen announced and exploratory candidates.

Born in the suburbs of Boston, Stemerman attended Yale for his undergraduate studies and later completed law and business degrees at Harvard. He is married with five children.

He says his business acumen, specifically finding success at a time when others were failing, is what suits him to be the next governor.

“I started my business from a single desk with an idea in 2008, the start of the financial crisis, so I’m no stranger to starting a business in a challenging situation.”

Up until December of last year, Stemerman managed Conatus Capital Management, with assets in excess of $1.6 billion.

On the issue of gun violence, Stemerman said he supported the post-Sandy Hook gun regulations Connecticut put in place but did say, “Connecticut has to do an adequate job of enforcing those laws,” and said the state needs to appropriate more money for mental health.

Fiscal health, Stemerman said, is what he would focus on if elected governor. He said the union agreement extended to 2027 was, at its core, the fault of former governor John Rowland. Stemerman was quick to describe Rowland as a “two-time felon,” who set the state on a poor budget path.

The most recent SEBAC agreement, Stemerman argues, was a faulty contract on its face. He says what was promised will never be realized, and he thinks that’s a case he can make to rank and file union members.

“My concern is just as much for the state employee union membership and their families as it is for the taxpayers of this state. I don’t believe that that membership has been well served by this agreement. I’m not sure they understand how at risk their retirement is.”

The race for governor, on both sides of the political aisle, is a very crowded one. On the Republican side, the candidate that receives the endorsement of the state party at its May convention will have a leg up with financing because that person is expected to qualify for more than a million in public election funds.

Stemerman, however, has already made it clear he is willing to bankroll his campaign and receive help from well-heeled donors. Stemerman gave his campaign $1.8 million to start, more than any publicly financed candidate would receive following the GOP convention.

“I will pursue a race that I believe will lead to victory and my personal financial support will be one of the ways that we will get there,” he said.

Finally, Stemerman is aiming to make it on to the August primary ballot without the GOP nomination, if necessary. He recognizes the heavy lift of collecting an estimated 9,000 registered Republican signatures in order to secure ballot access, and he says that’s exactly what he’s going to do.

“There is more than one path to the ballot and I will explore all of those paths but I am committed to being on the path in August.”

A 21-year-old man is accused of stabbing a woman multiple times in Willimantic over the weekend, police said. 

Hector Marcucci was taken into custody on Monday for asault and breach of peace.

Police said on Saturday they responded to a disturbance on Pleasant Street around 6:45 p.m.

While police worked to locate the disturbance, a woman arrived to Windham Memorial Hospital with multiple stab wounds. Police determined that her wounds were linked to they disturbance call on Pleasant Street they received earlier. 

The woman was treated and released from the hospital.

After two days of investigating, Marcucci was arrest and his bond was set at $150,000. 

Anyone with further information can contact the Willimantic Detective Division (860) 465-3135.

A woman on a flight from San Francisco to Boise, Idaho tried to open the cabin door while midair on Monday, before she was detained by police and later examined by state doctors. 

SkyWest Airlines Flight 5449, operating as United Express, landed without further incident in Boise at about noon (2 p.m. ET), the airline said.

Boise police officers responded to reports of an "unruly passenger" aboard the flight. Authorities said the woman, who has yet to be identified or arrested, was being examined by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

NBC affiliate KTVB of Boise reported that passengers subdued the woman before she could open the door.

A 9-week-old puppy is alive and well after Massachusetts police officers saved him from choking.

Megan Vitale rushed into the North Reading Police Department Sunday afternoon with her friend carrying a puppy in distress close behind.

Surveillance footage shows officer Jorge Hernandez rush around the corner and drop to his knees.

The puppy, a 9-week-old St. Bernard, was not breathing and was unresponsive.

"You don't really train for a dog in the academy, so the only thing I would say going through my mind was, 'Oh my God, I hope I'm doing this right,'" Hernandez said.

In the video, Hernandez is soon joined by fellow officers and members of the fire department. All the while, Vitale paces, her agony very apparent.

"My whole hands pretty much wrapped around him, and I started kind of pumping away at his chest," Hernandez recalled.

The puppy was choking, but that did the trick. Firefighters quickly put on a specially designed oxygen mask. The dog visibly becomes more alert in the video.

The animal is being treated for a possible respiratory illness but is expected to make a full recovery.

A faculty member of UConn's School of Medicine who was found dead in Burlington February was allegedly discovered in black garbage bags under a tarp in the basement and the body may have been decomposing for months, the arrest warrant said. 

Police said the woman is claiming self-defense. 

Dr. Pierluigi Bigazzi's 70-year-old wife, Linda L. Kosuda-Bigazzi, 70, is accused of killing her husband after police reported to their home on Smith Lane Feb. 5.

The investigation began when police responded to the home for a well-being check after officials from UConn contacted authorities when they failed to hear from him about an administrative matter. 

Upon arriving, officers noticed "insect activity" coming from the door that led to the basement. When police opened the door and walked downstairs, they saw a tarp covering human remains, according to the arrest warrant. 

"Based upon the levels of decomposition, it was apparent that the individual had been deceased for an extended period of time," the arrest warrant reads.

After remains were found, Kosuda-Bigazzi's attorney, who arrived to the scene when police were called, said the 70-year-old woman had a plan to harm herself. Kosuda-Bigazzi was transported to Bristol Hospital for evaluation and treatment.

Police obtained a search and seizure to further inspect the home. During the search, remains were found encased in black plastic garbage bags secured with duct tape.

As police continued to investigate, they found blood-like stains on the floor, ceiling and cabinetry in the kitchen, with signs indicative of previous attempts to clean. Police also observed several shopping bags that contained cleaning materials, black plastic garbage bags and duct tape. 

Neighbors interviewed by police said the doctor had not been seen for approximately six months. 

Later in February, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) ruled Pierluigi Bigazzi death a homicide, caused by blunt-force trauma.

A number of items were seized from the home, including a hammer that was found in the bathroom near the kitchen and diary entries that appeared to be written in Kosuda-Bigazzi's handwriting, according to police documents. 

In those writings, Kosuda-Bigazzi allegedly described a physical encounter between herself and her husband. 

"I turned to him + (sic) saw the hammer move past my face," the arrest warrant alleges the notes said. 

The messages describe the two rolling around and trying to get the hammer from one another. The writer explains getting the hammer and swinging it in any direction for a few seconds before allegedly striking Bigazzi. They wrote that a few seconds later he stopped breathing. 

"I just wanted to slow him down," the notes said. 

At her arraignment on Feb. 13, a judge ordered Kosuda-Bigazzi to house arrest and GPS monitoring. She will also not be allowed to have a passport. Her next hearing is on March 20. 

Bigazzi was a faculty member at the medical school for more than 40 years.

There are lane closures on Interstate 91 southbound in Middletown after a truck crash Tuesday morning.

Connecticut State Police said the right lane is closed near exit 21 due to a UPS truck rollover. Minor injuries have been reported.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has been called in because crews on scene were concerned about the potential for a fuel spill. There is a stream nearby.

Drivers should expect delays in the area.

With today being the deadline for the US Congress to come up with a DACA deal, Dreamers are urging Connecticut lawmakers to stand up for young undocumented immigrants.

Nearly 800,000 people who were brought to the US as infants and children could be impacted and now the concern is that Dreamers are on borrowed time as Congress, so far, has failed to make a decision.

Jose Diaz of New Britain is originally from Mexico. He is a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. He graduated from Central Connecticut State University in December and now works a full-time job.

The 25-year-old who came to the US with his parents and younger brother 15 years ago said his future is now in question after President Trump announced last September that today would be the deadline for a DACA deal.

“It’s always a question of what’s going to happen and not knowing that something could get done,” Said Jose Diaz, a DREAMer.

His work permit through DACA expires in the spring of 2019. That means he may be deported then if the federal government doesn’t make a legislative fix.

It’s a similar situation for many other DACA recipients, like Camila Bortolletto, who is originally from Brazil.

“DACA gave me the opportunity to dream of my future and to dream of what I wanted to be and now I see all that in danger of going away,” she said.

Bortoletto is the founder of Connecticut Students for a Dream, an organization that works for the rights for undocumented youth in the state.

She along with other DACA recipients gathered today at Hartford’s Legislative Office Building to calling on Connecticut to take action.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal said he plans to seek immediate action from Congress to protect Dreamers from a mass deportation.

“Court orders are in place that assure them renewal of their applications and status but that process can take three to four months and in the meantime they are at risk of losing their jobs and potential deportation,” Said the Senator.

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy released the following statement on Monday, the deadline President Trump unlawfully and unilaterally declared as the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“Dreamers and their loved ones woke up this morning with pits in their stomachs, and there’s no one to blame but President Trump. He created this crisis by arbitrarily declaring today as the end of DACA. Despite some reprieve from the courts, more and more Dreamers are losing status each day,” said Murphy. “I’ve met so many incredible Dreamers in Connecticut and all they want is a chance to work hard and make a future in the only country they’ve ever called home. It’s time for President Trump and Republicans in Congress to stop playing politics with their lives.”