Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) sent messages to all members of Congress terminating their positions, stating “Your performance has not been adequate to justify further employment.” All Democratic and independent members of Congress, as well as two Republicans, found themselves locked out of their offices after everything inside had been confiscated.   read more

Now on a fourth revision of the computer algorithm that generates the list, critics are raising questions about potential breaches to civil liberties, and the list’s efficacy remains in doubt as killings have continued to rise this year. The critics wonder whether there is value in predicting who is likely to shoot or be shot with seemingly little ability to prevent it, and they question the fairness and legality of creating a list of people deemed likely to commit crimes in some future time,   read more

Hoggan received $90,000 in bonuses over a 13-month period, even though a leaked report showed that auditors were able to get fake weapons and explosives past security screeners 95% of the time in 70 covert tests. Hoggan’s bonus was paid out in $10,000 increments, an arrangement that members of Congress have said was intended to disguise the payments. In addition, several employees who say they were punished after filing whistleblower complaints have alleged that Hoggan played a role.   read more

In 2011, the Supreme Court ruled that generic drugmakers could not be held liable for failing to warn patients about the risks of their products. People harmed by generics would be unable to sue even as those who had taken the brand-name of the same product won million-dollar judgments. Those people included the family of Kira Gilbert, who died at 22 of a heart attack after taking a generic of painkiller Darvon. Her family’s lawsuit was dismissed in 2012 because of the Supreme Court ruling.   read more

Hunger and nutrition advocates sharply criticized the legislation, saying it could mean that some children go hungry at school. "The bill would significantly weaken access to healthy, nutritious foods for our nation's children," said Dr. Benard Dreyer, president of AAP. The block grants "are an opening salvo in an aggressive, alarming attack on the future of school meals," said SNA's Jean Ronnei. Rep. Bobby Scott said the bill would "cut budgets instead of feeding our children."   read more

The top lawyer for Gov. Mary Fallin urged prison officials to go forward with a planned execution even though they received the wrong drug, telling a deputy attorney general to "Google it" to confirm it could be used. It faulted many officials for three botched execution attempts. The drug mix-ups followed a botched execution in which inmate Clayton Lockett struggled on a gurney before dying 43 minutes into his lethal injection — and after the state's prisons chief ordered executioners to stop.   read more

When President Obama in 2011 announced he planned to establish an Atrocities Prevention Board, the mission of the board seemed straightforward: preventing atrocities. But faced with questions about atrocities that haven't been prevented, the administration had a curious response: That's not the point. Officials briefing reporters on a new executive order said the purpose of the board is to "look over the horizon" and identify potential conflicts that need to be kept on the government's radar.   read more

Army Maj. Wendall Hall noted that the Classified Information Procedures Act does not allow evidence destruction, but that the Military Commissions Act adds the word "delete," without defining it. "What they're authorized to do under the Military Commissions Act is a problem," Hall said. Does it mean delete, or does it mean physical destruction? The defense team does not know. "If you're asking questions about the definition, there's already an issue," Hall said.   read more

"Segregation in public K-12 schools isn't getting better. It's getting worse, and getting worse quickly," said Rep. Scott. "More than 20 million students of color [are] now attending racially and socioeconomically isolated public schools." There are fewer math, biology, chemistry and physics courses in these schools than their more affluent counterparts with fewer minority students. In public schools, low-income and minority students were far less likely to enroll in these more rigorous courses.   read more

Tracy Toulou, director of the Office of Tribal Justice, brought the matter of whether tribes can charge a suspect accused of threatening or attempting to harm a woman but not actually injuring her. He cited a case in which a woman's boyfriend attempted to punch her while intoxicated but missed and fell. Since tribal authorities weren't sure whether that confrontation qualified as domestic violence under the law, they didn't bring charges. Later, the man returned to assault the victim again.   read more

"People believe when they go to the grocery store or the hardware store (and) get a product, that that product has been tested and it's been determined to be safe. That isn't the case," said Sen. Tom Udall, a lead sponsor of the bill. "Today we are stepping forward and we are putting a law in place that will protect American families and protect children from chemicals." The legislation is named after the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who pushed for chemical reform before his death in 2013.   read more

The court is not deadlocked so much as diminished. Many of the justices' decisions will be modest and ephemeral. Opinions vary about whether a Supreme Court that does little is good for the nation. Roberts has said he favors narrow decisions endorsed by large majorities, and it turns out that goal is easier to achieve on an eight-member court. The next term is thus shaping up to be a thin and quiet one. For now, the Supreme Court will remain on the sideline of American life.   read more

Mohib was responsible for the creation of community service programming to recognize the achievements of Afghan women, and to support special-needs orphans living in Kabul. He worked for the American University of Afghanistan, both as its IT director and a teacher of IT classes. He also served in President Ghani’s campaign as his social media “guru” and subsequently as his deputy chief of staff. Mohib and his wife Lael have written articles together on Afghan political issues.   read more

Dr. Doolittle is only in the movies. A recent episode in which a bison calf at Yellowstone Park was euthanized after being placed in the back of an SUV is one example of the dire consequences of a widespread and common occurrence: humans interacting inappropriately with wild animals. Such encounters are fueled by the culture of selfies and an ignorance about nature, and they lead to encounters that are dangerous to both people and animals, say officials.   read more

These difficulties span all incomes, according to the poll. Three-quarters of people in households making less than $50,000 a year and two-thirds of those making between $50,000 and $100,000 would have difficulty coming up with $1,000 to cover an unexpected bill. Even for the country's wealthiest 20% — households making more than $100,000 a year — 38% say they would have at least some difficulty coming up with $1,000.   read more

Trace amounts of PFOA and PFOS can be detected in the blood of almost every American as the result of exposure through food and consumer products. But of specific concern is the risk posed to residents in the relatively small number of communities where higher levels of PFOA and PFOS have been found in public drinking water. EPA now says long-term exposure to either chemical at concentrations above 70 parts per trillion could have adverse health impacts.   read more

The findings further resonate in a state that continues to lead the nation in the number of uninsured. Texas remains one of 19 states that has chosen not to expand Medicaid under the ACA. In Texas, 63% of those polled said they support an expanded Medicaid program. Similarly, 68% in Florida also favored a Medicaid expansion. These numbers are significant because of the states surveyed, only Florida and Texas did not expand the safety-net program.   read more