When Pope John Paul II visited Damascus in May 2001, Bashar used his welcoming speech to denounce the Jews, saying, “They tried to kill the principles of all religions with the same mentality in which they betrayed Jesus Christ and the same way they tried to betray and kill the Prophet Muhammad.”   read more

The National Marine Fisheries Service, which has resisted supplying documents requested on threats to trout, has had its bluff called by a federal judge. Judge Samuel Conti ordered the service to show why it’s too backlogged to produce documents on Stanford’s “operations and infrastructure that adversely impact steelhead trout," a threatened species. Stanford controls a dam that obstructs steelhead trout from swimming upstream to freshwater habitats in the early stages of their life cycle.   read more

“Every two days, there is a reportable leak or explosion at a U.S. chemical plant,” said McFate. “But the chemical industry keeps telling us companies can regulate themselves and no new oversight is needed.” The investigation found that only 42% of active facilities manufacturing chemicals were inspected in the last three to five years, of which 25% had serious violations. Also, the EPA required testing of only 250 of the 84,000 chemicals registered for commercial use in the U.S. today.   read more

Investigators demanded thousands of pages of medical records be turned over to the state. Among the documents requested were patient lab tests, doctors’ orders, nursing notes, contracts, patient sign-in sheets and appointment books. They also requested employees’ home addresses and phone numbers, as well as their salaries and any bonuses. Planned Parenthood called it a "fishing expedition" that was “politically motivated.” Investigations in other states have shown the group did nothing wrong.   read more

It’s one of the first boxes you see on a tax form. Before you even tell the IRS whether you’re married, you’re asked whether you want to reserve $3 to fund presidential campaigns. But in this age of multi-million-dollar super PACs, where does that money go? Given that candidates have long been ignoring the fund, their roving eyes targeting greener and richer pastures elsewhere, what has become of all those millions?   read more

President Obama nominated two women to serve as commissioners at the SEC, an agency that has had only 11 females on its board during its 81-year history. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who championed Lisa Fairfax’s appointment, “urged the administration to choose someone for the Democratic seat who would be a strong advocate for investors and committed to enforcing the law. Ms. Fairfax fits the bill,” said Greg Vadala. Fairfax would be only the third African-American commissioner in SEC history.   read more

In 1994, gun owners had an average of 4.2 guns, which given that each owner has only two hands, would appear to be more than enough. But now that number has risen to 8.1 guns per owner. One reason for this, says the Post, is that the NRA stokes fear that the government will take away guns, particularly in the wake of mass shootings, which could cause people to stock up on firearms. In addition, “prepper” groups build arsenals to prepare for a perceived coming crisis.   read more

The Saudi Air Force has caused thousands of civilian casualties in Yemen with its use of cluster bombs that kill indiscriminately. At home, the Saudi government still beheads criminals. But the important thing to the U.S. government and contractor Lockheed Martin is that the kingdom’s check clears. In return, Saudi Arabia will get up to four littoral combat ships similar to those going into service with the U.S. Navy. “We stand ready to support that sale,” said Lockheed CEO Marillyn Hewson.   read more

Four workers had been on leave for three years or more with another 17 on leave for two years or more. The 88 were placed on leave for a variety of reasons. Fifty-three were accused of misconduct, 13 had security clearance issues, and 22 may not have been fit for duty. Employees on leave not only collect paychecks, but also build pensions, vacation and sick days and move up the federal pay scale.   read more

One such bonus of $5,000 was paid to a supervisor who, according to the report, “made numerous inappropriate sexual comments [and] asked the assistant to watch pornographic movies." Other bonuses were paid to those who had been involved in sex parties in Colombia or had been found to use prostitutes while on assignment. One regional director who failed to report that subordinates had patronized prostitutes received four performance awards totaling more than $68,000.   read more

The placebo effect appears to be increasing, making it more difficult for drug firms to determine whether their latest creations are actually doing patients any good. And a new study has shown that the phenomenon is most prevalent in the U.S. Researchers found that just taking part in clinical trials in the U.S. has a healing effect. There’s no reason why this might be so, although the advertising to consumers of prescription drugs, which isn’t allowed in most other countries, might play a part.   read more

The most dangerous type of call was a disturbance. In those cases, 11 officers were killed. Nine were killed while conducting traffic pursuits or stops; seven died after being ambushed; seven were investigating suspicious circumstances; five were conducting investigative activities; four died in arrest situations; four were involved in tactical situations; and three were killed while dealing with mentally ill individuals. One officer died as the result of an unprovoked attack.   read more

University of Washington's Center for Human Rights reported to police that its office was broken into and that a computer and hard drive were stolen. The equipment contained sensitive information about the center’s recent lawsuit against the CIA for withholding documents pertaining to an American-supported El Salvador army officer suspected of human-rights violations during that country’s civil war in the 1980s. The break-in coincided with a campus visit by CIA Director John Brennan.   read more

An 11-year-old boy was suspended for 364 days from school after school officials searched his backpack and found a leaf they believed was marijuana. But months later, the boy’s parents discovered that the leaf was in fact not marijuana. Field tests for the drug had come back negative three times, but school officials refused to end the suspension. The school officer who pursued the prosecution, Deputy Morgan Calohan, had the boy charged despite the negative tests.   read more

Jones has served in a variety of assignments in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. In 2010, Jones assumed his first ambassadorial post, as the U.S. envoy to Malaysia. While there, he focused on educational projects; getting Malaysian students chances for advanced study; and promoting exchanges for American students in that country. An avid tennis player and fan since childhood, Jones participated in a celebrity tennis tournament in Malaysia, which benefited local charities.   read more

Furuta-Toy was sent to Africa in 2009 as the Deputy Chief of Mission in Accra, Ghana. In 2012, she assumed a similar role in Oslo, Norway. Furuta-Toy ended up heading the mission there for almost two years because of the Obama administration’s inept handling of the nomination of George Tsunis, a bundler for Obama’s election campaigns, to be the ambassador to Norway. Tsunis eventually withdrew from consideration after a botched performance at his confirmation hearing.   read more

Nolan was sent to Ireland as chief of the political/economic section in the embassy in Dublin in 1998. In 2002, he was made Deputy Chief of Mission in Nicosia, Cyprus. He was in charge of the embassy when the State Department issued a negative report on Cyprus’ human rights record. Nolan was forced to bear the brunt of the Cypriot government’s anger at the report. Nolan went overseas again in 2010 as Deputy Chief of Mission, and for a time Chargé d’Affaires, at the U.S. Embassy in The Hague.   read more