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

More than 98,000 mortgages—representing more than $16.7 billion in total debt—were sold to investors “at times as little as 41 percent of the mortgages’ collective value,” wrote the Center's Bennett. However, only 16.9% of the mortgages sold between 2010 and 2014 avoided foreclosure. Housing advocates have criticized HUD for “primarily facilitating a massive wealth transfer, with thousands of homes going from distressed borrowers to wealthy investors simply looking to profit,” wrote Bennett.   read more

Anti-homeless laws have been growing in number in some states. In Washington the total has increased more than 50% since 2000, reported researchers. California has more than 500 such ordinances, and those are on the books in 58 cities alone, according to a recent study. “Criminalization of homelessness is already more expensive than providing housing, but those costs—from keeping people in jail to increased emergency room visits—are often hidden,” said attorney Eric Tars.   read more

"Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood,” Pope Francis told Congress. Defense contractors have profited mightily during the Obama administration, during which arms sales to foreign governments outpaced even those during the George W. Bush administration.   read more

OpenTheGovernment.org listed in a complaint (pdf) five areas of concern that have been classified or redacted from the version of the Senate’s torture report executive summary. --The names of countries that hosted torture sites, even though some of those countries’ governments have acknowledged this and even paid compensation to those tortured. --Details about torture sites, dates of transfer between prisons and descriptions of those inflicting the torture have been kept secret.   read more

There’s no way a person can investigate an average of 900 complaints a year, so many fall through the cracks, such as the ongoing GM ignition switch defect responsible for the deaths of at least 124 people. Part of the reason for that has been that the NHTSA has relied on manufacturers to self-report problems with their cars. NHTSA has vowed change the way it does business. The agency still faces a roadblock, however. The Republican-controlled Congress has refused to increase its budget.   read more

In front-side collisions, European cars are 33% safer than similar American models. In addition, “vehicles meeting EU standards offer reduced risk of serious injury in frontal/side crashes and have driver‐side mirrors that reduce risk in lane‐change crashes better.” It wasn’t all bad news on the U.S. side, as the report concluded that “vehicles meeting US standards provide a lower risk of injury in rollovers and have headlamps that make pedestrians more conspicuous.”   read more

Initially, Denson was charged with being both the perpetrator and the victim of two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor—herself—because she took a photo and possessed it. Copening was arraigned on five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, four for making and possessing photos of himself and one for receiving the photo that his girlfriend sent him.   read more

Government agencies on average spend $130,000 on privacy protection. That compares to $250,000 in a regulated private company, such as banking and healthcare, and $300,000 in a non-regulated company. Sixty-three percent of government respondents said they’re not spending enough on privacy training, compared to 48% overall.   read more

. Here are the prices for a month’s worth of selected drugs in the United States and Canada: Drug (treatment) U.S. Canada Enbrel (autoimmune) $3,000 $1,646 Cymbalta (depression) $240 $110 Nexium (acid reflux) $305 $30 There are similar price discrepancies between the United States and other countries for diagnostic tests such as MRIs and CT scans, as well as for medical procedures such as bypass surgery, knee replacement and others.   read more

Rogue plantings of genetically engineered (GE) wheat were found in two states where they weren’t expected to be in 2013 and 2014. As a result, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is requesting comments on a proposal to force companies to obtain permits for testing genetically engineered wheat, rather than simply notifying the agency that it’s doing so.   read more

A 1954 state law banning so-called gravity knives, a cousin of the switchblade, has been twisted by New York City police to include almost any kind of foldable knife that can be opened with the flick of the wrist. Even some old and worn down pocket knives fit that description when in the hands of a cop who is skilled at flicking open knives and is looking to make an arrest. That broad interpretation has landed about 60,000 people—the vast majority black and Latino—in court since 2003.   read more

That a member of one of the world’s most repressive regimes should chair such a body “provoked indignation around the world,” Glenn Greenwald wrote at The Intercept. Saudi Arabia had executed more than 100 people in the first six months of 2015, most by beheading. When asked about Saudi Arabia chairing the UN Human Rights Council, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said, “We would welcome it. We’re close allies.”   read more

Since its passage in 1970, the Clean Air Act has resulted in more stringent pollution standards, which have made it possible for people who lived in areas once blanketed in smog to improve their life expectancy. Those in Wichita, Kansas, are living 4.3 years longer, while residents of Phoenix, Arizona are living nearly four years longer. Even people living in Los Angeles, once the smog capital of the country, are living a year and eight months longer.   read more

“They’re integrating as well as, or even faster, than immigrants who came from Europe in the last century,” Waters said. “In that way, I think it should be reassuring to Americans who are often worried that somehow the immigrants are not learning English, are not progressing well, or becoming full Americans." The authors also found that immigrants are healthier than the native-born population as a whole and less likely to commit crimes than those already here.   read more

The Restaurant Action Alliance and a coalition of manufacturers, recyclers and restaurants, sued the city in April to halt the ban. They claim it is possible to recycle the containers—a contention environmentalists disagree with. “These products cause real environmental harm, and we need to be able to prevent nearly 30,000 tons of expanded polystyrene waste from entering our landfills, streets and waterways," said de Blasio spokeswoman Ishanee Parikh.   read more

Agent Lonnie Swartz was charged with second-degree murder by a federal grand jury in the death of 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodríguez, who was shot 10 times while standing on Mexican territory. The teen’s family has said he was only walking home and doing nothing wrong when he was killed. The Border Patrol contends Elena Rodríguez was throwing rocks at Swartz, justifying his use of lethal force.   read more