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

Wendell Potter said Medicare Advantage has become an “increasingly important revenue stream” for insurance companies. He said a big reason why Aetna wants to buy up Humana and why Anthem seeks to merge with Cigna “is the desire of the acquiring companies to boost their presence in the privately-run Medicare business. A big chunk of that federal money is now flowing through the insurance industry, so much so that many companies have become dependent on it to sustain their profits.”   read more

The probe was challenged by conservative and business organizations—the Wisconsin Club for Growth, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, and Citizens for a Strong America—which also spent money on others running for office, such as members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In fact, the four justices who voted to quash the investigation all received substantial contributions from the groups.   read more

The EEOC’s ruling was based at least in part on a Supreme Court decision written by none other than Justice Antonin Scalia. In a 1997 case in which a man claimed sexual harassment by other men, Scalia held for the plaintiff. Those whose rights have been violated may still have to sue to have the EEOC ruling enforced, and courts are not bound to follow independent agencies’ rulings. However, courts usually defer to the agencies’ decisions.   read more

Some of the enthusiasm for the bond issues comes from a rule change from the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). Pension funds on the brink of insolvency are required to use conservative projections for growth in their statements. But if the fund gets an infusion of money via a bond sale, it can return to using more optimistic growth projections, making it seem more solvent than it actually is.   read more

Unaccompanied minors from countries other than Mexico and Canada are guaranteed a hearing before they can be deported. However, the Department of Homeland Security has more leeway with immigrants from the United States’ neighboring countries. Those minors may be returned if they’re not victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons or they’re able to make an independent decision about returning. It’s the last provision that appears to be violated in the case of the youngest immigrants.   read more

The rule that has been stuck in limbo the longest—1,439 days and counting, almost four years, according to White House Safeguard Tracker—is one from the U.S. Agency for International Development that specifies that USAID funds can’t be used to build religious structures that would be ineligible for government spending domestically because of the establishment clause of the constitution.   read more

The average hold time was 23 minutes. Last year, it was 14 minutes. Only a little more than a third of callers looking for help got through to a human, the lowest rate in a decade. The IRS has struggled to operate since Congress began cutting its budget five years ago. The agency has lost $1.2 billion in funding, about 17% of its budget, since 2010.   read more

A 2013 law required the Department of Justice to publish “a description of protocols and practices . . . for the accurate, timely, and effective collection and processing of DNA evidence, including protocols and practices specific to sexual assault cases.” That was supposed to be accomplished by September 7, 2014, but has yet to be done. There has been $1.2 billion appropriated to ensure that rape kits are tested, but some of that money has been used on other things.   read more

Texron claims the bomb is designed to be used only on specific targets and will either pre-destruct or be rendered inert if it doesn’t hit what it was aimed at. Perhaps Texron needs to go back to the drawing board. Not only have civilians been injured by the CBU-105, but unexploded components of the bombs have been found on the ground. There is concern that those looking to sell the bombs as scrap will be injured by them.   read more

Symantec issued a report saying that for the first time since 2003, spam is under the 50% mark. Other online attacks, such as phishing attacks and email-based malware, have also dropped. hackers have other means of attack that are on the rise. There were 57.6 million new malware variants created in June. Another form of attack, ransomware, has also increased.   read more

Keshap was literally born into the world of diplomacy. His father, Keshap Chander Sen, who was from Punjab, India, was a United Nations development economist working in Nigeria when Atul was born there on June 29, 1971. His mother, Zöe Calvert, had been in the U.S. Foreign Service when she met and married Sen in London.   read more

“It is hard to believe that in 2015 the State of California is operating a facially discriminatory program that perpetuates the outdated stereotype that only women can be caregivers," said attorney Grunfeld. "Our clients meet the stringent criteria of this program except for their gender. The Governor and CDCR should stop defending their discriminatory law and let qualified men participate in the ACP. Defendants’ policies de-legitimize the role that men play in their families."   read more

NASA spent $723 million on the nine-year, 3 billion-mile voyage to Pluto. The Cowboys play in a football cathedral that cost $1.33 billion. But that’s not the most expensive NFL stadium. That distinction belongs to MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Jets and New York Giants, which cost $1.6 billion to construct. Another billion-dollar NFL venue is on the way in Minnesota: U.S. Bank Stadium, where the Minnesota Vikings will play.   read more

After receiving her citation, Cammelleri’s boyfriend noticed a missing comma in it. It read that “motor vehicle campers” were prohibited, when it should have read “motor vehicle, campers.” She argued in court that the ordinance applied to a type of vehicle she didn’t own, and Judge Robert Hendrickson of the 12th Ohio District Court of Appeals agreed. In his ruling, Hendrickson threw out the ticket and ordered the city to reimburse Cammelleri $1,500 for towing and legal fees.   read more

When they reached Signal’s shipyards in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the workers discovered that not only were their H-2B guest worker visas meant for temporary non-agricultural workers and would not lead to a green card, but they would also be working in slave conditions. Signal packed the Indian workers 24 to a trailer in "isolated, guarded labour camps", and extracted $35 a day from each for accommodation.   read more

Nadeau was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 1978 and was the youngest member of that body when he began serving there at age 23. Nadeau joined the Maine Department of Transportation in 2002 as director of policy and communications and in 2004 was named deputy commissioner for policy, planning and communications. Nadeau was named deputy administrator at the Federal Highway Administration in July 2009.   read more