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

The adoption of a law in 2005 that gave state prosecutors the option of pursuing life-without-parole sentences in capital murder cases has clearly had an effect. Since then, the size of Texas’ death row has been shrinking. It currently stands at 260 individuals, down from 460 in 1999. The death row population is now dwarfed by the number of people serving a life-without-parole sentence in the state: 745.   read more

Lindane is used for livestock and pet treatment, and on fruit and vegetable crops. It is also used topically for the treatment of head and body lice. Small quantities are used in certain lotions, cream, and shampoos. Although the chemical has been detected in groundwater near hazardous waste sites, the most likely exposure in humans is oral ingestion of food that contains traces of the insecticide. “Exposure to lindane can increase one’s risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma by 60%,” said TIME.   read more

Between rising rents and tougher mortgage qualification standards, it’s difficult for many Americans to find a place of their own. The number of homeowners has now declined for eight straight years, and this year appears to be going in the same direction. The national homeownership rate was down to 63.7%. Meanwhile, it’s been getting tougher to rent, due to shrinking availability of units and rising rent prices. Also, much of the new rental property is aimed at the higher end of the market.   read more

An administration official said the White House felt it "needed to clarify that...we do not abandon families during a horrific ordeal." The official added that the threats of prosecution “should never have happened.” The administration has sent mixed signals on negotiating with hostage takers. It talked to the Taliban in Afghanistan to free Bergdahl but warned families of hostages held by the Islamic State and Al Qaeda that they won’t negotiate for their release or allow the families to do so.   read more

The recycling industry’s on-the-job injury rate is more than twice as high as that of the average worker. That’s because many recycling centers have unsafe working conditions involving heavy machinery and exposure to hazardous items, such as hypodermic needles, toxic chemicals, and animal carcasses. Also, these centers rely on temporary workers who have fewer workplace protections, often get less training, and are less likely to know about their legal rights to have a safe workplace.   read more

Until now, non-federally funded research of marijuana had to undergo review by the Public Health Service. This rule was put into place years ago out of concern that government guidelines for such research weren’t strong enough. The Obama administration, however, has announced that the agency’s approval is no longer needed. Other rules affecting independent marijuana studies still apply, such as obtaining medical marijuana only from NIDA's Drug Supply Program in Mississippi.   read more

The increases vary widely, though some are doubling or tripling. At Arches in southeast Utah, the cost for an annual pass will jump from $25 to $50. The fees are also going up at the “crown jewels in the park system,” such as Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon. If you’re riding a motorcycle into a park, be prepared to pay a lot more. For instance, the motorcycle fee at Joshua Tree National Park in the Southern California desert will jump from $5 to $20.   read more

An analysis of this term’s rulings revealed 54% have been liberal. If that rate holds, it would be the most liberal since the 1969 term under Chief Justice However, the court is still well to the right of where it was under Warren, when more than 70% of the decisions were considered liberal. Roberts' court has overturned a District of Columbia gun ownership ban, weakened campaign finance reform, and upheld an Indiana voter identification law and Kentucky’s lethal injection statute.   read more

The pessimism is fueled by problems many are having in paying rent or their mortgages. Fifty-five percent said they had to make at least one sacrifice in the past three years to pay their landlord or bank. Twenty-one percent said they had to work more, 17% stopped saving for retirement, 14% accumulated credit card debt, and 12% cut back on healthy nutritious foods. “It is disturbing that people feel...prospects for social mobility are receding. This survey is a wake-up call," said Julia Stasch.   read more

One Air Force airman racked up $4,686 in charges on his government travel card at the VIP room in the Sapphire Gentlemen’s Club near Las Vegas. The Pentagon's inspector general recommended closer attention be paid to charges coming from strip clubs. Strip club trade exec Angelina Spencer urged respect for Pentagon employees' "right to pursue a moment of happiness in the type of entertainment they choose, whether it’s a martini, a good cigar, bearing arms or bare arms.”   read more

CSB member Rick Engler claimed to have taken over the agency, delegating himself "Administrative Authority.” Engler then ordered the suspension of CSB’s entire executive staff, placing some on administrative leave. The staffers were marched out of the building under armed guard and barred from returning or talking to other CSB staff. In carrying out his actions, Engler “presided over the escalation from a toxic work environment to thermonuclear war,” said PEER's Jeff Ruch.   read more

The Hornes said the government violated the Fifth Amendment by “taking” their property without just compensation. Chief Justice John Roberts reached back to the Magna Carta and the American Revolution in categorically denying the government’s right to set up a raisin reserve program. He dismissed the Ninth Circuit’s argument that precedent dealt with real property and this case was about personal property. Property was property and government needed better excuses to take it.   read more

The “coordinated takedown” was the “largest in Strike Force history,” the Justice Department announced. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the doctors, patient recruiters, home health care providers, pharmacy owners, and others “billed for equipment that wasn’t provided, for care that wasn’t needed, and for services that weren’t rendered.” Charges include conspiracy to commit health care fraud, violations of the anti-kickback statutes, money laundering and aggravated identity theft.   read more

The number of veterans on waiting lists of one month or more is 50% higher than it was during the height of the 2014 controversy. More veterans are seeking help from doctors, some of whose workloads have increased 20% or more over the past year. The VA faces a $3 billion budget shortfall, which could further impact the delivery of care for veterans. The VA intends to ask Congress for help, but Republican lawmakers may be reluctant to allow the VA to shift monies around to address its needs.   read more

Holt, president of the Council of Conservative Citizens, has supported the campaigns of Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Rand Paul, former Sen. Rick Santorum and others. The man who has said black people were “the laziest, stupidest and most criminally-inclined race in the history of the world” has contributed $8,500 to Cruz, $1,750 to Paul, $2,000 to Mitt Romney, and $1,500 to Santorum. According to FEC and state filings, 24 Republicans have received contributions from Holt.   read more

In Ohio, a task force chaired by Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters issued a report saying a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize medical and personal use marijuana could create more than 30,000 jobs and generate nearly $7 billion for the state’s economy. Legalization of marijuana in other states “has not led to drastic increases in crime, adult or teen use, workplace injuries,” noted the report.   read more