The majority of voters did not vote for Donald Trump for president; the majority of voters did not vote for Republican candidates for the Senate; and fewer than 51% of voters cast their ballots for Republican candidates for the House of Representatives. The Republican Party now controls the White House, both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court, no matter how that came to be. I believe it is worth bearing in mind that a majority of U.S. citizens did not support the Republican winners.   read more

Gun enthusiasts are outraged by a federal proposal to ban a type of armor-piercing bullets capable of penetrating ballistic vests worn by law enforcement officers now that the rounds can be used in handguns. Varieties of 5.56 mm rounds with metal cores that are commonly used in AR-15 assault rifles would be prohibited under new rules crafted by the ATF. Ammunition makers would be barred from producing, selling, importing or distributing the rounds.   read more

ICE agents conducted raids across Southern California this week in an effort to shut down businesses in which foreign residents pay to stay in the U.S. to have children who will then automatically be U.S. citizens.These “birthing centers” have charged nearly $40,000 per expecting mom to help guide them through U.S. rules and procedures, such as advice on where to stay before delivering their baby. As many as 40,000 children are born in the U.S. each year as a result of such arrangements.   read more

Researchers examined data collected in other studies that factored in penis measurements from more than 15,000 men. They found no correlation between penis size and foot size, palm size or any other urban legend that purports to make such a connection. They did caution that studies might be skewed because men with larger penises might be more inclined to participate in a study that measured their vital organ.   read more

The 10 biggest corporate water polluters in the U.S. spent $53 million on lobbying and nearly $10 million on campaign contributions. These companies also dumped 100 million pounds of toxics in public waterways. The top polluter in the report is AK Steel, which discharged 19,088,128 pounds of toxics into rivers and lakes in 2012. It spent $739,752 on lobbying in 2014. The biggest lobbying spender was the No. 6 polluter: Koch Industries ($13.8 million on lobbying, 6,657,138 pounds of toxics).   read more

With Capitol Hill abuzz over Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s appearance before Congress this week, there is no time like the present for a refresher on how much the American taxpayers spend on Israel’s defense. If it wasn’t for Washington, Netanyahu would have a serious shortfall on his hands. The U.S. funds about 25% of Israel’s annual military spending, thanks to $3 billion a year in aid. Israel is "the largest single recipient of U.S foreign assistance...$121 billion," wrote Ward.   read more

Attorney Tai Vokins told CNN that the government-hired collectors are “preying on the absolute poorest people” who can’t pay their bills, let alone old debts. Consequently, some have been jailed for not paying overdue speeding tickets, while others have had entire paychecks garnished to cover back taxes. Others targeted by the debt collectors never owed the debt, and had documentation to prove it, but still have been harassed by collection agencies.   read more

The NRDC wants the EPA to review the main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, a commonly used herbicide that has wiped out the milkweed plant in many parts of the country. Monarch butterflies rely on the milkweed for their survival. The NRDC says the “distinctive butterfly” is “in peril,” and faces the risk of completely dying off. “The remaining population is so small that a single severe weather event could eradicate it,” the group wrote.   read more

The case was filed by Leah Metcalf, who played women’s basketball for North Carolina from 2001 to 2005, and James Arnold, who played football from 2005 to 2009. Metcalf had dreams of becoming a doctor, while Arnold said he wanted to study computer science. But both say school officials told them to take easier courses in the university’s School of African and Afro-American Studies. Both graduated from college, but found they couldn’t get professional jobs usually offered to college graduates.   read more

The judge wrote that the Endangered Species Act “offers the broadest possible protections for endangered species by design [and] reflects the [U.S.] commitment to act as a responsible steward of the Earth's wildlife, even when such stewardship is inconvenient or difficult...” But the Obama administration objected to the ruling. Since 2003, the U.S. government has made four attempts to end protection of the wolves, and each time its effort was overturned in court.   read more

In his apology, Mayor Jackson said blaming the child for his own death was "an attempt to protect all of our defenses." A Rice family attorney responded, “I don’t want him just to apologize for the poor word use. I want him to apologize for the death of this 12-year-old child.” Another Rice attorney said, “I do believe that a...child died unnecessarily at the hands of Cleveland police officers and I do believe that certain officers shouldn’t have been entitled to wear the uniform.”   read more

Many of the accused are former Bosnian soldiers. Among the ones identified are an Ohio metal worker, a Virginia soccer coach, and four Las Vegas casino employees. Half of the 300 Bosnian suspects may have been involved in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which Serbian militias executed about 8,000 unarmed Muslim boys and men. “The idea that the people who did all this damage in Bosnia should have a free pass and a new shot at life [in the U.S.] is just obscene to me,” said Michael MacQueen   read more

Americans have increasingly shunned both the Republican and Democratic parties in favor of independent status when it comes party identification. This trend has progressed to the point where in 44 of the 50 states, independents are a larger group than either the number of registered Republicans or Democrats. Alaska is 54% independent (26% Republican and 14% Democrat), and Massachusetts stands at 53% independent (35% Democrat and 11% Republican).   read more

A military judge, Navy Captain J.K. Waits, issued a restraining order last year barring female guards from touching Abd al Hadi al Iraqi, who cited religious reasons for his request that only male jailers handle him. Hadi had refused to leave his cell because of the presence of women. After a wave of protests erupted from prosecutors and prison staff, Waits relented and lifted his restraining order.   read more

New rules approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Thursday will result in the Internet being treated like a utility under federal law and allow local governments to develop public high-speed online service. The rules were approved by a 3-2 vote of the FCC, with three Democrats voting for the rules and two Republicans against.   read more

The video chats provide less privacy for visitors with picture and sound being recorded and often reviewed by jail officials. In-person visits were usually in a separate room, but the video chats often take place in the dayroom of a jail. Sometimes family members watch while fights break out behind their loved one. Attorneys are also troubled by the lack of privacy.   read more

The leader is IBM, which has received $4.9 billion from DHS, most of it for automatic data processing systems and services. (And DHS isn’t even its biggest federal customer. That would be the Department of Defense, which pays IBM more than $6 billion). Right behind is Integrated Coast Guard Systems, which makes radio navigation equipment, at just about $11.5 million less than IBM. They are followed by Computer Systems Corporation at $4.1 billion and Lockheed Martin at $3.9 billion.   read more