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

If a new study is an indication, global warming will make human lives less productive. Tatyana Deryugina and Solomon M. Hsiang of the National Bureau of Economic Research used data collected from counties throughout the 48 contiguous U.S. states and compared increases in temperature with the output of human production. They determined that as things heat up, people slow down.   read more

Reports revealed a death toll ranging between 55 and 61 civilian prisoners inside the building that was demolished by American missiles. Between 13 and 25 ISIS guards also died in the attack. If those numbers are accurate, it would represent the worst case of civilian deaths caused by the U.S. bombing of Syria. Many of the prisoners were jailed for minor infractions of Islamic Law, “such as smoking, wearing jeans or appearing too late for the afternoon prayer."   read more

“Once again, the majority of members of Congress are millionaires," reported CRP. “At a time when income inequality is much debated, the representatives we choose are overwhelmingly affluent,” CRP executive director Sheila Krumholz said. “Whether voters elect them because they are successful or because people of modest means do not run, or for other reasons, is unclear, but struggling Americans should not assume that their elected officials understand their circumstances.”   read more

“Laws designed to silence anyone, even people society may find disagreeable, are unconstitutional and bad for democracy,” said ACLU's Shuford. The ACLU was joined in the suit by journalists, news outlets and advocacy organizations, as well as four former convicts who fear the law will stifle their ability to speak publicly. The law came into being following a speech by a convicted cop killer, Mumia Abu-Jamal.   read more

At least one city has already put butt recycling into practice. Salem, Massachusetts, has placed receptacles around the city and sends the butts to be recycled into items such as plastic shipping pallets and even ash trays. The recovered tobacco is composted. Cigarette butts are considered a prime contributor to litter and local pollution, generating up to 1.7 billon pounds of environmental waste annually, according to one study. KAB says smoked cigarettes account for 38% of all litter.   read more

Flashbangs can inflict serious wounds if they explode next to a human body. Their flash powder is hot enough to cause second-degree burns on flesh, and the concussion from their blast has been shown to sever hands and fingers, cause heart attacks, burn down homes and kill pets. Some police forces report using flashbangs up to 80% of the time during their raids, where their targets are often found to be innocent or guilty of only minor offenses.   read more

Defense lawyers contend it was necessary for officials to ask Israel to review the report before complying with Smith’s request—an unusual move on the part of a U.S. agency involving a FOIA issue.The report may contain details about an internal debate nearly 30 years ago among U.S. officials whether Washington should authorize the sale of a Cray supercomputer to a coalition of Israeli universities -- a sale "that could boost Israel's well-known but officially secret A-bomb and missile programs."   read more

“It's another horrible example of the governor taking money that was designated for an important purpose and putting it in the general fund,” said Arnold Cohen. The decision to divert the money, which was used to pay state bills, left the lead fund nearly empty. Lawmakers have yet to approve legislation to restore it. Meanwhile, thousands of children have been left at risk to lead exposure and poisoning, which can result in brain damage, learning disabilities and other health problems.   read more

Over the past three years, pot seizures near the Mexico border have declined 37%, according to the Post. That’s because Americans now prefer higher-quality, domestic marijuana options that have increasingly become available in the 23 states that have approved marijuana for recreational or medical use. U.S. product is more in demand because they are “genetically improved strains, grown in greenhouses,” said Raul Benitez-Manaut.. “That’s why the Mexican cartels are switching to heroin and meth.”   read more

The Brooklyn district attorney’s office is now reviewing 70 cases that Scarcella worked on, most of which were investigated two or three decades ago. And what they’re finding is that this “star detective” may indeed be guilty of what his accusers have been charging—that he has, over the decades, engaged in witness tampering, forced confessions, and other illegal means of “getting his man” at any cost. Even if it has meant sending the innocent to prison.   read more

The legal battle over who controls the oil landed in a U.S. court in July, where lawyers for both sides filed competing motions. The following month, Judge Miller dismissed the lawsuit, concluding that U.S. maritime law is inapplicable to the case. Miller then accepted an Iraqi argument that showed U.S. courts do have jurisdiction in the case. Meanwhile, the oil has sat in the tanker United Kalavrvta, which has remained 60 miles off the coast of Galveston.   read more

As moving as it was to see millions of people from around the world march for protection of freedom of the press, those who follow the subject of press freedom could not help but snicker, bristle or become outraged to see almost a dozen world leaders taking part in a demonstration whose theme was “Je suis Charlie,” who are themselves guilty of suppressing freedom of the press in their own countries.   read more

An estimated 9 million students in the U.S. could receive a tuition-free ride through community college as long as they maintain a 2.5 grade point average (a C+) and are making “steady progress” toward completing a program. The plan would cover both full-time and half-time students at two-year institutions that offer classes transferable to universities or vocational programs in high-demand fields of work.   read more

The Federal Bureau of Investigation found classified documents on the computer of Paula Broadwell, an Army Reserve officer who was writing Petraeus’ biography, in 2012 after it was revealed that the two were having an affair and Petraeus resigned as CIA director. Some members of Congress have urged Holder to resist prosecution, claiming, in effect, that Petraeus should not be held to the same laws as other Americans.   read more

A report (pdf) from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that only 0.7% of charities were audited in 2013, and that’s down from an already-low 0.81% in 2011. This drop came while returns filed by charitable organizations went from 725,888 to 763,149, an increase of 5%. For comparison, about 1% of individuals and about 1.4% of corporations were audited in 2013.   read more

Cubans are allowed to enter the United States without visas or background checks and are given permanent resident status after one year and one day. Those from other countries can wait years and even decades for their green cards. That access to the United States has made Cubans the leaders in Medicare fraud. Those born in Cuba represent less than 1% of the U.S. population but commit 41% of Medicare fraud.   read more