In an attempt to end the war caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump has offered to return Alaska to Russia in exchange for Russia pulling its troops from Eastern Ukraine. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said he would agree to the proposal if Trump also returned Fort Ross and the Russian River in California, Russia sold Fort Ross to Mexican citizen John Sutter in 1841.   read more

The pro-defense lobby focuses on the Pentagon’s discretionary budget, while conveniently ignoring the other $500 billion in tax dollars that help maintain the nation’s security each year. For starters, there’s the money allocated for “Overseas Contingency Operations”—a fancy term for funding the war in Afghanistan. This budget item (separate from the Pentagon’s discretionary spending) eats up around $80 billion annually.   read more

Two years ago, the “American” oil giant signed a lucrative deal with Rosneft, Russia’s petrochemical behemoth, to jointly explore offshore oil and gas in the Kara Sea in the Arctic Ocean and the Black Sea, where the Crimean peninsula is. As part of the agreement, Rosneft acquired a 30% stake in 20 ExxonMobil offshore oil and gas exploration blocks in the Gulf of Mexico.   read more

The program can look “into the past” and allow spies to “retrieve audio of interest that was not tasked at the time of the original call.” When a subject is identified, the NSA can use the month’s worth of calls to get a history of his or her movements, associates and plans. Civil libertarians warned that it is just a matter of time before the NSA expands the program to more countries and employs technology that allows it to go back even further in time.   read more

93% of all soybeans in the country were the HT variety as of last year. HT cotton comprised 82% of that crop in 2013, while HT corn dominated 85% of that crop’s acreage last year. Going with Bt corn allowed farmers to use less insecticide, reduce costs and curtail environmental pollution. That’s why Bt corn became so popular, making up 76% of all corn acreage in 2013. Rootworms have developed a resistance to the Bt gene—which means they can go back to eating modified corn.   read more

A lawsuit filed in 2010 in an Oregon federal court contends the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has denied individuals their rights of due process by placing their names on the list without notification or explanation for why. Those on the list also cannot directly challenge their status, leaving them at the mercy of an invisible bureaucratic process, the plaintiffs say.   read more

When the Obama administration unveiled a plan to privatize food inspections at poultry plants, consumer and environmental groups objected. Now, nearly 70 members of Congress have joined the opposition. Lawmakers say allowing operators of chicken and turkey slaughterhouses to inspect their own operations could compromise worker safety and increase the risk of pathogens reaching consumers. But they are trying to stop a program would save USDA and industry hundreds of millions of dollars.   read more

Rising tuition costs are causing more young Americans than ever before to skip attending their preferred college. A survey at UCLA found only 57% of incoming freshmen last fall had enrolled in their first choice of university, even though 76% reported being accepted by their No. 1 selection. The 57% mark was the lowest recorded by UCLA since 1974. Also, the percentage of students citing cost as a “very important” factor in choosing a college reached a 10-year high (45.9%).   read more

The makers of two violent action films set in Texas have sued the state’s film commission claiming they were denied tax breaks because they dared to portray immigrants in a flattering light. The "[Texas] Film Commission improperly denied the grant based on a perception that the film glorifies the role of a Mexican Federale and sympathizes with immigrants,” according to the lawsuit. They also claim the commission was concerned with “political fallout” if it supported the movies.   read more

Randall Lawrence found the penny among his father’s belongings after his death in 1980. For 33 years he never realized its value until he met coin dealer Michael McConnell. McConnell told Lawrence that the penny was part of a rare batch made of aluminum, instead of the traditional copper, and could be worth $250,000. The two men agreed to auction it off. But the Treasury Department contends it isn’t his to sell, claiming it's government property and should be returned.   read more

A Southern California seller of firearms components engaged in a legal battle with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) after the agency sought the names of customers who purchased an illegal gun base. Ares Armor sold thousands of the bases, used to build the AR-15 assault weapon. The store's owner refused to comply, prompting the ATF to threaten to shut down his business. The next day ATF agents raided the store.   read more

It is estimated that nearly 25 million Americans earn less than $10.10 an hour at their jobs. Obama is urging Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to that rate, from its current $7.25, by 2016. At one time it was assumed that most earning that little were teenagers, but no more. Today, only 17% of them are under 20, compared to 28% in 2000.   read more

In 2012, the administration cited “national security” as reason to keep hidden information a record 8,496 times. That was 57% more than during the previous year and more than double during Obama’s first year in office. Even agencies whose mission is not the defense of the nation cited this reason for denying Freedom of Information Act requests. The Farm Service Agency did it six times, the Environmental Protection Agency did it twice and the National Park Service once.   read more

Attorneys general (AGs) from 24 states, the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories sent letters to five major retailers—Walgreens, Walmart, Rite Aid, Kroger and Safeway—requesting them to stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products. The letters stated that it was a contradiction for companies to offer for sale “dangerous and devastating tobacco products” while meeting the health care needs of consumers.   read more

“For a variety of reasons, our intelligence relationships are rarely disrupted by foreign political perturbations, international or domestic,” the NSA document states. “First, we are helping our partners address critical intelligence shortfalls, just as they are assisting us. Second, in many of our foreign partners’ capitals, few senior officials outside of their defense-intelligence apparatuses are witting to any SIGINT [Signals Intelligence] connection to the U.S./NSA.”   read more

The New York Police Department (NYPD) is keeping secret its manual that instructs officials how to process freedom of information requests, claiming the materials are not covered under the state’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL).   read more

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts represented a killer of eight, John Errol Ferguson, in Florida on appeal. This wasn’t seen as a problem during Roberts’ 2005 confirmation hearings. Similarly, John Adams, who later became the second president of the United States, represented British soldiers accused in the Boston Massacre. He did so because of his belief that all accused deserve to be represented by counsel.   read more