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

“What we have before us is a policy that draws an explicit distinction between male and female athletes and imposes a burden on male athletes alone, and a limited record that does not supply a legally sufficient justification for the sex-based classification,” Judge Ilana Rovner wrote for the majority.   read more

The Obama administration wants to significantly change the rules governing food labels to better inform Americans about the calories and ingredients they’re consuming. The changes are the most significant regarding nutrition labeling in more than two decades, and are likely to spark considerable debate. First Lady Michelle Obama, who has campaigned vigorously on health issues, said the added sugars line on labels would inform consumers whether the sweetness is natural or manufactured.   read more

It took Asiana more than one day following the July 6 crash to publicize any phone number for families to use, leaving relatives with the only option of going through the company’s reservation line. Asiana also made it difficult to even locate the reservation line on its website. In addition, the airline took two days to contact the families of just 75% of the passengers. Some families didn’t hear from Asiana until five days after the accident.   read more

This week, a group of more than 40 organizations wrote to the FDA urging it to revoke Zohydro’s approval. Dr. Andrew Kolodny warned Zohydro “will kill people as soon as it’s released.” "You’re talking about a drug that’s somewhere in the neighborhood of five times more potent than what we’re dealing with now,” said Dr. Stephen Anderson. “I’m five times more concerned, solely based on potency.” Zohydro’s manufacturer, Zogenix, insists the drug will prove a benefit to society.   read more

Many of America’s most successful businesses have exploited state and local tax breaks and other government subsidies to further enrich their corporate earnings. A new report says 75% of all economic development funding provided at the state and local level has gone to just 965 corporations, many of them Fortune 500 enterprises. The Fortune 500 recipients of government welfare accounted for more than 16,000 subsidy awards worth $63 billion, says the report.   read more

The Netflix-Comcast agreement is precisely what net-neutrality advocates wanted to avoid, fearing it will create a new online environment in which those with the largest checkbooks will be allowed to buy more bandwidth access. The FCC adopted a series of regulations that sought to ensure net neutrality. But a federal court tossed out many of the FCC’s rules, opening the way for Netflix—described by industry analysts as a bandwidth hog—to negotiate special arrangements with Comcast and others.   read more

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided that law enforcement can search a person’s home even if they: (1) don’t have warrant, (2) if an occupant objects, and (3) the situation does not warrant an emergency. That’s the new legal standard established by the nation’s highest court. Justice Samuel Alito wrote that home searches are legal and do not violate the Fourth Amendment’s right against unreasonable searches as long as one occupant agrees, even if another does not.   read more

Insecticides used in household bug sprays have been found in two-thirds of individuals and homes tested by academic researchers. Pyrethroids, the main ingredient for household pest control products, appeared in the urine of more than 100 family members who participated in the study. High doses of the chemical can cause neurological effects, including dizziness and nausea. In farmworkers, it has been linked to nausea, as well as respiratory ailments and heart palpitations.   read more

A physician working at the Veterans’ Affairs (VA) hospital in Missouri claims she was fired for refusing to prescribe higher doses of addictive painkillers to patients. Dr. Basimah Khulusi said she lost her job after patients complained that she would not authorize more powerful amounts of opiates. “I had to do something about it. And I tried,” Khulusi said. “And then, you know, I was let go.” She said she was being replaced with a doctor specializing in pain medicine injections.   read more

The earthquake and tsunami that ravaged Japan three years ago are still having an impact, only now it’s along the West Coast of the United States. Scientists say radiation released from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant has traveled across the Pacific Ocean and may reach American beaches in April. Scientists in Canada have reported only “minute traces of pollution from the beleaguered Japanese power plant” along their nation’s western shore, the BBC News says.   read more

Obesity among young children, which has been a major concern of health officials in recent years, has declined significantly, according to a new federal survey. The data showed the obesity rate for children 2 to 5 years old had fallen 43% over the past decade. Officials could not explain why more young children are carrying less weight now. Some point to a drop in soft drink consumption since 1999, while others credit an increase in breast-feeding by mothers.   read more

A New Jersey federal judge who’s been kicked off cases and criticized by federal prosecutors has thrown out a lawsuit against the New York City Police Department for spying on Muslims. The decision of Judge William J. Martini also garnered attention because he criticized the Associated Press for exposing the illegal and unconstitutional actions of the NYPD. In Martini's opinion, the only one at fault was the AP for doing its job.   read more

When is fracking not favored by the top executive of Exxon Mobil, the nation’s biggest producer of natural gas? When it’s near his luxury home. Exxon chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson has joined a lawsuit brought by other millionaires living in a tony Dallas suburb who object to the construction of a water tower needed for nearby fracking operations. Tillerson also showed up at a Bartonville Town Council meeting in November to protest the building of the 160-foot tower.   read more

Many Republican governors hate Obamacare, but some don’t hate the federal dollars tied to it. That’s why a few GOP politicians are asking Washington for money—provided under the Affordable Care Act—to be redirected into state-run health programs. Republican Governor Mike Pence of Indiana was an early critic of Obamacare. Now he’s seeking funding for the Healthy Indiana Plan, which assists about 45,000 low-income residents establish health savings accounts.   read more

Being a temporary worker in the U.S. can mean working at the same job indefinitely without ever becoming permanent, getting cheated out of wages, and facing a higher risk of injury. Compared with other developed nations, the U.S. provides few legal protections for temps. Congress has shown no interest over the past 40 years of adopting or even hearing proposals to better protect the temp workforce, even though their ranks have swelled to 2.7 million workers.   read more

The Obama administration’s plan to curb drug coverage for Medicare patients is proving very unpopular with interests who normally don’t see eye-to-eye. Usually in such debates, pharmaceutical manufacturers and patient advocates are battling against one another. But that’s not the case with the call for limiting coverage for certain types of drugs, including some widely used. Specific drugs that could be affected include Wellbutrin, Paxil and Prozac (prescribed for depression).   read more