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

Having embraced proposals that targeted illegal immigrants, Arizona lawmakers last week approved legislation that would allow business owners to use their religious beliefs to justify the denial of services to same-sex couples. Christian religious groups praised the move, while civil libertarians were outraged. “The Arizona Senate bill is blatantly unconstitutional [and] violates the requirement of equal protection of the laws," said Shannon Minter.   read more

House Republicans who oversee key scientific matters have hired a lobbyist from one of the nation’s leading oil corporations to serve as a key adviser. The House Science Committee, led by pro-oil Representative Lamar Smith, has brought aboard Stephen Sayle, who lobbied for Chevron, as a senior staff member. During much of 2013, Sayle led a lobbying firm that promoted Chevron’s positions on regulations governing clean pollution, ozone emissions and oil and gas development.   read more

Harboring fear or hatred of gay people can take years off someone’s life, researchers say. “We found evidence that anti-gay prejudice is associated with elevated mortality risk among heterosexuals, over and above multiple established risk factors,” researchers wrote in the American Journal of Public Health. “In particular, there was a 2.5-year life expectancy difference between individuals with high vs. low levels of anti-gay prejudice,” they added.   read more

The NRA has lost its first legal battle against the City by the Bay over the banning of high-capacity magazines in city limits. “Although there will be some occasions when a law-abiding citizen needs more than ten rounds to defend himself or his family, the record shows that such occasions are rare,” Judge Alsup wrote in his ruling. He added that citizens would still have the ability to own and use more than one magazine holding 10 bullets each if such a need arose.   read more

The myth that older drivers are more accident prone than other motorists is just that—a myth, according to a new study. A report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows crashes involving older Americans have declined, and that seniors involved in auto accidents are coming out of them with fewer fatalities. “That's likely because vehicles are safer and seniors are generally healthier,” the IIHS reported.   read more

The legal sale of marijuana in Colorado is bringing a new kind of high to state officials. It is anticipated the state will collect about $134 million in taxes, with much of the money expected to go toward substance abuse and public health programs. The state of Washington expects a similar windfall. That state’s officials are planning to collect about $190 million in taxes in the four years beginning in mid-2015.   read more

The repeal of Missouri’s law requiring a background check for all handgun purchases contributed to a 16% increase in murders in that state, according to a recent study. That study found there were 55 to 63 more murders each year from 2008 to 2012 than the projected rates for those years had the law not been repealed. “This study provides compelling confirmation that weaknesses in firearm laws lead to deaths from gun violence,” said Daniel Webster, the study's lead author.   read more

The use of food stamps at military commissaries continues to rise, with nearly $104 million in food stamps redeemed in those stores in the fiscal year that ended September 30. Those using food stamps are usually families of those in the junior enlisted ranks with children. In 2011, about 5,000 military families were on food stamps.   read more

On February 14, an alarm sounded at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico--an indication that radiation was escaping into the lower levels of the facility. Personnel were prohibited from entering. “It could be a mess,” said scientist Edwin Lyman. “If there is airborne contamination and it involves plutonium, they are going to need to decontaminate surfaces. If it is in the ventilation system, it could have spread to other areas.”   read more

In another consequence of Washington gridlock, half of federal employees are considering leaving their government jobs for those in the private sector, a new study shows. The online survey showed that the top three reasons for federal employees to consider leaving are the government pay freeze, the political environment, and better salary opportunities in the private sector. These attitudes are likely to have an impact on government’s ability to do its job.   read more

Improved surveillance is making it more difficult to balance privacy rights with the desires of law enforcement agencies. “If you turn your country into a totalitarian surveillance state, there’s always some wrongdoing you can prevent,” said ACLU's Jay Stanley. “The balance struck in our Constitution tilts toward liberty, and I think we should keep that value.”   read more

Lottery winners could be a jackpot for more conservative political parties, a new study has shown. Among lottery winners, about 18% were shown to have switched to a more conservative outlook during a given year, but only 13% of non-winners moved to the right. According to the study, “We show that an increase in a person’s overall household income in year is associated with a rise in their belief in the justice of the current wealth distribution in society.”   read more

Three anti-nuclear protesters will spend years in prison for breaching security at a key weapons facility. Sister Megan Rice, 84, and two others managed to enter the top-security grounds that houses 400 metric tons of highly enriched uranium used in nuclear warheads. The judge asked prosecutors before handing down the sentences what harm the activists caused. An assistant U.S. attorney responded that the defendants “had destroyed the ‘mystique’ of the ‘Fort Knox of uranium.’”   read more

German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that her country would consider establishing new data networks in Europe that could shield individuals’ private communications from NSA prying. Merkel said her proposal would create European systems that would keep emails and other communications from passing through U.S. networks that the NSA taps into for intelligence purposes.   read more

The administration of Ohio Gov. John Kasich has been accused of covering up its role in a controversial plan to promote fracking in state parks and marginalize organizations opposed to the drilling. Government documents show several state agencies were involved in a PR strategy to help gas companies seeking rights to drill on public lands. A communications plan called for a coordinated effort between the state and industry to push for fracking and attack environmentalists opposed to it.   read more

The disparity between rich and poor Americans is most prominently on display in the nation’s urban powerhouses like New York, San Francisco, and other cities thriving economically. In contrast, income inequality is not as big a problem in cities with more modest economic outcomes, like Columbus, Ohio, and Wichita, Kansas. Essentially, cities said to be “vibrant” because of their total amount of income don’t do a very good job of sharing their wealth.   read more