President Donald Trump invited the Dodgers to the White House. Many of their fans feared that the team, by accepting, would humiliate themselves and betray the team’s large Latino, Asian and African-American fan base. Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter, along with co-owner Magic Johnson, have proposed a solution. Trump has promised that if he can keep the championship trophy, the Commissioner’s Trophy, he will end all seizures and deportations of immigrants.   read more

In the rush to do something about mounting gun violence by strengthening the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to weed out gun buyers with a history of mental illness, the health privacy rights of patients could be compromised or outright ignored, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which last week solicited public comments on improving the background check system for mentally ill people deemed dangerous to themselves or others.   read more

Originally passed in 1925 as a temporary answer to an alleged “helium gap” between the U.S. and European powers like Germany—at a time when military leaders believed that zeppelins or blimps filled with helium would have a decisive military role in the future—the Federal Helium Program, which has only 52 employees, pays for itself with proceeds from sales, so the budget deficit is not an issue.   read more

About 30% of the nation’s electricity is now generated from natural gas, compared to 16% in 2000. Meanwhile, coal-based electricity is down to 38% from 52% in 2000. There has also been a 3% rise in the production of energy from renewable sources, such as wind and solar. David Crane, CEO of NRG Energy, told the Wall Street Journal’s ECO:nomics conference: “Natural gas is in the process of wiping out the coal industry, and it’s wiping out the nuclear industry quicker than we thought.”   read more

Prime Minister David Cameron, apparently with a design assist from his wife Samantha, gave Obama a 48” x 70” hanging rug of the Union Jack, decorated with a superimposed eagle, American flags, flowers and a few odd butterflies, made by The Rug Company and enclosed in a canvas bag with teal and orange designs. The Camerons also presented the Obamas with silver Links Sweetie Bracelets and, ever thoughtful, a 13-inch bone-shaped chew toy with the U.K. flag for Bo, the Obama family dog.   read more

Among the richest 7% of Americans, their mean net worth increased 28% from 2009 to 2011, while the mean net worth of households in the lower 93% dropped by 4%, according to a Pew Research Center report. Household wealth is defined as the sum of all assets, such as home, car, 401(k), and stocks, minus all debts, such as mortgage, car loans, credit card debt and student loans.   read more

Its training manuals advocated targeting civilians, extrajudicial executions, torture, false imprisonment and extortion. Not surprisingly, many of its graduates—including such notorious figures as Gen. Efrain Rios Montt of Guatemala, Gen. Manuel Noriega of Panama and Captain Roberto D’Aubuisson of El Salvador—went on to form death squads and commit human rights abuses.   read more

"Combat camera teams were directed to acquire imagery of key districts as the local population moved back to local village areas and business trade resumed. These images were used during dignitary visits and provided to the media to illustrate security progress.” When local insurgents used photo of civilian casualties to promote hostility against U.S. forces, Pentagon photographers were ordered to provide images of Americans treating injured Afghans.   read more

There were even rumors that Medina-Mora—a key negotiator of the Merida Initiative that provides U.S. funding to the drug war in Mexico—was replaced as attorney general because officials worried the government could not protect him and his family in Mexico, although it was also said that he was forced to resign after a top deputy was arrested for taking bribes from the drug cartels. Shortly after his removal as attorney general, Medina-Mora was appointed ambassador to the U.K.   read more

. Kairat Umarov, now serving his third stint in Washington, D.C., presented his credentials to President Barack Obama on January 14. in 2004, Umarov received his first ambassadorship, serving as ambassador to India at the Kazakh embassy in New Delhi from 2004 to 2009, concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka from 2008 to 2009. He then served as deputy foreign minister of Kazakhstan from 2009 to January 2013.   read more

Most of these empty accounts were originally created to distribute grants from the Department of Health and Human Services. Once the full amount of the grant has been distributed, the account that serviced it is supposed to be closed. But because of required audits and the general snail’s pace of government bureaucracy, the empty accounts often remain open long after their purpose has been fulfilled.   read more

22% of American adults had signed a paper petition, while only 17% had signed an online petition; 21% had recently contacted a government official about an issue by phone, by letter or in person, whereas 18% had done so online, by email or by text message. About 60% of people who had made political donations had done so in person, by telephone or by regular mail, while 23% had done so online. Another 16% had contributed both online and by more traditional methods.   read more

In the United States, the term “Caucasian” is generally accepted as a synonym for people who are white. Historically, white Americans have been satisfied with being called Caucasians. However, when it was discovered that the Tsarnaev brothers accused of planting the Boston Marathon bombs came from the region of the Caucasus Mountains and were therefore real Caucasians, some white Americans have been wondering if “Caucasian” is now a bad word.   read more

The Indian Ocean island nation of Maldives—at 4 feet 11 inches (1.50 meters) above sea level the lowest-lying nation on earth—sent a new ambassador to the U.S. at the end of 2012. Ahmed Sareer succeeded Abdul Gafoor Mohamed, who resigned over the February 2012 transfer of power from former President Mohamed Nasheed to current leader Mohamed Waheed Hassan. From December 2009 until his recent appointment, Sareer served as the high commissioner of Maldives to Bangladesh.   read more

To many people, the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu (pop.: 12,177) is best known for the fact that it won the coveted Internet country domain extension .tv. The nation sent a new ambassador to the U.S. late last year who is concurrently accredited as his country's permanent representative to the United Nations in New York, partly because Tuvalu does not own an embassy in Washington, D.C. Aunese Makoi Simati presented his credentials to President Barack Obama on January 14, 2013.   read more

An audit of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) by the U.S. Department of Justice’s inspector general found that 58% of gun sellers have operated since 2008 without any government inspections. The IG also uncovered that it takes anywhere from one to three years for ATF to revoke a gun dealer’s license after finding serious violations. Violations of record-keeping rules went up 276% over a nine-year period, while the number of firearms licenses revoked dropped 43%.   read more

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, which audits the IRS, found the agency overpaid between $11.6 billion and $13.6 billion in Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC). EITC is primarily used to give low- and moderate- income workers credit for their children. If the credit exceeds the amount of money they owe, they receive a refund. The report stated that “the annual EITC improper payment amount has consistently been one of the largest of all Federal programs.”   read more