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

The 7% statistic first appeared on January 22 on the website of the American-led coalition, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). It subsequently was used in the Pentagon’s semi-annual report to Congress on Afghanistan security progress. The figure then abruptly vanished from the website without explanation. A coalition spokesman later said the error was caught during a “quality control check.”   read more

Coming in dead last was British food giant Associated British Foods, owner of Ovaltine and other brands with 13 points on a scale of 70. Next to last were Kellogg's and General Mills, with both scoring 16 points. Nestlé made the top of the list with 36 points, with Unilever close behind at 34.   read more

The newly discovered problem only adds to the soil contamination at Hanford, which was used for five decades to produce plutonium for the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal. There are nearly 150 tanks, similar in size and design, to the six spilling radioactive liquid and sludge at the site. Four of the six tanks have leaked in the past. The news led the state’s governor, Jay Inslee, to wonder about the “integrity” of the other tanks.   read more

When President Obama was asked if drone strikes could be used against U.S. citizens within the U.S., his reply was as evasive as Brennan’s: There “has never been a drone used on an American citizen on American soil.”   read more

Afghan officials later said that Afghans supporting American commandos were the main suspects, and that U.S. soldiers had more likely enabled the wrongdoings instead of perpetrated them. The accusations centered on the actions of local militia armed and trained by the Americans, the creation of which has been opposed by Afghanistan’s national government.   read more

One example is Lake Murray State Park Airport in Oklahoma, recipient of $150,000 annually from Washington. The airport consists of a field with no landing lights, no electricity, no control tower, and no people to operate it. There is, on average, one landing and takeoff a week, and often is used by passing private planes whose pilots need to use the bathroom.   read more

Hawaii was found to be the happiest state in the country. Next in line were Maine, Nevada, Utah and Vermont. At the other end, Louisiana was ranked at the bottom, just ahead of Mississippi, Maryland, Delaware and Georgia. Among cities, Napa, California, came in first in terms of bliss, followed by Idaho Falls, Idaho; Longmont, Colorado; San Clemente, California; and Simi Valley, California.   read more

JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo enable the lenders to withdraw payments automatically from borrowers’ bank accounts. This includes those in states that have banned the loans. Often these withdrawals lead to quick profits for the banks thanks to overdraft and other fees. In fact, a report by Pew Charitable Trusts found that 27% of payday loan borrowers ended up with overdraft fees.   read more

A military official told The Washington Post that eventually the U.S. would like to relocate the base to the northern Niger city of Agadez, which is closer to the Malian territory where the rebels are located. U.S. contractors have already been operating surveillance flights out of Agadez for several months.   read more

If owners of automobiles are required to have insurance, then why shouldn’t gun owners be mandated to carry liability coverage? That’s the argument many lawmakers around the country are putting forth to support new legislation in state capitols. Supporters say the new requirement would provide financial incentive for gun owners to handle their firearms safely (those deemed less of a risk would presumably pay lower premiums).   read more

Upset by efforts to impose new gun control restrictions, a group of small firearms manufacturers are threatening to not sell weapons to local police in states that adopt new restrictions. The group currently numbers about 50 and includes gun shops as well as machinists. The Police Loophole web site lists 87 such companies.   read more

Instead of using animals, the medics will be expected to use human simulators, which resemble mannequins designed to react like the human body while being operated on, including the hemorrhaging of fake blood. However, the military will not entirely abandon the use of animals for medical training, as evidenced by the fact that the Army is soliciting bids for a five-year contract for goats to be used in the training of medics.   read more

Instead of settling for consent agreements and fines, DOJ claims it is now insisting on actual guilty pleas to felony charges. But critics remain skeptical, particularly because there is no indication that corporate executives will be held responsible for the crimes committed by the businesses they run. Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone called the new model “beyond laughable.”   read more

Bowing to public criticism, a pending grand jury investigation and an FBI probe, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has banned its officers from shooting at suspects from the air except under exceptional circumstances. The change comes four months after a DPS sharpshooter in a helicopter shot and killed two Guatemalan immigrants hiding under a tarp in the back of a speeding pickup truck. DPS Director Steve McCraw insisted that the change was not a response to the shooting.   read more

Many of the plaintiffs have claimed they have no choice but to take legal action against polluters because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has refused to act. In June 2010, EPA presented two proposals for dealing with coal ash; one would classify it as “hazardous” and the other as “non-hazardous.” More than two and a half years later, the agency has yet to make a choice. According to government figures, there are 1,161 coal ash ponds and landfills in the United States.   read more

In 2010, Hrach Shilgevorkyan was stopped for speeding. A blood test revealed the presence of carboxy-THC, an inactive substance that stays in the body for up to four weeks after the smoking of marijuana, but which does not impair normal capabilities.   read more