Zelenskyy explained, “I told him that if he gave us the weapons we need and stopped supporting Putin, we would let him build Trump-branded hotels and other Trump-branded buildings in Ukraine’s ten largest cities, as well as Trump golf courses in the countryside. He was quite excited.”   read more

For years, technologists have argued that online news would be a boon to democracy. That has not been the case. The internet is distorting our collective grasp on the truth. Polls show that many of us have burrowed into our own echo chambers of information. Now, in the death throes of an election that features a candidate who once led the campaign to lie about Obama’s birth, there is more reason to despair about truth in the online age.   read more

Dark money spending, from groups that conceal their donors, favors GOP candidates six to one. Just three groups, One Nation, with ties to Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; the Koch network’s Americans for Prosperity; and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, account for 67% of all dark money spending. "While this problem was created in part by 2010’s Citizens United decision, the 2016 data shows we have truly crossed a new Rubicon," wrote Vandewalker.   read more

"Bayer made numerous misleading claims to consumers about the safety of its pesticide products, including falsely advertising that they were similar to giving 'a daily vitamin' to plants, when in fact, they are highly toxic to honey bees..." said Attorney General Healey. She called the settlement "an unprecedented step from a major pesticide manufacturer to promote truth in advertising for consumers about products that expose bees and the environment to harm..."   read more

Children’s ability to maintain a healthy weight can slip when they are out of school, much like their reading and math skills. Experts note that in the summer, children do not have a strict, school-defined schedule, so they spend more sedentary time snacking in front of screens. They go to bed later and get less sleep (which can contribute to weight gain). By contrast, school offers a built-in protective structure for weight-and-fitness maintenance.   read more

Wealthy powerbrokers. Special interest groups. Millions of dollars pouring in to elect conservatives or liberals. It sounds like a typical election-year contest for Congress or a state legislature, but it's actually a high-stakes battle for institutions that were once considered above politics: state supreme courts. Political groups view control of the high courts as essential to either defending or thwarting state laws. And they are more and more willing to spend big to gain the advantage.   read more

The country's addictions epidemic has created a generation of children affected by their parents' problems. The number of children taken into custody has risen 19% over the past seven years, largely due to parents' painkiller and heroin addictions. Such children "cannot have what we would consider is a normal childhood," Wedig said. Placing the children of addicts in protective custody is costing taxpayers $45 million a year.   read more

There was a 100% likelihood that studies that found no link between sugary drinks and diabetes or obesity were funded by the beverage industry or were conducted by authors who had financial ties to the beverage industry. He said the findings were so stark, he wanted to ensure they were reported before the election. Schillinger's study is just the latest to knock industry groups for trying to sway the outcomes of scientific studies.   read more

Among children ages 1 to 4, hospitalizations for opioid poisoning increased 205%. For teens 15 to 19, hospitalizations rose 161%. Children ages 1 to 4 were primarily hospitalized for accidentally ingesting opioids, while the majority of teens older than 15 took the drugs with the intent to commit suicide, said Julie R. Gaither. She attributed the increase in poisonings among toddlers to parents or other adults within the household leaving pills within easy reach of young children.   read more

The company says the potatoes will have reduced bruising and black spots, enhanced storage capacity, and a reduced amount of a chemical created when potatoes are cooked at high temperatures that's a potential carcinogen. There is no evidence that genetically modified organisms, known as GMOs, are unsafe to eat, but for some people, altering the genetic code of foods presents an ethical issue. McDonald's has rejected using Simplot's first generation of Innate potatoes for its French fries.   read more

A federal judge rejected the settlement of a lawsuit stemming from the NYPD's surveillance of Muslims, saying it doesn't provide enough oversight of an agency that had shown a “systemic inclination” to ignore rules protecting free speech and religion. It was authority granted after Sept. 11,with help from the CIA, that allowed the city to turn its eyes on Muslims. Police eavesdropped on conversations, kept files on Muslims and investigated mosques, placing them under scrutiny for years.   read more

Deborah Giannecchini, who was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer in 2012, said she had used Johnson's Baby Powder for more than 40 years to keep her genital area dry, as many women do. She blamed it for her cancer and accused J&J of negligence. Late Thursday, a St. Louis jury awarded her $70.1 million. Two other jury trials in St. Louis reached similar outcomes earlier this year, awarding $72 million and $55 million. The company faces an estimated 2,000 similar lawsuits.   read more

The next president of the United States will start with a huge following on Twitter but a clean slate of tweets. It's all part of the peaceful transition of power in the social media age. The White House said Monday that Obama's official @POTUS account will be taken over by the next president. Obama is leaving office with far more digital content to archive than any previous president. Thousands of hours of video and millions of photos will have to be transferred.   read more

In Seattle, the researchers found, African-American users had to wait as much as 35 percent longer for some Uber rides, while in Boston, people with African-American-sounding names were more than twice as likely to have their Uber rides canceled compared with people with white-sounding names. Claims against these newer tech companies — which have garnered multibillion-dollar valuations and often a global footprint — could tarnish their reputations if such practices are not addressed quickly.   read more

Obesity specialists said the survey paints an alarming picture, going against evidence about the science behind the disease and shows that outdated notions about obesity persist, to the detriment of those affected. “It’s frustrating to see doctors and the general public stigmatize patients with obesity and blame these patients, ascribing attributes of laziness or lack of willpower,” said Prof. Dr. Donna Ryan. “It’s so revealing of a real lack of education and knowledge.”   read more

Imagine if, during the Jim Crow era, a newspaper gave advertisers the option to place ads only in copies for white readers. That’s what Facebook is doing nowadays. It not only allows advertisers to target users by their interests, it allows them to exclude specific groups by “Ethnic Affinities.” Seeing this racial exclusion policy, a civil rights lawyer said, “This is horrifying. This is massively illegal. This is about as blatant a violation of the federal Fair Housing Act as one can find.”   read more

Since 1975, more than 40,000 Vietnamese are believed to have been killed and about 60,000 maimed by unexploded ordnance — land mines, artillery shells, cluster bombs that failed to detonate decades ago. Unexploded yet active remains of the Vietnam War now lie in wait for unsuspecting children at play. There are no time limits to their destructive abilities. “This was our responsibility,” said one ex-U.S. intelligence officer. “We had created the problem.”   read more