Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) sent messages to all members of Congress terminating their positions, stating “Your performance has not been adequate to justify further employment.” All Democratic and independent members of Congress, as well as two Republicans, found themselves locked out of their offices after everything inside had been confiscated.   read more

They were all from "special interest countries" — those that present a national security concern for the U.S. — or neighboring countries with high rates of immigration fraud. DHS said the findings reflect what has long been a problem for immigration officials — old paper-based records containing fingerprint information that can't be searched electronically. Fingerprints are missing from federal databases for as many as 315,000 immigrants with deportation orders or who are fugitive criminals.   read more

Coons said he was disturbed by reports that African elephant population has shrunk by 30% since 2007, primarily due to poaching. "Not only are iconic wildlife species in grave danger of disappearing, but wildlife trafficking also fuels well-organized criminal networks," he said. "Imperiled animals are slaughtered for no reason other than money, and innocent human lives are lost in the process. We cannot wait any longer to use every tool at our disposal to curb this global crisis."   read more

The measure allows people to carry hidden guns anywhere they can currently carry weapons openly. People who choose to get a concealed-carry permit could potentially carry their weapons into places off-limits to others. The legislation also would create a "stand-your-ground" right, meaning people don't have a duty to retreat from danger any place they are legally entitled to be present. The NRA says 30 states have laws or precedents stating people have no duty to retreat from a threat.   read more

AP VP Paul Colford said the news cooperative was "deeply disappointed with the inspector general's findings, which effectively condone the FBI's impersonation of an AP journalist in 2007. Such action compromises the ability of a free press to gather the news safely and effectively and raises serious constitutional concerns. Once again, AP calls on the government to refrain from any activities involving the impersonation of the news media..." FBI Director Comey defended the tactic in 2014.   read more

"The reason FEMA's rules are secret is that it would be embarrassing if it had to publish them," said attorney Wesevich. "If people knew what rules FEMA was applying they would be outraged... They want to present a facade that they are helping people recover from disaster. But internally and in secret they have a complex set of standards that deny people assistance." One judge reportedly described FEMA's eligibility criteria as "Kafkaesque."   read more

Indiana Solicitor General Fisher provoked outrage from the court in his attempts to justify Gov. Pence's policy. "Are Syrians the only Muslims Indiana fears?" asked Posner. Fisher replied: "This has nothing to do with religion." Posner chuckled and boomed: "All of the terrorist attacks you pointed to have been done by Muslims. So we're secure against anyone except Syrians? Look! Has the FBI said, 'we're secure against people from France or Germany'? Why's Indiana focused on Syrians?"   read more

Angry animal advocates can calm down: Tens of thousands of wild horses and donkeys will be spared the threat of an untimely death. The Humane Society of the United States had described the recommendation as “unhinged advice,” “a complete abdication of responsibility” and “a sort of ‘Final Solution.'” An online petition has collected more than 118,000 signatures. But a spokesman for the bureau made clear in an interview that it had no plans to act on the advice.   read more

Crabb cut through the state's argument that state law says couples who conceive through artificial insemination cannot receive a two-parent birth certificate unless both women give written consent. Jessamy did not provide such consent, but Judge Crabb noted that the state is less strict with straight couples. "Obviously, the department is not treating female couples equally if its forms suggest that female couples may not even apply for a two-person birth certificate," Crabb wrote.   read more

The bill is an opportunity for Republicans to put Democrats on record and use their votes against them in campaigns. Within minutes of the vote, Republicans sent out a news release saying, "Democrats vote to close GITMO and bring terrorists to U.S. soil (again)." Said White House press secretary Josh Earnest: "When it comes to America's national security, at some point that should rate higher on the priority list than an individual's re-election prospects."   read more

It's unknown where Nixon ranks of most overridden governors in U.S. history, but he appears unusual among contemporaries. His distinction is due partly to the rarity of Missouri's politically divided government. He's the only Missouri Democrat to govern opposite a Republican supermajority at least since Reconstruction. Since Nixon took office in 2009, lawmakers have overridden 83 of his vetoes — four times the combined total of all other governors' overrides dating back to the early 1800s.   read more

Why, critics questioned, would he name a ship in honor of the late gay rights leader Harvey Milk or after former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords? Mabus has said he is honoring heroes outside the military so he can help connect people with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. "You have to represent all the values that we hold as Americans..." he said. "That's why I've named ships the Medgar Evers, Cesar Chavez, John Lewis, the Harvey Milk. Because these are American heroes too..."   read more

Chemical eye burns from chemicals are usually considered a problem in industrial settings. But it turns out that toddlers have the highest risk for this potentially blinding injury at home. “Just about every eye doctor has seen this,” said Dr. Levin. “It’s a potentially blinding problem that is a completely preventable tragedy.” From 2010 to 2013, there were 144,000 chemical eye burns totaling $106.7 million in ER charges. It is "the tip of the iceberg,” said Dr. Osterhoudt.   read more

When WikiLeaks published State Dept cables, Pyatt became embroiled in controversy because of a 2007 cable he sent recommending that a secretary in India’s Ministry of External Affairs visit Washington D.C. in order to help “feed” U.S. government views on Iran into the Indian system. Pyatt became U.S. ambassador to Ukraine in July, 2013. In March, 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. Since then Pyatt has helped coordinate the U.S. response to the action.   read more

Medicare beneficiaries often hear such rationales for denying coverage: They’re not improving. They’ve “reached a plateau.” They've achieved “maximum functional capacity.” But the so-called improvement standard is no longer in effect. What matters is maintenance. Medicare must cover care to "maintain the patient’s current condition or prevent...deterioration.” But providers have still frequently invoked the improvement standard.   read more

Nearly 300,000 Oregonians have registered to vote in the past 12 months and more than 75 percent of them did so under the motor voter law. In addition, the state is on track to register 250,000 new voters under the law by the November election. The increase represents a 14 percent uptick in registered voters in the state since this time last year. Oregon was the first state to put such a law into effect and since then, California, Vermont and West Virginia have adopted similar laws.   read more

The dichotomy was starkest for women: Only 27 percent of older characters in the films were female. Among lead roles, only three of 10 with older actors were women (Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren and Lin Shaye). This is despite the fact that women outlive men and constitute a larger segment of U.S. seniors. The Census Bureau estimates 18.5 percent of the U.S. population is 60 or older. "Seniors on screen are an endangered species in cinematic storytelling," the authors wrote in the report.   read more