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

A new scientific study says the state is on its way back to calmer times. The state ordered what is essentially a 40% reduction in injection of the saltwater that scientists generally blame for the massive increase in earthquakes. Before the new rules went into effect in May, Oklahoma averaged 2.3 quakes a day. Since then the average dropped to 1.3 a day. “We’re not out of the woods yet. There is still a possibility for potentially damaging earthquakes,” Zoback said.   read more

Donald Trump promised to "drain the swamp" in the nation's capital. Instead, he's diving right in. So far, he is tapping people with deep ties to Washington and Wall Street as he fills out his Cabinet, turning to two power centers he vilified as greedy, corrupt and out of touch with Americans during his campaign. His choices have won praise from Republicans relieved by his more conventional choices, but could risk angering voters who rallied behind his calls for upending the political system.   read more

A soda tax may be coming to a city near you. Advocates say the recent sweep represents a watershed moment in the fight for soft-drink taxes. Once viewed as measures likely to find support only in largely health-conscious cities, soda taxes have emerged as a bountiful revenue source for cash-strapped local governments. “There’s a momentum with these taxes that will be hard for the industry to stop,” said Sanford dean Kelly Brownell.   read more

Women “are less likely than men to attend the schools that send a high percentage of graduates into the profession,” said professor Deborah J. Merritt. This means women “start at a disadvantage” that may well continue throughout their professional lives, Merritt said. Despite the high numbers with law degrees, women hold fewer than 20% of partnerships at law firms and are underrepresented in the higher echelons of law, including the ranks of judges.   read more

The effort is planned as a nonviolent intervention to defend demonstrators from what the group calls “assault and intimidation at the hands of the militarized police force.” “OK, are you going to treat us veterans who have served our country in the same way as you have those [protesters]?” asked one of the vets. Authorities have used rubber bullets, pepper spray and water cannons against demonstrators, hundreds of whom have been injured, according to protest organizers.   read more

In the 10 days following the November election, SPLC has collected 867 hate-related incidents from almost every state. Anti-immigrant hate incidents targeting Latinos, Asians and Africans made up the largest number of claims, followed by anti-black and anti-Semitic incidents. More than 10,000 teachers reported more than 2,500 fights and threats related to election rhetoric, and an increase in slurs and derogatory language, swastikas, Confederate flags and Nazi salutes.   read more

If the former detainees are successful, it would be the first time a U.S. civilian court has held individuals accountable for their role in counterterrorism policies after the 9/11 attacks. Legal experts say the Trump administration could force the case’s dismissal on national security grounds. Deciding whether to invoke the state secrets privilege could represent Trump’s first chance to weigh in on the issue. He has endorsed the use of torture and said he would bring back waterboarding.   read more

Environmental and consumer safety advocacy groups praised the move, but expressed concern about the new administration. Trump, a frequent critic of EPA regulations, put in charge of EPA transition Myron Ebell, whose corporate-funded think tank promotes the "life-enhancing value of chemicals" while sowing doubt about "fear-mongering" scientific studies that show risks to human health and the environment from pesticides and other products. It recently questioned the need for an asbestos ban.   read more

"If Trump is not qualified and my role, both morally and historically, as an elected official is to vote my conscience, then I cannot and will not vote for Donald Trump for President," said Sisneros. He added that his signing a party pledge to support Trump was tantamount to sin. "I was wrong in signing this pledge and not communicating to the body when I ran that my conscience would not be bound by it... I humbly confess that it was wrong for me to do so."   read more

According to testimony, Sessions called a black attorney, Thomas Figures, who worked for him “boy,” and told him to “be careful what you say to white folks.” He also said the ACLU and NAACP were “un-American” and “Communist-inspired” because they “forced civil rights down the throats of people,” but joked that the Ku Klux Klan was “OK...” He opposes civil rights protections for gays, voted to ban same-sex marriage, and is one of only 22 opposed to the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization.   read more

Trump could cripple faith in the electoral system by tweeting that ``millions of people'' voted illegally despite a lack of evidence. The concern, said attorney Clarke, is that state lawmakers will respond by crafting laws making it even tougher for all eligible voters to cast ballots. "It's a call to arms...to raise efforts to make voting more difficult,'' she said. Those laws are more likely to affect African Americans and Latinos, who bear a disproportionate burden of restrictive voter laws.   read more

"Republicans will control this government, but they cannot hand that control over to big corporations unless Democrats roll over and allow them to do so," said Warren. "They didn't send us here to whimper, whine or grovel. They sent us here to say no to efforts to sell Congress to the highest bidder." She said the research bill would "legalize fraud" by reducing the scientific evidence the government needs to approve existing drugs for new uses.   read more

Concern about Trump's possible conflicts comes amid protests that unfold daily along the pipeline route. The Standing Rock Sioux believe the project could harm the tribe's drinking water and Native American cultural sites. A final decision may be made by Trump, a pipeline supporter who has vowed to "unleash" unfettered production of oil and gas. Rep. Raul Grijalva called Trump's investment in the pipeline company "disturbing" and said it fits a pattern evident in Trump's transition team.   read more

In Germany, more than almost anywhere else in the West, lawmakers are demanding that Facebook go further to police what is said on the social network. The country’s lawmakers also want other U.S. tech giants to meet similar standards. “Facebook has a certain responsibility to uphold the laws,” said Heiko Maas, the German justice minister. In October, Maas suggested the company could be held criminally liable for users’ illegal hate speech postings if it does not swiftly remove them.   read more

Experts on government ethics are warning President-elect Donald Trump that he'll never shake suspicions of a clash between his private interests and the public good if he doesn't sell off his vast holdings, which include roughly 500 companies in more than a dozen countries. They say just the appearance of conflicts is likely to tie up the new administration in investigations, lawsuits and squabbles, stoked perhaps by angry Oval Office tweets.   read more

The bureau has overhauled mortgage lending rules, reined in abusive debt collectors, prosecuted hundreds of companies and extracted nearly $12 billion from businesses via canceled debts and consumer refunds. In September, it exposed Wells Fargo fraud. According to Cordray, he and his team have barely scratched the surface. Republicans would like to do away with the bureau — and with him. With a Republican sweep of Congress and the White House, they may get some or all of what they wish.   read more