Rumors are spreading that the U.S. Supreme Court will vote 5-4 to rule that a U.S. president cannot be prosecuted for anything he does while he is president. Some Democrats are suggesting that Joe Biden bring a gun to his first debate with Donald Trump. If he shoots Trump, he would be immune, but if Trump shoots Biden he would be prosecuted because he is not a sitting president.   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

“Fake news” as shorthand will almost surely be returned upon the media tenfold. The fake news narrative has already begun to encompass not just fabricated stories, but a wider swath of traditional media. Fox News? Fake news. Trump’s misleading claims about Ford keeping jobs in America? Fake news. This wide formulation of “fake news” will be applied back to the traditional news media, which does not yet understand how threatened its ability is to declare things true, even when they are.   read more

“The president-elect talked during the campaign about the movement that he had built,” said de Blasio. “Now, it’s our turn to build a movement — a movement of the majority that believes in respect and dignity for all.” Cuomo said he would create a new unit of the State Police to investigate hate crimes, move to expand state human rights law and seek new funds to provide legal representation to immigrants.   read more

The rate of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in adults aged 65 and up dropped to about 9% in 2012 from nearly 12% in 2000. NIA's John Haaga said dementia rates would have to decline much more sharply than they have to counteract that trend. Dementia was most common in the oldest adults. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that about 5 million people aged 65 and older have Alzheimer's, and that is expected to rise to almost 14 million by 2050.   read more

"Trump wants to deport 11 million people, and the easiest ones would be us because they already have our information,'' said 23-year-old Paola, who arrived in the U.S. at age 2. ``We need to protect these people,'' said Rep. Chu. "...or risk losing the trust of the most vulnerable in this country.'' Johnson said "it would be an unprecedented moment in U.S. immigration history to use.. voluntarily given information...for a relief program and turn it around to try to engage in mass deportations.''   read more

A 2011 federal survey of 10 jurisdictions that used field tests found just two provided any kind of formal training. At least 100,000 convictions a year rely on field-test results to identify illegal drugs. Much of that evidence is never confirmed by a certified lab. Of all material suspected of being meth in 2015, 21% proved not to be. “Police officers aren’t chemists,” McClelland said. “We shouldn’t be doing field tests on the hood of patrol cars.”   read more

Magal has built high-tech walls along Israel's volatile borders, as well as a high-tech barrier separating the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip from Israel. Its products include cameras, sophisticated sensors, robots and software to operate the systems. Despite a mixed record of profitability and a historically volatile stock, the company's shares have surged on the Nasdaq Stock Market since Donald Trump was elected president on Nov. 8. "For sure this will be a mega project," said CEO Koursh.   read more

If and when the nation warms another 4.5 degrees, expect there to be around 15 heat records for every cold one, the new study in Monday's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences predicts. That warming can be as early as 50 years from now if greenhouse gas emissions — from the burning of coal, oil and gas — continue at their recent pace or a century away if carbon pollution slows down, said study lead author Gerald Meehl, senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.   read more