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

In an election year when turnout could be crucial, many factors — foot-dragging by states, confusion among voters, the inability of judges to roll back bias — are blunting the effect of court rulings against the laws. The courts’ effort “in practice so far has not fixed problems for voters facing special burdens to produce identification,” said Prof. Hasen. Some courts said laws were biased against minorities, but ordered state officials to modify the laws instead of striking them down.   read more

Potential whistleblowers throughout DCAA have been intimidated into silence because they can’t afford to risk being transferred across the country, demoted, or fired. McGill claims he was subjected to retaliation for blowing the whistle that included workplace harassment, a negative performance evaluation, removal of duties, an involuntary transfer, and a five-day unpaid suspension. Under increasing pressure and mounting stress, McGill resigned.   read more

Almost unnoticed outside defense circles, the Pentagon has put artificial intelligence at the center of its strategy to maintain the U.S.’ position as the world’s dominant military power. It is spending billions of dollars to develop autonomous and semiautonomous weapons and to build an arsenal stocked with the kind of weaponry that until now has existed only in Hollywood movies and science fiction, raising alarm among scientists and activists concerned by the implications of a robot arms race.   read more

Schneiderman celebrated the court's order and vowed to move "full-steam ahead with our fraud investigation of Exxon. I hope that today's order serves as a wakeup call..." The requested files could shine a light on the Exxon's "representations about the impact of climate change on its business." Schneiderman said his investigation could uncover a "massive securities fraud" if he proves that ExxonMobil knew that climate change would force the company to leave vast reserves of oil in the ground.   read more

Utah schools unconstitutionally subject homosexual students to harassment and bullying, censor their speech, violate their right to association and won't even let them mention gay issues in a positive way, parents claim in Federal Court. They accuse the state of "facially targeting lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons for disparate treatment" and, in at least one case, the parents say, the state schools "refused to protect a gender nonconforming student from bullying and harassment."   read more

Rigged elections. Vigilante observers. The fear is that the ugly rhetoric could escalate into violence, endangering students. Anxieties have been stoked by Trump's repeated claims that the election is rigged and his call for supporters to stand guard at the polls. Some are worried about clashes between the self-appointed observers and voters. "If anybody can sit there and say they don't think this is a contentious election, then they aren't paying much attention," said police chief Ed Tolan.   read more

Several news outlets have reported on the extensive surveillance on those demonstrations. "Just like in decades past, fatal police shootings of black people continue with alarming frequency, as does the unlawful government surveillance of those who speak out against it and protest," Farah said. "The public has the right to know how and why the federal government is surveilling constitutionally protected activity in response to police violence."   read more

Khan said the Afghan government seized his lands after he was captured, and a ruling that he was innocent might help him get the deeds back. He also said that because of his past, he could not obtain a passport, which he needed to travel to a medical clinic in India for treatment for hearing loss he suffered as a result of “loud blaring music” used “during interrogations, mostly at CIA facilities before” Guantánamo. “This injury is not redressable by a federal court," wrote the judge.   read more

It is the first major legal challenge of the rules and will add fuel to one of the hottest debates in health care. The suit, filed by AARP, argues that these programs violate anti-discrimination laws aimed at protecting workers’ medical information. It also questions whether the programs are truly voluntary, because the price of not participating is high for some workers. The target of the suit is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.   read more

The magnitude 5.1 quake that struck northwest of Fairview in February was likely induced by distant disposal wells, the agency said. The USGS report indicated that in the area around where the Fairview quake occurred, the volume of fluid injected had increased sevenfold over three years. The Fairview temblor had been the largest in the central and eastern U.S. since a magnitude 5.7 quake hit near Prague in 2011.   read more

Even with Obamacare, the U.S. still ranks poorly among comparable countries in insurance coverage. While the rate of insured is the best it has ever been in the U.S., a greater percentage of the population is uninsured than that of pretty much any other industrialized nation in the world. When asked if patients could get a same-day or next-day appointment with their provider when they were sick or needed care, 52% of Americans said no. This placed the U.S. next to last among 11 wealthy nations.   read more

ABA lawyers commissioned a report on Trump's litigation history and concluded he is a “libel bully” who had filed many meritless suits attacking his opponents and never won in court. But the bar refused to publish the report, citing “the risk of the ABA being sued by Mr. Trump.” Bodney said “It is more than a little ironic that a publication dedicated to the exploration of First Amendment issues is subjected to censorship when it seeks to publish an article about threats to free speech.”   read more

FBI Director Comey has described the lack of women — and minorities — in the FBI as a serious problem that can undermine investigations and keep the agency out of touch with the communities it serves. Inside the FBI, women look up to Amy Hess. She is the first woman to head the science branch — one of few female agents commanding such an important job at the FBI, a clubby agency where men are more predominant in senior positions than they were even three years ago.   read more

The Justice Dept will move to disband a police dept overseeing two towns on the Arizona-Utah border dominated by a fundamentalist Mormon sect led by imprisoned child molester Warren Jeffs. The towns are accused of withholding police and utility services from non-members of the church. A jury granted $2.2 million to residents who were denied water, housing and police protection because they were not church members.   read more

Most of the 10 states with the highest rates of smoking-attributable cancer deaths were in the South, while most of the 10 states with the lowest rates were in the North or West. Among men, where smoking is generally more common, the cigarette-linked cancer death rate was highest in blacks at 35%, compared with 30% for whites and 27% for Hispanics. Among women, whites had the highest cigarette-linked cancer death rate — 21%, compared 19% for blacks and 12% for Hispanics.   read more

About 9,700 current and retired soldiers received notices to repay some or all of their bonuses with more than $22 million recovered so far. Soldiers said they feel betrayed at having to repay the money. “These bonuses were used to keep people in,” said Christopher Van Meter, a 42-year-old former Army captain and Iraq veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart. “People like me just got screwed.” If soldiers refuse, they could face interest charges, wage garnishments and tax liens.   read more