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

The original version of the ad didn't include the word "reasonably," and the plaintiffs claimed, and the judge agreed, that absent that word, the ads made meeting the state's new ID requirement seem more onerous than it actually is or should be. Without that word, they contended, a potential voter could think that they had to have done everything humanly possible -- no matter the trouble or difficulty -- to get one of the approved forms of ID allowed under the original law.   read more

For years, the Chair of the SCE, Mary Jo White, has refused to develop a political spending disclosure rule despite ... overwhelming investor and public support for such a rule. This brazen conduct is merely the most recent and prominent example of [her] undermining your Administration's priorities and ignoring the SEC's core mission... She is concerned that companies disclose too much to investors - a presumption directly counter [to the] ... purpose of this agency for more than 80 years.   read more

In a sweeping accord reached on Saturday in Rwanda, companies including Honeywell and DuPont were among the most active backers of a move away from a profitable chemical. The firms were driven less by idealism than by intense competition,. Some environmentalists say the move provides a template for other industries to follow. The chemical industry’s response stands in stark contrast to the foot-dragging, and in many cases the outright obstruction of climate regulations, by the big oil companies.   read more

There were fewer women working as associates — junior lawyers who seek to rise through the ranks. And minority women make up only 15% of all female partners at signatory firms, and less than 3% partners overall. Minorities had flat representation even as a growing number of large firms have hired diversity directors to recruit a wider array of candidates. Even so, firm partnerships overall remain more than 75% white male, with women far behind at less than 20% and minorities at slightly over 5%.   read more

Deaths and injuries spike for children under 5, with 3-year-olds the most common shooters and victims among young children. Accidental shootings spike again for ages 15-17, when victims are most often fatally shot by other children but typically survive self-inflicted gunshots. States in the South are among those with the highest per capita rates of accidental shootings involving minors. And the vast majority of shooters and victims are boys.   read more

In 2013, he was named ambassador to Burkina Faso, becoming the first African-born naturalized U.S. citizen to serve as an ambassador on that continent. Mushingi’s tenure in Burkina Faso was eventful, with longtime President Blaise Compaoré being forced out of office after making an attempt to gain an unconstitutional third term. Mushingi played a prominent role during that time and as an attempted coup was staged after Compaoré went into exile.   read more

Unfilled judicial vacancies are occurring across the nation at an unprecedented level, mainly due to obstruction of the Republican-led Senate which has prioritized non-cooperation with President Obama. This tactic is without precedent in modern times. "People and businesses all around the county are forced to wait sometimes years for their cases to be heard," said Bannon. The problem is so severe that 32% of the vacancies represent judicial emergencies.   read more

Trump's warning that the election might be rigged along with his call for supporters to monitor polling places has alarmed advocacy groups who say such comments threaten to undermine voter confidence in the election. "We are deeply concerned about the chilling effect this call might have on the electorate and minority voters..." said Clarke. "We are concerned about disruption this will cause for election workers." Clarke and others say Trump supporters at the polls could lead to intimidation.   read more

For a Manhattan designer trying to shine pacifist ideals from the window of her historic 17th-story apartment, the court cut the lights Friday, providing no justice, no peace. Vosse's attorney noted that this decision could spell trouble for residents feeling the holiday spirit. "Most New Yorkers would be surprised to learn that displaying an illuminated jack-o'-lantern, menorah or Christmas wreath from their window ... could subject them to significant fines," Oliver said.   read more

The shift comes at a time of conflicting narratives about gun violence in America. During the past 25 years, violent crime has decreased dramatically in the U.S. But the number of mass shootings per year has surged. Applications for concealed-carry permits have hit records in some places, giving rise to a group of people who consider themselves part of a concealed-carry lifestyle. In 1994, about 44 million Americans owned 192 million guns. Today, about 55 million Americans own 265 million guns.   read more

Donovan returned to Tokyo in 2005 as deputy chief of mission in the embassy there. During his tenure, he had to help manage the reaction to a U.S. Marine being accused of raping a girl in Okinawa. He had a short stint as an associate professor at the National War College before being named foreign policy adviser to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 2014, he was named managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan’s Washington office, a post held until he became ambassador.   read more

Al-Hawsawi's torture features prominently in the declassified Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture, which describes harsh treatment on al-Hawsawi in a footnote. Ruiz said injuries from being sodomized causes his client to soil himself in blood and feces, accompanied by excruciating pain. "To this day Mr. al-Hawsawi continues to have to choose between defecating and eating because whenever he has bowel movements he has to reinsert parts of his anus back into his anal cavity."   read more

The lawsuit challenges the FBI's preposterous claim that U.S. intelligence preceding the war in Iraq is not a matter of public interest. The Times said Hage met with an adviser to Pentagon officials and laid out Iraq's position that it did not have weapons of mass destruction and that it would consent to an investigation and search by U.S. troops. Hage said that ''the Iraqis were finally taking [U.S. invasion] seriously and they wanted to talk." The U.S. invaded Iraq anyway.   read more

A Connecticut judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School attack, delivering a blow to an ambitious effort to hold accountable the makers of the assault rifle used in the 2012 massacre. Lawyers for the plaintiffs, who include relatives of nine of the 26 people who were killed in the shooting, as well as a teacher who survived, contended that the law’s exception for cases of negligent entrustment justified the complaint.   read more

By Friday, Cross’ story had been shared more than 38,000 times and had attracted more than 14,000 comments, transforming her Facebook page into a forum where minority professionals reflected on the difficulties they face from people who doubt their qualifications or abilities. “Tamika, I know exactly how you feel, when people don’t want your help, because of the color of your skin,” Iniece Crawford wrote. “I go through this on a regular basis and I’m just a pharmacy associate."   read more

After beginning his diplomatic career tracking protests and politics in Honduras, he moved to Spain and worked on economic issues before serving as the ambassador’s aide during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In Mexico, Symington cultivated the political opposition, worked on anti-drug issues, helped congressional visitors looking at NAFTA, and reported from Chiapas during the Zapatista revolt.   read more