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 Justice Department is moving forward with plans to collect data on how often law enforcement officers use force and how often civilians die during encounters with police or while in police custody. It comes amid several years of high-profile deaths of black men at the hands of police officers. FBI Director James Comey said at a House committee hearing last month that in the absence of data, "we're driven entirely by anecdote, and that's a very bad place to be."   read more

Maryland began pulling 30 children out of homes owned and managed by AdvoServ in August, but hadn’t yet relocated a teenage girl when she died a month later after being manually restrained by staff. In June, a lawsuit was filed against AdvoServ in state court in Delaware, alleging that a teenage boy from Maryland was left unsupervised and raped repeatedly by other clients during more than four years in the company’s homes. His neck was injured during a restraint performed by workers.   read more

The report argues that the decades-long "war on drugs" has failed, with rates of drug abuse still high. It says criminalization of drugs tends to drive people who use them underground, making it less likely they will get treatment. However, D,A, Michael Ramos said decriminalization would pose "huge dangers": property crime would increase, and rehabilitation programs would wither if drug abusers no longer had the threat of incarceration as an incentive to participate.   read more

"The threats from persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals are well-documented," said EPA's Jim Jones. "The new law directs us to expedite action to reduce the risk for these chemicals, rather than spending more time evaluating them." The chemicals the EPA will expedite include two flame retardants, a chemical used to make rubber compounds, an agent that makes rubber "more pliable," and an additive to fuel, oil, gasoline or lubricant, according to an agency press release.   read more

Out of all white students who attended public colleges in 2014, almost 20% attended highly selective schools. Asian students fared even better, with 31%. But only 9% of black students and 12% of Latinos attended public universities with the most-selective admission rates. Authors of the study say it helps explain why disproportionately few minorities earn college degrees.   read more

With guns a major flash point in the presidential race, gun-control advocates are spending tens of millions of dollars on a central message: Stronger firearms laws can reduce gun violence. Although the NRA has long rejected that assertion, a growing body of evidence supports the link between gun restrictions and reduction in violence. The latest analysis concludes that gun fatalities in states with weaker laws are more than three times as high as in those states with tougher restrictions.   read more

Muslim immigrants sued over policies that swept hundreds of people into detention in the weeks after the attacks. They were subjected to beatings and humiliating searches. The Justice Dept later said the government had made little or no effort to distinguish between suspects and Muslim immigrants. “To suggest that the most powerful people in our nation should escape liability when they violate clearly established law defies the most fundamental principle of our legal system," said Meeropol.   read more

A disproportionate number of those arrested are African-Americans, who smoke marijuana at rates similar to whites but are arrested and prosecuted far more often for having small amounts for personal use.The report found that while whites are more likely than blacks to use illicit drugs, black adults were more than 2 1/2 times as likely to be arrested. In terms of marijuana possession, black adults were more than four times as likely to be arrested as white adults.   read more

The lag in pay for female partners could stem from several factors. One is that the “old boys network” still has an outsize influence because of connections made in law school or earlier that affect who is hired to handle their corporate legal matters. Female partners earned an average of $659,000 annually compared with an average of $949,000 for male partners. Female partners take home thinner paychecks because, it appears, men are better at receiving credit for landing big cases.   read more

The case has created a fissure among environmentalists in this liberal state with a reputation for green thinking, pitting those who see wind energy as key to reducing reliance on pollution-spewing fossil fuels against those convinced audible noises and inaudible "infrasound" present health threats to those living nearby. More than 100 doctors, other scientists and activists worldwide have signed a letter urging the World Health Organization to recommend new sound guidelines for wind turbines.   read more

Three years ago, on behalf of beleaguered American air travelers, the Obama Justice Dept filed suit to block a mega-merger between two major airlines. Its case went well beyond one merger. But an abrupt reversal came after the airlines tapped former Obama officials to launch an intense lobbying campaign. One of the deal’s biggest champions was Rahm Emanuel, Obama's first chief of staff, who was in regular contact with the CEOs and lobbyists for both airlines.   read more

The ruling handed a victory to the banking industry, which has viewed the agency as a thorn in its side and accused it of overreaching in its regulation of consumer financial activities. The agency has taken legal action against banks, mortgage companies, credit card issuers, payday lenders, debt collectors and others. CFPB says that over five years it has recovered $11.7 billion that it returned to more than 27 million harmed consumers.   read more

This week 90% of recent water samples in Flint were below concerning lead levels. Yet the fears over using the water have scarcely subsided for Flint residents. They are deeply suspicious of government officials, who for much of 2014 and 2015 reassured them that the water flowing from the Flint River into their taps was perfectly safe, despite its foul odor and appearance and how it made people sick. Many who live here are convinced that the water will never be acceptable again.   read more

These moves go toward closing what has been an intractable divide between broadband haves and have-nots. About 20 percent of Americans do not have a mobile data plan or broadband at home because the services are too expensive or they live too far from the networks, among other reasons. That often leaves such households in a worse-off position for basic tasks like doing homework and applying for jobs, all of which have moved online over the years.   read more

The Standing Rock Sioux wants construction halted because of concerns about potential contamination of its water supply and says the pipeline will encroach on tribal burial sites and other cultural artifacts. A state archaeologist's inspection found no such artifacts on the private land where construction will resume, but the tribe disputes that. Dozens have been arrested at construction sites, including actress Shailene Woodley and Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein.   read more

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have given millions of dollars to nearly 100 prominent health groups in recent years, while simultaneously spending millions to defeat public health legislation that would reduce Americans’ soda intake. In numerous instances, influential health groups accepted beverage industry donations and then backed away from supporting soda taxes or remained silent about them. Nonprofit Save the Children, which had supported soda taxes, did an about face and withdrew its support.   read more