In an attempt to end the war caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump has offered to return Alaska to Russia in exchange for Russia pulling its troops from Eastern Ukraine. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said he would agree to the proposal if Trump also returned Fort Ross and the Russian River in California, Russia sold Fort Ross to Mexican citizen John Sutter in 1841.   read more

"We simply cannot have men and women who have sacrificed for this country see their rightful benefits wrongfully terminated because the VA mistakenly declares them dead," Rep. Jolly wrote. Now, when officials think a veteran is dead, the department will send a letter to his or her address and request confirmation of the death from a surviving family member. If the VA doesn't hear from the family — or from a veteran erroneously believed dead — only then will the department terminate payments.   read more

An oil company whose leaky well could discharge oil into the Gulf of Mexico for the next century hasn't tried hard enough to stop the leaks, the federal government says. Taylor Energy sued the federal government saying the feds won't return $400 million it set aside to stop the leak. Evidence shows that the leak is worse than either the company or government previously reported. Satellite images show that between 300,000 and 1.4 million gallons of oil have spilled from Taylor's site since 2004.   read more

One of the many peculiar things about his run for the White House is that it rests heavily on his claims of being a masterful businessman, yet it’s far from clear how good he really is at the “art of the deal.” Remember, too, that Trump is a clear case of someone born on third base who imagines that he hit a triple: He inherited a fortune, and it’s far from clear that he has expanded that fortune any more than he would have if he had simply parked the money in an index fund.   read more

Judge Watson ruled that the cut violates the Voting Rights Act and voters' equal protection rights. Watson said statistical and anecdotal evidence presented in the case reflects that black voters use same-day voter registration and early voting options at higher rates than whites. While the court can't predict how African-Americans will turn out in future elections, he said, "It is reasonable to conclude from this evidence that their right to vote will be modestly burdened" by the law."   read more

Nonpartisan investigators found that about three-fourths of the $80 billion budget goes to keep aging technology running, and the increasing cost is shortchanging modernization. The computers date back more than 50 years in some cases. "Replacement parts for the system are difficult to find because they are now obsolete," GAO said of the Pentagon's 1970s-era computer system that's used to operate U.S. nuclear forces. Social Security's computer system dates back even farther--to the late 1950s.   read more

Judge Block quoted legal scholar Michelle Alexander: “Today a criminal freed from prison has scarcely more rights, and arguably less respect, than a freed slave or a black person living ‘free’ in Mississippi at the height of Jim Crow.” Said Prof. Chin: “This is...the most careful and thorough judicial examination [of collateral consequences in sentencing]. It’s going to generate debate on a critical issue...the ability of people convicted of crimes to get on with their lives."   read more

Exxon is dealing with investigations into what it knew and allegedly didn't disclose about oil's role in climate change. Its shareholders rejected resolutions to put a climate expert on the board and support the UN climate meeting in Paris. Yet Patricia Daley, a resolution sponsor, said Exxon lacked "moral leadership." She said, "Our company has chosen to disregard the consensus of the scientific community, the will of the...Paris agreement," religious leaders and even other oil companies.   read more

Women led companies in a variety of industries including technology, defense and retail. While there are few women at the helm, they tended to be in higher paying industries or positions — making up 10 of the top 100 highest paid overall. A recent report highlights the gulf between words and actions in hiring women as CEOs. "Despite all of the attention placed on increasing the number of female executives at American companies, the needle on the gender gap has hardly moved," wrote Pavle Sabic.   read more

“Since the days of Watergate, the American people have had an expectation that nominees to be the leader of the free world not hide their finances and personal tax returns,” said Wyden “Do you even pay taxes? Do you give to charity? Are you abusing tax loopholes... Are you keeping your money offshore? People have a right to know.” Clinton and Sanders have disclosed their tax returns. Trump has refused, citing an IRS audit and that his tax rate is “none of your business.”   read more

The chair has been established with a $2.2 million donation from Louis Appignani, a retired businessman. “I’m trying to eliminate discrimination against atheists,” he said. "This is a step in that direction." With atheists still often stigmatized and disparaged in this country, it took some persuading for the university to agree to create a chair with the word “atheism” in the title. "That was a deal-breaker for Lou,” Siegel said. “He wasn’t going to do it unless it had the word atheism in it.”   read more

Chicanos are described as people who "opposed Western civilization and wanted to destroy this society." Mexican-Americans are linked to undocumented immigrants. "Instead of a text that is respectful of the Mexican-American history, we have a book poorly written [and] racist..." said Tony Diaz. The book is produced by a company that appears to be run by Cynthia Dunbar, a right-wing Christian activist who questioned the constitutionality of public schools.   read more

Young men have consistently been more likely to live with their parents than young women have, and that remains true, generally because women marry younger and move out. But now living with parents is on the cusp of becoming the dominant arrangement for young women as well. “What you tend to see is that racial and ethnic minorities...especially from disadvantaged backgrounds, are the most likely to be living in their parent’s home and the least likely to have a partner,” Fry said.   read more

The findings by the Justice Dept’s inspector general are a potential embarrassment for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons at a time when the Obama administration has assailed what it says are unfair and unduly harsh sentences for many inmates, particularly minorities and nonviolent offenders. The consequences can be serious, the report said. The delayed releases “deprive inmates of their liberty,” and have led to millions of dollars in added prison costs and legal settlements with former inmates.   read more

Wrestling with frequent moves, deployments and erratic schedules of their service member mates, military spouses have an unemployment rate of up to 18 percent, compared to last month's national jobless rate of 5%. The study found that up to 42% of military spouses — or as many as 95,000 — are jobless, compared to about 25% of a comparable civilian spouse population. In addition, it estimated that military spouses with a bachelor's degree earn 40% less than their civilian counterparts.   read more

The U.S. is rescinding a decades-old ban on sales of lethal military equipment to Vietnam, President Obama announced on Monday. He insisted it should not be seen as carte blanche for weapons sales. Human rights advocates, who had asked Obama to hold off on lifting the ban until Vietnam had released some political prisoners and promised to stop the police beatings of protesters, condemned the decision. “President Obama just gave Vietnam a reward that they don’t deserve,” said Human Rights Watch.   read more

Last-minute obstacles, often by design, have a way of cropping up in Washington. Graham hopes he is not seeing an example of that, after suggestions from James Clapper, director of national intelligence, that Congress will ultimately be left to decide what to do with the pages once intelligence officials finish a review. That approach took Graham by surprise. It threatens to add a new layer of complexity to a process that those backing the release thought was reaching its long-sought end.   read more