The weak economic recovery has been hard on college graduates seeking employment who, in turn, have made it more difficult for young people with only a high school education looking for work. The situation is forcing people with bachelor’s degrees to accept low-wage service jobs, while those with no college are either stuck in even lower paying jobs or are dropping out of the job market altogether.   read more

This smart gun communicates with a wristwatch that comes with it. The gun user must be wearing the watch, or else the weapon won’t fire. Gun control advocates say it's a great example of gun safety that could help end the black market for stolen firearms. But that’s not how many gun owners see it. Gun-rights organizations like the NRA have long hated smart guns. Also, Smith & Wesson was nearly boycotted out of business after agreeing to develop the technology.   read more

For three decades politicians in the U.S. thought that punishing drug offenders and violent criminals meant subjecting them to mandatory prison sentences. This policy resulted in skyrocketing prison populations throughout the nation, and more tax dollars spent. But by the turn of the new century, policymakers began to rethink their approach to crime. Liberal arguments for sentencing reform began to garner more attention, and even conservatives started to reconsider sentencing laws.   read more

The committee completed the report in 2012, but submitted the report to the CIA for vetting. Since then, the report has been in limbo with none of it available to the public. But committee members have said it discussed how CIA personnel misled Congress and the Bush administration about the techniques it was using to interrogate prisoners. It also shows, according to committee members, that the harsh techniques did not result in the information that led to the capture of Osama bin Laden in 2011.   read more

A study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) associates a 5.7-magnitude earthquake in Oklahoma—the most powerful in the state’s history—with the practice of injecting wastewater from fracking into the earth’s crust. The quake occurred on November 6, 2011, near Prague, Oklahoma.   read more

Because the military did not recognize PTSD until years after the conflict ended, many veterans were denied government benefits and other opportunities had they received a discharge for medical reasons—something many veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who suffer from PTSD now receive.   read more

The power plants, transmission systems and other facets of the U.S. electricity grid have become popular targets of hackers, putting at risk America’s ability to keep everything that needs power up and running. Last year alone more than 150 cyber attacks were unleashed on the energy sector, according to a new report from the Bipartisan Policy Center. The loss of power means businesses come to a stop, transportation systems shut down and financial institutions cease to facilitate commerce.   read more

The Obama administration is backing a corporate polluter in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court that has implications for U.S. Marines and their families exposed to contaminated water. CTS Corporation is trying to avoid liability for pollution it caused. A victory for CTS would represent a defeat for the Lejeune parties, and the Obama administration—despite the president’s professed support for the environment and veterans—seems just fine with that outcome.   read more

Solar power has grown in popularity over the past couple of years, so much so that installations of new panels and systems have outpaced the combined installs of the previous three decades. In just the last 18 months, the U.S. has set up more solar energy systems than during the prior 30 years, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Last year was particularly productive for solar developers, with installations up 41% over 2012.   read more

The Obama administration has levied the largest penalty ever for violations of the Clean Water Act against one of the nation’s biggest coal companies. Alpha Natural Resources will pay a $27.5 million penalty for causing pollution in five states, and will spend $200 million to reduce pollution coming out of its coalmines. In many of its 6,000 violations, Alpha failed to properly operate water treatment systems or even install them to prevent pollutants from entering waterways.   read more

It is not illegal in Massachusetts to take photos up the skirts of women without their permission in public places, the state’s highest court has ruled. The justices said the law only applies to victims who are nude in certain locations, like bathrooms and dressing rooms. The decision shocked many. “I am in disbelief that the courts would come to this...decision and outraged at what it means for women’s privacy and public safety," said Senate president Therese Murray.   read more

Secular humanists have been taking legal action against Christian crosses on public property. AHA says Maryland's Bladensburg Peace Cross violates the 1st Amendment clause prohibiting government from establishing a religion. “That cross] was...intended to be a secular memorial to the veterans of World War I,” counters Park & Planning's Kira Lewis. "It [has] plaques... that serve that purpose, but there is no religious language on the cross whatsoever.”   read more

The plant, located at the Savannah River Site, a Cold War-era nuclear fuel factory, had experienced numerous cost overruns. Instead of needing $1 billion to build, the project was going to consume $10 billion. In addition, it was estimated the MOX facility would require another $24 billion just to operate it over a 15-year period. DOE officials concluded that they could not continue with the plant’s construction, leaving it two-thirds completed. It now will go into “cold-standby.”   read more

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair is charged with forced oral copulation with a female captain while on deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sinclair admits to having an affair with his accuser, but insists their sexual encounters were consensual. He pleaded guilty to lesser accusations of adultery, trying to obtain nude photos of other female officers, and possessing pornography. If convicted on the rape charge, the general could receive a sentence of life in prison.   read more

About 20% of Medicare patients receiving care at skilled nursing facilities have endured various levels of preventable harm by medical professionals, an investigation found. It was learned that 22% of patients experienced adverse events during their stays. Another 11% suffered “temporary harm” events. Problems include overdoses of anticoagulants, falls, blood clots, and infections. The harm was due to substandard treatment, inadequate monitoring, and failure or delay of care.   read more

The high court heard a case this week that challenges the way Florida gauges a person’s intelligence when it comes to capital punishment. Based on the way oral arguments went, a majority of the justices may be inclined to rule against the state. The court ruled in 2002 that executing the mentally retarded violated the Constitution. The case involves Freddie Lee Hall and an accomplice who raped, and killed pregnant 21-year-old Karol Hurst. The men also killed police officer Lonnie Coburn.   read more