Coal ash, a euphemism for the solid waste produced by coal-burning power plants, contains arsenic, barium, boron, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium and thallium, which have been linked to cancer, birth defects, digestive illnesses, reproductive conditions, and other health problems. About 600 U.S. power plants generate 136 million tons of it every year, which they dump in about 1,160 ponds, landfills and mine shafts.   read more

A large coalition of media and consumer organizations have asked a federal appeals court to unseal a mysterious lawsuit involving an unidentified company accused of product safety violations. The unidentified business, known only as Company Doe in court records, is supported by business groups, such as the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Coatings Association and the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.   read more

Amos and others allegedly deprived accused Marines of due process, made misleading statements under oath, tried to hide evidence, and attempted to undermine the reputation of a Marine Corps whistleblower who exposed the unethical activities of Marine leaders, according to the letter. The allegations stem from 2011 when scout snipers in Afghanistan filmed themselves urinating on dead insurgents.   read more

Among the prosecutors accused of wrongdoing were six named “prosecutor of the year” by the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys Advisory Committee. Of the cases examined, only two prosecutors were eventually punished. One was disbarred, while the other received a short suspension. As for those tried by these prosecutors, only two had their death sentences thrown out by appellate courts.   read more

These experts say approximately 250,000 people took part in the 29% of trials that haven’t been published. Considering only those trials funded by the pharmaceutical industry, the number rose to 32%. Drug makers are sometimes motivated to not publish clinical trial information in order to hide details of side effects or outright failures of new treatments. They also try to avoid disclosing data that might help their competition.   read more

CREW says 84% of senior defense officials who sought an ethics opinion between January 2012 and May 2013 were thinking about joining private industry, particularly defense contractors. At least 13 people listed Lockheed Martin as a possible employer, 13 listed Northrop Grumman, 10 listed Raytheon, eight listed General Dynamics and seven listed Boeing, according to CREW.   read more

A majority of Americans (60%) back the death penalty for convicted murderers. But this level of support is the lowest since November 1972, when 57% were in favor, according to a new Gallup poll. Support for executions peaked in 1994 at 80%. It has dropped since then, particularly with Democrats. Only 47% of Democratic voters now back the death penalty, representing a 28-point decline over the past 19 years.   read more

In Pennsylvania in 2012, Republican congressional candidates won 49% of the vote, but gained 72% of the seats. Throwing in Ohio, North Carolina, Missouri and Virginia, the Republican and Democrats split the combined vote almost evenly. Yet in these five states Republicans won 51 seats to only 21 for Democrats.   read more

“Companies are swallowing up stations at an alarming rate, often through deals that violate the law.” The report cites corporations like Sinclair Broadcast Group, Gannett, Media General, Nexstar and the Tribune Company that have created shell companies to buy up local stations and avoid federal limits on such purchases.   read more

It is an indisputable fact that the U.S. tortured detainees, including alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, during interrogations between 2001 and 2006. Yet when defense attorney Jason Wright pointed out at a recent hearing that his client “was subjected to waterboarding for 183 sessions,” Judge James Pohl ruled him out of order for discussing classified information that can be uttered only behind closed doors.   read more

The investigation found “that in many cases, information carrying no apparent investigative value is treated no differently from information that does give rise to reasonable suspicion of criminal or terrorist activity. Basically, the chaff is treated the same as the wheat,” the report states.   read more

Despite repeated warnings from experts, the federal government under President Barack Obama has continued to allow farmers to pump livestock with antibiotics intended for humans, which has increased health risks for Americans. A new study from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (JHCLF) blamed the lack of meaningful change in livestock-antibiotics policies on the agricultural and pharmaceutical industries, which have lobbied to block new laws and regulations from being adopted.   read more

Law enforcement must obtain a warrant before attaching GPS trackers to suspects’ vehicles, a federal appeals court ruled this week. The decision resolved a legal question left unanswered after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 (United States v. Jones - pdf) that police violated a suspect’s Fourth Amendment rights by putting a GPS device on his vehicle. The high court declined to rule at the time whether such a search was unreasonable and had required a warrant.   read more

The United States is unlikely to experience another airline hijacking like those that occurred during 9/11, according to a secret government document mistakenly made public by a federal court. The document, created by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), said terrorists are not focused on American commercial jets—an admission that could undermine the agency’s use of controversial body scanners at airport checkpoints.   read more

Francis showered Misiewicz, and possibly another commander, with Japanese prostitutes, luxury hotel rooms, cash, plane tickets, and even a Lady Gaga concert being held in Thailand. This was done in trade for ship deployment data and to get aircraft carriers and other vessels steered to ports where Glenn Defense could overcharge the Navy for its services.   read more

In an unusual, although not unheard of, decision, jurors in a federal civil rights lawsuit found Sheriff Lee Baca had personal responsibility for the jailhouse beating of a prisoner and assessed his penalty at $100,000. Attorneys for Tyler Willis filed the lawsuit in 2010, one year after Willis was tasered, beaten with flashlights and kicked at the Men’s Central Jail, causing a leg broken in two places, taser burns, lots of body bruises, a broken nose and multiple facial wounds   read more