Northside Independent School District in San Antonio began its Student Locator Project that called for all students to carry badges embedded with radio frequency identification (RFID). District officials claimed the devices would help them monitor troublesome students. One 15-year-old student, Andrea Hernandez, objected to wearing her badge for religious reasons. She was then removed from her magnet school, Jay High School, for not complying with the school’s policy.   read more

Among the school districts with questionable content were those of Lubbock, Amarillo, Ector County (Odessa) and Longview. Lubbock used a textbook that included fake quotes from Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and Herbert Hoover. The district has agreed to suspend use of the book. In Amarillo Students are urged to learn about “fulfilled prophecy” and to create a “Messianic prophecy list.” They are also taught that Jesus is superior to “Jewish leaders…and their priests.”   read more

Some observers said the email was intended to strengthen McConnell’s support among conservatives. The Senate minority leader faces reelection next year, and the McConnell camp may be worried about heading off a potential primary challenge. McConnell was blasted by those on the right for helping resolve the fiscal cliff drama, with some calling the deal “the McConnell tax hike.”   read more

Obama met with the White House press corps 79 times over four years. His predecessor, George W. Bush, held 89 press conferences. Bill Clinton had 133, and George H.W. Bush 142. Reagan held only 27 press conferences during his first term. When meeting with reporters, Obama demonstrated a preference for fielding questions from certain news outlets over others. ABC led the way with 29 chances to query the president, followed closely by CBS (28), the Associated Press (27) and NBC (26).   read more

Bank robbery, selling child porn, selling slaves, genocidal eugenics: all these federal crimes carry a maximum sentence of 20 years, less than half the 50-plus years that U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz and prosecutors Stephen P. Heymann and Scott L. Garland threatened against Internet genius and activist Aaron Swartz, who killed himself on January 11 at age 26, mere weeks before he was to be tried on charges of stealing academic journal articles from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).   read more

The FBI and the BOP, which make nearly two-thirds DOJ’s hires, indicated they relied on the background investigations in lieu of reference checks out of concerns over contacting current supervisors too early in the process and over the large number of references that would need to be checked. The IG report, however, criticized those concerns.   read more

Efforts to limit access to the lucrative business of tax preparation were struck down last week by a federal judge in Washington, DC, who voided Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations purporting to license and regulate the nation’s 600,000 tax preparers. The effort, which included mandatory continuing education, testing, and registration.   read more

Davies started his business, Medizen, three years ago and quickly made it into an $8 million enterprise. He says he carefully followed all state laws in setting up his dispensary. But Benjamin Wagner, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, claims Davies has trafficked a controlled substances outlawed by federal statute.   read more

Three years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency was convinced natural gas drilling company Range Resources had contaminated underground wells in Texas. But EPA officials dropped the investigation after the company threatened to not participate in a larger study of fracking.   read more

Media sources and foreign policy analysts have questioned news reports that Iran has an intelligence ministry of 30,000 that is committed to terrorism and assassinations. The figure seemed surprisingly large, prompting ProPublica to investigate its validity, and finding that a terrorism researcher inflated the number.   read more

Coming just a month after the Newtown school shooting, owners of the iPhone and iPad can now download a target range game, thanks to the National Rifle Association (NRA). The phone app, called Practice Range, simulates shooting practice. Children as young as four can play the game.   read more

Most lawmakers (56%) belong to a Protestant denomination, which has long been the case in Congress, although they make up only 48% of the population. Catholics account for more than 30% of the members of Congress, but only 22% of the population and 6% of Congress members are Jews, even though they make up just 2% of the U.S. population.   read more

The study from Sweden found that drivers tend to lock in on electronic billboards, causing them to lose focus on the road ahead and raising the risk of accidents. The Outdoor Advertising Association of America has tried to undercut the Swedish findings by pointing to an unpublished Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) report that concluded drivers are not at greater risk because of digital road signs.   read more

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has been ordered by a three-judge panel to explain why it exempted one of the oldest nuclear power plants in the United States from fire-safety regulations. Indian Point nuclear reactor, located about 25 miles from New York City, was given a pass in 2007 by the NRC to avoid upgrading its systems to prevent fires. The NRC stands accused of closing off public debate before granting the exemption.   read more

The signal from the judge in Sandusky’s case, however, was clear. This was a federal trial, not state, and his written jury instructions reportedly reflected the trial’s narrow scope. The defense was discouraged from arguing that Sandusky was obeying California law, using public statements made by Attorney General Eric Holder and President Barack Obama, or citing FBI agents who, they said, had assured Sandusky his actions were legal.   read more

The Tea Party enjoyed the support of nearly a quarter of American voters at the peak of its popularity two years ago. But now the party’s popularity has plummeted—only 8% of voters claim to be Tea Party members. In April 2010, its support was at 24% among voters.   read more