Salmonella is another disease that will benefit from climate change. Extreme weather, particularly along coastlines, can lead to contaminated water and to salmonella poisoning. A study, published in Environment International, showed a 4.1% increase in the incidence of salmonella with an uptick in extreme temperature events, and 5.6% increase connected with extreme precipitation. In both cases, coastal areas had a higher risk of increased salmonella poisoning.   read more

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that there have been more than 650 reports by pilots of drones flying near their aircraft so far this year. That’s a huge increase from the 238 such incidents reported in all of 2014.   read more

A panel of judges with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Republican consultant Robert Cahaly, who ran afoul of the state’s 1991 anti-robocall law. The law banned computerized cold calls “of a political nature including, but not limited to, calls relating to political campaigns,” according to Courthouse News Service. Violators were subject to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.   read more

An unnamed grand juror in the Ferguson case sued in federal court (pdf) for the right to speak out about the decision not to indict Darren Wilson, the officer who shot and killed Michael Brown. And St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch even admitted that he allowed false testimony to be presented before that grand jury, revealing after the fact that he knew that alleged eyewitness Sandra McElroy wasn’t actually present at the shooting and based her testimony instead on news reports.   read more

According to the manual, a correspondent who engages in “relaying of information” can be considered as “engaging in hostilities” and may be punished appropriately. The manual also says “reporting on military operations can be very similar to collecting intelligence or even spying." American journalists have been reporting from war zones for years with none found to have given away information to an enemy.   read more

Among the ships is the Waesche, which normally patrols the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico looking for drug traffickers. The Coast Guard was forced to make these moves in support of Shell, which is conducting exploratory oil drilling. Admiral Zukunft said the ship deployments represented an “opportunity cost” for his agency. Of course, it’s not merely an opportunity cost, but actual taxpayers’ funds subsidizing Shell’s oil exploration via money spent on Coast Guard operations.   read more

Those laws make it likelier that a former inmate will end up back in prison. “This increases the odds they will commit new crimes by virtue of the fact that you’re creating a significant financial obstacle,” said Mark Mauer, executive director of The Sentencing Project. Since 1996, 19 states have lifted restrictions on food stamps, and 24 have allowed people with certain types of drug felonies to get those benefits.   read more

Their attorneys say the explosion was caused by methane gas that leaked into the well from nearby fracking operations. “This is a tragic case arising from the flash explosion of a private water well that had been contaminated with methane as a result of the defendants’ drilling and extraction activities,” the complaint states. The Murrays are seeking actual and punitive damages including negligence, trespass, lost wages, pain and suffering, continuing medical care, and disfigurement.   read more

Only two years ago, the cost of the antibiotic tetracycline in generic form was only $1.50 for pharmacies. But by 2014, the same drug cost $257.70 … a 17,080% increase. Another antibiotic, doxycycline, went from costing $1.20 to $111 in just six months. That’s an increase of 9,150%. One of the big players in the generic field is Israeli company Teva Pharmaceuticals. Teva has bought up competitors and as it has done so, it has raised its prices. The company now controls 22% of the generic market.   read more

The Post determined that black men are seven times more likely than white men to die by police gunfire while unarmed. In terms of actual numbers, the total of unarmed black men killed by police stands at 24 in 2015. “In many of the 24 shootings of unarmed black men…the threat was not readily apparent, raising questions about the officers’ use of deadly force,” said the Post. “In each case, the situation rapidly spun out of control. In some cases, police have not said why they opened fire."   read more

A Pew study showed that 59% of respondents believe there are changes needed to ensure that black people have the same rights as whites, while only 32% said enough had been done. According to a similar survey in March 2014, only 46% thought more work was needed, compared to 49% who said there had been enough changes. A Washington Post poll released Wednesday had similar results; 60% thought there was more work needed, compared to 37% who believed enough had been done.   read more

Law enforcement agencies must obtain a warrant to get tracking data from mobile phone companies, according to a decision by a federal appeals court. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (pdf) Wednesday in a 2-1 decision that just because a third party holds information, it does not mean that it can be made freely available to police. The case is now likely to go to the Supreme Court.   read more

Sixteen states that rely heavily on coal-generated electricity have asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to delay its Clean Power Plan, which seeks to reduce carbon emissions by 30%. The plan requires the states to submit plans by September 2018 that spell out how they will begin cutting emissions in their jurisdictions by 2022. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said in a statement that the EPA plan represented an “illegal power grab by the Obama administration.”   read more

Among the findings of the study of 2014’s 100 top films: --Females 13 to 20 were as likely as those 21 to 39 to be shown in “sexy attire.” --No women over 45 were portrayed in a lead role. --Seventeen had no black speaking characters and more than 40 had no Asian speaking roles. --Out of 4,610 speaking characters, only 10 were gay, 4 were lesbian and 86 of the top 100 had no LGBT characters at all.   read more

The “problem was particularly acute in the United States, where neurological deaths in men aged over 75 have nearly tripled and in women risen more than fivefold,” the Post reported. “The rate of increase in such a short time suggested a silent or even a hidden epidemic, in which environmental factors must play a major part, not just aging,” said study leader Colin Pritchard. He pointed to environmental changes in the last 20 years that “have seen increases in...petro-chemicals.”   read more

The ruling said “SB 14 disproportionately impacts Hispanic and African-American voters” in violation of the Voting Rights Act. An analysis “revealed that Hispanic registered voters and black registered voters were respectively 195% and 305% more likely than their Anglo peers to lack SB 14 ID.” The "great news" is "bittersweet because we’ve now gone through a federal election with this discriminatory voting law in place,” said Brennan Center's Wendy Weiser.   read more