The latest rules took aim at a planned $152 billion merger of Pfizer with Ireland-based Allergan. Both Pfizer and Allergan are members of the Chamber of Commerce. By filing in Texas rather than in Washington, where the Chamber of Commerce is based, the business groups may be betting they have a better chance of finding a sympathetic judge. The lawsuit targets the Treasury’s multiple acquisition rule, which is aimed at serial inverters.   read more

The agency said it realized it might be an inconvenience for some people. The shift may create hurdles, especially for older Americans, who are less likely to use mobile phones. Comments were largely negative. “Please rethink this security change,” a woman posted. “So many of us can’t afford a cellphone... Please find another way..." Other comments suggested that older Americans do not want to pay for spam messages. Some privacy advocates question use of texted codes.   read more

Some 5,000 U.S. Marines are slated to be relocated from Okinawa and train on the Mariana Islands using artillery, mortars, rockets, amphibious assaults, attack warplanes and naval bombardment. The complaint claims the Navy acknowledges this would destroy native wildlife, forests and reefs. Families who aspired to return to Pagan island, evacuated during volcanic eruptions, "would be forever banished from returning to their home island, which would be turned into a militarized wasteland."   read more

The complaint describes the experiences of individual plaintiffs who were each found incompetent to stand trial. Joseph Ward was found incompetent to stand trial and ordered committed to a mental health facility to attain competency. But the department did not allow the county to transfer Ward to a state mental health facility, so he remained in the county jail. Ward has been waiting to be transferred to a mental health facility for competency treatment for over 22 weeks, the complaint says.   read more

The microphones — in a sprinkler, planter and a backpack — recorded 214 hours of audio. Judge Breyer ruled that federal authorities "utterly failed to justify the warrantless electronic surveillance program that recorded private conversations spoken in hushed tones by judges, attorneys, and court staff entering and exiting the courthouse." Also captured were private conversations of two women "discussing details of their personal lives that ranged from the private to the salacious."   read more

The proposal is controversial within the biking community and opposed by conservationists who say bikes would erode trails and upset the five-decade notion of wilderness as primitive spaces. While mountain biking wasn't a popular sport when the law was passed, they will alter the character of those spaces and are tough on trails, said Alan Rowsome of The Wilderness Society. Rowsome said that only about 10 to 12% of all U.S. public lands are protected under the Wilderness Act.   read more

Like other voter-ID laws that have been challenged, the North Dakota statute was passed by a Republican-led legislature that asserted stronger measures were needed to curb voter fraud. Democratic legislators said it was intended solely to suppress voting among traditionally Democratic constituencies. “The record is replete with concrete evidence of significant burdens imposed on Native American voters attempting to exercise their right to vote,” Hovland wrote.   read more

Rudo's boss, state public health director Dr. Randall Williams, in March reversed earlier warnings that had told hundreds of affected residents not to drink their water. The water is contaminated with cancer-causing hexavalent chromium at levels many times higher than Rudo had determined is safe. "The state health director's job is to protect public health," testified Rudo. "He knowingly told people that their water was safe when we knew it wasn't."   read more

"The Wisconsin experience demonstrates that a preoccupation with mostly phantom election fraud leads to real incidents of disenfranchisement, which undermine rather than enhance confidence in elections, particularly in minority communities," Judge Peterson said. "To put it bluntly, Wisconsin's strict version of voter ID law is a cure worse than the disease." The judge said the law's restriction for absentee voting discriminates on the basis of race.   read more

"Fraudulently altering engineering reports undermines the integrity of the entire FEMA claims process, which homeowners and families rely upon in a time of crisis," said Schneiderman. "Today's charges reveal a flagrant disregard for the well-being and safety of New Yorkers, and my office will not tolerate it." Pappalardo posted bail of $20,000 cash over a $40,000 bond. The 38-year-old faces up to seven years in prison if convicted on all charges.   read more

The VA does not offer Agent Orange benefits to vets who served on ships offshore or never set foot on Vietnamese soil. Instead, these vets must prove exposure on a case-by-case basis. The vets noted that the presence of Agent Orange in the waters off the coast of Vietnam was unmistakable. After churning up Agent Orange while traversing and anchoring offshore, unsophisticated methods of turning saltwater into potable water intensified the chemical, furthering their exposure, the veterans said.   read more

In 2014, NTSB urged FAA Administrator Michael Huerta to make balloon operators subject to FAA safety inspections. "The potential for a high number of fatalities in a single air tour balloon accident is of particular concern if air tour balloon operators continue to conduct operations under less stringent regulations and oversight," NTSB wrote. Huerta said it was unnecessary because the risks were too low. A hot air balloon carrying 16 people crashed Saturday in Central Texas, killing all aboard.   read more

New Jersey has the largest state-based student loan program in the country, with stringent terms that can lead to financial ruin. The agency says it has a policy to help families if the children who received the loans die. But internal emails show that staffers at HESAA have been instructed not to tell families that they may qualify for help unless they ask. In one case, HESAA insisted that a mother continue to pay off loans she cosigned with her son even after he was murdered.   read more

"Each attempted to bury or cover up, downplay or hide info that contradicted their own narrative, their story ... (that) there's nothing wrong with Flint water, it's perfectly safe to use. In essence, these individuals concealed the truth and they were criminally wrong to do so," Schuette said at a news conference in the poor, predominantly black city of nearly 100,000. Elevated levels of the toxin were discovered in children. Lead contamination has been linked to learning disabilities.   read more

Researchers studied carbon dioxide trapped naturally underground for about 100,000 years and found it has not corroded the cap rocks, which suggests that storing greenhouse gases underground could be a viable option. The carbon dioxide would have to remain buried for at least 10,000 years to avoid contributing to climate change. The findings are good news for those who have championed carbon capture and storage, despite ongoing hurdles that have forced pilot programs to be delayed or terminated.   read more

Judge Hendricks said he feels strongly about protecting people's right to vote: "There is no right that is more precious in a free country." The ACLU and other critics of proof-of-citizenship requirements say they suppress voter turnout — particularly among young and minority voters — far more than they combat fraud. ACLU attorney Sophia Lakin, who argued the case in Kansas, said the Kansas ruling is nationally significant. "It sets a very important tone going forward," she said.   read more