"Although courts owe deference to agencies, we also recognize that, '[a]t some point, we must lean forward from the bench to let an agency know, in no uncertain terms, that enough is enough,'" Judge Ambro wrote. "For the Commission's stalled efforts to promote diversity in the broadcast industry, that time has come." The court said the FCC's delay in meeting its obligation was unreasonable. The court didn't guide the agency's decision, only stating that the rulemaking "must be completed."   read more

An oil company whose leaky well could discharge oil into the Gulf of Mexico for the next century hasn't tried hard enough to stop the leaks, the federal government says. Taylor Energy sued the federal government saying the feds won't return $400 million it set aside to stop the leak. Evidence shows that the leak is worse than either the company or government previously reported. Satellite images show that between 300,000 and 1.4 million gallons of oil have spilled from Taylor's site since 2004.   read more

One of the many peculiar things about his run for the White House is that it rests heavily on his claims of being a masterful businessman, yet it’s far from clear how good he really is at the “art of the deal.” Remember, too, that Trump is a clear case of someone born on third base who imagines that he hit a triple: He inherited a fortune, and it’s far from clear that he has expanded that fortune any more than he would have if he had simply parked the money in an index fund.   read more

Judge Watson ruled that the cut violates the Voting Rights Act and voters' equal protection rights. Watson said statistical and anecdotal evidence presented in the case reflects that black voters use same-day voter registration and early voting options at higher rates than whites. While the court can't predict how African-Americans will turn out in future elections, he said, "It is reasonable to conclude from this evidence that their right to vote will be modestly burdened" by the law."   read more

Exxon is dealing with investigations into what it knew and allegedly didn't disclose about oil's role in climate change. Its shareholders rejected resolutions to put a climate expert on the board and support the UN climate meeting in Paris. Yet Patricia Daley, a resolution sponsor, said Exxon lacked "moral leadership." She said, "Our company has chosen to disregard the consensus of the scientific community, the will of the...Paris agreement," religious leaders and even other oil companies.   read more

Chicanos are described as people who "opposed Western civilization and wanted to destroy this society." Mexican-Americans are linked to undocumented immigrants. "Instead of a text that is respectful of the Mexican-American history, we have a book poorly written [and] racist..." said Tony Diaz. The book is produced by a company that appears to be run by Cynthia Dunbar, a right-wing Christian activist who questioned the constitutionality of public schools.   read more

The findings by the Justice Dept’s inspector general are a potential embarrassment for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons at a time when the Obama administration has assailed what it says are unfair and unduly harsh sentences for many inmates, particularly minorities and nonviolent offenders. The consequences can be serious, the report said. The delayed releases “deprive inmates of their liberty,” and have led to millions of dollars in added prison costs and legal settlements with former inmates.   read more

Wrestling with frequent moves, deployments and erratic schedules of their service member mates, military spouses have an unemployment rate of up to 18 percent, compared to last month's national jobless rate of 5%. The study found that up to 42% of military spouses — or as many as 95,000 — are jobless, compared to about 25% of a comparable civilian spouse population. In addition, it estimated that military spouses with a bachelor's degree earn 40% less than their civilian counterparts.   read more

Last-minute obstacles, often by design, have a way of cropping up in Washington. Graham hopes he is not seeing an example of that, after suggestions from James Clapper, director of national intelligence, that Congress will ultimately be left to decide what to do with the pages once intelligence officials finish a review. That approach took Graham by surprise. It threatens to add a new layer of complexity to a process that those backing the release thought was reaching its long-sought end.   read more

Now on a fourth revision of the computer algorithm that generates the list, critics are raising questions about potential breaches to civil liberties, and the list’s efficacy remains in doubt as killings have continued to rise this year. The critics wonder whether there is value in predicting who is likely to shoot or be shot with seemingly little ability to prevent it, and they question the fairness and legality of creating a list of people deemed likely to commit crimes in some future time,   read more

Hoggan received $90,000 in bonuses over a 13-month period, even though a leaked report showed that auditors were able to get fake weapons and explosives past security screeners 95% of the time in 70 covert tests. Hoggan’s bonus was paid out in $10,000 increments, an arrangement that members of Congress have said was intended to disguise the payments. In addition, several employees who say they were punished after filing whistleblower complaints have alleged that Hoggan played a role.   read more

Hunger and nutrition advocates sharply criticized the legislation, saying it could mean that some children go hungry at school. "The bill would significantly weaken access to healthy, nutritious foods for our nation's children," said Dr. Benard Dreyer, president of AAP. The block grants "are an opening salvo in an aggressive, alarming attack on the future of school meals," said SNA's Jean Ronnei. Rep. Bobby Scott said the bill would "cut budgets instead of feeding our children."   read more

The top lawyer for Gov. Mary Fallin urged prison officials to go forward with a planned execution even though they received the wrong drug, telling a deputy attorney general to "Google it" to confirm it could be used. It faulted many officials for three botched execution attempts. The drug mix-ups followed a botched execution in which inmate Clayton Lockett struggled on a gurney before dying 43 minutes into his lethal injection — and after the state's prisons chief ordered executioners to stop.   read more

Army Maj. Wendall Hall noted that the Classified Information Procedures Act does not allow evidence destruction, but that the Military Commissions Act adds the word "delete," without defining it. "What they're authorized to do under the Military Commissions Act is a problem," Hall said. Does it mean delete, or does it mean physical destruction? The defense team does not know. "If you're asking questions about the definition, there's already an issue," Hall said.   read more

Tracy Toulou, director of the Office of Tribal Justice, brought the matter of whether tribes can charge a suspect accused of threatening or attempting to harm a woman but not actually injuring her. He cited a case in which a woman's boyfriend attempted to punch her while intoxicated but missed and fell. Since tribal authorities weren't sure whether that confrontation qualified as domestic violence under the law, they didn't bring charges. Later, the man returned to assault the victim again.   read more

Trace amounts of PFOA and PFOS can be detected in the blood of almost every American as the result of exposure through food and consumer products. But of specific concern is the risk posed to residents in the relatively small number of communities where higher levels of PFOA and PFOS have been found in public drinking water. EPA now says long-term exposure to either chemical at concentrations above 70 parts per trillion could have adverse health impacts.   read more