The years of delays have come as supermarkets, convenience stores and other retailers that never wanted to be part of the law have fiercely lobbied against them. The move will leave the final step to a new president, despite the Obama administration's staunch support of menu labeling and other food policy to help Americans eat more healthfully. And it will give opponents more time to gather support for legislation that would roll back some of the requirements.   read more

A recent study commissioned by the county concluded that Turkey Point’s old cooling canal system was leaking polluted water into Biscayne Bay. This has raised alarm among county officials and environmentalists that the plant, which sits on the coastline, is polluting the bay’s surface waters and its fragile ecosystem. Samples of the water at various depths and sites around the power plant showed elevated levels of salt, ammonia, phosphorous and tritium, a radioactive isotope.   read more

The law appeared to be aimed at Planned Parenthood, which said on Friday that it could mean the end of birth control, cancer screenings, tests for diseases and other services for thousands of low-income women in Florida. Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement that the new law seemed “designed to rip health care away from those most at risk.”   read more

In a letter to the heads of the Dept of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, Reps. Lloyd Doggett and Peter Welch and Sen. Bernie Sanders urged the agencies to step in to cut prices for Xtandi, saying it costs four times more in the U.S. than in some other developed countries. They want the NIH to consider overriding Xtandi's patent, which would allow for Xtandi's price to be reduced.   read more

Federal inspectors found violations that exposed children to potential electrocution, poisoning and other injuries. Examples included kitchen knives and cleaning chemicals left in places where children could get them; peeling paint; a leaking ceiling; a blocked emergency exit; a broken toilet seat; and an unlocked gate allowing children access to a high-voltage circuit box. Many facilities also lacked required paperwork showing that employees had been screened for criminal records.   read more

The systems collect data on high-risk drugs that can be viewed by doctors and officials to spot suspicious patterns. The aim is to stop "doctor shopping," where patients rack up multiple prescriptions from different doctors, either to satisfy their own drug addiction or to sell on the black market. The White House has sent letters to all 50 U.S. governors recommending that they require doctors to check the databases and require pharmacists to upload drug dispensing data on a daily basis.   read more

Colorado, New Mexico and Utah joined with the Navajo and Ute Mountain tribes — whose land is crossed by the rivers — to compile a plan to monitor the waterways. They will also test the sediment in the delta where the San Juan empties into Lake Powell. They will share their data and will train first-responders and water users about what to do in the event of a flood or other emergency. Separately, the EPA released an updated plan for its own water-quality monitoring.   read more

For the last 13 years, the NFL has stood by its research. But confidential data shows that more than 100 diagnosed concussions were omitted from the studies. The committee calculated the rates of concussions using the incomplete data, making them appear less frequent than they actually were. These discoveries raise new questions about the committee’s findings, held up by the league as scientific evidence that brain injuries did not cause long-term harm to its players.   read more

During procedures like sandblasting and fracking, large quantities of silica particles can be released into the air. They can lodge deep in the lung, setting off processes that can lead to lung cancer as well as kidney disease, in addition to silicosis. Companies will be required, among other measures, to keep records of employee exposure to silica and to provide a medical exam every three years to each worker whose level of exposure is high enough to require wearing a protective respirator.   read more

The report found that unfounded frisks were highest last year for people of color: 62% of all frisks of Latinos, 57% for blacks, and 47% for whites. Further, blacks who were frisked were nearly 3% less likely to have guns or drugs than whites. ACLU-Pennsylvania executive director Reggie Shuford said that "communities of color" are targeted disproportionately by police and that "they are understandably fed up and demand an immediate stop to being treated like second-class citizens."   read more

Phoenix residents have for years felt that state leaders want to make it harder for them to vote, and the mess at the polls Tuesday only heightened their frustration. "Let's be clear — voter suppression happened," said U.S. Rep. Gallego. He said Arizona has a long history of voter suppression, including a new law that blocks voter-outreach groups from handling early ballots. Limiting the number of polling locations disproportionately affects minorities and the working poor, he added.   read more

A government attorney told a federal judge Thursday that appointing attorneys for all children facing deportation would "destroy the framework of the immigration system." An ACLU rep responded, "Every individual in removal hearings is entitled to a full and fair hearing," adding that a child can't get a "fair hearing" without being properly represented by an attorney. The ACLU sued the government in 2014 claiming the only way children can get a fair hearing is to provide them with counsel.   read more

Cell site simulators, also known as Stingrays, raise privacy concerns because they can sweep up information about bystanders’ phones and precisely locate people, including inside their homes. Flying a Stingray over a major metropolitan area magnifies the concern by subjecting potentially large numbers of bystanders to privacy violations.The heavily redacted documents we obtained shed a bit of additional light on use of invasive cell site simulators on aircraft.   read more

An industry effort to relax mileage goals could set off conflict with the Obama administration, whose pledge to reduce emissions, as part of last year’s Paris climate accord, includes making gains in vehicle fuel efficiency. Cheap gas prices are prompting consumers to buy trucks and SUVs instead of small cars, hybrids or electric vehicles. With lower gas prices, sales of low-mileage pickups and SUVs have skyrocketed. Meanwhile, electric and hybrid models are languishing in dealer showrooms.   read more

"If businesses are starting to look at North Carolina and says this is not the environment we want to be in, that could have some blowback, and McCrory would be in the bull's-eye," Professor Bitzer said. Thursday evening, state and national gay-rights advocates joined about 400 people at a Raleigh church to vow to fight on when the General Assembly reconvenes next month and in November at the ballot box to elect Cooper and throw out legislators who voted for the law.   read more

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, condemned the calls for surveillance, saying it sends "an alarming message to American Muslims who increasingly fear for their future in this nation and to all Americans who value the Constitution and religious liberties." Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders blasted the Republican candidates' proposal. "That would be unconstitutional — it would be wrong," he said.   read more