The claim is that federal prisons single out Muslim inmates for isolation units where their communications face 24-7 surveillance. Meeropol said inmates stay in CMUs for an average of three to five years, whereas disciplinary administrative segregation typically lasts one to four weeks. "This experience of segregation in a minority religion unit is a very atypical experience," she said. The appeal challenges the hardships that "haphazard and retaliatory" CMU assignments impose on prisoners.   read more

The FDA says GMOs are safe. But advocates for labeling say not enough is known about their risks. Among supporters of labeling are many organic companies that are barred by law from using modified ingredients in their foods. Those advocates have been fighting state by state to enact the labeling, with the eventual goal of a national standard. "A growing number of American consumers want to know more about the food they eat. And they have the right to know," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow.   read more

More than 40 Americans die every day from painkiller overdoses, a staggering rate that Frieden said is "doctor driven. The risks of addiction and death are very well documented." Under the new guidelines, doctors would prescribe painkillers only after considering non-addictive pain relievers and behavioral changes. The CDC also wants doctors to prescribe the lowest effective dose possible. And doctors should only continue prescribing the drugs if patients show significant improvement.   read more

Several wells near the ChemFab plant have tested positive for an industrial chemical that has been linked to cancer, thyroid disease and complications during pregnancy, making North Bennington the latest in a growing list of northeastern communities unsettled by a contaminated-water scare. “Every time I think about it, I just feel like crying,” said Virginia Barber, 64, who has lived near the factory since 1977. Hers was one of the first wells in the village to test positive for the chemical.   read more

Information technology workers continued to delete electronic data until Sept. 21, the lawsuit claims. Even after that date, they destroyed backup information because of what they said was a shortage of storage space. In addition, according to the lawsuit, outside accountants hired by Volkswagen complained that they could not get access to all the data they wanted. Donovan says he told managers in IT that they could be accused of obstructing justice, and that he did not want to take part.   read more

"This leaves CBP vulnerable to a corruption scandal that could potentially threaten the security of our nation," the panel wrote in its report. "Currently there is no one who the Secretary of Homeland Security can clearly hold accountable for seeing to it that corruption does not take root within CBP and that our national security interests at our nation's border are not compromised by corrupt CBP personnel. The CBP discipline system is broken."   read more

The new guidance comes amid concerns that some local courts in the U.S. are punishing poor people by imposing crippling fines that can result in jail time. "The consequences of the criminalization of poverty are not only harmful — they are far-reaching," said Attorney General Lynch. A scathing federal report last year concluded that a Ferguson, Missouri court levied exorbitant fines for petty offenses and routinely issued arrest warrants to residents who had failed to settle their debts.   read more

The AP found that the firm had advocated on behalf of for-profit colleges, helped broker the purchase of Corinthian's assets and argued in a legal brief that for-profit schools had a free speech right not to inform prospective students about poor graduate employment outcomes. Also, two lawyers overseeing the new for-profit operations, Rose and Dennis Cariello, were former Education Dept officials who had worked at law firms employed by Corinthian in the months before it collapsed financially.   read more

"Dark money" spending by outside groups that aren't required to disclose their donors is expected to explode during this presidential election year. States can take action to stem the tide but few have. Congress could require more disclosure but hasn't done so. "Unlimited secret contributions are the most dangerous money in American politics," said Wertheimer. The Citizens United ruling triggered a flood of more than $500 million in secret contributions in elections following the ruling.   read more

On Super Tuesday, Dale Clark voted for a local Republican--Mary Lou Bruner--who claimed on social media that President Obama had worked as a gay prostitute in his youth, that the U.S. should ban Islam, that the Democratic Party had John F. Kennedy killed and that the United Nations had hatched a plot to depopulate the world. “I would not discount her on the basis of having those beliefs,” said Clark, a retired pilot.   read more

Dissenting, Judge Wynn called North Carolina's decision to offer an anti-abortion plate but not a pro-choice plate, "viewpoint discrimination." The ACLU expressed disappointment that "North Carolina can now deny drivers on one side of this contentious issue an equal ability to express their views. ...The General Assembly should finally do the right thing and allow citizens on both sides of this controversial issue to purchase specialty plates supporting their views."   read more

The trademark spat that is prompting the National Park Service to change the names of treasured sites at Yosemite has taken a startling turn -- to the park's gift shops. Merchandise embossed with the name ``Yosemite National Park,'' from T-shirts to coffee mugs to pens, is being pulled from store shelves because of claims by the park's outgoing concessionaire that it owns the name for commercial purposes. Aramark officials plan to sell souvenir items with the name ``Yosemite'' instead.   read more

The suit claims officials illegally deny the applications of abused refugee kids by saying they are no longer children. Last week it was revealed that a senior official in the Justice Dept said 3- and 4-year-old children can learn enough immigration law to represent themselves in court. "I've taught immigration law literally to 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds," said judge Jack Weil. "It takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of patience. They get it. It's not the most efficient, but it can be done."   read more

Veracode concluded that the Cruz app — downloaded to more than 70,000 Apple and Android devices so far — had used poor computer code practices and had deployed weak encryption, potentially exposing personal data because it could be intercepted by eavesdroppers. The review further determined the app could also send text messages without the user's permission. A Veracode senior project manager said poor coding practices on the app "could lead to leaked information, or even exploitation."   read more

The South Dakota Legislature approved - and the governor promptly signed - a bill outlawing abortion after the 20th week of gestation based on a belief that this is when a fetus can register pain. Doctors could be sentenced to a year in jail and fined $2,000. The woman would not be punished. Some called the bill unnecessary. The only clinic that performs abortion in South Dakota is Planned Parenthood in Sioux Falls, which will not perform abortions after the 14th week of gestation.   read more

"We have been asking for changes to the Army Field Manual and Appendix M in particular for years now," said Raha Wala, senior counsel for defense and intelligence at Human Rights First. "There hasn't been momentum. I now sense that in the first time in years, there is a real interest in looking at it." Their objections come at the same time that GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump wants the U.S. to bring back torture, including waterboarding, a practice that simulates drowning.   read more