Florida GOP Governor Rick Scott made headlines urging drug testing for state employees and welfare recipients, a program which, it turned out, benefited his drug testing company, according to the report. Scott also privatized state health care services for prison inmates, which reportedly resulted in a substantial increase in inmate deaths. Corizon Health—a prisoner health care provider that had been sued 660 times for malpractice.   read more

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) top official admitted this week that his agency sometimes bypasses the courts and pries into personal communications without a warrant. Director James Comey’s admission was prompted after he first insisted that the FBI never, ever conducts electronic surveillance without a court order.   read more

It turns out the U.S. did find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. However, these weapons had been there since the 1980s and the U.S. had a hand in their manufacture. Most damning was that the chemical weapons found had been designed for Iraq by the U.S. under the Reagan administration. So the U.S. government clamped a lid of secrecy on the discoveries, even denying proper treatment to American soldiers who were wounded by them. Military officers were ordered to say nothing or lie.   read more

Many of those who lost homes in the housing crisis are finding that their nightmare still is not over. That’s because banks are still pursuing them over the mortgages they defaulted on. Settlements that followed often did not cover the remaining balance on the loan. This has led to “deficiency judgments,” in which debt collectors are now hunting down the former homeowners. In many cases, the judgments result in frozen bank accounts, garnished wages and seized assets.   read more

Climate changes are likely to cause numerous negative consequences that will demand the attention of U.S. armed forces, including more risks of terrorism, food shortages, disease and poverty, according to a new Pentagon report. Drought and weather changes may produce unrest in volatile regions like the Middle East. That’s why the military will start amending its strategic planning for warfare in order to better respond to crises brought on by or exacerbated by climate change.   read more

A law that allows police to confiscate money from people not charged with a crime has netted hundreds of millions of dollars that they have spent on weapons, armored cars and even entertainment. The list includes Humvees, a helicopter, automatic weapons, gas grenades, night-vision scopes, sniper gear, a coffee pot and the booking of at least one clown. “All of this is fundamentally at odds with the U.S. Constitution,” said Brad Cates, who was in charge of the program from 1985 to 1989.   read more

Mention the NSA and visions of mathematicians and computer scientists working in windowless offices spring to mind. But according to documents leaked by Edward Snowden, the NSA also employs agents who work in foreign companies and physically compromise devices and computer networks. The documents show that the NSA has agents working in China, Germany and South Korea to accomplish this mission. Its personnel are also stationed in Hawaii, Texas, Georgia, and in U.S. embassies.   read more

“Life as you know it on Earth ends. Seven degrees increase Fahrenheit and we can’t sustain crops, water, life under those circumstances,” Secretary of State John Kerry said after touring a Boston wind center with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. “The solution is staring us in the face. It’s very simple: clean energy. We still have in our hands a window of opportunity to be able to make the difference. But the window is closing quickly. That’s not a threat, that’s a fact.”   read more

New friction has emerged between the U.S. and China. China is starting a new bank and the U.S., the largest shareholder of the World Bank, doesn’t like the competition. China has pledged $50 billion to launch the enterprise, which would be run by Jin Liqun. The Chinese are luring South Korea and Australia to contribute funds, but the U.S. is urging them not to. If the U.S. succeeds, it would damage the prestige of China's bank by having its membership limited to smaller nations.   read more

DASP is a federal program meant to take nonperforming mortgages off the banks’ books and improve loan terms for homeowners. Instead, the program is a money-maker for big investors. “By selling homes to private equity giants and vulture capitalists, DASP is fueling the rise of the Wall Street landlord,” said Kevin Whelan. Financial institutions have found it easier to collect insurance payouts, leaving homeowners with a lienholder who has no interest in modifying mortgage terms.   read more

Federal courthouses were busy this week with cases challenging the federal government’s ongoing attempts to pry into Americans’ communications and activities. In a San Francisco court, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is trying to restrict the FBI from obtaining records from U.S. businesses. And Twitter sued the government claiming the Justice Department has violated its First Amendment rights by stifling its ability to tell users about government surveillance.   read more

The decision came with no fanfare and, in fact, was buried in 81 pages of cases that the justices declined to take for their upcoming term. However, the consequences of the court’s inaction was huge: Gays and lesbians can now marry in five more states, with another six on the horizon. The nation will potentially have 30 states that have legalized gay marriage. It also will mean that a majority of Americans will live in a place where same-sex unions are legal.   read more

With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down, American defense contractors were looking at leaner times. Then, the Islamic State (IS) came to their rescue. The U.S. air campaign against IS—which has no deadline for ending—could demand between $2.4 billion and $3.8 billion annually from the Pentagon. That would translate into more business for military suppliers. “Defense companies are not being harmed by the current situation, I can tell you that much," said analyst Wayne Plucker.   read more

Keeping the deadly Ebola virus contained to West Africa is proving difficult, given that airlines flying out of the region are relying on the honesty of passengers and the competency of newly trained airport screeners. The CDC sent out experts to help improve airport screening programs. But a key component of the screening efforts—and what some critics say is a major flaw—is the reliance on passengers to be truthful about their exposure to the virus and how they are feeling.   read more

State computer systems contain a lot of information, including names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, birth certificates, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, and banking information. Health records in particular are valuable to criminals. It’s not only a question of personal information getting into the public domain. Computer system breaches also affect the public’s trust in government and cost taxpayers millions.   read more

The Obama administration’s effort to weaken the Islamic State (IS) inside Syria through the use of airstrikes has had the unintended consequence of helping the extremist group gain supporters. Syrian rebel group Abu Qusay publicly said it “won’t be allied with the West in a war against Islam” following U.S. attacks on IS positions. The attacks also might cause Al Nusra and IS, which have been at odds, to move closer to one another in a battle against the common enemy of the U.S.   read more