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U.S. Gross Domestic Product Shrinks at Fastest Rate in 5 Years

From January to March, the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) took a big step backwards, contracting at an annual rate of 2.9%. The decline was the sharpest in five years. Economists attributed the weak economic showing to several causes: shrinking business inventories, a terrible winter throughout much of the country, and an unexpected dip in health care spending. That sector is expected to be volatile as the new health care law, which is expected to cut spending, takes effect. read more

Supreme Court Invalidates Obama’s Recess Appointments to National Labor Relations Board

The U.S. Supreme Court dealt President Obama a significant blow Thursday when it unanimously ruled the recess appointments he made two years ago were unconstitutional, thus making the appointments invalid and raising questions about any NLRB actions involving those appointees. Obama’s counsel had argued that Republicans used procedural trickery to prevent any appointments to the NLRB and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stymie the two agencies’ operations. read more

Supreme Court, In Unanimous Ruling, Says Police Need Warrant to Search Cell Phones

Roberts pointed out that even the term “cell phone” is misleading. “Many of these devices are in fact minicomputers that also happen to have the capacity to be used as a telephone. They could just as easily be called cameras, video players, Rolodexes, calendars, tape recorders, libraries, diaries, albums, televisions, maps or newspapers,” he wrote. read more

Court Finally Releases Portions of Obama Administration Memo Justifying Assassination of Americans in Yemen

“We do not believe al-Awlaki’s citizenship provides a basis for concluding that he is immune from a use of force abroad” as otherwise congressionally authorized to use against Al Qaeda, David Barron, then the acting head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, wrote in the memo addressed to Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. Critics of the decision praised the release of the memo. read more

Supreme Court Upholds EPA’s Right to Regulate Power-Plant Emissions…with Minor Limitations

Scalia, who wrote the majority opinion, added that the agency “sought to regulate sources it said were responsible for 86 percent of all the greenhouse gases emitted from stationary sources nationwide. Under our holdings, EPA will be able to regulate sources responsible for 83 percent of those emissions.” Scalia was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan in the 7-2 ruling. read more

Bipartisan House of Representatives Votes to Limit Government Spying on Americans (Except the FBI)

Thursday’s amendment and the USA Freedom Act must still be approved by the Senate and signed into law by President Barack Obama before they become law. And the legislation would affect only the NSA. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for instance, could still attempt to have corporations install back doors in their products. read more

More Foreign Governments Provide NSA with Support for Global Data Surveillance

The documents do not divulge which governments service RAMPART-A. But it is known that under the program, the NSA has established at least 13 RAMPART-A sites, nine of which were active in 2013, it was reported. Gallagher says the NSA documents “point towards some of the countries involved – Denmark and Germany among them.” The cost of the program to American taxpayers was about $170 million for the period from 2011 to 2013, the documents show. read more

Immigrants No Longer Make Up Majority of Hispanic Workers in U.S.

The latest figures show immigrants make up 49.7% of the 22 million Hispanics working in the U.S., as of last year. In 2007, just before the beginning of the downturn, the share of Hispanic immigrant workers was much higher, 56.1%. Since then, American-born Hispanics have gained the vast majority of the 2.8 million jobs captured by Hispanics over the past five years, with only 453,000 going to immigrants. read more

Science Museums, Some Backed by Big Oil, Take Evasive Approach to Climate Change

With funding from companies such as Exxon and Chief Oil, a Dallas science museum tiptoed around the topic of fossil fuels and climate change. Among the exhibits at the Perot Museum was a “Climate Change” display that never saw the light of day. Museum officials denied its scrapping had any connection to its oil and gas industry benefactors. Other science museums play down climate change to avoid controversy. read more

Nuclear Weapons are not Going Away…3,970 Still Deployed

More than two decades after the end of the Cold War, the world’s leading powers continue not only to hold onto their nuclear weapon, but also modernize them in a sign that they will continue to be around for a long time to come. There are nearly 4,000 nuclear weapons deployed throughout the world, ready for launch within minutes of receiving the “go” code. Four countries control 3,970 of the weapons. The U.S. has 1,920, followed by Russia (1,600), the U.K. (160) and France (290). read more

Obama to Sign Executive Order Barring Anti-Gay Discrimination by Federal Contractors

About 20% of the U.S. workforce does business with the U.S. government, which means that about 11 million workers—whose rights are not currently protected under state laws—will now be provided with employment protections, according to gay rights advocacy groups. Federal law currently does not prevent discrimination against gay and transgender individuals. Residents in 29 states also have no protection for such discriminatory behavior. read more

Pfizer, Chiquita and Medtronic Try to Merge with Foreign Firms to Avoid U.S. Taxes

Chiquita Brands International, famous for its bananas and other produce, has merged with Fyffes PLC of Ireland. In forming a new enterprise worth $4.6 billion in annual sales, Chiquita will relocate its headquarters to a country with a 12.5% corporate tax rate compared to 35% in the United States. The deal could result in “pre-tax synergies of at least $40 million by 2016,” according to The Street. read more

Violence in Iraq Means Profits for Beechcraft, Lockheed, Raytheon and other Weapons Makers

U.S. companies are reaping big benefits from the Iraqi government’s battle with ISIS militias. Three sales, including some big-ticket items, announced last month will put nearly $1 billion in the pockets of American defense contractors if Congress approves the sales. Beechcraft Defense Co. and eight other contractors are selling 24 AT-6C Texan II aircraft, plus spares and other equipment to Iraq. That deal is worth about $790 million. read more

Chemicals that are Banned in Europe, but Widespread in U.S.

In the EU and much of the rest of the world, if a product presents a credible threat of danger to human or environmental health, it’s restricted or banned. In the United States, the regulatory agencies mandate a high level of proof that a product is dangerous before its use is restricted. The U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) regulates chemicals used in this country, but the process of taking a chemical off store shelves can take years. read more

Congressional Audit Finds Industrial Radioactive Materials Poorly Secured

At least four vehicles transporting these radioactive materials have been stolen since 2005, according to the GAO. Some companies use a loophole in Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations that makes storage requirements less stringent for smaller amounts of nuclear materials. So the companies with large amounts of the materials simply divide them up and store them in smaller containers. read more

In a First, Federal Court Panel Rules Collection of Cellphone Tower Data without a Warrant is Unconstitutional

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which oversees cases in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, on Wednesday rejected what has become a routine practice by law enforcement: tracking a suspect’s location via their cell phone. These violations of privacy, according to critics, have gone on without police having to establish probable cause of criminal activity by individuals. read more