Congress has invited dozens of world leaders to address U.S. lawmakers. But religious figures have never had the honor. Capitol Hill will be working overtime in maneuvering the logistics of this event, said the Post’s Michelle Boorstein. “Which presidential candidate gets close and who doesn’t? How much time should he spend in Boehner’s office and with whom? Will lawmakers stand and clap for lines they support and remain seated for those they oppose? Those are all elements under discussion."   read more

E.J.J.’s attorney, Lila J. Silverstein, said her client was only trying to protect his sister. One of the justices agreed he was right to be concerned. In a concurring opinion, Supreme Court Justice Steven Gonzalez, wrote that E.J.J. had reason to be concerned for the safety of his relatives because he “is a young black man in a city where the police have been found by the United States Department of Justice to use excessive force against nonviolent black youth.”   read more

There are now 83.1 million millennials in the United States, according to the Census Bureau. That compares to 75.4 million baby boomers. A study by Gallup showed that 30% of adult millennials identify as liberal, with 28% saying they’re conservative and 40% claiming to be moderate. That compares to only 21% of baby boomers who say they’re liberal, compared to 44% conservative and 33% moderate.   read more

Since the mid-19th century, the Republican Party has nominated a westerner 17 times to pursue the presidency or vice presidency. In contrast to Republicans, Democrats have yet to choose a single westerner for the presidential ticket or as a running mate. None of the current Democrats running or thinking of running are from the West.   read more

The study looked at the median income of neighborhoods. For instance, the typical black family with an income of $50,000 lives in a neighborhood in which the median income is less than $43,000. But a typical white family with the same income lives in a neighborhood with a median income of almost $53,000. “When you look at the evidence of how important neighborhoods are, you really worry about the long-term consequences of these patterns of racial and economic segregation,” said Sean Reardon.   read more

The adoption of a law in 2005 that gave state prosecutors the option of pursuing life-without-parole sentences in capital murder cases has clearly had an effect. Since then, the size of Texas’ death row has been shrinking. It currently stands at 260 individuals, down from 460 in 1999. The death row population is now dwarfed by the number of people serving a life-without-parole sentence in the state: 745.   read more

Until now, non-federally funded research of marijuana had to undergo review by the Public Health Service. This rule was put into place years ago out of concern that government guidelines for such research weren’t strong enough. The Obama administration, however, has announced that the agency’s approval is no longer needed. Other rules affecting independent marijuana studies still apply, such as obtaining medical marijuana only from NIDA's Drug Supply Program in Mississippi.   read more

One Air Force airman racked up $4,686 in charges on his government travel card at the VIP room in the Sapphire Gentlemen’s Club near Las Vegas. The Pentagon's inspector general recommended closer attention be paid to charges coming from strip clubs. Strip club trade exec Angelina Spencer urged respect for Pentagon employees' "right to pursue a moment of happiness in the type of entertainment they choose, whether it’s a martini, a good cigar, bearing arms or bare arms.”   read more

CSB member Rick Engler claimed to have taken over the agency, delegating himself "Administrative Authority.” Engler then ordered the suspension of CSB’s entire executive staff, placing some on administrative leave. The staffers were marched out of the building under armed guard and barred from returning or talking to other CSB staff. In carrying out his actions, Engler “presided over the escalation from a toxic work environment to thermonuclear war,” said PEER's Jeff Ruch.   read more

Included in the figure are the two convicted killers who recently made a daring escape from the Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York. The manhunt involving 800 federal, state and local law enforcement officers has been ongoing. Other fugitives include a convicted murderer who broke out through prison ventilation ducts, and an Indiana murderer who escaped in a garbage truck. Another convict packaged himself inside a furniture crate being shipped out.   read more

Science instructors shouldn't worry that the artificial rats would not measure up to the real deal. NecropSynth says its 3-D animals would have “layers so that they feel like real tissue,” and simulate bones and muscles. Hollow conduits with colored gel would represent the vascular and nervous systems. More importantly, NecropSynth believes that its process could potentially save the lives of the 6 million to 12 million animals that are killed annually for use in biology classes.   read more

Agents interviewed Y.F. and wrote on the appropriate form that he said he was looking for work. "The impossibility of the interview, in spite of the DHS officers’ affirmations of veracity and the rule of government regularity is plain on the face of the writings themselves: Y-F- was three years old at the time he was interrogated,” the brief said.   read more

Nine years ago, a white boa constrictor named Lucy or Diamond Princess was smuggled from Brazil’s Niterói Zoo by Jeremy Stone, a collector, breeder and seller of reptiles. Lucy wound up in Utah, where she had eight offspring while kept by Stone. Stone was able to sell Lucy’s offspring for tens of thousands of dollars. The Federal Bureau of Investigation eventually seized eight snakes, while federal prosecutors charged Stone with unlawfully transporting wildlife in the U.S.   read more

“This action is expected to reduce coronary heart disease and prevent thousands of fatal heart attacks every year,” said FDA's Stephen Ostroff. The change could result in 20,000 fewer heart attacks and 7,000 fewer deaths each year from heart disease. “This is the final nail in the coffin of trans fats,” said Michael F. Jacobson. “In terms of lives saved, I think eliminating trans fats is the single most important change to our food supply.”   read more

The FBI believes the infiltration occurred because some Cardinals officials sought revenge on the successful Luhnow, who was viewed as a polarizing figure during his time with the Cardinals. This is “way, way beyond anything we’ve seen in baseball before. Maybe beyond anything we’ve seen in professional sports,” wrote Craig Calcaterra at NBC Sports. “If this…was something people in Cardinals management knew about, it could be one of the biggest scandals baseball has ever seen.”   read more

The dependence on Facebook for news is highest (61%) among Millennials, who were born between 1982 and 2004. Only 37% of them turn to local television for stories. Among Gen Xers, 51% said they use Facebook more than any other source, while 46% rely on local TV. This group was born between 1961 and 1981. Baby Boomers are just the opposite from their younger cohorts. Sixty percent of them (born between 1946 and 1960) turn on their televisions for news, while 39% check on Facebook.   read more