Rumors are spreading that the U.S. Supreme Court will vote 5-4 to rule that a U.S. president cannot be prosecuted for anything he does while he is president. Some Democrats are suggesting that Joe Biden bring a gun to his first debate with Donald Trump. If he shoots Trump, he would be immune, but if Trump shoots Biden he would be prosecuted because he is not a sitting president.   read more

At the heart of the controversy is the gesture the women chose: Did it represent a divisive political statement, a matter of free speech, or just a case of students showing their sense of accomplishment as graduation draws near? Iraq vet John Burk said the women were identifying with Black Lives Matter activists “known for inflicting violent protest." But others said it's often a pop culture symbol. “For them it’s...a sign that means unity and pride and sisterhood," said Iraq vet Mary Tobin.   read more

The nation’s largest contractor, Lockheed Martin, has received $331 billion in federal dollars since Oct. 2005. The company spent at least $140 million on lobbying and political contributions between Oct. 2005 and Sept. 2015. Boeing, which took in $201 billion over the decade, spent $150 million on political influence. General Dynamics accumulated $136 billion in contracts, while spending $96 million on lobbying and political action committees.   read more

FDA says only 37,500 physicians had completed voluntary training programs by March 2015, less than half the targeted 80,000. Surveys showed 40% of prescribers were unaware of the programs more than a half-year after launch. Prescription opioid overdoses have been rising steadily for well over a decade, reaching nearly 19,000 in 2014 — the highest number on record. Total opioid overdoses exceeded 28,600 that year when combined with heroin, which many switch to after being hooked on painkillers.   read more

Our study compared black and white neighborhoods, and we found that in the same city, the mostly black neighborhoods had twice as many court judgments as the mostly white neighborhoods, even when accounting for income. One big firm, Pressler & Pressler, obtained at least 76,000 judgments for its clients. In about 69,000 of those suits, the firm used the same attorney who took as little as four seconds to review a suit, and he did between 300 and 400 — sometimes as many as 1,000 — per day.   read more

A former police sergeant has been held without charges for seven months in a federal detention cell, part of an effort by the authorities to pressure him to decrypt two computer hard drives. His case is the latest in a growing number of legal battles over digital privacy in the U.S. The challenges are playing out in courts across the country, propelling a national debate over when the government can compel individuals or companies to disclose codes or passwords giving access to private data.   read more

"Family detention camps are prisons," said Grassroots Leadership director Bob Libal. "They are not childcare facilities. DFPS has for a decade refused to regulate these facilities because they do not have authority to do so. The Texas agency has never regulated a facility this large. Yet they came up with a regulation allowing a license in three months. It was not done to protect children, but to protect the Obama administration's family detention program, putting children in harm's way."   read more

"At the seat of our national government - in the congressional chamber based on proportional representation - the chaplain is dividing and excluding citizens based on their religious or nonreligious beliefs," Barker claims. Since 2000, nearly 97% of guest invocations have come from Christians, although just 70% of the country identifies as Christian. Less than 3% were delivered by Jewish representatives. Atheists and agnostics have not given a single invocation in the past 16 years, says Barker.   read more

Eight wolves were exported in 2014 as hunting trophies and another 26 gray wolf "garments were exported from the United States for circus or traveling exhibition purposes," according to the complaint. Bishop said that animal fur exporting is big business and that pelts and parts are used all over the world. "Some people have told me that it takes about 30 bobcat pelts to make a jacket, that it is popular in China or Russia, but I don't know a lot about the industry," he said.   read more

Simply having a first-class compartment made an air rage incident nearly four times more likely, equivalent to the effect of a nine-hour flight delay, the study found. The bad behavior was higher not only for economy passengers, but those in first class too. The results have implications for any physical environment where differences in class or status are apparent. Using dual boarding gates, separating first-class from economy cabin, could help reduce rage incidents, says Prof. DeCelles.   read more

The would-be governor of New Hampshire used an electronic billboard and his radio show to accuse local businessmen of selling guns, dealing drugs and killing children, they claim in court. It's not the first time Gill's billboards have landed him in hot water. A previous sign sparked outrage for displaying an obscenity in an attack on U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte for corruption. Gill was also recently jailed in contempt of court for an outburst during a divorce proceeding.   read more

In 2012, McKean went to work at the State Dept. as senior advisor to then-Secretary Hillary Clinton for the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review. The review is a joint effort of the State Dept. and U.S. Agency for International Development that identifies global trends that could result in opportunities or threats. Later that year, McKean reunited with John Kerry, by this time Secretary of State, as his Director of Policy Planning, where he served until his nomination as Ambassador.   read more

Sha’Quille, age 2, was buried in a pink coffin. She had been napping in bed with her father late last month when she discovered the 9mm handgun he often kept under his pillow. It had a laser sight that lit up like the red lights on her cousins’ sneakers. Her dad woke to see Sha’Quille by his bed, bleeding and crying, the gun at her feet. A bullet had pierced her skull. In a country with more than 30,000 annual gun deaths, the smallest fingers on the trigger belong to children like Sha’Quille.   read more

The CDC reported Tuesday that three in four young kids diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are put on medicines. New CDC data shows that's continued, even after research found behavior therapy is as effective and doesn't give children stomach aches, sleep problems or other drug side effects. On Tuesday, CDC officials doubled down on its previous recommendations, calling on doctors and families to try behavior therapy first. The CDC found 75% of the children were on medicine.   read more

So far the effect is subtle, not noticeable to the eye, and can only be detected by intricate chemical tests. But as ocean acidification increases, scientists expect more reefs to dissolve and become flatter, and that fish will leave. Also, increasing acidity eats away at the shells of the shellfish, making them easier prey for other fish and harder for humans to harvest. Scientists expected limestone to dissolve, but not until the second half of this century.   read more

FDA officials attribute the higher smoking rate in the LGBT community to the "coming out" process, which can cause anxiety and social stigma that may drive people to use tobacco. The agency also points to research suggesting the use of tobacco by gay celebrities encourages younger people to take up smoking. The federal campaign "is designed to challenge the perception that tobacco use is a necessary part of LGBT culture," said Richard Wolitski of the Department of Health and Human Services.   read more

While at Gallatin, in 2010 Kotek was named staff director of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, a group studying nuclear waste disposal. He was criticized by some in the nuclear community for recommending Mary Woollen, executive director of Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free, to serve on the panel. Kotek returned to the federal government in January 2015 as principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Nuclear Energy, a post he held until being made acting director.   read more