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

The U.S., with $596 billion in defense spending, and China, with an estimated $215 billion, led all countries in 2015. For weapons manufacturers, the nonstop pace of airstrikes targeting ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria, as well as Saudi-led bombing of Yemen's Shiite rebels and their allies, means billions of dollars more in sales. But activists question continued U.S. arms deals to Saudi Arabia as its Yemen campaign has killed civilians.   read more

The recommendations call for allowing drones to fly unrestricted over people, including crowds. Drone makers would have to certify that if the drone hit someone, there would be no more than a 1% chance that the impact would cause a serious injury. In other categories, the drones would have to fly at least 20 feet over the heads of people and keep a distance of at least 10 feet laterally from someone.   read more

The decision rejected a challenge from Texas voters that could have diluted the voting power of urban Democrats, to the benefit of rural Republicans. In Texas, and other states with large immigrant populations, urban districts include many more people who are too young, not yet citizens, in the country illegally or otherwise ineligible to vote. Civil rights groups said forcing states to change their method of constructing districts would have damaged Latino political influence.   read more

Tax inversions have sparked a political outcry. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said Treasury's new rules are designed to make inversions less economically beneficial for companies. Several Democrats have announced bills to make it harder for U.S. corporations to invert. But prospects for passing such legislation in an election year are not deemed high, given the wide differences between Democrats and Republicans on taxes.   read more

While SeaWorld's decision last month to end its orca breeding program delighted animal rights activists, it disappointed many marine scientists, who say they will gradually lose vital opportunities to learn things that could help killer whales in the wild. As SeaWorld's orca population dwindles, researchers will lose chances to collect health data and make other observations, such as drawing blood, measuring their heart rates and lung capacity, and documenting their diets and their growth.   read more

A vast trove of documents on offshore financial dealings of wealthy, famous and powerful people around the world is raising questions over the widespread use of such tactics to skirt financial oversight. The cache of 11.5 million records exposed offshore assets of politicians and celebrities. "It allows a never-before-seen view...at how dark money flows through the global financial system, breeding crime and stripping national treasuries of tax revenues," the ICIJ said.   read more

The Innocence Project, a legal group that advocates for the wrongfully convicted, examined 660 cases of prosecutorial error or misconduct in five states and found that only one prosecutor was disciplined. Convictions were thrown out in 133 of the cases. "There are almost no adequate systems in place to keep prosecutorial error and misconduct in check and, in fact, prosecutors are rarely held accountable even for intentional misconduct," according to the report.   read more

"There are countless issues that may be legitimately important to many customers, and the courts are not suited to determine which should occupy the limited surface area of a chocolate wrapper," Judge Spero wrote. More than 4,000 children work at forced-labor plantations in Ivory Coast to produce cocoa. Some children are sold by their parents to traffickers, while others are kidnapped. The children are threatened with beatings and forced to work long hours, according to the complaints.   read more

The total rise of the sea could reach 5 or 6 feet by 2100, the researchers found. That is roughly twice the increase reported as a plausible worst-case scenario by a U.N. panel just three years ago, and so high it would likely provoke a profound crisis within the lifetimes of children being born today. The situation would grow far worse beyond 2100, with the rise of the sea exceeding a pace of 1 foot per decade by the middle of the 22nd century.   read more

The aim of soda tax has been to reduce consumption of sugary drinks, said to cause increases in obesity and diabetes. But the message has been a tough political sell. Soda tax proposals, fought by the soda industry as nanny-state excess, have failed. This new soda tax pitch isn’t for the nanny state; it’s for the needy state. Governments are starting to think of soda taxes as the next sin tax — an untapped source of revenue that could help with other things.   read more

The IRS says it prevented $24.2 billion in payments to identity thieves in 2013...but paid $5.8 billion in federal returns later determined to be fraudulent. The GAO study called such scams a "large, continually evolving threat that is costing taxpayers billions of dollars per year." Commissioner Dan Bork said he understands the public might find it frustrating that their returns could be delayed, but "we would rather protect their refund than have it end up in the hands of criminals."   read more

Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington are among the states with active "Fight for $15" efforts, and even economic experts who oppose the increased rate see it gaining momentum. "In the beginning, it looked impossible," said Alvin Major, a fast-food worker and leader of the Fight for $15 campaign. But now, "what happened in New York, in California, it's going to spread around the country."   read more

All 50 states had joined the FTC in a complaint against four cancer charities, saying they wasted and misused $187 million in charitable contributions. Each of the charities claimed to directly support people with cancer - saying donation dollars bought patients medications, transportation to doctors and hospice care. The government said none of the organizations provided any such services. Instead, they went to "fund someone's lavish lifestyle."   read more

When the three officials who oversee the Texas Railroad Commission were searching for a new executive director, they turned to a former oil and gas executive. And when they needed a new chief lawyer, they selected a former coal company counsel. The moves typify a well-worn path from the oil and gas industry to the highest levels of the Commission. Many former agency employees are even advocating for companies they once regulated. Not surprisingly perhaps, the ties are mirrored in policy.   read more

The highest-ranking naval official charged in a bribery scandal has been sentenced to 46 months in prison for sharing classified information in return for prostitutes and luxury gifts. "[Dusek's] betrayal is the most distressing because the Navy placed so much trust, power and authority in his hands. This is a fitting sentence for a man who was so valuable that his conspirators labeled him their 'golden asset,'" said attorney Duffy. The judge said he "potentially jeopardized national security."   read more

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that 500,000 to a million people will lose benefits this year. Many unemployed childless adults with low incomes, most between 18 and 49 years old, could be cut off, starting this month. Food policy expert Dorothy Rosenbaum said that people could be particularly hard hit in Southern and Southeastern states, including Arkansas, Florida and Mississippi. Food policy experts see no immediate prospect that Congress will extend any relief.   read more