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

A recent study commissioned by the county concluded that Turkey Point’s old cooling canal system was leaking polluted water into Biscayne Bay. This has raised alarm among county officials and environmentalists that the plant, which sits on the coastline, is polluting the bay’s surface waters and its fragile ecosystem. Samples of the water at various depths and sites around the power plant showed elevated levels of salt, ammonia, phosphorous and tritium, a radioactive isotope.   read more

The law appeared to be aimed at Planned Parenthood, which said on Friday that it could mean the end of birth control, cancer screenings, tests for diseases and other services for thousands of low-income women in Florida. Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement that the new law seemed “designed to rip health care away from those most at risk.”   read more

In a letter to the heads of the Dept of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, Reps. Lloyd Doggett and Peter Welch and Sen. Bernie Sanders urged the agencies to step in to cut prices for Xtandi, saying it costs four times more in the U.S. than in some other developed countries. They want the NIH to consider overriding Xtandi's patent, which would allow for Xtandi's price to be reduced.   read more

Republicans' bid to defund Planned Parenthood was vetoed by President Obama, but anti-abortion politicians are achieving their goal with an aggressive state-by-state strategy. Funding cutbacks are forcing Planned Parenthood to drop health screenings serving thousands of low-income women. "It's been a non-stop assault — with devastating consequences," said the group's VP, Dawn Laguens. "At what point do you hit a tipping point where it has same impact as if a federal bill had passed?"   read more

Federal inspectors found violations that exposed children to potential electrocution, poisoning and other injuries. Examples included kitchen knives and cleaning chemicals left in places where children could get them; peeling paint; a leaking ceiling; a blocked emergency exit; a broken toilet seat; and an unlocked gate allowing children access to a high-voltage circuit box. Many facilities also lacked required paperwork showing that employees had been screened for criminal records.   read more

The systems collect data on high-risk drugs that can be viewed by doctors and officials to spot suspicious patterns. The aim is to stop "doctor shopping," where patients rack up multiple prescriptions from different doctors, either to satisfy their own drug addiction or to sell on the black market. The White House has sent letters to all 50 U.S. governors recommending that they require doctors to check the databases and require pharmacists to upload drug dispensing data on a daily basis.   read more

The recent terrorist attacks have pushed many Europeans to favor greater powers for law enforcement over privacy. But opponents say such measures should not undermine the region’s tough data protection rules. Major countries in the region have landed on opposite sides of the debate. A series of European proposals, if approved, would give intelligence agencies renewed powers to compel the likes of Apple, Google and Facebook to hand over encrypted information.   read more

Colorado, New Mexico and Utah joined with the Navajo and Ute Mountain tribes — whose land is crossed by the rivers — to compile a plan to monitor the waterways. They will also test the sediment in the delta where the San Juan empties into Lake Powell. They will share their data and will train first-responders and water users about what to do in the event of a flood or other emergency. Separately, the EPA released an updated plan for its own water-quality monitoring.   read more

The sheer number of restrictions in Indiana’s legislation made it distinct. It holds doctors liable if a woman has an abortion solely because of objections to the fetus’ race, sex or a disability. It also restricts fetal tissue donation and requires doctors to have admitting privileges at a hospital or to have an agreement with a doctor who does. Law professor Dawn Johnsen said the legislation was “a clear attempt to interfere and harm and chill doctors’ willingness to perform abortions.”   read more

The likely consequences would include killer storms stronger than any in modern times, the disintegration of large parts of the polar ice sheets, and a sea level rise sufficient to begin drowning the world’s coastal cities before the end of this century. Scientist James Hansen argues that society is in such grave peril that he feels morally compelled to sound a clear warning.“We’re in danger of handing young people a situation that’s out of their control,” he said.   read more

For the last 13 years, the NFL has stood by its research. But confidential data shows that more than 100 diagnosed concussions were omitted from the studies. The committee calculated the rates of concussions using the incomplete data, making them appear less frequent than they actually were. These discoveries raise new questions about the committee’s findings, held up by the league as scientific evidence that brain injuries did not cause long-term harm to its players.   read more

During procedures like sandblasting and fracking, large quantities of silica particles can be released into the air. They can lodge deep in the lung, setting off processes that can lead to lung cancer as well as kidney disease, in addition to silicosis. Companies will be required, among other measures, to keep records of employee exposure to silica and to provide a medical exam every three years to each worker whose level of exposure is high enough to require wearing a protective respirator.   read more

In a complaint filed in federal court on Tuesday, the Gila River Indian Community claims the department owes them for health care provided to veterans going back to March 2010. Under Obama's health care law, the VA must reimburse Indian tribes for health care services to veterans who seek care from tribal clinics or hospitals instead of a VA facility. Gila officials say they have tried for years to negotiate with the VA and even sent a delegation to meet with officials in Washington, D.C.   read more

Before joining the State Dept in 1990, Sterling worked in New York City as a liaison officer in the mayor’s office to the U.N. and consular corps. His first Foreign Service posting was in Peru. In 1993, Sterling was sent to Belgium, but returned to the U.S. in 1995 to be a desk officer for Central Asian affairs, a region he would focus on through much of his career. Sterling was assigned in 1998 as a political officer in Kazakhstan, then in 2001 took a similar post in Tel Aviv, Israel.   read more

The panel concluded that disregard for poor and minority people contributed to the government’s slow response to complaints from residents of Flint about the foul water that was making them sick. The crisis “is a story of government failure, intransigence, unpreparedness, delay, inaction and environmental injustice," said the report. “I could not imagine this happening in an affluent community that was not a majority-minority community and the same reaction occurring," said Rep. Dan Kildee.   read more

The report found that unfounded frisks were highest last year for people of color: 62% of all frisks of Latinos, 57% for blacks, and 47% for whites. Further, blacks who were frisked were nearly 3% less likely to have guns or drugs than whites. ACLU-Pennsylvania executive director Reggie Shuford said that "communities of color" are targeted disproportionately by police and that "they are understandably fed up and demand an immediate stop to being treated like second-class citizens."   read more