President Donald Trump gleefully announced that, under his direction, U.S. military troops had swooped down on the Governor’s Mansion in Sacramento and kidnapped California Governor Gavin Newsom. “We’re charging Newscum with fraud.” When a reporter asked for specifics about the fraud charges, Trump pointed to Attorney General Pam Bondi. Bondi, clearly taken by surprise, said, “We’re looking into it and will let you know the details as soon as we’ve created them.”   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

The purchases totaling about 14,000 acres enable the Saudis to take advantage of farm-friendly U.S. water laws. The acquisitions have also rekindled debate over whether a patchwork of regulations and court rulings in the West favors farmers too heavily, especially those who grow thirsty, low-profit crops such as alfalfa at a time when cities are urging people to take shorter showers, skip car washes and tear out grass lawns.   read more

Concerns about corruption and child-trafficking have prompted the U.S. to suspend adoptions from several countries in recent years, including Vietnam and Cambodia. "The absolute reality is that unadopted children are the most likely to be trafficked," Johnson wrote. "There are tens of thousands of Americans...who want to open their hearts and homes to children... [Many countries] are begging the U.S. for help establishing intercountry adoption programs — and the U.S. has been slow to respond."   read more

The federal inquiry began in 2011 after allegations of police brutality and false arrests. Three years later, the Justice Dept issued a blistering 49-page report documenting findings including that 75% of pedestrian stops weren't justified and that minorities were stopped more often than whites. Additionally, the use of force by officers was underreported and revealed a pattern of theft of citizens’ property by officers in the narcotics, gangs and prisoner processing units.   read more

The decision also signals that the Obama administration remains committed to encouraging the spread of renewable energy, seen as a major component of reaching national goals on stemming climate change. Multiple companies are hoping to build high-voltage transmission lines to transport renewable energy produced by wind farms and hydroelectric plants to more populous regions of the country. The federal government said it could use eminent domain to acquire land if negotiations failed   read more

The report found veterans after 2001 were nearly twice as likely as Vietnam vets to be barred from benefits, and four times as likely as World War II vets. “It has gotten worse with every generation,” said Bradford Adams, an author of the report. The reason is largely due to the military’s increasing reliance on other-than-honorable discharges, used as a quick way to dismiss troubled men and women who might otherwise qualify for time-consuming and expensive medical discharges.   read more

The North Carolina governor's race has suddenly become a referendum on discrimination. Both campaigns are already using the law in fundraising pleas, and their supporters are reminding the public of each candidate's stand. With litigation expected to last months during this presidential election year, the fight is sure to rage on through November, touching on cultural and economic disputes as well as the pocketbooks of the swing state's voters.   read more

The plan to buy and modify the plane ended up costing four times as much as the agency's original $22 million estimate, in part because the DEA bought a model that didn't meet its technical needs and failed to keep the records necessary to guarantee a DOD subcontractor performed the right changes to the aircraft. The report called the program "an ineffective and wasteful use of government resources." A hangar in Afghanistan, specifically built to house the aircraft, has stood empty since 2013.   read more

Some of the country’s best-known corporations are nervously grappling with what role they should play at the Republican National Convention, given the likely nomination of Donald Trump, whose divisive candidacy has alienated many women, African-Americans and Hispanics. “I have talked to several people at companies who have said, ‘This year... we’re not going to sponsor any of the events going on,’” said Carla Eudy, a longtime Republican fundraising consultant.   read more

Many doctors in Utah and across the country worry that the requirement could increase the health risks to women by giving them unnecessary heavy sedation to protect a fetus from pain that it may or may not feel. Dr. Sean Esplin said anesthesia would need to go through the woman in order to reach the fetus. Doctors could give a woman general anesthesia, which would make her unconscious and likely require a breathing tube, or a heavy dose of narcotics.   read more

Emergency rooms find themselves at the front lines of the addiction epidemic. "It is unique that they're going to do a variety of measures to avoid" using opioids, Kolodny said of St. Joseph's. "In many cases, we're exposing people to opioids when we don't need to be." Other U.S. hospitals have worked to reduce the use of opioids, including chronic pain policies that limit their use, using prescription monitoring programs, and educating physicians to use non-opioid alternatives.   read more

Mike Glasgow,says he asked district engineer Mike Prysby how often staffers would need to check the water for proper levels of phosphate, a chemical to prevent lead corrosion from the pipes. Prysby's response: "You don't need to monitor phosphate because you're not required to add it." Glasgow said he was taken aback by the remark; treating drinking water was routine practice. "That one meeting was the difference between this city being poisoned and not being poisoned," said Lee-Anne Walters.   read more

Parts of Oklahoma now match northern California for the nation's most shake prone. Overall, 7 million people live in areas where the risk has dramatically jumped for earthquakes caused by disposal of wastewater, a byproduct of drilling for oil and gas. In a first-of-its-kind effort, the U.S. Geological Survey on Monday released a map for risks of damaging quakes in the current year. Past efforts looked at 50-year risks and didn't include man-made quakes.   read more

Advertising by Ascension Health will urge veterans to call about Veterans Choice, the cornerstone of the VA overhaul. Vets are wary of proposals to privatize the VA health system and fear that draining off patients and dollars could hurt the VA. Ascension estimates its efforts could lead to 24,000 veterans a year getting care, helping the VA reduce its backlog of cases. Some veterans groups are skeptical, however, about whether Ascension can live up to its marketing.   read more

The FTC's action is the latest blow to VW, which also faces more than $20 billion in potential fines for violating U.S. clean air regulations. "For years Volkswagen's ads touted the company's 'Clean Diesel' cars even though it now appears Volkswagen rigged the cars with devices designed to defeat emissions tests," said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. "Our lawsuit seeks compensation for the consumers who bought affected cars based on Volkswagen's deceptive and unfair practices."   read more

Attorneys general in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Massachusetts are investigating whether Exxon Mobil deceived the public about the effects of climate change. The investigations came as nearly two dozen state attorneys general said they'd formed a coalition to explore legal ways to combat global warming by filing lawsuits and briefs or by opening environmental, consumer or financial probes. Former VP Al Gore likened the approach to how states took on the tobacco industry decades ago.   read more