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

During the war, the women were considered civilians. But since 1977, federal law has granted them status as veterans. They had been eligible since 2002 to have their ashes placed at Arlington with military honors. But the Army ruled last year that the WASPs never should have been allowed in and revoked their eligibility. McSally's bill reverses that decision.   read more

Consultants' techniques to discourage workers from forming unions have become more sophisticated — more akin to modern political campaigns than workplace discussions. “Decisions that workers make about whether to choose to stand together are often influenced by paid consultants, or persuaders, who are hired by employers to craft the management message being delivered to workers,” said Labor Secretary Perez. “About 75% of employers hire such persuaders, and too often, workers do not know.”   read more

Anxieties run higher among Republicans in large part because of the ferocious and at times juvenile nature of the insult-laden campaign, which has featured taunts over character and even manhood. About six in 10 Republican primary voters say the overall tone of their party’s nomination fight has been more negative than in past campaigns. And 60% of Republican primary voters said the campaign had made them feel mostly embarrassed about their party.   read more

Doctoral candidate Ryan Shapiro sent Freedom of Information Act requests to the CIA, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency and the FBI looking for records mentioning former South African President Nelson Mandela, hoping to learn if the U.S. had a role in Mandela's 1962 arrest and imprisonment. The CIA and NSA blocked his requests, with the CIA claiming the search would be "unreasonably burdensome" and the NSA refusing to confirm or deny the existence of Mandela-related records.   read more

More than 40 millionaires in New York state have written to Gov. Cuomo and top lawmakers calling on them to consider raising taxes on the state's wealthiest residents to help address poverty and rebuild failing infrastructure. "(W)e have both the ability and the responsibility to pay our fair share," the letter states. "We can well afford to pay our current taxes, and we can afford to pay even more." Those signing the letter include Abigail Disney, Leo Hindery and Steven C. Rockefeller.   read more

Republican presidential candidates denounce "Obamacare" for a litany of woes. But some prominent conservative experts recognize that the law has increased coverage. The prospect of taking away health care coverage from millions of people could trigger a backlash if the eventual GOP nominee's plan to replace it is seen as coming up short. "Repealing the law without a plausible plan for replacing it would be a mistake," said a policy paper from 10 leading GOP health policy experts.   read more

The dolphin-safe labels are supposed to ensure that canned, dried and frozen tuna has been caught without endangering dolphins. Schools of tuna tend to gather and swim with some species of dolphins. Fishermen often have located tuna by tracking dolphins with speedboats and helicopters, then circling them with nets to get at tuna underneath. To earn a 'dolphin-safe' label, tuna must have been caught on a fishing trip that did not involve harming, trapping or killing dolphins.   read more

Trump business associate Felix Sater pleaded guilty in a major Mafia-linked stock fraud scheme in the late 1990s. Even after learning about Sater's background, Trump tapped Sater for a business development role in 2010 that included the title of senior adviser to Trump, and had an office in the Trump headquarters. Sater's criminal past drew attention because of his ties to Trump. But legal disputes over Sater's efforts to cooperate with the government also raises questions about court secrecy.   read more

Roberts couldn't have known how timely his comments would be. They now amount to a stern rebuke to Republican senators who refuse to hold hearings on Obama’s nomination of Judge Garland. “Look at my more recent colleagues, all extremely well qualified for the court,” Roberts said, “and the votes were, I think, strictly on party lines...and that doesn’t make any sense. That suggests to me that the process is being used for something other than ensuring the qualifications of the nominees.”   read more

The FDA said Monday that the powder added to some latex gloves can cause breathing problems, wound inflammation, and scar tissue on internal organs when used during surgery. Public Citizen petitioned the FDA to ban powdered gloves in 1998, citing allergic reactions in most brands. "The fact that it took the FDA 18 years to propose banning powdered surgical gloves from the market highlights how recklessly negligent the agency is," said Dr. Sidney Wolfe of Public Citizen.   read more

Two federal class actions claim the chocolate companies "turn a blind eye" to human rights abuses by cocoa suppliers in West Africa while falsely portraying themselves as socially and ethically responsible. Attorney Green told the judge that "we're dealing with very severe conditions on the Ivory Coast," where "something like 70% of the children who work on those cocoa farms are between the ages of five and eleven." He said if that information is not on the wrapper, "people won't see it."   read more

Before joining the Foreign Ministry, he was a journalist at the newspaper La Nation in Djibouti. Doualeh was made ambassador to Switzerland, the World Trade Organization and the United Nations agencies based in Geneva in 2006, posts he held until coming to Washington. A music enthusiast, Doualeh is a founding member of the cultural association ADAC, longtime organizer of "The Fest'horn," the largest music festival dedicated to peace in the Horn of Africa.   read more

. On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders has a favorability rating of +7, while Hillary Clinton has a rating of -13. On the Republican side, John Kasich has a favorability rating of +19, while Donald Trump has a rating of -39. Guess who are the frontrunners to win their party’s nominations?   read more

JPMorgan Chase announced two weeks ago that it would no longer finance new coal-fired power plants. The retreat follows similar announcements by Bank of America, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley that they are backing away from coal. Wall Street’s broad retreat is an ominous sign for the industry. “There are always going to be periods of boom and bust,” said Chiza Vitta, a metals and mining analyst. “But what is happening in coal is a downward shift that is permanent.”   read more

The district is offering blood tests of as many as 17,000 kids who were potentially exposed. "By the time school opened Wednesday morning, we were shutting off all water fountains and other affected sites at any school that had received a positive reading," Cerf said. But Newark's teachers union has criticized the state-controlled district for not taking such action in previous years.   read more

In 2005, Basáñez became chief pollster and advisor to state of Mexico then-governor del Mazo. More recently, Basáñez has been professor of values, culture and development at the Fletcher School of Diplomacy. When Basáñez was appointed ambassador, it created some controversy among some who pointed out he had no diplomatic experience and that it was his close association with del Mazo, a cousin of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, that accounted for his appointment.   read more