Imagine that China’s dictator, Xi Jinping, sends one million Chinese troops to invade the United States. Fighting breaks out all over the U.S. as U.S. troops and civilians battle against the Chinese invaders. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, are killed. Meanwhile, China has taken over Florida and declared it an overseas province of China, with Chinese nationals taking over control of the Florida government.   read more

From liberal Democrats to community bankers, opposition is lining up to President Obama’s choice for Under Secretary for Domestic Finance at the Treasury Dept.: Antonio Weiss. “Neither his background nor his professional experience makes him qualified to oversee consumer protection and domestic regulatory functions at the Treasury,” wrote Sen. Elizabeth Warren. She criticized Weiss for helping U.S. corporations relocate in countries that demand fewer taxes.   read more

In 2003, Lee went to work for Google as its deputy general counsel and head of patents and patent strategy. She advised the search engine giant on its acquisition of YouTube, participation in the Nortel patent auction and on mobile phone patent issues. Lee left for government service in 2012 to head the newly opened Silicon Valley outpost of the USPTO.   read more

More than 4,000 American cameras are listed on the website. In all, the site has webcam footage from people in 152 nations. Voyeurs can watch everything from babies in their cribs to college campuses to the insides of small businesses. The site also reveals the GPS location of each webcam along with links to a map. “[They claim] what they’re doing is entirely legal because they’ve hacked into cameras where the owners didn’t change the default password," said CBS.   read more

Since 1998, Rodriguez has been at Arizona State University (ASU). She first was an assistant professor in ASU’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and in 2004 was made associate professor in that school. In 2012, she was named ASU’s associate dean for student engagement in the College of Public Programs. Rodriguez recently completed a study of prosecution and sentencing practices of imprisoned drug offenders before and after Arizona’s mandatory drug treatment law was enacted.   read more

At least three people have died in New York State from shoveling snow during the extreme storm that hit the region—a higher fatality count than the number of people who have died from Ebola in the U.S. Once the storm ends, the media coverage of it will melt away. But the reporting frenzy over Ebola could continue indefinitely. However, shoveling snow is a bigger health problem for Americans than Ebola. Dr. Franklin said the annual number of deaths from shoveling snow might be close to 200.   read more

Oops, they did it again. The Republican Party, despite vowing to be more inclusive of women and minorities, has chosen white men to lead all but one House committee. Over in the Senate, all but one standing committee will be led by a man. “Republicans promised to be more welcoming to women—but passed over women to give every single new committee chairmanship to a white man,” Spokeswoman Emily Bittner at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said in a statement.   read more

The commission recommended that the federal government create a way for police and firefighters from different jurisdictions to communicate with each other in a crisis—something they couldn’t do during the response to the 9/11 attacks. Congress authorized the FCC to reserve certain broadcast frequencies for public safety use. The FCC auctioned off a band of wireless frequencies to telecommunications companies, which netted more than $11 billion to establish the network, FirstNet.   read more

The focus of the controversy is the Border Patrol’s Sandusky Bay Station, which has disproportionately targeted Hispanics since 2008, the plaintiffs say. Professor Kara Joyner says 85% of those arrested by Sandusky Bay agents have been Hispanic, even though the minority group makes up only 3% of the local population. Emails obtained as a result of the lawsuit show that Cory Bammer, who’s in charge of the Sandusky Bay office, has used racial slurs to refer to Latino workers.   read more

Prosecutors won their case against Jackson by relying on the testimony of then 13-year-old Edward Vernon—who recently admitted he lied under pressure from police about what he saw on May 19, 1975, the day Franks was shot and killed. “The detective said that I was too young to go to jail, but he would arrest my parents for perjury because I was backing out,” Vernon said. “My mom was sick at that time, and that really scared me. I didn’t want my parents to get in trouble over this.”   read more

While some would argue the salaries of the chief executives were too high, the point of the Institute’s report is the many tax credits, loopholes and deductions that allow businesses to reduce their tax bill and in some cases, get money back from the federal government. Boeing had the highest CEO salary of the seven, with $23.3 million going to top man James McNerney Jr. Meanwhile, the aircraft manufacturer and major government contractor enjoyed an $82 million refund from the IRS.   read more

A document from 1961 by then-Defense Secretary McNamara regarding development of strategic nuclear missiles was fully released for public viewing in 1996. But the version of the document at the National Archives has been “heavily excised” of key information … that, again, was made public 18 years ago. Similarly, another 1961 memo, this one from the Joint Chiefs chairman to McNamara was mostly declassified long ago. But the National Archives and Pentagon censored large portions of it.   read more

In the period from 2011 to 2013, employment among veterans of both genders of the wars was 79%, compared to 70% of nonveterans. Employment among male Gulf War veterans was 84%. Men who served in Iraq and Afghanistan last decade had a lower, though still impressive rate of 78%. Both groups of veterans were better off than nonveteran men, whose employment rate was 75%. Similarly, women who served in both wars have struggled less with unemployment.   read more

Police were suspected by a defense attorney of using the StingRay system, which can capture information about cell phone calls and users, to collect data about their client. So the lawyer pressed Detective Haley in court about how the department obtained certain evidence against the accused. The judge told the officer to answer the question, but the prosecution instead withdrew evidence, including a handgun and cellphone, from the case so they wouldn’t get in trouble with the FBI.   read more

Government installations covered by overflight restrictions include the Kennedy Space Center, the sky over presidential retreat Camp David, and the Bush family compound in Maine. But then there’s restricted airspace over Disneyland and Disney World, brought about by a provision slipped into a 2003 spending bill. Aircraft are also barred, of course, from flying over the conspiratorially-rich secret government complex in Nevada, Area 51.   read more

"Potential modern slavery cases were reported in fifty states” in 2013. Most of those in the U.S. reside in slave-like conditions because of prostitution or financial debts, and they can be found in many areas of society. “The report explains that slaves are forced to perform domestic work and home healthcare, they work in the food industry, as well as in construction, agriculture, nursing, factories and garment-manufacturing, among other sectors.”   read more

Two of al Qaeda’s top financiers are reportedly living with impunity in Qatar, according to U.S. treasury official David Cohen. Both men are on an international terrorism blacklist. They also have close ties to the country’s ruling elite. Meanwhile, the Qatari government insists it does not support terrorism, and it refuses to disclose any information about al-Subai and al-Nuaymi. Qatar is scheduled to host the 2022 World Cup.   read more