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

The predicted $470 million shortfall will have to be made up by taking money from conservation, recreation and other programs. The report said that in the past 30 years, the fire seasons have increased from 60 to 80 days annually and the areas burned have more than doubled to more than 7 million acres each year. Firefighting has also gotten more expensive because there are more people living closer to forests.   read more

BioWatch is a national system that is supposed to guard against an attack with biological agents. The Generation 3 version was supposed to operate autonomously, save money and guard against a large-scale outdoor biological attack. But in 2013, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revised its thinking on such attacks, saying they were more likely to be on a smaller, yet still deadly, scale.   read more

In 2007, Rogers won his first star, being promoted to Rear Admiral (lower half) and being named Director of Intelligence for the U.S. Pacific Command. Two years later, he was named director of intelligence for the Joint Staff, earning another star in 2010. Rogers was named commander of Fleet Cyber Command/10th Fleet in 2011. That job came with a promotion to Vice Admiral. Rogers was named Admiral when he moved to the NSA.   read more

The iP1 works in tandem with a special watch, and can’t be fired unless a five-digit code is entered into the watch, and the gun must be within 10 inches of the watch to operate. The primary market for such firearms is people who want to prevent children or thieves from using their gun. Gun-rights advocates fear sales of smart guns because they’re afraid they will be mandated.   read more

Owners of relocation companies and rental trucks looking for more business should open up shop in Illinois, Connecticut and Maryland. About half the residents of those three states wish they could move elsewhere, according to a Gallup poll. Where are people happiest? Hawaii (no surprise there), Montana and Maine, where only 23% of residents of each of those states say they’d rather be somewhere else. Oregon, New Hampshire and Texas followed closely at 24%.   read more

The family court judge ruled that Daniel Hament, a veterinarian who took the dog to work with him each day and treated it more like a dog, should keep the animal. Laura Baker, according to the court, “is more doting and treats the dog like a child.” The court acknowledged “that either party would provide the dog with a good life, but that it would be better for the dog’s routine to let it continue to go to work with Hament.   read more

One of his more significant cases was the successful representation of the drug maker Merck & Co. in a lawsuit dealing with its painkiller drug Vioxx, which was later pulled from the market after evidence showed that it increased the risk of heart problems for patients.. Another case Thompson handled was destined to spur criticism of him as he entered government service. He assisted a Navy lawyer in the defense of Omar Khadr, a terror suspect held at Guantánamo.   read more

Right-wing factions took control of the government in early 1980, forcing out Zamora and assassinating his brother Marrio. Rubén Zamora then fled El Salvador, staying in exile for seven years. Zamora was often a spokesman for the rebels fighting for control of El Salvador, whose government was backed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Zamora was blocked by the Reagan State Department from entering the United States during this period.   read more

The fenceline zone is one-tenth the distance of a vulnerability zone for a given facility. African-Americans make up 12.2% of the U.S. population, but are 21.3% of those living in fenceline areas, according to the report. Similarly, Latinos make up 16.1% of the general population, but 25.7% of those in fenceline zones. The numbers are similar for poor people. Those in poverty are 14.3% of the U.S. population at large, but 21.5% of those living in fenceline areas.   read more

Nearly 10 years after its dismissal, a $10 billion class-action ruling has been reinstated against a leading cigarette manufacturer accused of misleading consumers about “light” and “low tar” products. In 2008 the FTC rescinded a four-decade-old policy dictating how cigarette makers could describe tar and nicotine levels in their advertising and packaging.   read more

Information not being disclosed about these groups include: Names of their chief executive officer or board of directors; issues of national importance to which ads refer; and names of candidates that the ads are targeting. Groups that failed to be properly identified included those with both conservative and liberal points of view.   read more

From 2002 to 2005, Whitaker headed the Cuban Affairs Desk for the State Department. During a visit to Havana in December 2002, he met with dissidents and was expelled by Fidel Castro’s government. In 2005, he was named deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela, another country with which the administration of President George W. Bush was at odds.   read more

He had his first posting to the United States in 1997, when he was named counselor in the Cypriot embassy in Washington. He later was named deputy chief of mission. Chacalli’s first ambassadorial posting was in 2004 to Hungary. That posting was followed in 2006 by being named ambassador to the European Union, a post he held until 2010. Then, he was sent to Stockholm as ambassador to Sweden, with additional responsibilities of Norway and Latvia.   read more

President Obama lashed out a Republicans over their vote, and other Democrats backed him up. “Their vote today defines their priorities,” said Sen. Patty Murray. “It is the equivalent of looking American women in the eye and telling them they don't deserve a living wage. It is telling our middle-class families they don't deserve a fair shot.” Multiple national polls show a majority of Americans support raising the minimum wage, which is currently $7.25.   read more

The NRC report found the huge increase in the number of prisoners held across the U.S. is doing more harm than good for society, making it imperative for policymakers to reconsider the tough-on-crime laws that led to this development. With 2.2 million adults behind bars, the U.S. not only has the world’s largest prison population, but it also accounts for 25% of all people incarcerated on the planet—even though it has only 5% of its population.   read more

Nearly 60% of the campaign ads aired this year by independent expenditure groups have been funded by secret donors, according to an independent analysis of campaign spending. Of group-sponsored commercials related to Senate races, 59% were paid for with “dark money”—the term used for funds spent by groups that aren’t required to disclose the identities of their contributors. The rate was nearly the same for ads for House races: 57%.   read more