According to aides who were present when Trump discussed the issue, but who choose to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, Trump said he was sick of Vance and wanted to fire him. “I wanted him to be my attack dog,” said Trump, “but he appears foolish on television. He dropped the college football trophy. He met with Pope Francis and the next day the pope died. Vance is toxic, and I don’t want him to come near me. He just doesn’t look as good on television as I thought he would.”   read more

When is fracking not favored by the top executive of Exxon Mobil, the nation’s biggest producer of natural gas? When it’s near his luxury home. Exxon chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson has joined a lawsuit brought by other millionaires living in a tony Dallas suburb who object to the construction of a water tower needed for nearby fracking operations. Tillerson also showed up at a Bartonville Town Council meeting in November to protest the building of the 160-foot tower.   read more

Many Republican governors hate Obamacare, but some don’t hate the federal dollars tied to it. That’s why a few GOP politicians are asking Washington for money—provided under the Affordable Care Act—to be redirected into state-run health programs. Republican Governor Mike Pence of Indiana was an early critic of Obamacare. Now he’s seeking funding for the Healthy Indiana Plan, which assists about 45,000 low-income residents establish health savings accounts.   read more

Being a temporary worker in the U.S. can mean working at the same job indefinitely without ever becoming permanent, getting cheated out of wages, and facing a higher risk of injury. Compared with other developed nations, the U.S. provides few legal protections for temps. Congress has shown no interest over the past 40 years of adopting or even hearing proposals to better protect the temp workforce, even though their ranks have swelled to 2.7 million workers.   read more

The Obama administration’s plan to curb drug coverage for Medicare patients is proving very unpopular with interests who normally don’t see eye-to-eye. Usually in such debates, pharmaceutical manufacturers and patient advocates are battling against one another. But that’s not the case with the call for limiting coverage for certain types of drugs, including some widely used. Specific drugs that could be affected include Wellbutrin, Paxil and Prozac (prescribed for depression).   read more

Having embraced proposals that targeted illegal immigrants, Arizona lawmakers last week approved legislation that would allow business owners to use their religious beliefs to justify the denial of services to same-sex couples. Christian religious groups praised the move, while civil libertarians were outraged. “The Arizona Senate bill is blatantly unconstitutional [and] violates the requirement of equal protection of the laws," said Shannon Minter.   read more

House Republicans who oversee key scientific matters have hired a lobbyist from one of the nation’s leading oil corporations to serve as a key adviser. The House Science Committee, led by pro-oil Representative Lamar Smith, has brought aboard Stephen Sayle, who lobbied for Chevron, as a senior staff member. During much of 2013, Sayle led a lobbying firm that promoted Chevron’s positions on regulations governing clean pollution, ozone emissions and oil and gas development.   read more

Harboring fear or hatred of gay people can take years off someone’s life, researchers say. “We found evidence that anti-gay prejudice is associated with elevated mortality risk among heterosexuals, over and above multiple established risk factors,” researchers wrote in the American Journal of Public Health. “In particular, there was a 2.5-year life expectancy difference between individuals with high vs. low levels of anti-gay prejudice,” they added.   read more

The NRA has lost its first legal battle against the City by the Bay over the banning of high-capacity magazines in city limits. “Although there will be some occasions when a law-abiding citizen needs more than ten rounds to defend himself or his family, the record shows that such occasions are rare,” Judge Alsup wrote in his ruling. He added that citizens would still have the ability to own and use more than one magazine holding 10 bullets each if such a need arose.   read more

The myth that older drivers are more accident prone than other motorists is just that—a myth, according to a new study. A report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows crashes involving older Americans have declined, and that seniors involved in auto accidents are coming out of them with fewer fatalities. “That's likely because vehicles are safer and seniors are generally healthier,” the IIHS reported.   read more

The legal sale of marijuana in Colorado is bringing a new kind of high to state officials. It is anticipated the state will collect about $134 million in taxes, with much of the money expected to go toward substance abuse and public health programs. The state of Washington expects a similar windfall. That state’s officials are planning to collect about $190 million in taxes in the four years beginning in mid-2015.   read more

The repeal of Missouri’s law requiring a background check for all handgun purchases contributed to a 16% increase in murders in that state, according to a recent study. That study found there were 55 to 63 more murders each year from 2008 to 2012 than the projected rates for those years had the law not been repealed. “This study provides compelling confirmation that weaknesses in firearm laws lead to deaths from gun violence,” said Daniel Webster, the study's lead author.   read more

The use of food stamps at military commissaries continues to rise, with nearly $104 million in food stamps redeemed in those stores in the fiscal year that ended September 30. Those using food stamps are usually families of those in the junior enlisted ranks with children. In 2011, about 5,000 military families were on food stamps.   read more

On February 14, an alarm sounded at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico--an indication that radiation was escaping into the lower levels of the facility. Personnel were prohibited from entering. “It could be a mess,” said scientist Edwin Lyman. “If there is airborne contamination and it involves plutonium, they are going to need to decontaminate surfaces. If it is in the ventilation system, it could have spread to other areas.”   read more

In another consequence of Washington gridlock, half of federal employees are considering leaving their government jobs for those in the private sector, a new study shows. The online survey showed that the top three reasons for federal employees to consider leaving are the government pay freeze, the political environment, and better salary opportunities in the private sector. These attitudes are likely to have an impact on government’s ability to do its job.   read more

Improved surveillance is making it more difficult to balance privacy rights with the desires of law enforcement agencies. “If you turn your country into a totalitarian surveillance state, there’s always some wrongdoing you can prevent,” said ACLU's Jay Stanley. “The balance struck in our Constitution tilts toward liberty, and I think we should keep that value.”   read more

Lottery winners could be a jackpot for more conservative political parties, a new study has shown. Among lottery winners, about 18% were shown to have switched to a more conservative outlook during a given year, but only 13% of non-winners moved to the right. According to the study, “We show that an increase in a person’s overall household income in year is associated with a rise in their belief in the justice of the current wealth distribution in society.”   read more