Trump said, “We need people to be afraid. Right now many Americans are surprised when protestors are killed, but they’ll get used to it.” Trump did add one suggestion: “Try not to kill white people. That gets too much attention. Stick to protestors of other colors.”   read more

Media sources and foreign policy analysts have questioned news reports that Iran has an intelligence ministry of 30,000 that is committed to terrorism and assassinations. The figure seemed surprisingly large, prompting ProPublica to investigate its validity, and finding that a terrorism researcher inflated the number.   read more

Coming just a month after the Newtown school shooting, owners of the iPhone and iPad can now download a target range game, thanks to the National Rifle Association (NRA). The phone app, called Practice Range, simulates shooting practice. Children as young as four can play the game.   read more

Fast-rising corporations from developing countries may become the most important players in the global economy, says Boston Consulting Group. These global challengers are outpacing corporations in developed countries in terms of growth, job creation, and productivity, growing at an annual rate four times that of competitors in developed countries.   read more

In 2011, the number of low-income working families increased to 10.4 million, up from 10.2 million a year earlier, according to the Working Poor Families Project. One-third of all working families may not be able to meet basic needs. There are 47.5 million people living in working poor families and the number could reach 50 million within a few years.   read more

The suicide total among military personnel was the highest ever recorded since the Department of Defense began keeping track in 2001. More soldiers committed suicide (349) than were killed in the war (295). The new mark shattered the previous high of 301, set in 2011.   read more

The Department of Defense faces tough decisions about its retirement system and health benefits in order for the U.S. to afford operating an all-voluntary military into the future. A study conducted by the Pentagon’s Reserve Forces Policy Board warns that the current system of pay, allowances, retirement, and medical care is too costly to sustain.   read more

A cyber-espionage operation in effect for five years has gone after targets across Europe, the United States, and other countries. The sophisticated malware, created by Russian-speaking computer experts and dubbed Rocra, which may be controlled by cyber spies bent on selling stolen secrets on the international black market.   read more

Airport screeners with the Transportation Security Administration checked more than 600 million people last year and confiscated both the dangerous and the bizarre from passengers. Among the oddities taken away were a chastity belt, eels, dead venomous snakes, and more than one samurai sword. More than 1,500 guns were discovered in carry-on bags.   read more

Economists at the Wharton School have refuted the idea that money can’t buy happiness, claiming in a research paper, “The New Stylized Facts about Income and Subjective Well-Being,” that money can purchase a happier state of being. They found a direct correlation between richer countries and people who are happier.   read more

Noting that the number of contingent workers has doubled in twenty years to more than 2.5 million, the report underscores Bureau of Labor Statistics data that they suffer higher rates of injury and death than other employees. Because contingent employees rarely have health insurance or even workers’ compensation coverage, employers are able to shift the financial burden of workplace injuries onto the public, and often skimp on safety training of temps.   read more

In a letter to Congress, Obama said American fighter planes “provided limited technical support” to French forces, but did not open fire while briefly entering Somali airspace. The planes flew out of Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, which has grown into a key installation for secret counterterrorism operations in Somalia and Yemen.   read more

A new report from the nonprofit organization Smart Growth America says federal financing and spending on real estate totals about $450 billion annually. A majority of the expense is a result of direct loans and loan guarantees. By far the largest program—at about $220 billion a year—is the Federal Housing Administration’s single-family loan program. Mortgage interest tax deductions come in at about $66 billion a year.   read more

Most lawmakers (56%) belong to a Protestant denomination, which has long been the case in Congress, although they make up only 48% of the population. Catholics account for more than 30% of the members of Congress, but only 22% of the population and 6% of Congress members are Jews, even though they make up just 2% of the U.S. population.   read more

The study from Sweden found that drivers tend to lock in on electronic billboards, causing them to lose focus on the road ahead and raising the risk of accidents. The Outdoor Advertising Association of America has tried to undercut the Swedish findings by pointing to an unpublished Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) report that concluded drivers are not at greater risk because of digital road signs.   read more

This portable device, also called an “IMSI catcher” or a “stingray,” sends out a signal that fools nearby wireless phones into connecting with a fake network. It can then capture all sorts of personal data from all of those phones, including location data that can then be used to track a person’s movements in real time. A stingray can be handheld or mounted on a motor vehicle or an unmanned surveillance drone. The FBI argues that wireless phone users have no reasonable expectation to privacy.   read more

Contrary to federal law requiring government agencies to issue government contracts only after competitive bidding, the Pentagon since 2000 has awarded $1.6 trillion worth of defense contracts to sole bidders who had no competition at all. Despite all the talk in Washington about reining in federal spending, this trend shows no signs of abating, as 20 of the most recent 35 Department of Defense (DoD) contracts, worth $257 million, were awarded after receipt of just a single bid.   read more