Rumors are spreading that the U.S. Supreme Court will vote 5-4 to rule that a U.S. president cannot be prosecuted for anything he does while he is president. Some Democrats are suggesting that Joe Biden bring a gun to his first debate with Donald Trump. If he shoots Trump, he would be immune, but if Trump shoots Biden he would be prosecuted because he is not a sitting president.   read more

Fort Detrick in Maryland, where the U.S. biological weapons program was based from the 1940s through the 1960s, is suspected of causing numerous cases of cancer and other serious health problems for those living near it.   Randy White, founder...   read more

A tough job these days is the one that officials in Japan are doing to convince overseas buyers that their nuclear reactors are a smart investment.   Despite the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in March that forced more than 10...   read more

In one swift, controversial attack, the U.S. government assassinated two Americans last month, raising legal concerns about what the killings mean for the constitutional guarantee of due process for citizens.   The September 30 drone strike in...   read more

According to economists, the Great Recession officially ended in June 2009 and since then the United States has been in a period of economic recovery. However, the recession didn’t really end for most Americans, as poll after poll has revealed lar...   read more

The U.S. pullout from Afghanistan within the next few years will by no means include all American soldiers, or the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).   By 2014, the Obama administration plans to withdraw most of the military’s large-scale comb...   read more

The Obama administration’s top prosecutors in California are implementing a joint campaign to go after the state’s biggest medical marijuana operations, claiming businesses are flouting the law and making an illegal profit.   For the first two a...   read more

Federal investigators should consider reopening the 2001 anthrax case, according to a new assessment of the attack by three scientists. Anthrax spores, which were sent through the mail to media and political offices, killed five people and sicke...   read more

The environmental assessment that has helped green-light a controversial oil pipeline project from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico was performed by a company that had financial ties to the pipeline operator.   Cardno ENTRIX, an environmental cont...   read more

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has not enjoyed the legal success it anticipated after the U.S. Supreme Court three years ago affirmed the right to own handguns while striking down the District of Columbia’s tough gun-control law.   The N...   read more

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a little-known government watchdog of Wall Street, has been more than earning its keep.   Last fiscal year, the CFTC levied more than $290 million in fines and ordered firms to forfeit some $160...   read more

U.S. Representative Jared Polis has become the first gay member of congress to become a parent. Polis, a Democrat from Colorado, and his partner, Marlon Reis, announced the birth of their son, Caspian Julius, on October 1. It was not reported if...   read more

Experienced in both nuclear and economic issues, Kenneth J. Fairfax was finally approved by the United States Senate to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan. The former Soviet republic has been a focus of ongoing efforts to safeguard nuclear...   read more

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been secretly working on technology that can tip off law enforcement about those planning to commit a crime.   Part profiling, part advanced mathematics, the Future Attribute Screening Technology (...   read more

Republican Lamar Smith of Texas wants to outlaw the use of—or even just the planning of use of—drugs by Americans even if the activity occurs in another country where it’s legal.   U.S. prosecutors could bring conspiracy charges against anyone...   read more

Mexico’s crackdown on drug cartels has pushed more organized crime into Central America, turning Honduras and other countries into killing zones.   According to a new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Honduras has the w...   read more

The nomination of President Obama’s choice to be next ambassador to Nicaragua is in doubt over criticism leveled by two Cuban-American Senators, Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) and Mario Rubio (R-Florida), regarding Cuba policy. Jonathan D. Farrar, ...   read more