President Donald Trump gleefully announced that, under his direction, U.S. military troops had swooped down on the Governor’s Mansion in Sacramento and kidnapped California Governor Gavin Newsom. “We’re charging Newscum with fraud.” When a reporter asked for specifics about the fraud charges, Trump pointed to Attorney General Pam Bondi. Bondi, clearly taken by surprise, said, “We’re looking into it and will let you know the details as soon as we’ve created them.”   read more

An average of 50 children a day end up in hospital emergency rooms because of stroller or baby carrier accidents, and it appears far more of them are suffering brain injuries than previously believed. The data showed that the majority of the injuries occurred in children who were younger than 1 year old, and most of the injuries occurred when children fell from a stroller or carrier or when they tipped over. The head and face most commonly took the brunt of the falls.   read more

Two damning reports were released on Florida's 5,310 public drinking water systems. One in 8 were in violation, with contaminants like fecal coliform and chemicals exceeding levels safe for human consumption. Phillips said the decline began in 2010, when Gov. Rick Scott was first elected. The EPA had the authority for years to force the state's hand on violators, but hasn't. "More or less the EPA has become a toothless tiger — just look at how the EPA handled Flint, Michigan," Phillips said.   read more

After an outcry from older Americans, as well as a letter from two U.S. senators, the agency backed off the cellphone-based code requirement. “Our aggressive implementation inconvenienced or restricted access to some of our account holders,” said the agency's Mark Hinkle. Many people, especially older ones, complained that the requirement was unreasonable; fewer older Americans use cellphones, and some said they found texting difficult. Also, technical glitches hampered access to the site.   read more

She served as Deputy Chief of Mission and charge d’affaires in Caracas, Venezuela, beginning in 2011. Her tenure ended in 2013, when she and two other diplomats were kicked out of the country by President Maduro, who accused the three of attempting sabotage. “Yankee go home. Enough abuses already,” Maduro said. Keiderling was later accused by Cuban Raul Capote and by the official Cuban press of being an agent of the CIA. Capote claimed that Keiderling was one of his handlers in Havana.   read more

Paul Manafort and deputy Rick Gates never disclosed their work as foreign agents as required under federal law. The lobbying included attempts to gain positive press coverage of Ukrainian officials in the U.S. press and to undercut American public sympathy for the imprisoned rival of Ukraine's then-president. European and American leaders were then pressuring Ukraine to free her. Manafort and Gates' activities carry outsized importance, since they have steered Trump's campaign since April.   read more

"This is a long overdue step by the federal government, said PLN editor Paul Wright. "But for the federal government's bailout of the private prison industry in 2000 they would have long ago collapsed under the weight of their own mismanagement, ineptitude and corruption. We can now expect a flurry of lobbying, as the industry cannot survive without its federal handouts." Several states canceled their contracts with CCA after its abuses were revealed in civil lawsuits.   read more

The study found that a vast majority of the women are poor, African-American or Latino, and have drug or alcohol problems. About 80% have children. Most have been charged with low-level offenses, including drug or property crimes like shoplifting, but many are in jail for violating parole or for failed drug tests “Once a rarity, women are now held in jails in nearly every county — a stark contrast to 1970, when almost three-quarters of counties held not a single woman in jail,” the report said.   read more

The increase has been a boon to medical students and researchers, who dissect cadavers in anatomy class or use them to practice surgical techniques or test new devices and procedures. "Not too long ago, it was taboo. Now we have thousands of registered donors," said Mark Zavoyna. "Funerals are expensive. That certainly has something to do with it. Of course, it almost has this snowball effect, where you get five people to donate, and then their families tell another 25 people."   read more

The new audit confirmed findings of a 2013 AP investigation, which said EPA never conducted studies to determine whether air and water quality benefits from adding corn-based ethanol to gasoline. AP described the ethanol era as far more damaging to the environment than the government predicted. As farmers rushed to find new places to plant corn, they wiped out millions of acres of conservation land, polluted water supplies and destroyed habitat.   read more

The tests are more likely to have incorrect results in blacks than in whites. The study is likely to have implications for other minorities and diseases, including cancer. Researchers found that blacks are more likely to be told mistakenly that they are at risk. The misdiagnosis can have big repercussions. There is the emotional stress, plus time and expense of medical follow-up. Young people may be told to drop out of sports and told to have devices surgically implanted in their chests.   read more

Big banks are increasingly using the fine print of checking account agreements to restrict their customers’ ability to settle disputes in court, even though most consumers want to keep their legal options open. Over the last four years, the share of 29 big banks that use so-called mandatory binding arbitration clauses has risen to 72% from 59%. And of a larger pool of 44 large banks analyzed this year, almost three-fourths used the clauses, Pew found.   read more

Farmers — or anyone who uses water in a business — can ask the IRS for a tax write-off for what’s called a “depleted asset.” In certain places, water counts as an asset, just like oil, or minerals like copper. The more water gets used, the more cash credit farmers can claim against their income tax. And that’s just what almost 3,000 Texas landowners in just one water district appear to have done last year — a year in which nearly half of Texas was in a state of “severe” or “extreme” drought.   read more

The number of such jobs for newly credentialed lawyers probably shrank, Leipold said, because graduates are competing “with other junior lawyers for most jobs.” And there is little change in sight, he said, because law firms of every size will face a smaller head count “in the coming years and even decades” as law firms incorporate “growing efficiencies created by technology and business systems and increased competition from nontraditional legal services providers.”   read more

The proposed merger drew comment from presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who said, "I have a detailed and targeted plan to immediately put a stop to inversions and invest in the U.S., block deals like Johnson Controls and Tyco, and place an 'exit tax' on corporations that leave the country to lower their tax bill." The shareholder class action claims that Johnson's anticipated tax savings are the sole purpose of the merger and come at the expense of minority taxpaying shareholders.   read more

Climate change is never going to announce itself by name. But this is what we should expect it to look like. That is what many scientists, analysts and activists are saying after heavy rains in southern Louisiana have killed at least 10 people and forced tens of thousands of residents from their homes. That increase in heavy rainfall and the resultant flooding “is consistent with what we expect to see in the future if you look at climate models,” said NCEI's David Easterling.   read more

The disaster has heightened economic and spiritual pain in a region hamstrung by poverty and drought. The tribe is seeking compensation for lost revenue and psychological damages. “We cannot just sit back and let the EPA do what they’ve been doing, just doling us pennies,” said Navajo's Russell Begaye. “This river is the main river that gives life to the whole region, not just those who live around the river, but the entire nation. This is our lifeblood. It is sacred to us.”   read more