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

Robot designer William Cohen said that robot was built to save lives instead of ending them. Although he was relieved the killing of the armed suspect in Dallas assured that no other officers or bystanders would be harmed, Cohen says he's worried about what might happen next: "It opens a whole new set of questions of how to deal with these kinds of situations. "Where are the police going to draw the line when trying to decide between continuing to negotiate and doing something like this?"   read more

Prof. Glass saw a student display animosity toward her assistant. If the gun law had been in effect, Glass says, it "would have left her hesitant to confront the student." Prof. Carter has been threatened by students with mental health issues. "All this would be made even worse were guns allowed into the classroom," she says. The professors say their right to self-defense is infringed by being "forced to allow handguns in their classroom."   read more

At least eight inmates were in a basement holding cell when the lone guard slumped and fell. Inmates yelled for help, broke out of the cell and banged on doors. Sheriff's deputies rushed to the basement, corralled the inmates back into the cell and summoned paramedics, who revived the guard. The June 23 incident was captured on surveillance video at the district courts building in Weatherford.   read more

The legislation sets an annual allowance of $200,000 a year for travel, staff and office costs that have become a standard part of life after the Oval Office. For former presidents who make money through books, speaking fees and other ventures, the allowance is reduced for every dollar in outside income in excess of $400,000. Both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, like other former presidents before them, have earned millions in speaking fees since leaving office.   read more

The Bahamas on Friday issued a rare travel advisory for any of its citizens visiting the U.S., recommending that young men in particular take care in cities affected by recent tensions over police shootings. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns visitors to "exercise appropriate caution" in light of recent episodes involving police officers and black men. "In particular young males are asked to exercise extreme caution... Do not be confrontational and cooperate," said the statement.   read more

American will spend $5 million on the changes, said the airline's chief operating officer, Robert Isom, in a letter to employees. He said neither the increased automation nor CT scanners will solve TSA's problems, "but they are both huge steps in the right direction." The use of CT technology at airport checkpoints would eliminate the need for screeners to examine X-ray images of every bag. It could also let travelers leave liquids and laptops in their carry-on bags.   read more

Hornung said that he suffered concussions and subconcussive brain traumas while wearing Riddell's plastic helmets, "supposedly to better protect his head and brain." The helmets provided no brain protection at all, but players "were led to believe that the innovative helmets would do so," Hornung adds. Riddell "knew of the long-term effects of brain traumas sustained by football players while wearing [its] supposed protective equipment," but never warned players that they were in danger.   read more

The statistics probably reflect that Americans tend to drive more miles and for longer periods, said Dr. Guohua Li. "The more you're on the road, the more you're exposed to the potential for a crash," agreed Erin Sauber-Schatz, lead author of the CDC report. U.S. drivers also more often speed, drive drunk and take other risks, Li said. The U.S. toll went up last year to 35,200, as drivers racked up more miles behind the wheel as a result of an improved economy and lower gas prices.   read more

Mara was sent overseas again in 2008 as counselor in the Fiji embassy in Brussels, but returned home the following year to become the ministry’s Permanent Secretary. In 2011, Mara was made High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, with concurrent responsibilities as ambassador to Germany, Denmark, Israel, Ireland and the Holy See.   read more

Police arrest more than 1.2 million people a year in the U.S. on charges of illegal drug possession. Field tests help them move quickly from suspicion to conviction. But the kits are far from reliable. The tests seem simple, but a lot can go wrong. Some use a chemical which turns blue when exposed to cocaine. But it also turns blue when exposed to more than 80 other compounds, including certain acne medications and common household cleaners.   read more

Immigration agents never told them they had to file for asylum within one year after they entered the country, nor did they present a viable path for meeting that deadline. "Plaintiffs' ability to seek asylum has been thwarted by a government process that is anything but fair; indeed, it conflicts with fundamental notions of due process..." the complaint states. The 1996 law created an expedited removal process for undocumented immigrants caught within 100 miles of the border.   read more

Prescription drug costs have spiked in the U.S. in the last decade, straining the budgets of insurers and state and federal health programs and becoming a hot issue in Congress and the presidential race. Specialty drugs were once a small niche, generally injected drugs for cancer and complex chronic conditions that required refrigeration, extra oversight by nurses and preauthorization for insurance coverage. That's changed amid the surge of very pricey treatments approved in recent years.   read more

The U.S., Singapore, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Israel are getting the biggest bang for their buck in economic and digital innovation. The Geneva-based World Economic Forum says in its new Global Information Technology Report that trends suggest individuals, not business or government, are driving the digital revolution and an already large gap in infrastructure between rich and developing countries is widening.   read more

Sada is certainly aware of his charge to counter the negative statements Trump has made about Mexico. Sada’s predecessor, Miguel Basañez Ebergenyi, had been criticized for his lackluster response to Trump’s disparaging remarks about Mexican undocumented immigrants. Consequently, President Enrique Peña Nieto nominated Sada to replace Basañez. “We need to do a more thorough job so that people understand what (Mexico) contributes,” Sada said after being sworn in.   read more

“This isn’t an estimate, this is the answer,” said the VA's Dr. Shulkin. Hardest hit were young veterans. The suicide rate for vets age 18-29 was 86 deaths per 100,000 for men and 33 per 100,000 for women — much higher than previous estimates, and almost twice as high as other age groups. Women were also disproportionately hit. Though female vets commit suicide at lower rates than males, those under 30 are more than six times as likely to take their own lives as women in the civilian world.   read more

The study has concluded what many people have long thought, but which could not be proved because of a lack of data: African-Americans are far more likely than other groups to be the victims of use of force by the police. The report largely refutes explanations from some police officials that blacks are more likely to be subjected to police force because they are more frequently involved in criminal activity. Black activists said the study was far from surprising.   read more