President Donald Trump invited the Dodgers to the White House. Many of their fans feared that the team, by accepting, would humiliate themselves and betray the team’s large Latino, Asian and African-American fan base. Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter, along with co-owner Magic Johnson, have proposed a solution. Trump has promised that if he can keep the championship trophy, the Commissioner’s Trophy, he will end all seizures and deportations of immigrants.   read more

Romney had used the 47% figure to imply there were a lot of Obama supporters who weren’t contributing their fair share to the government. But the Tax Policy Center, a joint venture of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, pointed out that about two-thirds of those who don’t pay income tax still pay payroll taxes, sales taxes and other levies. Only 17.3% of Americans pay neither income tax nor payroll tax and most of those are retired seniors making do with very small incomes.   read more

The bill’s sponsor, Democratic Assemblyman Luis Alejo, said it was important for his state to outlaw the name. “California has the largest number of Native Americans in the country,” he said in May, when the bill was passed by the legislature. “It’s time we as a state take a stand against racial slurs used by our public schools. This is part of a national movement and now is the time for us here in California to end the use of this derogatory term in our public schools.”   read more

In El Paso, where 20% of residents live below the poverty line, judges regularly send people to jail without holding a poverty hearing. Of 100 cases of people jailed for at least five days last year, not one showed that the judge had considered the defendant’s ability to pay before locking them up. “I just find this to be outrageous,” said professor Susan Crump. She said judges who jail people because they are too poor to pay are either “not knowing, or not able to read the law, or not caring.”   read more

The poll found 92% of Democrats, 90% of Republicans, and 79% of independents expressed support for politicians who know science. “We are living in a new age when science affects every aspect of public policy, and voters want candidates to give science issues like climate change, healthcare, GMO foods, and jobs in the new tech economy a higher priority," said Shawn Otto. “Evidence from science is the great equalizer in a democracy."   read more

One reason why the suicide rate is so high among ex-military women is they “are more comfortable with firearms — it’s part of the culture,” said the VA's Caitlin Thompson. It’s also the reason that vets are more successful at committing suicide than their non-veteran counterparts. Guns are a much surer method of committing suicide than almost any other. One reason for the higher suicide rate among female vets might be the incidence of sexual assault in the military, added Thompson.   read more

The new law eliminated punishments for possessing and trafficking marijuana, making it a minor drug offense or a fifth-degree felony.Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine responded by filing a lawsuit in state court to get the ordinance thrown out. Not only are the law's provisions illegal, said DeWine, the “ordinance encourages drug cartels to set up marijuana distribution operations in Toledo...[making the city] their regional base of operations.”   read more

“The underlying issue here is not that a college degree makes you a better driver. Rather, the least-educated tend to live with a lot of other conditions that can make getting around more dangerous. They own cars that are older and have lower crash-test ratings. Those with less education are also likely to earn less and to have the money for fancy safety features such as side airbags, automatic warnings and rear cameras,” wrote the Post reporters.   read more

While airstrikes against the rebels haven't been carried out by the U.S., the attacks have included U.S.-made weaponry sold to the Saudis. It includes 1,300 cluster bombs the Saudis obtained in a deal with U.S. defense contractor Textron Defense Systems, which made $640.8 million from a Pentagon-approved sale. The U.S. also provides intelligence personnel to help with targeting support, refuels Saudi jets with air tankers and provides search-and-rescue support for downed Saudi pilots.   read more

Of the nearly 16,000 ambulance services in the U.S. used to transport Medicare patients, one in five were found to have one or more questionable bills. The inspector general found that $30 million was spent transporting patients for whom a corresponding covered service could not be found. Another $24 million was spent on service to places, such as doctors’ offices, to which ambulance rides are not covered. Not surprisingly, the IG also found signs of overbilling via inflated mileage charges.   read more

De Sousa expressed surprise that it took Portuguese authorities as long as it did to detain her. “The interesting part of it is the timing,” De Sousa said. “Why now? When I came into Portugal I did not get detained. I have been here for several months and the Italians never asked Portugal to surrender me to Italy. When was it put into their system at the airport? Someone in Italy seemed to know I was traveling.”   read more

Hospitals also came under fire during the Iraq War under the George W. Bush administration. U.S. planes bombed a Baghdad maternity hospital in 2003, killing several people and injuring 27. Nor were hospitals safe under Bill Clinton’s watch. NATO forces bombed a hospital in Belgrade, Serbia, in 1999, killing four. Technical problems were blamed for the attack. Also that year in Nis, Serbia, NATO dropped cluster bombs on an outdoor market and neighboring hospital, killing three in the hospital.   read more

It’s one thing to make the EPA mad at you. But get the IRS riled up, and you’ve got real trouble. That’s the position in which Volkswagen may find itself in the latest chapter of its emission-testing cheating saga. The automaker certified its diesel-powered cars as being eligible for a clean energy tax credit for buyers in 2009 and 2010 and some 60,000 Volkswagen owners claimed a $1,300 credit on their taxes. Now some senators want the federal government’s money back.   read more

Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland called the new panel “a waste of taxpayer money and Congress’ time, much in the same way that time and money have been squandered by the Select Committee on Benghazi.” Rep. Gwen Moore said, “We know that fetal tissue procurement ... provides life-saving research for diseases like Parkinson’s, ALS... This is just another pathway to deny a woman a right to a safe and legal abortion.” Planned Parenthood officials called the committee addition a “five-ring circus.”   read more

Ohio tried to obtain sodium thiopental from another country but was stopped by the FDA. Nebraska has been looking for drugs in India. Other states have opted for execution methods that were long ago discarded. If lethal injection is not available, Tennessee intends to use the electric chair, while Utah has approved firing squads once again. Oklahoma and Louisiana are considering the use of nitrogen gas, either in a chamber or delivered through a mask.   read more

Sales of full-calorie soda have dropped 25% in the past two decades after a sharp increase from the 1960s to the 1990s. Americans are increasingly turning to other beverages, such as water, to quench their thirst. The sales drop has been fueled by increased concern about obesity, particularly among children. “The drop in soda consumption represents the single largest change in the American diet in the last decade,” wrote the New York Times’ Margot Sanger-Katz.   read more

In 2014, Rubinstein was made the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria, dealing with the opposition to the Assad regime. He replaced Robert Ford, who had taken a harsh approach toward Assad. Rubinstein’s approach with the insurgents was slightly different. Anti-ISIS forces sought his support for battling the extremist group before it took over Mosul. Rubinstein turned them away. Rebel officials started referring to Rubinstein as “the complaint box,” saying he listens to all and never responds.   read more