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

"Potential modern slavery cases were reported in fifty states” in 2013. Most of those in the U.S. reside in slave-like conditions because of prostitution or financial debts, and they can be found in many areas of society. “The report explains that slaves are forced to perform domestic work and home healthcare, they work in the food industry, as well as in construction, agriculture, nursing, factories and garment-manufacturing, among other sectors.”   read more

Two of al Qaeda’s top financiers are reportedly living with impunity in Qatar, according to U.S. treasury official David Cohen. Both men are on an international terrorism blacklist. They also have close ties to the country’s ruling elite. Meanwhile, the Qatari government insists it does not support terrorism, and it refuses to disclose any information about al-Subai and al-Nuaymi. Qatar is scheduled to host the 2022 World Cup.   read more

The IG’s 2013 audit report revealed that the agency’s IT operations had 6,000 cybersecurity vulnerabilities that needed fixing and it listed 35 corrective actions to be taken. Stephen Warren, VA’s IT executive, said that the 6,000 vulnerabilities isn’t really that large of a number if viewed in the proper context: “When you talk about 6,000 vulnerabilities, we treat them all as important, but when you look at it on the scale you've got to put some balance in it.”   read more

The employees who died had responded to a faulty valve that was releasing deadly gas throughout the plant. Inspectors from OSHA hadn’t checked the plant in seven years. At that time two violations for management of hazardous chemicals were issued. DuPont had been hit with tougher penalties by the EPA after the agency found violations of hazardous waste management and air emissions standards. The plant had also has been cited by Texas regulators for repeatedly breaking state laws.   read more

“The 113 plant illustrations...seem to depict no flora found on Earth," wrote Allison Meier. There are also "visuals of the cosmos, a small army of naked women cavorting through pools of water, and the arcane alphabet that has so frustrated linguists and cryptographers." One theory is that the manuscript was created to serve as a medieval guide to creating medicinal drugs. A linguist in the UK devised sounds to match the book’s unusual symbols and claimed that he decoded 14 of them.   read more

“It is unconstitutional," said Republican Rep. Steve King, speaking of Obama's plan to grant amnesty to millions of immigrants. But that uproar in Congress stands in contrast to how lawmakers reacted 30 years ago when two Republican presidents took similar actions. In the 1980s Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush each granted amnesty to illegal immigrants without the help of Congress. “There was no political explosion then comparable to the one Republicans are threatening now,” wrote the AP.   read more

The emails that could be put at risk are those relevant to the agency's “rendition, detention and torture programs,” stated the groups' letter to the NARA. “[The policy's] implications are potentially vast," said Steve Aftergood. "[The] CIA has an unfortunate history of destroying valuable records, and NARA has had a hard time imposing discipline on the agency.” As an example, Professor Cox cited the CIA’s “infamous destruction” of the Guantanamo interrogation videotapes.   read more

Data compiled by the NRC revealed aggravated assault increased about 8% because of right-to-carry laws. Researchers say that estimate may be low, pointing out that different models show a 33% increase in firearm-related assaults following passage of those laws. Further, “the totality of the evidence...suggests that right-to-carry laws are associated with substantially higher rates” of aggravated assault, rape, robbery and murder.   read more

In very little time, Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) has proven himself a prodigious fundraiser with a knack for drawing large contributions from industries not known to bank heavily on Democrats. The freshman lawmaker during the 2013-2014 election cycle raised from Wall Street the most money of any member of Congress: $1.87 million. Booker also proved to be the top draw from real estate groups, Hollywood, tech industries, accountants, and pro-Israel organizations.   read more

In his lawsuit, plaintiff Kent Bernbeck objected to this provision claiming it resulted in giving more importance to rural voters at the expense of urban ones. U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon agreed with Bernbeck and found the requirement violated the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment and equal protection clause. This was Bernbeck's third lawsuit in 17 years aimed at easing restrictions on the ballot petition process.   read more

The last president who was in office six years to veto as few bills as Obama was James Monroe, who vetoed one bill from 1817 to 1825. Even considering the Republican landslide this month, the GOP, the House and Senate would need a two-thirds majority to override a veto, and that’s not likely to happen.   read more

At one point during the Great Recession, the unemployment rate for men was as much as 2.6% higher than that of women. But beginning in September, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, men had a 5.9% unemployment rate while the women’s rate stood at 6.0%. The gap widened last month when the men’s rate fell to 5.6% while women’s unemployment was at 5.9%. Part of the reason for the switch is that construction jobs, concentrated among men, are starting to come back.   read more

The cost of fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been pegged at $8 million a day, according to the Department of Defense. President Barack Obama asked Congress for an additional $5.6 billion to combat ISIS. Defense News reported that most of this money will be used to train and equip Iraqi and Kurdish militaries, continue U.S. airstrikes and other air operations, and move troops and supplies through the region.   read more

The document argues that the nation’s largest organic farming industry wouldn’t be economically harmed by having to use pesticides because they could simply sell their product in the conventional food market. They would keep their official state organic certification, but couldn’t call themselves organic in the marketplace.   read more

Some APA members were displeased when the organization altered its ethics rules in 2002 to provide cover to psychologists working for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and who participated in harsh interrogation sessions with detainees. Essentially, the change gave psychologists permission to ignore ethical concerns if ordered by the government to help extract information from al-Qaeda members.   read more

The systems electronically mimic a cell tower, enabling law enforcement to collect location and other information about calls. When used in a small plane, they pick up information about tens of thousands of calls in one flight. Those familiar with the program say sweeps are being approved by judges, but since the orders are sealed, it’s unclear whether the courts are aware of the breadth of the systems’ coverage.   read more