Trump said, “We need people to be afraid. Right now many Americans are surprised when protestors are killed, but they’ll get used to it.” Trump did add one suggestion: “Try not to kill white people. That gets too much attention. Stick to protestors of other colors.”   read more

After a year in prison on a drug possession charge, Barry Hazle Jr. was ordered into a 12-step program run by Westcare. The program included references to a “higher power” and God. Hazle requested another program, but was told there were none. A federal judge ruled that Hazle’s civil rights were violated by making him attend a program that conflicted with his beliefs. He will receive $1 million from the state and $925,000 from Westcare.   read more

Climate changes are likely to cause numerous negative consequences that will demand the attention of U.S. armed forces, including more risks of terrorism, food shortages, disease and poverty, according to a new Pentagon report. Drought and weather changes may produce unrest in volatile regions like the Middle East. That’s why the military will start amending its strategic planning for warfare in order to better respond to crises brought on by or exacerbated by climate change.   read more

One would think that if more than a billion stolen dollars could be retrieved, the U.S. government would pursue a good lead. But successive presidential administrations have chosen not to investigate it. It was the mission of Stuart W. Bowen to find out where the funds went. When he heard that the cash had been shipped to Lebanon and hidden in a bunker, he told the FBI and CIA. But neither agency pursued it. Bowen attempted to go to Lebanon himself, but was forbidden to do so by his bosses.   read more

Some military observers say the Pentagon may be increasing air support missions to help American ground forces pull out of forward operating bases and prepare to ship home. Other experts say more U.S. bombing attacks may become a regular part of the strategy in Afghanistan to compensate for fewer troops starting next year, when only 12,500 will remain behind to help Afghan security forces handle the brunt of the war against insurgents.   read more

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has faulted budget cuts, and thus Congress, for the lack of an Ebola vaccine. In fact, the lack of funding has forced NIH to slow all its research. Even now, with the media frenzy over two cases of Ebola occurring in the U.S., there is little action on Capitol Hill to provide NIH with emergency supplemental funding. “Nobody seems enthusiastic about that,” Collins said.   read more

Hundreds of millions of pounds of pharmaceuticals are dumped into wastewater systems each year, posing serious threats to many species and ecosystems, researchers say. They are often disposed of by hospitals, nursing homes, prisons and other facilities where people are on medication. There’s currently no rule that forbids this practice and as a result, some facilities dispose of 1,000 or more pills a month in this way. Even trace amount of drugs can have a negative effect on wildlife.   read more

A law that allows police to confiscate money from people not charged with a crime has netted hundreds of millions of dollars that they have spent on weapons, armored cars and even entertainment. The list includes Humvees, a helicopter, automatic weapons, gas grenades, night-vision scopes, sniper gear, a coffee pot and the booking of at least one clown. “All of this is fundamentally at odds with the U.S. Constitution,” said Brad Cates, who was in charge of the program from 1985 to 1989.   read more

An analysis of more than 1,200 fatal police shootings over a two-year period "certainly seems to support what has been an article of faith in the African American community for decades: Blacks are being killed at disturbing rates when set against the rest of the American population,” ProPublica reports. Not all law enforcement agencies report their shootings to the FBI, so it’s likely that the numbers actually understate the number of people killed by police.   read more

For the first time since the no-fly list was set up after the 9/11 attacks, officials in Washington have publicly acknowledged to some who had been prohibited from getting on a commercial airliner that they were on the list. Seven people were officially identified as being on the list and removed from it, but only after Homeland Security lost a court fight to keep those names a secret. One of those seven, Abe Mashal, declared: “Today, I learned I have my freedoms back.”   read more

There’s only so much of the best of anything and Internet advertising is no different, particularly for election campaigns. Election strategists around the country have been planning to use online ads as well as television in their campaigns. But in some markets, only campaign managers who thought ahead will be able to run their commercials without interruption on sites like YouTube. That’s because the most sought-after ads are limited in number.   read more

For network executives, the news was both shocking and unsettling, given that the ratings system can make or break a show—or a vice president’s career. “This is the equivalent of an earthquake. When you can’t trust the ground you’re standing on, it’s disorienting,” a network insider told CNN. “These ratings are the currency of the business,” said NBC's Alan Wurtzel. “Any time that currency is under suspicion it’s a concern.”   read more

Mention the NSA and visions of mathematicians and computer scientists working in windowless offices spring to mind. But according to documents leaked by Edward Snowden, the NSA also employs agents who work in foreign companies and physically compromise devices and computer networks. The documents show that the NSA has agents working in China, Germany and South Korea to accomplish this mission. Its personnel are also stationed in Hawaii, Texas, Georgia, and in U.S. embassies.   read more

Texas’ latest attempt to restrict minority groups from exercising their right to vote was a law that required certain forms of ID to cast a ballot. That law has now been struck down by a judge who provided a lesson in Texas’ long history of discrimination. Judge Gonzales Ramos ruled that Texas’ voter ID law had the same chilling effect on voting as a poll tax. Literacy tests and gerrymandering have also been employed to depress turnout of black and Hispanic voters, she wrote.   read more

The $100 million is more than a third higher than what was spent on congressional races at this point in 2012. The money is funneled to so-called “social welfare” groups. One of the most prominent spenders has been the Kentucky Opportunity Coalition, which promotes the campaign of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and targeting his Democratic rival, Alison Grimes. Other money is spent by the Koch brothers’-funded Americans for Prosperity and Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS   read more

The Pentagon bought 20 transport planes for use in Afghanistan for $486 million. The planes could not be kept operational, so 16 of them were scrapped at Kabul Airport and the shredded metal was sold for 6 cents a pound. “I am concerned that the officials responsible for planning and executing the scrapping of the planes may not have considered other possible alternatives in order to salvage taxpayer dollars," said SIGAR's John Sopko.   read more

In 2008 and 2012, Adams, at his home overlooking Lake Geneva, hosted lavish fundraisers featuring George Clooney to benefit Obama’s presidential campaigns. Adams’ co-host, Matthew Barzun, is now the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. Although Adams is a political, rather than career, appointee, he’s familiar with the Foreign Service. He was born August 25, 1947, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where his father, Charles C. Adamas, was serving as a U.S. diplomat.   read more