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

Thousands of oil and gas wells on federal land have gone without inspection at a time when drilling has expanded in many parts of the country because of fracking. The failings of the Bureau of Land Management has put the environment in peril, according to a GAO report. The agency was accused of relying on “outdated rules and guidancem” having “limited coordination with state regulatory agencies, and incomplete data on the location of resources and industry activities   read more

Members of the U.S. Congress want to be sure that the NSA will never again use “back doors” to crawl into Americans’ computers. Among the Edward Snowden revelations is the fact that the spy agency had engaged in weakening of encryption programs to facilitate access to computers for its surveillance operations. Now lawmakers hope.to amend the USA Freedom Act to restrict the agency from exploiting vulnerabilities in software to peek into computers.   read more

When Barack Obama was first inaugurated, he promised that his administration would “usher in an era of open government.” Instead, requests for documents under the Freedom of Information Act are increasingly being challenged or ignored by federal agencies. The Border Patrol has been denying requests for information, and both the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have released heavily redacted documents that had earlier been released with the censored parts intact.   read more

The enrollment issues with Obamacare are fixed, but the computer experts aren’t off the hook yet. More than a million Americans may be getting incorrect subsidies for their health plans, and problems also exist with citizenship verification. But since the government has no computer capability to address these problems, it will have to resolve every case by hand. Those whose subsidies are incorrect and who've been overpaid will have to refund the money to the government.   read more

A New Hampshire man is about to find out how good the sense of humor of his state’s police is. In 2010, David Montenegro applied for a vanity license plate reading COPSLIE. He was denied by the state DMV, who found it "insulting." He then appealed and lost. Montenegro applied again for the plate, but this time the state Supreme Court gave him the right to the plate. But the road ahead, on the streets of New Hampshire, may a tough one.   read more

Call them the greater of two evils. According to a new Gallup poll, Americans view the Republican Party with less favor than they do the Democratic Party. However, both parties are viewed more unfavorably than favorably. Some observers say this is the beginning of the end for national aspirations for the Republican Party. Democratic strategist Doug Sosnik said the moves the GOP is making to take the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections will doom them in 2016.   read more

The FCC has unveiled its proposed regulations that they claim would preserve net neutrality. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler acknowledged that “the potential for there to be some kind of a fast lane available to only a few has many people concerned.” But he said he rejects the concept of the Internet being “divided into haves and have nots.” Wheeler’s assurances were not enough to calm fears that the rules allow for faster streaming of big companies' online content.   read more

Educational technology companies have hit the mother lode of data mining. Each time a pupil takes an online test, or a teacher notes a grade, those firms know about it. And data miners are striking it rich. One report concluded that the U.S. economy could grow by another $300 billion if those entities make education more efficient. One data analytics firm, Knewton, is already tracking more than four million students throughout the U.S.   read more

U.S. Special Operations Command has asked for money to support troops’ physical health--via exercise and dietary advice--to help those suffering from depression and suicidal tendencies. But members of Congress argue the funding request of $23 million should go toward more mental health programs to help Special Ops warriors, like Navy SEALs and Army Rangers, who are killing themselves at a rate that exceeds that of those in the regular armed forces.   read more

Senator Harry Reid has crusaded lately against the Koch brothers, claiming their right-wing priorities represent a threat to ordinary Americans. The amendment proposal would reverse the Citizens United and McCutcheon rulings that erased limits on corporate contributions. “The Court has repeatedly used the First Amendment – not to protect the voices of all Americans, but as an instrument to amplify the voices of billionaires and corporations,” said Senator Patrick Leahy.   read more

China has used designs of the U.S. Capitol and the White House as inspirations for various Chinese government buildings. The latest is a 4,000 square foot facility featuring the Romanesque dome and columns found on Capitol Hill in Washington. But inside the elaborate building are toilets for staff and visitors to use. It was brought to light by local farmer Wu Ketao. “I took the pictures because the toilet looked very luxury and reminded me of Capitol Hill,” he said.   read more

The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that people are entitled to have certain information about them removed from search engine results and websites. Executives at the Internet giants were shocked. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales called it “one of the most wide-sweeping internet censorship rulings that I’ve ever seen.” IAPP CEO Trevor Hughes said it will “fundamentally change the landscape...in the field of privacy [and] the information economy generally.”   read more

Some conservatives continue to insist climate change is an exaggeration or hoax. But the institution so beloved by the right-wing—the U.S. military—believes climate change is real and represents a serious threat to long-term national security. A new report warns that climate change could disrupt important military operations in the U.S., and flooding could jeopardize military ports. The Norfolk Navy base, for one, "would go,” said Gen. Charles Wald.   read more

Those who should use Truvada, according to the CDC, include homosexual males who have unprotected sex; heterosexuals with high-risk partners, and anyone who regularly has sex with an HIV-positive person. “This is wonderful,” said Damon Jacobs, who is HIV negative and has been on Truvada for three years. “When an institution like the CDC makes a statement, it makes a profound difference to the doctors who are ambivalent.”   read more

Legalized marijuana has a lot of people in the marketing world conceiving of ways to make a buck off a fast-growing industry. There are companies offering machinery that can transition the growing of marijuana plants into a mechanized state of mass production. Big corporations know the importance of branding, and some businesses may soon set up pot subsidiaries. “I wouldn’t doubt in five years we’re going to see a Super Bowl commercial...featuring marijuana,” said Greg Wagner.   read more

Between the California drought and earthquake concerns, fracking opponents have convinced about a dozen local governments in the state to curtail or prohibit fracking altogether. These include Butte County, home of California’s second largest reservoir, Lake Oroville, which has lost a third of its water during the drought. A bill introduced in the state Senate would establish a temporary moratorium on fracking while experts study its effects.   read more