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

New Jersey’s loans, which currently total $1.9 billion, are unlike those of any other government lending program for students in the country. They come with extraordinarily stringent rules that can easily lead to financial ruin. Repayments cannot be adjusted based on income, and borrowers who are facing financial hardships are given few breaks. Most significantly, the loans come with a cudgel that even the most predatory for-profit players cannot wield: the power of the state.   read more

Thursday's report from the CDC is perhaps the largest U.S. study to compare suicide rates among occupations. It didn't explore the reasons behind the differences, but researchers found the highest suicide rates in manual laborers who work in isolation and face unsteady employment. High rates were also seen in carpenters, miners, and electricians. Dentists, doctors and other health care professionals had an 80 percent lower suicide rate than the farmers, fishermen and lumberjacks.   read more

The DEA has been ordered to release a list of other government agencies that use the so-called Hemisphere Project—a secret program started in 2007 in which the U.S. government collects data on nearly four billion telephone calls a day. However, the bulk of the requested documents sought by privacy group Electronic Privacy Information Center —including other possible private corporations besides AT&T that cooperate with the government on the program— remain under lock and key.   read more

A worker at a federal lab intentionally manipulated test results for years, possibly tainting research on toxic metals in the Everglades, uranium near the Grand Canyon and coal in Afghanistan. The manipulation occurred between 2008 and 2014 at the USGS Energy Geochemistry Laboratory in the Denver suburb of Lakewood. "We can only hope that this incident won't have a long-lasting effect on the agency's reputation," said USGS's Wade.   read more

Albania’s Prime Minister Rama was accused of illegally funneling $80,000 to President Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012 in return for a photograph of the two men together. Rama proudly used the picture at the time to show his affinity to Obama, only months before the parliamentary elections. “Premier Rama has no connection with any kind of illegal funding and the only ‘crime’ he committed in 2012 is that he had a picture with the U.S. president..." said Rama’s office.   read more

In one emotional exchange, Army vet Reginald Russell Sr. rose from the audience and accused the VA of ignoring anecdotal evidence that Agent Orange had harmed children of vets. Russell’s first son, born shortly after he returned from Vietnam in 1971, died inexplicably at 9 months old. His youngest son, born a few years later with a heart defect, died in 2012 at 32. Russell held up a photo of a grave marker: “That’s my child,” he said, choking up.   read more

The scientists note that neurodevelopmental disorders are complex and have multiple genetic, social and environmental causes. But most chemicals in use today were not adequately tested for safety before being allowed on the market, said Dr. Jeanne Conry. “Before we can prescribe medicine, we have to prove it’s safe,” she said. “So how come with the chemical industry, we assume everything is safe and have to prove there’s harm?”   read more

The groups said they documented 19 coalition attacks involving internationally banned cluster munitions, including in civilian areas. The rights groups argued that if Saudi Arabia is found guilty of war crimes, the U.S. could be complicit because it provides airstrike targeting information as part of its support for the Saudi-led coalition. A U.S. State Department spokesman would not comment on allegations of potential U.S. complicity in war crimes in Yemen.   read more

Financial inequality became even wider in the U.S. last year, with average income for the top 1% surging 7.7% to $1.36 million. Income for the richest sliver rose twice as fast as it did for the remaining 99%. Income inequality has been a rallying cry of the 2016 election, with more Americans turning angry about a shrinking middle class. Donald Trump has pledged to restore prosperity by ripping up trade deals and Hillary Clinton has backed a debt-free college option and higher minimum wages.   read more

The United Arab Emirates warned its citizens on Sunday to avoid wearing traditional clothing when traveling abroad, apparently in response to an episode in Ohio last week in which a businessman from Abu Dhabi, dressed in robes and a head scarf, was confronted by the police at gunpoint because a hotel clerk thought he might be a terrorist. Police videos showed officers drawing and cocking rifles. One officer could be heard saying, “There he is!” Another shouted, “Get on the ground!”   read more

Where a hospital is located and who owns it make a big difference in how many of its doctors take meals, consulting and promotional payments from pharmaceutical and medical device companies. A higher percentage of doctors in the South have received such payments than doctors in other regions of the country. Doctors in New Jersey, home to many of the largest drug companies, led the country in industry interactions: Nearly eight in 10 doctors took payments in 2014.   read more

The law sought to protect three beliefs: That marriage is only between a man and a woman; that sex should only take place in such a marriage; and that a person's gender is determined at birth and cannot be altered. It would extend protections to merchants who refuse services to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people. Reeves said the law violates the Constitution's equal protection clause by authorizing "arbitrary discrimination against lesbian, gay, transgender, and unmarried persons."   read more

Drug coupons are a clever marketing tactic increasingly used by pharmaceutical companies for a counterintuitive purpose: to keep drug prices high. By forgoing or reducing patients’ payments for pricier brand-name drugs, they ensure more sales for which insurers foot the bulk of the bill. In essence, it’s a war between two big industries trying to maximize their bottom lines: insurers vs. drug manufacturers. Patients, who often have no clue which drug is best, are stuck in the middle.   read more

Last year was the deadliest driving year since 2008, when 37,423 people were killed. It was also the year in which American drove 3.1 trillion miles, more than ever before. The information comes as tens of millions of Americans were hitting the road for the Fourth of July holiday, one of the busiest and deadliest days on the year on the nation's roadways. If people drove more slowly and buckled up, said Rader, "the increases we're seeing now wouldn't be as large."   read more

"The history of voter disqualification has disturbing features," Appel wrote in his dissent. "In southern states after reconstruction, voter disqualification on the grounds of being convicted of infamous crimes was used as a tool to prevent African Americans from voting.'" Voting restrictions for ex-felons has a disproportionate effect on black citizens throughout the U.S., including Iowa, where Appel says African-American disenfranchisement is "more than triple the national rate."   read more

Most Americans can sense the increase anecdotally given the ubiquity of smartphones. People stare at screens while waiting in line for fast food, riding in elevators or walking down the street. Retail outlets post signs pleading that phones be turned off. People check messages in bed before falling asleep, and reach for the devices upon waking up. An estimated 81% of American adults use a smartphone regularly. "I feel like I would be lost without it," Girao said. "My whole life is on it."   read more