According to aides who were present when Trump discussed the issue, but who choose to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, Trump said he was sick of Vance and wanted to fire him. “I wanted him to be my attack dog,” said Trump, “but he appears foolish on television. He dropped the college football trophy. He met with Pope Francis and the next day the pope died. Vance is toxic, and I don’t want him to come near me. He just doesn’t look as good on television as I thought he would.”   read more

Fatal drug overdoses in 2014 totaled 47,055, a 7% increase from 2013, according to figures from the NCHS. Heroin deaths, which numbered 10,574 in 2014, have tripled over the past five years. The rise in opioid overdoses has come despite local, state and federal agencies devoting “additional resources to cracking down on illegal drug traffic, more widely distributing the drug naloxone, which reverses overdoses, and sending users to treatment instead of jail when possible,” reported the Post.   read more

Research until now showed that people tend to get happier as they grow older, at least until age 65. But starting right after the Great Recession the trend shifted. Since 2010, adults have reported less happiness than young people, “reversing old notions of how happiness changes across the life span,” Stephanie Pappas wrote at The Washington Post. “My conclusion is that our current culture is giving teens what they need, but not mature adults what they need,” psychologist Jean Twenge said.   read more

Despite recent high-profile police shootings in places such as Chicago, St. Louis and Baltimore, it’s not a big city that leads the U.S. in killings by police. Kern County, California, is home to oil wells, country music star Merle Haggard and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. It’s also where America’s deadliest police forces patrol the streets. A new study shows that officers in Kern County, including Bakersfield, kill more people per capita than in any other U.S. jurisdiction.   read more

President Obama has called for more gun control laws on 16 occasions, which triggered an increase in gun sales and investments. Since 2010, shares of Smith and Wesson have risen by 400%. At the same time, initiatives for divestment of stakes in the gun industry were launched following the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School and the recent San Bernardino attack. Some of these are being sponsored by cities and major retirement funds.   read more

“Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds seemed like an ordinary American soldier, but he had an extraordinary sense of responsibility and dedication to his fellow human beings,” Avner Shalev told AP. “[He] set an example for his fellow American soldiers as they stood united against the barbaric evil of the Nazis.” The Israeli honor might not be the only one to be bestowed upon Edmonds. He's now being considered for the Medal of Honor, America's highest award that can be bestowed on a combat soldier.   read more

Even staffs of senators representing states with large minority populations have very small numbers of staff members of color. Among the senators from states in which Latinos comprise 15% to 45% of the population, only 8.5% of the staffers are people of color, according to the report. And of the 10 southern and border states in which African-Americans comprise 17% to 38% of the population, their senators have exactly one African-American top staffer.   read more

Democratic State Representative Stacey Newman introduced House Bill 1397 (pdf), which would require anyone buying a gun to complete a checklist of requirements, just like women have to do under state law before aborting a pregnancy. Her proposal would mandate gun purchasers talk to a doctor about the risks of gun ownership at least 72 hours before trying to buy a firearm. They also would have to watch a 30-minute video on fatal gun injuries.   read more

Thailand’s military government is investigating U.S. Ambassador Glyn Davies for his criticism of a Thai law that bans criticism of the monarchy. Davies got into trouble for a speech last month highlighting the prison sentences, which can exceed 25 years, that Thais have received for making remarks perceived as criticism of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is revered by Thais.   read more

"We used to be a balanced people. We used to be true to our values, but now we’re willing to betray our values because of a sense of fear? That’s not American,” said Marine Sgt. Emir Hadzic. “What the hell happened to that America I immigrated to?” Some say the climate in the U.S. is worse than ever since the Sept. 11 attacks. “The rhetoric is definitely different, it’s very alarming,” former Corporal Ibrahim Hashi told the Post. “And I’m concerned for myself and my family’s safety.”   read more

The board is to have nine appointed governors confirmed by the Senate, but Chairman James Bilbray is the only confirmed member. Sen. Tom Carper, author of a bill to overhaul the agency, criticized Congress for not confirming governors since 2010. “This is negligence on the part of Congress,” Carper said. “This would never occur in the private sector because shareholders would demand oversight from a strong board to protect their investment. Congress has failed to protect postal customers.”   read more

The Best Places to Work Agency Rankings, based on employee survey data collected by the Office of Personnel Management, put DHS at the bottom for the second year in a row. The office with the lowest score was DHS’ Office of Intelligence and Analysis. Right behind it was the Secret Service and the third worst was Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Two other bottom-ranked DHS offices were the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, and Customs and Border Protection   read more

The ranchers claimed there was no drought and so their animals should be allowed to graze on the land. But at least two ranching families involved in the protest received $2.2 million from a federal drought disaster relief program. “It’s another example of the hypocrisy,” said Laura Leigh, founder of Wild Horse Education. “They want to run full numbers (of cattle) and claim there’s no drought, and they want to collect drought subsidies besides.”   read more

About 20% of the task force's $766-million budget was used on accommodations for its 5 to 10 employees. The spending included a luxury villa, flat-screen TVs, mini-fridges and DVD players. Their meals were “at least 3 stars” and each offered “at least two entree choices and three side order choices.” This is the same group that spent $43 million on a natural gas refueling station, “roughly 140 times more than what analysts say the project should have cost,” wrote the The Intercept.   read more

Residents of Britain and Australia shake their head in disbelief at the U.S., where there seems to be no limit to the carnage before politicians will act to change gun laws. “The people of America want gun control. The gun industry does not. The gun industry is winning.” wrote Guardian Australia's David Marr. Another Australian, Nick Cater of the Menzies Research Centre, a center-right think tank that promotes individual liberty, called America’s gun policy “lunatic.”   read more

The BioWatch system consists of 600 air-collection units positioned at public places and special events, such as Super Bowls. Homeland Security spent $1 billion on the system, claiming it can detect deadly biological agents released into the atmosphere. That assertion has been challenged by the GAO, which says that BioWatch often produces false alarms because it cannot distinguish between “harmless germs and the lethal pathogens that terrorists would be likely to unleash in an attack."   read more

A man impersonating a member of Congress walked into a secure backstage area without being properly screened and spoke with President Barack Obama at an awards dinner last fall. Only five days later, a woman walked backstage unchecked at a dinner where Obama was a featured guest. And, according to The Washington Post, two people traveled past a Secret Service checkpoint without being noticed and reached the White House grounds.   read more