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

Under the terms of a 1945 agreement, Mexico and Texas are supposed to send each other a certain amount of water. Texas’ share comes from the Colorado River, while Mexico’s originates along the Rio Grande. Each year, Mexico’s allotment is supposed to total 350,000 acre feet (one acre-foot of water is equivalent to 326,700 gallons). But the country has fallen behind on its deliveries, and currently owes 380,000 acre-feet to the U.S.   read more

The gender pay gap, which had been shrinking for 25 years, has stalled since 2003. Women who have never been married earn 96% of what men earn, but for married women the number is only 77%. The problem is worst among low-income women. They have fewer benefits, less access to child care and so are more likely to cut their hours or quit work altogether after having a child.   read more

Despite the growing popularity of pre-game toking, the Broncos organization is not yet ready to endorse this newer side of Sunday ritual. “Any form of marijuana consumption is prohibited on Sports Authority Field at Mile High property during public events, including in stadium parking lots,” the team’s website states, according to Powell. Colorado law specifies that recreational marijuana use is legal only in locations not open or accessible to the public.   read more

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R) has been stopped again by a U.S. Circuit Court judge in his efforts to limit voting in his state. Early voting and evenings and weekends are the time when many African-American and other minority voters go to the polls, often because they have no alternative because of their work schedules. Husted also tried to limit voting hours in the 2012 election, but was stopped by Economus that time as well.   read more

As is so often the case with late Friday news releases, there is more to the story than meets the eye. Although the move by the Obama administration appears to be a positive step towards transparency, crucial sections of the memos remain censored. At issue is the fact that the program actually went beyond monitoring foreign conversations and included the bulk collection of emails from Americans with no connection to terrorism.   read more

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in Louisiana tagged BP with the bulk of the responsibility for the disaster that killed 11 workers and dumped millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. In liability terms, Barbier found BP was 67% responsible, while Transocean, which owned the oil rig, and Halliburton Co., which performed cement work on the ruptured well, were tagged for only 30% and 3%, respectively.   read more

Only 20% of U.S. senators, 18% of House members, 10% of governors and 24% of state legislators are women, according to a Pew Research study. The research looked at the 2% of Americans who say they’ve run for public office at some time in their lives and found that group is overwhelmingly male and white. Eighty-two percent of those who have run for office are white.   read more

As Hughes and his unit approached Sistani’s residence, a crowd formed and began to get ugly. In response, Hughes held his rifle at arm’s length, muzzle down, and ordered his troops to take a knee and smile. Hughes and his unit then left the scene. He drew much attention, even being mentioned in one of President George W. Bush’s weekly radio addresses, for diffusing the situation. Sistani later issued a proclamation asking Najaf’s residents to cooperate with the Army.   read more

Efforts to expose videos and photos that documented torture at Guantánamo have been blocked by a federal appeals court in New York that sided with the Obama administration in its refusal to turn over the information. The case centered on the treatment of Mohammed al-Qahtani, dubbed the 20th hijacker in the 9/11 attacks. Captured in 2001 and held at Guantánamo since then, al-Qahtani has been subjected to torture and other harsh treatment during his detention.   read more

The report acknowledges that there have been many instances of problems in other states, but California is different: “Available data suggests that present day well stimulation practices in California differ significantly from practices used for unconventional shale reservoirs in states such as North Dakota and Texas.”   read more

Seventy-five Fayette prisoners participated in the research. Of the participants: —More than 81% of responding prisoners reported respiratory, throat, and sinus conditions; —68% of responding prisoners experienced gastrointestinal problems; —52% reported experiencing adverse skin conditions, and; —12% of prisoners reported either being diagnosed with a thyroid disorder at SCI Fayette, or having existing thyroid problems exacerbated after transfer to the prison.   read more

As chief of the National Guard Bureau, much of Grass’ time has been spent fighting to keep funding cuts from hurting the Guard’s readiness. Other issues that he has had to deal with are sexual assault prevention and ensuring that same-sex spouses of Guard soldiers and airmen receive the benefits they’re entitled to. In June 2014 Grass did a star turn with an appearance on “Late Night with David Letterman.”   read more

Awang Adek had hoped to be appointed Menteri Besar, or chief minister, of Kelantan if he was successful in the 2008 election, but he was defeated. He was appointed as a senator in 2009, maintaining his post as deputy finance minister. He was reappointed to the Senate seat in 2012. Awang Adek served as a director of several Malaysian companies before being named ambassador.   read more

The 2015 Women’s World Cup will take place at six Canadian venues, including the finals at Vancouver’s BC Place, which has artificial turf. Since FIFA rules demand that all games be played on the same surface, the entire event will be grass-free. But that has incensed many international soccer players because the surface changes how the ball moves and how the game is played and is responsible for more injuries than natural grass. The men’s World Cup is played on grass.   read more

Last year, the seven-person police force for a community of 1,000 residents produced 11,603 traffic citations, according to the Gainesville Sun. About half the town’s $1 million budget comes from court fines. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement says it will investigate charges by Waldo officers that Police Chief Mike Szabo and City Manager Kim Worley ordered them each to write 12 tickets during each 12-hour shift.   read more

More recently, Rixey was deputy program executive officer of Air Anti-Submarine Warfare and Advanced Sensors Programs and vice commander of Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. His last assignment before moving to DSCA was as deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for International Programs and director of the Navy International Programs Office.   read more