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

Not that Mohammed, who could be sentenced to death if found guilty, is likely to receive a fair trial, according to Wright. Mohammed was waterboarded 183 times and subjected to a week of sleep deprivation while being held by the Central Intelligence Agency. Wright further said the tribunal system is set up so if a defendant is “acquitted, they will not be set free.” “That is actually the very definition of a show trial,” Wright said.   read more

Schneider, a national trucking company, was sued by hundreds of its employees for labor violations, including not paying overtime even after some workers clocked 70 hours in a week. The business has agreed to pay $21 million to settle the matter. Fedex was sued in California because its drivers are classified as independent contractors to avoid paying overtime. The company lost its case, but is now appealing the ruling.   read more

The number of temps in the U.S. has reached 2.8 million, the highest ever recorded. Temps earn less than counterparts with permanent jobs, according to the study. Temps make an average of $12.40 an hour, compared with $15.84 earned by all private-sector workers, regardless of industry.   read more

Sentinel Offender Services charges offenders up to $100 a month for its services. Those on probation don’t have a choice in paying the cost, as the case-management and drug counseling services they receive are court-ordered. Washington state charges for jury trials—$250 for a 12-person jury, half that for six people.   read more

Legislation now awaiting approval from Governor Jerry Brown (D) would prohibit the use of single-use disposable plastic bags in grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor stores and other businesses. When supporters in the state legislature agreed to add to the bill a provision allocating $2 million to help plastic bag makers retool their operations to manufacture reusable bags, this tipped the balance   read more

At a recent meeting of the Winter Garden City Commission, Mayor John Rees ordered a local resident removed from the proceedings (video) after he refused to stand during the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance. Courts, including one in Florida, have consistently ruled that people can’t be forced to pray, say the pledge or stand during them.   read more

Aminta Cifuentes fled Guatemala in 2005 with her two children after enduring abuse from her husband including weekly beatings, rape and being doused with burning paint thinner. She sought help from Guatemalan police, but was told they wouldn’t intervene in a domestic dispute. For now, the ruling applies only to women from Guatemala and those applying for asylum will have to meet strict requirements to get it.   read more

An investigation by Fusion shows that 184 law enforcement agencies have been suspended by the program for losing the equipment and other violations of program guidelines. In some cases, the equipment’s not merely missing, but has been sold by department personnel. Most of the missing items are weaponry, such as M14 and M16 rifles, but some Humvees are also unaccounted for.   read more

The list released Thursday by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reveals 243 instances in which drilling contaminated water wells. Some of the causes of contamination were methane gas contamination, spills of wastewater and other pollutants, and wells that went dry or were otherwise undrinkable.   read more

The good news: Complaints about workplace discrimination by federal employees fell in fiscal 2012 by 6.7%. The bad news is that the Government Printing Office (GPO) still led the list of complaints with 1.22% of its workforce filing complaints, according to a report by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). It was the second year in a row the GPO led the list.   read more

Castro Ramírez was recruited in 2009 to become the chief executive officer of the San Antonio Housing Authority, which gives housing assistance to 25,000 households. There has been some controversy during her tenure. In 2011, local news reports detailed high travel expenses for Castro Ramírez and other employees of the authority. She was found to have spent five nights in a Washington, D.C., Ritz-Carlton hotel at taxpayer expense. The total bill for that trip was $7,400.   read more

Witnesses say the agents were harassing a swimmer who had apparently tried to cross to the United States and then went back toward the Mexican side of the river. When Mexican families shouted at the agents to leave the swimmer alone, the agents fired into Mexico, according to the complaint.   read more

China was the single greatest source of students holding F-1 visas; representing one-quarter of all foreign students. Next is India at 15%, followed by South Korea at 10%. These students don’t all go home at the conclusion of their studies. Many take part in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. Under OPT, F-1 visa holders may apply to work in their fields in the United States after graduation.   read more

After Roach failed to comply with an order to lie down on the ground, Sanguino fired nine times at Roach, who had allegedly discharged his handgun inside the bar. Roach’s gun, however, was not loaded, police later determined. Five of Sanguino’s shots hit Roach, who was hospitalized and is expected to survive. But one of the officer’s bullets struck bystander Maria Fernanda Godinez Castillo, killing the 22-year-old university student.   read more

. He was named the secretary general’s special coordinator in Lebanon, but left after a few months because of concerns for his safety. He was then sent to Georgia in a similar role and was head of the UN Observer Mission until 2009. He returned to Belgium’s foreign service in 2010 as its ambassador to the United Kingdom, serving there until being tapped for the Washington post.   read more

Al Kuwari was born May 20, 1958, one of 13 children of parents who could not read or write. Gaining a scholarship, he attended college in the United States, at the University of Portland in Oregon, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 1980. He joined Qatar’s foreign service the following year, with his first posting coming in Washington, D.C.   read more