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

In their lawsuit, Pawnee residents say the 27 companies operate wastewater injection wells even though they know the method causes earthquakes. Oklahoma has had thousands of earthquakes in recent years, with nearly all traced to underground wastewater disposal. "We have clients who don't allow their children to go upstairs because they're afraid the roof will fall in on them," said Curt Marshall, an attorney for the residents. "There's a lot of fear; when is the next big one?"   read more

Shortly after Donald Trump was elected president, the Southern Poverty Law Center encouraged people to share details about potential hate crimes. By the next day, they’d received 250 reports – more than they’re used to seeing in six months. Then the FBI released its latest national tabulation, which showed a 67% increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes. Those worried about the consequences of Trump’s triumph have seized on these reports to express concern over emboldened white nationalists.   read more

A male group resident was beaten to death by his caregiver after being accused of stealing cookies. Employees abused a female resident by binding her hands and ankles with duct tape, covering her head with a blanket and leaving her on a kitchen floor for hours. In many cases, the health and safety of residents has been left to unlicensed and scantly trained employees. The death toll has risen due to caregivers failing to promptly call 911, perform CPR or respond to medical emergencies.   read more

After steady declines over the last four decades, highway fatalities last year recorded the largest annual percentage increase in 50 years. And the numbers this year are even worse. In the first six months of 2016, highway deaths jumped 10.4%, to 17,775, from the comparable period of 2015, according to the NHTSA. “This is a serious public safety concern for the nation,” said PCIAA VP Gordon. “We are all trying to figure out to what extent this is the new normal.”   read more

U.S. college admissions officials are worried that Trump’s election could portend a decline in international candidates. Such a disruption could be particularly worrisome for universities who balance their books with income from international students, who generally pay higher tuition. “It’s the main topic of conversation among my friends,” said Palak Gera, 21. “They don’t want to apply to the U.S. under Trump.” Said Aman Kumar, age 18: “I’m thinking of applying to Canada."   read more

The FBI, CIA and NSA have 60 days to comply with the order that follows a 2012 case in which the FBI disclosed its efforts to monitor Occupy Wall Street activities. The FBI shared information about Occupy's plans with banks, businesses and local police, even as it acknowledged the protesters' nonviolent mission. "The government should not be investigating its citizens simply because they've raised their voices in dissent, whether it's against government or corporate policy," Hetznecker said.   read more

The rule requires hybrid and electric vehicles to make audible noise when traveling in reverse or forward at speeds up to about 19 mph. The sound alert isn't required at higher speeds because other factors, such as tire and wind noise, provide warning. The new rule could help prevent about 2,400 pedestrian injuries a year once all hybrids on the road are equipped to make noise, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.   read more

It's a term sometimes used to describe the current political climate. Oxford Dictionaries said Wednesday that use of the term rose 2,000 percent between 2015 and 2016, often in discussions of Britain's decision to leave the European Union and the campaign of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. It's often used in the phrase "post-truth politics" and is defined as belonging to a time in which truth has become irrelevant.   read more

In 2013, Lalacos was named head of the liaison office in Skopije, Macedonia. There, he dealt with, among other things, Greece’s refusal to allow the country to call itself Macedonia. Lalacos remained there until being sent to Washington. One of his challenges will be to get help for his country as it deals with its refugee crisis, with thousands landing there and being forced to remain in camps.   read more

Voters have long worried about elected officials using their power to line their pockets and shape policies to advance their private interests. But rarely has an incoming president represented such potential for conflicts of interest. Ken Gross calls Trump's holdings "unprecedented" in size and complexity for a president, a "tangled web" of potential conflicts that would be difficult to unravel. As it turns out, Trump doesn't even have to try. Federal ethics rules don't apply to the president.   read more

The number of providers who topped the $5 million mark for prescriptions increased more than tenfold. The number of prescribers—mostly physicians but also nurse practitioners–exceeding $10 million in drug costs jumped from two to 70. “The trends in this space are troubling and don’t show any signs of abating,” said Tim Gronniger of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “It’s going to be a pressure point for patients and the program for the foreseeable future.”   read more

It's challenging because Twitter harassment often resembles online mob action, with numerous pseudonymous accounts ganging up to tweet vile messages at particular individuals. The alt-right movement drew national attention during the presidential campaign, especially after Stephen Bannon of the Breitbart website, considered by many to be the alt-right's platform, joined Donald Trump's campaign. Trump recently named Bannon as the White House chief strategist.   read more

The past months of Mihail Gofman's life read like spy fiction: Fleeing to Washington from Moldova pursuers, he gives U.S. officials information he claims links top Moldovan political leaders and possibly U.S. citizens to a $1 billion heist that gutted the tiny eastern European nation's banking system. Now he's holed up in Washington trying to make the case that Americans should care what happened in a little-known country 5,000 miles away — and to help it try to recover the missing money.   read more

Trained in public international law, Daddah served as head of documentation and the research center of the Moktar Ould Daddah Foundation, the organization founded in honor of Daddah’s father, who served as Mauritania’s president from 1959 until he was ousted in a 1978 coup. The younger Daddah also worked as administrative and finance director of Invest Consulting, which promoted foreign investment in Mauritania.   read more

For about $50, you can get a smartphone with high-def display, fast service and...a secret feature: a backdoor that sends all your text messages to China every 72 hours. Security contractors recently discovered pre-installed software in some Android phones that monitors where users go, whom they talk to and what they write in text messages. U.S. authorities say it is not clear whether this represents secretive data mining for advertising or a Chinese government effort to collect intelligence.   read more

"We will not accept proposals to roll back civil rights ... not on our watch," said LCCHR chief Wade Henderson. The selection of Bannon, a favorite of the alt-right and white nationalist movement, concerned many of the groups, which said they would be prepared to organize and mobilize if necessary. "This is not a good sign if we're talking about the unity of our nation," said Melanie Campbell, president of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.   read more