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

Varricchio’s first ambassadorial post came in 2009, when he was sent to Belgrade, Serbia. While there, he advocated for Serbian membership in the European Union. By 2016, that country was a candidate member. He returned to Italy in 2012 as deputy secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The following year, he was made diplomatic adviser to Prime Minister Enrico Letta.   read more

The top 1% of earners managed to increase their share of the nation's income at about the same pace after their taxes were raised as they had before, according to a study that taps into a key debate in the current presidential race. That outcome suggests that wealthier Americans did not respond to the higher taxes by either working less or saving less, as many economists often say will happen. "The 2013 tax hike had no discernable negative effect on economic growth," Saez said.   read more

Environmentalists are outraged with the proposal to increase from 15 to 34 the number of states that could use Enlist Duo, saying the EPA sought court authority last year to withdraw approval of the weed killer. The EPA had cited information from manufacturer Dow AgroSciences that indicated Enlist was probably more toxic to other plants than previously thought. George Kimbrell, senior attorney with the Center for Food Safety, accused the EPA of "capitulation to the agrichemical industry."   read more

Ohio death-row inmates sued, claiming the law unconstitutionally burdens free speech, but a federal judge dismissed their lawsuit. Siler said the Supreme Court has never recognized a public right of access to government information as broad as that claimed by the inmates. "While the public's right of access under the First Amendment covers certain records...it does not follow that this right covers all information related to the proceeding," the opinion states.   read more

There may be a silver lining in the revelation that Donald Trump paid no federal income tax for years or even decades: “Trump’s scheming on his taxes has put a spotlight on a tale of two systems,” Wyden said. “The first is compulsory. You work a shift...the taxes come out of your paycheck... For the most fortunate, you hire a battery of experts, and you pay what you want when you want to, or even nothing at all. I think we can all agree the tax code is a dysfunctional mess.”   read more

For courts, social media may open up new doors to reach defendants and other participants in the legal process, as well as communicate with the public. But it poses risks, too. Deploying social summons has its own challenges. Just because an individual has an account may not mean it's active. It is also too easy for people to pose as someone they are not, said Prof. Andrews, who believes courts ``are putting much too much stock in social media.''   read more

It's a scary world out there, risk experts agree, but they say Trump and Clinton often focus on the wrong dangers. "I have not heard or read about any significant deliberations of the major risks that face our country today and tomorrow. Sad for the U.S.," said Prof. Bea. Loewenstein said climate change, "a problem that threatens the very existence of the human race," was barely mentioned in the presidential debates, usually in the context of Trump's questioning that it is even happening.   read more

For years, technologists have argued that online news would be a boon to democracy. That has not been the case. The internet is distorting our collective grasp on the truth. Polls show that many of us have burrowed into our own echo chambers of information. Now, in the death throes of an election that features a candidate who once led the campaign to lie about Obama’s birth, there is more reason to despair about truth in the online age.   read more

Dark money spending, from groups that conceal their donors, favors GOP candidates six to one. Just three groups, One Nation, with ties to Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; the Koch network’s Americans for Prosperity; and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, account for 67% of all dark money spending. "While this problem was created in part by 2010’s Citizens United decision, the 2016 data shows we have truly crossed a new Rubicon," wrote Vandewalker.   read more

"Bayer made numerous misleading claims to consumers about the safety of its pesticide products, including falsely advertising that they were similar to giving 'a daily vitamin' to plants, when in fact, they are highly toxic to honey bees..." said Attorney General Healey. She called the settlement "an unprecedented step from a major pesticide manufacturer to promote truth in advertising for consumers about products that expose bees and the environment to harm..."   read more

Children’s ability to maintain a healthy weight can slip when they are out of school, much like their reading and math skills. Experts note that in the summer, children do not have a strict, school-defined schedule, so they spend more sedentary time snacking in front of screens. They go to bed later and get less sleep (which can contribute to weight gain). By contrast, school offers a built-in protective structure for weight-and-fitness maintenance.   read more

Wealthy powerbrokers. Special interest groups. Millions of dollars pouring in to elect conservatives or liberals. It sounds like a typical election-year contest for Congress or a state legislature, but it's actually a high-stakes battle for institutions that were once considered above politics: state supreme courts. Political groups view control of the high courts as essential to either defending or thwarting state laws. And they are more and more willing to spend big to gain the advantage.   read more

The country's addictions epidemic has created a generation of children affected by their parents' problems. The number of children taken into custody has risen 19% over the past seven years, largely due to parents' painkiller and heroin addictions. Such children "cannot have what we would consider is a normal childhood," Wedig said. Placing the children of addicts in protective custody is costing taxpayers $45 million a year.   read more

There was a 100% likelihood that studies that found no link between sugary drinks and diabetes or obesity were funded by the beverage industry or were conducted by authors who had financial ties to the beverage industry. He said the findings were so stark, he wanted to ensure they were reported before the election. Schillinger's study is just the latest to knock industry groups for trying to sway the outcomes of scientific studies.   read more

Among children ages 1 to 4, hospitalizations for opioid poisoning increased 205%. For teens 15 to 19, hospitalizations rose 161%. Children ages 1 to 4 were primarily hospitalized for accidentally ingesting opioids, while the majority of teens older than 15 took the drugs with the intent to commit suicide, said Julie R. Gaither. She attributed the increase in poisonings among toddlers to parents or other adults within the household leaving pills within easy reach of young children.   read more

The company says the potatoes will have reduced bruising and black spots, enhanced storage capacity, and a reduced amount of a chemical created when potatoes are cooked at high temperatures that's a potential carcinogen. There is no evidence that genetically modified organisms, known as GMOs, are unsafe to eat, but for some people, altering the genetic code of foods presents an ethical issue. McDonald's has rejected using Simplot's first generation of Innate potatoes for its French fries.   read more