The nation's high school graduation rate has reached a record 83.2%, continuing a steady increase that shows improvement across all racial and ethnic groups. President Obama welcomed the higher rate as good news, but the gains come against a backdrop of decreasing scores on national math and reading tests. "More African-American and Latino students are graduating than ever before," said Obama. Gains also were seen for disabled students and those from low-income families.   read more

For a Manhattan designer trying to shine pacifist ideals from the window of her historic 17th-story apartment, the court cut the lights Friday, providing no justice, no peace. Vosse's attorney noted that this decision could spell trouble for residents feeling the holiday spirit. "Most New Yorkers would be surprised to learn that displaying an illuminated jack-o'-lantern, menorah or Christmas wreath from their window ... could subject them to significant fines," Oliver said.   read more

"The threats from persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals are well-documented," said EPA's Jim Jones. "The new law directs us to expedite action to reduce the risk for these chemicals, rather than spending more time evaluating them." The chemicals the EPA will expedite include two flame retardants, a chemical used to make rubber compounds, an agent that makes rubber "more pliable," and an additive to fuel, oil, gasoline or lubricant, according to an agency press release.   read more

While his wife was delivering the baby, Grassley was asked if they would like to hold their newborn after the procedure. So he held his son between his wife’s neck and chest, while a nurse took pictures. For this, the description on the bill seemed to suggest, he was charged the fee. Grassley posted the bill on Reddit and the story quickly gained steam because it seemed to underscore a national frustration with unexpected hospital fees and arcane medical billing.   read more

The judges asked how much the Constitution protects not only a person's right to wave a banner but also to have it seen. The pacifist symbol held special meaning on the turret of the neighborhood's iconic Ansonia building. Built in 1899, the Ansonia earned its place on the U.S. Register of Historic Places with its connections to social idealism and scandal. It had been designed as a residential hotel with a rooftop farm, a utopian experiment at self-sufficient living.   read more

There is no way to know exactly why certain medical specialties attract Democrats or Republicans. But researchers offered a few theories. One explanation could be money. Doctors tend to earn very high salaries compared with average Americans, but the highest-paid doctors earn many times as much as those in the lower-paying specialties. The fields with higher average salaries tended to contain more doctors who were Republican, while lower-paying fields were more popular among Democrats.   read more

Can physicians leave their own political ideology at the door during something as simple as a checkup? Republican and Democratic doctors differed significantly when it came to politicized issues. Republican doctors were twice as likely as their Democratic counterparts to say they'd discourage any future abortions. And Democratic doctors were 66% more likely to say they'd urge parents of small children not to store guns in the home.   read more

When a loved one dies, laws cover how their houses, cars, and other property are passed on to relatives. But the rules are murkier — and currently far more restrictive — when it comes to pictures on Facebook and emails to friends or relatives. Google, Facebook and other companies have said a federal privacy law approved decades before digital storage became common prevents them from releasing electronic memories or records unless the account owner grants permission.   read more

A requirement that edible marijuana products come with a diamond-shaped stamp and the letters T-H-C — not just on the packaging but on the brownies, candies and other edibles themselves — takes effect Saturday in Colorado. The rule referencing marijuana’s psychoactive ingredient was added after complaints that the treats look too much their non-intoxicating counterparts.   read more

The U.S Court of Appeals for the First Circuit shot down a New Hampshire law banning voters from taking selfies with their ballots, finding its limits on free speech worse than the photos’ vote-buying potential. New Hampshire prohibited citizens from photographing and publicizing their marked ballots in 2014, by amending a statute intended to block vote-buying and voter intimidation.   read more

A West Texas congressional district sprawls 58,000-plus square miles and two time zones, from San Antonio to just outside El Paso. Yet neither the Republican who represents it nor the Democrat trying to reclaim the seat actually lives there. The home of Republican Rep. Will Hurd, 39, is in Helotes, just outside the borders of a district that is larger in land area than 29 states. The challenger, former Rep. Pete Gallego, spends most of his time away from the district in Austin.   read more

For decades, College Republicans have drawn ridicule from — and defined themselves against — the more liberal masses on college campuses. But this year has been especially nightmarish for CRs, as they call themselves. The nomination of Donald Trump, who has attacked their conservative heroes and esteemed alumni, has prompted widespread mockery from their liberal classmates, dissension from within and something of an identity crisis.   read more

Larry Sanders, the brother of Sen. Bernie Sanders, is running to fill the seat being vacated by David Cameron, the former prime minister, in the British Parliament. Sanders, 82, was chosen on Thursday night by the Green Party as its nominee in an Oct. 20 special election in the constituency of Witney, about 67 miles west of London.   read more

A deputy public defender in Las Vegas gave in to a judge’s request on Thursday to remove a “Black Lives Matter” pin in court, after a free-form discussion about the politics of protest and free speech amid a national debate over police brutality and race relations. In a new show of defiance that wasn’t directly addressed by the judge, Deputy Public Defender Erika Ballou and several attorneys in the audience behind her wore black arm bands.   read more

It's unknown where Nixon ranks of most overridden governors in U.S. history, but he appears unusual among contemporaries. His distinction is due partly to the rarity of Missouri's politically divided government. He's the only Missouri Democrat to govern opposite a Republican supermajority at least since Reconstruction. Since Nixon took office in 2009, lawmakers have overridden 83 of his vetoes — four times the combined total of all other governors' overrides dating back to the early 1800s.   read more

Chemical eye burns from chemicals are usually considered a problem in industrial settings. But it turns out that toddlers have the highest risk for this potentially blinding injury at home. “Just about every eye doctor has seen this,” said Dr. Levin. “It’s a potentially blinding problem that is a completely preventable tragedy.” From 2010 to 2013, there were 144,000 chemical eye burns totaling $106.7 million in ER charges. It is "the tip of the iceberg,” said Dr. Osterhoudt.   read more