Memos Detail Improper Obama-Era Spying on Americans
The Hill
The National Security Agency and FBI improperly searched and disseminated raw intelligence on Americans, according to newly declassified memos, which also fault the agencies for failing to promptly delete unauthorized intercepts. The NSA says the Obama-era missteps amount to less than 1 percent of the phone numbers and email addresses intercepted. But critics say the memos undercut the intelligence community's claim that it has robust privacy protections in place. Ben & Jerry's Has Controversial Herbicide
New York Times
Glyphosate, a herbicide increasingly the bane of environmental campaigners, is being found in a growing number of foods. But few brands on the list are as startling as the latest: Ben & Jerry's, the Vermont ice cream maker known for green advocacy. The Organic Consumers Association says it found only trace amounts in 10 of 11 ice cream samples. But there might be a bigger game afoot: Get Ben & Jerry's to go organic and set an example. U.S. Debt Collectors Gouge Student Loan Defaulters
Reuters Investigates
Federal student loans are now going bad at a higher rate than mortgages at the peak of the foreclosure crisis in 2010. Some of the 8 million debtors are surely deadbeats, but an investigation finds many borrowers ended up in default unnecessarily: They were steered away from affordable repayment plans as the Education Department and its loan servicers clawed back billions by going after wages, tax refunds and even Social Security benefits. State Department Deleting References to ISIS ‘Genocide'
Washington Free Beacon
Top State Department lawyers are systematically removing the word "genocide" from speech texts and other documents describing the Islamic State's slaughter of Christians, Yazidis and other ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria, human rights advocates say. They say the deletions mean Obama-era policies remain in place to exclude such minorities from key U.S. aid programs. Systemic Failure to Provide Safety in British Youth Prisons
Independent
Not one youth jail in England and Wales is now deemed safe after a "staggering rise" in violence over the past year, the prison watchdog has warned. Responding to reports of inmates' widespread access to illicit drugs and prisoners being locked in filthy cells for up to 23 hours a day, opponents of the Conservative government are calling for major reforms. The government is scrambling to respond. How 'Ban the Box' Makes Hiring Bias Worse
Quartz
More than half of U.S. states have adopted "ban the box" policies, eliminating tick-boxes on job applications asking about criminal records. But the effort's backfiring. New studies suggest banning such questions hurts rather than helps ex-convicts looking for jobs -- and thwarts other minority job-seekers too. With less information about applicants, employers might be discriminating more based on stereotypes. An economist explains. Lawyers From Tobacco Wars Target Opioid Makers
Wall Street Journal
Mike Moore and other tort lawyers who worked on tobacco litigation in the 1990s are helping states like Ohio and Mississippi sue drug companies that make opioids. Moore insists he is not pursuing these suits for money, but his and other law firms involved stand to make millions if the states win. These lawyers are calling for more states to sue opioid makers -- and offering legal expertise when they do. Gross Trademarks, Then and Now
The Verge
The Supreme Court recently held that a law banning "disparaging" trademarks violates the First Amendment. And now the floodgates of crudeness are open, to judge from new trademark applications -- many not safe for RealClear. But you might find some consolation in this survey of the history of off-color trademarks: The new climate might merely make America gross again. | 
