public safety

16 Stories

Ex-Boeing Employees: Don't Fly on the Max

Safety expert says concerns that arose 5 years ago are 'still there'

(Newser) - Boeing sells merchandise with the phrase, "If it's not Boeing, I'm not going." It's a nod to the company's reputation of old, when it was "known for building the safest, most advanced planes in the sky," per CNN . That reputation has dissolved...

SCOTUS Gives White House a Big Win on Immigration

Justices say GOP-led states lacked standing to sue over who should get deported

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Republican-led challenge to a Biden administration policy that prioritizes the deportation of immigrants who are deemed to pose the greatest risk to public safety. The justices voted 8-1 to allow the long-blocked policy to take effect, recognizing there is not enough money or...

These Are the Safest States Amid the Pandemic
10 Safest, Least Safe
States in US

10 Safest, Least Safe States in US

Vermont is No. 1 and Louisiana is last

(Newser) - WalletHub usually considers a wide range of factors in determining the safest states in America, including the number of assaults, mass shootings, and terrorist attacks. This year, with the coronavirus pandemic still in play, it's also considering the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated. That's one...

This Is the Safest City in the Whole Country

WalletHub ranked 182 US cities based on community, financial safety

(Newser) - If you have a deep fear of natural disasters, avoid Oklahoma City , which was ranked the worst US city for such disasters in a new report by WalletHub . On the natural-disaster front, Dover, Delaware, emerged as the safest, but not the safest overall. WalletHub used data from the Census Bureau,...

Residents Won't Fund Cops. Now, Untrained Volunteers

Oregon town to be policed by locals without training, who can ID criminals by 'way they dress'

(Newser) - A small town in Oregon plans to have a volunteer watch group monitor security cameras for criminals since residents refuse to raise taxes to fund a police force. Sheriff's deputies patrol Cave Junction, a town of 2,000 along US 199, during regular work hours Monday to Friday. At...

One US City Will Now Scan Its Subway Commuters

Devices in LA Metro will 'quickly and unobtrusively screen individuals for concealed threats'

(Newser) - All humans emit body waves, but if they're concealing an object under their clothes, that object blocks the waves—exactly what the Transportation Security Administration is banking on with the installation of the country's first body scanners in a transit agency. The subway system getting the first crack...

Scientists Warn of Chemicals in Pizza Boxes, Carpet Care

Common 'PFAS' come under new scrutiny

(Newser) - A group of environmental scientists issued a warning Friday about commonly used chemicals known as PFASs. The chemicals, which go by the longer names of polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl, are found in everything from pizza boxes to carpet treatments, reports the New York Times . "If you got a pastry with...

'Don't Jerk and Drive' Ad Too Racy for South Dakota

Critics thought safety ad's use of 'jerk' was too close to masturbation term

(Newser) - "Hilarious," "provocative," even "genius" is how some are describing South Dakota's latest public safety campaign, but they can now add "gone" to that list. The state pulled its "Don't Jerk and Drive" initiative—meant to remind drivers not to abruptly pull...

Struggling US Cities Turn Off the Lights

Towns nationwide get a little darker

(Newser) - For a number of cities across the US, troubled local economies have led to dark times—literally. From Oregon to Illinois to California, struggling towns have found themselves forced to turn off, and often completely remove, local streetlights. And with winter shortening daylight hours, citizens are none too pleased by...

Thank Cadavers for Today's Car Safety

Automakers quietly rely on them in tests

(Newser) - Those cute crash test dummies make for better commercials, but automakers have long relied on a less-publicized way of ensuring safety: cadavers. Dummies and computer modeling have come a long way, but actual bodies provide more accurate results about, say, damage to internal organs in an accident, explains Justin Hyde...

So Miranda Didn't Blow This Case—but It Could Have!
So Miranda Didn't Blow This Case—but It Could Have!
charles krauthammer

So Miranda Didn't Blow This Case—but It Could Have!

Treat terrorists as enemy combatants, or we endanger civilians

(Newser) - America must update its approach to investigating terrorists, argues Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post . It's great that Faisal Shahzad kept talking after being read his Miranda rights, but what if he stopped? His silence could have put people at risk. "We should treat enemy combatants as enemy combatants,...

Santa's a Terrible Role Model for Kids

He's obese, doesn't wear a helmet, and could be spreading swine flu

(Newser) - There really is a Santa Claus—and he's a public health menace, warns a light-hearted new study in a British medical journal. It identifies a "very high Santa awareness" among children and determines that he's a reckless role model with his frequent cookie snacks, occasional cigars, and refusal to...

Only Fines Will Get Drivers Off the Phone: Experts

Conference tells Transportation Department to get tough

(Newser) - If the Department of Transportation wants to curb distracted driving, it’ll have to do more than ask nicely, concluded experts at last week’s conference on the issue. Previous efforts to curb drunk driving and promote seat belt safety have proven that drivers don’t respond without the threat...

Stimulus Deadline Looms for Skeptical SC Gov. Sanford

As fiscal situation worsens, SC governor's stimulus refusal draws ire

(Newser) - South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has until Friday to choose between the philosophical and the fiscal as the deadline to accept $700 million in federal stimulus money approaches, the Wall Street Journal reports. Sanford wants authority over the funds, earmarked for education and public safety, and has pledged to refuse...

Baby Bath Products Have Carcinogens, Group Says

(Newser) - Common baby shampoos and lotions contain trace amounts of two carcinogens, a public safety group says. Big-name products such as Johnson & Johnson shampoo and Baby Magic lotion tested positive for the cancer-causing chemicals, apparently produced as byproducts during the manufacturing process, reports the Washington Post. Johnson & ...

Kenya Mourns Double Tragedy That Killed 136

Grieving kin blame poor emergency response in 2 fires

(Newser) - Kenyans are blaming the government for poor public safety and emergency response as they mourn the loss of 136 people in back-to-back fires at a Nairobi supermarket and on a rural highway. Emergency crews were slow to respond to yesterday's fuel tanker explosion, which came as they were still searching...

16 Stories