USA

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The Long and Messy History of Public Bathrooms


They're flush with victory. With the federal government challenging bills that restrict the transgender community's access to restrooms, it's easy to forget that having gender-segregated public bathrooms wasn't always "normal." For more than a century, women have had to fight for bathrooms they could use in public spaces - congresswomen didn't get their own WC until 2011 - and deep-seated cultural anxieties about restrooms have been codified into laws promoting gender and racial segregation. Now some architects are calling for multi-stall bathrooms that welcome all those in need of a pee.

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Venezuela's Embattled Leader Has Few Friends Left


He's on a slippery slope. Once propped up by some of the world's largest petroleum reserves, Venezuela is facing the realities of cheap oil and a government-controlled economy, with President Nicolas Maduro clinging to power amid growing calls for his ouster. Rampant crime has sparked vigilante justice - including the immolation of a man who reportedly stole $5. Now Maduro's trying to laugh off being called "mad as a goat" by an old socialist peer, and he's mobilizing troops to fend off "foreign" threats as his government lurches toward disaster.

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U.S. confirms drone strike death of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour.

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US Lifting Arms Embargo on Vietnam


Has the Cold War finally thawed? The U.S. hasn't sold lethal weapons to Vietnam for 50 years - but today, more than 20 years after the two nations re-established diplomatic ties, President Obama announced the end of that ban. In the past, the U.S. had suggested that such a move would be tied to Vietnam's acceptance of human rights norms, and while that's still a factor, this change is largely seen as an American olive branch to bolster its influence in a region dominated by China's power.

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Appeals Court Dismisses $1.3 Billion Bank of America Fine
Turns out it's difficult to break the bank. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals has tossed a judgment in a case known as "the Hustle," in which Bank of America allegedly defrauded Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by selling them bad loans approved without adequate quality checks. The court said it couldn't find evidence of "fraudulent intent," dismissing the case and the fine. Many see this as a serious setback for efforts to prosecute banks over crisis-era shenanigans, and it could affect ongoing investigations into other institutions.

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Young Adults Live With Parents, Rather Than Partners


It's hard to win with a full house. For the first time since 1880, U.S. adults aged 18-34 are more likely to live with mom and dad than anywhere else. Overall, 32.1 percent of millennials are living with their parents: Sons stay put at a rate of 35 percent, while daughters are slightly more likely to cohabit with a partner. It could be worse: More than 70 percent of millennial Macedonians live at home, a fact that America's homebound adult children might want to bring up at dinner tonight

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U.S. passes sweeping new chemical safety legislation.

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World's First Weed-Focused Gym to Open in San Francisco

That's one way to get smokin' hot. Though actual joints will be restricted to outside areas, Power Plant Fitness will allow gym-based vaping and consumption of marijuana edibles, which the company is already producing. One of the founders, Heisman winner and former Ravens running back Ricky Williams, blames positive marijuana tests for ruining his football career. He says the gym is meant to not just incorporate weed into workouts, but to fight the stereotype of the lazy stoner. Power Plant will get rolling in November.

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First U.S. patient with totally antibiotic-resistant 'superbug' recorded