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The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Monsanto’s patent rights were infringed by soybean farmer Vernon Bowman when he planted second-generation seeds that were meant for consumption. The Court may have made its unanimous decision in the case in small part due to Bowman’s somewhat ingenious way of selecting out Monsanto crops from bulk seed mixes and further developing those crops, reports The New York Times. This ruling, issued Monday, may be the first of many in the battle over GMO foods....

Here’s one for the tooth fairy: a teething tablet recall has been voluntarily instituted by Hyland’s Teething Tablets after news that the oral tablets can be toxic when consumed at high levels. The basic premise behind teething tablets is fairly straightforward – to provide temporary relief to your children’s often painful teething symptoms. CBS News reports on the teething tablet recall: “The substance in question is belladonna, which can cause serious harm at high doses … some children taking the product experienced symptoms consistent with belladonna toxicity....

“Anyone who purchases an antiquity without being 100 percent sure it is a legitimate piece is risking funding organized criminals, armed insurgents, and even terrorist networks, whether they be al-Qaeda or ISIS,” Tess Davis, the executive director of the Antiquities Coalition, told Vanity Fair. Looting the World’s Treasures The Antiquities Coalition fights the illegal trading of artifacts and tracks terrorist involvement. It says that AL-Qaeda and the Islamic State, or ISIS, are both involved in the practice of trading precious historical goods....

As reported by the Consumer Reports Safety Blog, the Tiny Tink and Friends jewelry sets come with a charm attached to a cord using a metal ring and cylinder included with the sets as a separate accessory that children can attach to the toy necklace, bracelet or key chain. The cylinder is the issue here. The CPSC says that the connector on a charm can contain levels of total lead in excess of 300 ppm, which is prohibited under federal law....

The Brady Handgun Violence Act – aka the “Brady Act” or “Brady Law” – went into effect 20 years ago this week, so it may be time to review the famous gun law. What triggered the law to begin with, and what are its key provisions? Here’s a general breakdown of the gun law and its impact: On March 30, 1981, John Hinckley Jr. attempted to shoot and kill President Ronald Reagan using a gun he’d purchased at a pawn shop....

Four disabled adults were found chained in a basement in Philadelphia, malnourished. The horrific crime was part of a fraudulent scheme to collect their disability checks. A Philadelaphia police spokesman described the crimes as “pure evil.” Three suspects, Linda Ann Weston, Gregory Thomas, and Eddie Wright were arrested and charged with multiple counts of criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault, kidnapping, criminal trespass, unlawful restraint and false imprisonment. The adults that they locked in the basement have the mental capacities of 10-year-olds, though they range in age between 29 and 41....

In a scathing report, the Justice Department found that the Chicago Police Department “engages in a pattern or practice of using force, including deadly force, in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution,” with little or no accountability for misconduct. Specifically, officers engaged in “tactically unsound and unnecessary foot pursuits” that often ended with officers unreasonably shooting someone – including unarmed individuals – and used Tasers against or shot at individuals who posed no immediate threat....

Any time you are arrested for suspected DUI, your constitutional rights may come in to play. Regardless of what state you are arrested in, any person in police custody is guaranteed certain rights by the U.S. Constitution. Many of these rights are often recounted by police at the time of the arrest through what is commonly known as a Miranda warning, which advises those arrested on their “right to remain silent....

French fashion house Hermès successfully won a fake Birkin bag lawsuit on Tuesday. A federal judge in New York awarded the high-end retailer $100 million in damages to be paid by 34 websites that had sold counterfeit versions of the company’s luxury goods. The sites, which didn’t defend themselves, were found to have infringed upon 9 trademarks. In addition to fake Birkin bags, they sold fake wallets, watches, belts and jewelry....

An Alabama man killed his wife on their honeymoon, according to prosecutors. Gabe Watson’s Australia diving trip in 2003 turned fatal for his then-wife of 11 days Tina Thomas Watson. Watson’s wife was 26 when she was killed. Watson is accused of murdering her for the life insurance money. She died during a scuba dive in the reef in Australia. Watson allegedly turned her air supply off. He is also accused of “bear-hugging” her while she drowned....

It can be difficult to feel the pain of the world’s wealthiest performers as they complain about YouTube, a video-streaming platform musicians say is built on stolen content. But artists are banding together against YouTube, signing a petition which they are publishing in major Washington, D.C. publications this week, calling the platform a haven for copyright infringement. Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, U2, and other bands and musicians who already made a ton of money, signed the petition to show support for reform of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)....

For the first time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is making vehicle safety data available to the public via a searchable database, as part of a court order and legislation from Congress. The NHTSA’s new Early Warning Reporting (EWR) search engine gives consumers access to information and statistics on death, injury and property damage claims (including lawsuits) that have been submitted to vehicle manufacturers. The Los Angeles Times points out that the “long-awaited” release of manufacturer safety information does not include data on tires (or child restraint devices) although it was “a series of fatal rollovers involving Firestone tires that led to the passage of the reporting law eight years ago and the creation of the database....

Nathan Lee Parada, the Paris Hilton burglar, has been sentenced to 2 years in prison. Parada had tried to break into Hilton’s home in Los Angeles last August, reports Popeater. In fact, Parada had tried to break into Hilton’s house wielding two knives. Parada had come to Hollywood from the Redlands. He bought a “star map” to find out where Hilton’s house was, reports Popeater. Parada didn’t get too far into his plan to rob the heiress....

The California Attorney General’s Office has launched an investigation into the role played by ratings agencies in the financial meltdown. In very brief sketch, when a corporation, state, municipality, or other entity issues debt, that debt often comes with a rating from a ratings agency such as Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s or Fitch. The rating is meant to indicate the likelihood that the debt will be repaid. The same thing happens when investment banks bundle up and issue securities, including the now loathed subprime motgaged backed securities blamed for touching off the worst financial crisis in a generation....

“Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Teresa Giudice has filed a $5 million lawsuit against her former attorney alleging malpractice. The lawsuit comes after Giudice was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for bankruptcy fraud, reports the New York Daily News. The prison sentence was part of a plea deal with prosecutors. Giudice later claimed she didn’t understand the plea deal meant she would have to go to prison....

A 17-year-old in Spring, Texas, has been charged in a fatal gang-related high school stabbing that has left one student dead and three others injured. Luis Alonzo Alfaro has been charged with murder for allegedly stabbing a gang rival at Spring High School, north of Houston, with a pocket knife. But could Alfaro potentially argue that he was acting in self defense? Generally, self-defense is known as the justified right to counteract violence or force, to prevent an injury or harm and to protect oneself....

With pharmaceutical companies pushing (and often far exceeding) the legal boundaries of drug marketing, many consumers wonder how to cut through the misinformation. Even ads within the rules often leave consumers less informed than they were before. One tool to help diagnose and treat the deception is Consumer Reports AdWatch. CR AdWatch steps through specific commercials, taking time-outs to explain background and unexplained elements within the barrage of information and persuasion in television drug ads....

US Airways Flight 1549 crashed into the frigid Hudson River this afternoon. The flight crashed shortly after takeoff from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, en route to Charlotte, North Carolina. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot reported hitting a bird shortly before the crash. The AP reports that the plane struck one or more birds, which disabled two of the planes engines. CNN reports that all crew and passengers are off the sinking plane and alive....

After 9/11, federal buildings were supposed to become safer, right? Does that include: failing to detect bomb components, armed guards asleep on the job after taking Percocet©, using government computers to manage a pornography website business, and not seeing a box of weapons at a federal facility’s loading dock? A new GAO report investigating security lapses by guards hired to protect federal buildings found all these security breaches, and more....

Though he faced a maximum of 10 years, “sextortion” hacker Luis Mijangos was sentenced to six years in jail on Thursday. Mijangos, originally charged with extortion, pled guilty to computer hacking and wiretapping before Los Angeles U.S. District Judge George King. Infecting hundreds of computers with a virus, Luis Mijangos, 32, was able to read emails and watch his victims through webcams, often using his access to trick women into taking nude photos by posing as their significant others....