Fairbanks, Alaska - A new, official height for Denali has been measured at 20,310 feet, just 10 feet less than the previous elevation of 20,320 feet which was established using 1950’s era technology.

Reston, Virginia - Toxic metals such as iron, lead and arsenic may have helped cause mass extinctions in the world’s oceans millions of years ago, according to recent research from the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Center for Scientific Research, France; and Ghent University, Belgium. These findings largely came from studying “teratological” or malformed fossil plankton assemblages corresponding to the initial stages of extinction events approximately 420 million years ago that killed off most marine species.

Washington, DC - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack delivered keynote remarks today at the Center for American Progress encouraging Congress to act quickly to reauthorize a strong Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and support the ongoing success of the healthier meals now being served in schools across the country. Thanks to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and other strategies, the national childhood obesity trend is slowly reversing, and our children have more energy to learn and grow, greater opportunity to thrive, and better overall health.

Washington, DC - I had never heard of Chicago suburb Fox Lake police officer Joe Gliniewicz.  Recently, three men murdered him. Sadly I now know about what a great man, and police officer he was.

Washington, DC - Mission managers for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory have determined that its radar, one of the satellite’s two science instruments, can no longer return data. However, the mission, which was launched in January to map global soil moisture and detect whether soils are frozen or thawed, continues to produce high-quality science measurements supporting SMAP’s objectives with its radiometer instrument.

Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "I join President Obama and the American people in reflecting on today’s 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific theater.