The Huffington Post Investigative Fund | An Independent Nonprofit Journalism Venture

Blog: The Rundown

HEALTHCARE: 'Insurance Companies Dirty Little Secret'

Federal and state investigators are probing insurance companies that take advantage of families who lost loved ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prudenti... Posted by Kevin Liptak, 9:08 am Jul 30, 2010

IMMIGRATION: Obama Administration Could Bypass Congress on Immigration Reform

With Congress unlikely to pass immigration reform this year, the Obama administration is considering taking actions that don't require congressional... Posted by Kevin Liptak, 12:48 pm Jul 30, 2010

ENVIRONMENT: China Hides Rising Number of Environmental Disasters

As Americans observe with horror the destruction caused by the BP oil spill, similar disasters in China are happening quietly and without coverage f... Posted by Kevin Liptak, 9:16 am Jul 30, 2010

SAFETY: State Regulators and Law Enforcement Failed to Protect Women Against Dangerous Doctors

New details are emerging about sex offending doctors in Illinois. An investigation of claims against one particular physician finds law enforcement ... Posted by Kevin Liptak, 9:11 am Jul 30, 2010

INTELLIGENCE: Company Claiming to Predict the Future Finds Backers at CIA and Google

Investors at the CIA and Google have both identified a company that represents the next phase of intelligence-gathering: Recorded Future monitors th... Posted by Kevin Liptak, 11:07 am Jul 29, 2010

Fixing the Financial System

In wake of crisis, are Wall Street and Washington making the right changes?

Electronic Health Records

The government is set to spend billions of dollars to digitize patient records.

Health Insurance Claims

Shedding light on the health insurance industry and how it handles claims.

Topics

Are New Digital Networks Part of the Cure?

It's an early test of the $27 billion gamble by the Obama administration that medical records technology can achieve specific cost reductions and health improvements. But will it work? By Emma Schwartz and Fred Schulte

Weighing Safety of Weed Killer in Drinking Water, EPA Relies Heavily on Industry

Companies with a financial interest paid for thousands of studies federal regulators are using to assess the health risks of a common herbicide -- while independent studies documenting potentially harmful effects on humans are not included in research the EPA deems relevant. By Danielle Ivory

As Student Credit Card Debt Rises, Banks Quietly Reward Schools

Large and elite universities are earning millions of dollars quietly selling the names and addresses of students and graduates to credit card companies while allowing the companies special access to school events. Schools earn royalty payments that multiply as students use their cards and accumulate debt. By Ben Protess

The Other Foreclosure Menace

Her mortgage paid off, a woman loses her home over a small water bill. Amid the economic downturn, it's happening in Baltimore and other cities where big banks, brokerage houses, and other investors buy the right to collect paltry municipal debts from citizens. By Fred Schulte, Lagan Sebert & Ben Protess

As Doctors Shift to Electronic Health Systems, Signs of Harm Emerge

A device that is central in the shift toward electronic medical records systems has been linked to instances of death or injury, according to an Investigative Fund review of Food and Drug Administration data. By Fred Schulte and Emma Schwartz Read more...

More Stories

VIDEO: A New Prescription for the Delta's Poor

Debra Richardson struggles with diabetes and other chronic ailments. Will the health of people like her benefit from millions in federal stimulus dollars being spent on information technology in one of the poorest corners of the Mississippi Delta?

By Emma Schwartz

Details of Bank and College Deals Spur Reaction

Investigative fund's credit card story inspires a congressman, a one-woman protest and some citizen journalism

By Ben Protess

Congressman, University Deny Earmark Abuse

University's maritime lab denies it will share earmark dollars with business partner Intellicheck Mobilisa – even though the description of the earmark -- requested by influential defense subcommittee chairman Norm Dicks -- is almost identical to one he sought for the company last year.

By David Heath

Follow-up: Baltimore Lawmakers Seek Overhaul of Tax Lien Sale

It’s too late to help Vicki Valentine—the Baltimore woman who lost her family’s mortgage-free home over an unpaid water bill of $362—but city officials are trying to prevent others from suffering...

By Fred Schulte, Ben Protess and Lagan Sebert

Despite Pledge to Curtail Corporate Earmarks, Politicians Pursue Them

Despite a promise to curtail so-called corporate earmarks, eight of the 60 members on the key House spending committee appear to be attempting to funnel money to those same businesses through nonprofit organizations.

By David Heath

This Candidate Doesn't Just Run - He Oversaw the Company Managing Elections

BOGOTÁ, Colombia - The man most likely to become Colombia’s next president this Sunday has played a previously undisclosed role as a corporate officer of the company hired to run the nation’s...

By Nadja Drost

VIDEO: Tapped Out: How an Unpaid Water Bill Cost a Baltimore Woman Her Home

One raw day in early February, Vicki Valentine stood by helplessly as real estate investors snatched her West Baltimore home over what began with an unpaid city water bill of $362. Valentine lost the property after the city sold her debt to investors through a contentious and byzantine legal process called a tax sale. This little-known type of foreclosure can enrich investors as growing numbers of property owners struggle to pay their bills.

By Lagan Sebert, Ben Protess and Fred Schulte

Goldman Sachs Publicly Backs Financial Reform — While Dispatching Army of Lobbyists

For all of Goldman Sachs’ professed support for an overhaul of financial regulations, the megabank hasn’t exactly withdrawn its army of lobbyists. Far from wearing out its welcome, the firm is...

By Adele Hampton

Too Big to Jail?

During the S&L crisis, regulators helped bring big cases against bank bosses. This time, they trust banks to report their own suspected crimes. Could that account for why so few cases are being filed?

By David Heath

VIDEO: 'The Perfect Crime'

There is growing evidence that fraud was at the heart of the current financial crisis. But so far, no high-level bank executives have been hauled off to jail. One of the reasons may be...

By Lagan Sebert

Financial 'Reform' Dodges Some Big Lessons

For all the talk of financial reform, Congress isn’t addressing the problem of regulators who fail to do their job. New disclosures show how in the largest bank failure, involving Washington Mutual, regulators routinely deferred to bankers and market forces and engaged in petty squabbles. The question now: Can Congress fix ineffective regulators themselves?

By David Heath