The Huffington Post Investigative Fund - An Independent Nonprofit Journalism Venture

Wealthier Victims of Hurricane Katrina Given Priority

Kimberly Leonard — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:03:32 +0000

Repair efforts are still underway in Mississippi and Louisiana five years after Hurricane Katrina, but victims who are wealthy are getting help faster than those who aren't.

Data released by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows there has been an unequal recovery -- with whites and middle class getting help faster than blacks and low-income people. Read more »

Computer Overload? How the Digital Environment Affects Productivity

Kimberly Leonard — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:50:08 +0000

The continued development of gadgets across multiple platforms has allowed for quick communication, creative presentation and multitasking. Today's digital environment has left Americans consuming three times more information than they did in the 1960s, and having access to technology is now a necessity for everyone — but at what costs to human interaction and concentration? Read more »

Texas Switch to Private Mental Health Facilities Stalls for 7 Years

Kimberly Leonard — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:32:11 +0000

To better serve mental health patients, cut costs and increase choice, a 2003 Texas law ordered public mental health facilities to transition patients to private providers. Bureaucratic realities, however, have slowed the process, leaving the goal still unattended to seven years later. Read more »

New Orleans Police Authorized to Shoot Looters After Katrina

Kimberly Leonard — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:22:55 +0000

Members of the New Orleans police department told Probublica, PBS Frontline and the New Orleans Times-Picayune that orders permitting officers to shoot looters circulated in the days following Hurricane Katrina. To back up the disclosures, a member of the force gave reporters a videotape in which a captain was relaying these permissions to officers. Read more »

FOOD SAFETY: Egg Producer Has Long Record of Violations

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:52:50 +0000

The Decoster family egg operation, which owns the farm at the center of the recall of half a billion eggs, has a long history of fines and complaints about its practices, according to public records. The company owns Wright Country Egg and Hillandale Farm in Iowa, the production facilities that federal investigators have identified as the source of nationwide salmonella outbreaks. Read more »

Cyber Security: Is State Department a Model - or Cautionary Tale?

Michael Ono — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 19:45:21 +0000

FORECLOSURE CRISIS: Latino Borrowers Account for Half of Calif. Foreclosures

Kimberly Leonard — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 22:28:33 +0000

With one in eight homes facing foreclosure and an unemployment rate of 12 percent, California is still at the forefront of a foreclosure crisis that began three years ago.

A study from the Center for Responsible Lending reviewed mortgage data to present the facts regarding the crisis in the Golden State. They found modest properties - not luxury homes - made up the majority of foreclosures. They were valued below area median values at origination. Read more »

MONEY AND POLITICS: Is Justice for Sale?

Kimberly Leonard — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:00:30 +0000

The Justice at Stake Campaign, The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and the National Institute on Money and State Politics examined a decade of high-court contests to see how justices are influenced by special interests during elections. Read more »

CRIME: Many Dallas Drunk Drivers Get off Without Jail After Manslaughter Cases

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:01:18 +0000

An examination of court records finds drivers convicted of DWI manslaughter in Dallas are often getting off without serious punishment like jail time. In 40 percent of cases over the last 10 years, drivers who killed someone while operating a vehicle under the influence never received jail sentences, but were instead given probation. Dallas has the third highest rate of drunk driving deaths in the country. Read more »

WAR ON TERROR: US Operates 'Shadow War' Against Terrorists Away from Public Eye

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:57:13 +0000

In countries around the globe, the US is using new tactics to combat terrorism, even as the public face of the war remains the fight in Afghanistan. Some of the missions not made public include airstrikes in Yemen, drone missile campaigns in Pakistan and raids against suspected Al Qaeda outposts in Somalia. Almost none of these new steps in the war have been publicly acknowledged, a far cry from the very public debates about war strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read more »

MONEY AND POLITICS: Conservatives Lead in Corporate 527 Donations

Kimberly Leonard — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:59:01 +0000

A new analysis suggests the potential impact of corporate contributions in campaigns. A Center for Responsive Politics' report of second-quarter donations in 2010 shows individual donors, many of whom are CEOs of large companies, contributed more than $20.5 million to so-called "527" political action groups. Read more »

HEALTH: Does FDA Approve Drugs on Insufficient Evidence?

Kimberly Leonard — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:06:33 +0000

It's "hard not to wonder if FDA regulators have been captured by the drug industry. FDA critics and industry monitors charge that the drug-approval process is too easy for pharmaceutical companies to game." Read more »

OneUnited CEO Has Checkered Record

Kimberly Leonard — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:59:13 +0000

The Washington Post reviewed public records and statements to uncover information about the nature of the relationship between OneUnited Bank and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) — whom the House charged this week with three ethics violation cases. Read more »

OIL SPILL: Lack of Training Makes High-Risk Jobs Deadly

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:40:35 +0000

Despite the risk encountered when performing tasks on an oil rig, many workers lack sufficient training and expose themselves to serious injury or death. In many cases, the chain of command is obscured, leaving workers without enough instruction to properly carry out essential tasks. Workers also perform jobs with little sleep, increasing the chance for dangerous error. Read more »

ENERGY: Declining Oil Forecast is Foreboding Sign for Trans-Alaska Pipeline

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:56:38 +0000

The decrease in oil flowing through the Trans-Alaska pipeline is worrying experts and environmentalists, who say the 800-mile steel pipe is subject to serious structural problems if the oil flow drops below 500,000 barrels per day. Frost heaves could damage the underground portions of the line, and ice could form if the flow decreases substantially. Unfortunately, the flow of oil in the pipeline has been slowly decreasing since the 1980s, when 2.1 million barrels flowed daily. Read more »

EDUCATION: Untested Companies Compete for Reform Funds

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:55:05 +0000

Companies claiming to specialize in improving underperforming schools are going after government money meant to improve education in America. The Obama administration has increased funding for improving school districts, and is allowing states to distribute the funds to companies that specialize in educational reform. Experts say school reform companies lack any oversight, and states are likely to be swindled by companies with no experience in turning around poorly-performing schools. Read more »

Stimulus: Money Hard to Track, Unevenly Distributed, and Much Still Unspent

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:23:57 +0000

While most mainstream economists agree that the stimulus bill helped create and save jobs, a new examination finds the stimulus funds flowed unevenly to different parts of the country, and the system for tracking the money is unreliable and overly complex. The probe finds states that had lower unemployment rates receiving some of the highest per-capita spending, while expected job creation varied wildly between different states. Read more »

MONEY AND POLITICS: Corporate-Paid Endowments a Conflict for Congress?

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:56:27 +0000

Corporate donations to university endowments in the name of specific lawmakers are drawing attention for their potential for conflicts of interest. Among the ethics complaints levied against Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY) was an allegation he used official stationary to solicit corporations to donate money to a university center named after him. Read more »

OIL SPILL: Safety Issues Uncovered on Three Other Rigs

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:35:47 +0000

A month before the Deepwater Horizon explosion, executives at Transocean commissioned a safety review from a major risk management company after several near-misses on their rigs in the Gulf. Officials report problems on three rigs, in addition to Deepwater Horizon. Problems range from structural issues on the rigs, including a ballast support problem on Deepwater Horizon, to personnel problems that resulted in under-qualified management. Read more »

HOUSING CRISIS: 'Foreclosure Firms' Target Homeowners

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:34:24 +0000

Even as government programs attempt to stave off a growing number of foreclosures, companies known as 'foreclosure firms' are making a profit from foreclosing upon as many homes as possible, often using aggressive and fraudulent practices. In some cases, the firms use backdated documents to ensure foreclosure in cases where families could potentially have kept their homes. Read more »

VIDEO: How Wall Street Can Still Win

Ben Protess — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:53:49 +0000

As Battle for Financial Reform Moves to Bureaucracy, Industry Lobbyists Outnumber Consumer Advocates 50-to-1

As the battle over Wall Street reform shifts venues – from Capitol Hill to federal agencies – industry lobbyists who oppose some new regulations outnumber consumer advocates 50 to 1, an analysis of lobbying disclosure data shows.

Although Congress passed and President Obama signed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act last month, Congress did not iron out many of the law’s details. Lawmakers instead left that task up to regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, FDIC and Federal Reserve. Read more »

After Earthquake, Adoption Safeguards Ignored

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:36:48 +0000

Safeguards meant to protect children in the adoption process were ignored during the aftermath of Haiti earthquake, according to a new investigation. While this meant a higher rate of adoption for orphaned children and those without places to live, it also meant important checks on the process were disregarded. Among those checks are making sure children aren't improperly separated from their parents, and ensuring their new homes are adequately equipped to care for them. Read more »

FDA, Obama Digital Medical Records Team at Odds over Safety Oversight

Fred Schulte — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:07:28 +0000

Previously Undisclosed Hospital Mixup Underscores Challenges on Road to Reform

Computers at a major Midwest hospital chain went awry on June 29, posting some doctors’ orders to the wrong medical charts in a few cases and possibly putting patients in harm’s way.

The digital records system “would switch to another patient record without the user directing it to do so,” said Stephen Shivinsky, vice-president for corporate communications at Trinity Health System. Trinity operates 46 hospitals, most in Michigan, Iowa and Ohio. Read more »

WORKER SAFETY: Misled Workers Exposed to Radiation Still Not Compensated

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:58:20 +0000

Factory workers who handled uranium and radium during the Cold War are still waiting for payouts from a health compensation fund opened in 2000. The workers, who were told they were making laundry detergent, were actually creating elements for nuclear weapons. Many have complained about sickness and injury that could be related to high levels of radiation exposure, and were promised payouts in 2000 to make amends for their lifelong health problems. Read more »

MONEY AND POLITICS: Many California Laws Originate with Lobbyists

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:07:06 +0000

When plumbing manufacturers in California wanted their products tested in industry-friendly labs, they called upon lobbyists to write and sponsor a bill supporting their cause. Indeed, lawmaking in California is becoming more and more reliant on lobbyists, according to a recent analysis the most recent sessions of the state legislature. More than 1,800 bills were sponsored and written by outside interests, accounting for almost 40 percent of the total amount of legislation considered. Read more »

Safety Overshadowed?

Emma Schwartz — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:09:32 +0000

Timeline: Two Decades of Warnings and Inaction

HEALTHCARE: Insurance Status May Lead to Discrepancies in Care

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:10:26 +0000

Patients at a charity hospital in Texas were treated to vastly different care than patients with private insurance, according to a new investigation. The hospitals are both owned by UT Southwestern and are located under the same roof. The patients at the charity hospital, many of whom are poor or uninsured, were treated mostly by medical residents, while patients at the other facility were given care by faculty doctors. Read more »

MONEY AND POLITICS: Conservative Groups and Corporations Prepare to Spend Big in Midterm Elections

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:31:19 +0000

The recent Supreme Court decision allowing corporations to spend directly on political campaigns is having a major effect on this year's midterm elections. Democratic leaders have reported that more than $300 million has been raised by conservative groups, an enormous number that experts agree will have a major impact on election day. Read more »

TECHNOLOGY: Profit Won Out Over Privacy Concerns at Microsoft

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:11:47 +0000

When developing the world's most prominent web browser, Internet Explorer, developers at Microsoft found ways to ensure that users' online activity wasn't being tracked. But those provisions were never added to the software, an investigation reveals. Executives argued that increasing the security features of Internet Explorer would dampen the potential for advertisers to target specific groups of people using their browsing history. Read more »

CONSUMER SAFETY: Government In the Dark on Chemicals in Recalled Cereal

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:09:53 +0000

When Kellogg recalled boxes of Corn Pops, Froot Loops and other cereals this summer, a chemical used in the packaging called 2-methylnaphthalene was blamed. An examination reveals the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency both lack any information on the substance, rendering them unable to regulate a chemical that millions of Americans handle everyday. Read more »

HEALTHCARE: Devastating Radiation Overdoses Linked to Machine Malfunctions and Operator Error

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:08:18 +0000

Officials using brain-scan machines calibrated their equipment to emit a dangerously high level of radiation, according to a review of records. The results could be life-threatening for patients. The facilities that used the machines never reported any mistakes in their facility, which allowed them to operate without inspection from the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies. Read more »

IMMIGRATION: Obama Administration Could Bypass Congress on Immigration Reform

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:48:06 +0000

With Congress unlikely to pass immigration reform this year, the Obama administration is considering taking actions that don't require congressional approval. In a memo from U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, officials detail ways in which the government could grant illegal immigrants permanent resident status and delay deportation without going through Congress. Read more »

ENVIRONMENT: China Hides Rising Number of Environmental Disasters

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:16:08 +0000

As Americans observe with horror the destruction caused by the BP oil spill, similar disasters in China are happening quietly and without coverage from Chinese or international press. Read more »

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

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:11:51 +0000

New details are emerging about sex offending doctors in Illinois. An investigation of claims against one particular physician finds law enforcement was slow in their response when women alleged he sexually assaulted them in his exam room. When police did follow up, they failed to alert the state regulatory board that could have revoked the doctor's license. Read more »

HEALTHCARE: 'Insurance Companies Dirty Little Secret'

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:08:20 +0000

Federal and state investigators are probing insurance companies that take advantage of families who lost loved ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prudential--the nation's second largest insurer--told families they would receive their death benefits after the money was placed in an interest-bearing account. But records reveal the money went instead to Prudential's own corporate account, and the company was gaining far higher interest than what was paid to the families. Read more »

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

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:07:53 +0000

Investors at the CIA and Google have both identified a company that represents the next phase of intelligence-gathering: Recorded Future monitors the internet for patterns and events that may predict the future. Using data from websites and social networks, the company creates dossiers on people that may be key to intelligence officials. Their algorithms were able to prove Hezbollah was in possession of long-range missiles using a backlog of statements from the group's leader. Read more »

CREDIT RATERS: Moody's Boss Sold Millions of Stock Just Before Prices Fell

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:06:34 +0000

The chief executive of Moody's -- a credit rating agency that has come under scrutiny for its role in the financial crisis -- is coming under fire for the timing of his stock sales. Records show Ray McDaniel sold millions of dollars in Moody's stock before the price fell, and unloaded thousands of shares the same day the SEC announced an investigation into the company. Experts see this as a sign McDaniel had access to insider information that influenced his decision to sell. Read more »

MONEY AND POLITICS: Coal Companies Plan Big Spending After Citizens United

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:04:23 +0000

A letter sent to executives at major coal companies reveals plans to organize a political funding nonprofit to defeat incumbent Democrats they view as 'anti-coal.' Their fund would take advantage of a recent Supreme Court decision that allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money on efforts to influence elections. Read more »

MONEY AND POLITICS: Texas Governor Scrutinized for Favoritism in Real Estate Deals

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:38:37 +0000

Gov. Rick Perry has made hundreds of thousands of dollars selling real estate in Texas, but new data indicates he may have received unfair deals from people looking to buy influence or garner political favors. In one instance, Perry bought land for well under the appraised value, and subsequently sold it at a price experts say was too high. The particular plot in question was sold to Perry at a reduced cost by a Texas state senator. Read more »

BP SPILL: Frantic Firefighting Led to Sinking of Rig in Gulf

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:26:01 +0000

A chaotic response in the initial moments after the Deepwater Horizon explosion may have led to its sinking, according to Coast Guard records and interviews with workers aboard the rig. Because the Coast Guard didn't have enough ships in the vicinity immediately following the blast, private vessels rushing to the scene did not have a firefighting expert on the scene to manage the response. The was in violation of the Coast Guard's own rules. Read more »

AFTER REFORM: Revolving Door Spinning Between Regulators and Lobby Shops

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:24:34 +0000

As the details of financial reform are finalized at regulatory agencies, former employees of those departments are working overtime to lobby for the financial industry. A review finds 150 lobbyists registering in the past year who used to work at places like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Reserve. In total, nearly 500 workers who used to work at financial agencies are now registered as lobbyists. Read more »

BP SPILL: Invisible Natural Gas is Unseen Disaster in Gulf

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:22:51 +0000

The oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico has produced countless photos of environmental disaster, but an unseen menace may be destroying ecosystems deep underwater. Natural gas, which many identify as the cause of the initial Deepwater Horizon blast, has been seeping into the water at an alarming rate, but gauging its impact is difficult because it is invisible and odorless. Read more »

HEALTHCARE: Doctors Paid by Gastric Band Manufacturer Run "Lap-Band Factory"

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:18:24 +0000

A pair of surgeons at NYU's bariatric surgery center are being accused by a former colleague of running a "lap-band factory"--performing surgeries at a dangerous pace in a disorganized fashion. The surgeons are paid consultants for Allergan Inc., a gastric-band manufacturer. One of the surgeons was an investigator for an Allergan-sponsored report studying the use of gastric bands in teenagers. Read more »

NATIONAL SECURITY: Billions of Iraq Reconstruction Funds Missing Since 2004

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:18:08 +0000

The Department of Defense is unable to account for oil revenues from Iraq between 2004 and 2007, a result of poor record keeping and weak oversight. While no fraud is thought to have transpired, officials are unable to determine how the funds were spent, making it difficult to root out corruption or waste. Of the $9.1 billion in oil revenues collected in the three years, $8.7 billion is missing from records. The accounting errors were cited in a government audit. Read more »

Arlington Cemetery Beleaguered with Unmarked Graves and Personnel Headaches

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:15:28 +0000

After an initial investigation found unmarked graves and headstones lining a riverbed, further mismanagement at Arlington National Cemetery has been uncovered. This time, the section of the cemetery where Supreme Court justices are buried is revealed to have more graves than noted in records, and a former slave burial ground is found to contain no tombstones. Read more »

Where Have All the Whistleblowers Gone?

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:36:42 +0000

In 2002, whistleblowers were red-hot and celebrated: after exposing corporate fraud at Enron and Worldcom, “The Whistleblowers” showed up on the cover of Time Magazine as People of the Year. The Sarbanes-Oxley corporate reform law was passed, including provisions protecting future informants from workplace retaliation. It seemed then that a growing culture of office watch-dogging might help thwart fraud at businesses and government agencies. Read more »

INFLUENCE: Pervasive Oil Industry Interests Even Tinge Obama Investigation

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:20:47 +0000

The pervasive network of oil influence in Washington has even touched a commission convened by President Obama to investigate the Gulf spill. Both chairmen of the panel held stock in BP, and had other large interests in the industry as a whole. Other members work at academic institutions that have received sizable grants from oil companies with stake in Deepwater Horizon, including BP and Halliburton. Read more »

SECURITY: Giving Citizens Information Sometimes Depends on Their Politics

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:54:34 +0000

Despite laws that mandate federal agencies comply with requests for information from private citizens and journalists, the Department of Homeland Security slowed the process by putting requests through exhaustive political vetting. Political appointees at the agency procured background information on people making requests, and news agencies and organizations were subject to exhaustive review. Read more »

BP SPILL: Workers Foresaw Potential for Disaster on Deepwater Horizon

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:51:27 +0000

Oil workers complained of perilous safety conditions when filling out a confidential survey weeks before the Deepwater Horizon blowout that instigated the worst oil spill in American history. The workers noted the rig hadn't been in dry dock in nine years, preventing necessary repairs and forcing crew to work around serious deficiencies. Unsafe actions were also reported by workers, half of whom said they felt uncomfortable reporting them to their superiors.

Story by: Ian Urbina Read more »

Amid Crises, a Spending Binge for Lobbying by Big Oil and Banks

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:24:03 +0000

Industries on the defensive -- notably oil companies and big banks -- ramped up spending on lobbyists in a big way during the second quarter of the year, new disclosure reports available today show. Heavyweights such as the American Petroleum Institute, which represents oil companies, and the Bank of America, which had huge stakes in financial reform, both rapidly increased their spending. Read more »

RIG SAFETY: Blowouts Continue Despite Calls for Reform

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:28:30 +0000

Despite 29 deaths and a series of rig evacuations caused by gas explosions, the oil industry has yet to implement new safety rules that would prevent the blasts. A review of blowouts in the Gulf of Mexico found little or no action from the industry following the explosions, even though federal agencies were calling for improved practices to increase safety. Read more »

LOBBYING: The Congressional Cigar Association's 'Summer Smoke'

Lagan Sebert — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0000

There are still smoke-filled rooms on Capitol Hill - at least at summer meetings of the officially sponsored Congressional Cigar Association. The questions some are asking: Is it only about the cigars? Read more »

FINANCIAL REFORM: Regulators Wary of Wall Streeters Saving Small Banks

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:49:19 +0000

As more small banks across the country face the prospect of closing, Wall Street bankers are swooping in, promising large injections of capital that could keep institutions afloat. A new report finds regulators are skeptical of the plans, accusing the bankers of simply looking to make a quick buck. Only two-dozen of the 236 shut down by the FDIC have been sold to private equity firms or hedge funds. New rules require investment groups to hold on to acquired banks for three years. Read more »

HEALTH: Despite Hazards, a Thriving Asbestos Trade

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:27:02 +0000

For many in the developed world, asbestos may seem like a thing of the past: A cancer-causing fiber banned in the European Union, and limited to a small number of products in the United States. Scientists have long agreed that any exposure to the chemical presents grave risks. Yet an expansive new investigation from the Center for Public Integrity's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and the British Broadcasting Corp. Read more »

The Open Secret about 'Top Secret America'

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:53:19 +0000

When James Clapper, President Obama's nominee to become Director of National Intelligence, testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee this afternoon, he faced questions about the enormous number of private contractors working for America’s intelligence agencies. Today’s installment of the Washington Post series “Top Secret America” reveals contractors performing ‘inherently government functions’ every day, despite federal rules limiting such activity. Read more »

MEDICAL MISTAKES: False Breast Cancer Results Lead to Unnecessary Surgeries

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:28:03 +0000

As advances in mammography lead to identification of smaller cell-clusters, doctors performing biopsies are increasingly asked to make tough decisions regarding breast lesions. An examination reveals frequent error and disagreement in determining the nature of biopsied cells. In some cases, the biopsied sample is as small as a grain of salt, making a diagnosis difficult. Doctors who recommend mastectomies risk subjecting their patients to disfiguring surgery that may not be necessary. Read more »

OIL INFLUENCE: BP Gives Away Thousands in Tickets to Lawmakers

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:26:35 +0000

In California, lawmakers who want tickets to popular sport and entertainment events only need to call BP's ticket request line. The number -- designed for members of state legislature, their staffs, and regulators -- operates like a private box office for those wielding influence on policies that might affect the company. Tickets have been given to Sacramento Kings games, Britney Spears concerts and cagefighting matches. Read more »

MEDICAL SAFETY: Health Workers in Trouble Missing on Federal Database

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:50:49 +0000

State agencies have failed to report disciplinary action against healthcare workers, allowing them to work in other states. Agencies are supposed to report disciplinary action to federal officials to compile into a database for other states to utilize. In some cases, workers (including nurses, doctors and therapists) have been accused of criminal activity and incompetence on the job. Many agencies didn't know about the database, and others simply ignored it. Read more »

SECURITY: 'Top Secret America': Counterterrorism World Growing Beyond Control

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:16:32 +0000

A two-year investigation from the Washington Post reveals a sprawling, inefficient system for combating terrorism and collecting intelligence. Put in place following 9/11, the system is so large that determining its effectiveness is impossible. Nearly 50,000 intelligence reports are published every year, and an estimated 854,000 people hold top-secret security clearance. Read more »

AFTER REFORM: Bill Not Yet Signed, Banks Already Adapting to Make Up Profits

Michael Ono — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:23:07 +0000

Wall Street Reform passed in the Senate last night and won't be signed by President Obama for another week. But that hasn't stopped banks from positioning themselves to make up for lost profits. One strategy, eliminate free checking accounts. For a bank maintaining a single checking account will roughly cost them $180. The cost of complying with the new regulation may impose a burden on everyday customers. Read more »

AFTER REFORM: Risky Lending Reemerges

Stephanie Gleason — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:12:59 +0000

As companies hunger for new business, signs are emerging of the return of risky lending practices similar to those that helped trigger the financial crisis.

Capitol One recently offered a credit card to a customer it sued in 2006 for money she owed them, the Wall Street Journal found. The woman is more than $33,000 in debt and filed for bankruptcy. Read more »

Medicine: Undetected, Problem Nurses Move to New Jobs Elsewhere

Stephanie Gleason — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:09:34 +0000

After a nurse was fired in Wisconsin for stealing painkillers, he moved to North Carolina and was rehired as a nurse there. Gaps in regulation make it possible for nurses to move from state to state in order to avoid consequences for misconduct.

Nurses were allowed to use a multi-state license even after they were banned in one state for ignoring patient needs, stealing medication or forgetting crucial tests and missing changes in condition. Read more »

Methane Gas Monitor Deliberately Disabled in Massey Mine

Stephanie Gleason — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:03:57 +0000

Could the Massey mining tragedy have been averted? National Public Radio interviewed three witnesses who say a mine supervisor ordered an electrician to “bridge” the automatic shutoff mechanism that was shutting off a mining machine in the Massey mine where 29 mineworkers were killed.

The methane monitor is designed to shut down the machine when methane gas reaches high enough levels that it can be ignited by sparks from the machine cutting rock.

By: Howard Berkes Read more »

ENVIRONMENT: Role of Consultants Unnoticed in BP Spill

Stephanie Gleason — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:00:04 +0000

R.E.M. Solutions, a Houston consulting firm, produced identical environmental reports for three oil companies drilling in the gulf. Each report said 11 times that an oil spill was “unlikely to have an impact base don the industry wide standards for using proven equipment and technology for such responses.” Read more »

Spokesman for Congressman Complains of 'Egregious Error'

I-Fund Staff — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:06:02 +0000

In an article in today's Seattle Times, a spokesman for House defense appropriations chairman Norm Dicks criticizes as "an egregious error" our story on earmark requests by a number of members of Congress, including the powerful Washington Democrat. Read more »

Additional Authors:

I-Fund Staff

FINANCIAL REFORM: With So Much Up in the Air, Lobbyists Swarm

Stephanie Gleason — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:25:39 +0000

With the passage of financial reform, regulatory agencies will be tasked with conducing studies and writing hundreds of specific new rules, a task that will take years. About a dozen financial agencies are expected to handle about 250 rulemakings, analysts say.

The process will allow financial industry lobbyists the opportunity to try to water down legislative provisions.

By: Jim Puzzanghera Read more »

VIP Loans: Did 30 Special-Rate Loans Influence Congress?

Stephanie Gleason — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:09:00 +0000

Thirty loans were granted to Senators or Senate employees during the “mortgage boom” through a controversial Countrywide Financial Corp program that provided cut-rate terms to favored borrowers--a larger number of such so-called “VIP loans” than previously known.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that a dozen of the borrowers listed their place of employment as the office of Senator Robert Bennett, although Bennett (R-Utah) himself did not receive a loan. Read more »

Turmoil Among Lawyers for the Poor

Stephanie Gleason — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:57:18 +0000

In one of the worst cases of fraud involving the Legal Services Corp., a former chief financial officer for Maryland’s Legal Aid Bureau is being charged with stealing more than $1 million of federal, state and private money. The money-- meant to benefit poor defendants-- was spent in Atlantic City on gambling and prostitutes. Read more »

Details of Deals Between Banks and Colleges Spur Reaction

Ben Protess — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:46:58 +0000

Student Credit Card Story Inspires a Congressman, a One-Woman Protest and Some Citizen Journalism

For nearly two decades, Princeton University has been able to count on Donna Riley—and her money.

Every year since she graduated, Riley has donated to her school’s annual alumni fundraising drive.

“I happen to have a perfect giving record 17 years out from graduation,” she said.

This year, she’s thinking differently. “I told them I won't give again until they stop this practice of making money off of student credit card debt.” Read more »

Congressman, University Deny Earmark Abuse

David Heath — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:08:22 +0000

Challenge Accuracy of Report by the Investigative Fund

A $6.2 million federal spending request by U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks is intended solely for the University of Washington – and no money will be shared with business partner Intellicheck Mobilisa, a university spokesman said. Read more »

CHILD LABOR: As Young As 10, Boys and Girls Harvest Tobacco for Philip Morris

Stephanie Gleason — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:06:45 +0000

American tobacco companies are benefiting from child labor, according to a report released by Human Rights Watch today entitled “Hellish Work” that documented 72 instances of children working in tobacco fields in Kazakhstan. Read more »

FRAUD: Reason for 'Off-The-Charts' Medicare Costs in Florida

Stephanie Gleason — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:31:57 +0000

The Miami Herald reported that last year Florida’s Medicare billing for physical and speech therapy was 140 times higher than New York’s and 10 times higher than California’s. For mental health clinics, Florida billed four times as much as Texas and 635 times as much as Michigan.

In 2008, Medicaid spent $520 million in Miami-Dade on home healthcare treating diabetes. This is more than in the rest of the country combined. Read more »

Investigations into Nursing Home Abuse in Kentucky Can Take Years

Stephanie Gleason — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:21:25 +0000

The Lexington Herald-Leader reported that an investigation into a Kentucky nursing home is still pending 11 months after the nursing home received a citation for the death of a patient who did not receive treatment for three hours after a fall that caused brain bleeding. No decision to either close the case or pursue criminal charges has been made. Read more »

ENVIRONMENT: Costs Rising on Not-So-Clean 'Clean Coal'

Kimberly Leonard — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:53:38 +0000

Communities in several Midwestern states signed up with Peabody Energy Corporation to take part in the Prairies State Project, an energy undertaking in which they were promised clean, inexpensive electricity. With construction underway, the costs have doubled — costs that will be incurred by communities locked into 28 years of higher utility bills. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: Diabetes Drug Maker Hid Test Data on Risks

Michael Ono — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:27:51 +0000

Back in 1999 the drug company SmithKline Beecham conducted a study on Avandia, its diabetes medicine. The study showed the medicine posed risks to the heart. But the company did not make the information public. So reports The New York Times today, which details how the company devoted resources to covering up the study results. The company evidently worried about the loss of revenue expected from warning the public to potential risks -- between 2002 and 2004, around $600 million. Read more »

Scientific Findings Muzzled Even Under Obama?

Kimberly Leonard — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:27:54 +0000

Last week, Investigative Fund reporter Danielle Ivory disclosed how the Environmental Protection Agency isn't including all available scientific data to decide whether the use of atrazine, a common and controversial herbicide sometimes found in tap water, puts the public's health at risk. Read more »

Life-Saving Drugs, Deadly Consequences: Chemo Dangers Unregulated

Kimberly Leonard — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:16:57 +0000

Thousands of health-care workers routinely are exposed to toxins from chemotherapy, which is used to battle cancer. That puts them at risk of getting cancer themselves, and having children with birth defects. Yet the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration does not regulate exposure in the workplace, despite multiple studies documenting ongoing contamination and the existing since 2004 of formal guidelines for handling the chemicals involved. Read more »

How Wealthy Candidates Manipulate Elections

Kimberly Leonard — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:34:01 +0000

How are wealthy candidate using their personal fortunes to manipulate the electoral process? That's a question posed in a number of races prompted by an examination of the gubernatorial race in California where the Republican candidate, Meg Whitman, may have paid a consultant to stay focused on show business instead of working for her prospective opponent.

By Michael Luo

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

Water Supply Carries Others' Meds

Kimberly Leonard — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:30:23 +0000

A scientific analysis of the Ohio River revealed the water was filled with chemicals and pharmeceuticals, causing alterations in fish and possibly endangering the 5 million people who use it as drinking water. Some scientists say there is no cause for alarm, as the products have been detected in very low concentrations, but others say the concentrations are higher in specific parts of the river.

By James Bruggers Read more »

Today's Best: Banks Still Use Tactic from Credit Crisis To Prop Up Earnings

Kimberly Leonard — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:27:49 +0000

Banks will be reporting their second-quarter results in the coming weeks, and thanks to an accounting adjustment the numbers may appear higher than they actually are. Statement 159, a rule adopted two years ago, is an accounting benefit that allows banks to record a gain when their own bonds fall. This tactic was used during the credit crisis and is believed to have helped prop up results for some banks during the first quarter reports for this year.

By Bradley Keoun and David Henry Read more »

Lax Lead in Safety Standards in Detroit too Late for Some Kids

Michael Ono — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:52:21 +0000

You might expect to see a situation like this in an under developed part of the world. From Detroit to Nigeria, the constant threat of lead poisoning is dangerous for the young children who grow up there. Read more »

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

Danielle Ivory — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:00:37 +0000

Agency Says Company's Evidence 'Scientifically More Robust' than Independent Research

Companies with a financial interest in a weed-killer sometimes found in drinking water paid for thousands of studies federal regulators are using to assess the herbicide’s health risks, records of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show. Many of these industry-funded studies, which largely support atrazine’s safety, have never been published or subjected to an independent scientific peer review. Read more »

Lobbying Quells Taxes Against Soda

Kimberly Leonard — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:15:47 +0000

In battles over whether to tax sugared beverages, the soda lobbyists appear to be winning. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: Sites in Illinois Left Toxic for Decades

Kimberly Leonard — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:24:05 +0000

The Chicago Tribune and graduate students from the University of Illinois found 100 instances in which Illinois grounds have been left contaminated, exposing residents to hazardous chemicals such as tar and cyanide. Utility companies are responsible for these sites but are not accountable to anyone in terms of getting the cleanup done in a timely fashion, therefore some sites have remained toxic for decades. On a national scale, thousands of manufacturing plants have yet to be identified for cleanup — a process that would cost the United States $120 billion. Read more »

Medicaid Analysis Shows Drop in Heart Attacks

Kimberly Leonard — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:20:47 +0000

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has pushed for the government to provide more transparency for health care results in order to stimulate better outcomes. USA Today sums up the most recent report on heart complications: Though the death rate for patients with heart attacks have decreased, the patient returns to the hospital have not declined — a fact responsible for driving up costs. Reporters also discovered that two-thirds accredited hospitals had the highest death rates. Read more »

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

Fred Schulte — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:51:00 +0000

City Council Aims to Prevent Investors from Seizing Homes Over Small Water Bills, Other Debts

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 the same fate. Read more »

GOOD READ: Tax Breaks Save Oil Industry Billions

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 20:03:50 +0000

Tax subsidies directed toward oil companies total in the billions, according to a review of American tax code. The breaks make oil the most subsidized industry in America. In some cases, taxes on capital investments are so low that various credits can erase and even surpass the tax liability, meaning a company's returns on those investments are higher after taxes than before. Read more »

New Tricks of the Earmarks Trade

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:20:48 +0000

For all the talk of earmark reform last spring, signs are emerging that companies and lobbyists are devising ways they hope will get them around even the minimal restrictions Congress asserted it would impose on itself. Read more »

GOOD READS: Oil Spill Investigations Continue to Uncover Ineffective Regulation and Poor Safety Standards

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:17:52 +0000

Fish and Wildlife Service Joins List of Ineffective Pre-Spill Regulators Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: Drone Crashes Costing US Millions

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:10:14 +0000

When unmanned aircraft crash in Iraq and Afghanistan, they don't cost any American lives. They do, however, cost taxpayers millions of dollars. The military rushed drones into service in 2001 without resolving certain design issues, and records reveal almost 80 crashes caused by mistakes, coordination error and outdated technology. Each crash costs most than $1 million, and some can cost up to $5 million.

Story by: David Zucchino Read more »

Despite Pledge to Curtail Corporate Earmarks, Politicians Pursue Them

David Heath — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:22:01 +0000

Some Members of Congress Funnel Tax Dollars for Businesses Through Universities and Nonprofits

Editor’s Note: A chart involving an earmark request by Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., has been removed pending further review. Dicks has challenged some of the reporting, as has a spokesman at the University of Washington. More information Read more »

WEEK'S BEST: FDA Lacks Reliable System for Withdrawing Drugs from Shelves

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:53:15 +0000

Oil Influence Pervasive in Lawmakers and Judges Deciding BP's Fate

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:40:26 +0000

As outrage grows over the Gulf oil spill, so do attempts to mitigate any damage BP may face in Washington—sometimes by recipients of money from Big Oil. If you thought officials receiving the most money from oil companies were the least likely to support measures that would injure the oil industry, there’s now some data to back that up. Read more »

Are New Digital Networks Part of the Cure?

Emma Schwartz — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:12:37 +0000

Targeting the Chronically Ill, Obama Administration Bets Millions

GREENVILLE, Miss.—These days, Debra Richardson, a 53-year-old former schoolteacher with diabetes and other chronic diseases, spends a lot of time thinking about how to turn around her deteriorating health.

She monitors her blood sugar every day. She watches the time so she won’t miss taking her pills. And she regularly attends meetings on how to eat more nutritious foods—all of which her doctors can track with a computerized medical records system. Read more »

Cheaters Applying for Tax Credits and Assistance Cost Government Millions

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:37:29 +0000

Swindling the federal government may be easier than you think. Two recent reports from government watchdogs reveal millions of dollars lost to people who claimed they were eligible for tax breaks and financial assistance, when in reality they were in prison, living in million-dollar mansions, or using aliases of deceased people. The reports point to the frequency in which taxpayer dollars are misappropriated—and to the troublesome level of scrutiny at federal and state agencies. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: Future Pope Failed to Take Action as Leader of Church Abuse Office

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:27:47 +0000

When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, was leading the office of the Roman Catholic Church dedicated to handling clergy sex abuse cases, he didn't assert his powers to stop the crimes. A review of records and interviews with people close to him indicate Cardinal Ratzinger only took action after pressure mounted at a secret meeting convened by bishops from English-speaking countries. Read more »

GOOD READ: Millions of Swine Flu Vaccines Trashed after Expiring

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:25:56 +0000

An unusually high number of swine flu vaccines are being thrown out as they reach their expiration date. Nearly 40 million doses are being thrown away, worth about $260 million. That's nearly four times the normal amount of leftover vaccine, a fact that experts attribute to the dire expectations of many epidemiologists at the beginning of the outbreak. Because the vaccines weren't ready at the peak of the disease, many people went without getting the shot. Read more »

GOOD READ: Crooked Mortgage Firm Falls Through Regulatory Cracks in Texas

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:24:27 +0000

Despite government sanctions from 18 states, Allied Home Mortgage Capital continues to operate and thrive in Texas. The company has the highest delinquency rate among top Federal Housing Administration loan originators, and its offices have been censured for employing brokers without licenses. Some homeowners are suing the company, saying it misrepresented their incomes in the lending process.

Story by: Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber Read more »

When Crisis Strikes, Cleanup Crews Also Face Uncertain Hazards

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:31:26 +0000

Hazards facing cleanup workers in the Gulf are steadily being revealed—this week, two investigations uncover potentially dangerous conditions that could affect workers for their entire lives. Perhaps most troubling, however, is the lack of scientific information about working conditions. Without rigorous studies into the health effects of concentrated oil exposure and dispersant use, cleanup workers are unable to take precautions or avoid using certain substances. Read more »

GOOD READ: 'BP: Beyond Prosecution'

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:52:44 +0000

As Louisiana's Attorney General prepares to go after BP for billions of dollars in damages, he is finding several parties making attempts to prevent the suits from reaching court. Trying BP for its entire monetary responsibility would cost the state nearly $100 million over several years, an amount that isn't feasible in a state with a large budget deficit. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: FDA Lacks Reliable System for Withdrawing Drugs from Shelves

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:45:59 +0000

The FDA, which is responsible for approving new medicine, is without a solid system for pulling harmful drugs from the marketplace. The agency relies on the vague stipulation of "risks exceeding benefits," a subjective call that can cause drug companies to challenge the decision in court. Most of the time pharmaceutical companies end up voluntarily withdrawing their drug. The system is under scrutiny as the safety of diabetes drug Avantia is being debated. Read more »

Amid Financial Reform Scuffle, A Revived Call to Tax Wall Street Bonuses

Ben Protess — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:30:00 +0000

UPDATE: Financial Reform Bill Passes House

Anyone have $19 billion they want to donate to Congress?

As lawmakers scramble to address concerns over the projected $19 billion cost of financial reform legislation, almost forgotten is an earlier proposal that could have covered at least some of the tab – by taxing the bonuses of executives. Read more »

Homeowners Blindsided as Small Fees Prompt Foreclosure

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:11:49 +0000

You can lose your house for more reasons than not paying the mortgage. Sometimes - perhaps more often than people think -- it's for failing to pay seemingly small bills of a very different kind. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: Lawmakers Set Aside Earmarks for Their Own Charities

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:21:21 +0000

Lawmakers often use earmarks to funnel federal money to their home states, but a new review finds some members of Congress setting aside funding for charities they created themselves. Examples include Hal Rogers (R-KY), who requested money for summer camps bearing his name. Rogers also set aside money for organizations run by a former aide. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) similarly used earmarks to fund organizations he founded that are run by former staffers.

Story by: Matt Kelley Read more »

GOOD READ: Foreign Travel for Members of Congress Goes Unreported

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:08:02 +0000

Lawmakers failed to report millions of dollars worth of foreign travel, despite regulations that require such disclosure. Members of Congress listed amounts far below those estimated by the Treasury Department, which pegged the amount spent on foreign travel since 2001 at about $110 million. The Congressional reports that were filed are loaded with mistakes and inconsistencies, which may point to the huge discrepancies between their disclosure figures and the amount estimated by the Treasury. Read more »

GOOD READ: AIG Documents Reveal Measures of Forgiveness for Big Banks

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:06:51 +0000

New documents detailing the government bailout of AIG show government regulators ignoring recommendations from experts and allowing banks to receive full compensation for their contracts with AIG. Also revealing is a wavier preventing the insurer from suing banks over irregularities with mortgage securities. Goldman Sachs is a particularly stricking example: the waiver prohibits AIG from suing the bank for misrepresenting mortgage deals, even if the SEC is successful in their attempt. Read more »

GOOD READ: Spill Cleanup Hindered by Inefficient Bureaucracy

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:21:22 +0000

An outpouring of support for the Gulf cleanup effort is being met with red tape and outdated regulations, according to local government officials. Access to oil skimmers, which many acknowledge are the best option for clearing oil from water, is stalled because the boats are in different regions of the country. An oil pollution law from 1990 mandates the equipment is stationed anywhere with the potential for an oil disaster. Read more »

GOOD READ: 'The SEC's Russian Roulette'

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:26:14 +0000

The Securities and Exchange Commission, already under fire for its failure to prevent fraud prior to the financial meltdown, has approved eight Russian and Ukrainian companies with small assets and little or no revenue. The process for the companies was quick, with most filings being approved without any questions from the agency. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: White House Officials Grab Coffee--And Meetings with Lobbyists

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:10:06 +0000

Despite Obama's pledge to reduce the influence of lobbyists in Washington and to increase transparency in the policy making process, his staff members continue to meet with lobbyists at coffee shops and restaurants where their sessions won't be recorded by White House logs. Lobbyists also say White House officials use personal e-mail accounts to arrange meetings so the conversations aren't archived and eligible for review. Read more »

GOOD READ: iPad Hackers Could Gain Access to Users' Identities and Locations

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:08:32 +0000

When hackers accessed thousands of iPad users' personal information last month, AT&T downplayed the implications by assuring customers their passwords and the contents of their e-mail accounts were never compromised. But an investigation into the iPad's hardware reveals a more serious breach, one that may allow hackers to track the location of customers and learn their identities. Read more »

GOOD READ: Clinical Trials Continue for Diabetes Drug Hounded by Safety Concerns

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:06:41 +0000

Avandia, a drug used to treat diabetes, has been cited in studies as increasing the chance of stroke and heart problems in older people, yet more than 30 clinical trials are continuing, with recruitment underway for more patients to test the drug. GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of the drug, is participating in at least one of the trials. Read more »

Looking Back at Hidden Winners in Wall Street Reform

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:16:58 +0000

As the final version of the Wall Street reform bill was finally assembled last Friday, bank stocks rose 2.7 percent—one indication investors envision a bright future for the financial industry. Indeed, some reforms once deemed vital are missing from the package, as columnists like Gretchen Morgenson at the New York Times pointed out this weekend. Some omissions are widely known, others less so. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: Hundreds of California Nurses Continue to Work, Despite Offenses in Other States

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:23:29 +0000

Using databases of nursing records and disciplinary complaints, reporters were able to discover hundreds of practicing nurses in California who had committed serious offenses in other states, including sexual abuse, drug use and neglect. In certain instances, the nurses had their licenses revoked in another state, but remained clear to work in California. Read more »

GOOD READ: Politics Holding Up Grants to Gulf of Mexico Researchers

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:20:45 +0000

In May, BP announced it was giving $500 million in research grants to scientists studying the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, many of whom were eager to begin testing the oil-tainted water to gauge the spill's implications. In the weeks that have followed, political posturing among the Gulf states' governors has prevented the money from reaching researchers. Read more »

GOOD READ: Patient Injuries Plague Las Vegas Hospitals

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:18:50 +0000

Previously sealed data uncovered by investigative reporters indicate a large-scale patient injury pattern in Las Vegas-area hospitals. The examination reveals 969 injuries, including some which were fatal, in 2008 and 2009--a rate of almost one per day. The injuries ranged from objects left in patients' bodies during surgery to blood infections to pressure sores. Data from other parts of the country is similarly sealed so comparisons are difficult to make. Read more »

GOOD READ: Oil Companies Not Prepared for Blowout on Deeper Wells

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:14:57 +0000

Despite public anger at BP's lack of disaster planning, most oil companies still lack effective emergency plans for deepwater wells, including some twice as deep as the one leaking oil into the Gulf. Just as BP downplayed the likelihood of a blowout on Deepwater Horizon, many companies say in their contingency plans that the event of a leak is so improbable that planning is unnecessary. Read more »

WEEK'S BEST: In Alaska, BP Skirts Offshore Ban With Company-Made Island

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:47:14 +0000

GOOD READ: Reusable Bag Study Finds Bacteria--But Test was Funded by Plastics Industry

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:24:23 +0000

The reusable bag movement hit a speed bump recently when a study found bacteria living in a high percentage of the cloth totes. It turns out that study was funded by the American Chemistry Council, which represents plastic bag makers. While their findings indicated E. Coli was present in the bags, it didn't specify which strains, many of which are harmless. Read more »

Oil Spill Fixes Stuck in 1989 Exxon Valdez Time Warp

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:03:17 +0000

Cleaning up the mess in the Gulf of Mexico is turning out to be a messy process itself. Chemical dispersants are causing reports of sickness. Oil-soaked sand and containment booms are ending up in tourist destinations. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: Blame Game Begins as Drilling Companies Argue Over Liability

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:40:12 +0000

Documents and court filings show various companies involved in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig squabbling over liability responsibilities in the aftermath of the oil spill. With the cost of clean-up and lost wages for workers, the financial burden is set to grow into the billions. BP, Halliburton, Transocean and Anadarko are all shifting blame to one another, setting a course for a claims process that could take years. Read more »

GOOD READ: Cleaning the Water but Fouling Land

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:38:24 +0000

As thousands of tons of waste are removed from the Gulf, its disposal on land is coming under scrutiny. Companies contracted by BP to transport oil-stained sand, containment booms and other byproducts of the cleanup effort have been witnessed dumping waste haphazardly throughout the region, often in places trying to regain visits from tourists. Other reports indicate oily sand being left exposed to rainwater, causing a leak onto previously-unsoiled land. Read more »

GOOD READ: NASA Boss Slows Biofuel Project At Recommendation of Oil Company

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:33:25 +0000

NASA's $10 million biofuel project--which aims to use algae as a water-purification system--was stalled when the agency's Administrator Charlie Bolden suggested the venture wasn't a good use of NASA's research dollars. His advice may have been conflicted: E-mails show Bolden served on the board of Marathon Oil, and invested more than $1 million in Marathon stock. Read more »

UPDATE: Iowa College Produces Credit Card Agreement

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:21:13 +0000

Earlier this week the Iowa Independent took up our investigation into colleges' contracts with credit card companies. One institution, the University of Northern Iowa, refused to produce its contract with Bank of America because the agreement was made with the university's alumni association. That group is exempt from public records law. Read more »

GOOD READ: As BP Oil Leak Spread, Wall Street Said Buy

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:19:32 +0000

In the first days of the Gulf oil leak, Wall Street firms were still encouraging their customers to invest in BP, despite signs the company was facing huge financial trouble. An investigation shows 27 of 34 analysts rating BP stock 'buy,' and none telling investors to 'sell.' As BP's role in the crisis became better known, stock in the company began to plumit. In all, shareholders have lost almost $100 billion in wealth since the leak began.

Story by: Aaron Pressman Read more »

GOOD READ: Special Interests Give Cuomo Millions, Despite His Promises of Reform

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:50:59 +0000

In his bid for New York governor, Andrew Cuomo has been sharply critical of special interests and lobbyists, vowing to pass laws to limit their influence. A analysis of campaign records reveals the same special interests donating large amounts to Cuomo's campaign. The biggest contributions came from organized labor, health care companies and lobbying firms--some of the most powerful voices in New York state politics.

Story by: Serge F. Kovasleski and Griffin Palmer Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: In Alaska, BP Skirts Offshore Ban With Company-Made Island

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:36:43 +0000

BP is dodging a temporary ban on offshore drilling by placing their operation on a man-made island three miles off the coast of Alaska. BP created the island specifically for the project. In attempting to reach an oil reservoir by drilling vertically into the earth, then horizontally underneath the Beaufort Sea. The nontraditional design of their well is causing concern among scientists. Read more »

GOOD READ: Bad Government Data Led to BP's Atrocious Spill Plan

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:33:50 +0000

BP's now-famous spill plan, which failed to provide a usable course of action in combating the leak, was based on government data that wildly underestimated the spread of oil. Researchers at the Minerals Management Service used models that didn't account for deepwater drilling, where currents can carry oil miles before it reaches the surface. In 2005, the agency recommended making models for deepwater wells, but the goal has yet to be reached. Read more »

GOOD READ: Fannie and Freddie Bring Green-Energy Plan to a Halt

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:32:02 +0000

Twenty-two states have adopted the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, a system making it easier for homeowners to pay for energy-efficient renovations. Last month, mortgage-finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac put a stop to the progress when they sent a letter to lenders warning them to avoid PACE programs. The move has destroyed consumer confidence and is stopping programs in states that don't already have them. Read more »

GOOD READ: California Welfare Recipients Can Get Cash at Casinos

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:29:36 +0000

California was one of the first states to distribute welfare funds through ATM-style cards, with machines for withdrawing cash located throughout the state. A review of the machines finds them located at 32 casinos and 47 poker rooms, presumably places where recipients will use the money for other purposes aside from feeding and clothing their families. Read more »

Finding the BP Spill Story Others Missed

Kimberly Leonard — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:56:25 +0000

SPOTLIGHT: The Story Behind the Story
Read more »

GOOD READ: After Whistleblowers Get Fired, Government Refuses Action

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:54:22 +0000

When an employee notifies regulators of unsafe working conditions, it is illegal for his employer to terminate his job. Despite this protection, many workers who are fired after blowing the whistle find no help from the Department of Labor, which is supposed to file suit against the offending companies. Of the 311 cases referred to the Department of Labor in the past fifteen years, 279 have been rejected. Read more »

GOOD READ: Drilling Moratorium Judge Invested Heavily in Oil

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:14:38 +0000

Numerous reports are out today detailing US District Court Judge Martin Feldman's financial investments in oil companies. Feldman is the judge who struck down President Obama's temporary ban on offshore oil exploration and deepwater drilling. In addition to owning stock in Deepwater Horizon contractors Transocean and Halliburton, the judge was invested in a number of other oil companies. Read more »

GOOD READ: IRS Gave Homebuyer Tax Credits to Prisoners, Other Swindlers

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:16:49 +0000

The first-time homebuyer tax credit was enormously popular, but an Inspector General audit says the agency erroneously granted the credit to thousands of prisoners claiming to have purchased homes, and to IRS employees who were not first-time buyers. More than 700 of the prisoners were serving life sentences and would never have been able to purchase a home. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: Shady Auto Deals Echo Tactics Used in Mortgage Fraud

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:44:03 +0000

Car dealers made news yesterday when lawmakers agreed to exempt auto financing departments from oversight by a soon-to-be-formed consumer protection bureau. A timely new report from the Center for Public Integrity illustrates the auto industry's maneuvering that led to that exemption, including millions of dollars spent lobbying members of Congress. Read more »

GOOD READ: No Hacking Required for Wealth of Personal Data on the Web

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:38:11 +0000

While the US government spends enormous amounts of time and energy combating malicious Internet hackers, Americans are putting more and more personal data on easily accessible websites. A look at recent cases, include privacy breaches at AT&T and the city government in Atlanta, show how a person can access data simply by looking in the right place. Correspondingly, identity theft and fraud cases are rising. Read more »

GOOD READ: Fingerprint Lab in Texas in Disarray, Despite Calls for Change

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:27:05 +0000

After reports emerged last year that Houston police were making mistakes in fingerprint analysis, calls were made to reform the city's lab. Records show the situation has languished, with rotting countertops, leaking chemicals and inoperable equipment. Officials blame a breakdown in communication between managers and staff.

Story by: Moises Mendoza and James Pinkerton Read more »

Chemical Companies Use Fear Tactics in Resisting BPA Ban

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:28:32 +0000

The debate over banning bisphenol A (BPA), a substance used in food packaging, has been drawing journalistic scrutiny ever since the Milwaukee Journal and the Washington Post revealed minutes from a meeting of industry lobbyists who suggested using 'fear tactics' to sway public opinion. Studies have shown the chemical causes problems with brain development in babies. Read more »

MUST WATCH: South Africa Nuclear Heist Thought to be Inside Job

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:30:51 +0000

The heavily guarded Pelindaba nuclear facility in South Africa was subject to a failed burglary attempt in 2007, but now some workers at the plant believe insiders may have been responsible. A review of events reveals aspects to the attempt that could only reasonably be attributed to someone with extensive knowledge of the facility's layout and schedule. Read more »

GOOD READ: State Lets Sex Offending Doctors Keep Licenses

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:24:19 +0000

Illinois doctors found guilty of sex crimes are allowed to maintain their practices, even in cases when they commit crimes against their patients. A records review showed 16 doctors convicted of sex crimes in the last 15 years, none of which had his license revoked. In some cases, the doctor escaped any kind of discipline whatsoever.

Story by: Megan Twohey Read more »

GOOD READ: Fannie and Freddie (and Taxpayers) Spending Billions to Sell Foreclosed Houses

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:22:28 +0000

When the government seized Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2008, few realized the skyrocketing amounts the mortgage finance companies would cost American taxpayers. As foreclosures rose, Fannie and Freddie became responsible for maintaining and selling over 160,000 homes. The expense of selling a foreclosed home averages around $10,000. The monthly lawn maintenance for Fannie and Freddie-owned homes is more than $10 million.

Story by: Binyamin Appelbaum Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: BP-Funded Study Warned of Underwater Plume After Well Explosion

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:19:41 +0000

In the weeks following the Deepwater Horizon blast, BP denied the presence of underwater oil plumes created by the leaking well. That contradicts a study BP partially funded in 2000, which simulated an underwater oil and gas spill in the North Atlantic. The results of that test showed oil remaining submerged in seawater for long periods of time.

Story By: Beth Daley Read more »

GOOD READ: BP Drilling on Cheap and Risky Wells

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:59:18 +0000

An analysis of federal data shows BP frequently using a cheaper and riskier type of well in their deepwater drilling operations, including in the Deepwater Horizon. Unlike other oil companies, which use the cheaper type of well 5 to 15 percent of the time, BP uses the 'long string' model on 35% of their deepwater wells. Experts contend this particular type of well allows natural gas to escape unchecked during drilling. Read more »

GOOD READ: Staffing Cuts Leave $74M Los Angeles Prison Vacant

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:20:11 +0000

A state-of-the-art prison in LA, which was recently completed at a cost of $74 million, is sitting vacant while LAPD officials figure out how to reallocate their staff in the face of budget shortfalls and personnel cutbacks. In the meantime, prisoners are subject to housing in the overcrowded and under-secured Parker Center, whose plumbing and air-circulation problems have rendered it hot and fetid. Read more »

GOOD READ: Revolving Door Continues to Spin as Congress Prepares for Telecom Overhaul

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:28:09 +0000

As Congress prepares to rewrite telecommunication laws to accommodate the Internet, service providers are busy hiring former government employees to lobby on their behalf. Records show 276 former lawmakers and staffers working for phone and cable companies that provide Americans access to the web. Read more »

Citizen Scrutiny Continues on Stealth Pacts Between Colleges and Banks

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:30:51 +0000

In the two weeks since we published 'Hidden Profits, Student Debt,' more colleges are being asked to make public their contracts with credit card companies. In Iowa, one school is refusing to disclose its contract because the deal was made with the university's alumni association, and is exempt from public records law. Read more »

GOOD READ: BP Hires Lobbying Heavyweights to Weather Congressional Probes

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:21:39 +0000

BP is preparing for a maelstrom of congressional investigations by lining up a heavy-hitting lobbying team, including well-connected Democrats who could persuade lawmakers to dampen proposed safety overhauls. The cost of the onslaught is impossible to determine this early, but past records show BP was spending millions on lobbying before the disaster even began. Read more »

GOOD READ: Tax Break Helps Affluent Homeowners, but Costs Government Billions

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:56:23 +0000

An examination of congressional records reveals the mortgage interest tax deduction is costing the government billions of dollars annually, even as it mostly serves people who could afford to pay the extra amount. For people owning lower-cost homes, the deduction isn't enough to make a difference on their taxes, and they utilize a standard deduction instead. Read more »

GOOD READ: Pilots Say Boeing Cockpits are Ill-Equipped for Emergencies

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:54:36 +0000

Last month's cockpit fire aboard a United Airlines Boeing 757 highlighted a critical safety flaw in the airplane's design: the oxygen hose for pilots to use in emergencies is too short to extend to the fire extinguisher, making fast-action impossible when fires break out. Pilots have complained about the flaw for years, but the FAA and Boeing have yet to remedy the defect. Read more »

GOOD READ: Recommended Level of Toxic Pesticide Mysteriously Jumps in California

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:52:38 +0000

Scientists studying methyl iodide have long contended the pesticide is a potential carcinogen and neurotoxin, and recommend a safe exposure level for humans of .08 parts per billion. Recently, as California began using methyl iodide on strawberries, the recommended level jumped to 96 parts per billion. Scientists are perplexed, and maintain the chemical is extremely dangerous at the higher level. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: Lax Government Oversight Doesn't Stop Faulty Blowout Prevention

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:50:20 +0000

Despite repeated warnings from safety experts, the Minerals Management Service failed to act on repairing the failsafe device that could have prevented the Deepwater Horizon from exploding into flames and sinking. This lengthy New York Times investigation reveals the blowout prevention systems on oil rigs are far more likely to fair than the oil industry asserts.

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

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

Nadja Drost — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:08:23 +0000

Colombia Party Leader-Turned-Presidential Hopeful was Corporate Officer, Documents Show

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 elections over the last decade, while he was a political leader, business records obtained by the Huffington Post Investigative Fund show. Read more »

GOOD READ: Signs of Trouble in Moments Before Rig Explosion

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:55:55 +0000

Interviews with survivors of the Deepwater Horizon blast, which killed 11 workers, form an ominous narrative that shows a number of warning signs that may have been missed. A hissing sound accompanied oil and mud raining down on the rig's decks, and the smell of gas tipped workers off to the impending explosion. Earlier in the day, a BP executive and a representative from rig owner Transocean argued about proceeding with drilling on the rig, which was five weeks behind schedule. Read more »

GOOD READ: $800M Virtual Fence for Border Soars Beyond Budget

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:06:15 +0000

A fence made from cameras, sensors and other virtual barriers has cost U.S. taxpayers $15.1 million per mile, far exceeding its original budget and only covering around three percent of the 2000-mile southern border. Originally the fence was meant to cover the entire stretch of land between the United Stated and Mexico. Read more »

GOOD READ: Special Interests Bill Can't Avoid Special Interests

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:24:20 +0000

The DISCLOSE Act, meant to combat special interest groups by tightening restrictions on corporate campaign ads, is itself a product of back-room deals made with special interests, including the NRA, the Sierra Club and the AARP. An in-depth examination of the bill's history finds a wealth of competing interests that alienated lawmakers and could jeopardize the legislation.

FROM POLITICO

GOOD READ: Oil Spill Not Stopping Lobbyists from Pushing Status Quo

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:04:32 +0000

The disastrous spill in the Gulf of Mexico isn't stopping oil industry lobbyists from urging the government to maintain current safety regulations. Documents filed by the American Petroleum Institute last week show the group urging administration officials to hold off reforming the Minerals Management Service, suggesting the breakdown in regulation on Deepwater Horizon was an aberration rather than a reflection of institutional failure. Read more »

GOOD READ: Mental Illness Goes Untreated Across Iraq

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:12:22 +0000

The number of Iraqis suffering mental illness is increasing, but the treatment and care capacity in the country is struggling to keep up. The traumatic experience of war makes the number of cases unmanageable for the 100 psychiatrists practicing in Iraq, which has a population of 30 million. Prescription drug abuse, a method of self-medicating, is on the rise. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: STILL Too Big to Jail

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:08:36 +0000

We reported in May that federal prosecutors had yet to bring charges against senior executives at large financial institutions. Reporter David Heath compared the current situation with the savings and loan crisis from two decades ago, and found a stark contrast between the large number of arrests made during that period, and the absence of arrests today. A particularity of the system Heath noted was that it's up to banks to report their own fraud to regulators. Read more »

Discretionary Arrests Place Cops Under Scrutiny

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:17:48 +0000

Sometimes a police officer must rely on judgment rather than a book of statutes or a clear sign of wrongdoing -- especially where the law allows wide discretion, as when arresting someone for disorderly conduct or interest in prostitution. Such split-second choices can have a profound affect on that person's life and reputation. But what if the officers are abusing their power? What if they're wrong? And what if their judgments are skewed against African-Americans or Hispanics? Read more »

GOOD READ: BP Still Getting Leases for Drilling in Gulf

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:31:35 +0000

As oil gushes into the Gulf, the government has been approving leases on hundreds of potential drill sites for BP and other oil companies. Obtaining a lease is the first step for a company to begin resource exploration, but traditionally the approval process for exploration plans at the Minerals Management Service has been undemanding. Some environmentalists are calling on the Obama administration to stop approving leases until the regulatory process is reformed. Read more »

GOOD READ: Endangered Dems Raking in Cash from Corporations

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:30:19 +0000

As political observers harp on voters' anti-incumbent attitudes, large corporations like Boeing and Honeywell are making big donations to lawmakers seen as the most vulnerable. A review of FEC filings finds companies donating overwhelmingly to Democrats. Experts suggest that since the companies already have relationships with the lawmakers, they have an interest in keeping them in office. Read more »

GOOD READ: Chris Dodd Secures Stimulus for Billion-Dollar Casino

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:00:20 +0000

Connecticut's congressional delegation secured $54 million in stimulus funds for the Monhegan Indian tribe, owners of the enormously profitable Monhean Sun casino. The money, which comes from the US Department of Agriculture, is designated for communities unable to fund projects with their own resources. Tribe leaders say the funds will be used to create jobs in their community. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: Scrutinized Lawmakers Held Fundraisers Before Pivotal Vote

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:13:14 +0000

As congressmen from both parties prepare to be investigated by the Office of Congressional Ethics, a review of their fundraising history uncovers events timed around a key vote on Wall Street reform. Read more »

GOOD READ: Government Fumbles While Shoreline Destroyed

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:09:09 +0000

After an initial jolt of action, the U.S. government has begun to falter as oil continues flowing into the gulf. An investigation finds the feds waffling on a number of clean-up strategies, including the use of dispersants and the creation of new berms to protect shoreline. The swarm of different agencies from state and federal governments is adding to the operational disaster. Read more »

GOOD READ: NYC Terror-Prevention Equipment Goes Unused

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:24:49 +0000

As New York City officials complain about cuts to their terrorism preparedness funding, records indicate equipment purchased by past grants has gone unused. Examples of untouched equipment include computer servers that haven't been set up, and vapor monitors that no one has been trained to operate. Read more »

GOOD READ: BP Makes Millions in Deals with Iran

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:46:58 +0000

Oil companies are limited in the amount of money they can invest within Iran, but BP's dealings with the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum outside the country are extensive. A BP partnership with Iran in the North Sea yields $1 million of oil per day, and another partnership in Azerbaijan produces billions of dollars worth of gas every year.

FROM TIME

TODAY'S BEST: Bond Program Enriches Wall Street, But Benefits to States Uncertain

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:59:43 +0000

Build America Bonds, designed to fill gaps in states' budgets, were originally hailed as an opportunity to borrow money at low interest rates. But when Wall Street banks began charging larger commissions on the bonds, some states grew wary. Now some banks are telling investors how to bet against the bonds, and Florida has decided to forgo the plan altogether. Read more »

GOOD READ: Agency Could Have Done More to Quell Massive Wildfire

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:52:02 +0000

The U.S. Forest Service claims they exhausted their options while fighting the L.A.-area Station wildfire in 2009. Documents reveal the agency failed to order enough tankers during the fire's critical early stages. Experts say an early air attack on the fire could have prevented the flames from spreading.

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

GOOD READ: Government Finds 74 Sick Cleanup Workers; BP Only Lists 2

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:47:31 +0000

Louisiana records indicate 74 workers have fallen ill after coming into contact with dispersants or oil fumes. BP only lists two. Officials say the discrepancy reflects a disorganized system for handling complaints, and BP's inadequacy at handling safety concerns.

FROM MCCLATCHY

GOOD READ: Numbers Rebuke Argument Against Climate Legislation

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:44:55 +0000

In opposing cap-and-trade energy legislation, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has designed a rubric for determining the "energy security" grade of different proposals -- most have fared poorly. Using the Chamber's own system, Slate predicts the Kerry-Lieberman bill would reduce energy security risk, despite its cap-and-trade provision. The Chamber has yet to publicly weigh in on the bill.

FROM SLATE

GOOD READ: Chicago Doctor Sends Fake Drug Test Results to FDA

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:40:52 +0000

The FDA is barring a doctor in Chicago from participating in drug studies after he submitted fictitious results to the government regulator. The doctor claims the false tests were the fault of his study coordinator, an individual with a lengthy criminal record detailing indictments for fraud and theft.

FROM THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

GOOD READ UPDATE: Investigation Into Foster Home Exposes 'Fight Club'

Kimberly Leonard — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:01:31 +0000

The Texas Tribune paired with The Houston Chronicle to continue an ongoing investigation into a foster home where officials discovered abuse. The house encouraged girls to engage in "fight club" activities and reports showed cases of sexual abuse.

GOOD READ FROM LAST WEEK.

FROM THE TEXAS TRIBUNE

GOOD READ: Afghanistan Airstrike Caught on Tape

Kimberly Leonard — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:39:34 +0000

The Daily Beast obtained an e-mail by Wikileaks' founder showing he has obtained a video of a May 2009 airstrike against Garani in Afghanistan -- the most lethal combat strike in the country since 2001. Public officials have acknowledged they are concerned about the release of the footage, as it cound undermine support for the American military strategy in Afghanistan.

FROM THE DAILY BEAST Read more »

GOOD READ: Pricetag for Pelosi's San Francisco Office Totals $18K

Kimberly Leonard — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:32:38 +0000

An examination of lawmakers' rents reveals Nancy Pelosi is paying almost double what other officials pay. She recently moved into an office in San Francisco, where the rent is more than $18,000 a month. The next highest monthly office rent belongs to Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D) at $10,600.

FROM ROLL CALL

Investigation with Impact

Keith Epstein — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:30:31 +0000

Last week we published another exclusive report on a little-known subject that really matters - and about which Washington has been anything but aggressive. Read more »

GOOD READ: Internet Privacy Battle Sends New Army of Lobbyists to Capitol Hill

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:49:29 +0000

Recent privacy glitches at Google, Facebook and Apple have lawmakers worried about consumer safety on the Internet. With politicians considering potential legislation to ramp up privacy regulations, the companies affected are preparing for a fight. One example is Google, which increased its lobbying expenditures from $260,000 in 2005 to nearly $4 million in 2009. Read more »

GOOD READ: State Department Report Omits Instances of Modern Slavery in America

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:47:17 +0000

Multiple diplomats working in America have been accused of keeping domestic workers as slaves, demanding they work for no pay and often restricting their movement by confiscating passports. A State Department report on human trafficking omits these cases, despite a mandate from Congress to include them.

FROM TIME

GOOD READ: Obscure Maritime Law Dictates Payouts After BP Explosion

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:44:42 +0000

Families of workers killed in the Deepwater Horizon explosion could be drastically undercompensated due to an almost century-old law that limits liability for death at sea. Because the rig was more than 3 miles offshore, Deepwater Horizon was considered an ocean-going vessel. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: Patchwork of Global Regulators Led to Unsafe Oil Rig

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:40:54 +0000

Because international law deemed the Deepwater Horizon a ship, its safety inspections fell to the country of its registration: the Marshall Islands. The tiny Pacific nation considered the ship safe enough for low levels of staffing, which experts believe could have caused the chaos following the explosion.

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

GOOD READ: Whitman's Ties with Goldman Could Pose Conflict of Interest

Kimberly Leonard — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:09:47 +0000

Gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman (R) has $1.2 billion invested in funds managed by Goldman Sachs -- a firm that also has given her more than $100,000 in campaign donations and formerly allowed her to serve as a corporate board member. If elected governor, critics argue her involvement with Goldman could pose a conflict to the public because the firm is the second-largest financial player in underwriting state bonds.

FROM CALIFORNIA WATCH Read more »

GOOD READ: Candidate for MA Governor Understates Involvement in $15B Project

Kimberly Leonard — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:00:15 +0000

During his campaign for Governor of Massachusetts, Charles Baker (R) has touted he thinks it is important for states to spend only within their means. But The Boston Globe uncovered records showing that Baker severely mislead the public about his involvement in the $15 billion Big Dig, a massive transportation project that rerouted an interstate through Boston.

FROM THE BOSTON GLOBE

GOOD READ: Passport Production Remains Vulnerable to Terrorists

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:28:05 +0000

Computer chips used in U.S. passports are being manufactured in a Thai city notorious for violent unrest and terrorist activity. An investigation found the production facility lacking in security preparation or plans to prevent terrorists or spies from getting the chips. Analysts worry the chip, which is designed to better track the flow of people across America's borders, could be used by foreign agents to gain entry into the U.S. Read more »

GOOD READ: BP Payout Process Leaves Workers Unpaid and Angry

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:41:00 +0000

BP asserts it has paid 20,000 of the 42,000 claims it received from people whose livelihood have been destroyed in the oil leak's aftermath. Reports from the Gulf suggest another reality, one where adjusters lose paperwork and underestimate lost income. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: In Virginia, 'Veterans Get Hooked, Not Healed'

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:42:17 +0000

Two military doctors claim patients at a Virginia veterans' hospital were routinely over-prescribed powerful narcotics that led to addiction and a pipeline of drug trafficking in the surrounding community. The doctors claim the drugs were prescribed in dangerous combination, and were often used to mask underlying conditions. When one doctor voiced her concerns to U.S. Senator Jim Webb and others, she was fired. Read more »

GOOD READ: Lawmakers Invest Millions in Industries They Oversee

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:40:16 +0000

A review of financial disclosure records spanning several years uncovers lawmakers heavily invested in the specific industries they are charged with overseeing. Examples include Ron Paul (R-Tex.), whose interest in gold-backed currency extends both to his assignment on the subcommittee governing monetary policy and the large sums of money he has invested in gold-mining stocks. Read more »

MUST WATCH: Daily Cyber Attacks Jeopardize Americans' Safety

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:38:11 +0000

In a world run increasingly by interconnected computer systems, the threat of cyber attacks is ever-present. In this report, previously unpublicized events are revealed, including breaches of defense and financial systems.

FROM 60 MINUTES/CBS NEWS Read more »

GOOD READ: Billions of Dollars Lead to Few Results from 'Revolutionary' Genome Project

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:34:57 +0000

Despite a decade-long project costing $3 billion, the benefits to patients of mapping the human genome still seem elusive. In 2000, when the genome was promised to "revolutionize" medicine in 10 years, scientists hardly realized the genetic complexity of diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer.

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

GOOD READ: Oil Smoke Another Health Concern for Gulf Cleanup Workers

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:32:59 +0000

While smoke from burning oil is common on rigs, the smoke from such a large burn is causing concern among safety advocates in the Gulf. Much of the danger is unknown, since a burn on this scale has never been conducted. Medical experts say the smoke could cause respiratory irritation and asthma.

FROM MCCLATCHY

WEEK'S BEST: Explanation for Bailing Out AIG Doesn't Jibe With Reality

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:12:46 +0000

GOOD READ: Teachers Cheaters on Some Standardized Tests

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:55:09 +0000

Independent investigations in several states reveal grade school teachers who either altered the results of standardized tests or allowed their students to cheat. The phenomenon may be triggered by the increased importance school districts and states are placing on test results as barometers of teacher performance, with some places basing teacher bonuses on the results of students' scores. Read more »

GOOD READ: Genetic Test Mix-Ups Baffle Customers

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:52:13 +0000

Skeptics of personal genetic testing have found another reason to oppose the product: companies have been mixing up results. Ninety-six tests were misplaced in one instance, leading to confusion and concern among customers. Advocates say the mishap doesn't alter the potential benefits of the testing.

FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

TODAY'S BEST: Busted Coast Guard Helicopter Slowed Rescue on Rig

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:43:18 +0000

In the critical moments after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, a Coast Guard rescue mission was stymied by a broken part on a helicopter. A records review unveils a history of malfunctioning rescue equipment, including during a mission following the Haiti earthquake in January.

FROM THE CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY

GOOD READ: BP Hires Company that 'Reduces Claims' for Gulf Coast Residents

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:38:57 +0000

Despite BP's pledges to compensate Gulf coast residents who lost money from the spill, the oil giant has hired a risk-management firm that advertises its ability to reduce payouts for victims. Residents are already complaining about the claims process, saying the company is paying out less than it should based on the money lost after the spill. Read more »

GOOD READ: Florida Officials Test Beaches Mostly by Looking at Them

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:37:01 +0000

Unlike neighboring states, Florida isn't routinely testing the water on its beaches for traces of crude oil washing up from the Deepwater Horizon leak. The state is relying only on visual tests, which miss oil that has dissolved into the seawater. That worries health officials, who say unseen oil can be harmful. Read more »

GOOD READ: Dysfunctional SEC Offices Preventing Reform

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:00:26 +0000

As the Securities and Exchange Commission attempts to rebuild itself after years of regulatory failures, the regional offices of the enforcement agency are under scrutiny for their poor management and general disarray. A report looks at the Fort Worth office, which failed to catch an $8 billion Ponzi scheme despite one staffer's repeated warnings. Read more »

GOOD READ: Ethics Office Too Powerful, Say Lawmakers

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:57:34 +0000

Member of the Congressional Black Caucus have been privately lobbying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to reign in the Office of Congressional Ethics, complaining the panel's ability to publicize investigations has potential to ruin political careers.

FROM POLITICO

GOOD READ: Familiar Faces Lobbying Lawmakers Crafting Financial Reform

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:55:07 +0000

As a select group of senators and congressmen begin crafting the final financial reform bill, former staffers for those members are working hard to prevent their old bosses from injuring the financial industry. Mother Jones found 70 lobbyists who used to work for conferees working as lobbyists for the financial industry. Read more »

GOOD READ: Dead Experts, Wrong Phone Numbers and Miscalculations Make BP's Disaster Plan a Joke

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:47:25 +0000

BP's disaster planning for Deepwater Horizon included inaccurate calculations for estimating oil volume, wildly overoptimistic predictions for cleanup using boats, and the name of a wildlife expert who died in 2005 (the plan was created for 2009). With no effective plan to stop the leak, BP officials struggled to devise a method of containing the spill. Read more »

GOOD READ: Groups Oppose Kagan to Bring In Cash

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:28:21 +0000

Despite Elena Kagan's almost certain elevation to the U.S. Supreme Court, many groups are using her confirmation process as an opportunity to raise money and support among their constituency. Using her record as dean of Harvard Law School and as Solicitor General, the groups have produced a critique of her background that can be used to rally support for Republican candidates in November. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: Jurors Question Their Verdict for Man Sentenced to Die

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:11:36 +0000

In 1995, a Texas jury convicted Hank Skinner of a triple homicide and sentenced him to death. In April, four journalism students tracked down the jurors from that trial, and discovered that many of them now believe their decision was made in error, given the extensive DNA evidence that went unheard in the courtroom. The U.S. Supreme Court is now preparing to decide whether the evidence can be examined. Read more »

GOOD READ: Locked Up for Being in Debt

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:06:30 +0000

Despite the fact that owing money is not considered a crime, Americans are being arrested and thrown in jail for being in debt. The cases arise when individuals miss the deadline for court ordered debt payments. In some states, law enforcement officers are becoming de facto debt collectors, a situation that has legal experts worried.

FROM THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

States Respond to Citizens United

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:54:10 +0000

States are beginning to pass laws responding to the Supreme Court's decision allowing corporations to purchase election advertising. The Sunlight Foundation is compiling the state laws, which require corporations to disclose expenditures.

FROM THE SUNLIGHT FOUNDATION

MUST READ: Undocumented Cleanup Workers in Gulf Targeted by Authorities

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:00:55 +0000

Hispanic laborers hired by BP to clean up oil in the Gulf of Mexico are being targeted by federal immigration authorities for lacking proper documentation. Many undocumented workers moved to the Gulf region after Katrina to help rebuild following that disaster. Read more »

VIDEO WATCH: Past Escapees Return To Prisons They Can Easily Evade

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:45:44 +0000

An investigation and records review of minimum security prisons in Massachusetts show inmates serving time who have already attempted escape, prompting officials to question why they are allowed back into jails that are so easily breached. In one case, a two-time escapee incarcerated at a minimum-security facility simply walked out the door and remained at-large for two months. Read more »

DON'T MISS: Attention is on Coastlines, But Crisis is on Ocean Floor

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:38:22 +0000

As BP and the government work to minimize the impact of the oil leak on Gulf of Mexico coastlines, many are expecting the damage underneath the surface to be far worse. The oil leaking into the water column, paired with the chemical dispersants used to clean it up, is exacting untold damage on fish populations, coral beds and water oxygen levels.

FROM DER SPIEGEL

MUST READ: Explanation for Bailing Out AIG Doesn't Jibe With Reality

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 12:23:36 +0000

In 2008, Bush administration officials, led by then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, urgently insisted on a $80 billion bailout for troubled insurer AIG, explaining the company's problems lay in its financial risk-taking parent company, and not in its insurance subsidiaries. McClatchy combed through documents to reveal a far shakier situation, one that has left the US government on the hook for far more than it originally bargained. Read more »

MUST WATCH: South Africans Pushed Aside for World Cup

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 12:19:23 +0000

Despite Johannesburg officials' claim to not be transplanting residents for the World Cup, allegations of evictions are surfacing in the final days before kickoff. A compelling video from South Africa investigates those claims.

FROM THE CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Read more »

DON'T MISS: Billion-Dollar Inheritance Passed On Tax Free

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 12:16:32 +0000

For the first time, a billionaire's fortune will be passed on to his children without the IRS claiming a cent. A lapse in the estate tax, in effect for the 2010 calender year, makes Dan L. Duncan's fortune--which would qualify for a 55% tax in 2011--untouchable.

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

MUST READ: Demand for Hispanic Doctors Leads to Unlicensed Practices

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 22:28:27 +0000

The time and expense of becoming a licensed doctor in America - ostensibly a smart practice to keep out unqualified physicians - is leading to some unintended consequences. Spanish-speaking doctors and dentists are setting up practices without getting licensed, and in some cases without learning English, to treat populations who are unable to find legitimate practices where Spanish is spoken. Read more »

DON'T MISS: Teen Suicides in Prisons Reflect System Breakdown

Kimberly Leonard — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 19:16:23 +0000

Illinois' juvenile facilities have had seven suicides and 175 attempts during the past decade. An investigation by The Chicago Tribune shows how the prison system is failing to rehabilitate and protect troubled youths, the majority of whom suffer from mental illness.

From The Chicago Tribune

MUST READ: Another Well Has Been Leaking in Gulf Since April

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:12:38 +0000

The Ocean Saratoga, a drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, has been leaking oil into the water since April, according to federal documents. The leak is much smaller than the Deepwater Horizon gusher, but a 10-mile oil slick from the Ocean Saratoga is still visible from space.

FROM THE ALABAMA PRESS-REGISTER

As Student Credit Card Debt Rises, Banks Quietly Reward Schools

Ben Protess — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:01:06 +0000

Colleges Make Millions Selling Access and Addresses to Bank of America

A version of this story was published in the San Francisco Chronicle. The story is one in a series of articles on student debt produced by the Investigative Fund. Read more »

MUST READ: BP's Own Internal Reports Showed Potential For Disaster

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 11:49:32 +0000

Internal investigations, along with lawsuits, e-mails, and state inquiries, show BP to be thoroughly aware of the rampant safety problems on its oil platforms well before the Deepwater Horizon disaster. In one case, the company falsified inspections of fuel tanks in California.

FROM PROPUBLICA Read more »

GOOD READ: Lobbyists Win Big in Fight for Military Engine the Pentagon Says it Doesn't Even Need

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 11:44:34 +0000

Thirteen different lobbying firms are waging a battle to get their clients a contract to produce a second engine for Joint Strike Fighter. The only problem: Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the military doesn't need another engine, and is looking to eliminate the item from his budget. In the past, Congress has disregarded Gates' request to kill the program.

FROM THE CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY

DON'T MISS: Military Still Struggling to Treat and Diagnose 'Signature Wound' From Iraq and Afghanistan

Kevin Liptak — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 11:41:32 +0000

Mild traumatic brain injury caused by roadside bombs officially impacts about 115,000 troops, but internal data and interviews suggest that number doesn't account for nearly 10,000 cases that go undiagnosed. Despite a huge, expensive initiative to increase awareness of brain injury in the military, tremendous shortfalls remain. Read more »

GOOD READ: Finance Lobbyists Use 'Surgical Strike' in Face of Mass Unpopularity

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:59:46 +0000

Large financial firms are deploying their lobbyists in a quieter manner than usual to influence the final outcome of the financial reform bill. Instead of large public campaigns waged on Washington airwaves and newspapers, the firms are targeting specific issues and quietly lobbying the conferees reconciling House and Senate bills. The firms, already maligned in the public eye, are worried large-scale campaigns would further worsen their reputations. Read more »

GOOD READ: Workers Abuse and Mistreat Children, But Where's the Government Outrage?

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:44:31 +0000

The Houston Chronicle and the non-profit Texas Tribune team up to report on shocking cases of worker-committed abuse in Texas' residential treatment centers. Perhaps more shocking: facilities with grave offenses were never shut down, or even put on probation. Read more »

Taxpayer Dollars May Be Used to Bribe Afghan Insurgents

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:48:17 +0000

Following the money in Afghanistan war contracting is making headlines again with allegations that contracted workers used bribes to convince insurgents to let U.S. convoys pass through unstable zones. The New York Times reported yesterday that U.S. and Afghan investigators are trying to track money paid to Afghan contractors who were suspected of offering the bribes. Read more »

GOOD READ: Labor Unions New Target for Politicians

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:28:09 +0000

Unionized workers who have traditionally been courted by politicians are now being cast as entitled impediments to good government, reports Politico. The paper details cases across the country of governors questioning the salaries, benefits and pension packages that have long made unions attractive for workers.

FROM POLITICO

MUST READ: Regulators Enforce Meekly Despite Years of Documented Oil Rig Troubles

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:00:15 +0000

Despite documented evidence of rampant safety and environmental violations on oil rigs, the government agency responsible for doling out punishments only collected 16 fines over five years. They also failed to investigate blowouts in deepwater wells, which reports show are becoming more common.

FROM THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE

WORTH WATCHING: Where Oil Spill Claims Likely, Half the Judges Have Conflicts

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:52:02 +0000

Monetary conflicts between judges and the oil industry may complicate lawsuits currently pending in several Gulf Coast districts, the Associated Press finds. More than half the judges hold stocks or bonds in BP, Transocean or Halliburton, and some are receiving royalties from wells.

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MUST READ: Renovation of Guantanamo Base Cost Millions, Including $300K for a Go-Kart Track

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:42:28 +0000

The Washington Post digs through military records to reveal the nearly $500 million the government has spent over the last decade renovating the US naval station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Among the expenses: $249,000 for a volleyball court; $773,000 for a KFC/Taco Ball and $3.5 million for playgrounds.

FROM THE WASHINGTON POST

GOOD READ: Richmond Bus Drivers Get Off Easy After Violations

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:37:43 +0000

An investigation from the Richmond Times-Dispatch finds major flaws in the system of oversight for city bus drivers. In repeated incidents, drivers who struck pedestrians were relieved of criminal charges after attending driving classes, a violation of state law.

From The Richmond Times-Dispatch

CURIOUS: California Ignoring Own Experts and Allowing Use of Strawberry Pesticide

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:33:58 +0000

Despite the warnings of state scientists and a panel convened to review the studies, California regulators are approving the use methyl iodide in strawberry fields. Studies show the chemical causes thyroid cancer and miscarriages.

FROM CALIFORNIA WATCH

GOOD READ: Drug Companies Entice Doctors With Samples Worth Millions

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:58:09 +0000

New data shows pharmaceutical companies giving doctors millions of dollars worth of drug samples in the hopes of convincing them to prescribe the drugs to their patients. Opponents of drug samples argue the giveaways encourage doctors to prescribe expensive brand-name medications rather than more affordable generics.

DON'T MISS: Another BP Rig Poised For Disaster

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:19:23 +0000

FROM MOTHER JONES:

The Atlantis, another BP oil rig stationed 124 miles from the Louisiana coast, has been allowed to remain in operation despite well-documented safety lapses. Observers worry a disaster on that rig could trigger even worse results in the Gulf.

MUST READ: Medical Marijuana Delivery Services Expand -- But Are They Legal?

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:20:05 +0000

California Watch, in collaboration with KQED Public Radio, looks at the growing industry of medical marijuana delivery services in California.

GOOD READ: Wal-Mart Was Warned of Sex Discrimination Before Lawsuit

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:14:06 +0000

The New York Times digs into a memo from a law firm warning the massive retailer of the systematic sex discrimination in their hiring practices and salaries. Years after the memo was written, seven women filed suit against the company alleging similar discrimination.

VIDEO WATCH: Fisherman's Wife Claims Noxious Oil Dispersants Made Husband Sick

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:55:22 +0000

The wife of a fisherman contracted by BP to clean up oil in the Gulf of Mexico speaks out to CNN, claiming her husband was made physically ill from the oil fumes and dispersants. Read more »

GOOD READ: Jacksonville Sold Contaminated Dirt to Residents

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:51:13 +0000

After excavating a pond and finding a homemade landfill, Jacksonville officials were supposed to test the dirt for toxins. Read more »

GOOD READ: BP Withheld Video from Spill; Government Showed No Resistance

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:47:11 +0000

In the immediate aftermath of the massive oil spill, BP had the ability to make public video and photographs from the leak, but withheld the material.

From ABC News

UPDATE: Former Lawmakers Lobbying for Wall Street

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:44:42 +0000

This week, Talking Points Memo revealed a "Shadow Congress" of former lawmakers now working as lobbyists. Today, Politico finds 73 former members lobbying for financial institutions.

MUST READ: Government Had Early Knowledge of Extent of BP Spill

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 01:21:25 +0000

The Coast Guard's minute-by-minute logs for the first 10 days of the BP oil spill show the government was told on the first day after the explosion that a total well blowout could result in a spill of 8,000 barrels a day, that the blowout preventer was broken and oil was flowing up the riser and that some oil was already sheening on the waters. By day 3, the government knew a full blowout might be 64,000 to 110,000 barrels a day. Read more »

NOTED: Fighter Jet Costs Soaring

Michael Ono — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:46:17 +0000

It was supposed to save money for the U.S. Read more »

DATA WATCH: Track Earmark With Web Mashup

Michael Ono — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:28:12 +0000

Open Secrets, in partnership with the organization Taxpayer's for Common Sense, has a new database to track congressional earmarks. See which Senators have the most earmarks or find out which organizations with PAC's receive the most money.

VIDEO WATCH: Rape on the Reservation

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:22:58 +0000

Current TV’s Vanguard journalism team examines an epidemic of rape on Indian reservations. Filmed in a harsh South Dakota winter, victims and their families tell frightening tales of sexual assault on the reservation. Read more »

VIDEO WATCH: Widow Says Oil Rig Worker Sensed Threat

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:57:14 +0000

Widow of Transocean oil worker killed on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig tells NBC's Lisa Myers that on his last trip home he seemed to be getting his affairs in order, including preparing a will, "in case something happens."

WATCH: Read more »

MUST READ: Misleading Data Used in Obama's Heath Care Pitch

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:33:49 +0000

It's easy for researchers to distinguish between states that spend the most on healthcare and those that spend the least. What's tougher is determining which states provide the best care. The New York Times discovers the data used by the Obama administration to pitch health care reform to Congress isn't always as clear-cut as it seems.

CURIOUS READ: Government Loses, Tobacco Companies Benefit from Tax Loophole

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:30:07 +0000

A tax loophole that benefits tobacco companies is costing the Obama administration's child health plan $250 million, reports the Associated Press' Matt Apuzzo. Unanswered: How did it get there?

GOOD READ: A Bailout for Union-Run Pensions?

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:24:20 +0000

Investors Business Daily is predicting the nation's next big bailout: private union-run, multiemployer pension plans. A 2009 Moody's study found the plans underfunded by $165 billion, but Washington is conflicted over what — if anything — to do about it.

GOOD READ: Even Now, Oil Lobby Wins Exemption

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:20:25 +0000

The New York Times shows how - under pressure from the oil industry - the Obama administration quietly carved out an exemption last week when imposing restrictions on offshore drilling in the wake of the BP oil spill.

MONEY AND POLITICS WATCH: Halliburton Donations Spike to Lawmakers Investigating Spill

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:15:07 +0000

Politico discovers a timely spike in Halliburton donations to senators and congressmen investigating the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Reminder: Halliburton manufactured the casings on Deepwater Horizon that some blame for the disaster.

GOOD READ: Supposedly Cash Strapped U. of California System Still Hiring Million-Dollar Positions

Kevin Liptak — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:09:01 +0000

Despite the University of California's well-publicized budget problems, the system is still making some expensive hires, as the San Francisco Chronicle discovers. Two positions earning over $1 million were added last year, and the amount of "senior officials" earning over $214,000 also jumped.

MUST READ: Bernie Madoff's Co-Conspirators?

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:08:17 +0000

Using filings from the Securities and Exchange Commission, ProPublica identifies possible Madoff cohorts who may have provided cash when the notorious Ponzi scheme was on the verge of collapse.

GOOD READ: Victims Say Sex Crimes Mishandled by NYPD

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:02:32 +0000

The New York Times examines an NYPD program meant to increase officer sensitivity toward victims of sex crimes. The paper interviewed eight women who expressed frustration at the department's handling of their cases, including a woman who waited two hours for police to arrive after calling 911.

GOOD READ: Low-Income Housing Is Far From Affordable

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:39:46 +0000

When Texas gave American Opportunity for Housing Inc. a tax exemption in exchange for creating affordable housing, they expected the units to be priced at levels within reach of low-income families. Read more »

MUST-READ: For All Government's Spending on Research, Where are the Cures?

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:42:06 +0000

Over the last decade, funding for the National Institutes for Health has increased dramatically, but output of lab-tested drugs has fallen. In a cover story, Newsweek identifies the "Valley of Death" in biomedical research: the period of testing that comes after a molecule is discovered, but before drug companies can begin selling it to consumers.

MUST READ: PACs Spend Money Mostly On Themselves

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:23:00 +0000

The Washington Post reveals today that money raised by PACs is overwhelmingly spent on raising more money, rather than helping candidates get elected. Examples include lavish trips to resorts, expensive meals, private jets, and tickets to concerts and sporting events.

More Teflon for Ratings Agencies?

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:19:31 +0000

Warren Buffett and Moody's CEO Raymond McDaniel are testifying before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission today as the panel probes the failures of credit rating agencies in the lead-up to the financial crisis. The New York Times' Andrew Ross Sorkin proposes a few questions for the panel to ask, chief among them: What can be done to prevent these agencies from imperiling the financial system again? Read more »

GOOD READ: Mormons Mum on Lobbyist's Identity

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:59:05 +0000

The Orlando Sentinel reveals the Mormon Church hired a major lobbying firm to aid its building development plans in Florida, but failed to disclose the expenses in reports to county commissioners.

GOOD READ: Toxins Found in Popular Protein Drinks

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:53:10 +0000

Consumer Reports finds arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury among the toxins in protein drinks popular with athletes.

GOOD READ: Nursing Homes Seeking Patients Sway Hospitals with Gifts

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:43:41 +0000

The LA Times tracks hospital workers receiving Coach bags, Cirque de Soleil tickets, and Target gift cards in exchage for placing patients in particular nursing homes.

Investors Made Millions from People Facing Eviction

Fred Schulte — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:00:37 +0000

‘Crime of Greed’ Deprived Local Governments of Revenue, Prosecutors Allege

A six-year conspiracy by veteran real estate investors to rig bids and stifle competition at tax sale auctions made two chief organizers at least $10 million, largely from fees homeowners paid to keep from losing their properties, according to federal prosecutors.

Though many details remain under seal in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, prosecutors allege that from 2002 through 2007 the pair acted to corrupt nearly two dozen municipal tax sales in Baltimore and five other Maryland jurisdictions, including Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. Read more »

The Other Foreclosure Menace

Fred Schulte — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:00:27 +0000

Mortgage Paid Off, Woman Loses Home -- Over a Small Water Bill

A version of this story appeared in The Baltimore Sun.

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. Read more »

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

Adele Hampton — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:33:48 +0000

Amid Attempts to Rein in Wall Street, Persuaders Safeguard Bank’s Interests

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 busier than ever safeguarding its interests while a Wall Street crackdown takes shape in Washington. Read more »

Credit Rating Series Garners SPJ Award

Nick Penniman — Tue, 04 May 2010 19:24:53 +0000

The journalism awards season rolls on. Although we found out today that we did not win a Webby (we were a finalist, though!), we heard yesterday that two of reporters won a Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists. Read more »

Too Big to Jail?

David Heath — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:15:07 +0000

Executives unscathed as regulators let banks report criminal fraud

The financial crisis has spawned hundreds of criminal prosecutions for alleged fraud. Yet so far, defendants have been mostly minor players such as real-estate agents, mortgage brokers, borrowers and a few low-level bank employees. No senior executives at large financial institutions face criminal charges. Read more »

VIDEO: 'The Perfect Crime'

Lagan Sebert — Mon, 03 May 2010 23:39:05 +0000

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 that key bank regulators, who are counted on to root out fraud from the companies they regulate, have largely left it to the banks to report suspicious activity themselves. In this story one veteran bank regulator and a fed-up Senator try to answer the question many have pondered since the beginning of the crisis: Why haven't more bank bosses been held responsible for this mess?

» Related Story: Too Big to Jail?

Financial 'Reform' Dodges Some Big Lessons

David Heath — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:00:16 +0000

Despite New Findings, Congress isn’t Fixing Regulators' ‘Pitiful Enforcement’

As congressional partisans wrangle over financial reform, neither side is grappling with a fundamental lesson learned from an investigation into the causes of the financial crisis.

A recent Senate inquiry offered a rare peek into the secret world of bank examiners. What it revealed was that regulators had stopped regulating. Read more »

U.S. Congressman Renews Attempts to Ban Controversial Herbicide Atrazine

Danielle Ivory — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:41:27 +0000

A member of Congress is seeking to ban one of the nation's most widely-used herbicides, which has turned up in drinking water in some states. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is for the second time proposing legislation that would outlaw any use or trade of atrazine. Read more »

Yielding to Wall Street, Raters 'Drink the Kool-Aid'

Ben Protess — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:13:30 +0000

Documents Detail Banks' Influence on Credit Rating Companies

In the lead up to the financial meltdown, Wall Street firms routinely exerted influence on the nation’s largest credit rating companies— which judge the quality and safety of bonds—and the companies often surrendered to the pressure, a Senate panel has found.

The rating companies, Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s, regularly awarded generous grades to thousands of mortgage-related investments that later collapsed and precipitated the financial crisis. Investors rely on the raters’ assessments in deciding what to buy and sell. Read more »

Medication Mix-ups? Missing Lab Results? Send Us Your Health IT Tips, Stories

Emma Schwartz — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:12:45 +0000

Federal Advisers Recommend Stronger Oversight of Patient Safety, Health Information Technology

Moody's Faces Subpoena in Financial Crisis Inquiry

Ben Protess — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:37:44 +0000

The congressionally appointed panel that’s investigating the financial crisis issued its first subpoena Wednesday – to a company we’ve been examining because of its role in the financial crisis.

Moody’s Corp., one of the world’s largest credit rating agencies, has come under fire for awarding rosy ratings to mortgage investments at the center of the financial meltdown. Standard & Poor’s and Fitch, the other top rating agencies, also issued inflated grades to investments that turned out to be toxic. Read more »

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

Fred Schulte — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 01:22:46 +0000

Reports Link System Malfunctions to Injuries, Deaths

One day in March 2009, hospital workers misread small print on a computer screen, causing them to dispense 10 times the prescribed dose of a drug. Result: The patient has a heart attack.

Another time, a computer fails to alert doctors and nurses when a patient is moved from intensive care to their ward. Left unattended during the night, the patient suffers seizures for hours. Read more »

Amid Digital Records Surge, a Lack of Policing by the FDA

Emma Schwartz — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 01:17:21 +0000

Government Offers Incentives to Buy Electronic Devices It Doesn't Track for Safety

As federal officials encourage the rapid expansion of electronic medical records to help doctors improve care and cut costs, they lack a reliable and systematic method for tracking the safety of these products, agency data and audits show.

Instead, the Food and Drug Administration depends on a spotty warning system that can take a year to flag serious computer malfunctions and other software glitches. When it does learn about incidents that might cause harm, the FDA has failed to correct the problems, the data and audits show. Read more »

Expanded Statement from GE Healthcare

I-Fund Staff — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 01:10:19 +0000

Below are excerpts from GE’s statement to the Investigative Fund regarding adverse event reports submitted to the FDA about its health information technology devices.

GE Healthcare is dedicated to providing safe and effective products. Read more »

Expanded Statement from Cerner Corp.

I-Fund Staff — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 01:10:08 +0000

Below is Cerner’s statement to the Investigative Fund regarding adverse event reports submitted to the FDA about its health information technology devices. Read more »

Even With U.S. Oversight, AIG Keeps Secrets

Ben Protess — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:56:04 +0000

Government Overseers, All From Wall Street, Resist Disclosure

After taxpayers rescued American International Group from the brink of collapse, the U.S. government moved to protect its investment by appointing directors and special trustees to oversee the company.

Now the government’s appointees, all hailing from Wall Street or the Federal Reserve, are allowing AIG to withhold key records generated during the company's decline. The documents could decode the murky circumstances leading to the second largest bailout of the financial crisis. Read more »

Audit Finds Poor Controls on Millions of Dollars in Afghan Police Program

Christine Spolar — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:33:58 +0000

Pentagon Discovers Overpayments to Contractor, Potential for Waste

The private contractor that trains the Afghan police force, a U.S. military program long criticized for wasting money, has failed to document millions of dollars in expenses, according to a leading defense audit agency. Read more »

Afghan Police Training Bedeviled by Delays

Christine Spolar — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 01:08:23 +0000

Pentagon to Re-bid and Keep Spending Billions

A troubled multi-billion contract that has failed to create a reliable national police force in Afghanistan—key to the drawdown of U.S. troops—will be extended again.

During a Senate homeland security subcommittee hearing Thursday, a Pentagon official laid out plans for a new “full and open competition” for police training that likely could take until the end of the year. The new bidding could hamper an already delayed training process. Read more »

War Contractors Overseeing Each Other

Christine Spolar — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:49:23 +0000

If you ever wondered who might be overseeing the government’s private contractors in warzones such as Iraq and Afghanistan, there’s now an answer: Other contractors.

Even as the U.S. increasingly relies on contractors overseas to help build roads and schools, the federal government is routinely allowing them to police each other.

The Government Accountability Office is trying to make sense of the practice – or at least see if there is any real method for hiring oversight contractors. A partial GAO database of about 200 contracts shows the extent of the practice. Read more »

Investigative Reporting Gets Noticed - and Matters

Keith Epstein — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:34:32 +0000

It’s not every day that a reporter gets to cover a big, headline-generating congressional hearing that involves facts and themes he helped to disclose as a result of his own determined digging. For months, David Heath has doggedly pursued stories for us and The Seattle Times on the largest bank failure in U.S. history, Washington Mutual. Read more »

WaMu Bank Executives Aware of Rampant Fraud

David Heath — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:19:13 +0000

Yet They Failed to Act, Senate Investigation Finds

One of the central unanswered questions of the financial crisis is whether bank executives knew fraud was rampant within their mortgage loans.

A Senate committee tomorrow will present evidence that in the case of Washington Mutual Bank, the largest bank failure in history, executives knew about the fraud - and in some cases failed to take much corrective action. By doing nothing, the bank could report higher profits and employees could earn higher bonuses. Read more »

Mine Tragedies: Why They Recur -- and How You Can Help Us Investigate

Keith Epstein — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 21:36:34 +0000

A candlelight vigil held in Oak Hill, W. Va., on Wednesday April/AP Photo by Jon C. Hancock Read more »

Afghan Police in Sore Need of Trainers

Christine Spolar — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 21:27:44 +0000

Few things are more essential to the success of America’s efforts in Afghanistan than the creation of a national police force. And nothing is more essential to the creation of that force as finding experienced people to train the recruits.

But a top training commander at NATO said Thursday that a deep shortage of police trainers troubles the mission. Read more »

Facing Crackdown, Credit Raters Bring on Heavy Hitters

Ben Protess — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 19:02:00 +0000

Is There a Repair Man for This?

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:07:08 +0000

By Kevin Liptak

The lights went out today at a hearing of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, but it may take more than an electrician to fix this group's power problems. Read more »

IRE Awards Finalist

Nick Penniman — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:03:25 +0000

Investigative Reporters and Editors recently announced its 2009 award recipients. Our story about a herbicide called atrazine was a finalist. Atrazine is the second-most-widely-used herbicide in America; farmers saturate their crops with it. As our reporting shows, it may cause a significant risk to humans, animals and the environment. Read more »

It's Alive! (A Wall Street Bonus Tax, that is)

Ben Protess — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:02:55 +0000

Remember that Wall Street bonus tax that a couple Senate Democrats unsuccessfully floated this month? It’s not dead yet.

As we recently reported, the bonus tax initially failed amid opposition from the Chamber of Commerce and hesitation among moderate Democrats and key New York politicians, including Sen. Charles Schumer. Read more »

Will Health Reform Law Ban Insurers from Rescinding Coverage? Loopholes Threaten to Undermine Effort

Danielle Ivory — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:20:13 +0000

Even as President Obama's health care overhaul gets moving, loopholes threaten to undermine the legislation.

Despite a flurry of news reports that the health care package bans a controversial practice where insurers retroactively cancel the health coverage of patients, the law has not changed. Yes, federal law already outlaws rescission, except in cases where insurers say patients have committed fraud.

But insurers generally are not required to prove that the fraud was committed knowingly, and can revoke coverage retroactively -- saving large sums -- at little risk to themselves. Absent any new disclosure requirements or industry standards governing rescission criteria, insurers will ostensibly continue to be able to exploit the loophole to their advantage. Read more »

In a Coma, With the Plug Pulled on Health Insurance

Danielle Ivory — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:15:19 +0000

Family's Struggle Highlights Retroactive Decisions by Insurers, Employers

With her heart set on a career as a chef, Heather Galeotti enrolled in a San Francisco culinary school. One winter night, her life took a near-fatal turn when she was hit by a car. The 22-year-old lay in a coma for nearly six months.

Galeotti’s shaken family told the hospital that she was covered by her father's health care plan with Kaiser Permanente. The hospital confirmed her status with Kaiser and proceeded to treat her. Medical bills piled up to more than $4 million. Read more »

Effort to Track Medical Safety Issues Faces Long Road Ahead

Fred Schulte — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:23:42 +0000

Panel Seeks Centralized Data on Hazards Related to Digital Systems

Despite mounting concern over safety risks posed by digital medical records systems, government officials are years away from starting to track hazards stemming from use of the devices.

A federal advisory panel wants to create the first national database of medical software malfunctions and problems as a part of the Obama administration’s drive to spend billions of dollars in economic stimulus money helping doctors and hospitals adopt the technology. Read more »

Nation’s Largest Private Water Utility Joins Lawsuit Against Herbicide Maker

Danielle Ivory — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 22:07:13 +0000

The nation’s largest private water utility company has joined a federal lawsuit that aims to force the manufacturer of atrazine, a widely-used herbicide, to pay for its removal from drinking water. Read more »

Senate Panel Postpones Washington Mutual Hearing

David Heath — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:48:55 +0000

Citing a busy week, the Senate has postponed an autopsy of the failed Washington Mutual Bank.

Former WaMu CEO Kerry Killinger and President Stephen Rotella were scheduled to testify Thursday, their first public comments since WaMu became the biggest bank failure in history. The hearing has been pushed back to April 13. Read more »

Geithner: End Fannie and Freddie's Original Sin

Ben Protess — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:51:26 +0000

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner today made official what financial experts have known for years: It was a “terrible mistake” to structure mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as shareholder-run companies that enjoy an implicit government backing.

The Obama administration will work to end the “awkward” setup, Geithner told a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee. Eventually, Geithner said, Fannie and Freddie “will not exist in the same form as they did in the past.” Read more »

Why Fannie and Freddie Continue to Cost Taxpayers Billions

Ben Protess — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:22:38 +0000

Treasury Secretary to Testify Tuesday on Mortgage Giants

Of all the companies bailed out by the federal government, mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are shaping up as the deepest money pits. A close look at their past and recent financial filings shows why their losses continue to mount. Read more »

Senate Inquiry to Open With Probe of Washington Mutual

David Heath — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:46:48 +0000

The Senate begins its own inquiry into the causes of the financial crisis next week, delving first into the collapse of Washington Mutual and its subprime unit, Long Beach Mortgage.

It appears that they’ll cover some of the ground we exposed in our inside look into how management policies at Long Beach Mortgage allowed fraud to run rampant. Read more »

Payday Battle in Arizona

Keith Epstein — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:28:41 +0000

One of the first orders of business for influential payday lending lobbyists in Washington is to undo the industry’s potential subjugation to the federal government, as Senate Banking Committee chair Christopher Dodd urges in his blueprint for financial reform. Read more »

In Details of Dodd Bill, Some Loopholes and Unanswered Questions

Keith Epstein — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:45:29 +0000

Effects Unclear on Consumer Bureau, Payday Lenders and Credit Raters

The fine print in the sweeping overhaul of the U.S. financial system proposed by Sen. Christopher Dodd reveals loopholes, ambiguities and unanswered questions about some key players – among them a new consumer protection bureau, credit-rating companies and payday lenders. Read more »

Would Dodd's Consumer Bureau Be Autonomous?

David Heath — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:21:17 +0000

Sen. Christopher Dodd is stressing the importance of a new independent consumer watchdog to prevent another financial crisis. “This crisis started when people were given mortgages they didn’t understand and could never afford,” the Senate banking chairman said in unveiling his financial reform legislation today. “If there was a watchdog on duty, it didn’t bark.” But the fine print in the 1,336-page bill raises questions about the autonomy and independence of the new consumer financial protection bureau it would create. Read more »

Additional Authors:

David Heath

Dodd's Financial Reform Still Leaves Questions About Payday Lenders, Credit Raters

Ben Protess — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:26:55 +0000

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) finally unveiled his plan for financial system reform today. But when it comes to the issues the Investigative Fund has been tracking for the past few months, much remains unclear or open to interpretation.

Take the payday lending industry, which Investigative Fund reporter Keith Epstein has been tracking. Read more »

DynCorp Wins Contract Dispute Over Afghan Police Training

Christine Spolar — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:03:25 +0000

Re-tooling the Afghan national police as a counterinsurgency force is a critical part of the military mission in Afghanistan. Now that effort will be delayed because of a misbegotten attempt by the U.S. Army to shortcut the contract process.

The Government Accountability Office Monday told the U.S. Army to start over in its search for bids for a $1.6 billion effort to overhaul police training. The GAO ruled in favor of DynCorp International, the company currently training Afghan police, which had protested that the process was unfairly skewed toward its rivals. Read more »

Another Disturbing Finding in Lehman Bros. Report

Keith Epstein — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:07:36 +0000

The careless if not deceptive antics of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. involved more than withholding information from its board and the now-infamous “Repo 105” accounting maneuver, which moved $50 billion in assets off the firm’s books to mask the depth of its debt. Read more »

To Speed Recruits, U.S. Cuts Afghan Police Training to Six Weeks

Christine Spolar — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:46:55 +0000

Decision Prompted by Shortages of Training Camps and Instructors

The U.S. government’s plan to rapidly grow the ranks of Afghan police officers has run into a shortage of instructors and training camps, prompting U.S. and NATO officials to cut basic training for Afghan recruits from eight weeks to six. Read more »

Update: Safety Hazards in Electronic Health Records Should Be Reported, Panel Says

Emma Schwartz — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:46:29 +0000

There’s been some movement on the question of what the government should do to make sure electronic health records are safe.

In a conference call meeting Friday, a government advisory panel signaled for the first time that they would support creating a national database and reporting system of patient safety hazards and problems stemming from electronic health records.

“What we’re really saying is we want to make it easy for providers to report unsafe conditions,” said Paul Egerman, co-chair of the panel. Read more »

FDA Asks Hospitals to Report Safety Glitches in Digital Health Systems

Fred Schulte — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:24:23 +0000

In Letter to 350 Health Centers, Agency Signals Growing Concern

Concern over safety risks posed by health information technology has led the Food and Drug Administration to step up scrutiny of the products, including digital medical records systems on which the government plans to spend billions of dollars in coming years.

The FDA last month asked a network of 350 hospitals it set up across the country to report data on potential hazards from a range of computer-assisted medical devices, according to an agency document obtained by the Huffington Post Investigative Fund. Read more »

Investigative Fund Profiled

Nick Penniman — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:34:03 +0000

We've been operational for about six months now, so the timing of this American Journalism Review profile of us couldn't have been sweeter.

Thanks to all of our supporters, readers and citizen journalists who have helped guide and inform our reporting and spread the word about our work.

Onward!

Additional Authors:

Nick Penniman

Update: Payday Lobby Turns to the Senate

Keith Epstein — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:12:39 +0000

Fresh signs surfaced today of the influential payday loan industry's muscle in Washington, where lenders' attempts to stay out of the reach of federal regulators may be bearing fruit in the U.S. Senate.

As the Investigative Fund reported last week, the industry is spending record sums -- about as much on lobbying in 2009 by JP Morgan Chase & Co. Read more »

UPDATE: Wall Street Bonus Tax Fails in Senate

Ben Protess — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:51:00 +0000

The Wall Street bonus tax did not survive today in Congress. But its backers insist it may not be altogether dead.

Democratic Sens. Jim Webb of Virginia and Barbara Boxer of California had proposed a one-time 50 percent tax on bonuses of more than $400,000 awarded by the 13 firms receiving the most federal bailout money. Targeted firms included JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Goldman Sachs. Read more »

Hard Times Update: Readers Share Tales of Foreclosure Schemes, Mortgage Misfortune

Amanda Zamora — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:34:57 +0000

Last month, we put out a call for stories and photos to help document the effect that "Hard Times Profiteers" are having on distressed borrowers and others suffering financial hardship because of the recession. The response was robust. We received more than 100 tips from borrowers, tenants, real estate brokers, investors and others who have experienced or observed misfortune amid the current housing crisis. We also collected dozens of photos documenting bandit signs from California to Maryland. Read more »

Another Wall Street Bonus Tax Falters in Congress

Ben Protess — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:53:37 +0000

Bill Faces Industry Opposition and Skepticism from New York Senators

Cities Sue Manufacturer of Weed-Killer Found in Tap Water

Danielle Ivory — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:54:48 +0000

Federal Lawsuit Seeks Funding to Remove Atrazine from Water Supply

A coalition of communities in six Midwestern states filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking to force the manufacturer of a widely-used herbicide to pay for its removal from drinking water. Read more »

Afghan Contractors and the 'Taliban Tax'

Christine Spolar — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:21:54 +0000

Delivering the goods in a war zone is risky business. In Afghanistan, it’s work bedeviled by bribes and kickbacks. Read more »

Stimulus To Push Electronic Health Records Could Widen 'Digital Divide'

Fred Schulte — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:43:39 +0000

Federal Plan May Leave Behind Small Hospitals and Rural Doctors

A year after Congress agreed to spend billions of dollars to encourage a national switch to electronic health records, many doctors and hospitals have grown skeptical of the pace and details of the plan. Read more »

As Afghanistan Contracting Surges, Who's Following the Money?

Christine Spolar — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:02:24 +0000

U.S. Agencies Fail to Coordinate, Inviting Waste and Abuse

In the past eight years, the United States has allocated $51 billion to rebuild and stabilize Afghanistan. But tracking that money sometimes seems as challenging as finding the leaders of the Taliban. Read more »

Profiting From Recession, Payday Lenders Spend Big to Fight Regulation

Keith Epstein — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:05:20 +0000

Industry Steps Up Lobbying as Senate Grapples With Financial Reform

The influential $42 billion-a-year payday lending industry, thriving from a surge in emergency loans to people struggling through the recession, is pouring record sums into lobbying, campaign contributions, and public relations – and getting results. Read more »

Experts: Safety Oversight Needed as Patient Records Go Digital

Fred Schulte — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:41:28 +0000

Though electronic health records may greatly improve medical care in the future, the technology poses a host of safety concerns that demand attention to protect patients from harm, witnesses told a government panel meeting in Washington on Thursday.

Safety issues are surfacing as the government tees up a plan to spend billions of dollars in stimulus money to help doctors and hospitals adopt the systems. Digitizing medicine is a high priority in the Obama administration’s campaign to reform health care.
Read more »

VIDEO: FTC Consumer Chief To Fraudsters: 'I Want to Put You in Jail'

Lagan Sebert — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:18:51 +0000

As many Americans spiraled deeper into financial disrepair last year, a record number of consumers fell victim to companies seeking to profit from their misfortune, according to the federal governments consumer complaints report released Wednesday. Last year, distressed homeowners became particularly vulnerable to financial rescue schemes, the complaints data show. Companies that, for instance, offer mortgage modifications or foreclosure relief programs generated one consumer complaint in 2008—and nearly 8,000 in 2009.

The Huffington Post Investigative Fund is documenting these schemes in the ongoing series, Hard Times Profiteers. Credit and mortgage schemes are often advertised on roadside signs, according to consumer advocates. If youve seen such an ad, snap a picture and send it to the Investigative Fund. And if you are the victim of a scheme, send the Investigative Fund your story at huffpostfund.org/profiteers.

» Related Story: Consumer Complaints Soar on Mortgage 'Rescue' Schemes

Consumer Complaints Soar on Mortgage 'Rescue' Schemes

Ben Protess — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:42:42 +0000

VIDEO: FTC Consumer Chief To Fraudsters: 'I Want to Put You in Jail'

As many Americans sank deeper into financial trouble last year, a record number reported that they fell victim to schemes seeking to profit from their misfortune, according to a federal report released Wednesday. Read more »

FDA Considers Regulating Safety of Electronic Health Systems

Fred Schulte — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:03:05 +0000

Reports of Patient Harm Include Six Deaths in Two Years

Concerned about potential safety risks in health information technology, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may be moving closer to regulating the systems for the first time.

In the past two years, the agency has received reports of six patient deaths and several dozen injuries linked to malfunctions in the systems, Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in testimony prepared for a government hearing on Thursday. Read more »

Military Training of Afghan National Police Mired in Contract Dispute

Christine Spolar — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:15:19 +0000

Plan to Switch Control from State to Pentagon Delayed Until August

As the war in Afghanistan intensifies, a contract dispute in Washington is interfering with the Obama administration’s plan to rebuild the Afghan national police into a military force with skills to fight the Taliban.

The dispute has left the U.S. government continuing to pay millions of dollars a month to a company that primarily trains recruits as civilian police. Read more »

HARD TIMES PROFITEERS: Help Us Investigate 'Signs of Deception'

Ben Protess — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:36:53 +0000

Drive through most any city in America and the offers will leap out at you: "Repair Your Credit!" "Modify Your Loan!" "Sell Your House Quick!"

The creators of these signs -- Hard Times Profiteers, as we at the Huffington Post Investigative Fund have dubbed them -- are moving to capitalize on the financial troubles of others. They are posting advertisements on walls, street lamps and bus shelters. The ads range from handwritten cardboard cutouts to printed plastic signs. Read more »

Help Us Investigate: Abuses in Student Debt Industry

Ben Protess — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:59:10 +0000

We at the Investigative Fund are partnering with a team of graduate students at the Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University. The topic of their investigation is the student lending and debt collection industry, and they are asking for your help: Read more »

Sugar Tax Absent in Childhood Obesity Campaign

Christine Spolar — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:15:06 +0000

As First Lady Michelle Obama officially launched her campaign against childhood obesity today, a proposal pushed by some health groups was conspicuous by its absence – a federal tax on sugared drinks. Read more »

VIDEO: Senate Deal on Consumer Agency in Doubt

Ben Protess — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:28:53 +0000

Has President Obama’s plan to create a new consumer financial protection agency died on Capitol Hill? That may turn on whether two key senators can make a deal.

Over the last several months, the Investigative Fund has been tracking the agency's topsy turvy journey through Congress. The House in December narrowly approved a bill that would create an independent agency – the CFPA -- to oversee and write rules for consumer credit products such as mortgages and credit cards. Now the Senate Banking Committee is working on its own version of financial regulatory reform. Read more »

Victim of a Real Estate Scheme? Tell Us Your Story

Amanda Zamora — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:08:45 +0000

It’s a no-brainer: As people lose their jobs and struggle to pay the mortgage, they are increasingly vulnerable to those looking to make a quick profit off their troubles.

The Huffington Post Investigative Fund would like to shine a light on real estate schemes going on around the country. How widespread are these activities? Who is behind them? And who is getting hurt? Read more »

Additional Authors:

Ben Protess

Lagan Sebert

Shopping for Health Software, Some Doctors Get Buyer’s Remorse

Emma Schwartz — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:55:00 +0000

Volatile Industry Prompts Calls for Oversight of Firms’ Financial Strength

Robert Cameron wasn’t much of a technology buff, but the orthopedic surgeon knew he wanted to get rid of all the paper in his nine-physician practice in Pensacola, Fla. So he bought an electronic medical records system from a California-based company called Acermed. Read more »

Congressman to AIG: Show Us Your E-mail

Ben Protess — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:09:19 +0000

You might imagine that by now the public would know every last cause and consequence of the government’s $180 billion bailout of insurance giant American International Group. Read more »

Help Track Down Members of Congress Headed to the Super Bowl

Amanda Zamora — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:04:55 +0000

In less than two weeks, the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts will take to the field for Super Bowl 44. While football fans get ready for the big game, our friends at the nonprofit investigative reporting site ProPublica are looking ahead to another set of potential winners and losers: Congressional candidates gearing up for the November races. Read more »

As Health Files Go Digital, Patients May Spot Unpleasant Surprises

Fred Schulte — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:26:17 +0000

Sensitive Questions Arise About Access to Online Medical Data

When Kaiser Permanente started giving patients online access to their medical records nearly five years ago, it offered the same lab reports doctors saw—complete with warning flags highlighting any abnormal results.

The capital letters – such as “H” for “high” -- alarmed many patients. So now the giant health plan has modified the policy for most of its members. It displays lab results in a more neutral way, showing patients how they compare to normal ranges and advising them to contact their health practitioner with any questions. Read more »

Flaws in Iraqi Police Contract Raise Questions About Afghan Effort

Christine Spolar — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:53:06 +0000

In a report that offers lessons for the growing war in Afghanistan, the inspector general overseeing Iraqi reconstruction efforts has found major flaws in the State Department’s oversight of a $2.5 billion contract to help build Iraq’s police force. Read more »

FDIC Responds to I-Fund Story on Sheila Bair's Bank of America Mortgages

I-Fund Staff — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:10:01 +0000

Below is a statement received Jan. 22, 2010, from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. regarding the Jan. 21 article by the Huffington Post Investigative Fund about FDIC chair Sheila Bair. Responses from the Investigative Fund are in red. Read more »

FDIC Chief Got Bank of America Loans While Working On Its Rescue

Keith Epstein — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:14:17 +0000

Agency Grants Sheila Bair Retroactive Ethics Waiver on Mortgages

Sheila Bair, one of the chief regulators overseeing Bank of America’s federal rescue, took out two mortgages worth more than $1 million from the banking giant last summer during ongoing negotiations about the bank’s bailout and its repayment.

In the weeks between the closings on her two mortgage loans, Bair met with Bank of America’s chief negotiator in the bailout talks. Read more »

FDIC Statement Regarding Sheila Bair's Dealings with Bank of America

I-Fund Staff — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:10:26 +0000

In response to inquiries from the Huffington Post Investigative Fund about FDIC chair Sheila Bair's dealings with Bank of America, Andrew Gray, Director of the FDIC Office of Public Affairs, provided the following statement on Jan. 15, 2010: Read more »

Electronic Health Records Probe Expands to Hospitals

Fred Schulte — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:33:52 +0000

Grassley Inquiry Seeks Details on Possible Flaws with Software

A congressional inquiry into plans for spending billions of dollars in stimulus money on digital medical records is now questioning some of the nation’s most prestigious health care providers about possible safety flaws and other problems with the electronic systems. Read more »

What's Still Hidden in AIG's Files?

Ben Protess — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:26:14 +0000

Company Trustees, Lawmakers Resist Calls for More Disclosure

As federal hearings into the cause of the financial crisis got underway this week, attention has focused on one key outstanding question: Whether the giant insurer American International Group committed fraud in the run-up to its $182 billion bailout. Read more »

Hat Tips: Contemplating Journalism Contests of the Future

Nick Penniman — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:06:00 +0000

As submission deadlines loom for most of the major journalism awards, we're assessing which of our hats we'd like toss into the various rings. Although we've only been fully operational for about four months now, we feel as if we have much to be proud of. Read more »

Our Joint Project on the Student Lending Industry

Ben Protess — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:12:52 +0000

In collaboration with Columbia University’s Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism, we published two articles today about the nonprofit student lending industry.

Students from the Stabile Center, part of Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism in New York, investigated and wrote the stories. We at the Investigative Fund oversaw the reporting process and edited the work.

The pieces are the first to result from an ongoing project with the Stabile program that will focus on the relationships between financial companies and universities. Read more »

Some Nonprofit Student Lenders Accused of Misconduct

The Investigative Fund — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:00:56 +0000

As the cost of college continues to skyrocket, students are increasingly seeking loans from nonprofits—state-based organizations often viewed as an attractive alternative to for-profit lenders synonymous with Wall Street excess.

But some nonprofit student lenders have been dogged, like their for-profit competitors, by allegations of misconduct. Read more »

How Nonprofits Won Special Treatment in Student Lending Bill

The Investigative Fund — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:00:36 +0000

This is the first in a series of articles on student lending reported in partnership with the Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University. Read more »

VIDEO: Barney Frank: Consumer Reforms at Risk in Senate

Lagan Sebert — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:42:45 +0000

Financial reform legislation faces an uncertain future in the Senate where Republicans stand opposed to creating a new consumer protection agency. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who ushered a financial overhaul through the House last month, explains how the agency was tempered in his bill and may not survive the Senate. President Obama has said creating the agency is a must. » Related Story: Dodd’s Departure Could Endanger Potential Consumer Agency Read more »

Dodd’s Departure Could Endanger Potential Consumer Agency

Ben Protess — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:18:06 +0000

It’s the question buzzing around Washington and Wall Street this week: Will Sen. Christopher Dodd’s sudden retirement announcement further jeopardize his already thorny task of overhauling the nation’s financial regulatory system?

At risk in particular, some Capitol Hill observers say, may be a proposal to create a new consumer protection agency that President Obama has characterized as a must for financial reform. Read more »

Switch to Electronic Health Records Could Miss Federal Targets

Fred Schulte — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:04:40 +0000

Cut in Stimulus Spending Suggests Early Estimates Too Optimistic

Federal health officials said Wednesday they have cut billions of dollars from the projected cost of a program to push doctors and hospitals to use electronic medical records, suggesting their previous estimates overstated the number of health care providers likely to adopt the technology.

The goal to create a digital health record for every American in the next five years was first set under President George W. Bush. The project picked up steam in the Obama administration, which regards it as vital to controlling soaring health care costs. Read more »

Knight Foundation Announces Grant to Investigative Fund

Nick Penniman — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:10:02 +0000

We are most pleased to announce that the Knight Foundation has decided to support the Investigative Fund's work with a $200,000 grant. In these difficult times for the commercial news industry, Knight has been instrumental in seeding new ventures in nonprofit investigative journalism. We are honored that they have chosen to join our other funders.

WaMu's Fateful Decision

David Heath — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:57:05 +0000

Executives at Washington Mutual made a fateful decision as a white-hot mortgage market turned ice cold in the fall of 2003.

WaMu's chief executive, Kerry Killinger, decided to reignite profits by aggressively pushing the lender’s riskiest but most profitable loans, including the Option ARM and subprime mortgages. Read more »

VIDEO: The Fate of a Subprime Loan: Can This Man Hold On to His Mortgage?

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:25:41 +0000

Special Display Settings

Video Lede:

Eliseo Guardado came legally to the United States in search of his own American Dream. But after he bought his home in a Maryland suburb in 2006, his dream quickly became a nightmare. Long Beach Mortgage, a subsidiary of Washington Mutual, put him in a loan that he could not afford. The story of this one bad loan helps tell a bigger tale- how fraud in the loan process was at the center of the largest bank failure in American history.

Second of two articles about the roots of the subprime lending bubble.

With the housing boom still in full force in early 2006, Long Beach Mortgage Co., one of the nation’s biggest subprime lenders, sent its eager Wall Street investors yet another package containing thousands of new home loans. Read more »

Byline Info

By Christine MacDonald
Special to Huffington Post Investigative Fund

VIDEO: William K. Black's Theory of Corporate Fraud

Lagan Sebert — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:41:13 +0000

William K. Black is a former senior deputy chief counsel at the federal Office of Thrift Supervision. During the savings and loan crisis of the late 1980s Black investigated accounting fraud. He spoke with Huffington Post Senior Reporter David Heath about how fraud can infiltrate entire corporations. » Related Story: At Top Subprime Mortgage Lender, Policies Were Invitation to Fraud Read more »

At Top Subprime Mortgage Lender, Policies Were Invitation to Fraud

David Heath — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:20:36 +0000

Long Beach Mortgage Employees Say Firm Routinely Ignored Warnings

First of two articles about the roots of the subprime lending bubble.

Diane Kosch had one of the most thankless jobs in the subprime lending craze.

Sitting elbow to elbow with colleagues at a conference table in a northern California office building, Kosch’s job was to review a huge stack of loans each day at Long Beach Mortgage for problems, including evidence of fraud. She was given 15 minutes per file. Read more »

Update: A Guide to Financial Regulatory Reform Proposals

Ben Protess — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:36:26 +0000

Now that the House has passed Rep. Barney Frank’s overhaul of U.S. financial regulations, we’ve decided to update our handy chart that details the bill’s approach to key problem areas in the financial system.

In the days before the House voted last Friday, leading Democrats tinkered with the bill, ultimately producing some significant changes. Read more »

VIDEO: Barney Frank: Why Credit Raters 'Don't Like' My Bill

Lagan Sebert — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:59:06 +0000

After nearly a year of debate, the U.S. House passed an historic overhaul of the nation's financial system last week. Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) cracked down on the credit rating industry, which gave top grades to toxic investments at the core of the financial crisis. » Related Story: Barney Frank vs. the Credit Raters Read more »

Barney Frank vs. the Credit Raters

Ben Protess — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:02:37 +0000

Financial Services Chair Got Tough Measures Passed, Some Want Tougher

After deftly dodging federal regulation for years, the nation’s top credit rating companies now must get past the formidable Barney Frank.

Last week, as the U.S. House debated the Wall Street reform package crafted largely by Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat quietly slipped regulations into the bill that would force the most significant overhaul of the credit rating industry to date. Read more »

Daschle Had Public and Private Role in Push for Digital Health Records

Fred Schulte — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:11:32 +0000

In the government’s campaign to bring medical care into the digital age, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has served as a key advisor to President Obama and a consultant to the health-care industry—doing both within the space of a few months.

Daschle, as Obama’s first choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services last year, was a forceful advocate for using billions of dollars in economic stimulus money to help doctors and hospitals buy electronic medical records systems. Read more »

How One Bank Failure Illustrates Lapses by Regulators

Keith Epstein — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:25:41 +0000

Overseers of Florida Bank Noted Risky Lending But Failed to Act

Even by the distorted standards of the national housing bubble, north central Florida was a hot market. Between 2004 and 2006 new houses and property markers spread across cow pastures and horse farms, their values soaring so fast that bankers and builders could hardly believe their good timing, or keep up with the workload. Read more »

'No Place for Quiet Truth'

Nick Penniman — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:18:39 +0000

Some of us here have had the pleasure of working with Bill Moyers in the past few years (and the Schumann Center for Media and Democracy, which Bill heads, is one of our funders). This commentary about him, by Neal Gabler in the LA Times, beautifully states what many of us here felt when Moyers recently announced that he was mothballing his weekly TV show: Read more »

Follow Up: SEC and Justice Looking Into Credit Raters

Ben Protess — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:30:42 +0000

Two federal agencies have acknowledged that they are investigating whether the nation’s top credit rating companies committed fraud in the run-up to the financial crisis.

Officials from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement division and the U.S. Justice Department said at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday that the raters are under examination for awarding inflated grades to toxic investments at the center of the financial crisis. The raters are already facing investigations from state attorneys general in California, Ohio and Connecticut. Read more »

Financial Reform Moves Forward, With Many Loopholes

Rachel Leven — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:20:33 +0000

Chart: How House and Senate Plans Compare on Key Issues

As Congress inches toward restructuring U.S. financial regulation, lawmakers in the House and Senate have characterized their respective bills as sweeping and historic.

But proposals focused on consumer protection, privately-negotiated derivatives and credit rating agencies still allow broad exemptions for key players in the financial system. The Huffington Post Investigative Fund reviewed both reform packages and assembled a chart that compares the bills—and their loopholes. Read more »

VIDEO: Congressman: Raters Helped Create Products they Rated

Lagan Sebert — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:51:03 +0000

Rep. Edolphus Towns, Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has led an investigation into the role the nation's largest credit rating companies played in the financial crisis. He says some raters were involved in helping create the same products they rated, and should therefore be held to a higher standard of liability. If it is proven that the credit raters were in fact grading their own work, it could affect the outcomes of dozens of investor lawsuits against credit raters worth billions. » Related Story: Courts Examine Credit Raters' 'Intimate' Relationship With Bankers Read more »

Follow Up: Michigan Insurance Plan Raises Prosthetics Coverage

Danielle Ivory — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:16:25 +0000

Even better news today in the case of the 12-year-old Michigan boy who initially was denied insurance coverage for his new $30,000 prosthetic arm.

The Investigative Fund has been covering Benjamin French’s story for a few weeks, which has resulted in additional media attention for the French family and a mention on the floor of the Senate by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) Read more »

Courts Examine Credit Raters' 'Intimate' Relationship With Bankers

Ben Protess — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:51:52 +0000

Documents Provide Window Into Raters' Role in Structured Finance

Editor’s Note: This is the last of three articles by the Investigative Fund on the credit rating companies.

A decade ago, the nation’s largest credit-rating companies developed a new line of business that boosted their profits and sent them on a hiring spree. They began rating complex investments that featured large packages of bonds sometimes based on subprime mortgages. Read more »

Investigative Fund Seeks A Few Good Interns

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:02:26 +0000

The Huffington Post Investigative Fund has openings this spring for journalism students who are eligible for academic credit for unpaid internships. We’re looking for young people with a strong interest in working on a new model for investigative journalism that melds the best of traditional media with the tools of the Web.

Candidates should have excellent academic credentials as well as some experience in reporting and/or multimedia production, and be able to work about 15 hours a week. Available positions include: Read more »

In Reversal, Insurance Plan Will Cover Boy's Prosthetic Arm

Danielle Ivory — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:34:26 +0000

This story was updated Dec. 3, 2009. See editor's note.

A Michigan health insurance plan will make a one-time exception and cover a $30,000 prosthetic arm for a 12-year-old boy after his denied claim became a national story cited during the Senate health care debate. Read more »

Our Partners in Journalism

Nick Penniman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:33:34 +0000

An interesting recent piece in the Chicago Reader details Mother Jones' efforts to create an ongoing reporting collaborative that will collectively cover climate change. Salon, Slate, The Atlantic and others are considering playing along.

It's a noble and worthy effort. In a media world with so few resources and such risk of redundancy, these types of collaborations will help forge a new future for enterprise and investigative reporting. Read more »

Follow Up: Troubling Numbers on Commercial Real Estate

Christine Spolar — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:55:00 +0000

A new industry analysis today shows that the default rate on U.S. commercial real estate loans jumped to the highest level in 16 years.

As the Investigative Fund reported last week, the problems in commercial real estate are threatening hundreds of small and medium-sized banks because the oversupply means developers can’t fill their “zombie” buildings and pay back their loans. Read more »

VIDEO: How the Cleveland Clinic Went Digital

Emma Schwartz — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:05:51 +0000

The Cleveland Clinic has been a leader in developing a digital medical record system. Now the Obama administration wants to replicate this model in hospitals across the country with an investment of $45 billion in stimulus funds. But Cleveland may not be an easy model to follow.» Related Story: Can Cleveland Clinic Be a Model for Digital Medicine?

Can Cleveland Clinic Be a Model for Digital Medicine?

Emma Schwartz — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:50:36 +0000

Hospital’s Success With Electronic Records Raises Hope and Caution

CLEVELAND—When Albert Giuliani wakes up each morning, he steps on a scale, takes his blood pressure and pricks his finger to test his sugar levels. Though he’s lived with diabetes and hypertension for decades, he no longer has to bother with pen and paper. The results are automatically uploaded to an electronic record that he and his doctor at the Cleveland Clinic can check anytime. Read more »

Switch to Electronic Records Getting Mixed Reviews at Hospitals and Clinics

Fred Schulte — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:00:18 +0000

Scattered Reports of Software Glitches That Caused Risk to Patients

More than five years ago, one of California’s leading hospitals decided to leap into the future of medical care by digitizing its patients’ health records. Despite a $50 million investment and countless hours trying to overcome persistent technical headaches, the system is still not fully up and running.

This summer, the University of California San Francisco Medical Center quietly wrote off more than a third of the money it has spent, terminated its contractor and prepared to start part of the project from scratch. Read more »

Follow Up: A Story Inspired by Citizen Journalists Lands in Senate Health Care Debate

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:42:37 +0000

Last week, Investigative Fund reporter Danielle Ivory brought you the story of 12-year-old Benjamin French and his family’s inability to pay for his $30,000 prosthetic arm. Read more »

I-Fund's Fred Schulte On NPR

Nick Penniman — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:48:39 +0000

Our senior investigative reporter, Fred Schulte, appeared on NPR to discuss the digitizing of medical records with Weekend Edition's Scott Simon, detailing how major technology firms are competing to win contracts. As Schulte explained: Read more »

VIDEO: Are 'Zombie Buildings' the Next Economic Calamity?

Lagan Sebert — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:05:16 +0000

While the overall U.S. financial system is showing signs of stability, a rapidly rising tide of troubled loans for commercial real estate threatens the survival of hundreds of the nation’s small and medium-sized banks. Read more »

VIDEO: Are 'Zombie Buildings' the Next Economic Calamity?

Christine Spolar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:55:30 +0000

Bad Loans for Commercial Real Estate Threaten Regional and Community Banks

Survey: Hospitals Not Protecting Electronic Health Records

Fred Schulte — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:25:23 +0000

One-Third of Institutions Acknowledge Cases of Medical Identity Theft

Despite new federal laws to protect the privacy of medical files, many hospitals are ill-prepared to prevent security breaches that may result in patient records being stolen, lost or misused, a new survey shows.

Three in four hospitals and health organizations said medical records of patients had been put at risk of improper disclosure “due to inadequate security controls, policies or procedures,” according to the survey released Thursday at a meeting of government health information planners in Washington. Read more »

Federal Regulator Gets Derivatives Advice From Industry Insiders

Keith Epstein — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:15:36 +0000

Advisory Group to Commodities Commission Dominated by Finance Lobbyists, Execs

Like many federal agencies contemplating reform these days, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission is hearing a lot from the industry it regulates.

But executives and lobbyists don’t always have to knock on the commission’s door. Some are already inside. Read more »

For 12-Year-Old Without an Arm, Insurance Has Run Out

Danielle Ivory — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:31:40 +0000

State Rules Vary Widely on Prosthetics and Other Health Needs

Benjamin French was born with his right arm missing below the elbow. In his 12 years, he has been fitted with seven prostheses. His most recent replacement will cost nearly $30,000 and his doctor says he will soon grow out of it.

But, according to his insurance company, the boy is ineligible for further coverage of prosthetic devices because he has already spent his lifetime maximum benefit. Read more »

Follow Up: FHA Blames Woes on Home Loans From Nonprofits

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:20:15 +0000

News that the Federal Housing Administration’s capital reserves have dipped to $3.6 billion generated a spate of alarming headlines last week. But few focused on one aspect of the problem: the role nonprofits played in generating at least $1 billion in losses for the FHA insurance fund. Read more »

Health Industry Winning Round on Privacy of Digital Health Records

Emma Schwartz — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:02:23 +0000

Regulators Limit When Patients Must Learn of a Breach

Lobbyists for the health industry are close to a victory over consumer groups in a dispute about when patients should be told their digital medical records have been lost, stolen or mishandled. Read more »

VIDEO: Will Credit Raters Dodge Change...Again?

Lagan Sebert — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:13:14 +0000

Although the nations largest credit rating companies are blamed for underestimating much of the risk that led to the financial crisis, so far they have dodged any significant consequences. Investors lost billions of dollars on bonds awarded top ratings by Moodys, Standard & Poors and Fitch, and now Congress wants answers. But will Washington really demand change and hold the raters accountable? Read more »

How Credit Raters Fended Off Oversight From Congress and SEC

Ben Protess — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:49:16 +0000

Editor’s Note: This is the second of three articles by the Investigative Fund on the credit rating companies. Read the others here and here.

When the nation’s top credit rating companies came under attack in Washington in recent years, Charles E. Schumer often emerged as their strongest ally. Read more »

Stimulus Fuels Gold Rush For Electronic Health Systems

Fred Schulte — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:29:06 +0000

Competition Among Companies Spawns Bus Tour, Creative Sales Techniques

The government’s $45 billion plan to jump-start a national shift to electronic medical records has touched off a gold rush among scores of technology firms – even as many experts question whether the benefits of the products are being oversold. Read more »

As Soda Tax Bubbles Up, Food Lobby Mobilizes

Christine Spolar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:25:45 +0000

Industry Groups Spent More than $24 Million This Year to Sway Lawmakers

Washington lobbyists have been enjoying a multi-million-dollar sugar rush from the food industry.

Soft drink makers, supermarket companies, agriculture and the fast-food business have poured millions into campaigning against what they fear could be a burgeoning national movement to raise money for health care reform by taxing sweetened beverages. Read more »

When Banks Fail, So Do Those Promised CD Rates

Keith Epstein — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:21:36 +0000

FDIC Allows New Owners to Slash Interest Payments on Deposits

Norma Jean Scott, a 63-year-old Alabama retiree, thought she was being prudent three years ago when she stashed her $100,000 retirement nest egg in a pair of certificates of deposit. Her bank, CapitalSouth, promised her 5.7 percent interest for five years.

“I thought that was in concrete,” she said, “and backed by my government.”

But then CapitalSouth collapsed and the government brokered a deal to sell its business to another institution -- Louisiana-based IberiaBank.

The bank’s new owner promptly cut Scott’s interest rate – to 1.6 percent. Read more »

Government Pushes to Create a New Health Internet

Fred Schulte — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:16:21 +0000

Officials Hope Millions Will Put Their Medical Records Online

Hoping to provide the backbone for a grand plan to put the nation’s medical records online, federal officials have been quietly retooling an obscure government data-sharing service into a robust new Health Internet.

The concept has drawn intense interest from technology firms, including Microsoft and Google, which are scrambling to find new—and profitable—uses for digital medical records and the cyber health-care services they are starting to spawn. Read more »

VIDEO: Lawyer for Credit Rater: We're Protected by First Amendment

Lagan Sebert — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:32:44 +0000

The nation's biggest credit rating agencies are facing blame for underestimating the risk that led to the financial crisis. Floyd Abrams is a renowned First Amendment lawyer who has represented the credit rating agency Standard and Poor's for more than 20 years. Abrams, who made his name defending the New York Times in its landmark Pentagon Papers case, told the Huffington Post Investigative Fund in an interview that raters are entitled to free-speech protections similar to those given to journalists. He is using the argument to defend S&P in billions of dollars worth of lawsuits. » Related Story: Under Attack, Credit Raters Turn to 1st Amendment Read more »

Under Attack, Credit Raters Turn to the First Amendment

Ben Protess — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:57:50 +0000

Editor’s Note: This is the second of three articles by the Investigative Fund on the credit rating companies. Read the others here and here.

For two decades, the nation’s top credit rating agencies have managed to fend off a crackdown from Washington by relying on a surprising ally – the First Amendment. Read more »

Major Gaps in Oversight of Human Medical Research

Jeanne Lenzer — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:02:18 +0000

Columbia Hospital Case a Cautionary Tale

Ten years ago, an 18-year-old student named Jesse Gelsinger died during a medical research trial involving gene therapy at the University of Pennsylvania. The teenager’s death, caused by a violent immune reaction to an injection, triggered a federal inquiry, a review of human protection standards in clinical trials and, ultimately, tougher national standards for patient consent. Read more »

The Good News From Our Citizen Journalism Project

Adam Clark Estes — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:01:07 +0000

One of the big questions in the debate over the future of journalism is whether the Internet can foster a new alliance between professional reporters and citizens who have a high interest or expertise in a particular topic.

Here at the Huffington Post Investigative Fund, we’re seeing signs that the answer is yes. Read more »

VIDEO: Consumer Agency Gains, But Foes Remain

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:56:39 +0000

The Obama administration’s plan for a new regulatory agency to protect consumers has cleared a major legislative hurdle – but it still faces strong opposition from Republicans, business interests and some federal regulators. Read more »

VIDEO: When Patients are Denied: The Battle Over Mental Health Benefits For Sexual Assault Victims

Lagan Sebert — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:53:03 +0000

Some therapists and patients contend that insurance companies have been routinely denying coverage for sexual assault victims requesting long-term mental health services. Stories of how victims of sexual assault can get tangled in the health insurance system have been one result of the Huffington Post Investigative Fund's citizen journalism project, which is calling on readers to provide information and anecdotes about the inner workings of the insurance industry.
» Related Story: Rape Victim's Choice: Risk AIDS or Health Insurance? Read more »

Rape Victim's Choice: Risk AIDS or Health Insurance?

Danielle Ivory — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:38:50 +0000

Women Who Are Attacked Can Get Tangled in the Insurance System

Christina Turner feared that she might have been sexually assaulted after two men slipped her a knockout drug. She thought she was taking proper precautions when her doctor prescribed a month’s worth of anti-AIDS medicine.

Only later did she learn that she had made herself all but uninsurable. Read more »

Fuzzy Math? Rising Costs in Government's Digital Health Stimulus

Fred Schulte — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:01:03 +0000

Spending Could Be Double The Obama Administration's Public Estimate of $19 Billion

Creating digital medical records for every American within the next five years – a key provision of President Obama’s stimulus package -- could cost more than twice the $19.5 billion figure that has been cited by federal officials.

Federal budget documents show that actual spending for the plan, which will use stimulus money to help doctors and hospitals defray the cost of installing high-tech records systems, could hit nearly $47 billion. Read more »

In Reversal of Bush Policy, EPA Launches New Study of Atrazine’s Health Effects

Danielle Ivory — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:59:47 +0000

The Environmental Protection Agency today reversed its stance on the potential hazards of atrazine, one of the most commonly-used herbicides in the country, saying it will re-examine how the chemical affects human health.

EPA officials said in a statement that the agency will take a close look at the weed-killer’s potential to cause cancer, as well as birth defects, low birth weight, and premature births. Agency scientists also will conduct research for the first time examining whether atrazine interferes with the hormone and reproductive systems of humans and amphibians. Read more »

VIDEO: Seven Questions for CFTC Chief Gensler -- He Sees Continuing Vulnerabilities in Derivatives

Lagan Sebert — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:14:28 +0000

Gary Gensler, the top regulator of the commodities markets, sees the U.S. financial system still “vulnerable” to the murky world of privately negotiated derivatives. As chairman of the CFTC, Gensler wants to comprehensively oversee the trading of these complex financial contracts for the first time.
» Related Story: Once a Toothless Regulator, CFTC Now Wants Obama’s Derivatives Bill Strengthened

Top Derivatives Regulator: 'We Haven’t Filled the Gaps'

Ben Protess — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:06:27 +0000

Gary Gensler, the top regulator of the commodities markets, sees the U.S. financial system still “vulnerable” to the murky world of privately negotiated derivatives.

As chairman of the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Gensler wants to comprehensively oversee the trading of these complex financial contracts for the first time.
Read more »

Government Orders Columbia to Tell Patients 'True Nature' of Drug Study

Jeanne Lenzer — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:59:25 +0000

Officials Say Research May Have Caused Harm to People Who Had Heart Surgery

NEW YORK -- The man who would be known as Patient No. 1 emerged from routine open-heart surgery at Columbia University Medical Center in stable condition. Then he began to bleed uncontrollably. Surgeons rushed him back to the operating room to reopen his chest, but by the time they could stop the hemorrhaging, Patient No. 1 was barely breathing and in a coma.

On Aug. 15, 2000, shortly before he was discharged on his way to a nursing home, a physician wrote a terse final diagnosis in his chart: “Medical disaster.” Read more »

Home Loans Brokered by Nonprofits Helped Fuel the Housing Crisis

Jeff Horwitz — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:22:52 +0000

Billions of Dollars in Defaults on No-Money-Down Mortgages Weigh on FHA's Books

Before the housing boom got underway in the late 1990s, a California nonprofit group hatched an idea to help families who qualified for government-backed mortgages but still couldn’t raise the down payment. Read more »

VIDEO: As Pundit and Advocate, Dick Morris Targets Seniors in Health Care Debate

Lagan Sebert — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:43:41 +0000

The history of an ad written by political commentator Dick Morris -- one of dozens of health care spots making the rounds -- shows how a quickly assembled group with uncertain origins and funding can make a mark on one of the most contentious public policy debates in memory.
» Related Story: Anatomy of an Attack Ad Read more »

VIDEO: Seven Questions for TARP IG Neil Barofsky -- U.S. May Be In a 'Far More Dangerous' Situation

Lagan Sebert — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:22:01 +0000

Neil Barofsky is the man who tracks the historic bailout known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. The 39-year-old special inspector general monitors a dozen separate bailout-related programs that now account for nearly $3 trillion in financial commitments. A former federal prosecutor, Barofsky has subpoena power and has launched about three dozen investigations since being named to the post in December 2008. In an audit released in July, Barofsky made clear that he was intent on demanding transparency from all quarters -- including the U.S. Treasury. Read more »

Anatomy of an Attack Ad

Ben Protess — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:40:38 +0000

How Dick Morris Is Making Seniors Feverish About Health Care Reform

Standing in a medical exam room, a neurosurgeon in a white lab coat stares solemnly into the camera and warns that President Obama’s health care plan “will hurt our seniors” and “end Medicare as we know it.” Two networks, NBC and ABC, declined to run the 30-second ad, but it has probably reached millions of people on Fox, CBS and local stations as well as on the Web. Read more »

Join Our Investigation: How Often Do Health Insurers Deny Claims?

Adam Clark Estes — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:52:01 +0000

Amid all the loud arguments about the proper role for government and private companies in American health care, one point often seems lost: Exactly how well – or badly – are private insurers handling claims in the existing system? Daniellle Ivory is uncovering some answers. Read more »

VIDEO: Kucinich Grills Insurance Execs on Claim Denials

Sabrina Sieck — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:41:00 +0000

Are health insurance companies generally being fair and honest when they reject claims from policy holders? That would seem to be an important question in deciding how best to fix the U.S. health system. But it hasnt been a focus of the raging health-care debate -- possibly because the answer is not publicly available. At a recent House hearing, Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) questions executives of six of the nation's largest health insurers about claims denials.
» Related Story: In Health Care, Number of Claims Denied Remains a Mystery

In Health Care, Number of Claims Denied Remains a Mystery

Danielle Ivory — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:33:02 +0000

Are health insurance companies generally being fair and honest when they reject claims from policy holders?

That would seem to be an important question in deciding how best to fix the U.S. health system. But it hasn’t been a focus of the raging health-care debate -- possibly because the answer is not publicly available.

“This is one of the dark corners of the black box that is private health insurance,” said Karen Pollitz, a professor at the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute. Read more »

Business Groups Step Up Campaign to Block Obama's Consumer Agency

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:15:04 +0000

A new federal consumer protection agency is emerging as the centerpiece of the Obama administration’s financial reforms, prompting banking companies and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to step up their campaign to kill the idea. Read more »

Report: SEC Watchdog Investigating Bank of America Fine

Ben Protess — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:51:53 +0000

If you’ve been following Bank of America’s contradictory statements about whether it tracks its spending of $45 billion in taxpayer dollars, Bloomberg has a story today that might interest you. The gist is that the Security and Exchange Commission’s internal watchdog is examining the way the commission is handling investigations of banks, including Bank of America, that have received bailout funds. Read more »

Government Bans Robocalls? Not So Much

Ben Protess — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:37:37 +0000

It’s dinnertime, the phone rings and it might be someone important. Instead, you hear a recorded voice: “Congratulations! You’ve been pre-approved for a new mortgage!”

The good news is that after years of complaints from consumers, the Federal Trade Commission has now banned telemarketing pitches known as robocalls unless consumers pre-approve of them in writing. The bad news: You might still be badgered by mortgage lenders and some other telemarketers.
Read more »

Energy Projects Lag in Stimulus Spending

Gary Cohn — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:53:15 +0000

President Obama has pledged to transform the nation’s energy policy and has made renewable energy a cornerstone of the $787 billion stimulus package, but so far the money for energy-related projects has been slow to leave Washington. Read more »

VIDEO: Frank May Revive Foreclosure Relief Bill

Lagan Sebert — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:09:00 +0000

Mounting evidence that the housing foreclosure crisis is only picking up steam prompted House Financial Services chairman Barney Frank today to warn again that he might revive a proposal to change bankruptcy rules. Frank, (D-Mass.), last spring tried unsuccessfully to push through a foreclosure relief bill known as cramdown, which would have allowed federal judges to lower mortgage payments and interest rates for bankrupt homeowners facing foreclosure. Read more »

Video: Barney Frank Says Why 'Cramdown' Stands Better Chance Now

Lagan Sebert — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:08:03 +0000

Mounting evidence that the housing foreclosure crisis is only picking up steam prompted House Financial Services chairman Barney Frank today to warn again that he might revive a proposal to change bankruptcy rules.

Frank, (D-Ma), last spring tried unsuccessfully to push through a foreclosure relief bill known as cramdown, which would have allowed federal judges to lower mortgage payments and interest rates for bankrupt homeowners facing foreclosure.
Read more »

EPA's Failure to Publicize Drinking Water Data Prompts Rethinking in Agency, Congress

Danielle Ivory — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:55:56 +0000

There is some evidence that Congress -- and the Environmental Protection Agency -- are rethinking their policies on a commonly used weed-killer after disclosures that the EPA failed to notify the public about high levels of the herbicide in drinking water. Read more »

A Crowd's Take on the Health Care Revolving Door

Adam Clark Estes — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:47:07 +0000

Earlier this summer, The Washington Post published an eye-catching analysis of the revolving door between Congress and the health industry. The newspaper estimated that at least 350 former staffers and members of Congress are now lobbying their former Capitol Hill colleagues on legislation to change the health care system. Read more »

Congressman Still Awaits Answer from Bank of America on Bailout

Ben Protess — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:00:31 +0000

Bank of America, the nation’s largest bank, has told Congress and the Treasury Department that it can’t track how it spends $45 billion in taxpayer funds.
Read more »

Treasury and Bailout IG Settle One Dispute, But Others Remain

Ben Protess — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:45:42 +0000

The Treasury Department may have backed down from a squabble over the independence of the agency that Congress set up as watchdog of the government’s $700 billion bailout. But Treasury remains at odds with the watchdog over another key oversight issue: whether to track how bailed-out banks are spending their taxpayer dollars.
Read more »

Herbicide Maker Asks that Lobbying be Excluded from Class Action Lawsuit

Danielle Ivory — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:36:48 +0000

Lawyers representing the maker of the herbicide atrazine are asking that documents related to the company’s lobbying and trade association activities be excluded from a class action lawsuit being filed by some Illinois water utilities. Read more »

Welcome To Our New Site!

Nick Penniman — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the Huffington Post Investigative Fund's new Web site.

We are a new nonprofit online venture based in Washington, D.C. Our staff reporters and contributing writers aim to merge the classic watchdog function of the press with the best tools of new media. As financial pressures decimate the investigative reporting ranks at newspapers, magazines and TV stations, we are joining the movement to build new structures and ways of doing investigative journalism. Read more »

Drop in FDIC Fund a Problem, But Not Panic Worthy

Ben Protess — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:19:06 +0000

You may have seen the startling news yesterday: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. reported that its insurance fund, which essentially protects bank deposits from disappearing, dropped to its lowest level in nearly 16 years. Read more »

Checking Your Water for Atrazine

Danielle Ivory — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:11:25 +0000

The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that you ask your local water utility for its annual drinking water report if you are concerned about the levels of atrazine in your water. But, as we pointed out this weekend, these reports are not entirely reliable when it comes to the herbicide. Read more »

Water Utilities Lack Proper Filters for Weed-Killer

Danielle Ivory — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:11:00 +0000

Results from a federal drinking water monitoring program show that many public water companies are ineffective at removing a widely used weed-killer from their water supplies. Read more »

FDIC Softens its Proposed Rules for Buying Banks

Ben Protess — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:24:35 +0000

As we expected, the board of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. today approved controversial rules that will govern how risk-taking private equity firms can snatch up failing banks. Read more »

Interrogation Guidelines Were Reality for Iraqi General

Ben Protess — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:51:27 +0000

Now that the CIA’s secret guidelines for interrogating suspected al-Qaeda operatives have been made public, the world has a better understanding of the bureaucratic side of the debate over detainee abuse under the Bush administration. Read more »

Geithner Moves to New Home, But Some Question His Temporary Digs

Philip Shenon — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:40:00 +0000

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has finally moved into a permanent home after eight months in Washington, leaving behind some lingering questions about the rent-free arrangement he enjoyed with a college friend who was a former Wall Street executive and now a top official at a major international lender. Read more »

Judge Keeps Heat on Bank of America and SEC

Ben Protess — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:09:19 +0000

We reported yesterday that Bank of America, the nation’s largest bank, told conflicting stories to lawmakers, regulators and a federal judge about whether it tracks its spending of $45 billion in bailout funds.

Now we’re looking at the demands of the federal judge who was told one of those stories and will decide a $33-million court settlement between the SEC and Bank of America over executive payouts. Read more »

From Bank of America, Two Different Stories About Tracking Bailout Funds

Ben Protess — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:10:00 +0000

Is Bank of America, the nation’s largest bank, tracking how it spends $45 billion in taxpayer funds?

That depends on which Bank of America statement you believe.

The bank told the Treasury Department in May that it couldn’t follow the money it received through the government’s $700 billion bailout program because those funds “are part of our operating capital” and “cannot effectively be segregated.” Read more »

Huff Fund on TV

Ben Protess — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:06:11 +0000

Huffington Post Investigative Fund reporter Danielle Ivory appeared this morning on the TV program “Democracy Now” to discuss her investigation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s failure to inform the public that some drinking water in four states is laced with high levels of the weed-killer atrazine. Read more »

Will FDIC Go Soft on Private Firms Buying Failed Banks?

Ben Protess — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:36:48 +0000

As we noted last week, with bank failures at their highest level in 17 years, the FDIC’s insurance fund, which protects bank deposits from disappearing, is in danger of disappearing itself.

So far this year, the FDIC has shut down 81 banks, shrinking the insurance fund to $13 billion, down from $52.8 billion a year ago. Read more »

Check Out Our Atrazine Resources: New EPA Data, Our Video and NRDC Report

Danielle Ivory — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:43:29 +0000

As we reported yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency has been collecting data that shows people are drinking water laced with high levels of a weed-killer called atrazine.

But the EPA does not publish that data. (We obtained it through a Freedom of Information Act request.)

Since we have it, we’re publishing the raw data set ourselves. Now you’ll be able to search atrazine levels for about 150 community watersheds in ten states from 2003 to 2008. Read more »

VIDEO: Weed-Killer in the Water: How Safe is Atrazine?

Lagan Sebert — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:49:30 +0000

One of the nation's most widely-used herbicides has been found to exceed federal safety limits in drinking water in four states, but water customers have not been told and the Environmental Protection Agency has not published the results. American News Project producer Harry Hanbury contributed to this report.
» Related Story: EPA Fails to Inform Public About Weed-Killer in Drinking Water Read more »

EPA Fails to Inform Public About Weed-Killer in Drinking Water

Danielle Ivory — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:00:09 +0000

One of the nation’s most widely-used herbicides has been found to exceed federal safety limits in drinking water in four states, but water customers have not been told and the Environmental Protection Agency has not published the results. Read more »

Could the FDIC Fund Go Broke?

Ben Protess — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:18:09 +0000

The shiny FDIC sticker posted at your bank may be reassuring that someone in Washington is protecting your money. But that’s assuming the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has enough money in its own bank to protect you. Read more »

Once a Toothless Regulator, CFTC Now Wants Obama’s Derivatives Bill Strengthened

Ben Protess — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:29:25 +0000

A major regulator of financial derivatives is flexing some newfound muscle in the wake of the economic meltdown.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, wants Congress to strengthen the Obama administration’s legislative plan for overseeing the $592 trillion over-the-counter derivatives market, according to CFTC documents we obtained. Read more »

Big Questions Remain About Bailout Cash

I-Fund Staff — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:24:34 +0000

Despite hundreds of well-trained eyes watching over the $700 billion in federal funding meant to rescue the nation's financial sector, basic questions remain about how the money has been spent. In 10 months, the Congressional Oversight Panel has issued 10 reports on the Troubled Asset Relief Program, calling for greater transparency and clarity by the Treasury and Federal Reserve.

Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard Law School professor who chairs the oversight panel, chooses her words carefully as she presents the panel’s findings to Congress and the public. Read more »

At Appalachian Fairgrounds, Charity Tries to Fill Gaps in Health Care

Lagan Sebert — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:32:58 +0000

Even Most Sweeping Reforms Would Leave Some Without Coverage

WISE, Va. – On a sunny Saturday at the county fairgrounds in this Appalachian community, the gaps in the American health care system were on vivid display.

Lured by the promise of a weekend of free checkups, surgeries and dental care, thousands of people turned up two weeks ago in the far southwest corner of Virginia, as shown in the video documentary that accompanies this article. Read more »

VIDEO: Elizabeth Warren Goes to Washington

David Murdock — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 04:00:00 +0000

In 10 months, the Congressional Oversight Panel overseeing $700 billion in federal bailout funding has issued 10 reports, calling for greater transparency and clarity by the Treasury and Federal Reserve. Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard Law School professor who chairs the oversight panel, chooses her words carefully as she presents the panel’s findings to Congress and the public.
» Related Story: Big Questions Remain About Bailout Cash Read more »

VIDEO: In Rural Virginia, Relief is Rare for Uninsured

Lagan Sebert — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0000

On a sunny Saturday at the county fairgrounds in this Appalachian community, the gaps in the American health care system were on vivid display. Lured by the promise of a weekend of free checkups, surgeries and dental care, thousands of people braved the summer heat to get care they otherwise could not afford.
» Related Story: At Appalachian Fairgrounds, Charity Tries to Fill Gaps in Health Care Read more »

DNA Testing of Detained Immigrants Easier Said Than Done

Ben Protess — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:45:08 +0000

This story was co-published with ProPublica

Seven months after the federal government gave final approval to a controversial plan to collect DNA samples from undocumented immigrants, the program has yet to launch. Read more »

California Crime Lab Escapes Budget Cuts

Ben Protess — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:06:55 +0000

This post was co-published with ProPublica.

Good financial news out of California is rare these days, but one key crime-fighting agency has emerged from the state's recent budget slashing unscathed: the state crime lab. Read more »

Despite Promises, Some Rape Victims Stuck Paying Exam Bills

Ben Protess — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:22:21 +0000

This report was co-published with ProPublica

When a woman is raped, police turn to scientific evidence-semen, blood and tissue samples-to identify her attacker. The evidence is collected through a medical exam of the victim, who is not supposed to pay for this crime-solving process. Read more »

Lobbying Showdown over the Future of Student Loans

Danielle Knight — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:28:17 +0000

When Sallie Mae, the nation's largest provider of student loans, saw the possibility of its own extinction in a plan advanced by the Obama administration, it did what just about any big corporation would do: It hired the best lobbyists money can buy.

That was standard procedure for Sallie Mae, which for two decades has almost single-handedly stymied attempts to reduce or eliminate federal subsidies to the multibillion-dollar private student loan industry. Read more »

Iraq Prison Diary: Whatever Happened to the 'Six of Clubs'?

Michael Bronner — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:36:53 +0000

Hussam Amin, a high-ranking official in the Saddam Hussein regime, told U.N. weapons inspectors for years there was nothing to find in his country. It was the truth - but that didn’t save him from Purgatory.

Major General Hussam Mohammed Amin, named the "Six of Clubs" on the Bush Administration's card deck of "Iraq's Most Wanted," had, perhaps, the most impossible job in pre-war Iraq. Read more »

How do Health Care Lobby Dollars Match Influence in Congress?

Adam Clark Estes — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:07:28 +0000

This afternoon, Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT: $1,892,999*) and House Ways and Means Committee Chair Charles Rangel (D-NY: $1,372,369) head to the White House for a potentially pivotal meeting with President Obama on health care reform. In an increasingly uphill battle these two key Democrat legislators have been struggling lately with the inevitable bottom line: How much is effective health care reform going to cost? Read more »

Obama Punting on Fannie, Freddie Could Prove Costly

Ben Protess — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:29:40 +0000

Facing an array of more immediate financial problems, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has pushed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac towards the bottom of his to-do list, even as they continue to amass billions of dollars in losses on the government's tab.

But some finance experts and lawmakers argue that time is wasting as the taxpayer's burden grows. Read more »

Introducing Huffington Post Investigative Fund's Health Care Unit

Adam Clark Estes — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:40:40 +0000

Today, the Huffington Post Investigative Fund began mobilizing a new cadre of citizen journalists to follow the progress of health care reform legislation with the support of Huffington Post's Eyes & Ears. By targeting the top recipients of campaign cash from the health care industry in both the House and Senate these investigators, now members of the Health Care Investigative Unit, will help track the key players and methods involved in crafting related legislation. Read more »

Toothless Regulator Looks to Take a Bite Out of Derivatives

Ben Protess — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:31:01 +0000

When President Obama unveiled his regulatory overhaul plan last week, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, dodged a bullet. Read more »

Cali Budget Cuts Could Cause 'Public Safety Emergency'

Ben Protess — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:53:53 +0000

This report was co-published with ProPublica. Read more »

The Fraud Squad

Howard Goodman — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:47:17 +0000

MIAMI ⎯ The sun-seared condominiums along Brickell Avenue stand tall and shiny, but these days they're pockmarked with vacant units, one after the other ⎯ the foreclosed detritus of what was once Boom City.

This part of Florida has seen more than its share of real-estate bubbles over the years and been home to countless schemes, scams, and cons. There's a reason some call it "Fort Frauderdale." Read more »

HuffFund Call for Pitches on Financial Crisis

Fri, 01 May 2009 15:03:48 +0000

The HuffPost Investigative Fund is gearing up and looking for freelance journalists to help delve into the financial crisis/bank bailout. We are accepting investigative story pitches – and also looking for writers able to take on assignments in this area. Send your resumes and story ideas to HuffPostFund@gmail.com.

Welcome to the Huffington Post Investigative Fund

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:09:59 +0000

We are just beginning. Bear with our temporary site.

Stay tuned as we begin publishing and updating our news as we gear up.

Thanks!

The Huff Fund