Extra Extra
Payday lenders and the Harry Reid connection
“Payday lenders donate $126K to Senate majority leader, who denies having links to Utah scandal,” according to an investigation by The Salt Lake Tribune.
Read MoreMedicare Drug Program Fails to Monitor Prescribers, Putting Seniors and Disabled at Risk
“In lawsuits and disciplinary records, state and federal authorities cite a number of reasons that doctors prescribe improperly. Some run mills where patients get prescriptions if they pay cash for a visit. Others have relationships with drug companies that influence what they prescribe. Regulators say some doctors choose inappropriate medications under pressure from families or…
Read MoreBeyond Payday Loans
“Sutton ended up with a series of installment loans from World — renewed one after the other — that dragged her ever-deeper into debt, and made getting her bills paid and getting back on her feet a whole lot harder. It is a repeated pattern for low-income borrowers with low or no credit, which an investigation by…
Read MoreHole in California law allows sex offenders to become addiction counselors
“There is nothing to prevent sex offenders and others with criminal records from becoming alcohol and drug counselors in California, even though such roles give them direct contact with people, including teens, at their most vulnerable,” according to an investigation by the Center for Investigative Reporting.
Read MoreSpeedy removal
“The government is bypassing judicial hearings in an attempt to swiftly deport thousands of immigrants each year,” according to an investigation by the Chicago Reporter.
Read MoreHow New Jersey Transit Failed Sandy’s Test
“On the weekend before Sandy thundered into New Jersey, transit officials studied a map showing bright green and orange blocks. On the map, the area where most New Jersey Transit trains were being stored showed up as orange – or dry. So keeping the trains in its centrally-located Meadows Maintenance Complex and the nearby Hoboken yards seemed…
Read MoreNew program to curb hospital return visits may burden smaller ones in poorer areas
“Eight California hospitals — including four in the Los Angeles area — are among the institutions paying the maximum fine under a new Medicare program designed to reduce high patient readmission rates. Under the 2010 federal Affordable Care Act, the federal government has started fining hospitals with high readmissions rates as much as 1 percent of the…
Read MoreFinding Congress’ frequent fliers
“As the nation hurtled from one fiscal crisis to the next last year, Democrats and Republicans argued bitterly over the best solution – tax increases or spending cuts. But members of the U.S. House did agree on one thing: There was enough money for them to travel the globe at taxpayers’ expense. At least 172 House…
Read MoreMillions in taxpayer-funded consulting work kept secret
“A Star investigation has found 90 per cent of the $2.4 billion paid out in the past decade comes with no description of the work done — and more than a dozen departments refuse to provide details when pressed.” Read the Star’s full investigation here.
Read MoreBorder patrol agents shooting into Mexico, killing civilians
Washington Monthly reports that “over the past five years U.S. border agents have shot across the border at least ten times, killing a total of six Mexicans on Mexican soil.” According to the report, border patrol shootings were a rarity before 2009, with only a handful occurring. But after an increase in border patrol agentst between…
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