NewsTrust - All Rated Stories

Grading the Public Options That Already Exist

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

ProPublica - By Sabrina Sahnkman - Oct. 28 (News Analysis) - Pundits and politicians from both sides of the fence have been hollering themselves blue about a potential public health care option. Instead of relying on private insurers, the government would insure people itself. The idea is that if a

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Foreign workers for U.S. are casualties twice over

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

ProPublica - By T. Christian Miller - Jun. 21 (Special Report) - Rey Torres dreamed of a better life for his wife and five children when he left a neighborhood of wooden shacks and burning trash piles to drive a bus on a U.S. military base near Baghdad. He hoped to send his children to college and build a new home with the $16,000 a year he earned in Iraq -- four times what he could make in the Philippines. Then, in April 2005, Torres, 31, was killed in an ambush by Iraqi insurgents. His widow and children were supposed to be protected by a war zone insurance system overseen by the U.S. government. They were eligible for about $300,000 in compensation.

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Industry Defends Federal Loophole for Drilling

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

ProPublica - By Abrahm Lustgarten - Jun. 05 (News Report) - In a packed and sometimes contentious hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday, representatives of the oil and gas industry and their state regulators vigorously defended the practice of injecting toxic fluids underground without federal regulatory oversight.

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Stimulus money going to scofflaw companies

Thu, 21 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Salon - By Michael Grabell, David Epstein - May. 21 (Special Report) - One company paid nearly $1 million for destroying seagrass in the Florida Keys marine sanctuary. Another settled a discrimination case after federal investigators found it refused to hire black employees. A third firm was rebuked by the Army for poorly screening the interrogators it hired -- interrogators who later abused prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Despite those problems, the three companies have won millions of dollars in contracts under the economic stimulus package.

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As Crisis Loomed, Geithner Pressed But Fell Short

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

ProPublica - By Jeff Gerth, Robert O'Harrow Jr. - Apr. 03 (Investigative Report) - In September 2005, Timothy Geithner made one of his most visible moves as a supervisor of the U.S. banking system. He summoned the nation's top financial firms and their regulators to streamline an antiquated system that threatened Wall Street's boom.

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How Citigroup Unraveled Under Geithner’s Watch

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

ProPublica - By Jeff Gerth - Jan. 15 (Special Report) - Geithner's tenure at the New York Fed – which bore the major responsibility for supervising Citigroup – covers a tumultuous span in which the sprawling conglomerate spiraled from the country's biggest banking company to one of its largest welfare cases.

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Agencies Move to Restrict FOIA Access in Last-Minute Regs

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

ProPublica - By Jennifer LaFleur - Jan. 06 (News Report) - As one of the most secretive presidential administrations in history gets ready to close up shop, it's closing a few more things -- records. Over the past few months, some federal agencies have issued rules that would eliminate public disclosure of information -- or, in some cases, make it more difficult for requesters to get information.

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In 90’s, Burris Sought Death Penalty for Innocent Man

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

ProPublica - By Ben Protess - Dec. 31 (Special Report) - While state attorney general in 1992, Burris aggressively sought the death penalty for Rolando Cruz, who twice was convicted of raping and murdering a 10-year-old girl in the Chicago suburb of Naperville. The crime took place in 1983. But by 1992, another man had confessed to the crime, and Burris’ own deputy attorney general was pleading with Burris to drop the case, then on appeal before the Illinois Supreme Court. Burris refused. He was running for governor.

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Bush by the Numbers

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

ProPublica - By Kristin Jones - Dec. 08 (Other) - "The final report card for George W. Bush won’t be in the mail for another few years. (Nixon’s is still being revised -- and, for that matter, Lincoln’s.) But with just a few weeks to go before the 43rd president moves back to Texas, it’s not too early to measure the impact of his policies across American life."

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Show Me the TARP Money

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

ProPublica - By Pro Publica - Dec. 04 (Research) - Each marker represents the headquarters of a financial institution that expects or has already received money from the Treasury Department under the TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program).

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McCain Advisor Says Voter Fraud is a “Perception” that “Plants Seeds of Doubt”

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0700

ProPublica - By Chisun Lee - Nov. 02 (Investigative Report) - A review of prosecutors’ statements and documents filed by Republicans in the most serious new cases alleging voter fraud shows that none offer an example in which a fraudulently registered person managed to cast a valid vote. While several cases argue that such frauds are possible, none sketched a scenario for how massive numbers of people could fake registrations and then vote.

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How Will Treasury Pick the Banks to Save? Just Trust Them

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

ProPublica - By Paul Kiel - Oct. 22 (Special Report) - Lacking clear criteria, the process lacks crucial transparency, said Ross Levine, a professor of economics at Brown University. "It seems an essential part of the U.S. approach to government that we don't trust the angelic behavior of anybody."

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Partying Under Adversity

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

ProPublica - By Paul Kiel - Aug. 25 (News Analysis) - It depends on how you look at it. This week's Democratic National Convention (and in September, the Republican convention) is a week-long orgy for special interest money, same as it ever was. Alternatively, what was once the quadrennial triumph for corporations and lobbying firms, the Olympics for influence peddling, has been ruined by a litany of new ethics rules; those brave enough to even put on an event are doing so in an atmosphere of fear.

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Alaskan Bribing CEO Enjoys Window of Freedom

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

ProPublica - By Eric Umansky - Aug. 19 (News Report) - Alaskan politicians are facing a lot of heat these days. The state's senior senator, Ted Stevens (R), has of course been indicted for not disclosing booty he received from an Alaskan oil company, VECO. Five other state politicians have also been indicted for allegedly taking bribes from VECO. So what happened to the VECO folks who offered the bribes?

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DOJ Oversight Office Isn't Releasing Reports

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

ProPublica - By Eric Umansky - Jul. 07 (News Report) - The Department of Justice has another oversight office that has far fewer limitations: the inspector general's office. But because of decades-old legislation, the IG has only limited powers to investigate DOJ lawyers; only the less powerful OPR can do that. This spring, a bill was introduced to change that situation to give the IG broader investigative powers. But the White House threatened a veto, and the provision to expand the IG's purvey was removed.

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Alhurra Paid Former White House Aides, Washington Journalists

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

ProPublica - By Dafna Linzer, Paul Kiel - Jun. 24 (News Report) - Alhurra, the U.S. government-funded Arabic news channel, paid former Bush and Clinton administration officials, lobbyists and high-profile Washington journalists tens of thousands of dollars in U.S. taxpayer money to appear on the network as commentators, according to interviews and a review of company records.

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Lost in Translation: Alhurra--America's Troubled Effort to Win Middle East Hearts and Minds

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

ProPublica - By Dafna Linzer - Jun. 23 (Special Report) - An Arab-language television network and radio station, founded by the Bush administration to promote a positive image of the United States, has aired anti-American and anti-Israeli viewpoints, has showcased pro-Iranian policies and recently gave air time to a militant who called for the death of American soldiers in Iraq. See also: 60 Minutes segment from CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/19/60minutes/main4196477.shtml

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