Tens of billions of dollars in overcharges. Suspected over billing. Inflated health assessments. An investigation by the Center for Public Integrity has found deep and expensive flaws in the Medicare Advantage program created by Congress in 2003 intended to help stabilize health care spending on the elderly. Instead, CPI finds, the plans have sharply drive […]
Justice Dept. Sued for Fast and Furious FOI Response
Judicial Watch, the conservative watchdog group that has successfully sued the federal government in multiple instances for unlawful Freedom of Information (FOI) responses, is taking on a new case. This one is on behalf of Fast and Furious whistleblower: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) Special Agent John Dodson. The complaint filed against the Department of […]
Kerry Benghazi Oversight Hearing: Cancelled
Today, the House Oversight Committee cancelled the planned June 12 hearing at which Secretary of State John Kerry was to testify. The Oversight Committee had subpoenaed Kerry for an appearance in May when he refused to appear voluntarily. After the subpoena, Kerry negotiated the June appearance. But at the same time Kerry agreed to testify, […]
Miami Gardens' Stop and Frisk Dragnet: Kids and Elderly
The Miami Gardens, Florida "stop and frisk" style policy may be "unparalleled" in the U.S. According to an investigative report by Fusion, in the summer of 2010, a young black man was stopped and questioned by police on the streets of Miami Gardens. According to the report filled out by the officer, he was "wearing gray […]
The Search for Safer Vaccines
Vaccine-injured children who end up with autism are quietly winning their cases in federal court, but only when they focus on using the more general terminology of "brain damage" rather than calling it "autism." Take the tragic case of little Elias Tembenis. It could teach us something about how to make vaccination even safer for at risk […]
eBay Announces Cyberattack Compromising User Passwords
The consumer auction website eBay is the latest major corporate entity to announce that it--and its 128 million users--have been victimized by a cyberattack. Devin Wenig, the President of eBay Marketplaces, emailed notices to users today asking them to change their passwords. "Recently, our company discovered a cyberattack on our corporate information network. This attack compromised […]
Thousands of Qaddafi-Era Missiles Missing in Libya
Some of you missed this article that I wrote a year ago about the fate of MANPADS left over from the Qaddafi regime in Libya. According to a well-placed source, hundreds of the missiles had already been tracked as having gone to Al Qaeda Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and thousands are unaccounted for. Before his overthrow […]
Vet Affairs Scandal Raises Questions About Paid Leave Abuse for Fed Workers
The Veterans Affairs (VA) scandal over patient waiting lists is raising new questions about paid leave policy for federal employees who are under investigation. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is asking Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to provide details of VA employees who have been placed on leave. "It would add insult to injury for any wronged veterans […]
