March 2012 Archive
Two Year Sentence for Man Accused in Pakistan Spy Plot
Kashmiri-American Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai allegedly used at least $3.5 million from the ISI to try to influence U.S. policy on Kashmir.
While White House Emphasizes Easing Student Debt Burden, Fed Contractors Play Hardball
President Obama has touted efforts to ease the burdens of student borrowers with federal loans, but some federally contracted collection agencies neglect to lay out borrowers’ best options.
New Evidence in High Profile Shaken Baby Case
A doctor at the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office is challenging the forensic evidence at the center of a 1997 murder trial.
Are White House Housing Plans Really Stymied by the Regulator For Freddie and Fannie?
The head of the FHFA has steadfastly opposed principal reductions, which the Obama administration supports. Can the White House replace him?
Campaign Spending Shows Political Ties, Self-Dealing
So far, top super PACs and presidential candidates have spent more than $306 million in ways that hint at potential coordination. In some cases, this could violate FEC rules.
From Big State a Call for Small Banks
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas issues a blistering indictment of our financial system and calls for breaking up the Too Big To Fail banks.
Three Things We Don’t Know About Obama’s Massive Voter Database
President's Obama campaign is collecting detailed data about its supporters. The campaign just won't talk about it.
Useful Code Snippets
At ProPublica we sometimes share small, simple snippets of using GitHub "Gists."
Why the Pentagon's New Fighter Jet Will Now Cost More Than $1 Trillion
A new government report raises red flags about the F-35, the Pentagon’s flagship fighter-plane program.
Top MuckReads: Slavery, Spying and Fiction-Free Factories Investigation
The best accountability journalism of the past week.
A Tangled Web: Who’s Making Money From All This Campaign Spending?
Many have been detailing the vast sums being raised by the presidential candidates and the super PACs supporting them. But where are all those millions being spent?
Untangling a Web of FEC Data
Our Tangled Web graphic shows the 200 biggest recipients of expenditure money from the five major presidential campaigns (Gingrich, Obama, Paul, Romney and Santorum), as well as from major super PACs, from around the middle of 2011 through February, 2012.
Fannie and Freddie: Slashing Mortgages Is Good Business
Adding an explosive new dimension to a politically charged debate on how to solve the housing crisis, the mortgage giants say that reducing the amount of money troubled homeowners owe wouldn't just keep families in their homes, it would also save Freddie and Fannie money.
The 24 States That Have Sweeping Self-Defense Laws Just Like Florida’s
Charting expansive “stand your ground” laws like the one at the center of the Trayvon Martin case.