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The Government Experiment That Tested Mustard Gas on ‘Black Skins’ (MuckReads Weekly)

by Terry Parris Jr.

Some of the best #MuckReads we read this week. Want to receive these by email?  Sign up to get this briefing delivered to your inbox every weekend.

Inside the hack of the century (Fortune)

"Sony's email-retention policy left up to seven years of old messages on servers, unencrypted and ripe for the taking. The company was essentially using email for long-term storage of business records, contracts, and documents saved in case of litigation. When Sony announced plans, in the fall of 2014, to reduce how long emails would be stored to two years—to make the system run better, according to emails, not because of hacking risk—howls of protest erupted at the studio."

Related: Part 1

Under cover of darkness, female janitors face rape and assault (Reveal, Frontline, Univision, KQED)

"As she cleaned, she'd spot him in the window watching her from outside. He'd sneak up behind her to grab her breasts, she said, and stare at her while saying things like, 'You are so delicious.' Morales regularly pleaded with him to stop, and he laughed at her."

Secret World War II chemical experiments tested troops by race (NPR)

"Edwards was one of 60,000 enlisted men enrolled in a once-secret government program — formally declassified in 1993 — to test mustard gas and other chemical agents on American troops. But there was a specific reason he was chosen: Edwards is African-American. 'They said we were being tested to see what effect these gases would have on black skins,' Edwards says."

Foreclosures fuel Detroit blight, cost city $500 million (The Detroit News)

"Detroit had one of the highest rates of subprime lending in the country: 68 percent of all city mortgages in 2005, compared to 27 percent statewide and 24 percent nationwide, according to federal records. ... Blight followed: Up to 78 percent of foreclosed homes financed through subprime lenders are now in poor condition or tax foreclosed."

This is how Uber takes over a city (Bloomberg)

"Although Uber promotes itself as a great disrupter, it's quickly mastered the old art of political influence. Over the past year, Uber built one of the largest and most successful lobbying forces in the country, with a presence in almost every statehouse. It has 250 lobbyists and 29 lobbying firms registered in capitols around the nation, at least a third more than Wal-Mart Stores."

Alberto Salazar disputes allegations — some of which were never made (ProPublica)

"Salazar said the claims in the ProPublica and BBC stories are based on lies by disgruntled former athletes and employees or misunderstandings of his recommendations or conduct. 'I will never permit doping. Oregon Project athletes must fully comply with the WADA Code and IAAF Rules,' Salazar said in the lengthy post."

#MuckReads Local: Lower income equals lower test scores in our schools (Daily Herald and WBEZ)

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