January 2011 Archive
Climate Benefits of Natural Gas May Be Overstated
New emissions estimates by the Environmental Protection Agency cast doubt on the assumption that gas offers a quick and easy solution to climate change.
Late Settlement Averts First Jury Test For Allegations Against General Electric’s Omniscan
The last-minute deal keeps confidential company documents that could shed new light on claims that GE’s drug, used to enhance MRIs, caused a crippling disease in patients with bad kidneys and that the company hid its risks
Inspectors Flagged Leaky Alaska Pipeline for Replacement Two Years Prior
The troubled Trans-Alaska Pipeline System has had more than 20 spills since 2001, the pipeline operator has disclosed.
As Pennsylvania Implements New Wastewater Rules, Some State Waterways Still Face Problems
Many of Pennsylvania’s waterways suffer from high levels of contaminants found in gas drilling wastewater. New state regulations are supposed to help, but their immediate effects are hard to gauge.
Why a Gruesome Pennsylvania Abortion Clinic Had Not Been Inspected for 17 Years
According to a new grand jury report, Pennsylvania stopped regularly inspecting abortion clinics in the mid-1990s. That policy continued until just last year.
Congress to Investigate Pentagon Decision to Deny Coverage for Brain Injured Troops
Sen. Claire McCaskill's committee wants to examine a contract between Tricare, the Pentagon's health plan, and ECRI Institute, which found insufficient evidence to support cognitive rehabilitation therapy.
History Repeats Itself: Wall St. Wants a Part of Fannie and Freddie’s Gov’t-Guaranteed Deal
Wall Street, which took more risks than Fannie and Freddie did in the heyday of the mortgage boom, hope to cash in as the Obama administration looks to reform the mortgage giants.
General Electric Faces First Jury Test in Omniscan Litigation
An elderly Minnesota woman and her husband claim General Electric hid the risks of the company’s MRI drug Omniscan, causing her to contract a crippling disease.
Why the Massachusetts Supreme Court Voided Two Foreclosures and What It Could Mean for Banks
A court in Massachusetts found that banks couldn't prove their legal standing to foreclose. Here's a look at why--and what it could mean.
Guantanamo As Prison and Courtroom: Is a White House Policy Unraveling or Coming Together?
According to a story in the New York Times, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will authorize new military commission trials for detainees facing charges brought by the Obama administration. The question now is whether this signals a shift from the administration’s long-standing commitment to prosecutions in federal court.
Our Recovery Tracker Database Hits $430 Billion Mark
ProPublica’s Recovery Tracker database traces 320,000 federal stimulus contract, grants and loans by federal agency, state and county.
Goldman’s Self-Help: Eat, Pay, Trade
Looking inward in the grand tradition of American self-improvement, the investment bank promises to be nicer and more transparent, but ignores the structural problems that helped ignite the financial crisis.
Dollars for Docs Sparks Policy Rewrite at Colorado Teaching Hospitals
The University of Colorado Denver and its affiliated teaching hospitals have launched an overhaul of conflict of interest policies after a ProPublica database revealed extensive ties between its faculty and pharmaceutical companies.
As Citizens United Turns 1, U.S. Supreme Court Considers Corporate Personhood Again
The Supreme Court considers whether corporations can use "personal privacy" arguments in order to avoid embarrassing public disclosures.
Clinton-Era Policy Kept Tucson Gunman Out of FBI's Background-Check Database
Despite the passage of a 2007 law to improve the FBI's background-check database, a Clinton-era policy enabled the Tucson gunman to make his first gun purchase.
In Repeal Effort, Republicans Renew Dubious Claim That Health Care Law Kills Jobs
Dueling claims regarding the health care bill's effect on jobs come under closer scrutiny as Congress revisits the issue this week.
Chase Admits Overcharging Troops on Mortgages, Improperly Foreclosing
The bank violated federal law when it overcharged thousands of military famlies on their mortgages and wrongfully foreclosed on more than a dozen. Chase said it's fixing the problems.
