Below are this week's top 10 must-read stories from #MuckReads, ProPublica's ongoing collection of the best watchdog journalism. Anyone can contribute by tweeting a link to a story with the hashtag #MuckReads or by sending an email to [email protected]. The best submissions are selected by ProPublica's editors and reporters and then featured on our site.
The CIA's Secret Sites in Somalia, The Nation
A rare look at America's expanding counterterrorism presence in Somalia and how American tax dollars are underwriting the activities of that country's intel agents.
Contributed by @WLLegal
Legislators Collect Millions in Federal Farm Subsidies, Tulsa World
Tulsa World put together a searchable database of Oklahoma lawmakers who are receiving farm subsidies and singled out those who failed to disclose it in their financial statements of interest.
Contributed via email by Ziva Branstetter
Outsourced: Clinical Trials Overseas, Al Jazeera Fault Lines
Companies based in the United States are increasingly testing drugs overseas. Al Jazeera's Fault Lines program goes to India to see whether the trials are being held to U.S. and international regulatory standards.
Contributed by @SophiaJazQ
As Wall St. Polices Itself, Prosecutors Use Softer Approach, The New York Times
One of the reasons so few Wall Street executives have been prosecuted in connection with the financial collapse: Over the past decade, federal prosecutors have adopted what amounted to more lenient guidelines.
See our collection of #MuckReads on the financial crisis.
A Stadium's Costly Legacy Throws Taxpayers for a Loss, The Wall Street Journal
In their haste to keep the local football team in town, Cincinnati officials cut deals for the construction of a stadium that cost taxpayers $34.6 million, or 16.4 percent of the county budget.
Contributed by @WSJ
CIA Organized Fake Vaccination Drive to Get Osama Bin Laden's Family DNA, The Guardian
Details of the elaborate setup that led to the Bin Laden raid.
Contributed by @SteveEngelberg
Prison Doctor Gets Paid To Do Little Or Nothing, The Los Angeles Times
A prison doctor with a troubled past was California's highest-paid state employee last year. He's also being paid to do next to nothing.
Contributed by @iDiplomacy
Reports of Suspected Elder Financial Abuse on the Rise, California Watch
In California, cases of suspected elder financial abuse are being reported in great numbers, thanks to a 2005 law that mandates that banks report suspicious activity on senior citizens' accounts.
Contributed by @invw
Fateful Move Exposed Japan Plant, The Wall Street Journal
When Fukushima was being built in the 1960s, engineers cut down a natural sea wall that would have protected the plant.
See our collection of #MuckReads about nuclear power.
Worries About Lights Were Kept in the Dark, Boston Globe
Engineers on a major infrastructure project knew corroded light fixtures could be dangerous—even deadly—for motorists driving through the tunnel and kept that information to themselves.
Contributed by @josephkyerardi
These stories and many more can be found on #MuckReads. You can also subscribe to a daily #MuckReads email, or follow ProPublica on Twitter. Reader submissions are key to making #MuckReads a success—please contribute!
