October 2011 Archive
Raising Cain: When Is a Scoop Ready to be Published?
One thing missing from Politico's scoop on Herman Cain’s alleged sexual harassment: the underlying facts.
The FBI Responds To Our Anthrax Stories
After editorials in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/opinion/who-mailed-the-anthrax-letters.html">The New York Times</a> and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/new-questions-about-fbi-anthrax-inquiry-deserve-scrutiny/2011/10/21/gIQAdE4h4L_story.html">The Washington Post</a> call for new investigations into the 2001 anthrax attacks, the FBI issues a statement defending its conclusion that Army scientist Bruce E. Ivins was behind the letters that killed five people.
This Week’s Top MuckReads: Cops Committing Crimes and A Shady Marketing Scheme
Our rundown of this week’s best investigative or accountability journalism.
Cheat Sheet: What’s Happened to the Big Players in the Financial Crisis
With the financial crisis back in the center of the national conversation, here’s a quick refresher on the roles of some of the main players, as well as what consequences they’ve faced.
Why the SEC Won’t Hunt Big Dogs
After the CDO conflagration, the SEC has wrung measly settlements from banks and charged only two bankers, both low-level, while letting their bosses scamper away. That needs to change.
As Qaddafi Is Buried, a Look Back at the Complexities and Contradictions of the Libya Mission
The military goal wasn't regime change, but the political goal was. Airstrikes and drones caused bloodshed, but the U.S. said it wasn't engaging in "hostilities." We review the last eight months in Libya.
Globalizing Occupy Wall Street: From Chile to Israel, Protests Erupt
A closer look at protests in five countries—including the tent occupations that prefigured Occupy Wall Street.
Surprise on Refi Revamp: Key Regulator Agrees to Major Program Reforms
Federal Housing Finance Agency chief Edward DeMarco had blocked earlier efforts to help struggling homeowners, but now he’s signed onto a major change to encourage banks to refinance underwater mortgages.
Secret Reports: With Security Spotty, Many Had Access to Anthrax
The Army laboratory identified by prosecutors as the source of the anthrax that killed five people in the fall of 2001 was rife with such security gaps that the deadly spores could have easily been smuggled out of the facility, outside investigators found.
Government Could Hide Existence of Records under FOIA Rule Proposal
A proposed rule to the Freedom of Information Act would allow federal agencies to tell people requesting certain law-enforcement or national security documents that records don’t exist – even when they do.
This Week’s Top MuckReads: Cops Who Stay Undercover and Murdered Whistleblowers
Our rundown of this week’s best investigative or accountability journalism.
EPA Plans to Issue Rules Covering Fracking Wastewater
The federal government had left it to states to decide how to regulate wastewater that was discharged from wells to streams, but now says it will develop national standards.
Did Citi Get a Sweet Deal? Bank Claims SEC Settlement on One CDO Clears It on All Others
A $285 million SEC settlement appears to wipe the slate clean on Citi's multi-billion-dollar CDO business.
Email Warned That Bank Up For Bailout Was ‘Disastrous’
Anonymous tip warned Treasury that United Commercial Bank was troubled, but the bank still got almost $300 million. Now the bank has failed and two executives are facing criminal charges.
Underground Industry: Gas Pipelines Are Big Business But Lightly Regulated
As natural gas pipelines proliferate, a loose web of federal and state rules govern a network of more than 2 million miles.
Buckeye State is Longtime Leader in Breakaway Beasts
Ohio doesn’t regulate ownership of wild animals, so the release of dangerous animals isn’t new.
