Archive
Who’s More Likely to Be Audited: A Person Making $20,000 — or $400,000?
If you claim the earned income tax credit, whose average recipient makes less than $20,000 a year, you’re more likely to face IRS scrutiny than someone making twenty times as much. How a benefit for the working poor was turned against them.
Americans Dodge $660 Billion in Taxes Each Year — And It’s Probably Getting Worse
The IRS is underfunded and understaffed. One result: audits of the wealthy are rapidly declining.
What We Now Know about Manafort, Cohen and “Individual-1” — “Trump, Inc.” Podcast Extra
WNYC’s Andrea Bernstein and Ilya Marritz talked with The Atlantic’s Franklin Foer about what we learned from prosecutors’ recent court filings — and the many things that remain a mystery.
How the IRS Was Gutted
An eight-year campaign to slash the agency’s budget has left it understaffed, hamstrung and operating with archaic equipment. The result: billions less to fund the government. That’s good news for corporations and the wealthy.
Stung by Controversies, Police Chief Resigns in Elkhart, Indiana
Ed Windbigler’s resignation as chief follows a videotaped beating of a handcuffed man and reports by the South Bend Tribune and ProPublica that he had promoted officers with disciplinary histories.
How the More Than Me Charity Gamed the Internet and Hollywood to Win a Million Dollars
Katie Meyler’s gambit involved a Silicon Valley darling, payments to a social media marketer in Pakistan and a broken promise to a philanthropist with some very famous friends.
Prominent Doctors Aren’t Disclosing Their Industry Ties in Medical Journal Studies. And Journals Are Doing Little to Enforce Their Rules
The dean of Yale’s medical school, the incoming president of a prominent cancer group and the head of a Texas cancer center are among leading medical figures who have not accurately disclosed their relationships with drug companies.
Federal Judge Puts Independent Review of Troubled Psychiatric Hospital on Hold
With Aurora Chicago Lakeshore Hospital set to lose government funding, and children in state care no longer there, judge concludes investigation unnecessary.
An Elkhart Police Officer Was Convicted of Drunken Driving — Then the Chief Promoted Him
Last year, Chief Ed Windbigler said he doubted the case against the officer would stick. After the officer pleaded guilty, the chief didn’t discipline him. This year, Windbigler promoted him to detective without telling an oversight board.
Judge Calls for Examination of Quality Controls in New York Supported Housing System
The day ProPublica and Frontline reported how people with mental illness are slipping through the cracks, federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis questioned state officials, suggested more help and requested a report on oversight.
What Chicago Voters Can Look Forward to in a Very Crowded Mayoral Election
First, “Petitions are the first test of a campaign’s organization.”
FBI Moves to Fix Critical Flaw in Its Crime Reporting System
In response to an investigation by Newsy, Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting and ProPublica, the bureau says it has expedited a process expected to change reporting rules and require police to disclose cases they classify as unfounded.
Judge in Joe Bryan Case Rejects Defense Pleas for New Trial
Texas’ highest criminal court will now decide the fate of Bryan, a former high school principal who has been in prison for 31 years for the murder of his wife, Mickey. A forensic expert who testified against him has admitted his conclusions in the case were wrong.
Chicago Task Force Will Take on Ticket and Debt Collection Reform
The group is part of an effort to make vehicle ticketing less unfair.
Living Apart, Coming Undone
Under a landmark settlement, an ambitious housing program promised a better life for mentally ill New Yorkers. But some of the most vulnerable slip through the cracks.
He is West Virginia’s Speaker of the House — and a Lawyer for Natural Gas Companies
State ethics rules seldom prevent lawmakers from proposing or voting on legislation that affects industries they work for.
