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.
'You want a description of hell?' OxyContin's 12-hour problem, Los Angeles Times
The LA Times’s OxyContin investigation is devastating https://t.co/nwrgYulctm
— Gabriel Roth (@gabrielroth) May 6, 2016
When Purdue Pharmaceuticals released OxyContin in 1996, the company touted its 12-hour pain relief as "more than twice as long as generic medications." But this Los Angeles Times investigation found that the drug wears off early in many patients. Still, instead of stepping back from its 12-hour claim, Purdue told doctors "to prescribe stronger doses, not more frequent ones," which may have helped contribute to OxyContin being "one of the most abused pharmaceuticals in U.S. history."
Migrant children kept from enrolling in school, Associated Press
Great @AP investigation into how districts are keeping Central American kids from enrolling in U.S. schools. https://t.co/1MvhphLre8
— Kate Linthicum (@katelinthicum) May 6, 2016
Migrant students – sometimes fleeing violence – are being routed to alternative programs or being denied access to schools in districts across the country. The AP found instances of students being pushed into separate programs or being dissuaded from enrolling in "at least 35 districts in 14 states."
Wall Street Stock Loans Drain $1 Billion a Year From German Taxpayers, ProPublica/Washington Post
Heard of "div-arb"? It's how US stock loans drain $1bn a year from German Treasury. Berlin not amused. @ProPublicahttps://t.co/q7ws2qK72b
— Alessandro Leipold (@ALeipold) May 4, 2016
Dividend arbitrage, or div-arb as it's known, has been an "open secret on Wall Street for years," but a trove of documents reveals how the trading is being used to skirt taxes in more than 20 countries. In Germany alone, div-arb deals mean the government collects $1 billion per year less in taxes than it otherwise would.
More: German banks help foreign investors to avoid taxes
The End of Prison Visitation, Mic
The End of Prison Visitation: "Video visitation" is replacing in-person visits with glitchy, expensive video calls. https://t.co/geet3PPovr
— Kevin D. Grant (@kevindgrant) May 6, 2016
Across the country, in-person prison visits are being replaced with video visitation systems – in fact, "over 600 prisons in 46 states have some sort" of the system. And in some places, prisons are getting rid of face-to-face visits altogether in favor of the new technology.
As Flint was slowly poisoned, Snyder's inner circle failed to act, MLive
.@MLive unleashed some great reporting on the Flint water crisis this morning. Start here -- https://t.co/p2WHupaJug -- and dive in.
— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) May 3, 2016
What role did Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and his administration play in the ongoing public health crisis in Flint? This investigation offers insights into the failures of Snyder and his inner circle to deal with lead-tainted water.
#MuckReads Local
Private juvenile center conceals abuse inquiries and pressures county to keep its business deal, APM Reports/MPR
Private juvenile center conceals abuse inquiries, pressures county to keep its business deal https://t.co/8TQWX2QEsS#muckreads@apmreports
— Michael Olson (@publicmic) May 2, 2016
State sitting on millions owed to crime victims, KXAN
Breaking: State sitting on millions owed to crime victims https://t.co/Ma6jvC5i1W via @KXAN_News#txlege#txpolitics@HoustonChron
— ChronicleMike (@ChronicleMike) May 3, 2016
