RealClearInvestigations' Picks of the Week

RealClearInvestigations' Picks of the Week
March 12 to March 18

Featured Investigation

Behold, we’ve found something Donald Trump and Barack Obama have in common (besides a weak short game): a passion for secrecy.

Trump has famously refused to follow presidential precedent and release his tax returns. But the media and, well, we’re not quite sure who else, have been releasing his private returns in dribs – we’re still waiting on the drabs. In October the New York Times reported that “Trump declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax returns, a tax deduction so substantial it could have allowed him to legally avoid paying any federal income taxes for up to 18 years.”

Turns out The Donald wasn’t so lucky. This week the independent journalist David Cay Johnston reported that a leaked 1040 tax return shows that Trump and his wife earned $153 million and paid $36.5 million in income taxes in 2005.

In other secrecy news, the Associated Press reports that the Obama administration set a record in 2016 for the number of times federal employees told citizens, journalists and others that "they couldn't find a single page of files that were requested." The government also spent a record amount--$36.2 million--defending its refusals to turn over federal records. This topped the previous mark for government secrecy set by the Obama administration in 2015.

Other Noteworthy Articles or Series

Top U.S. Hospitals Promote Unproven Therapies - STAT News
Hospitals affiliated with top research universities--including Yale, Duke and Johns Hopkins--aggressively promote alternative therapies, such as "energy healing," that have little or no scientific backing. An investigation of 15 top academic research centers across the U.S. shows that alternative and therapeutic remedies have become embedded into hospitals and medical school curriculums.  

2,700 Charity Officials Got Million-Dollar Paydays - Wall Street Journal
About 2,700 people had seven-figure pay packages at nonprofits in 2014, a number that was up a third in three years, newly searchable IRS data show. The complex packages are “beginning to resemble CEO contracts more and more,” an expert says. Topping the list is Anthony Tersigni of Ascension Health Alliance, with $17.6 million in compensation in 2014.

How to Become an International Gold Smuggler - Bloomberg
How did a Chilean barely old enough to order himself a beer in Miami quickly wind up exporting $80 million in contraband gold? It all started with a Google search. It ended with a sweeping international investigation exposing a black market that adds tons of illegally mined and contraband gold to the international economy every year.

Seeking a Brain Boost in Risky Chemical Cocktails - STAT News
Nootropics, also called smart drugs, have become popular among young type A personalities on Wall Street, in the Ivy League, and in the frenzied startup culture of Silicon Valley. But they haven’t been clinically proven to work, and there’s emerging evidence that some could be dangerous. 

Hate Light Pollution? You’ll Love Gerlach, Nevada - FiveThirtyEight
Relying on satellite imagery, experts in the light pollution caused by civilization say one of the darkest places in the country is in northwest Nevada. Gerlach’s welcome sign reads “Population Wanted.” It's hundreds of miles removed from trespassing city light in any direction. And for darkness seekers, it's perfect.

Did Your Yoga Pants Cause Sea Pollution? - Associated Press
Researchers say cozy clothes are emerging as a source of plastic ending up in oceans and possibly contaminating seafood. Yoga pants and sweat-wicking athletic wear shed microscopic plastic fibers when they're laundered. Wastewater systems flush the microfibers into waterways. Eventually the fibers reach the ocean - and then maybe your seafood special. If that's the case, it would be little consolation that you'd be getting more fiber in your diet.