| | | | June 23, 2011 | | Gun Background Check System a Shambles | |  Share on Facebook |  Share on Twitter | |  The federal background check system for gun purchasers is riddled with data gaps, loopholes and disputes over just who should be barred, according to a new investigation by iWatch News. Countless essential documents – from mental health and drug abuse records to the case records of accused felons – remain outside the system, in boxes in courthouse basements or in legal limbo because of state and local laws that prohibit sharing with the feds. Millions of checks are done every year, but just a small fraction, between 1 and 2 percent, turn up a problem.
| | | | | | IRS Tipsters Out in the Cold | | Share on Facebook | Share on Twitter | | A law passed in 2006 was supposed to supercharge corporate tax whistleblowing by offering big cash rewards. In the nearly five years since Congress moved to jump-start the IRS program, iWatch News has learned that just one cash award been made public — a $4.5 million payout to an accountant who reported a $20 million tax underpayment by a Fortune 500 firm. The tipster program has been hampered by excessive secrecy and continuing animosity toward whistleblowers within the agency’s old guard. More than 3,000 tips have been offered in the first two full years of the expanded bounty program but whistleblowers have been greeted with virtual radio silence from the agency regarding awards in big evasion cases. |
| | Impact on Workplace Safety | | Share on Facebook | Share on Twitter | |  Washington is poised to become only the second state to require employers to correct workplace hazards while challenging alleged safety violations identified by regulators, a move advocates for workers say is badly needed in the rest of the country. The changes seek to address serious problems along the lines of those iWatch News found in its investigation of workplace safety at oil refineries. Legislation mandating the change in Washington state was signed by the governor, Chris Gregoire, on April 15, a year after an explosion at the Tesoro Corp. refinery in Anacortes, Wash., that killed seven workers.
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| | In-Depth War Accountability Coverage | | Share on Facebook | Share on Twitter | |  Over the past decade of war, the Center for Public Integrity has written numerous reports on Afghanistan and Iraq. Here’s a look back on our coverage in just the last year. Last July, we reported on a stunning lack of investigations regarding sex-trafficking allegations by U.S contractors. That report followed up on an earlier story about two former Blackwater employees who accused the military contractor of defrauding the government. Last August, the Center reported on how the government has struggled to control foreign subcontractors. This February, we reported on the failures of the Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command. And in March, we showed how the Pentagon has spent billions and failed to better protect soldiers from Improvised Explosive Devices.
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Until next week,
  Bill Buzenberg
Executive Director | | | |  |
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