FCC Commissioners Face Ethics Complaints for Taking Luxury Gifts From Paramount by Corey G. Johnson ++

FCC Commissioners Face Ethics Complaints for Taking Luxury Gifts From Paramount Citing a ProPublica report on Paramount providing luxury Kennedy Center gala tickets to FCC officials, the complaints note that commissioners accepted the gifts while the FCC was reviewing or about to review megamergers involving Paramount. https://www.propublica.org/article/fcc-paramount-gifts-brendan-carr-ethics-complaint-warner-bros-merger?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=secondary Two government watchdog groups have demanded investigations into whether Federal Communications Commission members violated ethics requirements by accepting luxury gala tickets from Paramount as the company sought government approval for its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The complaints cite a recent ProPublica investigation that detailed how CBS or its parent company, now Paramount, have for years given FCC commissioners tickets to the Kennedy Center honors gala, which the television network sponsors. The commissioners accepted the gifts even as the FCC was reviewing or about to review major Paramount business decisions, including two megamergers. The FCC and the agency’s inspector general did not respond to requests for comment. An FCC spokesperson previously told ProPublica that agency ethics officers have for years cleared commissioners to accept the tickets, finding it consistent with ethics law. A Paramount executive said it was a decadeslong “CBS practice to invite government officials from both parties” to the gala. FCC Officials Took Pricey Gifts From Paramount as the Company Needed Approval for Billion-Dollar Deals https://www.propublica.org/article/paramount-mergers-fcc-kennedy-center-gala by Corey G. Johnson

Andy Beshear Set Out to Make Drug Treatment Widely Available in Kentucky. Fraud and Abuse Followed. by Alex Acquisto and Taylor Six, Lexington Herald-Leader Co-published with Lexington Herald-Leader ++

Andy Beshear Set Out to Make Drug Treatment Widely Available in Kentucky. Fraud and Abuse Followed. In 2020 as Kentucky faced a spike of deadly overdoses, Gov. Andy Beshear set out to help more people access drug treatment by loosening Medicaid spending controls. But as the costs piled up, so did the warnings that the system was being abused. by Alex Acquisto and Taylor Six, Lexington Herald-Leader Co-published with Lexington Herald-Leader https://www.propublica.org/article/andy-beshear-kentucky-opioid-drug-crisis-medicaid-spending-fraud?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=secondary In 2020, as Kentucky faced a spike of deadly overdoses, Gov. Andy Beshear set out to help more people access drug treatment by loosening Medicaid spending controls. But as the costs piled up, so did the warnings that the system was being abused. Despite multiple red flags from industry experts, the Beshear administration did little to rein in the skyrocketing state spending. By 2024, industry experts said that, as a result of the 2020 changes, drug treatment providers were billing too much for subpar care that was leading to worse outcomes. In 2025, the Kentucky attorney general’s office said Medicaid fraud in drug treatment had become a primary “area of concern.” The governor has been unapologetic about state spending on drug treatment. In a June interview with ProPublica and the Lexington Herald-Leader, Beshear pointed to the continued decline in drug overdose deaths as proof that he made the right choice. “If we’d gone back in time too early and changed things too drastically, how many more people would have died that we’ve saved? With four straight years of drug overdose decreases, they can throw blame at me,” Beshear said. “We’ll talk about dollars, but there are people’s kids that are still alive today because they were able to get addiction treatment services and get them quickly.” They Needed Treatment for Drug Addiction. The Company They Turned to May Have Used Them to Commit Fraud. https://www.propublica.org/article/kentucky-addiction-recovery-care-medicaid-fraud?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=secondary by Alex Acquisto and Taylor Six, Lexington Herald-Leader Co-published with Lexington Herald-Leader

What Is the Trump Administration Doing With Foreign Aid Money? by Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Sharon Lerner August 7, 2026, 5:00 am

What Is the Trump Administration Doing With Foreign Aid Money? The billions of dollars Congress has allocated for foreign aid programs must be spent. One proposal from the Trump administration suggested funding research on crime against Afrikaners in South Africa. by Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Sharon Lerner August 7, 2026, 5:00 am https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-administration-afrikaner-south-africa-money

House Democrats Demand Answers From Trump’s VA on Vets Struggling to Access Mental Healthcare by Eric Umansky August 7, 2026, 6:00 am

House Democrats Demand Answers From Trump’s VA on Vets Struggling to Access Mental Healthcare The letter from lawmakers to Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins cites a recent ProPublica investigation that found hundreds of therapists have left the agency and vets often aren’t getting the help they need.by Eric Umansky August 7, 2026, 6:00 am https://www.propublica.org/article/democrats-veterans-affairs-doug-collins-letter-mental-health

He’s Eligible for Up to $480,000 After Being Wrongly Imprisoned for 42 Years. The State Says No. by Richard A. Webster, Verite News Co-published with Verite News

https://www.propublica.org/article/louisiana-wrongful-conviction-compensation-liz-murrill-elvis-brooks?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=feature Elvis Brooks’ case was an egregious example of a wrongful conviction, civil rights attorneys said. But Louisiana’s attorney general maintains that Brooks and other exonerees are guilty — and therefore don’t qualify for any money from the state.

Before women hit the glass ceiling, they must escape the concrete floor Opinion: Ayelet Razin Bet Or|08.05.26 | 22:00

Before women hit the glass ceiling, they must escape the concrete floor Opinion: For years, debate focused on the invisible barrier blocking women from top positions, but many must first overcome unequal care burdens, closed power networks, limited resources and harsher scrutiny Ayelet Razin Bet Or|08.05.26 | 22:00 https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/byveo8b8ml

The Black vote, Israel and the 2026 primaries: This is the political shift Washington should watch Analysis: Kobi Berda|08.05.26 | 16:26

The Black vote, Israel and the 2026 primaries: This is the political shift Washington should watch Analysis: Progressives scored key wins, but Black voters in Detroit and St. Louis sent a clear message rejecting extremism, exposing cracks in the Democratic Party and highlighting a renewed opportunity for Israel to rebuild ties with African American communities Kobi Berda|08.05.26 | 16:26 https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/hyjomcgume