RealClearInvestigations Articles

Prostitution is not a legitimate business under most U.S. laws — except the federal tax code. The Internal Revenue Service allows legalized brothels in Nevada to qualify for the same standard deductions as any other small business. The brothels frequently write off business expenses such as testing for sexually-transmitted diseases, the “salaries and wages of prostitutes,” and even breast implants, according to the Congressional Research Service. The deductions caused the federal government to miss out on $17.5 million of revenue in 2013, or $25 million in today’s...

An independent audit of the Memphis, Tennessee school district uncovered $54.2 million in spending that showed evidence of potential fraud, and issued an astonishing 133 recommendations for the district to improve its fiscal responsibility. Key facts: A $48.4 million contract with the custodial company ServiceMaster Clean accounted for most of the potential fraud. According to the audit, a school board committee recommended in 2022 that the Memphis-Shelby County Schools hire four different custodial companies to service its 160 schools. Then-Chief of Business Operations Genard Phillips...

RealClearInvestigations’ seven-part series, Islam’s Rise Across America, reports on the growing power and influence of Muslim-Americans across the country. GOP Battles Sharia: Is Islamic Law a Threat or Dog Whistle? Paul Sperry reports for RealClearInvestigations that congressional Republicans, backed by President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, are advancing legislation to restrict immigration from Muslim-majority nations and curb the spread of Sharia law in America. They warn that growing Muslim immigration is enabling the formation of parallel societies governed by...

Founded by Alexander Hamilton as the first industrial city in America, Paterson, N.J.,  is now home to America’s largest Palestinian community and largest proportion of Muslim residents. Today, New Jersey’s third-largest city is effectively run by its 30,000 Muslims, some of whom say they don’t need to learn English because it’s like living “back home” in an Arab city.    Paterson holds an annual Palestinian flag-raising ceremony, during which residents chant, “Free Free Palestine!” And in 2022, it renamed a five-block stretch of Main...

The federal deficit will be $2.1 trillion when fiscal year 2026 ends on Sept. 30, the Congressional Budget Office projected in its monthly budget review. The deficit — the gap between what the government spends and what it collects from taxes and other revenue — has never surpassed $1.8 trillion, except during the Covid-19 pandemic. Key facts: Federal revenues are up 3% in 2026 compared to last year. Even though corporate income tax revenue has declined, income and payroll tax collections increased.  But federal spending is up 5%, according to the CBO. Interest on the...

As a school consultant, Boston-based Public Consulting Group filed $1.6 billion worth of improper or unsupported Medicaid claims for school-based health services over the past decade, Open the Books found in a new review.  Key facts: The group contracts with state governments to survey school employees and determine how much of their time is spent on health-related services that can be billed to Medicaid, according to federal auditors. The company is paid a fee based on how much Medicaid money flows into the state, arguably giving them a financial incentive to help states collect as much...

 RealClearInvestigations' Picks of the WeekAugust 15 to August 22   RCI Podcasts & Videos On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with the Substacker who writes under the pseudonym “Yuri Bezmenov” (he tells us why) about his reporting on the network of awards, fellowship, teaching gigs and other lucrative and prestigious incentives that reward people who espouse progressive ideas. On The Miller Report: Real Clear Journalism, Maggie Miller speaks with Ben Weingarten to...

Hana Scott, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s wife, received $51,000 in taxpayer money from a local nonprofit from 2024 to 2025, according to documents obtained by FOX45 News. Key facts: Baltimore’s oft-criticized Children and Youth Fund gave $300,000 to the Bmore Empowered nonprofit in recent years, where Hana Scott worked from 2021 to 2025. Bmore Empowered awarded some of the money to Beadly Speaking, a different nonprofit that hosts jewelry-making classes to teach kids about entrepreneurship. Records show that Beadly Speaking later paid $51,000 to Hana Scott in a 13-month period....

The Department of Agriculture’s Section 502 loan programs help low-income families buy homes with mortgages that don’t require a down payment. But in 2013, an investigation by Reuters found dozens of millionaires took advantage to purchase vacation and rental homes. Though the millionaires later repaid their loans, the program as a whole covered $500 million in losses from defaults in 2013, or $715 million in today’s money. That’s according to the “Wastebook” reporting published by the late U.S. Senator Dr. Tom Coburn. For years, these reports shined a...

New parents in California are likely to be inundated with so many free diapers that some will end up in the trash, according to an investigation from CBS News.  A new two-year, $18.7 million program will provide parents with 400 diapers in newborn size and size 1, which babies outgrow in just a few weeks to a few months. The program is run by Baby2Baby, a nonprofit whose co-CEO Norah Weinstein is on the board of First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom's California Partners Project. Baby2Baby was chosen over other nonprofits that offered more diaper sizes. Key facts: Gov. Gavin Newsom...

The call to prayer is sounding across America. From Hamtramck, Michigan, to Paterson, New Jersey, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, rooftop amplifiers remind growing numbers of Muslim faithful five times a day of their duties with the Arabic message that “Allah is the Greatest! There is no god but Allah!” The so-called “adhan” is just one sign of how Islam is transforming pockets of the nation. As more Muslims participate in the country’s political life, running for office, influencing, and in some cases, even controlling local governments, they are putting their own...

A “perfect storm” of convoluted bureaucracy caused Cook County, Illinois to spend 10 years and $63 million building a property tax billing software that did not work.  Because tax collection was delayed, Chicago Public Schools were forced to take a loan to stay operational, incurring $33 million in interest costs. Key facts: A July 21 report from the Cook County inspector general found that the contractor designing the tax billing software, Tyler Technologies, received conflicting information from three different government agencies involved with the project. The county...

A theater in downtown Denver has defaulted on its $400,000 taxpayer-backed loan without opening for a single show. The loan included $52,000 earmarked for rent, yet the theater was evicted because it paid only one month of rent, according to records obtained by 9NEWS. Key facts: Playwrights Blair Russell and Steve Wargo received the 3% interest, 13-year loan to open the Denver Immersive Repertory Theater. The city described it as the “world’s first resident immersive, theatrical production studio and venue,” in which audience members would be part of the plays. The money was...

RealClearInvestigations' Picks of the WeekAugust 9 to August 15   RCI Podcasts & Videos On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with true crime reporter extraordinaire Valerie Bauerlein of the Wall Street Journal about her recent coverage of the Nancy Guthrie abduction, her book on the Alex Murdaugh murder case and her podcast on another South Carolina homicide, “Camp Swamp Road.”   Featured Investigation: How Hamas’ Attack on Israel Is Transforming American...

The Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies Act of 2023 requires federal buildings to use at least 60% of their office space. Only 21 of the DOT’s 189 buildings meet that benchmark. The DOT spends $370 million annually on rent and maintenance for its 168 underutilized buildings. Its 10 most expensive buildings are all underutilized. The largest building is the DOT’s Washington headquarters, which costs $72.1 million annually but is only 34% utilized.  The second-largest, the Federal Aviation Administration headquarters, costs another $56.3 million and is 33%...

In May 2013, the Army National Guard spent $10 million on a recruitment campaign tie-in with the upcoming “Man of Steel” Superman film. The expense was ill-timed. Just one month later, Congress ordered the National Guard to reduce staffing levels by 8,000 soldiers due to budget cuts. The money would be worth $14.5 million today. That’s according to the “Wastebook” reporting published by the late U.S. Senator Dr. Tom Coburn. For years, these reports shined a white-hot spotlight on federal frauds and taxpayer abuses.  Coburn, the legendary U.S. Senator from...

The most recent tax filings for A Step to Freedom show the nonprofit brings in more than $5 million annually, mostly from taxpayers, a large portion of which comes from the county. It’s used to operate six housing sites for roughly 200 people. For the past three years, the nonprofit bought food from two of CEO Kenya Croom’s other businesses at a daily cost of $18 per shelter resident.  Several residents criticized the meals. One said he found mold on sandwich bread, while others described the food as dry, bland or occasionally unavailable. Other residents said the meals...

The New York State Museum receives annual grant funding from the U.S. Geological Survey’s STATEMAP program, part of the Department of the Interior, which helps states map their geological features like mineral deposits and groundwater. The museum is required to match all the federal grant funds by paying the salaries of staff working on the map project. But in 2023, the museum’s former payroll administrator, Brian Slater, alleged he had been told to falsify the timesheets of employees who were actually working on other projects. Slater said he was told he “could be...

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in the Democrats’ U.S. Senate primary in Michigan last Tuesday was the latest sign of an emerging kingmaker in U.S. politics – a little-known super PAC that has tapped the wealth of a new cadre of Muslim-American mega-donors to support far-left candidates. Since it was launched just six months ago, American Priorities has channeled millions of dollars, primarily from donors with Arab, Muslim, and/or Middle Eastern backgrounds, to a string of winning candidates in high-profile races. Most of the entity-supported candidates are...