RealClearInvestigations Articles

Topline: In the event of a terrorist attack, western Michigan is well prepared with 13 Sno-Cone machines funded by the federal government. For some reason, the Department of Homeland Security felt it necessary to spend $11,700 on the machines in 2011 to “assist with treating the onset of heat exhaustion and stroke during large scale events or activities including possible terrorist incidents or similar emergencies." The money would be worth $16,800 today. That’s according to the “Wastebook” reporting published by the late U.S. Senator Dr. Tom Coburn. For years, these...

Topline: The federal workforce costs the American taxpayer $673,000 per minute, $40.4 million per hour, and just under $1 billion per day. That’s according to federal payroll records analyzed by Open the Books for a new report, “Mapping the Swamp,” in which it identified 2.9 million federal employees who earned $270 billion in pay in FY 2024. With an estimated 30% additional cost for benefits, the total expense reaches $351 billion, or almost $1 billion per day. Key facts: Open The Books’ records include 1.5 million executive agency workers, 761,624 Department of...

Topline: Chicago Public School employees spent an “exorbitant” $14.6 million on travel in 2023 and 2024, including to vacation spots like Disney World and Las Vegas, according to a Nov. 12 report from the Chicago Board of Education Inspector General. Key facts: The investigation began following a complaint that one elementary school planned to spend $20,000 on a staff trip to Egypt without approval. The trip was cancelled one day before departure, but it was not an isolated incident. Staff members had already spent $142,000 on 15 “professional development” trips to...

Topline: The Department of Homeland Security paid a company — filled with Secretary Kristi Noem’s friends and allies — to create at least one of several political ads in a potential violation of ethics laws, according to an investigation by ProPublica. Key facts: Open The Books already pointed out DHS’ recent concerning $180 million advertising spend. The agency claims the multiple commercials they’re creating about the “national emergency at the Southern border” are “public service announcements,” but critics see them as thinly-veiled...

Topline: In 2007, California invested $468.4 million of its pension funds into private companies through its Clean Energy and Technology Fund. Today, the money is worth just $138 million, and the state won’t explain why its investment performed so poorly. Several open records requests filed by The Center Square were denied by the California Public Employees Retirement System, citing legal exemptions.  Key facts: CalPERS’ clean energy investments declined by 71% and lost the state $330.4 million. It’s unclear where the money was spent, except that it was invested...

When Obama administration officials manufactured U.S. intelligence tying Donald Trump to Moscow following his stunning 2016 victory, they had no idea Trump’s own political appointees would help them undermine Trump’s presidency – and his chances of reelection in 2020.  RCI’s review of recently declassified documents and exclusive interviews with former Trump officials reveals for the first time how key members of Trump’s cabinet and other appointees during his first term shrouded the previous administration’s machinations and either...

Topline: Have you ever wondered how common water pipe tobacco smoking is among college students in Jordan? Probably not, but the National Institutes of Health still spent $170,000 to find out in a 2011 study. The money would be worth over $243,000 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 Oklahoma, earned the nickname "Dr. No" by stopping thousands of pork-barrel projects...

This is the third part of a series on academic publishing. Read part one here and part two here. For many years, the prestigious journal Philosophy & Public Affairs published about 14 peer-reviewed articles annually. So its small volunteer staff of renowned scholars was shocked to learn that its publisher, Wiley, was demanding a significant increase in production, at one point requiring 35 new articles within 60 days.  Instead of compromising its peer-review process and rushing low-quality papers into print, then-Editor-in-Chief Anna Stilz at the University of...

Topline: An English teacher at a public school in Maryland is still collecting a full-time salary from taxpayers while awaiting sentencing after he pleaded guilty to stealing overtime pay from a previous employer. Dr. Lawrence E. Smith was charged with 15 felonies in 2023, but Harford County Schools ignored the allegations and hired him anyway in December 2024, according to FOX45’s Project Baltimore. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion on Oct. 17. Key facts: Smith worked as a police officer at Baltimore City Public Schools for 22 years. waste of the day...

Topline: A nonprofit previously led by antisemitic activist Linda Sarsour received over $4.1 million of public funding from 2017 to 2024, according to public records reviewed by Open the Books. Key facts: The Arab American Association of New York brought in $3.3 million from New York City and $854,000 from New York State. Almost all of the state-level payments came from the Department of State, but most of the city funding has no agency name attached to it. The largest payment was a $1 million transfer from New York City in 2023. Waste of the Day 11.18.25 Open the Books Sarsour led...

Topline: Most drivers are willing to go a mile or two out of their way to find a cheaper gas station, but the City of Houston’s employees don’t think the effort is worth it if they can pay with taxpayer funds. An Oct. 28 audit from the city controller found $5 million spent at commercial gas stations to refill city-owned vehicles, even though the city owns its own fuel islands that can refill vehicles at a much cheaper rate. Over $3 million of the gas was purchased when a fuel island was less than three miles away. Key facts: Commercial gas stations in Houston charge an average of...

RealClearInvestigations' Picks of the Week November 9 to November 15   Featured Investigation: The Rise of Latino America Despite concerns about immigration enforcement, Latinos remain remarkably optimistic about their future in America. Drawing on their sweeping report published by the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas, Joel Kotkin & Jennifer Hernandez write for RealClearInvestigations about how the nation’s largest minority group—now 20% of the U.S. population—is transforming America's demographic, economic, and political landscape. Key findings...

Topline: Parks and playgrounds in Portland, Oregon, are in such bad condition that it would take $550 million to $800 million to repair them all, according to an October report from the city auditor. Yet the parks department is still buying new equipment it “cannot afford” without identifying a way to pay for maintenance of its existing assets, which the auditor blamed on “political pressure.” Key facts: As of September 2024, 86% of Portland’s parks equipment was in “poor or very bad condition,” the audit found. There is no feasible way to fix all of...

Topline: Federal officials had trouble holding their liquor in 2011, when they got carried away and spent $62,000 promoting local wine industries around the U.S. Advertising initiatives included a “Twitter Taste-Off” event in Colorado and picture books about grape juice for Ohio second graders. The money would be worth $89,000 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...

Topline: Former Utah State University President Elizabeth Cantwell has not been able to wash herself clean of the controversy surrounding her spending — especially not with the $750 bidet she bought with taxpayer funds. The university will undergo a full audit after a preliminary review by the Legislative Auditor General found “concerning” purchases and “several risks” with the school’s oversight rules. The investigation began after the Salt Lake Tribune exposed $661,800 in questionable expenses from Cantwell’s office, including new cars and travel...

In a recent focus group we held with 11 U.S. and foreign-born Latinos in Riverside, California, most of the participants expressed grave concerns about the breakup of hard-working and law-abiding families in what one participant called ICE’s “war” against Latinos. And yet, when asked if they were optimistic about the future, all 11 enthusiastically said “yes.”  Their responses reflected the broader patterns of progress and severe challenges we uncovered in an analysis of national data and on-the-ground reporting for our new report, “The Rise Of...

Topline: A New York City elementary school principal used at least $120,000 in taxpayer funds to hire her rich friends as consultants and buy their books, clothing and more for students, according to the New York Post. Aneesha Jacko of PS 35 Nathaniel Woodhull in Queens has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing, but the Special Commissioner of Investigation for city schools told the Post they have been reviewing complaints against her for three years. Jacko made $181,235 in 2024, per Open the Books’ database. Key facts: Jacko’s purchases included $61,000 for an absurd 1,285...

Topline: There is likely no one who would buy a house 190 miles away from their workplace knowing they would have to commute back and forth. But for Brent Robertson, chief of staff for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), the expense was not a problem because it was funded by taxpayers. Robertson was reimbursed $44,000 for 26 trips between Lynchburg, Va. and Washington, D.C. from April 2024 to March 2025, according to public records obtained by Politico. Key facts: Robertson has worked for Marshall since 2012 and became chief of staff in 2017. He purchased a house in Lynchburg in March 2024 and...

RealClearInvestigations' Picks of the Week November 2 to November 8   Featured Investigation: The Governor, the CEO & the FBI: Scandal Threatens New York Hospital  A dispute over $1 billion in allegedly withheld Medicaid funds has erupted into a partisan battle over Nassau University Medical Center, pitting Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul against Republican county officials ahead of New York's 2026 gubernatorial race. Ben Weingarten reports for RealClearInvestigations that the controversy centers on claims that New York State engineered a two-decade scheme forcing the Long...