Rampant identity theft puts a strain on the IRS
(The New York Times) — Rampant identity theft has overwhelmed the IRS, causing a backlog of half a million unsolved fraud cases to pile up and leaving taxpayers without refunds and credits they deserve, the agency's watchdog said in a report to Congress on Wednesday. The national taxpayer advocate's report described the agency's slow response to identity theft cases as a “blemish” on its performance. The IRS is in the midst of a major modernization campaign aimed at improving taxpayer service. In a statement, the IRS said it was making “a variety of improvements” to more quickly serve victims.
Contraception is free by law, so why do a quarter of women still pay for it?
(NYTimes) — Last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), chairman of the Senate Health Committee, called on government auditors to investigate why insurance companies charge women for contraception. In a letter to the GAO, Sanders said insurers are charging for contraception that should be free under the Affordable Care Act, and are also denying consumer requests to have contraception covered. Sanders cited a recent survey by the nonprofit health policy research institute KFF, which found that about 25% of women with private insurance say they pay at least some of the cost of contraception.
Five people indicted on jury tampering charges
(NYTimes) — Federal prosecutors charged five people Wednesday with conspiring to bribe jurors in a high-profile federal trial in Minneapolis. The charges allege an audacious scheme that included jury spying and crafting arguments to get jurors to acquit. The bribery attempt, which took place on the eve of the final day of the weeks-long trial, was the first in what prosecutors say was a far-reaching fraud scheme. Prosecutors have charged 70 people with stealing tens of millions of dollars from a federal child support program. The three people indicted on Wednesday for attempted bribery were defendants in the fraud trial.
San Diego Zoo to receive two giant pandas from China
(New York Times) — The San Diego Zoo will welcome two Chinese-born giant pandas, the first to come to the United States in more than 20 years, zoo officials announced Wednesday. Four-year-old male panda Yun Chuan and three-year-old female panda Xin Bao were said goodbye in a ceremony Wednesday at the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in Sichuan province. The two pandas will then be flown to the United States, the San Diego Zoo said in a statement. It is unclear when exactly the pandas will arrive in San Diego. The zoo said the pandas will need several weeks to get acclimated to their new home before being shown to visitors.
Fed says banks can withstand extreme economic turmoil
(NYTimes) — Inflation soaring. The value of the dollar plummeting. Their biggest customers going bankrupt. America's biggest banks could survive even such a dire economic scenario, according to an analysis released by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday. The results are particularly notable because, in addition to the Fed's annual bank stress tests, for the first time this year the industry's main regulator subjected large financial institutions to enhanced virtual tests. Thirty-one banks with total assets of more than $100 billion also passed the more conventional annual stress tests.
Trump says clean energy is a scam that experts say could benefit China
(New York Times) — Former President Donald Trump has denounced President Joe Biden's renewable energy expansion policies as a “scheme to enrich China,” since America's biggest economic rival controls many of the components needed for electric car batteries, solar panels and other green technologies. But repealing Biden's climate change policies would jeopardize hundreds of billions of dollars of manufacturing investment already made in America and send those jobs back to other countries, including China, ultimately helping China, economists say. Trump, who has called climate change a “hoax,” has targeted “everything” of Biden's policies to wean the U.S. off fossil fuels.
Russia begins secret trial of US journalist on espionage charges
(New York Times) — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich went on trial Wednesday after serving about 15 months in Moscow's Lefortovo prison. He faces up to 20 years in prison on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. State Department deny. Gershkovich appeared in court in the city of Yekaterinburg, and just before the hearing, journalists photographed Gershkovich, with his recently shaved head, standing inside the courtroom's glass cage. Hours later, the court set the next hearing for August 13. At the heart of Gershkovich's ordeal is the emptiness that Russian authorities have not released any evidence to support the claim that he was a spy.
Dutch Prime Minister Rutte to become head of NATO
(New York Times) Longtime Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was formally appointed NATO's new secretary-general on Wednesday, giving the alliance an experienced, pro-Ukrainian leader with a reputation as a mediator. Rutte, 57, will succeed Jens Stoltenberg on Oct. 1 at a difficult time for NATO, with Russia's war in Ukraine and a fiercely contested U.S. presidential election. The decision, approved by NATO ambassadors meeting at the headquarters of NATO's 32 nations in Brussels, removes a potentially contentious issue from next month's summit in Washington to mark the alliance's 75th anniversary.
Brazil becomes largest country to decriminalize marijuana
(NYTimes) — Brazil decriminalized marijuana for personal use on Wednesday, making the country of 203 million people the largest country to do so and the latest sign of the drug's growing acceptance around the world. Brazil's Supreme Court ruled that Brazilians can possess up to 40 grams of marijuana without penalty. The ruling takes effect within days and will remain in effect for the next 18 months. The Supreme Court asked Brazil's Congress and health authorities to permanently set the amount of marijuana citizens can possess. Selling marijuana remains a crime.
NATO will offer Ukraine a “bridge” to membership, and hopes that will be enough
(New York Times) NATO plans to provide Ukraine with a new headquarters to manage its military aid at its 75th anniversary summit in Washington, officials said, assuring the alliance's long-term commitment to the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had expected to receive an offer from NATO to negotiate membership at the summit. Instead, NATO will announce an agreement to set up a mission in Germany to coordinate all aid to Ukraine, U.S. and NATO officials said. The mission will be backed by NATO and is designed to function even if Donald Trump, a fierce critic of NATO and its aid to Ukraine, wins the U.S. presidential election in November.
