Money in State Politics, a Hidden Network of Doctors and More

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Fire Fight, ProPublica

Photo published for Fire Fight

Fire Fight

South Carolina fire officials decided to make sprinklers mandatory in new homes. Homebuilders overturned the rule with help behind the scenes from Gov. Nikki Haley. It was one more win for an…

Over the last eight years, U.S. homebuilders have spent millions of dollars to block potentially life-saving sprinklers being required in new homes. The effort is one example of how money affects politics at the state level and shows how, with the help of allies like South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a powerful lobby has gotten its way.

Chicago does little to control police misconduct – or its costs, The Chicago Reporter

Chicago has spent more than $200 million on police misconduct lawsuits between 2012 and 2015, but unlike some other major cities, the city does not analyze the suits for trends – so the Chicago Reporter did. The Reporter built a database of 655 police misconduct settlements and found that “nearly half of the lawsuits claim that officers filed false reports to cover up their misconduct.” And when the city and officer admit liability, the officers are not usually punished.

More: Search the settlement database

Gun Control, The Guardian

America’s gun problem is so much bigger than mass shootings

US politicians often cite Australia as providing a model of impactful reform. Here’s why such blueprints likely won’t work to combat gun violence in the US

From understanding the deadlock over gun laws to the outsized role mass shootings play in the national conversation, this Guardian series examines the gun control debate, where it goes wrong and how it can get back on track.

The Shadow Doctors, The New Yorker

Photo published for Syria’s War on Doctors
Syria’s War on Doctors

As the regime tries to destroy the opposition’s medical system, health workers pursue a novel and desperate effort to provide aid.

As the war in Syria rages on, the dearth of doctors and medical professionals is becoming increasingly apparent. In fact, almost 700 medical personnel have been “assassinated, bombed, and tortured to death” by the Syrian government in the last five years, according to Physicians for Human Rights. But despite the carnage, doctors worldwide have created an underground network of hospitals to assist in Syria. This is the story of those hospitals and the doctors across the globe who are spreading medical knowledge in Syria as fast as they can.

Gov. Malloy’s Administration Offered Cigna Help In Lead-Up To Merger Review, IBTimes

Cigna-Anthem Deal: Gov. Malloy’s Administration Offered Cigna Help In Lead-Up To Merger Review

Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy has faced intensifying criticism for appointing former Cigna lobbyist Katharine Wade to lead his state’s insurance department while it reviews Cigna’s proposed merger with…

The possible merger between health care giants Cigna and Anthem could “raise premiums and limit medical care for more than 53 million people across the country,” consumer groups say. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy’s administration may be helping push it along, emails reveal.