America's Rocking Chair Government
Politico
America's government does not look like America: It's older than it's ever been, with the oldest new president in history and an aging Congress too. The vast federal workforce is graying as well, because of slow-moving hiring practices and boomers delaying retirement. Upshot: predictable drops in productivity and rising costs due to workers' seniority and declining health. You think retirements will solve the problem? No, that will only create new ones -- from rising pension costs to losses of institutional memory. So we'll have government to kick around for a long time to come. Taking On the 'Dark Underbelly' of College Hoops
Wall Street Journal
Federal prosecutors have filed bribery charges against an Adidas executive and college assistant basketball coaches in a sweeping crackdown on alleged corruption. Families of high-school recruits were paid off to induce them to sign with major-college programs, including Louisville, prosecutors say. In exchange, they were expected to sign with the agent and adviser involved and, when they turned pro, choose Adidas as their sponsor. Money lubricated everything. Russian Facebook Ads Backed Stein, Sanders, Trump
Politico
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein was touted in at least one of the Russian-bought political ads on Facebook that federal government officials suspect were intended to influence the 2016 election. Other such ads criticized Hillary Clinton and promoted Donald Trump. Some backed Bernie Sanders and his platform even after his presidential campaign had ended. Congressional aides and special counsel Robert Mueller's team are getting a look at the ads this week. How Military Outsourcing Turned Toxic
ProPublica
The Barksdale Air Force base in Louisiana contracted with U.S. Technology Corp. to repurpose into cinder blocks powdery toxic waste left over from airplane maintenance. But that's not quite what happened. An EPA inspection revealed that thousands of pounds of the waste wound up illegally stored in warehouses in Arkansas and Georgia. Now U.S. Technology faces scrutiny for toxic waste dumping around the country. The Inside Story of the Great Silicon Heist
Wired
As the 2008 financial crisis wrecked their 401(k)s and the price of silicon skyrocketed, two workers in a Mitsubishi silicon factory in Alabama decided to steal the stuff for themselves. They found a used-silicon dealer from California and soon were rolling in dough, moving 43 tons of premium product -- before the law caught up with them. Now, freed from prison, they're on the hook for monthly payments to Mitsubishi until well past their 130th birthdays. EPA Spends $25,000 on Secure Phone Booth for Pruitt
Washington Post
The Environmental Protection Agency is spending nearly $25,000 to construct a secure, soundproof communications booth in the office of Administrator Scott Pruitt, according to government contracting records. Shades of the "Cone of Silence." | 
