RealClearInvestigations' Picks of the Week
Jan. 21 to Jan. 27
Featured Investigation As fans of Superman comics know, Bizarro World is the fictional parallel planet of opposite values, where ugly is pretty, bad is good, etc. Washington has its own Bizarro World now. Just ask either side of the political divide. They think it's their adversaries who dwell there - especially regarding perceptions of important news. To Democrats and their sympathizers in the media, it was a big deal this week that special counsel Robert Mueller appeared to be closing in on an obstruction-of-justice case against Donald Trump - and pulses quickened with the news that the President had tried to fire Mueller last June … but didn't. To Republicans in Congress and other doubters of the case against Trump, the real news was newly disclosed FBI agents' text messages suggesting anti-Trump and pro-Hillary Clinton political bias in their investigations, perhaps in an effort to influence the 2016 election outcome (see also here). The texts appeared to only stiffen the determination of Republicans to make public a secret memo they have drafted, based on classified intelligence, to expose what they see as wrongdoing by those entrusted with enforcing the nation's laws and protecting national security. Let's now draw on the backwards-spelling convention of Bizarro World's alternate name -- htraE for "Earth" -- as we say: Stay tuned next week for more momentous news from notgnishaW. Other Noteworthy Articles and Series Hillary Clinton Shielded Aide Accused of Sexual Harassment
New York Times
However shaky Hillary Clinton's claim to the moral high ground on sexual misconduct ever was - given you-know-who, plus her longtime supporter Harvey Weinstein - that lofty perch seems even more of a distant stretch for her now. The New York Times reported that she declined to fire her "faith adviser" for her 2008 presidential campaign, even after she learned that he was accused of a non-spiritual laying on of hands: sexually harassing a young female staffer, who was reassigned and forced to sign a nondisclosure agreement. The sordid episode was all well in the background by the time of the 2016 campaign, when Clinton reacted swiftly to the "Access Hollywood" tape of Donald Trump bragging about groping women: "This is horrific," she tweeted. "We cannot allow this man to become president." Dozens Recount Sexual Misconduct by Vegas Mogul Steve Wynn
Wall Street Journal
Move over, Harvey and Matt. Looks like Steve Wynn is joining you on the long list of prominent men whose alleged sexual predations were long an open secret without public scandal. Dozens of people interviewed by the Wall Street Journal described a decades-long pattern of sexual misconduct by the 76-year-old casino mogul and donor to both Republicans and Democrats. Accusers include a manicurist who said he raped her (she was paid a $7.5 million settlement) and a masseuse who said he repeatedly ordered her to masturbate him to climax. Inside the Posh Brit Charity Bash That's Actually a Grope-Fest
Financial Times
Only powerful men -360 figures from British business, politics,finance and entertainment- were invited to the black-tie charity event in London, where auction items included lunch with Boris Johnson, the British foreign secretary, and afternoon tea with Bank of England governor Mark Carney. The guests were served by130 hired hostesses told towear skimpy black outfits with matching underwear and high heels. At an after-party, many hostesses — some of them students earning extra cash — were groped, sexually harassed and propositioned. U.S. Military Gives Afghan Pedophiles Free Pass, Report Says
New York Times
The United States military reported5,753accusations of "gross human rights abuses" by the Afghan militarybetween 2010 and 2016, including many examples of child sexual abuse.Instead of working to stop the abuse, the American soldiers who complained had their careers ruined by their superiors. China Racing Ahead in Gene-Editing Trials
Wall Street Journal
Facing few regulatory and ethical hurdles regarding experiments on people, Chinese doctors are aggressively treating patients using a new gene-editing technique - Crispr-Cas9. Where one Chinese hospital's review board took just an afternoon to sign off on a trial, the University of Pennsylvania has spent nearly two years so far addressing federal and other requirements, including numerous safety checks designed to minimize risks. Cleaner Air MayWorsenGlobal Warming
Scientific American
Air pollution is helping to cool the climate, masking some of the global warming that's occurred so far. That means efforts worldwide to clean up the air may cause an increase in warming, as well as other climate effects. A Family Lives with Opioid Addiction
New York Times
The toll of the opioid crisisisusuallymeasured by the grim statistic of death. This in-deptharticle, reflecting a year ofreporting, focuses on a New Hampshire family whose son's addiction to heroin, fentanyl and other drugs has not taken his life. It is a harrowing story of anger, desperation and helplessness, including the day he overdosed four times in six hours. For the addict, life is defined by the pursuit of drugs, arrests and rehab. For his divorced parents, it is defined by constant worry, arguments and guilt. Saudi Arabia: Botox Disqualifies 12 in Camel Beauty Fest
TheNational
At least 12 camels have been disqualified from Saudi Arabia's most prestigious beauty pageant following allegations of Botox injections and plastic surgery. With millions of dollars in prize moneyat stake, it is not surprising that some of the contestants' owners took extreme measures to achieve the look of camel comeliness - a full, droopy lip and small ears. There are no charges yet of hump augmentation. | 
