RealClearInvestigations' Picks of the Week
June 25 to July 1 Featured Investigation
There is evidence that bad blood has been simmering for a long time between FBI top brass and Michael Flynn. Circa News reports that two years before the bureau launched a criminal probe against the former Trump national security adviser, Flynn backed a decorated agent in her case accusing now-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe and other top officials of sexual discrimination, according to documents and interviews.
In a followup, Circa disclosed that the government is investigating whether McCabe violated a ban on political activity by FBI agents; photos on social media show him publicly supporting his wife Jill's 2015 Democratic campaign for the Virginia state senate. Source of the charge: the ex-agent accusing McCabe of gender bias. Another twist: documents suggesting Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia knew exactly what he was up to when, with his friend Hillary Clinton under scrutiny by McCabe's bureau, he supported Jill McCabe's run for office. Read articles here and here. Other Investigations GOP Operative Claiming Flynn Ties Sought Clinton Emails From Hackers
Wall Street Journal
Is this the "collusion" everyone's wondering about? Before the 2016 election, a Republican opposition researcher mounted an independent campaign to obtain emails he believed were stolen from Hillary Clinton's private server, likely by Russian hackers. In conversations and emails, the GOP operative, Peter W. Smith, and an ally implied they were working with retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, then an adviser to candidate Donald Trump. The Toxic Soil of Philly's Trendy River Wards
Philly.com
The lead plants are long gone from Philadelphia's gentrifying "river wards." But the area's development boom is disturbing their toxic legacy: lead that has sat dormant for decades. In an extensive investigation, the Inquirer and Daily News tested exposed soil in 114 locations — parks, playgrounds, backyards. Nearly three out of four had hazardous levels of lead contamination. Even tiny amounts can permanently lower a child's IQ. Video Isn't Providing 20/20 Vision in Police Shootings
New York Times
As three trials this past month show, video recording of police does not necessarily provide conclusive evidence in cop-shooting cases. In some trials, a single piece of body-camera footage illustrates competing viewpoints. And in the infamous Philando Castile case in Minnesota, dashboard camera video did not provide a close-up view of the front seat. Was Castile reaching for a gun or not? A juror said she couldn't tell -- reasonable doubt favoring the accused cop. Making Ivanka Trump Shoes: Long Hours, Low Pay and Abuse
Associated Press
A blow from a high heel that left a worker bleeding from the head and other beatings by managers were not unusual at the Chinese factory used by Ivanka Trump and other fashion brands, workers there say. Investigators working undercover found multiple labor law violations in pursuit of higher production. But the Ivanka Trump brand says its products have not been made in the factory since March, even if worker advocates say they have evidence indicating otherwise. Generics Increasingly Not the Same as Brand-Name Drugs
Bloomberg
The performance gap may be widening between generic drugs and their brand-name models, for two reasons. First, drugs are ever more complex, with features like extended release covered by separate patents often not available to generic producers. The second reason is inconsistent quality control, due to more low-cost generic production abroad. Case in point: a generic for anxiety drug Cymbalta. It's causing a different sort of worry. | 
