How Hospitals Got Richer Off Obamacare
Politico
The nation's top hospitals advertised and lobbied mightily to keep their tax-exempt status under Obamacare, citing the charitable care they provide their communities. But a decade later they've cut back on such givebacks even as their revenue has soared due to the tax break -- and the millions of additional paying customers provided by the health-insurance overhaul, a Politico investigation finds. Student Loan Debts May Be Wiped Away
New York Times
It's an even better excuse than the dog ate my homework: My creditor botched my student-loan paperwork. Defaulting borrowers of more than $5 billion in college debt may get their loans wiped away because critical documents are missing. The same sort of thing happened in the mortgage crisis; many loan-collection cases are deeply flawed, with incomplete ownership records and mass-produced documentation. Bill's $500G Speech and Hillary's Stance vs. Russia Sanctions
Fox News
The Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr. suggesting she had dirt on Hillary Clinton had one big thing in common with the ex-Secretary of State: Both had opposed Russia sanctions for human-rights abusers. Further, Clinton's initial opposition coincided with a $500,000 speech her husband gave in Moscow -- a link her 2016 campaign fought to downplay in the press, according to WikiLeaks-released documents. The Trump White House is now trying to draw attention to the episode. The Trump Jr. Email Scandal, Beyond Russia
New Republic
Emin Agalarov, a.k.a. the Russian Robin Thicke, the pop star in the Donald Trump Jr. email controversy, married into the kleptocratic ruling family of Azerbaijan, a.k.a. the "Corleones of the Caspian." And guess who tried to open a luxury hotel in the Azerbaijani capital, backed by Iranian-linked characters? Donald Trump, a.k.a. The Donald. The story is convoluted and the characters are confusing, but this is no Russian novel. Liberals vs. the Town Where Everyone Owns a Gun
The Guardian
Residents of little Nucla, Colo., don't take kindly to A-listers from nearby Telluride like Darryl Hannah telling them what to do. Those do-gooders throttle the mining industry, residents say, but don't present them with alternatives - not ones that come with real salaries. This is a close-in look at the nation's culture clash, from a town that zigs while others zag -- so much so that after the Columbine shooting it mandated that every head of household own a gun. Tobacco Company Targets India's Young Adults
Reuters
India has strict laws governing the advertising, sale, and use of tobacco. Still, Philip Morris, the world's largest public tobacco company, is working to grow its share in India's nearly $10 billion cigarette market. Despite bans on advertising, the tobacco company pays kiosk owners to put up posters promoting Marlboros and offers free cigarettes at popular nightclubs. Investigation Says Mayor Abused Foster Son
The Seattle Times
Records previously thought destroyed provide the clearest picture yet of the investigation of claims Mayor Ed Murray of Seattle sexually abused his foster son in the 1980s. An investigator concluded that the abuse happened and that Murray should not be allowed to foster any more children -- even though the county prosecutor withdrew a criminal case. The scandal has prompted Murray, 62, a longtime Democratic state lawmaker and gay civil-rights leader, to drop his re-election bid. The Rise and Fall of O.J.'s Lawyer
Town & Country
F. Lee Bailey, 83, the famed attorney whose career includes defending O.J. Simpson, is now broke and disbarred. His inability to practice law goes back to an old dispute over how to recoup fees for defending a drug dealer in Florida. But attorney Alan Dershowitz believes Bailey is being made to suffer for Simpson's acquittal: "I think it was a major factor in the vindictive way in which he's been treated." | 
