Phillip Swarts
Articles by Phillip Swarts
Golden Hammer: Easter candy bitter taste for taxpayers?
This Easter season, Americans will buy an estimated $2.26 billion worth of such candies as chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and marshmallow Peeps, the National Confectioners Association estimates. But a key ingredient of candy makers' sweet success comes courtesy of U.S. taxpayers. Published April 17, 2014
Rand and Ron Paul ride to the rescue for Bundy in Nevada standoff with feds
Defiant Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy received some key but qualified support in his still-unresolved standoff with the Obama administration. Published April 16, 2014
EPA didn’t track own air pollution program — report
The Environmental Protection Agency hasn't bothered to track whether one of its key pollution reduction programs is actually having an effect, according to a new review by the agency's internal watchdog. Published April 16, 2014
Naval cruiser planned for retirement now headed back to work
One of the Navy's cruisers is getting a second chance at life. Published April 16, 2014
Medicare may have overpaid $2 billion for fake house calls, HHS investigator says
Obamacare is fighting an uphill battle to cut down on Medicare fraud, but a new report details a $2 billion blow to those efforts from medical personnel who are possibly scamming the government by lying about home visits of patients. Published April 15, 2014
Army may lose millions in Iraq bank failure, watchdog says
Like a replay of the Great Depression, a bank in Iraq went under in 2010, nearly taking millions of American dollars with it. Published April 15, 2014
Golden Hammer: Pentagon paid too much for Humvee repairs
Like any frustrated motorist gouged on repair bills, taxpayers have had to shell out $26.3 million too much to fix the Pentagon's fleet of Humvees, the military's watchdog said. That's because Pentagon officials never checked price or sales data for replacement parts designed to keep the vehicles running. Published April 10, 2014
Watchdog finds more federal waste
Like a shopper buying everything on a grocery list twice, the federal government is wasting billions of dollars through duplication and redundant programs, Congress' chief watchdog warned, releasing its fourth annual list of recommendations on ways to cut down on wasteful spending. Published April 8, 2014
Charities still feel squeeze from recession as shrinking donations fail to meet demand
A recovering economy isn't providing a lift for the nation's charities and nonprofit groups, as a major report finds that, for many, donations are down while the demand for services keeps rising. Published April 7, 2014
Rocks for sale: Taxpayers being undercut on sale of federal mineral resources, watchdog warns
The Interior Department has been missing out on a major payday by essentially letting private contractors take valuable minerals off government lands for drastically reduced prices, a new report says. Published April 7, 2014
National Harbor hopes to get liquor license for new Ferris Wheel
The D.C. area's newest attraction could soon come with liquor. Published April 5, 2014
Activists launch effort to improve nuclear facility oversight
A group of activists say that Energy Department oversight of nuclear activities has now become so bad that they're taking matters into their own hands. Published April 5, 2014
Hey you guys! ‘Goonies’ sequel is moving forward, says Richard Donner
Goonies never says die — and Hollywood never says never. Richard Donner told TMZ that a sequel to the movie classic is in the works on Saturday. Published April 5, 2014
Canadian troops told to zip it on leadership complaints if they want medical care
Canada's wounded warriors are now being told they cannot criticize military leadership if they want to receive medical treatment, a top Canadian newspaper reported Wednesday. Published April 5, 2014
Stephen Colbert currently CBS’s top choice to replace David Letterman: report
Stephen Colbert is currently CBS’s top choice to replace longtime late-night icon David Letterman, who announced his retirement Thursday, website Mashable reported. Published April 5, 2014
Gun advocates credit new concealed carry laws for sharp drop in Chicago murder rate
Chicago police are reporting that the murder rate for the first quarter of the year is the lowest it's been in more than 50 years, which gun advocates are attributing to a concealed carry law passed in Illinois last year. Published April 5, 2014
Bill Maher: ‘Gay mafia’ will take your career down ‘if you cross them’
Bill Maher used his HBO show on Friday to call out an element of the gay community that he says enforces political correctness like James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano dished out mob justice. Published April 5, 2014
Ronald McDonald splits after Russians move in; hamburger chain closes in Crimea
If your favorite thing to do is to chow down on a McDonald's hamburger while reading your junk mail, it's time to move out of Crimea. Published April 5, 2014
NASA wants the public’s help in designing next space suit
What's the next NASA space suit going to look like? Well, it's up to you. Published April 4, 2014
Military needlessly overpaid millions for overseas health care, says watchdog
Overseas health providers likely gouged the military for millions of dollars and the Defense Department did little to stop it, a new report says. Published April 4, 2014
