Sexual Abuse of Explorer Scouts Went on for Decades Across U.S. Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal Over the past 40 years, about 160 Explorer Scouts have been raped, sodomized, kissed, dated and otherwise exploited by 129 police, sheriff's deputies, firefighters and state police in 115 separate cases across the country. Seventy-five cases resulted in criminal charges and 19 in lawsuits. The youngest victims were 13. One was in the sixth grade. In Rhode Island, six officers had sex with one girl. Pentagon Fuel-Gouging Fills Slush Fund Washington Post The Pentagon generated a $6 billion surplus over the past seven years in its role as gas station to the single largest consumer of fuel in the world: America's armed forces. It billed the service branches excessive jet-fuel rates - sometimes more than $1 a gallon over what commercial airlines pay - then used the money to train Syrian rebels and shore up a fraud-riddled pharmacy program. North Korea's Unit 180, Mother Ship of Cyber Warfare Reuters North Korea's main spy agency has a special cell called Unit 180 that is likely to have launched some of its most daring and successful cyber attacks - including the recent "WannaCry" ransomware attack - according to defectors, officials and internet security experts. One big attack on South Korea was conducted from China. Strapped U.N. Health Agency Spends Big on Travel Associated Press The World Health Organization routinely spends about $200 million a year on travel - far more than what it doles out to fight some of the biggest problems in public health, including AIDS, tuberculosis or malaria, according to internal documents. Postal Service Deleted Christmastime Complaints Washington Free Beacon Never mind postcards from the North Pole. The Postal Service has a funny way of wishing the citizenry happy holidays: It deleted most of its customer complaints on social media during Christmas rush, according to an inspector general's audit. That's because social media posts not addressed within 48 hours are automatically "flushed," or deleted. Sixty-eight percent of such complaints were flushed on Dec. 23. Where Kids Can't Put on Sunscreen: in School Wall Street Journal Sunblock, meet regulatory roadblock. In schools, hands-on sunscreen instruction runs into trouble because it's considered medicine. Some states are overriding restrictions so kids can bring it in and slather it on, but the Rhode Island teachers union is balking: What about kids' allergies, and the practicality of applying sunscreen to so many children? Weigh that against this concern: One blistering childhood sunburn can double the risk of melanoma. |