The Paper Trail: December 10, 2024

Biden’s State Secrets Legacy; Brain Injuries in Navy Aviators; Communication Breakdowns in Rural America; and More.

Dec 10, 2024

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The Paper Trail

Supreme Court Ethics

Manchin, Welch unveil bill placing term limits on Supreme Court: A recent survey found that 68% of Americans support setting term limits for justices and 71% support requiring justices to retire at a certain age. (Alexander Bolton, The Hill)

Insurrection

More lawsuits are barreling toward Trump over Jan. 6: Though the criminal cases against him are all but dead, Trump is likely to be fighting eight civil lawsuits — from members of Congress and injured police officers — deep into his second term. If he’s held liable for the violence at the Capitol, Trump could be on the hook for tens of millions of dollars. (Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney, Politico)

🔎 See Also: Trump says he plans to pardon Jan. 6 rioters on day one (Katie Herchenroeder, Vanity Fair)

Dobbs Aftermath

A lab test that experts liken to a witch trial is helping send women to prison for murder: Medical experts say the “lung float” test used to determine if a baby was stillborn or murdered is unreliable. Yet the test has put nine women in prison since 2013. (Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica)

Russia-Ukraine War

Defense secretary announces nearly $1 billion in Ukraine aid as he forcefully argues for global U.S. leadership: The package, which includes more drones and ammunition for a critical rocket system, brings the total U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to $62 billion since the war started nearly three years ago. (Oren Liebermann, CNN)

Defense and Veterans Affairs

Top-Gun Navy pilots fly at the extremes. their brains may suffer: To produce the best of the best, the Navy’s elite TOPGUN flying school puts fighter pilots through a crucible of intense, aerial dogfighting maneuvers under crushing G forces. But the Navy is concerned that this extreme flying may also be causing brain injuries. (Dave Philipps, New York Times)

Military pauses Osprey flights again after more metal failures are found in near crash in November: The Pentagon again temporarily paused flights of its V-22 Ospreys after an initial review found weakened metal components possibly played a role in another near crash last month, the latest setback for an embattled aircraft whose safety problems have grown. (Tara Copp, Associated Press)

Business and Finance

U.S. investigating child labor claim at HelloFresh subsidiary: According to the Labor Department, employers nationwide were fined more than $15.1 million for child labor violations in the last fiscal year, an 89% increase from the previous year. Those penalties stemmed from investigations that uncovered violations involving more than 4,000 children. (Johnny Diaz, New York Times)

Tech

Spying on student devices, schools aim to intercept self-harm before it happens: In the array of AI technologies entering American classrooms, few carry higher stakes than software that tries to detect self-harm and suicidal ideation. But the technology which at times has allowed schools to intervene at critical moments can also have harmful unintended consequences. (Ellen Barry, New York Times)

Health Care

Americans are paying more than ever for health insurance. Denials add to their pain: Health insurance costs are far outpacing inflation, leaving more consumers on the hook each year for thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses. At the same time, some insurers are rejecting nearly 1 in 5 claims. (Aimee Picchi, CBS News)

Taller vehicles are more dangerous to pedestrians, even at low speeds, research finds: A new study shows higher speeds are more likely to cause serious injuries in pedestrian crashes, but the risks are amplified for vehicles with taller front ends. (Joel Rose, NPR)

Fraud and fakery at the country’s largest chain of methadone clinics: Acadia Healthcare, the country’s largest for-profit chain of methadone clinics, allegedly falsifies medical records and enrolls patients who aren’t addicted to opioids. (Katie Thomas and Jessica Silver-Greenberg, New York Times)