Washington Post

Convicted defendants left uninformed of forensic flaws found by Justice Dept. [Justice Dept., FBI forensic lab] – Spencer S. Hsu reports that even though a Justice Department task force investigation uncovered sloppy forensic work at an FBI crime lab that led to faulty results, the agency notified prosecutors but not defendants; as a result some defendants served decades in prison for crimes they did not commit, and in one case a death penalty was carried out despite evidence that might have spared the defendant’s life; the scope of the task force’s findings was made public as a result of a multi-year Freedom of Information Act fight

GSA inspector general is investigating possible bribes, kickbacks [General Services Administration, Inspector General] – Lisa Rein and Ed O’Keefe report that the General Services Administration’s inspector general, who headed the investigation of out-of-control spending by the agency’s Public Buildings Service, told a congressional committee that he has asked the Justice Department to investigate whether bribes and kickbacks took place as well

Panetta said he regretted cost to taxpayers for trips home to California [Defense Department Secretary Leon Panetta] – Craig Whitlock reports that an embarrassing fact came to light in congressional hearing testimony by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta: his trips home to California on the weekends cost over $800,000 since July, of which he reimbursed the government for $17,000, the cost of commercial flights; the Defense Secretary is required to fly on communications-secure military aircraft, typically a Air Force C-37A

If the food’s in plastic, what’s in the food? [Food and Drug Administration, BPA] – Susan Freinkel, author of “Plastic: A Toxic Love Story,” follows up on the controversy surrounding the Food and Drug Administration’s decision not to ban the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), a ubiquitous food packaging component, despite scientific evidence that it is transmitted to humans through food, and she questions the FDA’s approach in assessing the harm of chemicals in packaging – focusing on how much of a toxic chemical such as BPA is present rather than on the chemical itself, as well as the agency’s heavy reliance on information supplied by manufacturers

More military personnel might have been involved in misconduct before Obama’s trip [U.S. Secret Service] – David Nakamura and Scott Wilson report that the scandal involving Secret Service personnel and prostitutes in Cartagena, Colombia in advance of the president’s trip there may involve as many as 20 Secret Service and military personnel; the scandal has deeply embarrassed the Pentagon, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told a congressional committee

New York Times

Prosecutor who ran ethics unit leaves Justice Dept. [Justice Dept.] – Charlie Savage reports on the retirement of William W. Welch, known as the chief of the public integrity section at Justice Department headquarters at the time of the prosecution of the late senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), that was thrown out for prosecutorial misconduct; the department failed to disclose evidence to Stevens’ attorneys that was favorable to his case, although Welch was exonerated of wrongdoing in an investigation of the case’s handling

Antipoverty tax program offers relief, though often temporary [taxes] — Sabrina Tavernise, on this tax day, examines the effects of the earned income tax credit, the United States’ largest antipoverty program, which returns a large portion of tax payments to those who make under a certain amount per year

Wall Street Journal

SEC addressing gaps in analysis [Securities and Exchange Commission] – Jessica Holzer and Andrew Ackerman report that the Securities and Exchange Commission is taking steps to address criticism it does not weigh the economic impact of its rules

U.S. nominee is elected to lead World Bank [World Bank] – Sudeep Reddy reports that President Obama’s nominee to head the World Bank, Dr. Jim Yong Kim, former director of the HIV/AIDS department at the World Health Organization and current president of Dartmouth College has been elected to the post despite objections by some countries to both a U.S. nominee and one that is not from the financial sector

Tuna blamed in Salmonella outbreak is recalled [Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] – Bill Tomson reports that the Food and Drug Administration has determined that a salmonella outbreak that sickened 100 people nationwide is linked to raw yellow fin tuna from a supplier in California — Moon Marine USA Corp. in Cupertino, Calif; the CDC said the tuna was imported from India