Hot Docs: Justice Department Misdeeds, Missing Taxes, Volunteering in America, and More

An Investigation of Allegations of Politicized Hiring by Monica Goodling and Other Staff in the Office of the Attorney General This long-anticipated report by the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility and Office of the Inspector General concludes that former key official Monica Goodling "improperly subjected candidates for certain career positions to the same politically based evaluation she used on candidates for political positions, in violation of federal law and Department policy."

Tax Compliance: Businesses Owe Billions in Federal Payroll Taxes From the Government Accountability Office: IRS records show that as of Sept. 30, 2007, over 1.6 million businesses owed more than $58 billion in unpaid federal payroll taxes, including interest and penalties. Some of these businesses took advantage of the existing tax enforcement and administration system to avoid fulfilling or paying federal tax obligations—thus abusing the federal tax system.

Volunteering in America: 2007 City Trends and Rankings The report from the Corporation for National and Community Service ranks and presents detailed profiles of volunteering for 50 of the largest metro areas in the United States.

Global Financial Stability Report, Market Update From the International Monetary Fund: "Global financial markets continue to be fragile and indicators of systemic risk remain elevated. Credit quality across many loan classes has begun to deteriorate with declining house prices and slowing economic growth. Although banks have succeeded in raising additional capital, balance sheets are under renewed stress and bank equity prices have fallen sharply. This has made raising additional capital more difficult and increased the likelihood of a negative interaction between banking system adjustment and the real economy. At the same time, policy trade-offs between inflation, growth, and financial stability are becoming increasingly difficult. The resilience of emerging markets to the global turmoil is being tested as external financing conditions tighten and policymakers face rising inflation."

The Challenge of Nuclear Armed Regional Adversaries A Rand Corp. study on nuclear-armed regional adversaries that examines the strategies and capabilities of countries including Iran and North Korea.

Risk at Home: Privacy and Security Risks in Telecommuting Ernst & Young and the Center for Democracy and Technology looked at 73 organizations in 10 industries in the United States, Canada, and Europe and concluded that privacy and security need to be revisited as telecommuting becomes a part of business life.

Iraqi Force Development This report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies examines the readiness of Iraqi forces to take over in the event of a U.S. troop withdrawal.

Bridging the Gap: Restoring and Rebuilding the Nation's Bridges The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials details the conditions, age, and costs to repair and modernize the nation's 590,000 bridges.