Case Hub
Real-time tracking of government waste, corporate fraud, and media anomalies.
PubPeer-Flagged Fraud in Biomedical Research Papers
PubPeer's vigilance has led to confirmed retractions in early 2026, including two Nature Immunology papers (2001-2002) by Andrea Cerutti and Paolo Casali for image duplication flagged since 2016, a Nature paper from Francis Crick Institute for PhD student data manipulation, and the largest leucovorin-autism trial in European Journal of Pediatrics due to data inconsistencies flagged on PubPeer. New developments feature a Nigerian chemist nearing 35 retractions for image duplication, OSU heart researcher facing remedial training post-misconduct finding with PubPeer involvement, and fresh PubPeer scrutiny on OIST's Paola Laurino across seven papers. Ongoing probes include Taylor & Francis review of COVID vaccine DNA contamination paper and Sonia Melo's lawsuit against MD Anderson; Bishop's Feb 2026 analysis confirms PubPeer preceded 58% of highly-cited retractions (2021-2025). Sholto David's $2.63M settlement against MD Anderson highlights sleuth accountability.
Ideological Bias in Social Media Moderation
X's 2025 Transparency Report reveals a sharp decline to 2,326 hateful conduct suspensions in H2 2024, emphasizing 'freedom of speech, not reach' with focus on labeling over removal. A February 2026 Nature study confirms X's 'For You' algorithm amplifies conservative content, shifting user political attitudes rightward by 0.12 standard deviations. Meta's Q3 2025 report shows >90% enforcement precision and reduced errors, without ideological bias admissions; recent complaints of censorship appear more prevalent on other platforms like YouTube and TikTok.
Federal Grant Fraud and Bureaucratic Waste
As of February 2026, no comprehensive GAO report on FY2025 improper payments has emerged, but recent HHS-OIG audits reveal continued waste, including $45.6 million in improper Maine Medicaid payments for autism services reported January 21, 2026. Late 2025 OIG findings on NIH oversight gaps and CMS $11.2 billion at-risk contracts reaffirm systemic vulnerabilities in grant and contract management. While some programs show improvement, the pattern of poor oversight across federal agencies persists, validating prior concerns.
Federal IG Audits Reveal Billions in No-Bid Procurement Waste
Comprehensive searches of web sources, official OIG websites, and X platforms reveal no new Inspector General reports or audits since mid-February 2026 exposing billions in no-bid, sole-source, or noncompetitive contract waste. Specific audits like DoD OIG's DODIG-2026-043 on Army Ukraine contracts (completed January 14, 2026) and Project D2026-D000AU-0033.000 on sole-source cloud awards remain without public findings or updates [web:3][web:4][web:5][web:23]. Prior evidence claims appear to reference historical or unverified incidents, with ongoing DOGE terminations and SBA actions but no fresh IG confirmations of massive waste.
Shadowbanning and Suppression of Election, Vaccine, and Conservative Content
Since February 20, 2026, no responses have been issued by Alphabet/YouTube to the coalition of 16 state AGs' letter demanding transparency on conservative content moderation. Wyoming's HB 70 GRANITE Act advanced to third reading but was laid back, facing opposition letters. The US State Department's 'freedom.gov' portal to bypass foreign bans is in development amid denials of Europe-specific targeting. Anecdotal shadowbanning complaints on X continue across ideologies with low engagement and no systemic evidence.
Systemic Fraud Waste in Federal No-Bid Contracts and Grants
GAO's FY2024 improper payments report estimates $162 billion in errors across federal programs, a persistent high-risk area per the 2025 High-Risk List, confirming weak controls enable waste and fraud. HHS OIG's February 2026 audit exposes ACF's $529 million sole-source contract for unaccompanied alien children services as noncompliant, based on an unsolicited proposal double the cost estimate with procurement violations. Additional cases include SBA 8(a) no-bid bribery conviction, GSA invalid $13.7M sole-source, and Medicare improper payments of $22.7M, underscoring continued vulnerabilities in grants and contracts despite prior warnings.
Widespread Data Manipulation and Retractions in Scientific Publications
Since early February 2026, new developments include Elsevier's Heliyon retracting 37 additional papers in 2026 amid an ongoing audit uncovering citation stacking and peer review compromise, following Clarivate's hold since 2024. ASTM's Journal of Testing and Evaluation reached 166 retractions by February 12 with enhanced safeguards against compromised peer review. Wolters Kluwer flagged 126 papers in Medicine on February 20 due to suspicious protocols. The International Journal of Obesity retracted a GLP-1 weight loss study on February 23 after statistical review found unsubstantiated claims. These updates affirm improved detection via PubPeer, audits, and editorial scrutiny, with no evidence of escalating fraud.
Widespread US Bridge Structural Deficiencies and Cracks Leading to Closures and Collapses
FHWA, ASCE, ARTBA and state DOT reports consistently cite ~42,000 structurally deficient US bridges with corrosion, cracks, scour, and funding gaps leading to closures, collapses like Baltimore Key Bridge, and risks to millions of daily vehicles.