NPR DAILY HEADLINES: New Missiles In North Korea; Misleading Amazon Reviews; Bubble Tea Battle 31JUL18

Daily Headlines Tuesday, July 31, 2018

FIRST UP North Korea Reportedly Building More Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles Satellite imagery suggests North Korea may be building new ICBMs at a facility on the outskirts of Pyongyang, according to a Washington Post report published Monday. The news follows the June summit in Singapore between U.S. and North Korean leaders, after which President Trump tweeted, "There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea." Read more. Positive Amazon Reviews May Have Been Bought and Sold The giant online marketplace has fostered a separate, shadow marketplace where positive product reviews can also be purchased. NPR spoke with several people who write these comments for money, and outside auditors found that more than half of the reviews for certain popular items are questionable. Read more. Rest In Power: A Look Back At Trayvon Martin's Death Andrew Burton/Getty Images A six-episode cable series re-examines the 2012 shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida; the trial of Martin's shooter, George Zimmerman; and the polarizing social movements that emerged. "Trayvon was the victim in this case," his father, Tracy Martin, told NPR’s Karen Grigsby Bates. "They tried to make him the villain in this case." Read more. North Dakota Prison Officials Are Rethinking Solitary Confinement Following a trip to examine Norway’s prison system, the state’s correctional administrators have implemented changes that drastically reduce the number of inmates in isolation and offer them therapy. A growing consensus among officials views “solitary” as both cruel and ineffective. Read more.

DIGGING DEEPER Flaws And Fraud In Hospice Care A new federal report finds that some hospice providers are improperly taking money from Medicare and neglecting patients even as funding for the industry continues to grow. The inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services says the agency needs to step up reviews of hospice providers to ensure patients are treated properly and Medicare isn't getting bilked. The report cited other distressing findings. Some dying patients got fewer services on weekends, regardless of the patient's level of pain. One hospice provider billed Medicare for two weeks of high-level care without visiting the patient; another provider just called the man's family to see how he was faring. The report mentioned a scam where hospice providers targeted people already in nursing homes or assisted living centers, then billing Medicare for services that patients were already getting. The cost to the government? Four times as much as basic, in-home hospice care. In 2012, Medicare spent $268 million for inpatient hospice care that patients didn't need. The agency’s Inspector General has 15 recommendations for improvements. But the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, Seema Verma, rejected half of them. BEFORE YOU GO Courtesy of Starz Kendrick Lamar’s TV debut: he’s got, he’s got, he’s got, he’s got seriously impressive acting chops inside his DNA.  San Francisco is banning plastic straws — the preferred sippy utensil of the city’s 200+ bubble tea shops. Nine states filed a last-minute lawsuit to stop a Texas company from publishing instructions for 3-D-printed guns. “Joy is better than crack” — Tiffany Haddish, at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. A shark named Ms. Helen was smuggled out of the San Antonio Aquarium in a stroller. Today's newsletter was written by Korva Coleman and Patrick Jarenwattananon.