August 2020 Archive
Electionland 2020: DeJoy Under Fire, Election Administrators, Pandemic Voting and More
This week’s headlines on congressional scrutiny of USPS, expanding mail voting, and mail ballot drop boxes.
For Election Administrators, Death Threats Have Become Part of the Job
In a polarized society, the bureaucrats who operate the machinery of democracy are taking flak from all sides. More than 20 have resigned or retired since March 1, thinning their ranks at a time when they are most needed.
A Closer Look at the Public Art at Chicago Police Stations
After removing its Columbus statues, Chicago will reassess its collection of hundreds of public art pieces to better “reflect our values as Chicagoans.” So I asked artists to reflect on the work they made for the city’s police stations.
Private Border Wall Fundraisers Have Been Arrested on Fraud Charges
Investigators say fundraisers for nonprofit We Build the Wall, including Steve Bannon and founder Brian Kolfage, lied to donors and pocketed funds. Trump has tried to distance himself from the group but Kolfage has bragged about their ties.
Erased From the Trump Administration’s Draft of a Key Foreign Aid Policy: Any Mention of LGBT People
USAID’s gender policy guides its priorities worldwide. A new version of that policy put forward by the Trump administration omits any mention of transgender people, and adopts a conservative framing of human rights.
Meatpacking Companies Dismissed Years of Warnings but Now Say Nobody Could Have Prepared for COVID-19
In documents dating to 2006, government officials predicted that a pandemic would threaten critical businesses and warned them to prepare. Meatpacking companies largely ignored them, and now nearly every one of the predictions has come true.
What the Post Office Needs to Survive a Pandemic Election
Fueled by the president’s unfounded claims about rampant voter fraud, and reports of equipment being removed, the plight of the United States Postal Service has captured America’s attention. Will it collapse? Here’s what you need to know.
Cellphone Data Shows How Las Vegas Is “Gambling With Lives” Across the Country
Las Vegas casinos, open for months now, are a likely hotbed for the spread of COVID-19. For many reasons, contact tracing has proved next to impossible as tourists return to homes across the U.S.
Near Misses at UNC Chapel Hill’s High-Security Lab Illustrate Risk of Accidents With Coronaviruses
Reports indicate UNC researchers were potentially exposed to lab-created coronaviruses in several incidents since 2015. These incidents highlight the risks even in the most secure and respected research facilities.
Here Are Six Accidents UNC Researchers Had With Lab-Created Coronaviruses
There have been mouse bites and spills and other mishaps during experiments involving genetically altered coronaviruses at a high-security lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The NYPD Is Withholding Evidence From Investigations Into Police Abuse
The NYPD has regularly failed to turn over key records and videos to police abuse investigators at New York’s Civilian Complaint Review Board. “This just seems like contempt,” said the now-retired judge who ordered the NYPD to use body cameras.
Obama and the Beach House Loopholes
Although Hawaii has laws meant to preserve disappearing shorelines, beachfront property owners have been able to bypass them. That’s what happened at an expansive coastal estate officials say the Obamas will live in.
Burial Site Found on a Property Tied to Obama, Causing Tension With Native Hawaiians
After Native Hawaiian remains were found on the multimillion-dollar oceanfront lot being developed by the chair of the Obama Foundation, a state official decided to relocate the remains. Kamuela Kala‘i is speaking up for her ancestors.
ICE Guards “Systematically” Sexually Assault Detainees in an El Paso Detention Center, Lawyers Say
Allegations include guards attacking victims in camera “blind spots” and telling them that “no one would believe” them in ICE detention centers, which imprison about 50,000 immigrants each year at a taxpayer expense of $2.7 billion.
Internal Memo Shows Trump Administration Expects Drastic Drop in Demand for U.S. Visas for Years to Come
The Trump administration is predicting years of dramatically reduced international demand for American visas and planning for large budget cuts to visa services worldwide as a result, according to an internal document seen by ProPublica.
Electionland 2020: USPS Chaos, Election Cybersecurity, August Voting and More
This week’s headlines on enfranchisement efforts, election law changes and the Trump administration’s attacks on mail voting.
In Lori Lightfoot’s Chicago, Bridges Have Become Barricades
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has repeatedly ordered Chicago’s river bridges raised to keep people out of downtown. She said the move was to protect businesses and residents. But it is also a symbol of the city’s divisions.
CareOne Nursing Homes Said They Could Safely Take More COVID-19 Patients. But Death Rates Soared.
CareOne struck a deal to take COVID-19 patients from hospitals and made “COVID-capable” part of its branding. Now it has the highest rate of COVID-related deaths among large long-term care companies in New Jersey.
