Archive
TurboTax and H&R Block Used “Unfair and Abusive Practices,” State Regulator Finds
The investigation, which is ongoing, came after a ProPublica series showed that millions of Americans were coerced into paying for tax filing they should get for free.
The Cuomo Administration Hasn’t Said Which Nursing Homes Were Infected With COVID-19 After Its Order Sent Positive Patients Into Them
Dozens of New York nursing homes didn’t see their first COVID-19 case until sick patients were sent there, many under Andrew Cuomo’s state policy. To date, 6% of the state’s nursing home population, or roughly 6,500 residents, have died.
Trump Is Donating Ventilators to Countries That Don’t Need or Can’t Use Them
Nearly 8,000 ventilators are destined for foreign countries as part of Trump’s plan to make the U.S. “king of ventilators.” But public health experts worry the machines are crowding out more urgently needed aid.
How McKinsey Is Making $100 Million (and Counting) Advising on the Government’s Bumbling Coronavirus Response
For the world’s best-known corporate-management consultants, helping tackle the pandemic has been a bonanza. It’s not clear what the government has gotten in return.
Opioid Overdoses Keep Surging in Chicago, Killing Black People on the West Side
Half of Cook County’s confirmed opioid-related deaths have been among Black residents, even though they make up less than a quarter of the county’s population. Officials warn that the COVID-19 pandemic has overshadowed the crisis.
Different Names, Same Address: How Big Businesses Got Government Loans Meant for Small Businesses
ProPublica found at least 15 large companies that received over half a billion dollars in PPP loans using the same technique: Getting multiple loans sent to smaller entities they own.
A Teenager Didn’t Do Her Online Schoolwork. So a Judge Sent Her to Juvenile Detention.
A 15-year-old in Michigan was incarcerated during the coronavirus pandemic after a judge ruled that not completing her schoolwork violated her probation. “It just doesn’t make any sense,” said the girl’s mother.
New Jersey Puts $578 Million in Controversial Tax Breaks on Hold After Investigation
A dozen companies that won tax breaks from New Jersey are under investigation, according to a task force created by Gov. Phil Murphy. Several companies are tied to George Norcross. WNYC and ProPublica investigated tax breaks in 2019.
Community Storytelling Is Informing Our Coverage of Intellectual and Developmental Disability Services. Share Your Story.
Journalists have not always brought people with intellectual and developmental disabilities into the conversation. We’re trying to change that with our investigation into Arizona’s disability services. But we need your help.
Trump Financial Regulator Quietly Shelved Discrimination Probes Into Bank of America and Other Lenders
At least six investigations into discriminatory mortgage loan “redlining” have been halted or stalled — against staff recommendations — under the Trump administration’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
Trump Says He “Disagreed” With Privately Funded Border Wall, So Why Did His Administration Award the Builder $1.7 Billion in Contracts to Erect More Walls?
President Trump now claims this privately funded border wall — touted as the “Lamborghini” of fences — was built to “make me look bad,” even though the project’s builder and funders are Trump supporters.
You Can Make Millions Selling Masks to the Government in Three Easy Steps
The federal government is essentially providing seed money to PPE startups, including some run by people accused of fraud. Mask brokers describe a simple blueprint for buying masks from China to get rich.
“All the Hospitals Are Full”: In Houston, Overwhelmed ICUs Leave COVID-19 Patients Waiting in ERs
The busiest hospitals in Houston are increasingly telling emergency responders they cannot safely accept new patients as hundreds of coronavirus patients crowd emergency rooms, and hospitals scramble to open more intensive care space.
Andrew Cuomo’s Report on Controversial Nursing Home Policy for COVID Patients Prompts More Controversy
A state report on Cuomo’s decision to order nursing homes to take in COVID positive patients in the early days of the pandemic fails to deal with the central question: did such admissions lead to more infection and death, and if so how significantly.
Three Takeaways From the Supreme Court’s Decisions on Trump’s Tax and Financial Documents
The Supreme Court finally ruled on whether Congress and investigators can obtain the president’s financial information. The answer is yes — but it’s a little more complicated than that.
Electionland 2020: NJ Primary, CDC Election Guidance, Fall Voting Plans and More
This week’s headlines on pandemic voting measures, vote by mail problems, and election funding.
“I Can’t Breathe.” It Happens at Schools, Too.
Students in Illinois schools said “I can’t breathe” while being restrained at least 30 times over the time period we investigated, according to our analysis of the records. The practice of face-down restraint is still legal in Illinois.
Eroding Private Border Wall To Get an Engineering Inspection Just Months After Completion
Months after the “Lamborghini” of border walls was built along the Rio Grande, the builder agreed to an engineering inspection of his controversial structure. Experts say the wall is showing signs of erosion that threatens its stability.
How a Key Federal Civil Rights Agency Was Sidelined as Historic Protests Erupted
Launched by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, the Community Relations Service has been without a director and short-staffed during recent unrest. The Trump administration has repeatedly tried to eliminate the agency.
