Archive
How a Tip About Habitat for Humanity Became a Story
As a ProPublica reporter looked into a source’s allegations about Habitat for Humanity’s New York City affiliate, he pieced together how a housing project ended up displacing poor people.
Dr. Orange: The Secret Nemesis of Sick Vets
For decades, the military and the VA have repeatedly turned to one man to guide decisions on whether Agent Orange harmed vets in Vietnam and elsewhere. His reliable answer: No.
After Cancer Diagnosis, Vet Refutes Government’s Agent Orange Expert — And Wins
After the VA rejects his claim for benefits, an Air Force veteran challenges the findings of the government’s go-to Agent Orange consultant. Six years later he emerges the rare victor.
Eight Times Agent Orange’s Biggest Defender Has Been Wrong or Misleading
For decades, the government has relied on Alvin Young to advise it on herbicides. Here are some of his statements, and what others have said about them.
The Democrats’ Bad Map
Hillary Clinton looks increasingly likely to win the White House, but her party faces a big obstacle to success in congressional races — Democrats are sorting themselves into geographic clusters where many of their votes have been rendered all but superfluous.
New Jersey Lawmakers Vote to Forgive Dead Students’ Loans
A bill ending the state loan agency’s practice of seeking repayment from the families of deceased students now heads to Gov. Chris Christie.
Google Has Quietly Dropped Ban on Personally Identifiable Web Tracking
Google is the latest tech company to drop the longstanding wall between anonymous online ad tracking and user’s names.
Thousands of NYC Landlords Who Ignored Rent Caps Got Tax Breaks They Didn’t Qualify For
A new ProPublica analysis shows that two-thirds of more than 6,000 rental properties receiving tax benefits from the city’s 421-a program don’t have approved applications on file and most haven’t registered apartments for rent stabilization as required by law. That allows owners to raise rents as much as they want.
If You Live In These Tax-Subsidized Buildings, You Are Entitled to a Rent Freeze
Search for your building to see if your landlord has been approved for the program and registered your building for rent stabilization, as required by law. If not, you may be paying more than you should.
Disenfranchised by Bad Design
There is in fact a widespread problem with ballots in the United States: they’re often horribly designed.
Electionland: Monitoring Access to the Vote in Real Time
Covering access to the ballot and problems that prevent people from exercising their right to vote during the 2016 election.
How Are Elections Run in Your County?
One way to predict how the 2016 election will run is to look at how things went the last time we elected a president.
U.S. Identifies Key Player in ISIS Attacks on Europe
American officials say the investigation of the assaults on Paris and Brussels has led them to a shadowy Moroccan militant who was raised in Southern France and now lives in Syria.
New York City Council Moves to Overhaul Nuisance Abatement Enforcement
The Council speaker will put forward a package of bills aimed at better protecting tenants and businesses targeted by police.
Breaking the Black Box: How Machines Learn to Be Racist
Artificial Intelligence is only as good as the patterns we teach it. To illustrate the sensitivity of AI systems, we built an AI engine that deduced synonyms from news articles published by different types of news organizations.
How Europe Left Itself Open to Terrorism
The ISIS attacks on France and Belgium exposed weaknesses in Europe’s approach to borders and information sharing that counterterror officials had warned about for years. The vulnerabilities remain largely unaddressed.
