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How to Outsmart Election Disinformation
The 2022 midterms are here, and so too is a wave of concerning new mis- and disinformation trends. Here’s how to tell the two apart — and what you and your loved ones can do to avoid falling for them.
Tim Ryan: The Working-Class-Jobs Candidate in the Era of Resentment
Democrat Tim Ryan has long emphasized manufacturing jobs, a stance his party has lately begun to embrace. How he fares in his Senate race in Republican-dominated Ohio could reveal a lot about his party’s future prospects.
Do U.S. Border Officials Ask Travelers if They’ve Had Abortions?
An Australian tourist alleged that a border official asked about her abortion history. The ACLU and other advocates are more concerned agents aren’t meeting the health needs of pregnant immigrants and infants in border facilities.
The U.S. Never Banned Asbestos. These Workers Are Paying the Price.
As other countries outlawed asbestos, workers in a New York plant were “swimming” in it. Now, in a fight against the chemical industry, the United States may finally ban the potent carcinogen. But help may come too late.
Do You Work With These Hazardous Chemicals? Tell Us About It.
Asbestos and other dangerous materials can cause serious health effects — and the U.S. hasn’t banned some substances like other countries have. Your input can help us report on the extent of this problem for American workers.
How to Help People Vote in the 2022 Midterm Elections
Here are some ways you can help spread factual information about voting rights and resources ahead of the midterms.
EPA Calls Out Environmental Racism in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley
In a “remarkable” letter, the EPA accused Louisiana regulators of neglecting Black residents’ concerns about toxic air pollution and urged the state to move kids out of a school where monitors found extreme levels of a cancer-causing chemical.
How the FBI Stumbled in the War on Cybercrime
In this excerpt from “The Ransomware Hunting Team: A Band of Misfits’ Improbable Crusade to Save the World From Cybercrime,” the authors reveal how unprepared the nation’s top federal law enforcement agency was to combat online crime.
Election Administrators Are Under Attack. Here’s What That Means for the Upcoming Midterms.
Harassment and threats have driven election officials to resign at unprecedented rates since the 2020 presidential election. David Becker, the founder of The Center for Election Innovation & Research, talked with ProPublica and The Texas Tribune about what that means for the future of our democracy.
Rent Going Up? One Company’s Algorithm Could Be Why.
Texas-based RealPage’s YieldStar software helps landlords set prices for apartments across the U.S. With rents soaring, critics are concerned that the company’s proprietary algorithm is hurting competition.
USDA Plans Major Reforms to Curb Salmonella in Poultry
An earlier ProPublica investigation showed that weak food safety protections have done little to stop Americans from getting sick from salmonella poisoning.
D.C. Attorney General Opens Investigation Into Republican Governors’ Shipping of Immigrants to the Capital
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and others have been sending thousands of immigrants to Washington, D.C. Karl Racine, the district’s attorney general, is investigating whether immigrants have been deceived.
This New Jersey Agency Prioritizes Tourism Over Housing, Pushing Vulnerable Residents Out of Their Homes
The state’s Casino Reinvestment Development Authority is supposed to put casino taxes back into the community. Some of its deals have made housing options worse, not better, for Atlantic City’s vulnerable residents.
Police Need Warrants to Search Homes. Child Welfare Agents Almost Never Get One.
Each year, child protective services agencies inspect the homes of roughly 3.5 million children, opening refrigerators and closets without a warrant. Only about 5% of these kids are ultimately found to have been physically or sexually abused.
The Chicago Housing Authority Keeps Giving Up Valuable Land While HUD Rubber-Stamps the Deals
Despite being years behind on obligations to build more homes, the city’s public housing agency gets permission to sell, lease and swap its property in gentrifying neighborhoods.
Who Is My Member of Congress? Here’s How to Find Out What Your Reps Have Been Up To.
Your representative is on the ballot in 2022 and your senator may be too. Here are some ways to see what your elected officials have been up to — as well as some background on how lawmaking works (and what it looks like when it doesn’t).
Mandatory Reporting Was Supposed to Stop Severe Child Abuse. It Punishes Poor Families Instead.
After the Sandusky child abuse scandal rocked Pennsylvania, the state required more professionals to report suspected child abuse. That led to a strained child welfare system and more unsubstantiated reports against low-income families.
Deaths Linked to Neglect, Error Raise Concerns About Quality of Care at This Safety Net Hospital
Roseland Community Hospital promises the “best quality care” for Chicago’s South Side, but a whistleblower complaint and a rash of fatalities, lawsuits and negative federal inspection reports suggest the situation had become dire during COVID-19.
