Archive
How to Fix America’s Confusing Voting System
Voting can be a convoluted obstacle course, especially for those who can’t read. Here are proven ways of fixing the system and enabling millions more voters to participate.
Actions of Deputy Who Dragged Woman by Her Hair Deemed “Reasonable and Acceptable”
Video showed the officer, who has been named in at least nine excessive force lawsuits, grabbing the woman by her hair and slamming her to the ground. The sheriff now says the actions were justified and the woman is “looking for a paycheck.”
A Private Policing Company in St. Louis Is Staffed With Top Police Department Officers
St. Louis’ largest private policing firm — hired to serve the city’s wealthier and whiter neighborhoods — is a who’s who of city police commanders, supervisors and other officers.
How to Avoid Being Overcharged for a Funeral
Most people are too traumatized by the loss of a loved one to shop for the best price on a funeral. But now, as the FTC reviews its rules, a consumer advocate explains how to avoid being gouged when you’re most vulnerable.
St. Louis’ Private Police Forces Make Security a Luxury of the Rich
Wealthier neighborhoods in St. Louis have armed themselves with private police, giving them a level of service poor areas can’t afford and fueling racial and economic disparities.
The Navy Is Withholding Court Records in a High-Profile Ship Fire Case
The U.S. Navy accused a sailor of setting the 2020 fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard, but it refuses to release records in the case as the law requires.
Sen. Burr Cited COVID When He Dumped Shares Ahead of Stock Market Crash, According to FBI Records
New details have emerged about the now-closed investigation, including repeated calls to his brother-in-law, who also dumped stock.
Indiana Police Officer Pleads Guilty After Beating Handcuffed Man
The officer was charged after the South Bend Tribune and ProPublica obtained a video showing two officers retaliating at a suspect who spat at them.
He Felt Isolated and Adrift After an Autism Diagnosis. Can He Make It as a Cybersleuth?
Highly educated autistic people have long found work in tech — but now two Dutch entrepreneurs are training socially isolated autistic dropouts and finding productive jobs for them. The approach could be a model for America.
Texas State Police Deflect Blame, Downplay Their Role in Uvalde Shooting Failures
State troopers outnumbered local law enforcement 2-to-1 outside Robb Elementary, but the Department of Public Safety has blocked the release of records and carefully shaped the narrative to cast local authorities as incompetent.
Illinois Governor Calls for Changes After “Awful” Reports of Abuse at Developmental Center
Gov. J.B. Pritzker resisted, but did not rule out, a call to close Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in southern Illinois after we found widespread problems.
How a Billionaire’s “Attack Philanthropy” Secretly Funded Climate Denialism and Right-Wing Causes
Emails and interviews reveal privacy-obsessed electronics magnate Barre Seid’s long history of backing efforts to attack climate science, fight Medicaid expansion, and remake the higher education system in a conservative mold.
“The Human Psyche Was Not Built for This”
How Republicans in Montana hijacked public health and brought a hospital to the brink
At a Remote Mental Health Facility, a Culture of Cruelty Persists Despite Decades of Warnings
Federal and state officials have urged reforms at the rural facility for people with mental and developmental disabilities. But the state-run center still has more allegations of abuse and neglect than any other in Illinois.
A Disabled Young Patient Was Sent to Get Treatment. He Was Abused Instead. And He Wasn’t the Last.
The 24-year-old with developmental disabilities was brutally beaten by his caretakers inside a state-run facility with a long history of patient abuse.
The Tragedy of North Birmingham
Industrial plants in Birmingham, Alabama, have polluted the air and land in its historic Black communities for over a century. In an epicenter of environmental injustice, officials continue to fail to right the wrongs plaguing the city’s north side.
Real Money, Fake Musicians: Inside a Million-Dollar Instagram Verification Scheme
A jeweler. A plastic surgeon. An OnlyFans Model. They and others received a blue check in likely the biggest Instagram verification scheme revealed to date. After ProPublica started asking questions, Meta removed badges from over 300 accounts.
A Year After Hurricane Ida Caused Flood Deaths, Officials Are Starting to Address Storm Drain Dangers
Following ProPublica’s investigation into flash flood deaths, local and federal governments are working to secure potentially dangerous storm drains.
Court Strikes Down State Law That Gave Millions in Tax Breaks to Casinos
A Superior Court judge in New Jersey has thrown out a state law granting Atlantic City’s casinos tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks, saying that the measure was passed on dubious grounds and violated the state Constitution.
