December 2011 Archive
How the Nixon Pardon Strained a Presidential Friendship
In 1974, President Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon before he could be prosecuted in the Watergate scandal shocked the country. It also tested a friendship of some 25 years when Jerald terHorst, Ford’s press secretary and biographer, resigned in protest.
Government Says Hezbollah Profits From U.S. Cocaine Market Via Link to Mexican Cartel
U.S. authorities say a Lebanese drug kingpin is at the center of a conspiracy that laundered more than $250 million in drug-related proceeds and sent at least 85 tons of Colombian cocaine through Central America and Mexico in partnership with the Zetas cartel.
Emails Suggest Ohio’s New Republican-Friendly Maps Save the GOP ‘Millions’
A rare inside look at how political parties use redistricting to cement partisan control — often at the expense of voters.
Racial Disparity in Presidential Pardons: What Can Be Done?
ProPublica found that whites are almost four times as likely as minorities to be pardoned. To break the pattern of bias, experts say, would require reconsidering the subjective factors used to judge applicants.
Top MuckReads: Dirty Cops, Brazen Squatters and a Secret CIA Prison
Our rundown of this week’s best investigative or accountability journalism.
Would You Take Our Reader Survey?
As we approach year-end, we're again taking stock of our work here at ProPublica. That includes hearing from you, our readers, about what you want more of, and what we should do better.
Feds Link Water Contamination to Fracking for the First Time
The EPA’s investigation into water pollution near Pavillion, Wyo., produces landmark findings that could erode arguments used to defend safety of the gas drilling process.
NY’s Tax Overhaul, Said to Raise Taxes on the Rich, Actually Doesn’t
We take a closer look at the tax overhaul passed today and fact-check the claim that it raises taxes on the rich while cutting them for the middle class.
Kashmiri-American Pleads Guilty in Pakistan Spy Plot
Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai, the head of the Kashmiri American Council, admitted making false statements to U.S. officials about $3.5 million in payments he received from Pakistan and its Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, or ISI. The money was allegedly used to try to influence U.S. policy on the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Senate Subcommittee Grills CPSC on Drywall
Lawmakers questioned CPSC and CDC officials about the progress of a years-long federal investigation into contaminated drywall at a Senate hearing.
Coffee, Tea or Cancer? Almost Half of Americans Oppose X-ray Body Scanners
A new Harris poll conducted for ProPublica shows that even if X-ray body scanners would prevent terrorists from smuggling explosives onto planes, 46 percent of Americans still oppose using them because they could cause a few people to eventually develop cancer.
