January 2013 Archive
TSA Removes X-Ray Body Scanners from Airports
The Transportation Security Administration will remove all X-ray body scanners from airports because privacy software couldn’t be developed on time. The scanners had been the subject of a ProPublica investigation into their safety.
Why 58 Representatives Who Voted for Hurricane Katrina Aid Voted Against Aid for Sandy
Bills that passed almost unanimously in 2005 have run into trouble this time around.
Four Graphs That Show How Democrats Predict Your Political Beliefs
Little pieces of data about individual voters add up to a powerful big picture for state Democratic parties
Hacktivism: Civil Disobedience or Cyber Crime?
Are activists like Aaron Swartz committing civil disobedience, or online crimes? We break down a few strategies of “hacktivism” to see what is considered criminal under the CFAA.
Support for Mumbai Terror Group Lands Chicagoan 14-Year Prison Term
Tahawwur Rana, 52, had been convicted in 2011 on two counts of material support of terrorism for aiding Pakistan’s Lashkar-i-Taiba militant group and of a plot to attack a Danish newspaper.
Revealed: America’s Arms Sales To Bahrain Amid Bloody Crackdown
New Pentagon documents offer a fuller picture of U.S. arms sales to the tiny Mideast nation.
How a Government Report Spread a Questionable Claim About Iran
A study leaked to the media says Iran has 30,000 intelligence operatives. But good luck finding the origins of the figure.
In Minnesota, Democratic Grandmas Gather Data About Their Neighbors
From the campaign sign on your lawn to what you write in a letter to the editor, your political opinions are being recorded in party databases — and then shared in ways you might not expect.
Feds Release Nursing Home Inspections, Free of Censor’s Marks
The unredacted documents include patients’ ages, medical conditions, medications and other data omitted from inspection reports on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services website.
What a New Doctor Learned About Medical Mistakes From Her Mom’s Death
Dr. Elaine Goodman says hospital culture has to embrace the notion that reporting and tracking medical errors are a positive, not punitive, step: “It’s not enough just to have caring, qualified people to keep the patient safe.”
The Latest Myth About the Government’s Mishandling of the Housing Market
The same critics who assailed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now attacking the Federal Housing Administration. They were wrong then and they are wrong now.
Although a Fugitive, Accused Guatemalan War Criminal Hasn't Run Far
ProPublica’s reporting last year about the search for perpetrators of the Dos Erres masscare led to the discovery that an ex-colonel who is a leading suspect had lived openly in an upscale Guatemala City neighborhood.
Home Builders Lobby Weakens Drywall Legislation
A bill heralded by lawmakers as a victory for thousands of homeowners harmed by contaminated drywall was weakened after input from the homebuilding industry.
Feds Replace Flawed Foreclosure Review With Vague $8.5 Billion Settlement
Banking regulators admitted the Independent Foreclosure Review was a big expensive mess and shut it down. But many details about the $8.5 billion settlement that replaces it remain murky.
Five Federal Policies on Guns You've Never Heard Of
It’s not just states that have relaxed gun laws. Federal lawmakers have come up with a few of their own.
Facing a Second Trial, Ernie Lopez Takes Plea Deal
An Amarillo man whose conviction for sexually assaulting a child was reversed after experts questioned forensic evidence used against him, pleads guilty to a reduced charge.
How You Can Help ProPublica Cover Patient Safety
More than 2,000 people — patients, doctors, nurses — have joined our Facebook group to debate causes and solutions to the problem of patients being harmed while receiving care.
