December 2019 Archive

The Law Says She Should Have Been Protected From Birth. Instead, She Was Left in the Care of Her Drug-Addicted Mother, Who Killed Her.

Hundreds of thousands of children are abused or neglected in the U.S. each year, but only one federal law directly addresses this tragic reality for children not in state care. The law is routinely violated — with heartbreaking consequences.

Nobody Knows How Many Kids Die From Maltreatment and Abuse in the U.S.

Experts agree that the data we were able to obtain is a substantial undercount and child fatalities may be three times higher.

How We Measured States’ Compliance With a Forgotten Federal Child Abuse Law

A 7-Year-Old Complained About a Scary Office at School. This Is the Video His Parents Saw — a Month Later.

“I want accountability,” the boy’s father said. The video prompted one of 21 investigations into abuse at an Illinois school that secluded students more than 1,700 times last school year.

Facebook Ads Can Still Discriminate Against Women and Older Workers, Despite a Civil Rights Settlement

New research and Facebook’s own ad archive show that the company’s new system to ensure diverse audiences for housing and employment ads has many of the same problems as its predecessor.

A New Study Prompted by Our Reporting Confirms Elkhart, Indiana, Police Department Lacks Accountability

Elkhart community members viewed police officers as “cowboys” who participated in “rough treatment of civilians,” contributing to what the study called a “trust deficit.”

HUD Inspect: See if Publicly Subsidized Housing Units Passed or Failed Government Inspections

Across the country, publicly subsidized housing residents have discovered that passing scores on HUD inspections often don't match the reality of their living conditions. Look up housing complex scores near you.

Inside Public Housing Where Cockroaches Drop From the Wall and Kids are Getting Sick

Illinois’ HUD inspection failure rate is among the worst in the nation. A housing authority has delayed replacing one property for more than a decade. As the need for public housing rises, conditions in the aging structures are deteriorating.

“None of the Children at the School Are Safe”

One school. 21 abuse investigations. And the struggle to stop relying on seclusion and restraint.

Your Doctor Might Have a Disciplinary Record. Here’s How to Find Out.

Does your doctor have a criminal conviction? Has your doctor wrongly prescribed controlled substances? Use this tool to look it up.

Kansas Abandons Technology Trumpeted by Kris Kobach, Trump’s Onetime Voter Fraud Czar

A system supposedly meant to root out voter fraud was beset by security and accuracy issues.

Despite Audit, Doctors With Checkered Records Can Still Decide Fate of Green Card Seekers

Last year, the federal government promised to improve vetting of doctors who administer immigration medical exams. But ProPublica found doctors with records of unprofessional behavior, including sexual misconduct, drug abuse and fraud, still have the federal government’s approval.

Balancing the Public Interest and a Family’s Grief

ProPublica published a video last week showing the final hours of a 16-year-old migrant who died in Border Patrol custody. The family said they should have been given a chance to see the video before it appeared. They have a point.

Dentro de la celda donde murió el adolescente guatemalteco bajo custodia de la Patrulla Fronteriza

El video obtenido por ProPublica muestra que la Patrulla Fronteriza detuvo a un adolescente enfermo en una celda sin la atención médica adecuada y no descubrió su cuerpo hasta que su compañero de celda alertó a los guardias. Las imágenes no coinciden con la historia de la Patrulla Fronteriza de su muerte.

We Investigated Magistrates. Now, Lawmakers Want to Overhaul the System.

State lawmakers in South Carolina are proposing changes to how lower-court judges are selected after a Post and Courier-ProPublica investigation. The probe found a system that places connections over qualifications.

Donald Trump Jr. Went to Mongolia, Got Special Treatment From the Government and Killed an Endangered Sheep

During a summer 2019 hunting trip, Donald Trump Jr. killed a rare argali sheep. The Mongolian government issued him a hunting permit retroactively and he met with the country’s president.

Sen. Chuck Grassley Wants a Hospital System That Sued Poor Patients to Explain Itself

After an investigation by MLK50 and ProPublica, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee criticized the practices of Memphis’ largest hospital system for aggressively suing low-income patients.

New York City Paid McKinsey Millions to Stem Jail Violence. Instead, Violence Soared.

The corporate consulting firm reported bogus numbers and flailed in a project at Rikers Island. Today, assaults and other attacks there are up almost 50%.

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