December 2022 Archive

This School District Is Ground Zero for Harsh Discipline of Native Students in New Mexico

In Gallup-McKinley County Schools, wearing the wrong color shirt can get you written up for “gang-related activity.” Banging on a window is bullying. The district is responsible for most of New Mexico’s disproportionate expulsions of Native students.

How We Found the School District Responsible for Much of New Mexico’s Outsized Discipline of Native Students

New Mexico does not publish public school discipline data. When we looked at it, we found that Native American students in the state were disciplined more than their white peers.

A Texas Superintendent Ordered School Librarians to Remove LGBTQ Books. Now the Federal Government Is Investigating.

The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights has opened what appears to be the first-of-its-kind investigation into the Granbury Independent School District after it banned school library books dealing with sexuality and gender.

The “Death Penalty” of Child Welfare: In Six Months or Less, Some Parents Lose Their Kids Forever

Twenty-five years ago, Congress passed a law aimed at speeding up adoptions of children languishing in foster care. In the process, it destroyed hundreds of thousands of families through the termination of parental rights.

He Defended the NYPD in Court. Then They Arrested Him.

For 11 years, Karl Ashanti represented New York City cops in civil-rights cases. Then he was charged with a crime he didn’t commit.

Records Reveal Medical Response Further Delayed Care for Uvalde Victims

Previously unreleased video, audio and interviews show for the first time how the medical response faltered after police finally confronted the Robb Elementary shooter.

Congress and Industry Leaders Call for Crackdown on Hospice Fraud

Following a ProPublica-New Yorker investigation into the hospice industry, members of the Comprehensive Care Caucus and national trade groups are demanding reform.

Some Talk but Little Action on Private Policing in St. Louis

Following a ProPublica investigation, a St. Louis official said the city would review private policing in its wealthier neighborhoods. Three months later, that review has yet to begin.

Pregnant? Here’s What You Need to Know About NIPTs

The noninvasive prenatal testing industry confuses patients and even some doctors. So we’ve created this guide to the tests, the accuracy of results, cost and more.

The School That Calls the Police on Students Every Other Day

An Illinois school for students with disabilities has routinely used the police to handle discipline, resulting in the highest arrest rate of any district in the country. In one recent year, half of Garrison School students were arrested.

Congress Passes Bill to Rein in Conflicts of Interest for Consultants Such as McKinsey

President Joe Biden is expected to sign the legislation, whose Senate sponsors cited ProPublica’s reporting on McKinsey’s conflicts in working for both the FDA and opioid makers like Purdue Pharma.

Chicago Claims Its 22-Year “Transformation” Plan Revitalized 25,000 Homes. The Math Doesn't Add Up.

Despite the padded figures it gave to federal regulators, the Chicago Housing Authority is not finished fulfilling its obligations to build homes and redevelop communities where its high-rises once stood.

Developers Found Graves in the Virginia Woods. Authorities Then Helped Erase the Historic Black Cemetery.

The cemetery’s disappearance cleared the way for the expansion of a Microsoft data center, despite layers of federal and state regulations nominally intended to protect culturally significant sites.

Applications Open for ProPublica Investigative Editor Training Program

The yearlong ProPublica Investigative Editor Training Program aims to increase the ranks of investigative editors from diverse backgrounds.

The Night Raids

CIA-backed operations killed countless Afghan civilians, and the U.S. hasn't been held accountable. A reporter returns to investigate her past and unravel the legacy of the secretive Zero Units.

Why Congress Can’t Stop the CIA From Working With Forces That Commit Abuses

The Leahy Law prohibits the U.S. military from providing training and equipment to foreign security forces that commit human rights abuses, but it does not apply to U.S. intelligence agencies. Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy said it should.

As Workers Battle Cancer, The Government Admits Its Limit for a Deadly Chemical Is Too High

The U.S. agency that is supposed to safeguard worker health has all but given up on setting limits to protect them from dangerous chemicals. Meanwhile, workers are dying.

Medical Care and Politics Go Hand in Hand at a Chicago Safety Net Hospital

Under the leadership of CEO Tim Egan, Chicago’s Roseland Community Hospital has awarded business to his friends and acquaintances, employees have donated to his political funds and he has appeared in a campaign ad for the state’s comptroller.

Toxic Salmon Reporting “Deeply Troubling,” Lawmaker Says, Demanding Changes to Protect Pacific Northwest Tribal Health

Citing a ProPublica and Oregon Public Broadcasting investigation into toxic contamination in salmon, state and federal lawmakers across the Pacific Northwest are calling for policy changes and more funding but are lacking details on next steps.

Conservative Activist Poured Millions Into Groups Seeking to Influence Supreme Court on Elections and Discrimination

Newly obtained records show how Leonard Leo, an architect of the right-wing takeover of the courts, has been funding groups pushing to change elections and anti-discrimination laws.

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