More Impact
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Audit Confirms That a Program for Brain-Damaged Kids Arbitrarily Denied Claims and Overspent on Perks
A new report validates many of the findings of an investigation published by the Miami Herald and ProPublica about Florida’s Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association, or NICA.
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We Reported on Pollution From Sugar Cane Burning. Now Federal Lawmakers Want the EPA to Take Action.
Leading members of Congress have called for the EPA to investigate air monitoring in Florida and to change national pollution standards.
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Inspector General Urges Ethics Review at Federal Election Commission Following ProPublica Report
The FEC’s inspector general has called for the agency to review its policies and internal controls after ProPublica revealed a key employee’s undisclosed ties to Trump.
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Alaskan Law Requires DNA From Accused Criminals, but Officials Failed to Collect Samples From 21,000 People
Alaska authorities neglected to collect DNA swabs from nearly a quarter of qualifying arrestees since 1995, the state said. The requirement was supposed to help solve sexual assault cases and put serial offenders behind bars.
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A New Suit Seeks to Turn Arbitrations, a Tool of Big Corporations, Against a Top Customer Service Provider
Arise Virtual Solutions has been accused of cheating its vast network of customer service agents. The suit, which cites ProPublica’s reporting, seeks a decision that could trigger a wave of tiny legal actions.
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Michigan Supreme Court Limits Use of Restraints on Juveniles
A year after Grace’s story drew national attention when she was jailed for not doing her online schoolwork, outcry over the shackling of young people in court has resulted in a ban on the practice unless there’s a risk of physical harm or flight.
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The Number of People With IRAs Worth $5 Million or More Has Tripled, Congress Says
After ProPublica revealed that some wealthy Americans hold Roth IRAs worth hundreds of millions — compared to $39,000 for the average account holder — Democrats requested data. It shows more than 28,000 people with IRAs worth $5 million or more.
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Senate Banking Chair Asks CFPB How It Plans to Address Risks of Chime and Other Banking Apps
Citing a ProPublica report on the high numbers of complaints about involuntary Chime account closures and other problems, Sherrod Brown asked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to lay out a plan for overseeing neobanks.
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Tax-Funded Forest Institute in Oregon Misled Public, May Have Broken State Law, Audit Finds
State auditors found that an agency intended to educate the public about forestry presented biased information favoring the timber industry and possibly violated state law. The audit was prompted by our investigation last year into the agency.
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State Attorneys General Push Federal Government to Follow the Law and Finally Create Side-Impact Tests for Kids’ Car Seats
A co-leader of a group of 18 attorneys general calls ProPublica’s story about the lack of side-impact tests for children’s booster seats “horrifying” and says it’s about time federal regulators stepped in to protect kids.
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Democratic Senators Call for Investigation of Tax Avoidance by the Ultrawealthy
Calling ProPublica’s Secret IRS Files series a “bombshell,” Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse demanded an investigation into how the rich use “legal tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share of income taxes.”
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County Officials in Texas Settle Lawsuit Alleging Mishandling of Sexual Assault Cases
Local agencies reform how they handle sexual assault allegations and pay compensation to survivors following a lawsuit and a 2018 investigation by Newsy, Reveal and ProPublica.
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Facing New Complaint, South Carolina Magistrate Removed as County’s Chief Judge
Magistrate Angel Underwood was removed from her post after court officials sat on a complaint for years. Underwood has been accused of failing to remain impartial toward the local sheriff’s department, which her husband used to run.
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Campaign to Rein in Mega IRA Tax Shelters Gains Steam in Congress Following ProPublica Report
One proposal would ban the kinds of transactions that helped Peter Thiel amass $5 billion in his Roth; another would cap how much could be saved tax-free in these retirement accounts. But two unrelated bills could undermine those efforts.
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The Ultrawealthy Have Hijacked Roth IRAs. The Senate Finance Chair Is Eyeing a Crackdown.
Sen. Ron Wyden, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, said he planned to rein in tax breaks for gargantuan Roth retirement accounts after ProPublica exposed how the superrich used them to shield their fortunes from taxes
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The U.S. Is Closing a Loophole That Lured Mexicans Over the Border to Donate Blood Plasma for Cash
Selling blood plasma in the U.S. could net Mexican residents hundreds of dollars a month — if they donated often enough. But some were putting their health at risk to do so.
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How China Spreads Its Propaganda Version of Life for Uyghurs
Thousands of videos of Uyghurs denying abuses against their community are showing up on Twitter and YouTube. They’re part of an elaborate influence campaign by Chinese officials to counter reports of human rights violations in Xinjiang.
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Florida Governor Signs Law Reforming Program for Brain-Damaged Infants
Parents who participate in the Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association, or NICA, receive a pledge from lawmakers that they will no longer have to fight for “medically necessary” expenses the program has claimed to cover all along.
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How Our Investigation Into Untested DNA Evidence Helped Solve a 1983 Murder
When reporter Catherine Rentz found a 1983 article about a student who was raped and murdered, she immediately recognized the similarities to crimes committed by a serial perpetrator she’d been investigating.
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After NYPD Found “No Wrongdoing” in Officer’s Killing of Kawaski Trawick, a Watchdog Finds Fireable Offenses
New York City’s police oversight agency brought disciplinary charges against the officer who killed Kawaski Trawick. While the NYPD found no wrongdoing, ProPublica published footage showing it was the cops who escalated the situation.
