Alec MacGillis

Reporter

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Alec MacGillis is a reporter for ProPublica, focusing on gun violence, economic inequality and the pandemic-era schools crisis. MacGillis previously reported for The New Republic, The Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun. He won the 2016 Robin Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting, the 2017 Polk Award for National Reporting and the 2017 Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award. His work has appeared in the New Yorker, The Atlantic, New York and The New York Times Magazine, among other publications.

A resident of Baltimore, MacGillis is the author of “The Cynic,” a 2014 biography of Sen. Mitch McConnell, and “Fulfillment: America in the Shadow of Amazon.”

What Germany’s Effort to Leave Coal Behind Can Teach the U.S.

The German government agreed to a commitment to transition away from the fossil fuel for environmental reasons. But the obstacles are steep.

What Philadelphia Reveals About America’s Homicide Surge

There are many explanations for the rise in killings in U.S. cities, including the pandemic and the choices made in response to it. In Philadelphia, the causes, the human costs — and the suffering — are particularly stark.

Kushner Companies Violated Multiple Laws in Massive Tenant Dispute, Judge Rules

Judge finds Kushner-owned management company charged "deceptive" fees to thousands of tenants, in lawsuit filed after ProPublica found widespread problems in their apartments.

Lessons From Bessemer: What Amazon’s Union Defeat Means for the American Labor Movement

Did the failed vote in Alabama deliver a fatal blow to employees’ union efforts, or is it just a temporary setback? History offers a few clues.

The Lost Year: What the Pandemic Cost Teenagers

In Hobbs, New Mexico, the high school closed and football was cancelled, while just across the state line in Texas, students seemed to be living nearly normal lives. Here’s how pandemic school closures exact their emotional toll on young people.

Inside the Capitol Riot: What the Parler Videos Reveal

The trove of more than 500 videos recovered from a largely pro-Trump social platform provides a uniquely immersive account of the violence and confusion as seen from inside the insurrection.

The Boeing 737 MAX Is Cleared to Fly. Families of People Who Died on the Planes Wait for Answers.

One federal agency says the plane, implicated in 346 deaths, is now safe and the investigation is done. Another federal agency says it can’t hand over information until the Ethiopian government is finished investigating.

The Students Left Behind by Remote Learning

Has a desire to keep the coronavirus out of schools put children’s long-term well-being at stake?

What Can Mayors Do When the Police Stop Doing Their Jobs?

In cities across the country, leaders face a phenomenon encountered in Baltimore and Chicago: officers slowing their work in the wake of high-profile episodes of police violence. Reporter Alec MacGillis asks: Will the result be different this time?

How Dollar Stores Became Magnets for Crime and Killing

Discount chains are thriving — while fostering violence and neglect in poor communities.

How Germany Saved Its Workforce From Unemployment While Spending Less Per Person Than the U.S.

The pandemic has cost jobs around the world. Comparing people who lost the same position in the two countries reveals that the U.S. government is spending more on unemployment — but its citizens are getting less.

Rent Is Still Due in Kushnerville

Government stimulus checks and a temporary ban on evictions are tiding over the suddenly jobless residents of housing complexes owned by Jared Kushner’s company. But what will happen when both soon run out?

One Thing the Pandemic Hasn’t Stopped: Aggressive Medical-Debt Collection

U.S. hospitals are in the spotlight for being on the frontline of fighting the pandemic. But in the shadows, debt collection operations continue, often by the same institutions treating coronavirus patients, all while unemployment and uncertainty soar.

What’s It Like on One of the Only University Campuses Still Open in the U.S.?

Liberty University president and Trump supporter Jerry Falwell Jr. caused a stir by keeping the campus of the evangelical university open. Now, a place known for banning premarital sex, alcohol, smoking and cursing is in a sense the most permissive.

“I Will Never Let Boeing Forget Her”

With the 737 MAX, Boeing put profits first and hundreds died. One grieving family is determined to hold the company accountable.

The Tragedy of Baltimore

Since Freddie Gray’s death in 2015, violent crime has spiked to levels unseen for a quarter century. How order collapsed in an American city.

Why the Perfect Red-State Democrat Lost

Taylor Sappington is exactly the kind of candidate his party should want in Ohio. But he couldn’t get union support.

How Struggling Dayton, Ohio, Reveals the Chasm Among American Cities

As a ProPublica/Frontline documentary shows, the economic and social gaps among cities are growing as dramatic as the gaps between urban and rural areas.

Kushner Companies Loses a Key Motion in Class Action Filed by Baltimore Tenants

A state judge declined to dismiss the suit filed by apartment residents who claim they were charged inappropriate and excessive fees.

How Mitch McConnell Made Donald Trump

The president owes both his election and his long-term impact to the Senate majority leader, who not only engineered the strategy that will let Trump make two Supreme Court appointments, but also created the circumstances that facilitated his rise. 

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