November 2020 Archive
Oceanfront Property Tied to Obama Granted Exemption From Hawaii’s Environmental Laws
Honolulu officials have granted an exception to the state’s beach protections, clearing the way for a controversial multimillion-dollar renovation of a century-old seawall at a property owned by the chair of the Obama Foundation.
New Data Shows the Use of Seclusion and Restraint Increased in Illinois Schools During the 2017–18 School Year
As lawmakers prepare to debate a statewide ban on seclusion and restraint, Illinois schools reported using seclusion — the practice of forcibly isolating a student in a small room or other space — at least 10,776 times in the 2017–18 school year.
Rapid Testing Is Less Accurate Than the Government Wants to Admit
Rapid antigen testing is a mess. The federal government pushed it out without a plan, and then spent weeks denying problems with false positives.
La campaña de Trump no logra encontrar un juez que ignore los hechos, pero no se da por vencida
La estrategia legal de Trump se ha reducido a esto: incluso cuando los jueces desestiman sus demandas por infundadas, presenta otras casi idénticas en nuevos tribunales, con la esperanza de encontrar jueces más favorables. El fracaso no lo ha frenado.
The Trump Campaign Can’t Find a Judge Who Will Ignore Facts — but It’s Trying
The Trump campaign’s legal strategy has come down to this: Even as judges dismiss lawsuits as baseless, it files nearly identical ones in new courts, hoping for more favorable judges. Failure has not slowed it down.
The Enraging Deja Vu of a Third Coronavirus Wave
Health care workers don’t need patronizing praise. They need resources, federal support, and for us to stay healthy and out of their hospitals. In many cases, none of that is happening.
Trump Won Florida After Running a False Ad Tying Biden to Venezuelan Socialists
A Trump video targeting Florida’s growing Venezuelan American population falsely claimed that Venezuela’s socialist regime wanted Biden to win. But President Nicolás Maduro has said that he opposed both candidates.
Trump ganó Florida tras publicar un anuncio falso que vinculaba a Biden con los socialistas venezolanos
Un anuncio de Trump dirigido a la creciente población venezolano-estadounidense de Florida declaró falsamente que el régimen socialista de Venezuela quería que Biden ganara. Pero el presidente Nicolás Maduro ha dicho que se opone a ambos candidatos.
Maine Governor Won’t Fund Reforms for Public Defense Agency Without Accountability
The state’s defense agency for the poor lacks the oversight structures and staffing to provide high-quality representation, a report found. The governor says more money won’t fix accountability problems.
Disinvested: How Government and Private Industry Let the Main Street of a Black Neighborhood Crumble
A half-century after Chicago’s uprisings in 1968, a once-thriving retail strip in East Garfield Park still suffers from broken promises, bad policy and neglect.
Most States Aren’t Ready to Distribute the Leading COVID-19 Vaccine
A review of state distribution plans reveals that officials don’t know how they’ll deal with the difficult storage and transport requirements of Pfizer’s vaccine, especially in the rural areas currently seeing a spike in infections.
Climate Change Will Make Parts of the U.S. Uninhabitable. Americans Are Still Moving There.
Instead of moving away from areas in climate crisis, Americans are flocking to them. As land in places like Phoenix, Houston and Miami becomes less habitable, the country’s migration patterns will be forced to change.
The Myth of the Latino Vote and What Newsrooms Must Learn From 2020
This election once again showed the need for more distinct voices in newsrooms. ProPublica and Texas Tribune reporter Perla Trevizo explains why newsrooms must comprise and engage the communities they cover — and not just before an election.
El mito del voto latino y lo que los medios pueden aprender del 2020
Esta contienda electoral nuevamente mostró la necesidad de diversificar las redacciones. La reportera de ProPublica y el Texas Tribune, Perla Trevizo, explica por qué los medios deben de poner atención a las diversas comunidades día tras día, no solo antes de las elecciones.
The Unexpected Benefits of Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Polling
The most important thing journalists can do as they think about covering and investigating government and politics in election years is to not assume any outcome.
Judge Orders the Release of Data on Emergency Loans for Small Businesses
A consortium of news organizations, including ProPublica, has won a legal fight against the Small Business Administration. It will now have to publicly release the names of borrowers who got government pandemic loans.
Electionland 2020: How Election Day Went
Read Election Day coverage from ProPublica and Electionland partners.
People with Developmental Disabilities Were Promised Help. Instead, They Face Delays and Denials.
Arizona is known as the best state in the nation for people with developmental challenges. But its Division of Developmental Disabilities has turned down thousands of people who seek assistance because of paperwork issues.
Editors’ Note: Why We Investigated the Treatment of People With Developmental Disabilities
Arizona’s treatment of people with developmental disabilities is important because it impacts tens of thousands of people. But for us, it’s also personal.