From the Front Lines of the Fight for Fair Elections
Reading Time: 19 minutes Gabriella Novello, WhoWhatWhy’s election integrity reporter, discusses what it’s like to cover efforts to protect the right to vote during a pandemic.
Earth Day Turns 50: How the Movement Was Born
Reading Time: 12 minutes On its 50th anniversary, one of Earth Day’s co-founders tells the fascinating story of how the movement began, the changes it triggered, and why it is still relevant half a century later.
COVID-19 Creates Heightened Stress for People With OCD
Reading Time: 30 minutes Sheltering at home, face masks, and extra hand washing are the new normal. But what about people who’ve long struggled with germs and other phobias? Here is an important look at how the COVID-19 crisis is affecting those with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Bloomberg Demonization of ‘Abandoned’ Youth Feeds Ugly Stereotype
Reading Time: 17 minutes Not only was Michael Bloomberg’s “stop and frisk” policy wrong when he was mayor of New York City, his justification of it was just as bad.
Jarring Eyewitness Accounts Shed Light on the Cruelty of Slavery
Reading Time: 18 minutes Former Chicago Sun-Times photo editor Richard Cahan shares powerful images and comments of formerly enslaved African Americans.
Exposed: Partisan Gerrymandering Based on Race
Reading Time: 19 minutes GOP gerrymandering guru Thomas Hofeller died in 2018. His daughter Stephanie just released 70,000 files that detail his successful voter suppression efforts. Here is what these disclosures show and what they mean for US democracy.
An Experiment in Decency
Reading Time: 17 minutes A DOJ investigation into the Ferguson, MO, police department revealed how municipal fines and fees trap low-income people in a cycle of poverty and punishment. It’s happening across the US — but now San Francisco is leading major reforms.
Thought Control: US Monitors Social Media Activity of Visa Applicants
Reading Time: 15 minutes Want a visa to the US? Then you have to be prepared to disclose your social media activity — even though there is no evidence that type of screening can identify threats.
Small Business Group Says Trump Is Bad for Business
Reading Time: 19 minutes How the trade war, corporate tax cuts, and fossil fuel subsidies have hurt many small businesses.
As Earth Chokes on Plastic Waste, Industry Expands Production
Reading Time: 19 minutes A new documentary depicts a global plastics crisis that is only getting worse.