The Trump Administration Plans to Let Coal Power Plants Emit More Carbon Dioxide
Will it be enough to save coal jobs?
Francie Diep
Francie Diep is a staff writer at Pacific Standard, where she specializes in health and drug policy and the intersections of culture and science. Previously, she covered science, health, and science policy for Scientific American, Popular Science, and Smithsonian.
Americans Used Less Coal This Year Than Any Year Since 1979
The low number is part of a steep and steady drop that's been ongoing since 2007.
Letter From the Singapore Strait: Crossing Into Indonesia
Sindo Ferry passengers have their passports checked and their luggage x-rayed before they board, but they are divided about how meaningful national boundaries are.
What America's Science Agencies Are Doing About Harassment
Activists are putting the pressure on the federal government to leverage its money against alleged sexual harassers.
How Much Do Federal Lands Contribute to Climate Change?
A new report assesses the greenhouse gas emissions attributable to coal, oil, and gas on public lands.
Why Thousand Oaks Students Left Anti-Gun Rhetoric Out of Their Gun Violence Demonstration
In the wake of the recent mass shooting, college students in Ventura County attempt to call for action without alienating a conservative community.
Why Do We Keep Having E. Coli Outbreaks?
The new, wide-ranging warning about romaine lettuce illustrates gaps in the government's ability to oversee food safety.
EPA Policing of Environmental Violations Plummeted in 2018
Environmental Protection Agency enforcement fell to 10-year lows in 2017, but 2018's numbers may be even lower.
As Votes Roll In, Fresh Records for Women's Representation in U.S. Government Are Within Reach
By the morning after Election Day, America knew the number of women in the House of Representatives would hit historic highs. Could the Senate and governors' mansions, too?
House Democrats Announce They'll Hold Climate Change Hearings Early Next Year
Since Democrats gained a majority in the House during the mid-term elections, they've been expected to focus on climate change mitigation and preparation.
Anti-Black and Anti-Semitic Attacks Top the FBI's 2017 Records for Hate Crimes
City, state, tribal, and other law enforcement agencies reported more than 7,000 hate crimes to the FBI in 2017, according to numbers the FBI released on Tuesday.
California Has Some of the Country's Strictest Gun-Control Laws. How Could a Mass Shooting Happen There?
A quick look at the regulations and numbers doesn't necessarily suggest the state's laws are useless.
How a Record Number of Female Candidates Translated Into Numbers of Women in Power
A record number of women ran for some of the nation's highest offices this year. Here's how they've influenced the gender make-up of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the states' governors.
How the 2018 Mid-Terms Could Shape States' Approaches to Supervised Injection Sites
Gubernatorial races in states across the country could determine whether supervised injection sites—controversial clinics where people can safely inject drugs—will open in several U.S. cities and states where they're under consideration.
Is the Record Number of Small Donations Making a Difference in the 2018 Mid-Term Elections?
Research suggests small donors are more like most Americans than large donors are. How big of a difference will they make to this year's congressional races?
The FDA Approves a Controversial New Opioid Painkiller
The Food and Drug Administration is approving a powerful new opioid painkiller, the agency announced Friday.
Americans Under 30 Are Revved Up to Vote: A Look at the Numbers
This is the most interest in a mid-term election that pollsters have seen since 2006.
Dispatches: The Power of Investigative Journalism
News and notes from Pacific Standard staff and contributors.
A Look Into the Evidence That 'Lone Wolf' Terrorists Are a Pack
Studies find that many of them connect with like-minded believers online and broadcast their ideology and intentions before they act.
One Year After Trump Declared Opioid Addiction a Public-Health Emergency, What's Changed?
The declaration was met with a lot of fanfare, but officials did little with the legal powers it gave them, experts say.
Family Separations at the Border May Have Started Long Before This Year
A new report reveals disorganization and a lack of communication between the government agencies responsible for apprehending undocumented migrants and caring for migrant children separated from their families.
What Hurricane Michael Meant for Farms, Oil Production, and Nursing Homes
Preliminary estimates of the damage are just coming in.
What's the Effect of Limiting What Doctors Can Tell Patients About Abortions?
Texas offers Americans a glimpse into what the future may look like if the Trump administration passes new reproductive rules.
After Facing Criticism, a Top Scientific Journal Says: No More 'But Look What Good He's Done'
The letters-to-the-editor section of Science, one of the world's top scientific journals, is taking a new stance on what arguments it will accept about those accused of sexual harassment.
Are Nursing Homes Prepared for Hurricane Michael?
A quick look at Florida state data suggests 5 percent of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the areas under threat from Hurricane Michael haven't submitted plans to the state for keeping their residents cool and safe.
Trump Is Still a Fan of Stop and Frisk. But Does It Work?
President Trump on Monday echoed arguments from his campaign, but his information seems outdated.
Quantifying the 'Weinstein Effect' One Year Later
Coverage of sexual harassment and assault allegations is up 30 percent compared to the months immediately before the New York Times published its story about Harvey Weinstein.
Are Insurers Doing Their Part to End America's Opioid Epidemic?
A new study asks if insurance policies discourage the overprescribing of opioids and encourage proven alternative pain treatments.
The Government's Latest Hearing on the EPA's Science Transparency Rule Bolstered Outsider Scientists' Opinions
Two of the three invited scientists agreed with the rule, even though other evidence suggests most scientists are against it.
Sexual Harassment and Assault Are Understudied Health Risks
They're linked to high blood pressure, insomnia, and depression.
Francisco Ayala Resigned After a University Inquiry Found Him Guilty of Sexual Harassment. But What Happened to the Federal Grants He Received?
What happens to taxpayer money when scientists are faced with accusations or findings of wrongdoing?
There Are Best Practices for Interviewing Those Who Report Sex Crimes—and Thursday's Senate Hearing Followed None of Them
An expert on how to best investigate sex crimes responds to Christine Blasey Ford's testimony.
The Environmental Protection Agency Puts a Top Children's Health Official on Leave
Researchers are worried that the EPA plans to reduce the Office of Children's Health Protection's influence, or shutter it altogether.
What the Research Says About (the Very Rare Phenomenon of) False Sexual Assault Allegations
Pacific Standard looks at the evidence about people who make false accusations of rape, and how to get the best information during sexual assault cases.
Are Bert and Ernie Gay? We Checked the Research.
Lots of sources have cast the Muppets as queer, for a very long time.
One of the World's Biggest Scientific Societies Just Made It Possible to Strip an Honor From Alleged Harassers
Advocates see this as a concrete signal to the scientific community that bad behavior won't be tolerated.
Some of the Best Data on Human Behavior Is Privately Held by Social Media Companies
How can universities convince them to share that information?
A New Database Tracks the Fate of Hurricane Maria's Indirect Victims
Three organizations collected reports from Puerto Ricans who believed their loved ones died as a result of Hurricane Maria but whose death certificates didn't indicate storm conditions as a cause of death.
A New Website Shows Nearly Half of E.U. Clinical Trial Data Isn't Publicly Disclosed
After making a tool that tracks how well drug testers follow U.S. law, researchers turned to an even bigger market for drug trials: the European Union.
The Government Proposes Weakening Rules on Methane Emissions
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to weaken Obama-era rules about leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
How the 2015 Santa Barbara Oil Spill Changed California
Besides the criminal trial that wrapped up on Friday, the state responded with increased regulation and opposition to new drilling.
Here's What It's Like to Argue Before a Judge That You Should Be Able to Get an Abortion Without Telling Your Parents
Most states require parents to be notified or provide consent for a minor to have an abortion, with exceptions for youths who fear abuse as a result. A new study offers a glimpse into what it's like to try to secure an exception.
The White House Disputes That American Wages Are Stagnating
The White House is countering a government agency's findings that Americans' wages haven't grown as quickly as cost of living over the past year.
FEMA Deployed Thousands of Underqualified Staffers to Respond to Disasters in 2017
A new report looks at how the government responded to a quick succession of hurricanes and wildfires last year.
What's at Stake If Brett Kavanaugh Ascends to the Supreme Court
It's about Roe v. Wade, as well as the myriad protections supporters say flow from the 1973 Supreme Court decision.
Senators Across the Country Weigh in on a Unionization Fight in South Carolina
In their bid to unionize, one relatively small group of Boeing workers in the South has lately drawn some bigger-name supporters.
After Filing a Big Climate Assessment, California Commits to 100 Percent Renewables
California is moving to require that the state gets 100 percent of its electricity from carbon-free sources—such as wind, solar, and nuclear power—by 2045.
The Department of Justice Is Totally Wrong About Supervised Injection Sites
There are real reasons to debate whether it's worth opening these facilities in communities, but Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein instead relies on unscientific fear-mongering.
Amid the Federal Government's Climate Change Skepticism, States and Counties Are Doing Their Own Climate Assessments
They're not trying to resist the Trump administration—they just need a plan for the future.
In the Latest Effort to Replicate Scientific Studies, Only 62 Percent Hold Up Under Scrutiny
Nevertheless, scientists see some progress on the problem of reproducibility.