News in Brief Archives

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested hundreds in Florida and Puerto Rico in March of 2018.

Trump Claims ICE Will Deport ‘Millions’ in the Coming Weeks. Is That Even Possible?

The announcement likely has to do more with Trump's re-election campaign than an actual ICE operation. But that won't stop it from spreading fear through immigrant communities.

Jack Herrera

Cigarette teen smoking affirmative action

News in Brief

New Research Links Affirmative Action Bans With Increased Smoking Among Minority Teens

A new study finds increased rates of cigarette use among 11th- and 12th-graders in states that passed laws against affirmative action.

Tom Jacobs

Protesters hold placards and shout slogans as they occupy a street demanding that Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam step down, after a rally against the now-suspended extradition bill outside of the chief executive office on June 17th, 2019, in Hong Kong, China. The controversial bill would allow Hong Kong citizens suspected of crimes to be extradited to mainland China.

Viewfinder: Protesters Demand That Hong Kong’s Leader Step Down

Protesters hold placards and shout slogans as they occupy a street demanding that Hong Kong's leader step down on June 17th, 2019, in Hong Kong, China.

Pacific Standard Staff

A same-sex marriage supporter waves a rainbow pride flag near the Supreme Court, on April 28th, 2015, in Washington, D.C., just days before the Supreme Court heard arguments on same-sex marriage.

The Supreme Court Won’t Review the Oregon Gay Wedding Cake Case

The case has reinvigorated a heated debate about anti-discrimination, freedom of religion, and First Amendment speech rights.

Leah Dunlevy

One hundred life-sized cutouts of Facebook executive Mark Zuckerberg sit on the lawn of the United States Capitol on April 10th, 2018, in Washington, D.C.

A Supreme Court Decision Could Have Implications for Social Media Free Speech

The court ruled that First Amendment protections don't apply to a corporation that operates a public access channel in New York.

Rebecca Worby

Senator Elizabeth Warren delivers remarks on the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, on July 28th, 2016, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

News in Brief

The DNC Tried to Be Neutral. Now It Looks Biased.

To avoid allegations of favoritism, the DNC debate line-ups were randomized—to the benefit, or detriment, of Elizabeth Warren, depending on who you ask.

Seth Masket

Viewfinder: Pop-Up Installations Depicting Crying Children in Cages Appear in New York City

Police take away a pop-up art installation depicting a small child curled up underneath a foil survival blanket in a chain-link cage.

Pacific Standard Staff

People participate in the annual L.A. Pride Parade in West Hollywood, California, on June 9th, 2019.

Celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month (in Photos)

Here's how communities across the world are celebrating Pride Month.

Leah Dunlevy

A Honduran mother holds her daughter, who fell ill, while being examined by a doctor outside a shelter for migrants on November 21st, 2018, in Mexicali, Mexico.

What’s Actually Causing Infectious Disease Outbreaks in Immigrant Detention Centers?

While conspiracy theorists blame the spread of the disease on the migrants themselves, research indicates that severe overcrowding in U.S. detention facilities and shelters on the Mexican side of the border are causing outbreaks.

Jack Herrera

Women's clothes hang on a rank in a clothing store.

New York Advances a Bill to End Gender Discrimination in Product Pricing

Prices for women's products, when compared to equivalent products for male counterparts, cost 7 percent more on average.

Leah Dunlevy