An end-of-week selection of stories the Pacific Standard staff has been following.
The vaquita population continues to dwindle, a seesaw spans the U.S.–Mexico border, and Benjamins outnumber Washingtons.
Facebook faces a record-breaking fine, Ole Miss students pose with guns in front of an Emmett Till memorial, and an asteroid passes "impressively close" to the Earth.
A few people return home to Paradise, California, a federal court upholds a voting rights decision in a Utah county, and a city in Florida weaponizes "Baby Shark."
Trump's abortion "gag rule" can proceed, rising seas cause more high-tide flooding, and NASA celebrates the 4,000th exoplanet discovery with an animation.
Alabama prosecutors drop charges against Marshae Jones, Facebook will ban anti-voting ads, and the Oscars may be getting a little less white.
The Trump administration is keeping quiet on some climate change findings, a Straight Pride Parade moves forward in Boston, and neo-Nazis face a sobering event in a German town.
Gavin Newsom apologizes to Native Americans, lawmakers hear a debate over black lung and regulations, Boaty McBoatface is teaching us about climate change.
Prosecutors drop Flint charges, FEMA is short-staffed, and Illinois affirms women's reproductive rights.
Democratic hopefuls clashed over abortion, a report found Los Angeles' homeless population has spiked, and NASA announced the space station could open its doors for tourists.
New Hampshire says live free or serve life in prison, more controlled burns could help the West, and the Blackfeet bison herd is growing.
An emissions mystery is solved, Siri contributes to gender bias, and tiny microbes could eat away at our ocean litter problem.
A Gulf of Mexico oil spill is contained, PG&E did start the Camp Fire, and Taiwan says yes to same-sex marriage.
Instagram will warn users about anti-vax content, drilling plans for California are moving forward, and penguin poop is good for biodiversity.
California tap water is linked to thousands of cancer cases, Indonesia is moving its capital city, and a beluga whale spotted by fisherman may be a Russian spy.
Michigan's voting maps will get a makeover, a judge makes a call on a domestic terrorism case, and a parrot may be party to a crime.
Doctors are caught in an illicit opioid scheme, Washington State moves toward renewable energy, and a fireball lights up the Mid-Atlantic.
Students ask the media to publicize their images if they die in a shooting, a prison in Mississippi will replace in-person visits with low-budget Skype, and a minor planet gets its name.
Prisons in Washington State may be blocking book donations, air pollution is shortening lives, and a four-legged whale skeleton provides evolutionary clues.
Puerto Rico deals with cuts to food stamps, LBGT support wanes among young Republicans, and the mystery behind sea-borne Garfield phones is solved.
The marijuana sector is growing, the Texas Senate plans for the next Hurricane Harvey, and some pets still need homes four months after the Camp Fire.
The Trump administration pushed to excise coal deposits from a Utah monument, New York lawmakers want to help minors get vaccinated, and a Navy ship is quarantined at sea.
OxyContin's maker contemplates bankruptcy, anti-abortion bills move forward in Georgia and Tennessee, and women will take a walk in space.
The Senate confirms a former lobbyist as EPA head, the U.S. is losing solar jobs, and fishy sightings intrigue scientists.
FEMA calls Trump's bluff, a study shows gay dads are excellent parents, and giant creatures are alive and well.