Welcome to the Almost-Country of Abkhazia
A tiny territory on the Black Sea hopes to boost its bid for nationhood by welcoming Syrians fleeing civil war.
Features & Investigations
New Documents Reveal the Extent of Industry Influence on Ryan Zinke's DOI
"They are undermining the department's mission at every turn": New documents reveal just how much the Department of the Interior favored industry over conservation.
Kevin de León Took on the Democratic Establishment. It Fought Back.
The state senator from Los Angeles has racked up major legislative achievements on everything from clean energy to immigration reform. Now he faces his biggest—and most unlikely—challenge yet: unseating Dianne Feinstein.
These Brazilians Traveled 18 Hours on a Riverboat to Vote. I Went With Them.
Far from the urban hubs of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, thousands of poor Brazilians must travel hours by boat just to vote.
What Happens When Inmates at Sing Sing Learn to Compose
I've seen firsthand how music can restore what's missing in prison: a respect for humanity.
How Redistricting in Michigan Has Disenfranchised Voters and Helped the Far Right Capture a Centrist State
Gerrymandering in the Great Lakes State has cost some communities their representation, their schools, and their access to clean drinking water.
The Secret Betrayal That Sealed Nike's Special Influence Over the University of Oregon
University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer needed money to save his school. Alum and Nike chief executive Phil Knight was happy to help. But after Frohnmayer made a key mistake, Knight exacted a brutal punishment.
With Family Plots and Migratory Hubs in Its Crosshairs, the Border Wall Looms Large in Texas
After securing over $500 million in March to build a border barrier, the Department of Homeland Security has begun laying the foundation for the first miles of Donald Trump's long-promised wall. The blueprint bisects federally protected public lands and dismembers private property that's been passed down for generations.
Waste From Central California's Oil Fields Is Spreading Underground, Threatening Water Supplies
In California's Central Valley, the oil industry has been dumping wastewater into unlined—and under-regulated—ponds, threatening the state's limited groundwater and the humans who rely on it.
What Happens After the Violence
Twenty-five years following a survivor of childhood sexual trauma and abuse.
The Exceptional State
What made California stand out and then stand up to a sitting president.
Death on the Dakota Access
An investigation into the deadly business of building oil and gas pipelines.
Big Oil's Black Mark on California's Climate Record
The state's oil regulator has the dual burden of facilitating oil development while protecting the environment and public health. Can it do both?
The Country's First Climate Change Casualties?
Scientists predict Tangier Island could be uninhabitable within 25 years. This is the story of the people willing to go down with it—and why they've risked it all on Donald Trump to keep them afloat.
A Journey Through Contested Lands
Introducing Pacific Standard's collaboration with Magnum Photos and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
Deleting a Species
We are on the brink of being able to genetically engineer an extinction. Should we?
Tracks in the Sand
Around the world, camels are disappearing, along with the cultures and traditions of the people who have kept them.
The Endling: Watching a Species Vanish in Real Time
On the frontlines of extinction in the Gulf of California, where the vaquita faces its final days.
How Canadian Cops Ended a Decade-Long Fight Over How to Manage the World's Polar Bears
Over the last 10 years, the poaching and trafficking of animal products has become the fourth-highest-grossing crime in the world. But because wildlife crime is not bound by national borders and each country has its own rules and ideas, its management and policing has become unwieldy at best.
The Great, Chaotic Biochar Experiment
Australian plant ecologist Brenton Ladd wants to reengineer the notoriously nutrient-poor soils in the Amazon, and, in the process, save the world's trees. But first, he has to convince Peruvian farmers and non-profits—and occasionally, his own research team—that he's not just another gringo with a strange idea.
Failure at the EPA
The agency has left immigrants and minorities to fend for themselves at toxic waste sites across the country.
Perdido en el Humo
La agencia ha dejado a los inmigrantes y las minorías a valerse por sí mismos en los sitios de desechos tóxicos en todo el país.
Surviving Racism
A Native writer struggling against the ignorance of white culture finds that her stories are her lifeline, her wounds are her power, and though the scales have been weighted against her in almost every way, there are many reasons to survive.