ProPublica Archives

Environment

What You Should Read to Get Caught Up on California’s Drought Crisis

This year may be the driest in California in half a millennium. These reports explore how the drought is affecting agriculture, business, and living conditions in the nation’s most populous state.

Claire Kelloway

Environment

A Recent History of China’s Cyber Attacks on the United States

A round-up of some of the most notable cyber attacks tied to China from the last several years.

Hanqing Chen

News in Brief

California Passes a Bill to Protect Workers in the Rapidly Growing Temp Staffing Industry

The bill will hold companies accountable for labor abuses by temp agencies and subcontractors they use.

Michael Grabell

Economics

The Hidden Costs of Tobacco Debt

Even when taxpayers aren’t explicitly on the hook, tobacco bonds can cost states and local governments money. Here’s how.

Cezary Podkul

Environment

The ‘Non-Lethal’ Flash-Bang Grenades Used in Ferguson Can Actually Be Quite Lethal

A journalist says he was singed by a flash-bang fired by St. Louis County police trying to disperse a crowd, raising questions about how to use these military-style devices safely and appropriately.

Abbie Nehring

News in Brief

The Best Reporting on the Federal Push to Militarize Local Police With Riot Gear, Armored Vehicles, and Assault Rifles

A few facts you might have missed about the flow of military equipment and tactics to local law enforcement.

Hanqing Chen

News in Brief

What to Look for In Dueling Autopsies of Michael Brown

The postmortem by Michael Baden is only the beginning as teams of specialists study the body of an 18-year-old African American killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri.

A.C. Thompson

News in Brief

Cracking Down on the Use of Restraints in Schools

Federal investigators found that children at two Virginia schools were being regularly pinned down or isolated and that their education was suffering as a result.

Heather Vogell