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Follow the Money

Over the span of four years, federal investigators estimated millions of dollars stolen from Mexican taxpayers passed through one South Texas bank. When they followed the trail, it led to real estate, cars, and airplanes. But in 2018, those investigations suddenly stopped.

Jason Buch

May 10, 2021 | The Texas Observer

When the Clock is Cruel: Parents Face Pandemic Hurdles as They Race to Keep Their Kids

Advocates and lawmakers say families need and deserve extra time.

The “Machine That Eats Up Black Farmland”

After decades of discriminating against Black farmers and ignoring their complaints, the USDA is promising to do better. Again.

Bridging the Divide Between the Police and the Policed

In New York, the Mayor and N.Y.P.D. have repeatedly vowed to “create a bond” between cops and communities of color. The problem, according to high-level officials, is that they chose the wrong people for the right job.

Where Limited English Skills Mean Limited Access to the COVID-19 Vaccine

Our analysis finds that many states are not meeting their legal obligations to make information accessible.

The Subprime Solar Trap for Low-Income Homeowners

Predatory deals from the financial crisis are back in time for the climate crisis.

Strangers in a Homeland

In Kabul, one of the world’s most dangerous cities, one man works to help Afghan migrants return to a place they never knew.

‘In the Dark of Night’: Trump’s Interior Chief Snuck Murkowski an 11th-hour Win

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt ordered his agency to make novel use of a law to evade conservation restrictions that have blocked development of the Alaskan road to a remote village.

A Former Trump Operative Used GiveSendGo to Push Claims of Election Fraud and Rake in Hundreds of Thousands

The Christian crowdfunding platform has been a friendly resource for Trumpworld.

I Tested My Tap Water, Household Products and Cat for Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’

The extent of PFAS contamination is only now coming into focus. Here’s what I learned from investigating my home.

Did New York Let Doctors Get Away With Sexual Misconduct?

Internal whistleblowers say a branch of the state Department of Health was reluctant to penalize accused physicians.

NYC Nursing Home Gave Dozens of Veterans Experimental COVID-19 Treatments. Some Families Had No Idea.

The New York State-run facility in St. Albans, Queens, administered a cocktail of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, despite safety warnings and doubts about efficacy.

Was Election Denial Just a Get-Rich-Quick Scheme? Donors’ Lawsuits Look for Answers

Widespread voter fraud is a fake problem, but some conservative donors say they’re getting scammed out of real money.

Defanged

Money and politics could doom the Florida panther — and the Endangered Species Act.