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Investigations

Thursday

Booker Brings Dash Of Diversity To Still Old, White Senate

Vice President Joe Biden swears in Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) as his mother, Carolyn, holds a Bible on Thursday. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

It's All Politics

Booker Brings Dash Of Diversity To Still Old, White Senate

Former Newark Mayor Cory Booker, 44, was sworn in Thursday, becoming the second African-American in the U.S. Senate and only the fourth ever elected to the upper chamber. He also brings youth to the Senate, where the average age is 62.

Monday

A Night At The Rock: Former Alcatraz Inmate Journeys Back

Bill Baker returned to Alcatraz for the first time since he was an inmate there more than 50 years ago. Laura Sullivan/NPR hide caption

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Laura Sullivan/NPR

National

A Night At The Rock: Former Alcatraz Inmate Journeys Back

After more than 50 years, Bill Baker returns to the island in an effort to analyze his life.

A Night At The Rock: Former Alcatraz Inmate Journeys Back

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Thursday

Your Digital Trail: Data Fuels Political And Legal Agendas

Private attorneys are easily getting access to defendants' emails and texts. All it takes is a subpoena, which any attorney can do. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

All Tech Considered

Your Digital Trail: Data Fuels Political And Legal Agendas

Former Nixon administration attorney John Dean and a North Carolina divorce lawyer warn that if you think you have nothing to hide, think again.

Your Digital Trail: Data Fuels Political And Legal Agendas

Listen · 12:55
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Wednesday

Your Digital Trail: Does The Fourth Amendment Protect Us?

The Bill of Rights as seen at The National Archives in Washington, D.C. Courtesy of National Archives hide caption

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Courtesy of National Archives

All Tech Considered

Your Digital Trail: Does The Fourth Amendment Protect Us?

Could government agents really get access to all your private data in less than a minute? Experts say no but warn we are moving in that direction.

Your Digital Trail: Does The Fourth Amendment Protect Us?

Listen · 12:58
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Tuesday

Your Digital Trail: Private Company Access

Private companies are collecting your personal data. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

All Tech Considered

Your Digital Trail: Private Company Access

Data we voluntarily provide online — such as on dating websites — may not stay with that site. While not always obvious, websites commonly allow other companies to track user behavior.

Your Digital Trail: Private Company Access

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Monday

Your Digital Trail, And How It Can Be Used Against You
Patrick George/Ikon Images/Corbis

All Tech Considered

Your Digital Trail, And How It Can Be Used Against You

NPR and the Center for Investigative Reporting are documenting just how vivid the typical person's digital picture has become — and how easy it can be for others to see it.

Your Digital Trail, And How It Can Be Used Against You

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Wednesday

Wednesday

Friday

Poisoned Places: Toxic Air, Neglected Communities

Houston's Petrochemical Industry, Source Of Jobs And Smog

Houston's air quality improved dramatically over the past decade, but the city is still short of meeting the latest smog standards. Getting there isn't simply a matter of cracking down more on the petrochemical industry — the city needs to deal with cars on its sprawling roads, and bad air blowing from out of town.

Houston's Petrochemical Industry, Source Of Jobs And Smog

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Thursday

Baton Rouge's Corroded, Overpolluting Neighbor: Exxon Mobil

An evening view of the Exxon Mobil oil refinery complex in Baton Rouge, La. John W. Poole/NPR hide caption

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John W. Poole/NPR

Poisoned Places: Toxic Air, Neglected Communities

Baton Rouge's Corroded, Overpolluting Neighbor: Exxon Mobil

The Standard Heights neighborhood sits next to the nation's second-largest gasoline refinery. Recently, residents learned a new truth about the plumes of exhaust they see every day: Exxon Mobil's aging refinery and petrochemical facilities — like many others — are pumping out far more pollution than the law allows.

Baton Rouge's Corroded, Overpolluting Neighbor: Exxon Mobil

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Breathing Easier: How Houston Is Working To Clean Up Its Air

The Houston Ship Channel is home to a wide range of heavy industry, including chemical processing plants and petrochemical refineries. Richard Harris/NPR hide caption

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Richard Harris/NPR

Poisoned Places: Toxic Air, Neglected Communities

Breathing Easier: How Houston Is Working To Clean Up Its Air

Intensely smoggy days are striking less often thanks to better technology that pinpoints problems, and laws that have prompted fixes. Still, scientists say they haven't yet tracked down all the sources of the pollution fouling the region's air.

Breathing Easier: How Houston Is Working To Clean Up Its Air

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Saturday

Turning Up The Heat On Civil Rights-Era Cold Cases

Frank Morris (in the apron and visor) stands in front of his shoe shop in Ferriday, La., in the 1950s. He was killed when his shop burned down in 1964. Courtesy of the Concordia Sentinel and William Brown hide caption

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Courtesy of the Concordia Sentinel and William Brown

Law

Turning Up The Heat On Civil Rights-Era Cold Cases

With the death of a possible suspect in one notorious case, activists are weighing the FBI's efforts to tackle cases from the 1950s and '60s. Some are calling for a congressional hearing to see whether the FBI has done enough investigating.

Turning Up The Heat On Civil Rights-Era Cold Cases

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Thursday