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Investigations Read the latest from NPR's investigative team. If you have solid tips or documents on stories we should probe, please send them to us.

Investigations

Thursday

California is investigating Big Oil for allegedly misleading the public on recycling

The office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced it is investigating oil and gas companies for allegedly deceiving the public into believing most plastic could be recycled. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

California is investigating Big Oil for allegedly misleading the public on recycling

California's attorney general is investigating oil and gas companies for allegedly deceiving the public that most plastic can be recycled, citing NPR and PBS Frontline's investigation of the industry.

Tuesday

Student loan borrowers will get help after an NPR report and years of complaints
LA Johnson/NPR

Education

Student loan borrowers will get help after an NPR report and years of complaints

The U.S. Department of Education unveils a plan to help millions of borrowers who have been hurt and held back by its troubled income-driven repayment plans.

Student loan borrowers will get help after an NPR report and years of complaints

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Thursday

Tensions Are Rising Among Jan. 6 Defendants In A D.C. Jail

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 6: Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Brent Stirton/Getty Images hide caption

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Brent Stirton/Getty Images

Consider This from NPR

Tensions Are Rising Among Jan. 6 Defendants In A D.C. Jail

A U.S. House investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is entering its final phase before lawmakers' findings become public later this spring.

Tensions Are Rising Among Jan. 6 Defendants In A D.C. Jail

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In a D.C. jail, Jan. 6 defendants awaiting trial are forming bitter factions

The exterior of the Washington, D.C., jail where a group of defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol are detained. The atmosphere has grown tense as they await their trials. Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption

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Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images

In a D.C. jail, Jan. 6 defendants awaiting trial are forming bitter factions

Allegations of bullying and intimidation as well as complaints about the distribution of more than a million dollars in donated funds have led to bitter conflict among Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendants.

In a D.C. jail, Jan. 6 defendants awaiting trial are forming bitter factions

Listen · 8:00
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Wednesday

Researchers say they've linked silica dust directly to severe black lung disease

A new study provides the first evidence of its kind that silica dust is responsible for the rising tide of severe black lung disease, including among coal miners in Appalachia. Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Researchers say they've linked silica dust directly to severe black lung disease

A new study links the epidemic of severe lung disease among coal miners to toxic silica dust. The findings echo a 2018 investigation by NPR and the PBS show Frontline.

Saturday

Friday

Exclusive: How the most affordable student loan program failed low-income borrowers
Susan Haejin Lee for NPR

Exclusive: How the most affordable student loan program failed low-income borrowers

Income-driven repayment plans were intended to help low-income student loan borrowers, and eventually cancel their debt. New documents paint a breathtaking picture of the program's failure.

Exclusive: How the most affordable student loan program failed low-income borrowers

Listen · 3:13
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Tuesday

Monday

Trump 'likely' committed crime trying to stay in power, judge says in records dispute

Then-President Donald Trump speaks to supporters near the White House on Jan. 6, 2021. Hundreds of Trump supporters later stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the certification of President Biden's victory. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Trump 'likely' committed crime trying to stay in power, judge says in records dispute

A judge ordered lawyer and Trump ally John Eastman to give records to Congress' Jan. 6 committee, saying that Trump and Eastman's plan amounted to a "coup in search of legal theory" on Jan. 6.

Tuesday

'Cowboys for Trump' leader is given a mixed verdict in his Jan. 6 Capitol riot trial

Couy Griffin, a commissioner in Otero County, N.M., speaks to journalists as he leaves the federal court in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 2022. Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP hide caption

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Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP

'Cowboys for Trump' leader is given a mixed verdict in his Jan. 6 Capitol riot trial

A federal judge found Couy Griffin, a county commissioner from New Mexico and founder of the group "Cowboys For Trump," guilty on one of two counts stemming from the Capitol riot.

How 'shock therapy' created Russian oligarchs and paved the path for Putin

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in a meeting with Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich (on the left, in the center) in 2010. Alexei Nikolsky/AP hide caption

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Alexei Nikolsky/AP

Planet Money

How 'shock therapy' created Russian oligarchs and paved the path for Putin

In the 1990s, reformers adopted a radical economic program in Russia. It devastated ordinary Russians and created a new class of oligarchs. And it explains the rise of Putin and the leader he is today

Monday

Guantánamo prosecutors are exploring plea deals in 9/11 case after years of setbacks

After 20 years of setbacks, the U.S. military court in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, is exploring the idea of settlement talks for the 9/11 detainees. If that happens, the defendants could plead guilty, serve life in prison and avoid the death penalty. Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images

Guantánamo prosecutors are exploring plea deals in 9/11 case after years of setbacks

After 20 years of failure, the U.S. military court in Guantánamo is admitting a 9/11 trial may never happen. Instead, the defendants may plead guilty, serve life in prison and avoid the death penalty.

Guantánamo prosecutors are exploring plea deals in 9/11 case after years of setbacks

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Friday

To try or not to try — remotely. As jury trials move online, courts see pros and cons

NPR talked to nearly two dozen judges, attorneys and jurors who have participated in online jury trials. Nearly 18 months in, some evidence is in but the verdict is still out. Some fears were realized but there were unexpected benefits as well, including higher participation rate among people called to serve. Tracy J. Lee for NPR hide caption

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Tracy J. Lee for NPR

To try or not to try — remotely. As jury trials move online, courts see pros and cons

Courts turned to remote juries during the pandemic. Now they're grappling with continuing a practice that can expand the pool of jurors but is also susceptible to problems common to all video calls.