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Investigations

Wednesday

Trial Of Sept. 11 Defendants At Guantánamo Delayed Until August 2021

The sun rises over the detention facility at the Guantánamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba, in this May 13, 2009, photo reviewed by the U.S. military. Brennan Linsley/AP hide caption

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Brennan Linsley/AP

Trial Of Sept. 11 Defendants At Guantánamo Delayed Until August 2021

More setbacks in the long-delayed 9/11 case in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba: A U.S military court judge has delayed the trial of the five defendants in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks until August 2021.

Friday

Supreme Court Misconceptions

The Bench draped for the death of Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Supreme Court in Washington. Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. Fred Schilling/AP hide caption

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Fred Schilling/AP

It's Been a Minute

Supreme Court Misconceptions

When the biggest news stories happen all at once, it's easy to miss what each of them really means. Since Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death last week, there have been questions about who will replace her and what it means for the court. Sam talks to Slate's Mark Joseph Stern about the Supreme Court's history and what recent discussions get wrong. Then, Democrats and progressives brought in massive fundraising dollars in the days after Justice Ginsburg's death. Sam chats with Julie Bykowicz of the Wall Street Journal about what all that money means. Finally, Sam talks to Tina Vasquez of Prism about the forced sterilization of immigrants in a Georgia detention center, and why it's important to see the bigger picture.

Supreme Court Misconceptions

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Monday

Gasping For Air: Autopsies Reveal Troubling Effects Of Lethal Injection
Nicole Xu for NPR

Gasping For Air: Autopsies Reveal Troubling Effects Of Lethal Injection

For decades, states have claimed that lethal injection is quick, peaceful and painless. An NPR investigation — and legal battles across the country — tell a different story.

Gasping For Air: Autopsies Reveal Troubling Effects Of Lethal Injection

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Friday

Watchdog To Review Nonlethal Tactics Against Protesters, Including 'Heat Ray' Request

U.S. Park Police and other federal officers hold a perimeter near the White House on June 1 as demonstrators gather to protest the killing of George Floyd. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Watchdog To Review Nonlethal Tactics Against Protesters, Including 'Heat Ray' Request

The Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan government watchdog, will review the federal government's use of nonlethal weapons and the tactics it wielded against protesters this summer.

Wednesday

Military Confirms It Sought Information on Using 'Heat Ray' Against D.C. Protesters

Military police hold a line near the White House on June 1 as demonstrators gather to protest police brutality in Washington, D.C. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Military Confirms It Sought Information on Using 'Heat Ray' Against D.C. Protesters

D.C. military confirms to NPR that hours before federal police cleared protesters near the White House on June 1, the District's top military police officer was looking for a "heat ray" system.

Friday

Waste Land

Plastic piles up at Garten Services in Salem, Oregon. Laura Sullivan/NPR hide caption

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Laura Sullivan/NPR

Planet Money

Waste Land

Recycling plastic has never worked very well. So who convinced us this was a good idea? In this episode, we might have the answer. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

Waste Land

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Protesters Were Supposed To Hear Warnings Before Federal Police Moved In. They Didn't

Police move in on demonstrators in Lafayette Square near the White House with tear gas and smoke on June 1. U.S. Park Police made announcements asking protesters to leave, but few people appeared to hear them. Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty Images

Protesters Were Supposed To Hear Warnings Before Federal Police Moved In. They Didn't

In June, federal police cleared peaceful protesters from a park by the White House. Lawyers now say U.S. Park Police violated a settlement that set out rules for engaging mass demonstrations in D.C.

Protesters Were Supposed To Hear Warnings Before Federal Police Moved In. They Didn't

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How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled

Landfill workers bury all plastic except soda bottles and milk jugs at Rogue Disposal & Recycling in southern Oregon. Laura Sullivan/NPR hide caption

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Laura Sullivan/NPR

How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled

An NPR and PBS Frontline investigation reveals how the oil and gas industry used the promise of recycling to sell more plastic, even when they knew it would never work on a large scale.

How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled

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Wednesday

Political Divisions Drive Police Brutality Lawsuit Settlements

Police hold a perimeter near the White House as demonstrators gather to protest police brutality in the morning hours of May 31 in Washington, D.C. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

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Alex Wong/Getty Images

America Reckons With Racial Injustice

Political Divisions Drive Police Brutality Lawsuit Settlements

Most of the largest civil settlements for police killings were in liberal areas in the year after the Ferguson unrest. Now, lawyers say current protests are hardening political divisions on policing.

Friday

'Bad Optics' Or Something More? Moderna Executives' Stock Sales Raise Concerns

Moderna, based in Cambridge, Mass., has reached phase three trials for its coronavirus vaccine. At the same time, its executives have sold tens of millions of dollars worth of stock, which has led to intense criticism of the company. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images hide caption

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Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The Coronavirus Crisis

'Bad Optics' Or Something More? Moderna Executives' Stock Sales Raise Concerns

Moderna is currently developing a promising, yet still unproven, vaccine against the coronavirus. But Moderna executives have already sold tens of millions of dollars worth of stock in the company.

'Bad Optics' Or Something More? Moderna Executives' Stock Sales Raise Concerns

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Tuesday

Undocumented With COVID-19: Many Face A Long Recovery, Largely On Their Own

José spent three months in the hospital being treated for COVID-19. "All of the nurses clapped for me as I was leaving the hospital," he says. But now he faces a long recovery at home. Eddie Quiñones for NPR hide caption

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Eddie Quiñones for NPR

Undocumented With COVID-19: Many Face A Long Recovery, Largely On Their Own

People can spend months recovering from COVID-19 and sometimes have lasting disabilities. That is especially hard for undocumented people, who often are in high-risk jobs without health insurance.

Undocumented With COVID-19: Many Face A Long Recovery, Largely On Their Own

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Tuesday

Sex Offender Registries Often Fail Those They Are Designed To Protect

Kristen Trogler was unable to find on a sex offender registry the man who sexually abused her when she was 5 years old. Ben de la Cruz/NPR hide caption

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Ben de la Cruz/NPR

Sex Offender Registries Often Fail Those They Are Designed To Protect

NPR reviewed sex offender registry databases nationwide and found a system with myriad problems, including tens of thousands of convicted offenders who law enforcement have lost track of.

Sex Offender Registries Often Fail Those They Are Designed To Protect

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Friday

Who Is Louis DeJoy? U.S. Postmaster General In Spotlight Ahead Of 2020 Election

U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy arrives at an Aug. 5 meeting at the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

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Alex Wong/Getty Images

Who Is Louis DeJoy? U.S. Postmaster General In Spotlight Ahead Of 2020 Election

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a longtime Republican donor, controls the U.S. Postal Service at a time when mail-in voting is central to the presidential election.

Who Is Louis DeJoy? U.S. Postmaster General In Spotlight Ahead Of 2020 Election

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Tuesday

Senate Report: Former Trump Aide Paul Manafort Shared Campaign Info With Russia

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a joint press conference after a July 2018 meeting in Helsinki. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Senate Report: Former Trump Aide Paul Manafort Shared Campaign Info With Russia

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort shared information with Russian intelligence during the last presidential campaign, a bipartisan Senate report on Russian 2016 election interference shows.

Senate Report: Former Trump Aide Paul Manafort Shared Campaign Info With Russia

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