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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

Friday

Mayor Jay Willis stands next to a historical marker for a UFO sighting in Pascagoula, Miss.

Pascagoula Mayor Jay Willis stands next to a historical marker that claims aliens came from outer space and abducted two local men in 1973. Laura Sullivan/NPR hide caption

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Laura Sullivan/NPR

NPR Investigations: Off The Mark

Are UFOs real? Historical markers say yes

Historical markers were once just for American history. But many now claim aliens have visited Earth from outer space — and they aren't hedging.

Off The Mark: Markers for Space Aliens

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Thursday

Littlejohn was sentenced to death for the 1992 murder of a convenience store owner during a robbery.

Littlejohn was sentenced to death for the 1992 murder of a convenience store owner during a robbery. AP/Oklahoma Department of Corrections hide caption

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AP/Oklahoma Department of Corrections

'Governor, don’t kill me for the heck of it': Oklahoma prisoner asks for clemency

Oklahoma’s governor waited until the day of Emmanuel Littlejohn’s execution to announce whether he would grant the prisoner clemency. Littlejohn spoke to NPR.

Oklahoma prisoner Emmanuel Littlejohn asks for clemency

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Wednesday

Taliban fighters celebrate the third anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan on Aug. 14, 2024.

Taliban fighters celebrate the third anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan on Aug. 14, 2024. Abdul Khaliq/AP hide caption

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Abdul Khaliq/AP

Three years after the U.S. withdrawal, former Afghan forces are hunted by the Taliban

The Taliban have been targeting thousands of Afghan National Army soldiers and police officers, accusing them of being American spies.

Three years after the U.S. withdrawal, former Afghan forces are hunted by the Taliban

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Thursday

In court papers, prosecutors described Timothy Hale-Cusanelli as a "Nazi sympathizer" who went to work at a Naval Weapons Station with a "Hitler mustache."

In court papers, prosecutors described Timothy Hale-Cusanelli as a "Nazi sympathizer" who went to work at a Naval Weapons Station with a "Hitler mustache." Department of Justice hide caption

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Department of Justice

Trump’s Bedminster club hosted an alleged Nazi sympathizer who stormed the Capitol

At two events, Donald Trump’s New Jersey golf club hosted a convicted Jan. 6 rioter known for extreme antisemitic and racist comments, whom prosecutors described as a ‘white supremacist.’

Extremist at Trump Bedminster

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Saturday

Tuesday

This photo shows Eric Garcetti, then the mayor of Los Angeles, during an interview in his office at City Hall in Los Angeles on Jan. 13, 2015. He's wearing a dark blue suit and a dark patterned tie and is seated in an armchair with his legs crossed and his hands over his top knee.

Eric Garcetti, then the mayor of Los Angeles, during an interview in his office at City Hall in Los Angeles on Jan. 13, 2015. Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Did a powerful Democrat lie about #MeToo allegations to save his career?

Former LA Mayor Eric Garcetti denies he knew about a top adviser's alleged abuse at City Hall. An NPR investigation raises new questions about whether the now U.S. ambassador to India lied under oath.

Thursday

Wrongfully imprisoned for decades, Ben Spencer is exonerated

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Consider This from NPR

Wrongfully imprisoned for decades, Ben Spencer is exonerated

In 1988, Ben Spencer was sentenced to life in prison for a brutal robbery and murder he has always insisted he did not commit.

Wrongfully imprisoned for decades, Ben Spencer is exonerated

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Sunday

The Sunday Story: Uncovering Abuse in a Juvenile Detention Center

The Sununu Youth Services Center, or Youth Development Center (YDC), in Manchester, N.H., on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. Raquel C. Zaldívar/New England News Collaborative hide caption

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Raquel C. Zaldívar/New England News Collaborative

Up First from NPR

The Sunday Story: Uncovering Abuse in a Juvenile Detention Center

In the U.S., many kids in trouble with the law are sentenced to juvenile detention facilities. In New Hampshire, the largest such facility is a place commonly known as the Youth Detention Center, or YDC (recently renamed the Sununu Youth Services Center). YDC was founded with good intentions: keep kids out of adult jails and prisons and care for them. But now, nearly 1,300 former residents of YDC have come forward, filing lawsuits over alleged abuse at the facility. The allegations include hundreds of cases of assault and rape that span over six decades. It's become one of the biggest youth detention scandals in American history.

The Sunday Story: Uncovering Abuse in a Juvenile Detention Center

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Sunday

Is a high-profile critic of the Chinese Communist Party a con man?

Is a high-profile critic of the Chinese Communist Party a con man?

A young political dissident in Europe made his name in the news media as a defiant critic of the Chinese Communist Party. His former housemate and alleged victim says he's a grifter.

The Sunday Story: The Invisible Hand of Fear

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Sunday

Melinda Mattocks-Ushry holds a photo of her brother Kelvin “Chuck” Mattocks at her home in New Bern, N.C., on Dec. 5, 2023. Mattocks was killed in 2016 at a construction site when a trench he was working in collapsed in Boston.

Melinda Mattocks-Ushry holds a photo of her brother Kelvin “Chuck” Mattocks at her home in New Bern, N.C., on Dec. 5, 2023. Madeline Gray/for NPR hide caption

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Madeline Gray/for NPR

Trench collapses have killed hundreds of workers in the U.S. over the last decade

More than 250 people have died since 2013 when trenches they were working in caved in. In most cases, the employers failed to follow basic government regulations for making trenches safe.

NPR teams investigate a dangerous problem for construction workers: trench cave-ins

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Wednesday

This Rite-Away compounding pharmacy sold pentobarbital to Texas for use in the state's lethal injection executions.

Rite-Away Pharmacy and Medical Supply in San Antonio, Texas. Brenda Bazan for NPR hide caption

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Brenda Bazan for NPR

Unmarked cars and secret orders: How a pharmacy prepared drugs for Texas’ executions

NPR identified the company that provided Texas with execution drugs and uncovered that state and federal authorities alleged the pharmacy and some of its owners violated laws meant to protect patients.

NPR investigation reveals information about death row in Texas

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Friday

Disabled students are struggling to get what they need at school

Tabitha (l) helps Sam (r) remove his socks and leg braces. Tuesday, June 18th, 2024 in Georgia, United States. Cindy Elizabeth/NPR hide caption

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Cindy Elizabeth/NPR

Consider This from NPR

Disabled students are struggling to get what they need at school

Students with disabilities often face a tough time getting the services they need at school. When they can't get them, many families seek help from the federal government. And, right now, the Department of Education is swamped with a record number of discrimination complaints. The backlog is leaving families across the country waiting months, even years, for help.

Disabled students are struggling to get what they need at school

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Monday

Inside the Chinese-funded and staffed marijuana farms springing up across the U.S.

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Lisk Feng for NPR

World

Inside the Chinese-funded and staffed marijuana farms springing up across the U.S.

Large numbers of migrants from China are crossing into the U.S. and finding work on marijuana farms. Some of the businesses are accused of exploiting workers and violating state growing rules.

State of the World - Chinese money and labor in U.S. marijuana

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Thursday

Amber and Devin Weise

It wasn't until after Amber and Devin Weise married that they learned Supplemental Security Income, the federal benefits program Amber relies upon, penalizes couples who marry. Amber lost her monthly SSI income check and, even more vital, her access to health insurance. Narayan Mahon for NPR hide caption

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Narayan Mahon for NPR

Couples say they can't get married because of this government program's outdated rules

Social Security's SSI program for people with disabilities requires couples to have no more than $3,000 in assets.

How an outdated Social Security policy is preventing couples from marrying

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