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Investigations

Autopsies Spark Legal Fight Over Meaning Of Cruel And Unusual Punishment

An NPR investigation follows the legal battle unfolding over evidence that many inmates' lungs fill with fluid as they're executed by lethal injection.

Autopsies Spark Legal Fight Over Meaning Of Cruel And Unusual Punishment

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NPR Probe: The Troubling Effects Of Lethal Injection

A new investigation from NPR finds that lethal injection causes severe pulmonary edema in the lungs of inmates before they die. The method was first introduced in the United States in 1977.

NPR Probe: The Troubling Effects Of Lethal Injection

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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.

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.

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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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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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.

NPR Probe: Even Before Pandemic, Authorities Lost Track Of Sex Offenders

The coronavirus has forced jurisdictions nationwide to close in-person sex offender registration offices. That has made it tougher for law enforcement to verify and track offender whereabouts.

NPR Probe: Even Before Pandemic, Authorities Lost Track Of Sex Offenders

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'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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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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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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Elections

Postmaster General Testifies, Says USPS Will Prioritize Mailed Ballots

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said before the Senate he believes the Postal Service can accommodate the expected volume of mailed ballots this year ahead of Election Day, despite internal slowdowns.

Postmaster General Testifies, Says USPS Will Prioritize Mailed Ballots

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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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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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