All posts by ProPublica

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  “Power Companies Get Exactly What They Want”: How Texas Repeatedly Failed to Protect Its Power Grid Against Extreme Weather

  Texas regulators and lawmakers knew about the grid’s vulnerabilities for years, but time and again they furthered the interests of large electricity providers.

  • Posted February 25, 2021
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  Why We Can’t Make Vaccine Doses Any Faster

  President Biden has promised enough doses for all American adults by this summer. There’s not much even the Defense Production Act can do to deliver doses before then.

  • Posted February 25, 2021
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  The U.S. Spent $2.2 Million on a Cybersecurity System That Wasn’t Implemented — and Might Have Stopped a Major Hack

  The software company SolarWinds unwittingly allowed hackers’ code into thousands of federal computers. A cybersecurity system called in-toto, which the government paid to develop but never required, might have protected against this.

  • Posted February 3, 2021
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  How Operation Warp Speed Created Vaccination Chaos

  States are struggling to plan their vaccination programs with just one week’s notice for how many doses they’ll receive from the federal government. The incoming Biden administration is deciding what to do with this dysfunctional system.

  • Posted January 20, 2021
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  Lavish Bonus? Luxury Trip? Health Benefits Brokers Will Have to Disclose What They Receive From the Insurance Industry

  Employers trust brokers to guide them to the best value, but conflicts of interest abound. Tucked into the coronavirus relief bill, a new federal requirement will mandate more transparency.

  • Posted January 8, 2021
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  Domestic Terrorism: A More Urgent Threat, but Weaker Laws

  Authorities dissuaded some extremists from traveling to Washington, and shared intelligence with Capitol Police, but could not stop the mob that stormed the Capitol, a senior FBI official says.

  • Posted January 8, 2021
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  Capitol Rioters Planned for Weeks in Plain Sight. The Police Weren’t Ready.

  Insurrectionists made no effort to hide their intentions, but law enforcement protecting Congress was caught flat-footed.

  • Posted January 8, 2021
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  These Cities Tried to Tackle Disinvestment. Here Are Lessons From What Happened.

  Local governments have made efforts to revive commerce in neglected Black neighborhoods around the country. It hasn’t always worked.

  • Posted January 4, 2021
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  How Dozens of Trump’s Political Appointees Will Stay in Government After Biden Takes Over

  Documents show that officials appointed by Trump who’d otherwise lose their jobs under Biden have been approved for permanent positions in federal agencies.

  • Posted December 8, 2020
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  States With Few Coronavirus Restrictions Are Spreading the Virus Beyond Their Borders

  Lax states are attracting shoppers and students from stricter neighbors — and sending back COVID-19 cases. The imbalance underscores the lack of a national policy.

  • Posted December 1, 2020