More Highlights
Type Media Center Announces Recipients of the 2021 Robert Masur Fellowship in Civil Liberties
We are pleased to announce Lauren Neal and Bailey Martin as the two recipients of the 2021 Robert Mauser Fellowship in Civil Liberties.
‘Gang Contracts’ in Cicero and Berwyn Schools Raise Concerns About Criminalization of Youth
More than 100 students in seven years have signed “gang contracts” for a suspected gang affiliation.
By 2020-21 Ida B. Wells Fellow Irene Romulo for Injustice Watch and Cicero Independiente.
Seth Freed Wessler Wins a 2021 Silver Gavel Award for Reporting
Former Type Investigations Reporting Fellow Seth Freed Wessler won a 2021 Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association for an investigative magazine article about how a protest grew on the inside of a Georgia detention facility.
New Editorial Director Joins Bold Type Books
Hillary Brenhouse joins Bold Type Books on May 24th as the editorial director. Brenhouse was previously the editor-in-chief of Guernica Magazine, and editor of the Guardian’s “Antiracism and America” series.
Limited English Skills Mean Limited Access to the COVID-19 Vaccine
Our analysis finds that many states are not meeting their legal obligations to make information accessible.
By Puffin Fellow Richard Salame for Slate
Mayoral Hopeful Eric Adams Embraces A Term That Police Critics Condemn
The issue of policing is central to the 2021 New York City mayor’s race, which comes amid a spike in gun violence and at a time when the role of the police is very much in question.
By 2021 Wayne Barrett Fellow Jarrett Murphy for City Limits
The “Machine That Eats Up Black Farmland”
After decades of discriminating against Black farmers and ignoring their complaints, the USDA is promising to do better. Again.
By Kathryn Joyce, Nathan Rosenberg & Bryce Stucki for Mother Jones
The ‘Herald Square Bomber’ Who Wasn’t
After 9/11, U.S. authorities used informants to secure hundreds of terror convictions. But did they help create plots where none existed?
By Rozina Ali for The New York Times Magazine
LitHub Introduces New Film Podcast with Type Fellow as Host
Puffin Foundation Writing fellow Mychal Denzel Smith will host a new film podcast, Open Forum, on Lithub Radio. Each week an author will join Smith to discuss a movie of their choice: a movie they love, a movie they hate, a movie they hate to love.
Andrew Yang Disrupts the Mayor’s Race, But Some of His Ideas Fall Flat
Do Yang’s comments on casinos, yeshivas and the teachers union suggest that his Mayoral campaign hasn’t done its homework?
By Type’s 2021 Wayne Barrett Fellow Jarrett Murphy for City Limits
The Subprime Solar Trap for Low-Income Homeowners
Lightning-fast approval, murky paper trails, little hope of repayment: a popular form of energy-efficiency financing recalls the subprime lending crisis.
By Rebecca Burns for Bloomberg Green
JOB: Finance and Operations Manager at Type Media Center (New York, NY)
Type Media Center seeks a manager with 2+ years of operations and administrative experience to ensure the smooth operational functioning of a multifaceted nonprofit organization. Deadline: April 15.
Now Available from Bold Type Books: In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower
Scholar Davarian L. Baldwin on how–and at what cost– universities across America have become big businesses and our cities their company towns.
‘In the Dark of Night’: Trump’s Interior Chief Snuck Murkowski an 11th-hour Win
Before leaving office, David Bernhardt ordered the Fish & Wildlife Service to advance a road project through a National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
By Adam Federman for Politico Magazine
Which Countries are Vaccinating the Most People Against COVID-19?
An analysis of 191 countries & territories shows how inequitable the global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines has been.
By Richard Salame for Type Investigations
Don’t Fall for the Carbon Tax Trap
The centrist policy framed as a win-win on fiscal and environmental sustainability is a red herring.
By Kate Aronoff for The New Republic
He Redefined ‘Racist.’ Now He’s Trying to Build a Newsroom.
Bold Type Books author Ibram Kendi & The Boston Globe are teaming up to cover racism, inspired by Boston’s 19th-century abolitionist newspapers.
Now Available from Bold Type Books: The Disordered Cosmos
In this book Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein shares her love for physics, from the physics of melanin in skin, to the latest theories of dark matter — all with a new spin informed by history, politics, and the wisdom of Star Trek.
Two journalists win the 2020 Fetisov Journalism Awards for work produced with Type Investigations
Journalist Rohini Mohan & Type reporting fellow Adam Federman respectively won first prizes in the categories for “outstanding investigative journalism” & “excellence in environmental journalism.”
Chicago Announces Change to State Tax Refund Intercept Program Following Investigation
The policy change follows a two-part investigation last year by Simon Davis-Cohen for Type Investigations, in partnership with The Chicago Reporter.
A Former Trump Operative Used GiveSendGo to Push Claims of Election Fraud
GiveSendGo is a Christian crowdfunding platform used to push claims of election fraud and rake in hundreds of thousands.
By Richard Salame for GEN
Strangers in a Homeland
In Kabul, one of the world’s most dangerous cities, one man works to help Afghan asylum seekers return to a place they never knew.
By May Jeong for VQR
Type Talk: Why Is Doing What You Love A Recipe for Disaster?
A conversation with Type Fellows and authors Sarah Jaffe and Gary Younge as they unpack Jaffe’s recent book, WORK WON’T LOVE YOU BACK.
Did New York Let Doctors Get Away With Sexual Misconduct?
Internal whistleblowers say a branch of the state Department of Health was reluctant to penalize accused physicians.
By Emrys Eller for City and State
I Tested My Tap Water, Household Products and Cat for Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’
The extent of PFAS contamination is only now coming into focus. Here’s what I learned from investigating my home.
By Tom Perkins for The Guardian, Great Lakes Now & Consumer Reports.
Opinion: Why Senate Republicans fear Deb Haaland
Conservatives have portrayed Haaland as a divisive partisan, but in 2019, she introduced the most bills with bipartisan support of all House freshmen.
By Julian Brave NoiseCat for Washington Post
White South African Mercenaries Are Indiscriminately Killing People in Mozambique
An Amnesty International report released today alleges civilian killings by these mercenaries as part of the growing war in Mozambique.
By Nick Turse for Vice.
NYC Nursing Home Gave Dozens of Veterans Experimental COVID-19 Treatments.
The New York State-run facility administered a cocktail of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, despite safety warnings.
By Dean Russell for The CITY & Columbia Journalism Investigations.
Applications are now open for the 2021 Robert Masur Fellowship
Open to first-year law students with summer plans (in between their first and second year) in the areas of civil rights and/or civil liberties. Apply by April 16.
Was Election Denial Just a Get-Rich-Quick Scheme? Donors’ Lawsuits Look for Answers
Widespread voter fraud is a fake problem, but some conservative donors say they’re getting scammed out of real money.
By Richard Salame for The Intercept.
The Insurrection Was Put Down. The GOP Plan for Minority Rule Marches On.
How Republicans are breaking democracy.
By Ari Bergman for Mother Jones.
How the Crackdown on the Rioters Who Stormed the U.S. Capitol Could Lead to More Violence
By Amanda Robb for Type Investigations.
The Only Accurate Dirt Rudy Ever Dug Was on Himself
Giuliani ordered all copies of his devastating auto-oppo report destroyed, but they were not.
By Eileen Markey in The Daily Beast.
Interview: Sarah Jaffe, Author of “Work Won’t Love You Back,” on Labor and Exploitation.
Jaffe has covered workers’ struggles and the nature of work for over a decade and is one of labor’s leading voices.
By Kim Kelly in Teen Vogue.
Library Foundation’s 2021 Writer-in-Residence is a Familiar Face
The Cincinnati Public Library extended Type fellow Dani McClain’s residency for a second year.
By Kelly Sheehy for The Cincinnati Public Library
FT Business Books: January Edition
The Financial Times recommends reading Type Fellow Sarah Jaffe’s new book “Work Won’t Love You Back.”
By Andrew Hill in The Financial Times.
Defanged.
Money and politics could doom the Florida panther — and the Endangered Species Act.
By Jimmy Tobias in The Intercept.
We Got Crushed at Trump’s Inaugural. Police Went Easy on Capitol Rioters
The differences between law enforcement’s responses in 2017 and 2021 are disturbing.
By Aaron Miguel Cantú for The Washington Post.
They’ve Showed Us Who They Are
The assault on the Capitol inspired by President Trump was a tragic event, but it illuminated the national landscape like a flash.
By Joe Conason in The National Memo.
Deb Haaland’s Cabinet Nomination Is a Triumph for Native Americans
We have turned a page in our nation’s history—not because the insiders wanted it, but because the people fought for it.
By Julian Brave NoiseCat in The Nation.
Will They Ever Be Over?
The 20th anniversary of the war on terror arrives.
By Nick Turse in TomDispatch.
Covid-19 Has Been Hardest on Women
When money is tight and time is tighter, the basic structure of male supremacy shows itself to be remarkably intact.
By Katha Pollitt in The Nation.
Saying Goodbye to the Con-Man-in-Chief
Demining America after the Donald.
By Tom Engelhardt in TomDispatch.
How Black Parents Survived 2020
‘What kind of world did we bring them into?’
By Dani McClain in The New York Times.
‘No Choice but to Do It’
Many of the 230,000 women and girls in U.S. jails and prisons were abuse survivors before they entered the system.
By Justine van der Leun in The Appeal and The New Republic.
Cops Could Use First Aid to Save Lives. Many Never Try.
Most officers get training to respond to injuries,
but are often not required to use it.
By Taylor Elizabeth Eldridge in The Marshall Project.
People Are Taking the Wrong Lesson From Trump’s Failed Coup
Trump failed to steal the election because of incompetence, not because our robust institutions defeated him.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
After 2020, How Do We Move Forward on Race?
The usual diversity efforts have failed. Let’s take this moment to figure out what can work.
By Pamela Newkirk in the Wall Street Journal.
U.S.-Funded Counterterrorism Efforts in West Africa Aren’t Helping
Government investigations describe American security assistance efforts as a waste of time and money.
By Nick Turse in Vice.
CIA Contractor Dies in Secret U.S. War in Somalia
Michael Goodboe, a former Navy SEAL, died of injuries sustained in a terrorist attack in Mogadishu, Somalia.
By Nick Turse in The Intercept.
Federal Prosecutors Hold Protesters for Months Pretrial
Dozens of protesters who took part in the uprisings after George Floyd’s murder have faced prolonged detention despite COVID-19 outbreaks.
By Aaron Miguel Cantú for Reveal.
Trump Won’t Succeed in Stopping Votes From Being Counted
But he could still delegitimize the democratic process.
By Ari Berman in Mother Jones.
Trump Doesn’t Have a Path to Victory Through the Courts
While the election remains uncomfortably close, Trump’s attempts to use far-fetched legal arguments to stop vote counting in states like Pennsylvania are unlikely to succeed.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
A Federal Judge Wants Louis DeJoy to Testify Under Oath About Mail Delays
The USPS refused to comply with a court order to make sure mail ballots were sent on time.
By Ari Berman in Mother Jones.
Early Voting Was Supposed to Make Our Lives Easier. How Well Did It Work?
Votebeat and Type Investigations analyzed the number of sites, hours, and votes for the nation’s 10 most populous counties.
By Richard Salame in Votebeat.
If Biden Wins Wisconsin, These New Black Community Groups Will Be a Major Reason Why
Black voters are determined not to let voter suppression repeat itself.
By Ari Berman in Mother Jones.
Federal Prosecutors Engaged in Unprecedented Push to Jail Protesters Before Trial
Shamar Betts has been detained since June for a provocative flyer he posted on Facebook amid protests over the killing of George Floyd.
By Aaron Miguel Cantú for The Intercept.
U.S. Troops Might be in Danger. Why Is the Military Trying to Hide It?
Formerly secret files raise questions about the security of American military bases in Africa.
By Nick Turse in VICE News.
Trump’s Labor Secretary Is a Wrecking Ball Aimed at Workers
As Election Day looms, Eugene Scalia, a cunning lawyer committed to dismantling regulation, is weakening one employee protection after another.
By Eyal Press in The New Yorker.
If You Can’t Speak English, Good Luck Voting in Trump’s America
The Department of Justice has left millions of voters who need language help without government protection.
By Richard Salame in The Nation.
How One of the Most Stable Nations in West Africa Descended Into Mayhem
Burkina Faso once looked like a success story for U.S. military aid. But now it’s contending with a growing insurgency, an unfolding humanitarian crisis — and a security force targeting civilians.
By Nick Turse in The New York Times.
Despite Trump’s ‘Jobs, Jobs, Jobs’ Bluster, the Rust Belt Is Still Reeling from Plant Closures
Chuckie Denison fought the closure of a GM factory in Lordstown, Ohio — now, he’s devoted himself to challenging the President’s lies about America’s economic recovery.
By Sarah Jaffe in The Progressive.
Without Compromise by Wayne Barrett – Book Trailer
In an era of unprecedented corruption, the work of Village Voice muckracker Wayne Barrett has never been more important.
Amy Coney Barrett Is an Extremist—Just Not the Kind You Think
The problem with Trump’s Supreme Court nominee has nothing to do with her strongly held religious beliefs and everything to do with her right-wing Republican ones.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
There Is Only One Way Out of This Crisis: Expand the Court
Expanding the Supreme Court may not be easy, but it’s the only constitutional way to address the Republicans’ cynical theft of at least two seats.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
The Risk Makers
Viral hate, election interference, and hacked accounts: inside the tech industry’s decades-long failure to reckon with risk.
By Catherine Buni and Soraya Chemaly in OneZero.
In Defense of Letting Go of Black Icons (For Now)
I have no interest in being a patriot. I am not concerned with the viability of “America.”
By Mychal Denzel Smith in Esquire.
Is Bill Barr Trump’s Most Dangerous Sidekick?
The attorney general has been chipping away at the rule of law for 18 months. Last night, he made another big claim to unfettered power.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
Melania Trump Really Doesn’t Care
A new book by her ex–best friend shows how the first lady sold her soul.
By Katha Pollitt in The Nation.
Confinement and Contagion
In February, Tomiekia Johnson’s mother, father, sister, and daughter came to Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF).
By Justine van der Leun in The New York Review of Books.
The Police Are Lying in LA and the Media Is Falling for It—Again
In the wake of the brutal shooting of two police officers, the sheriff’s department is trying to fabricate a case against Black Lives Matter, and journalists are playing along.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
The Immokalee Way: Protecting Farmworkers Amid a Pandemic
While some companies do everything to escape accountability, the Fair Food Program proves there’s an alternative.
By John Bowe in The Nation.
How to Talk to Kids About Racism and Police
Schools do students a disservice when they fail to teach them about difficult issues.
By Dani McClain in The Atlantic.
For The Generals, A Duty To Speak Up Now
So far nobody in the United States military has expressed great surprise over President Trump’s alleged remarks about soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
By Joe Conason in The National Memo.
The Empty Cases
A look at how things might change in British museums as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement.
By Gary Younge in BBC Radio 4.
We Need to Talk About the GOP’s ‘Black Friends’
The Republican National Convention has been all about using Black people to convince white people it’s OK to vote for a bigot.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
The Abolition Movement
What we talk about when we talk about addressing the savage roots of policing: justice and safety for everyone.
By Josie Duffy Rice in Vanity Fair.
At the RNC, Republicans Go All In on Police Impunity
As Jacob Blake lay in his hospital bed, Republicans began their convention by defending “the Blue” and refusing to say Black lives matter.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
Local Economies Have Been Decimated by the Coronavirus—But This Is Just a Preview of What Climate Change Could Do
This summer has been a cruel one in the American Sunbelt.
By Mario Alejandro Ariza in Time.
How Yale Became the Latest Target in the Plot to Kill Affirmative Action
In the coming days, the DOJ will borrow a page from the conservative playbook and likely sue Yale for violating the rights of white and Asian students.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
DeJoy Says USPS Won’t Reinstall More Than 600 Removed Mail Sorting Machines
“There’s no intention to do that,” DeJoy testified. “They’re not needed.”
By Ari Berman in Mother Jones.
Trump Comes Up Empty When Pressed for Evidence of Election Fraud in Court
The Trump campaign’s 524-page response to a discovery demand turned up precisely zero instances of mail-in vote fraud.
By Richard Salame in The Intercept.
A Co-op for Black and Multiracial Families ‘De-schools’ Children
Nine families shared with us why they chose to educate their children outside the traditional school system.
By Dani McClain in New York Times Parenting.
The Trump Administration’s Air Strikes in Somalia Are On the Rise Again—and Civilians Are Paying the Price
In the first seven months of 2020, the Trump administration conducted more air strikes in Somalia than the previous two administrations combined.
By Nick Turse in Time.
The Democratic Convention Is Shaping Up to Be a Centrist Hoedown
The recently released list of speakers at next week’s convention shows just how scared Democrats are to make a serious policy argument.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
Exclusive: Inside the secret world of US commandos in Africa
Investigation reveals the scale of operations of America’s elite combat troops in Africa.
By Nick Turse in Atavist.
Cold as ICE
How local sheriffs are driving Trump’s deportation agenda.
By Seth Freed Wessler in Mother Jones.
Could Wonder Woman Save Us From Covid-19?
Our leaders are as bad as any comic book villain. But even they might be no match for Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth—or Spider-man’s web shooters or Shuri’s brain.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
The Man Determined to Deliver Trump’s Alaskan Oil Promise
A political appointee at the Department of Interior has played a key, and sometimes controversial, role in opening a pristine wildlife refuge to drilling.
By Adam Federman in Politico.
Incremental Change Is a Moral Failure
More reform won’t fix policing.
By Mychal Denzel Smith in The Atlantic.
Speech: John Lewis Accepts the 2012 Ridenhour Courage Prize
Often called “one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced,” John Lewis dedicated his life to protecting human rights.
U.S. Capitalism Is in Total Meltdown
The COVID-19 pandemic is like Hurricane Katrina, but for the entire country. And things are only going to get worse.
By Sarah Jaffe in The Progressive.
Seriously? John Kasich? What Is the Biden Camp Thinking?
The former Ohio governor may convince a handful of disgruntled Trumpers to vote for Biden, but there is no evidence he can win the state for the Democrats.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
Where Did a U.S. General Put the Ceremonial Gifts He Got From Foreign Leaders? In the trash.
Military documents show that former AFRICOM chief Gen. Thomas Waldhauser regularly put gifts he received from African leaders into the trash.
By Nick Turse in The Intercept.
There Are Literally No Good Options for Educating Our Kids This Fall
But the real scandal is that we shouldn’t be in this position in the first place.
By Elie Mystal in The Nation.
Evictions Aren’t Inevitable When Tenants Fight Back
As the housing crisis deepens, renters find strength in solidarity.
By Sarah Jaffe in The Progressive.
Neglected in Care
Long before the coronavirus devastated nursing homes, inadequate staffing in for-profit Texas facilities endangered residents, leading to injuries and deaths.
By Elena Mejía Lutz in The Texas Observer.
The Standing Rock Generation Is Changing the World
A young man from Standing Rock reflects on the Dakota Access Pipeline court decision.
By Julian Brave NoiseCat in Rolling Stone.
Prisoners Face ‘Undue Punishment’ as the IRS Claws Back Their Stimulus Checks
Legal experts say the IRS is illegally denying CARES Act payments to incarcerated people.
By Jordan Michael Smith in The Appeal.
What No Patriot Would Ever Do
“Performative patriotism” is a fancy way of describing what my father called “jelly-bellied flag flappers.”
By Joe Conason in The National Memo.