Hannah McBride Archive Part 1
These are my most recent stories. For earlier ones, see Part 2 and Part 3.
September 21, 2017
Twenty years after becoming famous, Kid Rock, Eminem and the Insane Clown Posse now embody the main political fractures among white, working class Midwesterners. Photo by blinkofanaye (CC BY-NC 2.0).
September 12, 2017
Sixteen years ago today, the country was poised to take the first steps to protect undocumented kids. The original DREAM Act — slated for its initial Congressional hearing on September 12, 2001 — was inspired by Lee, a piano student from Chicago. Photo by Peter Holderness/WBEZ (CC BY-NC 2.0).
September 6, 2017
With Hurricane Irma so close on the heels of Harvey, volunteer squads like the Cajun Navy are primed to use a walkie-talkie app called Zello for civilian search & rescue squads. Image via Twitter/@RedTRaccoon.
August 30, 2017
A Houston native writes a poem to his hometown during Hurricane Harvey. Image via Twitter/@MichaelCiaglo.
August 29, 2017
On its face the Constitution’s presidential pardon power would seem unlimited. But, as law professor Martin Redish argues, the Arpaio case is different. Photo by Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0).
August 25, 2017
As Texans in the Rio Grande Valley prepare for Hurricane Harvey, the U.S. Border Patrol said its checkpoints north of the border will remain open. Texas Tribune’s Julián Aguilar explains. Photo by Karl Lehenbauer (CC BY 2.0).
August 25, 2017
There are currently more than 12,000 U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan — 3,500 of them the Pentagon failed to publicly disclose, the Wall Street Journal reported. Axios’ Stef Kight has more. Photo by Justyn M. Freeman/U.S. Air Force (CC BY-NC 2.0).
The decision to increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan is one of the most consequential decisions of the Trump presidency. Axios’ Jonathan Swan explains. Photo by Phil Speck/Kentucky National Guard (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
August 18, 2017
Some of the most controversial moments of Trump’s presidency happened because he went off script. Axios’ Erica Pandey explains why it happens and why it matters.
August 16, 2017
A condom alternative could be worth billions. Emily Anthes writes for Bloomberg about what’s taking so long. Photo by Hannah McBride.
August 15, 2017
“In 2009 I became a statistic.” Che Hammond was stopped, searched and handcuffed in the parking lot of his gym, with no explanation from officers on the scene. That incident launched a three-year court battle that changed both Che and the San Jose police department. Photo by Thomas Hawk (CC BY-NC 2.0).
August 11, 2017
Axios’ Shannon Vavra says North Korea is likely to continue testing, either so it can troubleshoot technological developments or simply sow concern in the U.S. that North Korea’s nuclear arsenal poses a real threat. Photo by U.S. Missile Defense Agency (CC BY 2.0).
August 4, 2017
Experts say that this latest missile test from North Korea means the US is within reach — and the North Korean missile program is showing no signs of slowing down. Photo by Stefan Krasowski (CC BY 2.0).
August 3, 2017
The country’s current crisis is so mind-boggling that outsiders can hardly be blamed for feeling bewildered. Op-ed writer Francisco Toro has a simple thought experiment: What if Venezuela were the United States?
Photo by Jose Miguel (CC BY-NC 2.0).
August 1, 2017
Scott Pruitt is the most aggressive leader of the Environmental Protection Agency in its almost 50-year history. But, as Axios’ Amy Harder explains in her column, he didn’t come out of nowhere. His ascendance to the agency reflects changing politics of the past few decades. Illustration from Axios.
July 31, 2017
Mother Jones reporter Hannah Levintova explains how adoption has become code for the Magnitsky Act — a 2012 law that sanctions Russian officials suspected of corruption, including members of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. Photo via Global Panorama (CC BY-SA 2.0).
July 27, 2017
President Donald Trump has made it clear: he wants Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign. Sessions says he’s staying for now, but Mike Allen of Axios says the rift seems permanent. Photo by Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0).
July 26, 2017
In the last few years, Republican-controlled state legislatures have intensified the use of what are known as pre-emption laws, to block towns and cities from adopting measures favored by the left. The New York Times’ Emily Badger explains how the states aren’t merely overruling local laws; they’ve walled off whole new realms where local governments aren’t allowed to govern at all. Photo by Alan Levine.
July 22, 2017
The metaphor comes from the movie “The Matrix” — online, far right extremist groups radicalize young men to recruit for their causes. Research analyst Becca Lewis explains how it works. Screenshot via YouTube.
July 20, 2017
One of the most prescribed drugs in the country, gabapentin acts as a sedative. Carmen Heredia Rodriguez of Kaiser Health News says it’s the “drug of last resort” for some opioid abusers — to stave off withdrawal or enhance their high. Photo via Pexels.
July 17, 2017
We’re releasing a four-part miniseries to trace the history of 4chan — from lolcats to the Trump train. Illustration by Dale Beran. Design by Nina Gannes. Note: You can listen to the full four-part series here.
July 14, 2017
States are banding together to sue Big Pharma, the drug companies behind some of the country’s most abused opioids — in an effort to clamp down on worsening opioid epidemic. In 2016, an estimated 60,000 people overdosed on opioids, a rate of one person every 10 minutes. Photo by Jennifer Durban (CC BY-NC 2.0).
July 13, 2017
Amid a surging opiate crisis, the maker of the anti-addiction drug Vivitrol skirted the usual sales channels. It found a captive market for its once-a-month injection in the criminal justice system. Propublica’s Alec MacGillis explains. Photo via Pixabay.
July 10, 2017
Conservatives say the state has a tax problem. Liberals say it has an inequality problem. The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson says what Connecticut really has is a city problem. Photo by Mooshinier (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
July 7, 2017
Higher global temperatures could mean a slowdown for the US economy. One researcher explains a new analysis that drills down to the county level to show potential economic damage from climate change.
July 6, 2017
“Over 5 Million Students Already Forgiven. You’re Next!” proclaimed one Facebook post from a fraudulent debt relief company. “Get Rid Of Your Student Loans Once And For All!” NerdWallet’s Rich Read explains how a whistleblower brought down one student debt relief company. Photo via Pixabay.
July 1, 2017
A 1983 made-for-TV movie called “The Day After” brought the horror of nuclear holocaust to everyday families. Director Nicholas Meyer, who’s also directed Star Trek films, says it was the most important work he’s ever done. Poster via IMDB.
June 28, 2017
We have two and a half minutes to midnight. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists’ senior advisor Kennette Benedict explains how they track the countdown to the end of the world. Image by Yury Tarasievich.
June 21, 2017
Quartz reporters Thu-Huong Ha and Nikhil Sonnad analyzed 100,000 drawings to show how culture shapes our instincts. Screenshot via Quartz.
June 16, 2017
Scientific American editor Clara Moskowitz writes that the space agency awaits direction from the Trump administration, along with congressional funding to match its ambitions. Photo via NASA.
June 14, 2017
The longtime solicitor general has been added to special counsel Bob Mueller’s team. What does this new development in the Russia investigation mean for President Trump? Screenshot via YouTube.
June 12, 2017
Josh Partlow — the Washington Post’s Mexico City bureau chief — gives us the story behind the story, following Mexico’s heroin highway in the southern state of Guerrero. Part 2 of 2. Author photo via Twitter/@PartlowJ.
June 9, 2017
The Washington Post’s Mexico City bureau chief Josh Partlow spent time along Mexico’s Highway 51 — the country’s heroin mainline — to learn about the exploding heroin trade in southern Mexico. Part 1 of 2. Photo via Wikimedia.
June 8, 2017
President Trump laid out his vision for overhauling the Federal Aviation Administration — the agency that oversees all aspects of civil aviation — including privatizing the agency’s air traffic control function. Photo by SteveP2008 (CC BY 2.0).
June 7, 2017
Wired’s Andy Greenberg says that this low-tech leak, a five-page computer printout of a classified document, shows that old-school techniques aren’t entirely safe for people wanting to reveal sensitive government information.
June 6, 2017
The Atlantic’s Olga Kazan on how immigration and cultural values affect what people do with their faces. Image via Pixabay.
June 4, 2017
Deborah Bryant accused her former supervisor of denying her a promotion because she rebuffed his advances. In 1992, the city ruled in her favor and the Washington Post’s Peter Jamison says what followed was not vindication but a dispute over the precise amount of money Bryant is owed — now including almost three decades of interest — that still has no end in sight.
June 1, 2017
Bulldozers have become more crucial — and more vulnerable — in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq. The Washington Post’s Thomas Gibbons-Neff met with Iraqi bulldozer drivers clearing the streets of Mosul. Screenshot via YouTube.
May 31, 2017
Heather Rinkus, the guest reception manager at Mar-a-Lago, went to Italy with Trump’s logistics team and has been outfitted with a government-issued phone and email. Her husband Ari Rinkus was convicted of two felonies and owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to his victims. But they’ve got one big thing going for them: access to Donald Trump at his favorite retreat. Image via Twitter/@HLRinkus.
May 30, 2017
The founder of a creationist ministry wants to attract believers and nonbelievers to his family-friendly attractions. The Washington Post’s Karen Heller visited the $120 million Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. Photo by RPavich (CC BY 2.0).
May 24, 2017
On the Supreme Court, conservative Justice Clarence Thomas has argued repeatedly to oppose the idea that the government should use race in making decisions — whether in school admissions or voting districts. This week, the court’s four liberal justices finally agreed with him. Photo via Wikimedia.
May 23, 2017
On June 26, pharma bro and “most hated man in America” Martin Shkreli will go on trial for securities fraud. Before then, you can see “Pharma-Bro: An American Douchical,” which tells the story of Shkreli and his infamous price-gouging of drugs for HIV and cancer patients. Quartz’s Amy Wang saw it.
May 20, 2017
After serving seven years, Manning stepped out of military prison into a world of encrypted leaks and secure messaging apps for whistleblowers. Wired’s Emily Dreyfuss talks about Manning’s legacy.
May 19, 2017
At first glance, they look like videos for kids. But, as the Washington Post’s Ana Swanson explains, they’re propaganda films from Chinese state-run media aimed at promoting what’s known as One Belt One Road. Recent media in China has portrayed the country as a defender of globalization and free trade. Screenshot via YouTube.
May 18, 2017
Lazaro Gamio of Axios explains how he made a map of US data by creating emojis. Each part of the emoji — from face color to mouth shape — is controlled by the state’s ranking in a given metric, which range from the uninsured rate to the percent of adults who report getting enough sleep. Image courtesy Lazaro Gamio.
May 17, 2017
For decades, the professional athletes made so little at their sport that many took to performing gigs to make ends meet and capitalize on their fame. Photo from the Library of Congress.
May 13, 2017
Olivia Pearson faced felony charges after she helped a voter cast a ballot in her South Georgia hometown. Buzzfeed’s Joel Anderson says her supporters called her trial an attempt to suppress black voters. Prosecutors said they must ensure the integrity of the vote. Photo by NotBruceLee (CC BY-SA 2.0).
May 5, 2017
President Trump claimed a victory Thursday after the House approved a more free-market approach to health care. Then he capped it off by praising a country with government-run, universal health care. The Washington Post’s Aaron Blake explains Trump’s affection for single-payer systems. Photo by Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0).
May 5, 2017
Climate change has become part of the gentrification story in Miami. Erika Bolstad explains this real estate trend. Photo by HB2 (CC BY-NC 2.0).
May 2, 2017
The Washington Post’s Jessica Contrera visited with Democrats in a county that went to Trump by 20 points but swung for a Democratic House candidate by two points. Photo by JForth (CC BY-ND 2.0).
May 1, 2017
The Supreme Court justices were surprised at the hard line approach that a government lawyer took in Maslenjak v. United States, a case that asks whether the government can revoke naturalized citizenship based on immaterial false statements. Photo via U.S. Capitol.
