The deadly problem should be easy for federal, state and local government agencies to fix, but tragedy strikes again and again.

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The Big Story
Thu. Dec 9, 2021

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Storm Drains Keep Swallowing People During Floods <[link removed]> An alarming number of people (especially children) have drowned after disappearing into storm drains during floods. The deadly problem should be easy for federal, state and local government agencies to fix, but tragedy strikes again and again. by Topher Sanders

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The Secret IRS Files

A Massive Oil Spill Helped One Billionaire Avoid Paying Income Tax for 14 Years <[link removed]> Phyllis Taylor’s company is responsible for the longest-running oil spill in U.S. history. That’s been a disaster for the Gulf of Mexico — but a tax bonanza for Taylor. by Jesse Eisinger, Paul Kiel and Jeff Ernsthausen <[link removed]>

When You’re a Billionaire, Your Hobbies Can Slash Your Tax Bill <[link removed]> Thoroughbred horses, auto racing, massive ranches, luxury hotels. The hobbies and side businesses of the ultrawealthy create huge write-offs that can let them get away with paying little or no income tax for as much as a decade at a time. by Paul Kiel, Jesse Eisinger and Jeff Ernsthausen <[link removed]>

These Real Estate and Oil Tycoons Avoided Paying Taxes for Years <[link removed]> Donald Trump and other ultrarich Americans have earned billions, but they’ve also managed to repeatedly avoid paying any federal income tax by claiming huge losses on their businesses. by Jeff Ernsthausen, Paul Kiel and Jesse Eisinger <[link removed]>

More From Our Newsroom

China Unleashed Its Propaganda Machine on Peng Shuai’s #MeToo Accusation. Her Story Still Got Out. <[link removed]> Chinese propaganda officials have tried to shape the global discussion of the tennis player Peng Shuai’s accusations and disappearance, but their top-down strategy has largely stumbled. by Paul Mozur, Muyi Xiao and Gray Beltran, The New York Times, and Jeff Kao, ProPublica <[link removed]>

A Multimillion-Dollar Settlement for a Young Woman Once Lost in the Shadow Foster System <[link removed]> Days after ProPublica featured Molly Cordell in a story about how a North Carolina county illegally tore her from her family and made her homeless, she got a $4 million settlement. by Lizzie Presser <[link removed]>

COVID-19 Hit This County Hard. A Weakened Health Department Still Can’t Get People Vaccinated. <[link removed]> Clayton County has the highest percentage of Black residents in Georgia and the lowest vaccination rate in the metro Atlanta area. Amid widespread community mistrust, a strained health department struggles to figure out what to do next. by Aliyya Swaby <[link removed]>

Utah Makes Welfare So Hard to Get, Some Feel They Must Join the LDS Church to Get Aid <[link removed]> Utah’s safety net for the poor is so intertwined with the LDS Church that individual bishops often decide who receives assistance. Some deny help unless a person goes to services or gets baptized. by Eli Hager, photography by Kim Raff for ProPublica <[link removed]>

“They Took Us Away From Each Other”: Lost Inside America’s Shadow Foster System <[link removed]> Across the country, unregulated “shadow” foster care is severing parents from children — who often wind up abandoned by the system that’s supposed to protect them. by Lizzie Presser, photography by Elinor Carucci for The New York Times <[link removed]>

Even on U.S. Campuses, China Cracks Down on Students Who Speak Out <[link removed]> Students and scholars from China who criticize the regime in Beijing can face quick retaliation from fellow students and Chinese officials who harass their families back home. U.S. universities rarely intervene. by Sebastian Rotella, photography by Haruka Sakaguchi, special to ProPublica <[link removed]>

How Steve Bannon Has Exploited Google Ads to Monetize Extremism <[link removed]> Google kicked Bannon off YouTube because of his violent rhetoric but still sent ad dollars to his website that promotes misinformation about the election and the pandemic. by Craig Silverman and Isaac Arnsdorf <[link removed]>

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