The Fall of Hope Rising
The demise of a Brenham nonprofit intended to help young victims of trafficking is a cautionary tale about Texas’ overreliance on religious organizations to fix its troubled foster care system.
Investigations
Revealed: Four Businesses with Ties to Patriot Front Operating in North Texas
The neo-Nazi group is engaged in a strategy to establish an independent economic ecosystem. Through publicly available information, interviews, and in-person observation, the Observer has identified companies in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that are operated either by members of Patriot Front or individuals with multiple connections to Patriot Front.
Texas Police Invested Millions in a Shadowy Phone-Tracking Software. They Won’t Say How They’ve Used It.
One sheriff who leads an anti-smuggling task force says the software helps “develop leads to eventually obtain probable cause.” Civil liberties experts say its use violates constitutional rights.
A Dallas Megadonor, a New Nonprofit, and the War on ‘Housing First’
A scheme to relocate the unhoused out of one Texas city's downtown sheds light on a larger right-wing takeover of federal homelessness policy.
Nowhere to Go: Inside the Texas Boarding Home System Where Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Are Widespread
"There is no interest in safeguarding this population by those in control. If there were, they would do it."
Pitted Against Waste
East Texans are uniting to fight oil waste pits in bucolic areas near the Louisiana line—all run by an operator who’s been cited for dozens of violations, and a worker’s death.
Crypto’s Cryptic Texas Takeover
State regulators don't want you to know about the 60-plus Bitcoin mines guzzling public water and electricity—even though consumers are already paying the price.
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Burden of Proof
Inside one woman's fight against Texas' Medicaid Estate Recovery Program.
The Health Penalty
At a North Texas prison, one nurse practitioner racked up more than 20 federal lawsuits over alleged medical mistreatment. The patients’ stories illuminate a healthcare system that often seems like another form of punishment.
The Eyes of Chihuahua
The 20-story Torre Centinela looming over Juárez is part of a much larger AI-powered surveillance system that won’t stop at the Texas-Mexico border.