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Featured Writers

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Pardis Mahdavi

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Amanda Geduld

I'm a Stabile Investigative Fellow at Columbia's School of Journalism. In my previous career, I was a high school English teacher in The Bronx. As a journalist, I specialize in …

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Joan Greve

Hi! My name's Joan Greve, and I am a political journalist with nearly a decade of experience covering the White House, Capitol Hill and campaigns.

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Marcos Del Rosario

Marcos Del Rosario Santiago is a board certified urologist living and working in Mexico. He has been published in the Washington Post, Independent UK, PBS, Chicago Tribune, Healthline, and more. …

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Kim Bellware

Reporter for breaking news, criminal justice, politics, culture and the death penalty -- and some fun stuff, too.

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Kimberly Jeanne Soenen

For 25 years Soenen I have worked for major news, policy and media arts organizations as a supervising producer, writer, global business development director and communications strategist. My expertise, vision …

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Latest Articles

Scientists find way to make energy from air using nearly any material

Nearly any material can be used to turn the energy in air humidity into electricity, scientists found in a discovery that could lead to continuously producing clean energy with little pollution. The research, published in a paper in Advanced Materials, builds on 2020 work that first showed energy could be …
By Robert Boettger
• Washington Post

Brazilian lawmakers file complaint against Google for ‘Slavery Simulator’ game

“Choose one of two goals at the beginning of the slave owner simulator: the Path of the Tyrant or the Path of the Liberator. Become a wealthy slave owner or achieve the abolition of slavery. Everything is in your hands,” the game’s description read. The game was taken down by …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Shaq served in FTX suit at NBA playoff game — in former FTX Arena

Shaquille O’Neal is over 7 feet tall and appears on TV frequently. But the former NBA star was hard to locate — at least for the more than two dozen process servers who had been hired to notify O’Neal that he’s being sued. For nearly four months, they followed O’Neal …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

An influencer’s Bioré ad mentioned a school shooting. Both have apologized.

A recent ad campaign video for beauty brand Bioré followed the same formula as many popular TikToks: a montage of snippets from a content creator’s day, intertwined with clips of a promoted product. In the video, made to launch during Mental Health Awareness Month, influencer Cecilee Max-Brown was working out, …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Families confront Iowa nightclub shooter in court: ‘You’re pathetic’

But on July 24, 2022, Cox drew his last breath — upending his daughter’s life, the girl’s mother said Monday during sentencing proceedings for Timothy L. Rush, who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of Cox and 35-year-old Nicole Owens, with whom he shared a child. The second …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

NAACP issues travel advisory, calling Florida ‘hostile’ to Black Americans

Over the past year, conservative policies touching on education, immigration and LGBTQ+ rights in Florida have led some advocacy groups and organizations to recommend that visitors reconsider their travels to the state. On Saturday, the NAACP became the latest to issue a travel advisory to the Sunshine State, warning that …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Fla. traffic sign about upcoming 5K hacked to say ‘Kill All Gays’

Before dawn broke Wednesday, drivers on a palm tree-lined street in an Orlando suburb noticed something was wrong with a traffic sign. In bright orange letters, it read: “KILL ALL GAYS.” The variable message board had been welcoming visitors to Lake Nona for an upcoming 5K race, said Ashley Papagni, …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Dolly Parton blasts politicians without naming any. Call it ‘Dollitics.’

“She doesn’t reveal her personal politics in an overt way, whether that is backing a particular candidate or party,” Lager said. “But what she does really successfully is backing ideologies that also fit within the Dolly Parton mythology of love, kindness, acceptance and doing the right thing by your fellow …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Officers rushed to help a crying ‘damsel in distress.’ It was a goat.

On May 8, police officers in Enid, Okla., rushed to help what sounded like a person in distress, only to find the noise was coming from a goat. (Video: The Washington Post) A “little” jealous might be an understatement. The goat, which was standing inside a pen with a dog …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Is the sun white or yellow? It’s a hot debate, and everyone’s wrong.

Left: A picture of the sun taken in visible light was processed to make it appear orange. Right: A picture of the sun is colored green to study solar flares. (Video: NASA) It all started last week when writer Jacqui Deevoy tweeted that the round yellow sun of her childhood …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

In Texas town, gunfire has been constant — but never before so deadly

In a rural town where guns are an ubiquitous part of life, the massacre sent shock waves of fear and grief. Even if gunshots ring every night, residents said they’d rarely resulted in bloodshed, particularly after such an innocuous interaction between neighbors. The attack became one of the latest in …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Man accused of fatally shooting 5 neighbors captured after days-long manhunt

The man accused of killing five neighbors who asked him to stop shooting an AR-15-style weapon was arrested May 2 after a four-day manhunt, authorities said. (Video: AP) A man accused of killing five neighbors after they asked him to stop shooting an AR-15-style weapon near their Texas yard was …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

They left Honduras for a better life. In America, gun violence found them.

CLEVELAND, Tex. — Sonia Argentina Guzmán knew how to hustle. As a teenager, she sold bags of popcorn on the side of the road in Honduras, hoping to save enough money to move to the United States. Guzmán achieved that dream almost nine years ago, settling with the “love of …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Family says they repeatedly called 911 during Texas shooter’s rampage

On Monday, the manhunt for the suspect accused of killing five people with an AR-15-style weapon inside Guzmán’s home in San Jacinto County, Tex., continued into its third day. Authorities said the suspect, identified as Francisco Oropesa, fled after allegedly killing his neighbors on Friday in response to their request …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

FBI hitting ‘dead ends’ in search for man suspected of killing 5 neighbors

A previous version of this article included a photo that the FBI's Houston office said was of the shooting suspect. The office later said it was "an incorrect image" and deleted the tweet that contained it. That photo has been removed from this version. CLEVELAND, Tex. — Hundreds of law …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

DOJ challenges Tennessee over ban on gender-affirming care for minors

The Department of Justice filed a motion Wednesday to join a lawsuit three Tennessee families filed against their state last week alleging a new law banning care for transgender minors is unconstitutional. In the lawsuit, the families said they saw their children go from depressed before receiving gender-affirming care to …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Who is Zooey Zephyr, the trans lawmaker banned from her own House in Montana?

House leadership and Zephyr have been locked in a battle since April 18, when Zephyr made a fervent plea to her GOP colleagues to reject a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender children in Montana. Republicans, who passed the bill and sent it to Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Montana Republicans bar transgender lawmaker from House floor

Montana Republicans voted to bar Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D) on April 26 after she criticized colleagues who supported a ban on gender-affirming care for children. (Video: Montana Public Affairs Network, Photo: Thom Bridge/Independent Record via AP/Montana Public Affairs Network) Montana Republicans on Wednesday voted to formally punish a transgender Democratic …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

A man trafficked turtles on Facebook. It’s a ‘huge problem,’ experts say.

On his “best day,” Stanlee Fazi managed to pluck 22 turtles from their habitats in Virginia forests. But when it rained, Fazi told a potential buyer in 2017, he could catch eight or 10 right off the road, court documents state. Fast, informative and written just for locals. Get The …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Seven arrested in Montana after protesting silencing of trans lawmaker

Protesters brought the Montana House to a halt April 24 after Republican leaders prevented state Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D) from speaking for a third day. (Video: Montana Public Affairs Network) Law enforcement officials arrested seven people accused of interrupting proceedings in the Montana Capitol on Monday to protest the silencing …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Disneyland’s fire-breathing Maleficent dragon burst into flames mid-show

A fire broke out in California’s Disneyland on April 22 when a large dragon prop burst into flames during the popular 'Fantasmic!' show. (Video: Veronica Marie) Veronica Marie’s last day at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., had already been memorable. Her 21 family members — a troop of kids and adults …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Tennessee lawmaker resigns after violating harassment policy

On Thursday morning, Tennessee state Rep. Scotty Campbell (R) was walking to the Capitol in Nashville when a reporter stopped him to ask about allegations of harassment brought against him by an intern. Campbell told NewsChannel 5 he “had consensual, adult conversations with two adults off property.” Six hours later, …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Montana Republicans misgender trans lawmaker in letter calling for civility

Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D) said “this body should be ashamed” April 18 while speaking against a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for minors. (Video: Montana Public Affairs Network) “If you vote yes on this bill, I hope the next time there’s an invocation, when you bow your …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

What to know about the shooting of Ralph Yarl, who went to the wrong house

What to know about the shooting of Ralph Yarl, who went to the wrong house Ralph Yarl, the teenager a White man shot on his doorstep in Kansas City, Mo. (Family photo/AP) The shooting of a Black teen who arrived at the wrong house in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

A ‘Love is Blind’ live reunion was hyped for weeks, only to be delayed

The following story contains spoilers about this season of “Love is Blind.” After last week’s episode aired, fans were left itching for the next installment — and then an apparent streaming meltdown on Sunday got in the way, leading to delays and lots of angry tweets. We’re not talking about …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Did you give up on the ‘Love Is Blind’ reunion? Here’s a recap.

While the streaming giant said its live reunion on Sunday would answer fans’ most pressing questions and live up to the hype of serving piping-hot tea, the anticipated event resulted in a meltdown. The show wound up being taped instead of live-streamed after apparent technical problems led to a major …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Perspective | Removing Black lawmakers from office has a long, sordid history

The racial optics of removing two young Black men from office were glaring, in a legislature whose White Republican supermajority has thrived on voter suppression, disenfranchisement and gerrymandering, and which employed arbitrary rules to silence these lawmakers on the statehouse floor. Gloria Johnson, a third lawmaker who faced removal but …
By David A. Love
• Washington Post

She died in a Pa. chocolate factory explosion. Her family wants answers.

On March 24, the smell of gas allegedly began to permeate a chocolate factory in West Reading, Pa. Though employees raised concerns about a potential gas leak, they were told to continue working, according to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed Tuesday by one of the workers’ families. Around 5 p.m. that …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post

Congressional Black Caucus holds emergency meeting after Tenn. expulsions

Rep. Andrew Farmer (R) referred to Rep. Justin Pearson’s (D) gun control protest as a “temper tantrum” before a vote to expel Pearson from his seat on April 6. (Video: Tennessee House of Representatives) Just 30 minutes after Thursday’s contentious expulsion proceedings in Tennessee ended, more than 100 state and …
By María Luisa Paúl
• Washington Post