Our
Investigations

Lithium Liabilities

Federal officials are investing billions of dollars to increase domestic mining for lithium, the critical mineral used to power electric vehicles, computers and even military technology. The goal is to decrease reliance on foreign countries.

The new push for American lithium is working, but at the risk of another critical natural resource: water.

In the Sheriff We Trust

The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, which teaches that elected sheriffs must “protect their citizens from the overreach of an out-of-control federal government” by refusing to enforce any law they deem unconstitutional or unjust, has been expanding across the U.S.

Gaslit

U.S. oil and gas companies have burned off at least 3.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas over much of the last decade, while unknown amounts of the methane-rich gas have flowed directly into the atmosphere.

little victims everywhere

The federal government is responsible for investigating and prosecuting child sexual abuse in Indian Country. But not until the last decade has it been required to publicly disclose what happens to those cases — disclosures that suggest many are falling through the cracks.

Caring for COVID’s Invisible Victims

The CARES Act included $4 billion to protect homeless people during the COVID-19 pandemic and a chance to reimagine how America cares for its most vulnerable.

COVID's Invisible Victims

COVID’s Invisible Victims

Homeless people are one of the most vulnerable populations in the coronavirus pandemic, yet they’re largely invisible victims of the crisis. Very little is known about how they’re faring, in part because the Department of Housing and Urban Development …

Operation Agent Touch

Homeland Security Investigations, a division of ICE, describes human trafficking as a “top investigative priority.” But its handling of recent sex-trafficking investigations in Arizona and beyond has raised questions about the agency’s undercover techniques.

Homeland Secrets

Homeland Secrets

Federal law enforcement shootings have escaped the kind of scrutiny that gave rise to the local policing reforms of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Experts say that’s no accident: Federal agencies are not transparent, making public oversight difficult.

Other Howard Center Stories

New battlefield of online sexual exploitation: Gaming platforms popular with children

Gianna Montiel

Cronkite News

How San Antonio Police lost a bullet tied to the shooting death of a baby

Xavier Brathwaite

Texas Observer, Cronkite News

Low staffing, space crunch hobble state museum’s Native American repatriation work at UArizona

Reagan Priest and Christopher Lomahquahu

Cronkite News, ICT News

Misplaced artifacts, inaccurate inventories and 2% of Native American remains returned to tribes: Inside ASU’s repatriation record

Sam Ellefson and Aspen Ford

Cronkite News, ICT News

Theme parks, private planes and Paris: The leadership PAC loophole

Lillie Boudreaux and Mason Ald

Cronkite News, Scripps News

Arizona dental board fails to protect public, hold dentists accountable

Albert Serna Jr., Caitlin Thompson and Morgan Casey

Cronkite News

Mixed record for Phoenix police’s 12 community boards meant to build trust with marginalized groups

Adrienne Washington and Shelby Rae Wills

Cronkite News

Navajo Nation’s COVID-19 curfews saddled hundreds with citations, netted no money for police, news investigation finds

Noel Lyn Smith

Cronkite News

Arizona’s defunct border wall leaves trail of runaway costs, error-filled invoices and questions about state’s oversight

Alex Appel, Joshua Shimkus and Francesca D’Annunzio

Cronkite News

Phoenix’s neighborhood planning boards lean on members with ties to real estate industry

Jordan Gerard, TJ L’Heureux, Emma Peterson and Anisa Shabir

Cronkite News

With no ethics board, Phoenix residents who file complaints face obstacles, silence and secrecy

TJ L’Heureux, Jordan Gerard, Emma Peterson and Anisa Shabir

Cronkite News

States struggle with pushback after wave of policing reforms

Denise Lavoie, Tatyana Monnay and Juliette Rihl

The Associated Press

Front Natures Capitol

Despite state law, marijuana still banned in subsidized housing in Arizona

Juliette Rihl, Arlyssa Becenti, Jonmaesha Beltran and Katie Donnelly

Cronkite News; AZ PBS

Gould State Capitol

New Arizona law on sealing criminal records may help some renters, but there are limitations

By Tyler Dedrick, Rachel Konieczny, Brooke Alexandra Manning and Elena Santa Cruz

Cronkite News; AZ PBS

Public housing has been privatized in some Arizona cities

Mikey Galo, Isza Amponin Zerrudo, Shahid Meighan and Taylor Bayly

Cronkite News; AZ PBS

Private Landlords

Private landlords have become the key to subsidized housing

By Reagan Creamer, Tirzah Christopher, James Doyle Brown, Jr. and Caralin Nunes

Cronkite News; AZ PBS

Arizona housing authorities' strict criminal background checks often bar people who need a second chance

By Taylor Stevens, Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Lisa Patel, Nathan Collins and Juliette Rihl

Publisher: Cronkite News

Phoenix police keep tabs on social media, but who keeps tabs on cops?

By Nicole Sadek, Laura Kraegel, Jimmy Cloutier, and Michael McDaniel

Cronkite News; AZ PBS

Arizona law enforcement struggle to halt deadly street racing

By Zoha Tunio, Aydalí Campa, Sarah Suwalsky, and Kenneth Quayle

Cronkite News; AZ PBS

Travel nurses, staffing industry pushed to the limits by COVID

By Mollie Jamison, Rylee Kirk, Izzy Koyama, Maya Leachman and Isaac Stone Simonelli

Cronkite News; AZ PBS

‘This is the way we have always done it’: Phoenix Scottish Rite audit leads to 18-month police investigation

By Andy Blye, Molly Bohannon, and Natalie Walters

Arizona Republic

Nationwide Insurance bought one of the state’s most valuable parcels of land in Scottsdale

By Katie Surma, Anne Mickey, and Jamie Fields

Arizona Republic

Pedestrians die every 90 minutes in the U.S., and low-income areas are hurt most

By Arren Kimbel-Sannit, Derek Hall, Lindsay Walker, and Kailey Broussard

PBS Newshour; LA Times