Investigations Read the latest from NPR's investigative team. If you have solid tips or documents on stories we should probe, please send them to us.

Investigations

A guard tower and prison yard at the Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Ill., in 2009. There have been eight deaths at Thomson since 2019, making the facility one of the deadliest federal prisons in the country. David Greedy/Getty Images hide caption

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David Greedy/Getty Images

Kaitlyn Arland drives in her car in Junction City, Kan. Two years ago, when she tried to buy her first car, the dealership called her back and demanded she sign a new deal with a higher down payment after she had taken the car home. This tactic is often referred to as a yo-yo deal. Arin Yoon for NPR hide caption

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Arin Yoon for NPR

Even after you think you bought a car, dealerships can 'yo-yo' you and take it back

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Majid Khan, a 42-year-old Pakistani man, was released from the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, on Thursday. Pictured here in 2022, he was sent to Belize after suing for unlawful imprisonment. Center for Constitutional Rights hide caption

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Center for Constitutional Rights

A Guantánamo inmate was released to Belize after suing for wrongful imprisonment

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An employee examines a vanadium flow battery stack in the Battery Reliability Test Laboratory at PNNL. Andrea Starr/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory hide caption

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Andrea Starr/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Congress tightens U.S. manufacturing rules after battery technology ends up in China

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Wilbert Lee Evans (left) and Alton Waye were executed in 1990 and 1989. NPR obtained tapes that recorded their deaths. You can hear them below. Library of Virginia hide caption

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Library of Virginia

NPR uncovered secret execution tapes from Virginia. More remain hidden

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"No one understands it," says Sylvia Cunningham of how she and her husband, Brandon, holding Braxton, 2, got three of their children returned from foster care, including daughter Jordan, 17 (at left), but a court allowed one son to be placed for adoption because the Cunninghams had failed to pay part of the bill for foster care. Phyllis B. Dooney for NPR hide caption

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Phyllis B. Dooney for NPR

In some states, an unpaid foster care bill could mean parents lose their kids forever

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An NPR analysis of data released Jan. 8 by the Small Business Administration shows the vast majority of Paycheck Protection Program loans have been forgiven, despite rampant fraud in the program. Getty Images/Mark Harris for NPR hide caption

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Getty Images/Mark Harris for NPR

How the Paycheck Protection Program went from good intentions to a huge free-for-all

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Oleksandr Breus, a Ukrainian and onetime French legionnaire, was killed next to his car during the Russian invasion. Oleksandr Holod, who says he witnessed it from his window, describes events as he rides his bike past the charred remains of the vehicle near Nova Basan, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine on June 28. Carol Guzy for NPR hide caption

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Carol Guzy for NPR

There have been 50,000 alleged war crimes in Ukraine. We worked to solve one

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The detention center on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana, where at least three people have died since 2016. Congress is now directing a federal watchdog to examine the Bureau of Indian Affairs' tribal jails program. Tailyr Irvine for NPR hide caption

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Tailyr Irvine for NPR

A congressional report found financial technology companies, or fintechs, largely fueled PPP loan fraud. Bluevine, a fintech noted in the report, told NPR it adapted to threats of fraud better than other companies mentioned. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

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SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A congressional report says financial technology companies fueled rampant PPP fraud

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Clockwise from upper left: Holly Sox, Catarino Escobar, Frank Thompson, Bill Breeden, Craig Baxley and Ron McAndrew have all been affected by work related to executions. Sean Rayford, Emily Najera, Celeste Noche, Scott Langley and Octavio Jones for NPR hide caption

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Sean Rayford, Emily Najera, Celeste Noche, Scott Langley and Octavio Jones for NPR

Carrying out executions took a secret toll on workers — then changed their politics

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Voters cast their ballots on Election Day in Columbus, Ohio on Nov. 3, 2020. Several Democratic state lawmakers have proposed bills to make Election Day a holiday. Republican lawmakers are proposing similar legislation, some influenced by prominent election deniers. Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images hide caption

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Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images

Should voting day be a holiday? Some election deniers say yes

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Chicago police officers arrive at the scene of a May 19 mass shooting outside a McDonald's restaurant. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times hide caption

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Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

In Chicago, handguns turned into high-capacity machine guns fuel deadly violence

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FTC Chairperson Lina Khan, speaking at a Senate Committee hearing in 2021. Last week, the FTC moved closer to modernizing a rule that requires funeral businesses to provide prices to consumers when they visit or call. SAUL LOEB/AP hide caption

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SAUL LOEB/AP

In August, the conservative publisher Regnery abruptly recalled Dinesh D'Souza's election denial book 2,000 Mules from stores citing an unspecified "publishing error." NPR compared the recalled version of the book with the version that Regnery published this week. Willy Sanjuan/AP hide caption

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Willy Sanjuan/AP

Unwanted used plastic sits outside Garten Services, a recycling facility in Oregon. Laura Sullivan/NPR hide caption

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Laura Sullivan/NPR

Recycling plastic is practically impossible — and the problem is getting worse

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The FBI started investigating former UCLA student Christian Secor shortly after the Capitol riot. This surveillance photo of Secor is cited in the government's application for a search warrant. Department of Justice hide caption

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Department of Justice

A poll worker sanitizes ballot marking machines at an early voting location in Inglewood, Calif., on Oct. 29, 2020. The Los Angeles County district attorney alleges that the CEO of Konnech, which makes scheduling software for poll workers, improperly gave Chinese contractors access to sensitive employee data. Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Paycheck Protection Program was part of bipartisan COVID-19 Emergency Relief Framework and was designed to limit the impact of the pandemic on small businesses. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images hide caption

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Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

How PPP Loan Forgiveness Became a Messy Process with Limited Scrutiny

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A closed barbershop in Cleveland in May 2020. Small businesses were in limbo as the coronavirus outbreak raged and the first round of the government's multibillion-dollar Paycheck Protection Program drew to a close. Tony Dejak/AP hide caption

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Tony Dejak/AP

Virtually all PPP loans have been forgiven with limited scrutiny

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