Investigations

Rice's whales are one of the most recently discovered whale species in the world — and already one of the most endangered. But protections for the Gulf of Mexico species have been repeatedly delayed. KL Murphy for NPR hide caption

The federal prison complex in Thomson, Ill. Charles Rex Arbogast/AP hide caption

Army veteran Ray Queen stands with his wife, Rebecca Queen, outside their home in Bartlesville, Okla. An NPR investigation has found that thousands of U.S. military service members and veterans, including the Queen family, are at risk of losing their homes through no fault of their own. Michael Noble Jr. for NPR hide caption

The Aurora ICE Processing Center in Colorado currently holds more than 600 immigrant detainees on behalf of the federal government. The facility is operated by GEO Group, a for-profit government contractor. David Zalubowski/AP hide caption

A photo of Jeffrey Ramirez is seen at his parents' home in Vista, California. He was diagnosed with cancer while in prison and died at age 41. Ariana Drehsler for NPR hide caption

Justin Kasieta, who is 22 now, was just 13 when his father died and he was thrust into a role looking after his four younger siblings. In college, he interned in the state legislature and the U.S. Congress. Benjamin Levitt hide caption

Horseshoe crabs are bled alive at a facility in Charleston, S.C., in June 2014. Ariane Müller hide caption

A car plastered in stickers reading "Trump Won" drives through Coos Bay, Ore. Wesley Lapointe for NPR hide caption

Horseshoe crabs are bled at a facility in Charleston, S.C., in June 2014. Ariane Müller hide caption

Cleta Mitchell speaks at a conference in Camp Hill, Pa., on April 1, 2022. The influential conservative attorney helped former President Donald Trump as he sought to overturn the 2020 election. She's now working to dismantle ERIC. Matt Rourke/AP hide caption

The Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, has for years operated as a bipartisan success story in election administration. But since early 2022, the far right has targeted ERIC, fracturing a partnership that had 32 member states at its height. Eight states where Republicans oversee voting have so far pulled out. Glenn Harvey for NPR hide caption

A former Virginia Department of Corrections employee donated hundreds of execution documents, including these photographs, to the Library of Virginia more than a decade ago. NPR is now exclusively publishing a selection of the documents. Library of Virginia, Chiara Eisner and Monika Evstatieva/NPR hide caption

Delores Lowery was diagnosed with diabetes in 2016. Her home in Marlboro County, S.C., is at the heart of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls the Diabetes Belt. Nick McMillan/NPR hide caption

For some with disabilities, the pandemic raised fears that they couldn't get medical care they need. Now, groups are saying California's assisted suicide law also devalues their lives, and they have filed a lawsuit. Fanatic Studio / Gary Waters via Getty Images hide caption

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpls. Chris Covington (left) and Carlos Gomez Perez recover from shrapnel and bullet wounds on April 27, 2004, after Iraqi insurgents attacked near Fallujah, Iraq. Just two weeks earlier, Covington and Gomez Perez helped evacuate wounded Marines and soldiers after a deadly explosion rocked a schoolhouse in Fallujah. Scott Peterson/Getty Images hide caption

Former Solicitor General Ted Olson (second from left) sits with Bush administration lawyers during the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on Guantánamo detainees on July 11, 2006, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Tim Sloan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

A selection of the 1000 people who have been charged for the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in 2021. Getty Images and Department of Justice hide caption