Hard Reset

What it’s like to be doxxed, systemic problems with American courts and why journalism is like an immune system.

This is BigIfTrue.org’s last episode of Hard Reset. Thank you for listening, and keep up with our reporting by subscribing to our newsletter at BigIfTrue.org/hardreset.

On this week’s show, we spoke with Will Bedwell, housing attorney for the Mississippi Center for Justice. Since last year, the nonprofit law firm has seen a surge of evictions in Mississippi, which has some of the least tenant-friendly laws in the country.

Also: What steps should you take if you get an eviction notice?

During the pandemic, many criminal courts moved at a glacial pace. Now some courts are facing backlogs that public defenders worry will further delay trials for their clients. We spoke with Jana Hayes, who wrote about this issue recently for Big If True.

Also: Deepfakes and how Trump could return to social media

During the covid vaccine rollout, Americans have relied on state and federal websites to get vital information and sign up for the vaccine. But Kaiser Health News reported recently that millions of people with visual impairments have had trouble accessing the sites and getting vaccine appointments. We spoke with Lauren Weber, a Midwest correspondent for Kaiser Health News and one of the reporters behind the story.

Also on the show: Millions of families are behind on their rent, placing a high demand on legal aid programs that provide free legal services to low-income Americans.

On this week's episode, Justin talks about what it was like on the ground in Houston during a brutal winter storm that left many Texans without electricity and water. Also: What makes Texas' grid different from those in other states and the optics of Sen. Ted Cruz leaving the state during the emergency.

Billions of dollars in federal aid were reserved to help hospitals financially survive the pandemic, but in some cases, funds went to the wrong owner or were never spent. We spoke with reporter Brianna Bailey of The Frontier, who recently reported on some of the issues that came up when this aid was rolled out in Oklahoma.

Also: How Congress has responded to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s previous support for extremist views and conspiracy theories.

On this week’s show, we discuss some of President Joe Biden’s first executive orders and his administration’s plan for distributing the covid vaccine. Also: We spoke with reporter Emma Castleberry about how the pandemic has worsened workforce shortages in the health care industry.

On this week’s show, we talked about last week’s assault on the US Capitol, the police response to the riot and Twitter banning President Donald Trump. Also, we spoke with Jeremy Martin, who recently wrote about how certain evictions will be blocked through the end of January.

This semester, schools have relied on virtual learning as the pandemic disrupted traditional classes. We spoke with freelance reporter and former teacher Ben Luschen about why distance learning is here to stay and how students and teachers have adapted.

Also on the show: In October, when 21-year-old Kevin Peterson Jr. was killed by Clark County deputies in Vancouver, Washington, he was carrying a gun. We discuss recent reports that the firearm was originally owned by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office in Portland.

Plus: The New York Times’ “Caliphate” podcast has been discredited. So why haven’t they removed the episodes that have proven to be false?

Mollie and Justin talk about podcasts, why our listening habits have changed this year and how what’s in the news plays out in our lives.

Donate here to help us reach our goal to raise $1,500 to cover Big If True's reporting costs.