The Takeaway

Judges in Wisconsin and Georgia Approve Mass Voter Roll Purges

Hundreds of thousands of voters could soon be ineligible to vote in Wisconsin and Georgia. 

The World's Largest Democracy Is Protesting

Anger over a new citizenship law that would endanger Muslims in India is causing mass unrest. 

Tenants Left in a State of Precarity as Mysterious Shell Companies Buy Millions of Homes

Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting is now suing to determine who owns all these homes.

Federal Government to Crack Down on Robocalls

Americans received more than 5 billion robocalls in November alone, according to the robocall blocking app YouCall.

"Richard Jewell" and Female Journalists in Hollywood

The new film is coming under fire for its portrayal of real-life reporter Kathy Scruggs. 

What Trump's Executive Order Means for Anti-Semitism in the U.S.

Last Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aiming to curb anti-semitism in the U.S.

Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party Win Big In U.K. General Election

The Conservative Party had a landslide victory in the U.K.'s general election last week.

Arrest of a Journalist and Activist Raises Concerns of Free Speech Crackdown in Nigeria

Omoyele Sowore was re-arrested on December 6 by Nigerian security forces, less than a day after making bail.

This week, Nick Fandos joined Politics with Amy Walter to share the latest about the House's impeachment vote. But while the national media has been saturated with impeachment, Democratic candidates are focused on Iowa, where voters will cast their ballots in the new year. Tiffany Muller, President and Executive Director of End Citizens United and Michael McAdams, National Press Secretary of the National Republican Congressional Committee, weigh in on how the two parties vision impeachment playing out in 2020 and the messages they're relaying to their separate bases. 

Also, The Washington Post's Heather Long discusses why it's rare to hear about the loss of administrative jobs that were primarily held by women. The president of the Voter Participation Center, Page Gardner, explains why presidential candidates should harness the voting power of unmarried women.

 A Look at the Toxic Company Culture at Away

The luggage and lifestyle brand is just the latest millennial tech company to be called out for its cutthroat work culture.

Racial Discrimination in the World of Banking

The New York Times has published audio recordings of a former NFL player being discriminated against at a JPMorgan branch. 

Why Defrauded Students Still Can't Get Debt Relief

Tens of thousands of students across the country have been defrauded by for-profit colleges.

USMCA to Become the New NAFTA

The governments of the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, announced the passing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in Mexico City on Tuesday.

The High Costs of Rising Seas

Last Wednesday, officials in the Florida Keys said it might be too expensive to protect some of the island from rising seas brought by climate change. 

Russia Banned from International Sports Competitions for Four Years

On Monday, the World Anti-Doping Agency barred Russia from competing in the 2020 summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, among other major sporting events.

Dollar Stores Continue to Boom as More Cities Implement Measures to Prevent Further Developments

Forth Worth, Texas, has become the most recent city to pass an ordinance that will limit the number of dollar stores that can be developed. 

Explosive Investigation Shows U.S. Officials Mislead the Public About "Unwinnable" War In Afghanistan for Years 

Since 2001, U.S. officials have been misleading the public with a public charade of a successful war effort, but behind the scenes, a different story was playing out. 

Should Foster Care Be Reduced, Or Reformed?

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, last year the number of children in foster care decreased for the first time since 2011.

House Judiciary Chair Announces Articles of Impeachment

The charges are twofold: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

by José Olivares

A warning to listeners: some of the audio in this story is disturbing and hard to listen to.

An exclusive Takeaway and The Intercept investigation shows that correctional staff at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center skirted rules when dealing with a migrant with mental illness. The detainee, a 40-year-old undocumented Mexican migrant, killed himself after spending 21 days in solitary confinement in July 2018.

The investigation shows that correctional staff at the Stewart Detention Center did not follow the ICE national detention standards during the classification process, the disciplinary process and even on the night he killed himself.

The migrant, Efraín Romero de la Rosa, took his own life at the Stewart Detention Facility in Georgia, which is run by the private corrections company CoreCivic. He had been previously diagnosed with schizophrenia.

While in ICE custody, Efraín was placed in solitary confinement for 15 days, was later placed on suicide watch and, separately, spent time at a mental health institution for over a month. On his return to Stewart to continue immigration proceedings, correctional staff neglected to recognize his mental illness and classify him accordingly.

Staff had noted his fixation on death, repeatedly telling staff he would "die three terrible deaths," and telling other detainees he was a "prophet."

Yet, CoreCivic's correctional staff sent Efraín to solitary confinement for 30 days. None of the disciplinary records released by CoreCivic in response to courtroom discovery demands and provided by family attorney Andrew Free make mention of his worsening mental illness.

The Takeaway and The Intercept accessed hundreds of pages of records, photos, audio with witnesses and correctional staff, and 18 hours of security footage from within the facility.

Efraín’s story helps the public gain insight at the tangled and opaque world of ICE detention. As the Trump Administration continues to round up migrants at an increasing pace, more people diagnosed with mental illness will inevitably be placed in ICE detention.

You can listen to the entire investigation by clicking "play" above.

You can read the detailed investigation on The Intercept here.

A special thank you to Cindi Kim, Associate General Counsel at New York Public Radio. For The Takeaway, Deidre Depke, Ellen Frankman, Lee Hill, Arwa Gunja and Jim Schachter edited; Jay Cowit sound designed and composed the score.

For The Intercept, Ali Gharib edited the story, Ariel Zambelich was the visual designer, and Travis Mannon and Lauren Feeney made the accompanying film.

The road to the White House is rarely a linear path. That was abundantly clear this week when Senator Kamala Harris announced that she was suspending her campaign. The announcement came as a surprise to many because at the time of launch, Senator Harris was one to watch. Political reporters Darren Sands, Laura Barron-Lopez, and Maya King join us to discuss the end of her campaign and what challenges the Democratic Party faces in putting forth the best candidate. 

Also, Congressman Krishnamoorthi provides an update on the impeachment inquiry. Finally, Caitlin Zaloom and Alia Wong describe how college went from being accessible to burdensome and expensive. 

A New Trump Rule Could Cut Food Stamp Benefits for 700,000

The Trump administration announced a series of rule changes last year, and on Wednesday, the final rule was announced. 

How Does Mississippi Felony Voting Rights Compare to the Rest of the Country?

Nearly one of every 10 adults in Mississippi has been convicted of a felony and lost the right to vote.

The Double Standard In How The Media Covers 2020 Democratic Candidates

How the media helped shape which candidates made it this far... and who didn't.

Consulting Firm McKinsey & Company Aided ICE to Implement Trump Administration's Immigration Policies

A new investigation examines how the global consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, helped ICE carry out President Trump's immigration policies. 

Northwestern University Student Paper Sparks Debate About Student and Professional Journalism

Recent events at Northwestern University have sparked a debate about student journalism.