From the threat posed by far-right terrorism, to a Pentagon “Zbellion” war game, here’s some of our best national security reporting of 2020.
In buried report, U.S. government admits major failures in confronting domestic terrorism. interc.pt/3n2TreK
The FBI has long pursued advanced technological tools to rapidly predict crime and locate potential suspects. The bureau's embrace of powerful mass location data through a firm such as Venntel represents a potential new era. interc.pt/3aWAsjn
Documents obtained by The Intercept this summer revealed that a Pentagon war game offered a scenario in which members of Generation Z, driven by malaise and discontent, launch a “Zbellion” in America in the mid-2020s. interc.pt/3o5TCHc
A U.S.-backed militia that kills children may be America’s exit strategy from its longest war. interc.pt/3n1e5vK
“I would be scared to send my kid to Fort Hood.”
Noncommissioned officers at the troubled base say they have little faith that military or congressional reviews will change the toxic leadership culture. interc.pt/2X1K1Fv
The FBI has been reluctant to label many attacks by far-right figures as terrorism.
After Stephen Paddock killed 58 people in Las Vegas in 2017, the FBI said he had no political motives. The evidence demands a second look. interc.pt/3n3NAFU
The unprecedented and illegal campaign to eliminate Julian Assange. interc.pt/395kqBt
Secret Iranian spy cables show how Qassim Suleimani wielded his enormous power in Iraq. interc.pt/2MfG8L2
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The coronavirus pandemic exacerbated racial and class inequalities, and put a spotlight on a system that deems some lives essential and others expendable. Here's how we covered a pandemic that has claimed over 344 thousand lives in the U.S.
In March, @fastlerner and @lhfang exposed how a coronavirus treatment developed by Gilead Sciences was granted “rare disease” status, potentially limiting its affordability. Days later, Gilead asked the FDA to rescind the drug's special status. interc.pt/35200I2
Two weeks as a New York City nurse in the coronavirus pandemic:
“I just can’t help but think that being a collective force of primarily women — many immigrant, many women of color ... that our lives are somehow expendable.”
From sophisticated electronic surveillance against American protesters, to Zoom’s “fuzzy” encryption claims, 2020 was a big year for technology reporting at The Intercept. Here are some of our highlights.
An internal presentation at Facebook discussed the “benefits” of “content control,” and offered one example of a topic employers might find useful to blacklist: the word “unionize.” interc.pt/3mXl5K0
Internal TikTok moderation documents made public by The Intercept revealed that the China-based social media company censored various forms of political speech, and instructed moderators to suppress posts by “ugly” people and the poor to attract new users. interc.pt/384xWWu
Here's a look back at some of our best politics reporting of the year.
The corruption and politicization of the Department of Justice under William Barr is complete. It will take a generation to reestablish its credibility and independence, writes James Risen. interc.pt/382M2I4
Following an abrupt reversal by Trump, Chinese telecom giant ZTE’s path back into business remained shrouded in mystery. An Intercept investigation reveals some missing pieces — centering on Eric Branstad, the son of Trump's ex-ambassador to China. interc.pt/3aXUVEz
As 2020 comes to a close, we're taking a look back at some of our best reporting on the environment.
The American landscape has become 48 times more toxic to insects since the 1990s, a shift largely fueled by rising use of neonicotinoid insecticides.
Banned in the EU, a sophisticated information war has kept these insecticides on the U.S. market. interc.pt/38OBYBv
Amid California's severe wildfires, grape growers in Sonoma County got exemptions to send in farmworkers who have few alternatives or options for support into fire evacuation zones. interc.pt/2MpcaED
Argentina, South Africa, Brazil, and Turkey — all countries that hosted vaccine trials — will have to be satisfied with Pfizer’s gratitude, because (like most countries in the world) they won’t be receiving enough of the vaccine to inoculate their populations anytime soon.
Meanwhile, the U.S. and Germany — along with Canada and the rest of the European Union — have contracted for enough doses of various Covid-19 vaccines to inoculate their populations several times over.