NEW in Bolts: Hawaii justices ruled that their state constitution requires police to record interrogations. And they vowed to protect due process for Hawaiians—unlike, they said, the Roberts Court.

Did you know we have a newsletter? Every week, we keep you updated on local politics, criminal justice, and voting rights across the country. Sign up for free: boltsmag.org/newslet...

In case you missed it: We asked readers for questions about solitary confinement in prison and then invited two incarcerated writers to answer them. It’s a moving and wide-ranging Q&A that’s worth your time. Very proud to see this one published. boltsmag.org/designed-to-...

“Isolating people inside a small, closet-like cell for weeks, months, and even years on end remains common inside this country’s prisons and jails, even though the United Nations defines the practice as torture.” boltsmag.org/designed-to-...

Missourians have repeatedly used ballot initiatives to adopt policies that lawmakers in the GOP supermajority refuse to move on: abortion rights, paid sick leave, Medicaid expansion. In response, Missouri Republicans are attempting to make direct democracy impossible: boltsmag.org/missouri-ame...

Thank you to people who are supporting us in recent days! We hope to build a strong and sustainable base at Bolts, so do come on board if you want to support us: boltsmag.org/donate

"“They thought we were just white trash rednecks & that we would just roll over & take it & not say anything." Remarkable new feature by @laurengill.bsky.social about the doubts & resistance that Sarah Huckabee Sanders' mega prison project has spurred in rural Arkansas: boltsmag.org/arkansas-pri...

This is a really compelling deep dive by @laurengill.bsky.social. Don’t miss it!

JUST IN: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has easily advanced to the November general election, where she'll face challenger Josh Kraft. And in Virginia, Democrats retain a congressional seat: James Walkinshaw has won the special election to replace Gerry Connolly, by a wide margin.

NEW: Trump this week issued an order to withhold federal funds from cities & states that restrict the use of cash bail. Illinois has fully ended cash bail, & Chicago's public defender responds to Trump: 'this is tyranny 101." He explains why cash bail was a disaster. Well worth reading:

Stories like these deserve your attention. The best way to keep up with reporting from Bolts on prisons and criminal justice is to sign up for our weekly newsletter: boltsmag.org/newsletter/

A really fascinating new story from Alex on a ballot measure to restrict absentee voting in Maine:

We're finishing up our weekly newsletter at @boltsmag.org. It's full of info on: today's elections, latest on redistricting, homelessness sweeps, DA races, voting rights restoration, prison reforms... If you want to follow local politics & policy, you should be on this! boltsmag.org/newsletter

Follow @taniel.bsky.social to see results as they come in. His full breakdown of elections to watch this month is here: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the.... You can also follow @boltsmag.org on Flipboard: flipboard.com/@BoltsMag

Tucson enacted a series of camping bans in response to a state law that pushes cities to criminalize homelessness & punishes those that don't. That pressure also came to the fore South Tucson: leaders were targeted in a failed recall attempt for their work with a local soup kitchen

PSA for journalists who cover crim justice, or anyone else who may work or care about prosecutor elections: On top of reporting a preview of all DA races happening this fall, we also published a database of all counties-cities that are having an election this fall, & everyone who's running:

Wild situation in New Orleans: The Democratic city council is trying to legalize live facial recognition surveillance technology. They say it can't be used for immigration enforcement - but state Republicans just passed a law criminalizing official non-cooperation w ICE boltsmag.org/new-orleans-...

Exciting to see that @boltsmag.org is now verified on here! If you care about local politics, voting rights and criminal justice, we are worth following! ✨

👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 Blackwell and Harris, who are incarcerated in Washington state and Texas, respectively, co-authored the book ***Blackwell and Harris have agreed to answer questions from Bolts readers about their new book and the experience of writing it*** Submit by 8/27 boltsmag.org/solitary-con...

As part of our ongoing series “Ask Bolts,” we invited two incarcerated writers who have co-authored a new book on solitary confinement to answer your questions. Want to know more about solitary or their experience of writing this book? Share your questions with us: boltsmag.org/solitary-con...

🚨 We want to hear from you! Two writers who are currently in prison (in TX & WA) wrote a new book on solitary confinement — a torturous practices they've both experienced. And they've agreed to respond to some of your questions about solitary & their writing. Let us know what you want to know:

As federal authorities sweep homeless encampments in D.C. , I want to resurface the reporting we @propublica.org did last year on the possessions people lose, which include the things they need to survive: projects.propublica.org/homeless-enc...

📬 If you care about local and state politics, criminal justice, and voting rights, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. It's free and full of in-depth information. ➡️ boltsmag.org/newslet...

If you’re on @flipboard.com, check out our new @boltsmag.org storyboard. It features all of our recent coverage on state redistricting. flipboard.com/@boltsmag/ho...

I so appreciate all our readers & all the kind messages we get about our work at @boltsmag.org. As a reminder, we're a nonprofit independent newsroom & we thrive on your support. Consider becoming a subscriber! boltsmag.org/donate And sign-up for our newsletter!! It's free boltsmag.org/newsletter

Our friends at @boltsmag.org ran this great recap of Seattle's democracy voucher program, which gives residents $100 to donate to candidates of their choice. We are proud to republish the story today. prospect.org/politics/202...

So great to see this story in the Alabama Reflector ⬇️

My newest piece at @boltsmag.org is all about the democracy voucher program, the first of its kind, that just got renewed here in Seattle. A workgroup will be convened early next year to start looking at possible improvements, especially to the independent expenditure issue.

We asked readers for questions on the latest gerrymandering efforts in Texas and then invited a redistricting expert to provide some answers. Don’t miss this Q&A, its a full of interesting insights: boltsmag.org/a-new-cycle-...

Texas Republicans are expected to pass a new congressional map, with big potential consequences for Congress + TX communities of color. We invited a redistricting expert to answer questions from you all. ➡️ Share your questions below! Nothing is too in the weeds! boltsmag.org/another-texa...

NEW: The FCC blocked Biden-era limits on the exorbitant rates and fees charged by prison telecom companies, leaving incarcerated people and their families to fight for state-level reforms. boltsmag.org/north-c...

NEW: Congress is poised to pour tens of billions of dollars into more immigration detention, private jails, and border operations, plus new ICE partnerships with local police and sheriffs. boltsmag.org/how-the...

FINAL RESULT of the New York City election: Mamdani: 56.0%. 545,334 votes (+99069 over first-round). Cuomo: 44.0%, 428,530 votes (+53493 over first-round). Mamdani wins by 12 percentage points.

Folks, if you're enjoying my posts on NY results, and/or are using our Bolts guide... ... all I ask is: consider signing up for our newsletter! boltsmag.org/newsletter It's just once a week. It's free. You can unsubscribe anytime if it's not for you. And you'll learn a ton about local politics!

So excited to be joining this incredibly talented team!

Thrilled to work with such amazing colleagues. @hechingerreport.org won 6 of 17 categories at the @edwriters.bsky.social 2024 awards! 🥂 to @jackiemader.bsky.social @lizhech.bsky.social @sarahbutro.bsky.social @jonmarcusboston.bsky.social and...

If you haven’t yet seen this tracker on the latest federal policies affecting education, check it out! We update this regularly:

Reporters from @apnews.com, @hechingerreport.org and @al.com reached out to more than 50 school districts this spring to find out how Trump’s new immigration policies are impacting schools. Absenteeism and withdrawals could reshape local districts. Gift link: www.al.com/educationlab...

If the flurry of changes in New Zealand manages to move the needle on math achievement, its success is likely to reverberate far beyond its borders. Listen to our deputy managing editor, @casamuels.bsky.social, discuss her reporting on math instruction in New Zealand.

Were you a part of #Americorps? Did you volunteer in a school? Write me: [email protected] or NirviShah.14 on Signal

Miro, a 17-year-old high school senior living in Dubai, has dreamed of studying at an American college for as long as he can remember. But after learning of the detention of international students, he decided “I just don't feel safe going to the U.S. right now.” www.teenvogue.com/story/trump-...

Jill has been doing incredible work covering the effects of federal funding cuts on education research ⬇️

ERIC, the online library of education research, went dark last week. It has come back to life, @jillbarshay.bsky.social reports for @hechingerreport.org hechingerreport.org/proof-points...

It was great to help @lindakwert.bsky.social with this piece on two education-related Supreme Court cases that will be heard this month -- both have far reaching consequences for public education (and one is based in my kid's school district 😬)

Maine could lose its federal education $ over a transgender athlete; Illinois canceled a scholarship program that considered race; the Air Force Academy ended race- and gender-based preferences in admissions... hechingerreport.org/tracking-tru... via @hechingerreport.org

The dispute raises questions that school districts increasingly must grapple with as wildfires and other extreme weather events become more common because of climate change: What does a school district owe its neighbors after a major disaster? hechingerreport.org/after-the-wi...

USDA $$ for Maine schools being withheld. Diplomats searching social media of student visa applicants. Federal research $$ to Princeton being suspended. Head Start offices closing. More in @hechingerreport.org -- tracking Trump and his actions on education hechingerreport.org/tracking-tru...

Hours after we published this story on our site we received news that staffers in five of Head Start's 10 regional offices were put on leave. We're trying to track the on-the-ground implications -- please email me at [email protected] or Signal cas.37 hechingerreport.org/head-start-i...

At least 55 child care centers were closed when Hurricane Helene flooded Western North Carolina and caused more than $59 billion in damages. Now, communities in the region are battling wildfires that have burned more than 6,000 acres in the past week. hechingerreport.org/when-a-hurri...