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ProPublica
Al Shaw is a news applications developer for ProPublica.
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Al Shaw
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FROM Al Shaw
To the Point
America's fourth-largest city is drowning Friday evening, Hurricane Harvey hit Rockport, Texas with 130 mile-an-hour winds, essentially destroying a city of 10,000 people. Since then, the storm was downgraded, but it moved East to the city of Houston, where it’s been hovering since — dropping more rain than Houston has ever seen before — creating 5500 refugees already. Thousands have been rescued with thousands more still at risk as first responders are being sent in from other parts of the country. As if record-breaking rainfall wasn’t enough, massive releases are needed from two giant reservoirs — even though they’ll make flooding worse. We update an unprecedented disaster due in part to the failure of long-term planning.
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To the Point
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.