A full list of my work for The New Republic can be found here. Below are some selected pieces.
Environmental features
Do You Know Where Your Healing Crystals Come From?
These spiritual stones purportedly help people connect with the Earth, but few sellers will say where on Earth their products are from. | The New Republic, May 2018
The Fight for the Right to Be Cremated by Water
"Aquamation," a greener form of body disposal, is gaining acceptance in America. But some powerful groups are fighting to stop it. | The New Republic, June 2018
America Is On The Verge Of Ratpocalypse
Warmer weather is fueling a rodent surge, straining public health systems and the economy. It's time for the federal government to step in. | The New Republic, August 2017
EPA scoops
The EPA’s Science Office Removed “Science” From Its Mission Statement
“The language changes here are not nuanced—they have really important regulatory implications.” | The New Republic, March 2017
Scott Pruitt Used a Military Helicopter to Visit a Coal Mine
Newly uncovered documents reveal what the EPA chief wanted to hide during his "State Action Tour" last summer. | The New Republic, May 2018
The EPA’s New Environmental Justice Adviser Has a Plutonium Problem
More than 40 people inhaled radioactive dust while working for a company whose vice president is now advising Scott Pruitt. | The New Republic, March 2018
Environmental policy
The Military Drinking Water Crisis the White House Tried to Hide
A new, previously suppressed report has grave implications for service members, veterans, and their families. | The New Republic, June 2018
The War on Science Is Over. The Republicans Won.
How the Trump administration made Texas Congressman Lamar Smith's dreams come true. | The New Republic, April 2018
The EPA Is Acting Like Big Tobacco
Administrator Scott Pruitt's new policy will quash research showing that pollution is bad for your health. |
The New Republic, April 2018
Food policy
The War on Soy Milk
For decades, dairy farmers have begged the government to crack down on plant-based milks. The Trump administration just might. | The New Republic, July 2018
Trump's Farmer Bailout and America's Broken Food System
The president's $12 billion plan to help those hurt by his trade war highlights the deep-rooted dysfunction of the U.S. agriculture industry. | The New Republic, July 2018
The Truth About the "Vegan Lobby"
It has long been demonized by conservatives—and even some vegans themselves—but does it really exist? | The New Republic, May 2018
Climate change
The Media's Failure to Connect the Dots on Climate Change
Why are some major news outlets still covering extreme weather like it's an act of God?. | The New Republic, July 2018
Climate Change Is Killing Us Right Now
The most obvious effect of global warming is not a doomsday scenario. Extreme heat is happening today, and wreaking havoc on vulnerable bodies. | The New Republic, July 2017
Climate Deniers Are Winning—and Getting Greedy
With Trump in the White House, an anti-environmental conference in D.C. should have been a celebration. Instead, there was fear and loathing. | The New Republic, March 2017
Science
Why Scientists Accused of Sexual Misconduct Can Still Get Government Grants
The U.S. government does not consider sexual harassment a form of scientific misconduct. Should it? | The New Republic, January 2018
What Language Experts Find So Strange About Donald Trump
Professional linguists say Trump is unlike other presidential candidates in almost every way in terms of his speech . | ThinkProgress, September 2015
Scientists Saved a Bear With Fish Skin—And Stumbled on a Game-Changing Idea
The story of California's rescued bears isn't just heartwarming. It's the beginning of a new way to think about burn treatment. | The New Republic, January 2018
Miscellaneous
Chipotle Warns It Might Stop Serving Guacamole If Climate Change Gets Worse
ThinkProgress, March 2014
Rural America’s Drinking-Water Crisis
The New Republic, February 2018
Florida's Poop Nightmare Has Come True
The New Republic, September 2017
A Blow-Out Made Me Blotto! The Illegal Scourge of Salon Drinking
The New York Observer, September 2011
Why Do Carrot Hot Dogs Make You So Mad?
The New Republic, July 2018