Author Archive
Vann R. Newkirk II
Vann R. Newkirk II is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he covers politics and policy.
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Watch New Orleans
With the country’s attention turned north, the coronavirus pandemic is exploding in Louisiana.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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How a Ballot Initiative to Expand Medicaid in Utah May Be Denied
Republican lawmakers don’t want to fully implement a ballot initiative passed in November. One health-care advocate called it “trampling on … representative democracy.”
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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A Year After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico Finally Knows How Many People Died
A new, definitive study from George Washington University finds that almost 3,000 people lost their lives—and highlights the government’s failures before and after the storm.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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Researchers Are Still Counting the Dead From Hurricane Maria
The newest estimate based on administrative data suggests over 1,100 people were killed by the 2017 storm and its fallout.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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What Virginia's Vote Means for the Future of Medicaid Expansion
With state legislators deciding this week to extend the program to 400,000 citizens, the drawn-out battle over Obamacare’s signature provision draws nearer to an end.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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The Troubled Future for State Medicaid Expansion
The Affordable Care Act’s extension of public insurance to poor adults might finally make its way into every state. But those inroads could come with a cost.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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An End to Gerrymandering in Ohio?
A bipartisan compromise that just passed the state Senate would require minority-party support for political maps, and would limit the number of communities that could be splintered.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
Infrastructure
The Peril of Privatizing Puerto Rico's Power Company
Governor Ricardo Rosselló announced a plan Monday to sell off Prepa, a move he hopes will ease the island’s energy and debt crises. But some groups on the island oppose the measure fiercely.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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Virginia Is for Second Chances
Under Governor Terry McAuliffe, Virginia embarked on a campaign to grant clemency more often, and to restore the civil rights of convicted felons.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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Wisconsin's Welfare Overhaul Is Almost Complete
The Trump administration could soon approve a proposal from Governor Scott Walker to drug test food-stamp recipients.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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How Alabama's Election Laws Keep Moore on the Ballot
After multiple allegations of sexual assault and harassment of minors against Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, a complicated set of elections laws and rules is being used to keep his hat in the ring.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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Puerto Rico's Dire Health-Care Crisis
Over a month after Hurricane Maria, citizens are still facing limited access to medical help and the increasing threat of illness.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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What's the Real Goal of Trump's Voter-Fraud Commission?
A conversation with Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, one of three Democrats advising the president on “election integrity.”
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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The Senate's Health Bill Is Still Unaffordable for Poor People
The Congressional Budget Office finds that while the upper chamber’s plan is more generous and stable than the AHCA, it leaves about as many low-income people without coverage.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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The New AHCA Cuts Medicaid Funding More Deeply
A draft version of the Senate bill released Thursday shows even deeper cuts to the program than the House version.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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Five Involuntary Manslaughter Charges in the Flint Water Crisis
Michigan Health Director Nick Lyon and four other officials are accused of failing to act on a Legionnaires' disease outbreak associated with the city’s lead-poisoning problems.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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North Carolina's Voter ID Law Is Defeated, For Now
The Supreme Court declined to review the law that lower courts found to be discriminatory, but made no judgment on the merits of the policy.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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The Historical Exclusion Behind the Puerto Rico Bankruptcy Crisis
Congress could help the territory by simply funding its Medicaid system the way they fund the states.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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How Voter ID Laws Discriminate
A new comprehensive study finds evidence that strict voting laws do suppress the ballot along racial lines.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic
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In the Battle Over Voting Rights, What Happens Next?
Court challenges to redistricting in North Carolina and Wisconsin could bring national changes in elections.
- By Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic