ProPublica

Maine is the only state in the country with no public defender system. Instead, legal services for the poor are left to private attorneys, who face disproportionately high amounts of discipline, and an office that doesn’t supervise them.

Don't forget: West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and his family received between $11 million and $24 million from a federal coronavirus economic relief program. His luxury resort received up to $10 million, but did not promise to retain jobs because of the loan.

Gov. Jim Justice is West Virginia’s richest man and owns its most storied resort. When lobbyists and state agencies book there, he profits. Here’s how the governor, dubbed Big Jim, became West Virginia’s little Trump. From 2019: https://propub.li/3eQROy6

Discount chains are thriving while fostering violence and neglect in poor communities. https://propub.li/3n96vzu

New: A Trump video targeting Florida’s growing Venezuelan American population falsely claimed that Venezuela’s socialist regime wanted Biden to win. But President Nicolás Maduro has said that he opposed both candidates. https://propub.li/36ItQSf

Schools often teach the Civil War in terms of free states and slave states. Illinois complicates those definitions. We spoke with a historian and high school teacher about slavery’s legacy in Illinois. https://propub.li/32xMue7

Why won't anybody listen?

Make no mistake: Coronavirus conspiracy theories are dangerous.

New: The state’s defense agency for the poor lacks the oversight structures and staffing to provide high-quality representation, a report found. The governor says more money won’t fix accountability problems. https://propub.li/3n8mRbA

Remember this? https://propub.li/38tH7QO

Police culture can be insular and tough to penetrate, but the public can hold law enforcement accountable. Here are important methods and context you need to know. https://propub.li/3eN3d1T

New: A half-century after Chicago’s uprisings in 1968, a once-thriving retail strip in East Garfield Park still suffers from broken promises, bad policy and neglect. https://propub.li/3ndRexr

We are tracking how cases rise and fall in each state, and updating this database every day.