Elisha Brown

August 11, 2022 - Virginia as well as cities in Florida and North Carolina have rolled out programs that allow people in crisis to get help from mental health professionals instead of police. Advocates hope the efforts will reduce the number of people killed by law enforcement officers.  

July 20, 2022 - A watchdog group has filed complaints against several gun companies including Georgia’s Daniel Defense for donating to super PACS while under federal contract, which is illegal. The Federal Election Commission, known for its ineffectiveness, faces pressure to hold weapons manufacturers accountable.   

July 19, 2022 - Reproductive rights advocates say the Biden administration could do more to protect abortion access, including lifting regulations on abortion pills and suing states that seek to limit medication abortion. 

June 24, 2022 - District attorneys and city councils in the South are taking steps to safeguard access to abortion now that the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down Roe v. Wade — but their stances could ignite a battle over preemption.   

June 7, 2022 - Daniel Defense is the Georgia-based company that manufactured the AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle used in the massacre that left 19 schoolchildren and two teachers dead in Uvalde, Texas. The private company is a major federal contractor, inking its latest deal to provide arms for the U.S. Marshals Service 10 days after the Uvalde shooting. It's also been a generous contributor to Republican candidates and a pro-gun political action committee.   

May 27, 2022 - The ongoing infant formula shortage has illuminated another reproductive injustice: low breastfeeding rates in Black communities and in Southern states. Expanding Medicaid to cover lactation services could reduce breastfeeding disparities, but few states in the South have such a policy in place.   

May 12, 2022 - The recent leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion showed that the justices have voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that guaranteed the right to an abortion. If the draft stands, legal abortion would remain widely available in only two Southern states.