Hundreds of Iowans gathered at Drake University in early August to confront a growing water quality crisis linked to the state’s powerful agricultural industry.
Community leaders, scientists and farmers warned of dangerously high levels of nitrates, pesticides and livestock waste contaminating the state’s drinking water — pollution they fear is driving staggeringly high, and rising, cancer rates.
The Trump administration’s new AI action plan aims to make the US a leader in developing and deploying the technology. This sweeping proposal would fast-track AI development by exempting data centers from environmental protections. It may also increase reliance on fossil fuels. Experts warn it could strain US water and power supplies, deepen pollution in vulnerable communities and sideline clean energy.
A controversial Iowa water safety report has confirmed what many people in the state have long feared to be true: Dangerously high levels of farm chemicals, including nitrates and pesticides are polluting waterways with potentially dire health consequences for hundreds of thousands of residents.
By Brian Bienkowski
Detroit suffers from some of the worst air quality in the nation. But last year the startup JustAir partnered with Wayne County to put up 100 air monitors, shining a light on the worst sources of pollution and empowering residents and local officials.
The New Lede breaks down the latest developments in the courtroom and corporate boardroom and asks the question: is Bayer ready to throw in the towel on Roundup?
For decades, Mead, Nebraska, was a peaceful rural town—until toxins generated by the area ethanol plant poisoned Mead’s land, water, and air. Farm to Fuel, a short documentary, builds on investigative reporting by The New Lede, co-published with The Guardian, which exposed how the plant’s reckless disposal of pesticide-laced waste created an environmental disaster.