Alana Semuels

With punching bags and dummies overhead, instructor Javier Sola teaches frisking and handcuffing techniques to recruits at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission facility in Burien, Wash., on Oct. 22. Washington State is one of the few places in the U.S. that requires all recruits to go through the state-run Basic Law Enforcement Academy, except for those becoming state patrol officers, a system that advocates of police reform support.

Society Is Paying the Price for America's Outdated Police Training Methods

Independent police academies graduate thousands of officers a year, but the...

Independent police academies graduate thousands of officers a year, but there's no oversight of their programs and no national standard for what a good cop should—or should not—be taught

Jorge Padilla, who was laid off in March from his job as a banquet server at a Las Vegas-area resort, says the company now is only hiring younger, cheaper employees.

Workers Who Were Laid Off Say They're Being Passed Over—For Their Own Jobs

As companies begin rehiring, unions are pushing for right of recall legisla...

As companies begin rehiring, unions are pushing for right of recall legislation that would give first dibs to employees who were laid off

The San Francisco skyline is barely visible through hazy and smoky conditions on Sept. 3, 2020, due to smoke from wildfires raging in California.

During Fire Season in California, Breathing Feels Like a Luxury

This year's record blazes has given residents a glimpse of the apocalypse

A Southern California Edison crew installs a new overhead switch for circuit reliability on May 13, 2020 in Ventura, Calif.

A 'Tidal Wave' of Power Cuts May Be Coming as Electric Companies Resume Shutoffs

Moratoriums on power cuts are lifting for millions of customers in Septembe...

Moratoriums on power cuts are lifting for millions of customers in September.

Jarvis the robotic butler on duty at the Grand Hotel in Sunnyvale, Calif., on July 30

Millions of Americans Have Lost Jobs in the Pandemic—And Robots and AI Are Replacing Them Faster Than Ever

In the pandemic economy, humans are being left behind

Protesters wave signs critical of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's growing wealth during a car caravan outside Amazon headquarters in Seattle, Wash., on May 1, 2020.

Many Companies Won't Survive the Pandemic. Amazon Will Emerge Stronger Than Ever

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos made billions during the COVID-19 pandemic as retail ...

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos made billions during the COVID-19 pandemic as retail stores suffered, heightening calls among critics to break up the online giant

Kentucky residents wait in long lines outside the Kentucky Career Center in Frankfort for help with unemployment claims on June 19, 2020

$600 a Week in Extra Unemployment Benefits May Soon End, But Millions of Americans Still Can't Find Jobs

'It's tough to even think about what happens when July ends.'