There are a lot of grifters out there, but few as brazen as David Bunevacz, a former decathlete who fleeced everyone from his friends to the parents at his daughter's equestrian stable to his dentist. My year-long investigation for @RollingStone

RT @RollingStone: "We are modifying creatures in new ways. Should we be doing it?". Scientists warn of the "unintended consequences" of the….

Had a video chat with some dire wolves last week and spoke to the folks who worked to bring the species back. "You remember, holy shit, that’s the first fucking time in 12,000 years that this species has howled."

At a court hearing today, Luigi Mangione said he'd fight extradition to New York on a murder charge. The Manhattan DA's office released a statement saying they'd seek a governor's warrant to secure his extradition.

Not one to gush on twitter, but major congrats to the staff of @TheStranger on getting @Hannah_Crinan as EIC. I can confidently speak for everyone who worked with her at Rolling Stone when I say we can't believe your luck. Hurray for good media news!.

I once interviewed Jim Jones expert Jeff Guinn about the signs of a dangerous demagogue: They use real grievances to build a following, claim they’re the only one who can fix things, isolate followers from the mainstream, and call the media an enemy.

More recently, I spoke about my reporting with the makers of 'Dancing for the Devil,' out now on Netflix. They interviewed dancers and former Shekinah members, as well as Miranda Derrick's family, whose live video first made 7M known to the public. This story isn't over.

A year later, Aubrey Fisher-Greene and Kylie Douglas shared how they'd left the group and joined a lawsuit accusing 7M and Shekinah Church founder Robert Shinn of running a "cult" where he demanded "full physical and economic control" over his followers.

In 2022, I spoke to performers and choreographers in the L.A. dance industry who were concerned their friends working with 7M had joined a "cult," including one krumper who said he'd been in a different high-control group with BDash years earlier.

Exclusive: For the first time, Meta’s Oversight Board has called out the social media giant for failing to protect LGBTQ people’s real-world safety

RT @AndreaBNYC: So proud to launch this new project fr @propublica @onthemedia . w/ @ilyamarritz @AndyKroll @eisingerj @Katyaotm @OTMBrooke….

I’m so grateful to the former members— and a couple current — who shared their experiences with me. Some of the defectors’ stories of abuse are extremely harrowing and I’m so humbled by their bravery in speaking about it on the record.

Former members tell me that while leadership varies among ICOC churches (of which there are dozens in the US), an “authoritarian hierarchy” designed by the group’s since-ousted founder continues to create an environment ripe for the abuse of power.

Beyond abuse claims, plaintiffs allege the ICOC used elders called “disciplers” to control members, imposed “recruiting quotas” to increase their ranks, demanded large portions of members’ income as part of a “pyramid scheme,” and subjected LGBTQ members to “conversion therapy.”.

The crux of the claims in the lawsuits is the allegation that leaders at the ICOC, as well as some related entities, for decades covered up sexual abuse and to protect the church from scandal.

The first article was based on a spate of six lawsuits filed in federal court, starting Dec. 31. In July, the legal battle shifted to state courts but the majority of the claims remains the same

After I first covered the International Churches of Christ late last year, my inbox flooded with messages from people alleging they’d been hurt by the ICOC, through sexual abuse, a culture of control, or conversion therapy. Here are some of their accounts.

Titan submersible imploded, and officials reportedly heard it happen — days ago

At a press briefing on the search for the missing Titan submersible, officials confirmed ‘banging noises,’ which they said continued Wednesday

The email also stated that the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre was “working to find an underwater remote-operated vehicle through partner organizations to possibly assist.”.