Big Tech promised jobs. Cities gave millions. Where are the workers?
Some city governments give data center companies big tax breaks to revitalize local economies. The math might not make sense, Business Insider found.
Hannah Beckler
Senior Editor, Investigations
The True Cost of Data Centers
The AI boom's data center expansion is straining power grids, water supplies, and communities across America.
AI runs on dirty power — and the public pays the price
Data centers are setting back sustainable energy goals across the country. They also contribute to air and water pollution, Business Insider found.
Tallying the true costs of AI
Data center costs in electricity and water have been hard to pin down. We dug up documents to figure out the impact of AI infrastructure.
How Business Insider investigated the true cost of data centers
How Business Insider calculated data centers' true cost, from their electricity and water use to their impact on the environment and public health.
Few prisoners claiming abuses have access to a jury trial. The Supreme Court could soon change that.
A Clinton-era law, the PLRA, stymied prisoner lawsuits claiming serious harm. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments over whether certain prisoners deserve jury trials.
It's extremely rare for prisoners to win lawsuits on Eighth Amendment claims.
Most civil suits settle in the outside world. But among prisoner Eighth Amendment lawsuits, only 14% settle, and less than 1% win in court.
Federal courts have allowed prisons and private medical contractors to neglect prisoner health
Federal courts have rarely upheld claims of medical neglect in US prisons, even when healthcare providers failed to diagnose cancer or treat heart disease.
Prison guards' use of force is rarely deemed excessive by federal courts and judges, analysis shows
Supreme Court standards prohibit officer use of force only if it is "malicious and sadistic." Courts rarely rule that extreme violence hits that bar.
'Deliberate indifference': The Supreme Court standard that requires prisoners to prove mindset to win Eighth Amendment claims
Farmer v. Brennan was a landmark case for trans rights. It also cemented a standard that makes it almost impossible to win Eighth Amendment claims.
The PLRA was meant to end frivolous prisoner lawsuits. It's stymied most legitimate Eighth Amendment cases too.
The Clinton-era law created a separate, unequal justice system for prisoners, placing obstacles in their way before civil rights claims can be heard court.
The Eighth Amendment is meant to protect against prisoner abuse. Less than 1% of cases succeed.
The Eighth Amendment is meant to protect prisoners against abuse. BI has found that Supreme Court decisions and federal laws have obliterated it.
How Business Insider investigated the state of the Eighth Amendment
BI analyzed nearly 1,500 cases to obtain data on prisoner litigation. We found that constitutional protections have been dramatically weakened.
AI's $20 billion air-pollution problem
Researchers find AI-related emissions may soon rival that of all the cars in California and cause asthma deaths to spike.
Virginia governor signs bipartisan bill that limits the use of dogs to attack prisoners in the commonwealth
The move comes after a Business Insider investigation last year revealed that Virginia prisons use attack-trained dogs far more than any other state.
Virginia lawmakers to sharply limit "alarming" number of patrol dog attacks on state prisoners
The legislation was sparked by a Business Insider investigation revealing that Virginia prisons had deployed dogs to attack prisoners 18 times more often than any other state.
Virginia uses attack dogs in prisons more than any other state. Now lawmakers want to crack down.
Lawmakers are taking action after a Business Insider investigation found Virginia prisons had deployed patrol dogs 18 times more often than any other state.
How dogs are trained to attack US prisoners
Patrol dogs are used to attack prisoners in the US, leaving some scarred for life. We traced the dark history of weaponized dogs in prisons.
Patrol dogs are terrorizing and mauling prisoners inside the United States
The US may be the only nation where dogs are set on men inside their cells. The attacks have left many with muscle damage, septic infections, and trauma.
Belgian Malinois are used to attack and terrify prisoners. I volunteered to let one bite me.
I wore a padded suit that's supposed to protect against dog bite injuries. But a 50-pound Belgian Malinois left me bruised for days.