Skip to main content

Leah Donnella

Stories

  • caption: An encampment for the unhoused in Washington D.C. near the Kennedy Center was cleared by employees of the city's Department of Health and Human Services. The residents of the encampment packed up their belongings and left with the help of city outreach workers as well as non-profit employees and volunteers.

    How Trump's D.C. takeover criminalizes homelessness

    On August 11, President Trump announced his intention to "rescue" the nation's capital. A central feature of his plan involved using federal officials to remove people experiencing homelessness from the city — people that he listed alongside "violent gangs, bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, and drugged out maniacs." On this episode, we're diving into what it means to criminalize homelessness, what it looks like when police officers are used to solve social problems, and what this D.C. takeover might portend for the rest of the country.

  • Collage of images from Dearborn, Michigan

    In Michigan, Arab Americans weigh the power of a vote

    We travel to Dearborn, AKA the "capital of Arab America." The Dearbornites we met said that the war in Gaza is the key issue on their minds as they consider how to cast their ballots. What these voters ultimately decide could have huge consequences for the whole country.

  • Harris/Obama CS newsletter

    From Obama to Harris, a look at what's changed

    As Kamala Harris nears the Democratic party’s nomination, the mood around her candidacy seems less breathless than in 2008. Code Switch digs into what a Black president would mean this time.