Babies are bleeding to death as parents reject a vitamin shot given at birth

The vitamin K shot, a lifesaving injection given to newborns to prevent uncontrollable bleeding of the brain and intestines, has become collateral damage of the anti-vaccine movement.

Nonprofit, investigative journalism on a mission to hold the powerful to account. Donate The Big Story May 06, 2026 · View in browser In today’s newsletter: Parents are increasingly rejecting vitamin K shots for newborns, hospitals report; ProPublica and The Connecticut Mirror win the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting for uncovering predatory state towing practices; and Texas lawmakers repeatedly failed to pass legislation that could have protected residents from deadly floods. Babies Are Bleeding to Death as Parents Reject a Vitamin Shot Given at Birth The vitamin K shot, a lifesaving injection given to newborns to prevent uncontrollable bleeding of the brain and intestines, has become collateral damage of the anti-vaccine movement. Read story Pulitzer Prizes ProPublica and The Connecticut Mirror Win Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting ProPublica and The Connecticut Mirror’s series “On the Hook,” which exposed how Connecticut laws had come to favor towing companies at the expense of low-income residents, won the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting.   The series made a swift impact: Within 24 hours of publication of the first story, leadership for the Connecticut DMV announced it was reviewing towing practices, and lawmakers proposed an overhaul bill. It passed in May 2025 with nearly unanimous bipartisan support. Just last month, state lawmakers approved more reforms aimed at reining in towing companies.    Revisit the winning reporting: Gone in 15 Days: How the Connecticut DMV Allows Tow Companies to Sell People’s Cars Connecticut Towing Companies Frequently Value Cars Low, Allowing Them to Sell Vehicles Quickly Connecticut Towing Companies Use Belongings Left in Cars as Leverage to Collect Fees, Drivers Say Connecticut DMV Never Set Up System to Enforce a Century-Old Towing Law Explore the series Quoted “We need to resist this narrative that this disaster was unpreventable.” — Michael Slattery, director of the Institute for Environmental Studies at Texas Christian University Texas lawmakers rejected more than five dozen flood safety bills over nearly 60 years, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found. The most consequential measures, experts said, could have saved lives by stopping construction in the areas at greatest risk for flooding, including where people died during last summer’s tragedy.   “The disaster is just shaped by policy choices made over what I thought were just years,” Slattery said. Instead, he noted, it was decades. None of the top state leaders responded to the newsrooms’ questions about whether legislators should enact stricter statewide building rules. Read story P.S. You may notice ProPublica has a new look. Read more about it here. More from the newsroom Texas Lawmakers Repeatedly Failed to Pass Legislation That Could Have Protected Residents From Deadly Floods Prosecutors Had a Drugs-for-Votes Scheme “Locked Up.” Under Trump, They Were Told Not to Pursue Charges. Lawmakers Demand Answers About Growing Number of Unfixed Mistakes on Credit Reports I Reached Out to the White House Counterterrorism Czar for Comment. He Lashed Out on X. Event With Links to Oil Industry Teaches Judges “Healthy Skepticism” of Climate Science   Threads Instagram TikTok (Twitter) Mastodon Was this email forwarded to you from a friend? Subscribe. This email was sent to gjagjeet610.worldwin@blogger.com.   Preferences Unsubscribe   ProPublica 155 Ave of the Americas, 13th Floor New York, NY 10013