Brett Brownell

WATCH: Newtown Parents Speak Out

Six minutes of searing testimony from the parents, educators, and first responders who confronted horror that day.

| Fri Feb. 8, 2013 4:11 AM PST

Two months after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, America is embroiled in a fierce debate about guns. But apart from a few shell-shocked comments to news media, most Americans have not heard directly from those whose voices may matter most—parents of the deceased children, and educators, first responders, and doctors who confronted the horror that day. On January 30 at Newtown High School, the devastated community testified for six hours before Connecticut leaders. A mother explaining what her surviving daughter endured. An EMT describing the damage inflicted by a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle. An ER doctor pleading to tell his patients about the health risks of guns. A father recalling "the longest two hours of my life." Here we've assembled a short compilation of powerful moments from the hearing:

Video footage courtesy of Connecticut Network; see the full hearing here. Also visit our ongoing Letters to Newtown project, and read our full investigation into gun laws and mass shootings in America.

Testimonials, in order of appearance in the compilation:

Nicole and Ian Hockley, parents of Sandy Hook victim Dylan Hockley
David Wheeler, father of Sandy Hook victim Benjamin Wheeler
Peter Paradis, stepfather of Sandy Hook teacher's aide and victim Rachel D'Avino
Neil Heslin, father of Sandy Hook victim Jesse Lewis
Scarlett Lewis, mother of Sandy Hook victim Jesse Lewis
Susan Ehrens, mother of Sandy Hook survivor Emma Ehrens
Dan O'Donnell, Sandy Hook parent
Laurie Veillette, volunteer EMT for Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps
Douglas Fuchs, police chief of Redding, Connecticut
Mary Ann Jacob, library clerk at Sandy Hook
Dr. William Begg, emergency room physician at Danbury Hospital and Newtown resident
Tom Swetts, teacher at Newtown High School
Darren Wagner, former police officer and father of a Newtown High School student

Research and additional production by Sydney Brownstone and Maggie Severns.

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Local Natives' "Hummingbird" Sings on Stage

—By Brett Brownell

| Mon Feb. 4, 2013 4:06 AM PST

Local Natives' Taylor Rice at the Fox Theater.

Local Natives, the mesmerizing, harmonizing, Los Angeles-based four-piece, has successfully avoided the sophomore slump with the release, last week, of its second album, Hummingbird. It follows their bright and bouncy 2010 debut Gorilla Manor, which landed them tours with the likes of Arcade Fire and The National. In fact, The National's Aaron Dressner was so enamored with Local Natives that he decided to help them produce Hummingbird.

The night after the album's release, a sold-out crowd greeted Local Natives at Oakland's 2,800-seat Fox Theater. "This is a big night for us," vocalist/guitarist Taylor Rice said from the stage. "Our second record came out yesterday. This is the first time we've played Oakland. And this is the biggest show we've ever played." He was visibly humbled by the size and reaction of the audience.

[Read more in the Mixed Media blog]

The Daily Show Investigates Investigative Journalism

A look at the holograms, fictional characters, and fake news channels that account for much of the remaining investigative units.

—By Brett Brownell

| Tue Jan. 15, 2013 4:22 PM PST

Last night The Daily Show with Jon Stewart presented some frightening findings after an investigation: investigative journalism is dead. All that remains are holograms on CNN, Skype conversations, and Jeff Daniels. Of course, we at Mother Jones beg to differ. Watch their report, but please remember: Will McAvoy is fake, David Corn is real.

151 Victims of Mass Shootings in 2012: Here Are Their Stories

Bearing witness to the worst year of gun rampages in modern US history.

—By Mother Jones staff

| Fri Dec. 21, 2012 2:16 AM PST

The media coverage tends to linger on the killers. But as the nation mourns the excruciating losses in Newtown—and finally begins to confront an epidemic of mass shootings amid the worst year for them in modern US history—it is equally important to bear witness to the victims. What follows are portraits of 151 people physically wounded or killed in the rampages of 2012. In addition to the victims of this year's seven mass shootings, we've included the victims of similar but less lethal rampages in a Portland shopping mall, a Milwaukee spa, and a Cleveland high school.

The total number of lives devastated by these attacks far exceeds 151, of course, starting with survivors who narrowly escaped physical harm, such as the unidentified six-year-old girl who played dead and walked out of Sandy Hook Elementary School against all odds. Mother Jones has only included photos of those injured and killed that were shared publicly by the families or survivors themselves, or for which we were granted specific permission. For essential context and findings from our in-depth investigation, also see our guide to mass shootings in America.

Scroll down to begin, or jump directly to any of these attacks of 2012:

[Read the full article]

Watch: "A Lot of People Say: 'I'm Going to Buy Some Body Armor.'"

Preppers on how to survive the apocalypse—and Barack Obama's second term.

—By Tim Murphy, Brett Brownell, and Mark Peterman

| Thu Dec. 20, 2012 4:06 AM PST

How do doomsday preppers feel about the re-election of Barack Obama? At the Self-Reliance Expo in Mesa, Arizona earlier this fall, purveyors of Candwiches and underground shelters viewed a second term as both catastrophe and opportunity: "There's a lot of people I talk to who say, 'Depending on what happens in the election, I'm going to buy some body armor,'" Derek Williams, president of the Salt Lake City-based Amendment II told us. The company's children's tactical vest costs $499. "If the economy falls apart, people don't have food. People who are looking for food, they're gonna have their guns with them. People want body armor so they can protect themselves."