Alan Greenblatt
Alan Greenblatt has been covering politics and government in Washington and around the country for 20 years. He came to NPR as a digital reporter in 2010, writing about a wide range of topics, including elections, housing economics, natural disasters and same-sex marriage.
He was previously a reporter with Governing, a magazine that covers state and local government issues. Alan wrote about education, budgets, economic development and legislative behavior, among other topics. He is the coauthor, with Kevin Smith, of Governing States and Localities, a college-level textbook that is now in its fourth edition.
As a reporter for Congressional Quarterly, he was the inaugural winner of the National Press Club's Sandy Hume Memorial Award for Excellence in Political Journalism, which is given to outstanding reporters under the age of 35. Sadly, he no longer meets that requirement.
Along the way, Alan has contributed articles about politics and culture for numerous publications, including The New York Times, Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle. He is happy to be working for an outlet where he has been able to write about everything from revolutions in the Middle East to antique jazz recordings.
Alan is a graduate of San Francisco State University and holds a master's degree from the University of Virginia.
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Usually, even the most heinous killers are buried without incident. That's not true for Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings, whose body has become the subject of angry protests.
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The jobs report for April showed stronger job creation and a four-year low in the unemployment rate, sending stocks soaring. But the monthly numbers, while encouraging, are bound to be revised. That suggests that perhaps we're paying too much attention to them.
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During the recession, states have run up a $30 billion debt to Washington because they haven't had enough funds to cover unemployment checks. Now they're cutting benefits at the same time federal payments are being reduced because of the sequester.
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With bourbon sales growing fast, small distillers are looking for ways to get their product to market faster. One Cleveland company has come up with a way to shrink the aging process from years to just days, while also cashing in on the craze for all things local.
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The shooting death of a 2-year-old girl by her 5-year-old brother has opened up another debate about gun control. It pits public health advocates — who see little benefit in mixing children and guns — against those who say early training can instill a sense of heritage and a respect for gun safety.
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The sequester was supposed to affect nearly all federal programs equally. But with Congress showing it's ready to save the most popular programs, the ultimate effects may not be equitable.
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As George W. Bush's presidential library opens, supporters of the 43rd president are convinced his reputation will improve. For that to happen, historians say, they need to get a look at the documents that the library houses — and that won't happen anytime soon.
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Governors and mayors become the faces of communities coping with events such as natural disasters or mass killings. They have to offer the impression that someone is in charge, despite what may be scant preparation and while dealing with heartbreak themselves.
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The bombing and its aftermath revealed a massive, highly coordinated homeland security apparatus that can organize a mass casualty disaster or lock down a major American city at a moment's notice. Or both.
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With a manhunt underway for a suspect in Monday's bombings, the area in and around Boston has been virtually shut down. Transit isn't running, and most businesses and schools are closed. Most people are safe at home, but many are unnerved.