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Supermarkets are empty. Parts of Caracas are in the dark. The brand new currency has no real value because of a rampant inflation. As Nicolas Maduro starts his second term as president today in Venezuela, the situation is dire in the South American country. Read my latest story from Caracas, that ran today in 24 Heures and Tribune de Genève in Switzerland.
Last week, I worked on a complicated story about the murder-suicide of the Griffith family in Mapleton, Utah, late last year. This exclusive story raised a lot of questions about what you should reveal as a journalist and what is best kept private. I located the biological father of the alleged murderer, Timothy Griffith, and his ex-wife. The father shared the story of his son and his quest for answers. His son Timothy is accused of shooting and killing his wife Jessica, 16-year-old Samantha, his wife's daughter, and 5 year-old Alexandre, the son he had with Jessica. Timothy is also accused of shooting the family dog before committing suicide.
The Mapleton police department concluded that Jessica planned this murder-suicide with her husband. She thought she was dying from an imaginary cancer and the family's financial situation was dire. The police report was detailed and devastating for both parents, who had fled their financial problems in Switzerland according to people I interviewed for the story. Jessica made several claims to her husband, mother and brother about her childhood, that might help us explain why she was in such distress in the days leading up to the murder-suicide. For those who can read French, here is the story that ran last Sunday in Le Matin Dimanche, a major Sunday paper in Switzerland.
Here is my latest editorial for the Tribune de Genève on the March for our Lives in Washington D.C. It went with this story. In Washington, I was fortunate to meet with Jason Kaplan, the father of twin girls who survived the Parkland shooting. Molly and her sister Rebecca were hiding in a closet during the shooting. They emailed their dad to tell him how scared they were. Jason came from Parkland, FL, to Washington D.C. last Saturday to say that he wanted change.
Here is my latest story for the Tribune de Genève and 24 Heures on the Russia investigation. It came out today in both newspapers [in French]. It tells the story behind the firing of former FBI Deputy Director, Andrew McCabe.
Stray Bullet had its Swiss premiere last month at the renowned Solothurner Filmtage festival in Switzerland and was featured in the Swiss daily newspapers 24 Heures and Tribune de Genève.
Page from 24 Heures on January 27, 2018.
Page from the Tribune de Genève on January 27, 2018
Irma is gone. I am sitting in a cool airport lounge after 4 days without power and 3 without running water. Every time a hurricane hits, you realize how fragile US cities really are. The neighborhood where I was staying was flooded as it was next to the Intercoastal Waterway. We lost power 24 hours before Irma even hit Miami and Internet went out quickly after the win gusts starting punching the city hard. Staying outside was almost impossible. And inside, you could feel the building shaking. As I was outside, I met Andre, a homeless man who was trying to find shelter. Hi face was tatted and you could see in his tired eyes that he had a long and complicated story. When I asked him why he hadn't gone to a shelter, he responded: "The police is not my family". I am wondering whether his family even knew where he was or whether this man had any ties outside his homeless word which seemed to comprise only a few blocks of Biscayne Boulevard. I saw him after the storm walking up and down Biscayne Boulevard. As people were looking for gas, cold water or hot food in powerless Miami, Andre was looking for a cigarette. He had made it past the storm. No it was all about facing the prospect of making it past another day on the streets of Miami.
