The ice queen
She looked like an ordinary ‘hockey mom’ thrust into the national spotlight. But in her Alaskan homeland, there are people who know the ambition and ferocity of Sarah Palin. Christine Toomey learns about the woman who would be America’s vice-president
Dressed to kill
Each year, thousands of young American women swap their heels and mascara for fatigues and an M-16, in a bid to join the ranks of the marines – the elite of the US military. But what drives them to go through the hell of basic training? Photographs by Tom Stoddart. Report by Christine Toomey
Blue murder
Violent, armed and dangerous – for years, the most feared gang on the streets of Los Angeles was a rogue band of policemen. Now they are facing justice. Christine Toomey investigates. Photographs by Robert Gumpert
The candidate’s trouble and strife
Her husband is willing to take the weight of America on his shoulders. But is Cindy McCain secretly hoping he loses his bid for the White House? Report by Christine Toomey.
Photographs: Christopher Morris
Last Scandal
In his final hours as president, Bill Clinton pardoned murderers, tax evaders, embezzlers and drug dealers. Was money, malice or mercy behind this last scandalous act? Christine Toomey reports
50 miles of murder
Girls keep vanishing from communities dotted along the stretch of Texas highway. While families mourn, police fear the area has become a haunt for viscious serial killers. Christine Toomey investigates. Photographs: Charles Ommanney
Secret weapon or loose cannon?
She is an outspoken billionairess who could be America’s next first lady. But is Teresa Heinz Kerry an asset or a liability?
The south’s sinister secret
The barbaric murder of a black schoolboy scarred small-town Mississippi – and lead to one of the worst miscarriages of justice in American history. So why, 50 years on, has the FBI decided to reopen the case? Christine Toomey reports
Zealous Wife
Sara Jane Olson seemed an ordinary American housewife – until the day she was arrested by the FBI to stand trial for terrorist violence and attempted murder in the 1970s. Investigation: Christine Toomey
The road to evil
James Byrd Jr wasn’t just murdered: he was chained behind a pick-up truck and dragged for more than two miles. Now the small town of Jasper, Texas, must come to terms with its most horrific crime. Report by Christine Toomey
Hilary Clinton
The Big Grapple: The race for the New York Senate against Rudy Giuliani. Christine Toomey reports
Misha – Wolf Woman
For most of the second world war, a young Jewish girl risked her life wandering through Europe. During her travels, she was adopted by wolves. Can Misha Defonseca’s amazing story be true? By Christine Toomey. Photographs Gigi Cohen