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President Donald Trump has declared the United States' economy to be “the best economy we've ever had in the history of our country.” His administration likewise declared the nation's decades-long war on poverty “largely over and a success.” So during the summer of 2018, Center for Public Integrity reporters visited six communities where residents say the crushing effects of poverty and government neglect aren't improving — they've gone from bad to worse. Problems range from broken education systems to unlivable housing to infrastructure fit for the third world. One factor bound them together: a profound lack of political clout on the eve of the 2018 midterm election that would determine the balance of power in Washington. Our work led to the publishing of “Abandoned in America” — a six-part, 27,000-word series published over two weeks during October 2018.