ProPublica

· 2mo ago

My Maddening Quest to Find Out if Blueberries Come From Farms Where Workers Were Harmed https://projects.propublica.org/blueberries-farmworker-mistreatment/ #Investigate #Labor #Journalism

Do My Grocery Store Blueberries Come From Farms Where Workers Were Harmed?

Max Blau spent a year reporting on abuses of farmworkers. It left him wondering: Is the produce he buys at the grocery store part of the problem?

· 2mo ago

For the Second Time, Lawmakers Failed to Fix California's Warning System for Teacher Misconduct https://www.propublica.org/article/california-teacher-misconduct-database-bill-failed-al-muratsuchi #Investigative #Education #Government

For the Second Time, Lawmakers Failed to Fix California’s Warning System for Teacher Misconduct

California is set to launch a database for school support staff, such as bus drivers and janitors, with substantiated claims of egregious misconduct. Setting up a similar system for public school teachers, however, is proving more complicated.

· 2mo ago

FCC Commissioners Face Ethics Complaints for Taking Luxury Gifts From Paramount https://www.propublica.org/article/fcc-paramount-gifts-brendan-carr-ethics-complaint-warner-bros-merger

FCC Commissioners Face Ethics Complaints for Taking Luxury Gifts From Paramount

Citing a ProPublica report on Paramount providing luxury Kennedy Center gala tickets to FCC officials, the complaints note that commissioners accepted the gifts while the FCC was reviewing or about to review megamergers involving Paramount.

· 1mo ago

New Mail Voting Rules Moved Forward Despite USPS Officials' Concerns About Mass Disenfranchisement https://www.propublica.org/article/mail-voting-usps-officials-concerns-disenfranchisement #InvestigativeJournalism #VotingRights #Democracy

· 1mo ago

More Than Half the Homes in East Omaha Have Unsafe Lead Levels. That Doesn't Mean the EPA Will Clean Them Up. https://www.propublica.org/article/lead-remediation-epa-standards-omaha-nebraska #Environment #Investigate #PublicHealth

More Than Half the Homes in East Omaha Have Unsafe Lead Levels. That Doesn’t Mean the EPA Will Clean Them Up.

The EPA hasn’t reevaluated its cleanup guidelines for homes in a residential Superfund site in Omaha, Nebraska, in 17 years, despite research showing that even small amounts of lead can cause IQ loss in children and heart attacks in adults.

· 3mo ago

"He Didn't Need to Die." How an Immigration Detention Center Repeatedly Failed to Address a Mental Health Crisis. https://www.propublica.org/article/camp-east-montana-mental-health-immigration #Immigration #Journalism #MentalHealth

“He Didn’t Need to Die.” How an Immigration Detention Center Repeatedly Failed to Address a Mental Health Crisis.

Geraldo Lunas Campos repeatedly raised concerns about his mental health before he died at Camp East Montana. Records paint a portrait of how the Texas facility’s staff failed to adequately respond.

· 2w ago

The Federal Agency That's Supposed to Protect Consumers Just Made Another Business-Friendly Move https://www.propublica.org/article/cfpb-consumer-complaint-database #Journalism #ConsumerProtection #Government

The Federal Agency That’s Supposed to Protect Consumers Just Made Another Business-Friendly Move

Debt collection. Credit reporting. Payday loans. Consumer complaints to a federal database used to help reveal issues and bring accountability. Then the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau stopped publishing the narratives.

· 2mo ago

The EPA Heralds Its Omaha Cleanup as a Success. But We Found Many Yards Still Have Toxic Levels of Lead. https://www.propublica.org/article/lead-contamination-epa-superfund-omaha-nebraska-analysis

The EPA Spent Millions Cleaning Up a Massive Superfund Site. Our Tests Found Toxic Levels of Lead in Many Yards.

The EPA Spent Millions Cleaning Up a Massive Superfund Site. Our Tests Found Toxic Levels of Lead in Many Yards.

The agency spent hundreds of millions on lead remediation in Omaha, Nebraska, home of the nation’s largest residential Superfund site. New soil tests by the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica show that many yards still have harmful levels of lead.

· 2mo ago

What We Uncovered About the Sexual Assault of Alice Sebold and a City's Buried Rape Crisis https://www.propublica.org/article/sebold-rape-syracuse-investigation-findings-documentary #Investigative #Journalism #Crime

What We Uncovered About the Sexual Assault of Alice Sebold and a City’s Buried Rape Crisis

ProPublica spent years investigating the attack on the bestselling author and the wrongly convicted man who lost decades of his life. Here’s what we learned about the failures in the justice system — and the consequences still being felt today.

· 2mo ago

The EPA Doesn't Typically Retest Homes in the Country's Largest Residential Lead Superfund Site. So We Did. https://www.propublica.org/article/omaha-nebraska-lead-testing-superfund-methodology

The EPA Doesn’t Typically Retest Homes in the Country’s Largest Residential Lead Superfund Site. So We Did.

The Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica independently tested hundreds of homes in eastern Omaha, Nebraska, and found toxic levels of lead in soil throughout — including in yards that the EPA remediated years ago. Here’s how we did it.

· 1w ago

Across the Country, Youth Prisons Are Closing. This State Is Building More. https://www.propublica.org/article/juvenile-crime-decrease-youth-prisons-tennessee-construction #InvestigativeJournalism #CriminalJustice #Youth

Across the Country, Youth Prisons Are Closing. This State Is Building More.

Tennessee officials say they need more high-security facilities for kids who commit crimes. Experts say this approach flies in the face of crime data and research that shows youth prisons are not rehabilitative.

· 2mo ago

Andy Beshear Set Out to Make Drug Treatment Widely Available in Kentucky. Fraud and Abuse Followed. https://www.propublica.org/article/andy-beshear-kentucky-opioid-drug-crisis-medicaid-spending-fraud #Investigative #Health #Journalism

Andy Beshear Set Out to Make Drug Treatment Widely Available in Kentucky. Fraud and Abuse Followed.

In 2020 as Kentucky faced a spike of deadly overdoses, Gov. Andy Beshear set out to help more people access drug treatment by loosening Medicaid spending controls. But as the costs piled up, so did the warnings that the system was being abused.

· 3mo ago

Ken Paxton Vowed to Crack Down on "Illegal Voting." He May Have Violated Texas Election Law. https://www.propublica.org/article/ken-paxton-voter-registration-election-law #Investigative #Journalism #Politics

Ken Paxton Vowed to Crack Down on “Illegal Voting.” He May Have Violated Texas Election Law.

The Texas attorney general appears to have used an address where he did not live while voting in six elections in the past two years — despite his warning voters that “it is illegal to misrepresent your residence on election records.”

· 2mo ago

He's Suspected of Hiring a Venezuelan Gang for a Political Killing. Trump Officials Still Work With Him. https://www.propublica.org/article/chile-suspects-venezuela-cabello-killing #InvestigativeJournalism #Politics #Crime

He’s Suspected of Hiring a Venezuelan Gang for a Political Killing. Trump Officials Still Work With Him.

Authorities say former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s regime hired Tren de Aragua to kidnap a dissident who had taken refuge in Chile. The suspected mastermind, Diosdado Cabello, remains powerful in the new U.S.-backed government in Caracas.

· 2mo ago

Senators Push Federal Regulator to Prove School Bus Safety Data Is Accurate https://www.propublica.org/article/transdev-senate-oversight-bus-crashes-public-transit #Investigate #Safety #Government

Senators Push Federal Regulator to Prove School Bus Safety Data Is Accurate

The request from two Democratic lawmakers comes after WBUR and ProPublica found that the federal safety record was missing dozens of fatal crashes involving one of the nation’s largest public transit operators.

· 3mo ago

New York Hasn't Raised Housing Allowances for Needy Residents in Decades. That's Unconstitutional, a Lawsuit Says. https://www.propublica.org/article/new-york-shelter-assistance-lawsuit #Housing #Law #Investigate

New York Hasn’t Raised Housing Allowances for Needy Residents in Decades. That’s Unconstitutional, a Lawsuit Says.

The state constitution makes an unusual promise to residents: to provide care and support for the needy. But a recent lawsuit accuses it of failing to meet that mandate by putting low-income households on the brink of homelessness.

· 2mo ago

Anthropic's New AI Model Can Identify More Software Bugs Than Ever. Microsoft Is Struggling to Fix Them Fast Enough. https://www.propublica.org/article/anthropic-mythos-microsoft-software-vulnerabilities #AI #Cybersecurity #Tech

Anthropic’s New AI Model Can Identify More Software Bugs Than Ever. Microsoft Is Struggling to Fix Them Fast Enough.

Anthropic’s Mythos has flagged bugs faster than Microsoft can fix them. Documents reviewed by ProPublica reveal the tech giant's “mad dash” behind the scenes to patch holes before hackers can find and exploit them.

· 3w ago

Top Oversight Dem Opens Investigation of Donald Trump Jr.'s Russian Oligarch-Funded Wedding https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-jr-wedding-umar-kremlev-payments-investigation #InvestigativeJournalism #Politics #Government

Top Oversight Dem Opens Investigation of Donald Trump Jr.’s Russian Oligarch-Funded Wedding

Rep. Robert Garcia said the revelations that Umar Kremlev had bankrolled the wedding raise “serious national security and public corruption concerns” and requested the president’s son provide financial and other records about the arrangement.

· 2w ago

Judge Denies Efforts to End Oversight of Maricopa County Sheriff's Office as Racial Profiling of Latinos Persists https://www.propublica.org/article/maricopa-county-sheriff-oversight-judge-ruling #InvestigativeJournalism #RacialJustice #LawEnforcement

Judge Denies Efforts to End Oversight of Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office as Racial Profiling of Latinos Persists

Deputies continue to search and arrest Latino drivers at a higher rate than white drivers, echoing the racial disparities that prompted court oversight of the department nearly two decades ago.

· 2mo ago

Lawmakers Call for CDC to Track Vitamin K Shot Refusals, Cite ProPublica Report https://www.propublica.org/article/vitamin-k-cdc-rfk-jr-lawmakers-letter #Investigate #Health #Journalism

Lawmakers Call for CDC to Track Vitamin K Shot Refusals, Cite ProPublica Report

Two members of Congress are urging federal officials to monitor vitamin K shot refusals by parents and the potential consequences for their newborns, including severe bleeding or death.

· 2mo ago

Federal Judges Chastise Trump's Justice Department for "Unlawful," "Unethical" and "Unseemly" Conduct https://www.propublica.org/article/justice-department-presumption-of-regularity #Journalism #Courts #Government

Federal Judges Chastise Trump’s Justice Department for “Unlawful,” “Unethical” and “Unseemly” Conduct

ProPublica reviewed hundreds of cases in which judges criticized the actions of federal prosecutors. In many, judges expressed frustration that they can no longer take the government at its word.

· 2mo ago

As Trump's Tariff War With Canada Drags On, This Border Community Suffers Without a Voice https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-canada-tariffs-michigan-sault-ste-marie #Investigate #Tariffs #TradePolicy

As Trump’s Tariff War With Canada Drags On, This Border Community Suffers Without a Voice

Under an intensifying trade war, parts of northern Michigan are feeling the financial pain. But with a president intent on conflict and a congressman silent on the issue, these Michiganders see no sign of relief.

· 3mo ago

How Google and AI Nearly Made a Seasoned Reporter Spiral https://www.propublica.org/article/google-ai-reporting #AI #Journalism #Tech

How Google and AI Nearly Made a Seasoned Reporter Spiral

I thought I had missed something major in my reporting. Turns out I had stumbled into an AI-fueled feedback loop that involved a real LLC’s fictional website and a search engine that’s thrusting unreliable answers on users.

· 2mo ago

New Mexico AG Calls for Reform After Report Finds "Substantial Racial Disparities" in One School District https://www.propublica.org/article/new-mexico-ag-report-gallup-mckinley-schools #Education #Investigate #Equity

New Mexico AG Calls for Reform After Report Finds “Substantial Racial Disparities” in One School District

The state’s attorney general launched an investigation after reporting by New Mexico In Depth and ProPublica exposed high rates of harsh punishment for Native American and Hispanic children in Gallup-McKinley County Schools.

· 2mo ago

5 Raw Quotes From America's Largest Raw-Milk Dairy Owner https://www.propublica.org/article/5-quotes-raw-milk-mark-mcafee #Journalism #Health #Regulation

5 Raw Quotes From America’s Largest Raw-Milk Dairy Owner

I toured Mark McAfee’s Raw Farm for a story about raw milk’s foothold in America despite its health dangers. Here’s what he told me about recalls, outbreaks and his relationship with the federal government.

· 3mo ago

Top Legal Adviser to Joint Chiefs Is Stepping Down Nearly a Year Before Completing Term https://www.propublica.org/article/eric-widmar-retiring-joint-chiefs-legal-adviser #InvestigativeJournalism #Military #Government

Senior Military Adviser to Joint Chiefs Is Retiring Earlier Than Expected

Senior Military Adviser to Joint Chiefs Is Retiring Earlier Than Expected

Brig. Gen. Eric Widmar, senior legal adviser to the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he is retiring “for personal reasons.” He is the latest high-profile departure among the military’s top leaders and lawyers in the Trump administration.

· 3mo ago

A Troubling Milestone: Most Supreme Court Rulings Are Secretive Votes With Little Justification https://www.propublica.org/article/supreme-court-shadow-docket-rulings-milestone #Law #Politics #Journalism

A Troubling Milestone: Most Supreme Court Rulings Are Secretive Votes With Little Justification

ProPublica conducted a new analysis that shows the court is deciding more consequential rulings than ever before in largely unsigned orders with little to no explanation.

· 1mo ago

These Judges Take Months to Decide If Immigrants Have Been Unlawfully Detained https://www.propublica.org/article/ice-detention-judges-habeas-petitions #Immigration #Justice #Investigate

· 2mo ago

Greg Abbott Blasted Corpus Christi for Its Water Crisis. A River Authority He Has Power Over Is Falling Apart. https://www.propublica.org/article/greg-abbott-nueces-river-authority

Greg Abbott Blasted Corpus Christi for Its Water Crisis. A River Authority He Has Power Over Is Falling Apart.

The Nueces River Authority is working on a project that could expand the Corpus Christi region’s water supply. But the Texas governor has done little to address the agency’s financial problems, despite appointing every member of its board.

· 1mo ago

The $1 Trillion Black Box https://www.propublica.org/article/military-defense-spending-budget-series #InvestigativeJournalism #Military #GovernmentSpending

The $1 Trillion Black Box

The U.S. military budget is vast and opaque. Projects touted as engineering marvels end up facing years of delays and ballooning costs. ProPublica has launched a series to report on the Pentagon’s spending.

· 2mo ago

A U.S.-Mexico Impasse Will Test How Far the Trump Administration Will Go to Fight Drug Trade https://www.propublica.org/article/us-mexico-drug-trade-sheinbaum #Investigative #Politics #BorderSecurity

A U.S.-Mexico Impasse Will Test How Far the Trump Administration Will Go to Fight Drug Trade

Under Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum, security forces have worked with the U.S. to destroy drug labs and kill or capture crime bosses. But the president is saying she won’t extradite members of her own political party.

· 2mo ago

Trump Pushes Out Remaining Members of Bipartisan Election Commission Ahead of Midterms https://www.propublica.org/article/federal-election-assistance-commission-trump-dismantled #Politics #Democracy #Investigate

Trump Pushes Out Remaining Members of Bipartisan Election Commission Ahead of Midterms

President Donald Trump has fired Benjamin Hovland and Thomas Hicks, the Democrats on the federal Election Assistance Commission, while Christy McCormick, the Republican, was allowed to resign, sources tell ProPublica.

· 2mo ago

How Trump's "America First" Administration Could Shut U.S. Scientists Out of the Next Nobel-Worthy Discovery https://www.propublica.org/article/federal-science-grants-russell-vought-omb #Science #Politics #Research

How Trump’s “America First” Administration Could Shut U.S. Scientists Out of the Next Nobel-Worthy Discovery

A proposed White House rule would give political appointees unprecedented control over scientific funding. One physicist, who helped discover the Higgs boson, explains how the rule would’ve stifled that breakthrough.

· 2mo ago

Trump Officials Want to Use Human Rights Aid to Advocate for White South Africans and Right-Wing Causes in Europe https://www.propublica.org/article/human-rights-aid-right-wing-causes #Politics #Investigate #HumanRights

Afrikaner and Right-Wing European Groups Would Gain From Trump’s New Human Rights Funding

Afrikaner and Right-Wing European Groups Would Gain From Trump’s New Human Rights Funding

Proposed grant recipients have included a free-speech organization that has fought against bans on “gay conversion therapy” and an Afrikaner group that promotes self-governance.

· 2mo ago

This MAGA Influencer Runs a Charity to Teach Kids Civics. Much of the Money Goes to Him Instead. https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-nick-adams-state-flag-charity-civics-state-department #InvestigativeJournalism #Nonprofits #Accountability

This MAGA Influencer Runs a Charity to Teach Kids Civics. Much of the Money Goes to Him Instead.

Nick Adams’ Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness has brought in millions in donations and helped him land a State Department appointment, but records show there is almost no indication FLAG was spending that money on its stated mission.

· 2mo ago

On This Nearly Deserted Alaska Island, You Pay to Keep Hundreds of Empty Buildings Wired for Internet https://www.propublica.org/article/adak-island-alaska-internet-subsidy-fcc #Investigate #Journalism #InternetAccess

On This Nearly Deserted Alaska Island, You Pay to Keep Hundreds of Empty Buildings Wired for Internet

U.S. phone customers pay more than $340,000 a year for an Anchorage company to keep homes and buildings on Alaska’s Adak Island wired for obsolete internet service. All but a few of them sit empty.

· 2mo ago

DHS Plans "All-Out War" on Immigration Scammers as Fraud Complaints Double https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-dhs-immigration-scams-fraud-homeland-security #Investigate #Scams #Immigration

DHS Plans “All-Out War” on Immigration Scammers as Fraud Complaints Double

The number of scammers trying to capitalize on immigrants’ fears by posing as lawyers and ICE agents has surged since Trump’s reelection, ProPublica found. Now, DHS says it is seeking to identify and find these fraudsters.

· 2mo ago

How Videos Helped Me Uncover Abuse at an Arkansas Private School https://www.propublica.org/article/arkansas-private-school-abuse-video #Investigative #Journalism #Education

How Videos Helped Me Uncover Abuse at an Arkansas Private School

Mary “Tracy” Morrison ordered students to scrub floors and urged them to attack a classmate. Few records exist of incidents at The Delta Institute for the Developing Brain, a private school with little transparency. I pieced together what happened.

· 2mo ago

How the Government's Obligation to Keep Foreign Workers Safe Collided With Its Efforts to Keep Farms Afloat https://www.propublica.org/article/h-2a-farmworker-protections-profits-trump #Journalism #Labor #Immigration

How the Government’s Obligation to Keep Foreign Workers Safe Collided With Its Efforts to Keep Farms Afloat

Farmers want the Trump administration to overhaul the H-2A visa program to make it more favorable to their businesses. But cutting red tape could cut labor protections, too.

· 3mo ago

Have a 401(k)? Help ProPublica Investigate What's Really Happening to Your Money. https://www.propublica.org/getinvolved/share-401k-fees-retirement-investment #Investigative #Finance #Retirement

Have a 401(k)? Help ProPublica Investigate What’s Really Happening to Your Money.

Some retirement plans are stuck in investments with bloated fees and costly add-ons. Share your standard plan documents with us to help reveal which financial products companies are pushing, and what they’re charging workers.

· 1w ago

"A Massive Power Grab": White House Proposal Threatens Funding That Helps Disabled Americans Vote https://www.propublica.org/article/disabled-voters-nonprofit-funding-cuts-omb #Journalism #Politics #Disability

This White House Plan Threatens Funding That Helps Disabled Americans Vote

This White House Plan Threatens Funding That Helps Disabled Americans Vote

A new rule from the Office of Management and Budget would prohibit anyone from using federal grant money for voter registration drives. It’s part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to restrict voting access.

· 1w ago

What Does Your Data Reveal About Sports Betting Apps? Help ProPublica Find Out. https://projects.propublica.org/sports-betting-uploader #Investigative #Journalism #Sports

projects.propublica.org

· 2mo ago

How to Research Private Schools Like an Investigative Reporter https://www.propublica.org/article/how-to-research-private-schools #Investigate #Education #Journalism

· 1mo ago

Is There Anyone Who Can Respond to My FOIA Requests? Anyone? https://www.propublica.org/article/foia-requests-responses #Journalism #Government #Transparency

Is There Anyone Who Can Respond to My FOIA Requests? Anyone?

Asking the federal government for public records didn’t always feel like a shell game. But bounced emails and broken portals seem like the new normal.

· 2mo ago

How a Man Once Ordered to Pay Libel Damages Helped Launch an Investigation Into Islamic Private Schools https://www.propublica.org/article/islamic-private-schools-texas-vouchers-sam-westrop #Investigate #Education #Journalism

How a Man Once Ordered to Pay Libel Damages Helped Launch an Investigation Into Islamic Private Schools

A man was ordered to pay libel damages after calling the head of an Islamic TV channel a “convicted terrorist.” Years later, he made similar claims against Islamic private schools applying for Texas’ voucher program, new legal filings say.

· 2mo ago

This Private School Had Students Scrub Floors and Attack a Fellow Classmate. The State Still Funds It. https://www.propublica.org/article/arksansas-private-schools-vouchers-delta-institute-developing-brain-autism-harm #Investigative #Education #Accountability

· 3mo ago

Washington Law Says to Alert the Public When Doctors Are Accused of Misconduct. It Can Take Months. https://www.propublica.org/article/washington-doctor-misconduct-failed-disclosure #Journalism #Healthcare #Regulation

Washington Law Says to Alert the Public When Doctors Are Accused of Misconduct. It Can Take Months.

In the case of Mark Mulholland, who was repeatedly accused of sexual misconduct, the board waited six weeks to announce that it had filed charges. He was allowed to keep seeing patients during that time, and one alleges he abused her in the interim.

· 2mo ago

Public Money Is Fueling an Explosion of Private Schools. States Often Don't Care How They're Run. https://www.propublica.org/article/private-schools-vouchers-growth-florida-arizona-west-virginia #InvestigativeJournalism #EducationPolicy #PublicInterest

Barns, Go-Karts and Strip Malls: The Wild West of Private Schools That Collect Taxpayer Dollars

Barns, Go-Karts and Strip Malls: The Wild West of Private Schools That Collect Taxpayer Dollars

As private schools proliferate, states are choosing a hands-off approach to regulating them. The backgrounds of school founders — sometimes with criminal histories — often don’t matter

· 2mo ago

Solar Developer Cancels Washington State Project on Sacred Indigenous Land https://www.propublica.org/article/washington-badger-mountain-solar-project-canceled-avangrid

Solar Developer Cancels Washington State Project on Sacred Indigenous Land

The company, Avangrid, pulled its long-standing and controversial project following years of delays, as well as tribal objections spurred in part by High Country News and ProPublica reporting.

· 3mo ago

A Puerto Rico Government Agency Exposed 1 Million Social Security Numbers https://www.propublica.org/article/puerto-rico-crim-data-breach #Privacy #DataBreach #Government