The Leader of Trump’s Assault on Higher Education Has a Troubled Legal and Financial History
Leo Terrell’s past is at odds with Trump’s description of an “incredibly successful” attorney. Documents obtained by ProPublica and The Chronicle of Higher Education reveal a trail of legal disputes and unpaid debts.
Trump’s Pick to Help Run the FBI Has a History of Prosecuting Influential Democrats
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s targeting of Democrats is legally questionable, experts say, but it’s helped to further his career nationally: “The more outrageous you are, the more you are going to attract the attention of Donald Trump.”
She Pushed to Overturn Trump’s Loss in the 2020 Election. Now She’ll Help Oversee U.S. Election Security.
Heather Honey has been appointed to a senior position in the Department of Homeland Security. State election officials and voting experts are concerned.
Idaho’s Coroner System Is “Broken and a Joke.” Here Are 5 Ideas From Coroners on How to Fix It.
Lawmakers have been warned for 70 years that the state’s system of elected coroners is broken, yet major reforms haven’t materialized. An anonymous state survey and interviews by ProPublica reveal what coroners say would help.
An Unconstitutional “Jim Crow Jury” Sent Him to Prison for Life. A New Law Aims to Keep Him There.
Five years ago, the Supreme Court decided that nonunanimous jury verdicts are unconstitutional. But for this Louisiana prisoner — and hundreds of others — “tough on crime” state leaders have ensured that doesn’t change anything.
Local Reporting Network
The Texas Redistricting Fight Has Been the Testing Ground for the Trump Administration’s Latest Legal Strategy
The administration has been testing a strategy of using the courts as leverage to force political outcomes. In Texas, the state’s leaders and conservative activists have been willing, if not eager, collaborators.
What We’re Watching
During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.
Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.
Sharon Lerner
I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.
Andy Kroll
I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.
Melissa Sanchez
I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.
Jesse Coburn
I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.
If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.
DOGE Targeted Him on Social Media. Then the Taliban Took His Family.
Afghan scholar Mohammad Halimi, who fled the Taliban in 2021, had worked to help U.S. diplomats understand his homeland. Then DOGE put his family’s lives at risk by exposing his sensitive work for a U.S.-funded nonprofit.
Inside the Memphis Chamber of Commerce’s Push for Elon Musk’s xAI Data Center
In the face of intense public opposition, the city’s Chamber of Commerce has gone to unusual lengths to promote Musk’s xAI facility: sending out a mailer, for the first time in recent memory, that includes misleading facts.
Local Reporting Network
How Deeply Trump Has Cut Federal Health Agencies
More than 20,500 workers have left or been pushed out of federal health agencies, a ProPublica analysis found. Staffers say the cuts will leave their agencies less equipped to conduct studies, perform inspections and combat deadly outbreaks.
How We Tracked Workforce Reductions at Federal Health Agencies
When the Trump administration refused to reveal how many workers had left federal health agencies, ProPublica turned to a federal employee directory to quantify the impact. Here’s how we did it.
A Texas County Cuts Over 100 Polling Sites as Trump Attacks Mail-In Voting Nationally
The decision by commissioners in Tarrant County, which includes Fort Worth, comes amid growing concern about GOP efforts to limit voting access ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
RFK Jr. Vowed to Find the Environmental Causes of Autism. Then He Shut Down Research Trying to Do Just That.
While touting a $50 million initiative to identify the causes of autism, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is helping lead an administration that is rolling back protections against pollution and toxic chemicals, including some linked to the condition.
Microsoft Failed to Disclose Key Details About Use of China-Based Engineers in U.S. Defense Work, Record Shows
The tech giant is required to regularly provide U.S. officials with its plan for keeping government data safe from hacking. Yet a copy of Microsoft’s security plan obtained by ProPublica makes no reference to the company’s China-based operations.
Lo que presencié mientras fotografiaba las desapariciones y retornos de mis compatriotas
Durante cuatro meses una fotoperiodista documentó la vida de familias venezolanas cuyos hijos fueron detenidos en El Salvador y su reencuentro posterior. El tiempo en el CECOT marcó profundamente a los hombres, sus seres queridos y al país.
What I Witnessed as I Photographed the Disappearances and the Homecomings of My Countrymen
Over the past four months, a photojournalist documented the lives of five families whose sons had been imprisoned in El Salvador, including their long-awaited reunions. CECOT left a mark on the men, their loved ones and Venezuela.
Trump’s Rollback of Rules for Mental Health Coverage Could Lead More Americans to Go Without Care
The president, who has framed mental health as a national crisis, paused rules to hold insurers accountable for unlawfully denying coverage. And Congress cut funding to the agency that enforces insurers’ equal treatment of mental and physical health.
Some States Restrict the Oil Industry From Taking Mineral Owners’ Earnings. Not North Dakota.
At least seven states limit the costs oil and gas companies can pass on to the people they lease drilling rights from. Here’s how North Dakota differs when it comes to protecting the interests of mineral owners.
Local Reporting Network
Top Democrat on Oversight Committee Demands Trump Administration Account for Wildland Firefighter Vacancies
The request follows ProPublica reporting that DOGE cuts and voluntary resignations left thousands of vacant jobs at the Forest Service, severely hampering its ability to fight wildfires.
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