This Is Ground Zero in the Conservative Quest for More Patriotic and Christian Public Schools
Oklahoma has spent years reshaping public schools to integrate lessons about Jesus and encourage pride in America’s history. By the time the second Trump administration began espousing its “America First” agenda, Oklahoma had been there, done that.
This County Was the “Model” for Local Police Carrying Out Immigration Raids. It Ended in Civil Rights Violations.
Under Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County was one of the first testing grounds for ICE’s 287(g) program, which lets local police enforce immigration laws. Many Arizonans say those abuses parallel what’s playing out now under Trump.
Local Reporting Network
Arizona Police Agencies Were Once at the Forefront of Local Immigration Enforcement. Now Most Are Avoiding It.
In January, the Trump administration launched a national recruitment campaign to deploy local officers as deportation agents. It has added more than 900 agencies, but only four in Arizona have signed on.
Local Reporting Network
Ethics Watchdog Group Seeks Investigation Into Border Czar and Contracts Following ProPublica Report
The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center has called on the Homeland Security inspector general to investigate potential conflicts of interest and ethics violations by border czar Tom Homan and his senior adviser Mark Hall.
Joint Congressional Investigation Launched in Response to ProPublica’s Revelations on Detained Americans
Senators, House members and even a mayor expressed outrage and demanded accountability after our investigation detailed how at least 170 citizens have been held by immigration agents this year.
Idaho Banned Vaccine Mandates. Activists Want to Make It a Model for the Country.
The Idaho Medical Freedom Act makes it illegal to require anyone to take a vaccine or receive “medical intervention.” Leslie Manookian, the activist behind the law, hopes to make it a “societal norm” for the rest of the country.
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.
What You Should Know About Russ Vought, Trump’s Shadow President
Vought is the architect of President Trump’s broader plan to fire civil servants, freeze government programs and dismantle entire agencies. Here are some key things to know about the D.C. insider who wants to take a hatchet to the federal government.
Unfettered and Unaccountable: How Trump is Building a Violent, Shadowy Federal Police Force
Trump’s DHS appointees have dismantled civil rights guardrails, protected agents’ anonymity and encouraged them to wear masks, threatened groups that stood in their way, and overwhelmed legal challenges to their arrests and tactics.
House Rep Demands Answers About Delayed EPA Report on PFNA, a Toxic Forever Chemical
In a letter to EPA Chief Lee Zeldin, Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, cited a recent ProPublica story that quoted government scientists saying a yet-to-be-released report on the toxicity of PFNA was ready to publish in April.
The Shadow President
From the wholesale gutting of federal agencies to the ongoing government shutdown, Russell Vought has drawn the road map for Trump’s second term. Vought has consolidated power to an extent that insiders say they feel like “he is the commander in chief.”
Who Is Russell Vought? How a Little-Known D.C. Insider Became Trump’s Dismantler-in-Chief
Reporter Andy Kroll explains Vought’s rise from a congressional staffer to the man piloting everything from Trump's layoffs and agency closings to his shutdown strategy, controlling the fate of trillions of dollars and millions of federal workers.
More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.
The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And nearly 20 children, two of whom have cancer.
Disabled Idaho Students Lack Access to Playgrounds and Lunchrooms. Historic $2 Billion Funding Will Do Little to Help.
Despite federal law, disabled students can’t access playgrounds, lunchrooms, classes and bathrooms. With added funding, school districts are still unable to make necessary fixes.
Local Reporting Network
A Year Before Trump’s Crime Rhetoric, Dallas Voted to Increase Police. The City Is Wrestling With the Consequences.
Leaders at Dallas HERO argued the city was descending into anarchy despite falling violent crime rates. Residents, including some law enforcement officials and at least one prominent Trump supporter, fear the push could be used as a playbook.
Students With Hearing and Vision Loss Get Funding Back Despite Trump’s Anti-DEI Campaign
Following public outcry, the Department of Education has reversed its decision to cut funding for students who have both hearing and vision loss, opting instead to reroute grants to an organization that will provide funding to these students.
On the Front Line of the Fluoride Wars, Debate Over Drinking Water Treatment Turns Raucous
After decades of fluoridating drinking water to improve public health, some communities are wavering on the practice. In one Michigan county, the medical director is mirroring Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts against fluoridation.
“I Don’t Want to Be Here Anymore”: They Tried to Self-Deport, Then Got Stranded in Trump’s America
Venezuelan immigrants signed up for a Trump-promoted app called CBP Home, which promised a safe and easy way to leave the country, and prepared to leave on their given departure dates. Those dates have come and gone. They’re still stuck here.
“No quiero estar más acá”: intentaron autodeportarse y quedaron atrapados en la América de Trump
Inmigrantes venezolanos se registraron en una aplicación promovida por Trump llamada CBP Home, que prometía una forma segura y fácil de salir del país. Se prepararon para partir en las fechas asignadas. Esas fechas pasaron y siguen atrapados aquí.
Elon Musk’s Boring Co. Accused of Nearly 800 Environmental Violations on Las Vegas Project
Nevada could’ve fined the company more than $3 million, but regulators are seeking a reduced penalty of $242,800, citing an “extraordinary number of violations.”
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