Featured Stories

These Single Moms Are Forced to Choose: Reveal Their Sexual Histories or Forfeit Welfare

Women who apply for welfare often have to identify who fathered their children and when they got pregnant, among other deeply personal details. State governments use that information to pursue child support from the dads — and then pocket the money.

by Eli Hager, photography by Adria Malcolm, special to ProPublica

Landlords Use Secret Algorithms to Screen Potential Tenants. Find Out What They’ve Said About You.

When you apply for housing, some screening companies plug your personal details into algorithms and rate you as a potential tenant. These scores can have a huge impact on your life when you’re trying to get approved for an apartment.

by Erin Smith

New Report Shows “Deeply Troubling Failures” by Border Patrol in Boy’s Death, Key Congressional Leader Says

The DHS inspector general has confirmed the findings of a ProPublica investigation into the death of a 16-year-old Guatemalan who died in a Border Patrol cell in Texas.

by Robert Moore, El Paso Matters

Birth Rights

After 33 Years, Parents of Brain-Damaged Kids Get to Express Disgust With Florida Program

Our reporting prompted changes in state law, and on Wednesday, the program’s executive director resigned. Parents had harsh words about the way they and their children have been treated.

by Carol Marbin Miller and Daniel Chang, Miami Herald

COVID-19

Featured Reporting on the Crisis

A Boy With an Autoimmune Disease Was Ready to Learn in Person. Then His State Banned Mask Mandates.

High-risk students in states and districts that have made masks optional are staying home.

by Annie Waldman and Bianca Fortis

The CDC Only Tracks a Fraction of Breakthrough COVID-19 Infections, Even as Cases Surge

A May 1 decision by the CDC has left the nation with a muddled understanding of COVID-19’s impact on the vaccinated.

by Jenny Deam and Bianca Fortis

Resources

Coronavirus Contracts: Tracking Federal Purchases to Fight the Pandemic

Tracking PPP Loans: Search Every Company Approved for Federal Loans

What Coronavirus Job Losses Reveal About Racism in America

Para obtener asistencia social, estas madres solteras se ven obligadas a compartir casi todo lo que saben sobre los padres de sus hijos

Las mujeres que solicitan asistencia social tienen que identificar al padre de sus hijos, y cuándo quedaron embarazadas, entre otros detalles personales. El gobierno utiliza esos datos para reclamarle la manutención al padre y se embolsa el dinero.

por Eli Hager, fotografía por Adria Malcolm, en reporte especial para ProPublica

The Director of Florida’s Program for Brain Damaged Infants Has Resigned

The head of NICA, or the Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association, resigned following a report from ProPublica and the Miami Herald detailing families’ struggles as they sought — and were often denied — support they’d been promised.

by Carol Marbin Miller and Daniel Chang, Miami Herald

Help Us Understand Pacific Northwest Salmon and Treaty Rights

Dozens of people have told us about the decline of wild fish in the Columbia River and the U.S. government’s failure to uphold treaty rights. Now, we’re interested in hearing from you.

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting

He Beat Her Repeatedly. Family Court Tried to Give Him Joint Custody of Their Children.

Wisconsin is considered a leader in the movement to treat fathers as equal caregivers when parents separate. Shared parenting is usually better for children — but the model fails for many women forced to co-parent with their abusers.

by Megan O’Matz

A Boy Went to a COVID-Swamped ER. He Waited for Hours. Then His Appendix Burst.

Non-COVID patients are paying a price as the delta variant and low-vaccination rates overwhelm hospitals across the country. “Wait times can now be measured in days,” said an expert.

by Jenny Deam

Reporting on Climate Injustice in One of the Hottest Towns in America

What does climate injustice look like? A town where farmworkers struggle for access to clean drinking water and comfortable places to sleep while their wealthy neighbors water their lawns generously and park in climate-controlled garages.

by Brooke Stephenson

Survivors and Families of Victims of a 1981 El Salvador Massacre See Justice Slip Away Again

The judge investigating the 1981 El Mozote massacre has been fired by El Salvador’s government as the right-wing populist president, Nayib Bukele, consolidates power. For victims, survivors and their families, that means justice could never come.

by Raymond Bonner and Nelson Rauda for ProPublica

Long-Secret FBI Report Reveals New Connections Between 9/11 Hijackers and Saudi Religious Officials in U.S.

“This validates what we have been saying,” says an attorney for families of 9/11 victims who are suing the Saudi government over alleged support of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

by Tim Golden and Sebastian Rotella

Unemployment Insurance System Set to Get Tech Makeover — but Needs Much More, Administration Says

The Labor Department has launched an overhaul of the technology that runs the unemployment insurance system, which was overwhelmed by claims and plagued by fraud during the pandemic. But the agency says Congress must act to fix deeper problems.

by Cezary Podkul

“La mitad de la familia simplemente desapareció de la noche a la mañana”

Después de atender una llamada al 911 sobre una familia que se había desmayado, equipos de emergencia llegaron a la casa y tocaron la puerta. Como nadie contestó, se marcharon. Adentro, una familia entera estaba siendo envenenada por monóxido de carbono.

por Perla Trevizo y Lexi Churchill, ProPublica y The Texas Tribune; Suzy Khimm y Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC News; Ilustraciones por Laila Milevski, ProPublica

ProPublica and Partners Nominated for Seven ONA Awards

by ProPublica

Declassifying the 9/11 Investigation

President Biden says he will open up the government’s secret files about the plot, but will they answer the questions that remain?

by Tim Golden

Two ProPublica Projects Named Finalists for Loeb Awards

by ProPublica

Loan Forgiveness for Disabled Borrowers Was 10 Years in the Making

At ProPublica, we measure our success by the tangible impact our stories have. Sometimes it takes more than a decade to see a flawed policy change.

by Stephen Engelberg

How Facebook Undermines Privacy Protections for Its 2 Billion WhatsApp Users

WhatsApp assures users that no one can see their messages — but the company has an extensive monitoring operation and regularly shares personal information with prosecutors.

by Peter Elkind, Jack Gillum and Craig Silverman

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