“Delay, Interfere, Undermine”
President Donald Trump has praised Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele as a crime fighter, but new reporting based on interviews and documents reveals how senior Salvadoran officials have impeded a U.S. investigation of the MS-13 gang.
Shattered Science: The Research Lost as Trump Targets NIH Funding
The Trump administration cut research funding that sought cures for future pandemics, examined the causes of dementia and tried to prevent HIV transmission. ProPublica heard from more than 150 researchers to understand the work that’s been lost.
Portland Said It Was Investing in Homeless People’s Safety. Deaths Have Quadrupled.
The city responded to an increase in homeless deaths by intensifying encampment sweeps and adding emergency shelter at the expense of permanent housing. Experts say this has perpetuated the problem.
Local Reporting Network
Senators Demand Transparency on Canceled Veterans Affairs Contracts
Following a ProPublica investigation into how DOGE had developed an error-prone AI tool to determine which VA contracts should be killed, a trio of lawmakers said the Trump administration continues to “stonewall” their requests for details.
The DOGE 100: Musk Is Out, but More Than 100 of His Followers Remain to Implement Trump’s Blueprint
At least 38 DOGE members work, or have worked, for one of Elon Musk’s companies. Meanwhile, nearly two dozen DOGE officials are making cuts to the same federal agencies that regulate the industries that employed them.
Tennessee’s Law on School Threats Ensnared Students Who Posed No Risks. Two States Passed Similar Laws.
Despite an outcry over increased arrests in Tennessee, two states — Georgia and New Mexico — followed its lead by passing laws that will crack down harder on hoax threats.
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.
“Demorar, interferir, socavar”
El presidente Trump ha alabado al presidente Bukele de El Salvador como un luchador contra el crimen, pero una investigación periodística revela cómo el gobierno salvadoreño ha impedido una investigación estadounidense de la pandilla MS-13.
Former Chicago Cop Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Battery of Two Female Colleagues
Eric Tabb is one of 14 Chicago officers accused of sexual assault in the past decade with at least one other alleged incident of sexual misconduct. The cases reveal how the department failed to vigorously investigate such allegations involving police.
Local Reporting Network
EPA Drops Legal Case Against the GEO Group, a Major Trump Donor, Over Its Misuse of Harmful Disinfectant in an ICE Facility
A complaint filed under the Biden administration alleged that on more than 1,000 occasions in 2022 and 2023, the GEO Group had its employees use the disinfectant, which causes irreversible eye damage and skin burns, without proper protection.
Arizona’s Largest County Frequently Pursues the Death Penalty. It Rarely Secures That Sentence.
In nearly 350 death penalty cases Maricopa County prosecutors pursued over 20 years, just 13% ended in a death sentence. The numbers indicate the need for a more deliberate and transparent process to decide capital charges, experts say.
North Dakota Ethics Commission Has No Authority to Punish Officials Violating Ethics Laws, State Leaders Argue
Voters created an ethics watchdog agency seven years ago. But officials keep pushing to weaken it, even as North Dakotans are filing a record number of complaints.
Local Reporting Network
Local Police Join ICE Deportation Force in Record Numbers Despite Warnings Program Lacks Oversight
ICE officials tout an unprecedented expansion of its 287(g) Program, driven by agreements that allow local officers to function as deportation agents during routine policing. But advocates warn such agreements come at a high cost to communities.
Local Reporting Network
How the Head of an Embattled Tennessee Youth Detention Center Held on to Power for Decades
Richard L. Bean remained in his perch as the superintendent of the juvenile detention center that bears his name despite scandals, investigations and the use of seclusion to punish children.
Local Reporting Network
Texas Lawmakers Pull Funding for Child Identification Kits Again After Newsrooms Report They Don’t Work
For the second legislative session, lawmakers have withdrawn funding for a company selling kits that promise to help find missing kids after ProPublica and The Texas Tribune reported there’s no evidence to support that claim.
Inside the AI Prompts DOGE Used to “Munch” Contracts Related to Veterans’ Health
Experts who reviewed the code for ProPublica found numerous and troubling flaws in the system, providing a disturbing glimpse into how the Trump administration is allowing artificial intelligence to guide critical cuts in services.
DOGE Developed Error-Prone AI Tool to “Munch” Veterans Affairs Contracts
We obtained records showing how a Department of Government Efficiency staffer with no medical experience used artificial intelligence to identify which VA contracts to kill. “AI is absolutely the wrong tool for this,” one expert said.
Texas Talks Tough on Immigration. But Lawmakers Won’t Force Most Private Companies to Check Employment Authorization.
Texas’ conservative Legislature has again and again refused to mandate that most private businesses use E-Verify. Experts say that Republican resistance is rooted in how the system could impact the state’s labor supply and economy.
In Cambodia, Our Journalists Put Nike’s Claims About Factory Conditions to the Test
ProPublica reporter Rob Davis began with a simple question: Had Nike truly become a beacon of environmental stewardship and fair labor practices, as it claimed? To find the answer, he had to travel across the Pacific Ocean.
“The Intern in Charge”: Meet the 22-Year-Old Trump’s Team Picked to Lead Terrorism Prevention
One year out of college and with no apparent national security expertise, Thomas Fugate is the Department of Homeland Security official tasked with overseeing the government’s main hub for combating violent extremism.
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