Emails Reveal Top IRS Lawyer Warned Trump Firings Were a “Fraud” on the Courts
The Trump administration cited “performance” failures to justify its mass firing of IRS workers. But this claim was “false,” a senior agency attorney warned officials, because the administration had not conducted any such performance assessment.
An ICE Contractor Is Worth Billions. It’s Still Fighting to Pay Detainees as Little as $1 a Day to Work.
GEO Group, whose stock is valued at $4 billion, says that state minimum wage laws don’t apply to the cleaning services that it’s asked detained migrants to perform at facilities where they’re kept.
How Texas Conservatives Use At-Large School Board Elections to Influence What Students Learn
In six Texas districts that used at-large voting systems, ideologically driven conservatives successfully helped elect school board members who have moved aggressively to ban or remove educational materials that teach children about diversity.
Some Americans Have Already Been Caught in Trump’s Immigration Dragnet. More Will Be.
Federal immigration authorities have a history of wrongfully detaining U.S. citizens. Advocates warn that the Trump administration’s immigration policies mean that more citizens will get caught up in raids and sweeps.
How a Push to Amend the Constitution Could Help Trump Expand Presidential Power
A draft lawsuit being floated to attorneys general in several states argues Congress must call a convention over the national debt. But the legal theory mixes and matches petitions from states dating back to 1789.
Local Reporting Network
Trump Halted an Agent Orange Cleanup. That Puts Hundreds of Thousands at Risk for Poisoning.
Diplomats in Vietnam warned Washington that halting USAID’s efforts to clean up the massive deposit of postwar pesticides would be a catastrophe for public health and relations with a key strategic partner in Asia.
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.
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La presión de Trump sobre países y organizaciones internacionales debilita las protecciones para solicitantes de asilo
Las medidas de la administración para expulsar a los solicitantes de asilo a terceros países pone a la Organización Internacional para las Migraciones en el centro de una política que los críticos consideran ilegal.
The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram: Inside a Global Online Hate Network
How a cadre of white supremacists used the loosely moderated social media platform Telegram to inspire lethal violence — until authorities took them down.
Who’s Running the DOGE Wrecking Machine: The World’s Richest Man or a Little-Known Bureaucrat?
Insiders tell ProPublica that Amy Gleason is only in charge on paper, while Musk’s top lieutenants really run DOGE. One person who has been in meetings with Gleason described her as having “little to no actual decision making” responsibilities.
Parents Sue Trump Administration for Allegedly Sabotaging Education Department’s Civil Rights Division
The lawsuit claims that decimating the agency’s Office for Civil Rights will leave it unable to address issues of discrimination at school — violating the equal protection clause of the Fifth Amendment.
Texas Lawmakers Want a Charter School Network to Stop Paying Its Superintendent Nearly $900K. The School Board Says No.
The rebuke from lawmakers and charter school leaders came after an investigation from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune revealed that Salvador Cavazos, who oversees fewer than 1,000 students, is among the most well-paid superintendents in the country.
Curious How Trump’s Cost Cutting Could Affect Your National Park Visit? You Might Not Get a Straight Answer.
National Park Service staff have received talking points ordering them to describe layoffs as “workforce management actions” and to reassure visitors that changes resulting from the cuts won’t impede “memorable and meaningful experiences for all.”
Inside the Schools Alaska Ignored
Two inches of raw sewage. Black mold. A bat infestation. Reporter Emily Schwing shares what she uncovered as she investigated dangerous conditions inside Alaska’s deteriorating public schools.
Local Reporting Network
ProPublica Documentary “Before A Breath” Streaming March 20
The film gives voice to parents who have lost children to stillbirth.
How ProPublica Uses AI Responsibly in Its Investigations
When our reporters prompted a large language model to help identify “woke” themes in a database of grants, AI helped them tell a vital accountability story about science funding and Ted Cruz.
Washington Blues: A Government Town Faces a Gloomy Future
For years, Washington, D.C., was insulated from many of the economic forces that decimated many older U.S. cities. Now, as Elon Musk’s mass layoffs shake everything from employment to real estate, the region faces the prospect of decline.
Trump’s Pressure on Countries and International Organizations Erodes Protections for Asylum-Seekers
The administration’s moves to expel asylum-seekers to third countries put the International Organization for Migration at the center of a policy critics have called illegal.
Massive Layoffs at the Department of Education Erode Its Civil Rights Division
Only five of the agency’s civil rights offices remain nationwide. Those who are still with the department say it will now be “virtually impossible” to resolve discrimination complaints.
“The President Wanted It and I Did It”: Recording Reveals Head of Social Security’s Thoughts on DOGE and Trump
In a recording obtained by ProPublica, acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek portrayed his agency as facing peril, while also encouraging patience with “the DOGE kids.”
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