Sixteen years ago, we started ProPublica to do hard-hitting, rigorous journalism that exposes wrongdoing and injustice. In that time, our investigative reporters have covered three presidential administrations, from the Obama administration’s failed housing policies to the Trump administration’s immigration strategies that separated parents from their children at the border to the Biden administration’s failure to uphold U.S. law when it came to arming the Israelis.
Now that Donald Trump is the president for the second time, we are once again turning our focus to the areas most in need of scrutiny at this moment in history.To find stories, we are, as always , relying on insights from people closest to the issues. Concerned public servants are some of our most important sources. If you are a federal employee, is there unfinished business — a sensitive project, a little-known but key policy, an important lawsuit — you worry will be quashed or left to molder? Are there records, research or databases you feel strongly should be preserved?
We appreciate the difficult situations people weigh as they decide whether to reach out to us, and we take source privacy very seriously. Read more about ProPublica’s approach to investigative journalism in our ethics code . If you have tips, documents, data or stories the public should know about, you can contact all of our journalists at propublica.org/tips . Here’s information on how to do so securely.
Here are some of the topics we’re covering, plus contact information for some reporters on each beat:
Civil Rights
J. David McSwane
I’m following the impact Trump administration policies will have on average Americans, particularly in the context of civil rights protections. This intersects with a broad array of federal agencies that oversee many issues including the environment, health care, business and housing. I also have a lot of experience covering medical issues, fraud and public health. Call me with tips about the Department of Justice (DOJ), Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Email: [email protected]
Signal: 202-556-3836
Mailing address:
Molly Redden
I’m covering legal affairs and how the second Trump administration is attempting to reshape the legal system. I’ll be watching to see if the administration escalates its defiance of the courts. I’m also interested in how Trump is vetting his judicial nominees and who is shaping the legal arguments in defense of his sweeping agenda.
Tips are welcome about the big law firms that struck deals to provide Trump pro bono work — what that work involves, if Trump and his allies are rewarding those firms, and whether there are punishments for the firms that resisted.
Consumer Finance
Jake Pearson
I’ll be covering consumer finance and the government agencies tasked with regulating it. That includes tracking the entry of tech companies and other businesses into the payments space. I’m especially interested in how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and other agencies charged with protecting consumers will respond to complaints about financial institutions during the Trump administration.
Counterterrorism and Surveillance
Hannah Allam
I cover national security issues, with a focus on U.S. counterterrorism efforts, militant movements, civil liberties and surveillance. I’m eager to connect with FBI counterterrorism officials, national security committees in Congress, Homeland Security (DHS) personnel, intelligence agencies and researchers advising the government on these topics.
Tips are welcome on changes to the counterterrorism apparatus, court cases involving government surveillance or terrorism-related statutes, the dismissal of career national security personnel, the politicization of threat assessments, and the proximity of extremist movements to federal power.
Drug Safety and Regulations
Debbie Cenziper
I am writing about how the FDA protects America’s generic drug supply, particularly products that come in from overseas. I’ve also written about medical devices, including the massive recall of breathing machines by Philips Respironics. I would love to learn more about the agency’s policies and practices, strengths and challenges — and how they play a role in the lives of consumers. If you have information about safety threats or insight into how the agency polices manufacturers of drugs and other products, please reach out.
Megan Rose
I’m covering the Food and Drug Administration’s ability to regulate drug safety. I’m looking at the choices the agency has made to deal with the explosion of foreign manufacturing and drug shortages, as well as how the agency approves and monitors new generic drugs. Please reach out if you work at the FDA or inside the drug industry and have a story to tell about leadership decisions, enforcement concerns or any abrupt changes to policy that will affect Americans’ health.
Education and Schools
Jodi S. Cohen
I report on higher education, K-12 education, special education, juvenile justice and issues involving young people more generally. I am interested in tips from Education Department insiders, educators and others about how the second Trump administration’s DOE/ED policies are affecting students, schools and young people, as well as how schools and states are responding.
Email: [email protected]
Signal: jodireporter16.76
WhatsApp: 312-731-8867
X: @jodiscohen
Bluesky: @jodiscohen.bsky.social
Jennifer Smith Richards
I’ll be reporting on how the Trump administration reshapes the federal government’s role in schools and education — and what that means for young people. I am eager to understand how new policies and shifts within the Education Department (DOE/ED) affect local schools and who benefits from (or is harmed by) the changes the administration makes.
Email: [email protected]
Signal: 312-593-0906
X: @jsmithrichards
Bluesky: @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
Mailing address:
Environmental Regulations
Anna Clark
I’m interested in talking with people about the Great Lakes, drinking water, lead pipes and infrastructure, especially if there is a connection to Michigan and the Midwest. I’d also love to discuss matters relating to the U.S.-Canada relationship.
My reporting interests are expansive. I’ve written about questionable practices at Baker College , which led to a federal investigation , and I’ve covered Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s unfulfilled promises and unfinished agenda . But I always come back to the water. Whether as a freelance journalist, writing for national and local publications, or in my years at ProPublica, I’ve written about the flooding caused by a dam collapse in Michigan, the bottled water industry, toxic algae blooms, water shutoffs by utility companies, how the Great Lakes are, and aren’t, protected from water withdrawals, and more.
Email: [email protected]
Signal: annaleighclark.14
Phone: 313-310-6592
Bluesky: @annaleighclark.bsky.social
Sharon Lerner
I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency. Even under Democratic administrations, the EPA sometimes bends to pressure from the powerful chemical , pesticide and energy companies it regulates. But during Trump’s first presidency, many of the political appointees running the agency had spent their careers up to that point challenging it. Others were simply unqualified and conflicted , as I reported then. This time around, Trump has already told oil executives he would roll back environmental rules and policies, including climate protections instituted by the Biden administration.
I welcome tips from scientists inside or outside the agency, people who have direct knowledge about Trump political appointees or nominees, and anyone aware of schemes to loosen protections on health and the environment.
Mark Olalde
I’m interested in Trump’s and his allies’ promises to dismantle the federal bureaucracy and laws that protect the environment. I’m looking to speak with people with inside knowledge of decision-making in the federal government, especially the Department of the Interior and its agencies. I’m also interested in information from other environmentally focused divisions of the government, from the Department of Energy to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).
I have investigated environmental issues ranging from the failure to properly clean up oil and gas wells and uranium mills to the mismanagement of the Colorado River and corporate bankruptcies . Based in the West, I typically report in front-line communities, including tribal nations .
Lisa Song
I cover how environmental regulations — or the lack thereof — affect communities. I’m interested in talking to current and former employees at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and similar agencies with tips on policy changes and political meddling in scientific research.
I’m currently focused on how the Trump administration is changing environmental protections and the resulting impacts on emergency management, extreme weather disasters and people’s exposure to toxic substances.
I have an earth science degree and am used to writing about complex scientific issues. I take your privacy seriously; I would not name you in a story without your permission. Please send sensitive tips via Signal.
Email: [email protected]
Signal/WhatsApp: 646-712-0120 or lisasong.42
Bluesky: @lisalsong.bsky.social
Federal Poverty Policy
Eli Hager
I cover poverty issues, including housing, labor and union protections, child support, child welfare, disability benefits, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. I plan to watch how the incoming administration handles federal poverty policy, as well as state and local social services agencies and private companies that profit off of the poor. Are you a current or former federal employee with insight into federal poverty programs? Or a congressional staffer who’ll be handling the new president’s budget proposals on these issues? Please reach out.
Foreign Affairs/Policy
Joshua Kaplan
I will be covering diplomacy, the Department of Defense (DOD) and how the U.S. government is using its power abroad. That could include stories ranging from an overlooked aspect of a major conflict to an unusual phone call with a foreign leader. I am particularly interested in the ways that foreign policy intersects with business or ideological interests.
And I’m always drawn to stories about conflicts of interest, in any agency and any form. In 2023, I co-reported a series of stories that revealed how a set of politically influential billionaires provided decades of undisclosed gifts to Supreme Court justices. Those articles helped spur the court to adopt its first-ever code of conduct and received a Pulitzer Prize.
Brett Murphy
The Trump administration is set to inherit twin crises in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as a global struggle for the economic and technological edge over our rivals. It’s still unclear how much he will want to intervene or isolate the U.S. while addressing crucial questions about our future on the global stage. I’m going to be covering the federal agencies at the center of the administration’s foreign affairs agenda and the corporations that help carry it out. Reach out if you work at the State Department, the Pentagon or anywhere else with tips about how the U.S. is influencing other countries’ governments — and how they might be influencing ours.
Health Care Policy
Anna Maria Barry-Jester
I report on global and public health and the agencies that govern those issues, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Indian Health Service, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). I’m interested in how the Trump administration will approach public health in the U.S. and shape the nation’s role in global health. I welcome tips from people with knowledge of these agencies and policies, including scientists, government officials, experts and advocates.
Patricia Callahan
I’m a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter exploring how federal policies and directives affect the health of vulnerable people. I cover the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as it grapples with cuts in staff and funding and a new administration determined to end longstanding global health programs and collaboration. Do you have inside knowledge of how the new executive orders and mandates are affecting health equity, vaccines or lifesaving public health programs here or abroad? I’d love to hear about it.
Email: [email protected]
Signal: SheInvestigates.99
Phone: 917-512-0263
Bluesky: @sheinvestigates.bsky.social
X: @SheInvestigates
Mailing address:
Duaa Eldeib
I’m reporting on the physical and mental health of our nation, particularly as it relates to mothers and children, health disparities and vulnerable populations, including those on Medicaid. I’m interested in speaking with current and former employees at the agencies that drive policy and data around health care, including the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
I want to hear from former and current government employees, researchers, clinicians, lawyers, families, advocates and anyone else who can speak to how federal policies and executive actions are impacting people’s lives. I consider it both an honor and a responsibility when people trust me with their stories. I strive to treat everyone I write about with respect and compassion. I take the protection of my sources extremely seriously.
Email: [email protected]
Signal: 312-730-4797
Bluesky: @deldeib.bsky.social
Mailing address:
Annie Waldman
I am an investigative health care reporter digging into how money and influence impact the American health care system. I am eager to hear from patients, doctors, federal agency workers and industry insiders about how the new administration is approaching health care. I want to learn about what’s going on inside federal health agencies – for example, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — and how their actions impact everyday Americans.
Housing and Transportation
Jesse Coburn
I’m tracking how the Trump administration reshapes policy at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Transportation (DOT). My main focus is how these changes affect people who depend on those agencies for their safety or well-being, such as public housing residents, victims of housing discrimination and commuters of all types. The topics that I’m looking into include highway expansions, restrictive zoning laws, the affordable housing shortage and the companies profiting from it, and the country’s high rate of traffic injuries and deaths. If you work for HUD or DOT or are affected by what they do, I’d like to hear from you.
Immigration
McKenzie Funk
I’m eager to hear from anyone connected to the business of immigration enforcement: technologists, data brokers, activists, airplane pilots, private-prison officials, and insiders at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) writ large. I welcome tips in English, Spanish, German, Russian and French. Anything connected to my native Pacific Northwest, where I still live, is of particular concern.
Having done much of my early reporting in China, Russia and other countries, I am practiced at using discretion with my communications and sources. If you reach out, I’ll listen to you carefully and make sure I understand where you’re coming from, and I’ll treat the information, and your identity, with care.
Email: [email protected]
Signal: 212-379-5757 or mckenziefunk.02
Bluesky: @mckenziefunk.com
Maryam Jameel
I’m an engagement reporter interested in immigration, labor and the federal workforce. I’m especially interested in occupational safety and how immigrant workers and the industries that employ them will be affected by policy shifts. I’m also working on ProPublica’s initiative to reach and gather tips from federal workers across agencies. If you’re a federal worker with ideas on how an outlet like ours can engage federal workers better, please reach out.
Mica Rosenberg
I cover immigration nationally and I am interested in writing about how changes in the U.S. immigration system directly impact people’s lives, as well as potential conflicts of interests that could arise between business and government. I have covered this beat since 2015, was a foreign correspondent in Latin America and am fluent in Spanish.
Melissa Sanchez
I report on immigration and labor in the Midwest. Trump ran on a campaign that promised the largest deportation operations in our nation’s history. I’d like to talk to people with inside information about how that might happen, where and the backroom conversations about what industries, employers or regions of the country will be left out. I am also interested in how some of these issues will play out in local schools. I have lived and reported in Latin America and speak Spanish fluently.
Email: [email protected]
Phone/Signal/WhatsApp: 872-444-0011
Mailing address:
Perla Trevizo
I’m a reporter with the ProPublica-Texas Tribune Investigative Initiative who focuses on border and immigration issues. I’m interested in how policy changes in Washington and Texas will play out on both sides of the border. I would love to hear from attorneys, organizations that work with immigrants and government officials from all levels who can help us better understand and document the impacts of these changes.
Email: [email protected]
Phone/Signal: 512-574-4823
Mailing address:
Public Records and Government Data
Kirsten Berg
As a research reporter, I’m interested in tips about records across federal agencies. Are there public records we should be requesting that might shed light on shifting policies or conflicts of interest in the administration? Are there potential changes to the ways government data is collected, analyzed or released that we should know about? I’d love to hear your ideas.
Regulation of the Space Industry
Heather Vogell
I’m covering the commercial space industry and its billionaire leaders, including Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. I’m interested in how companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin do business and how the federal government regulates them, with a focus on NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). If you have tips relating to any of this — or space traffic management, the proliferation of satellites or space debris — please reach out.
Reproductive Health
Cassandra Jaramillo
I’m interested in how abortion bans are impacting the lives of patients and doctors who care for them.
Email: [email protected]
Phone/Signal: 469-606-9665
Bluesky: @cassandrajaramillo.bsky.social
Rule of Law
Andy Kroll
I cover justice and the rule of law, with a focus on the Justice Department (DOJ), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the federal courts. Since joining ProPublica in 2022, I have reported on dark money , Christian nationalism , conservative plans to dismantle the civil service and other stories about American democracy . Send me tips on the transition, pardons, appointments, political interference, conflicts of interest and abuses of power inside the DOJ or other law enforcement agencies.
Technology and Cybersecurity
Avi Asher-Schapiro
I am reporting on the quickly evolving relationship between Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., and how Big Tech, venture capital firms and crypto will seek to shape government priorities in the second Trump administration. Whether you have worked on the Hill, in a regulatory agency, in the Valley or on Sand Hill Road, or your work has been impacted by DOGE, I welcome your story ideas, suggestions and tips. I take source protection seriously.
Christopher Bing
I cover the rapid intersection between national security and technology. My work is focused on nation-state hacking incidents, foreign surveillance activities, information operations and mercenary espionage services. If you have a tip that demands public scrutiny, heard an intriguing rumor or simply have advice about what I should be looking out for, I’d love to hear from you. I’m eager to connect with a wide range of national security professionals, including defense officials, the relevant staffers in Congress, FBI investigators, Homeland Security (DHS) experts and private technology contractors, as well as academics who study the field.
Renee Dudley
I report on technology and cybersecurity. I enjoy taking on topics that have been long ignored because they are not easily understood. I spend dozens of hours speaking with sources to unpack complex technical subjects, from esoteric cybersecurity tools to arcane government contracts. I aim to reach as deep an understanding as possible of the areas I report on. Although most of the minute details will never be published, I tell my sources that grappling with the material ultimately helps me to write more authoritatively. Contact me to discuss big tech, AI and how the nation is confronting the threat of cyber warfare.
Trump and Billionaires
Justin Elliott
I’m interested in the relationships between Trump and the country’s richest people and their companies. That includes major donors to his campaign — not only prominent figures like Elon Musk but also lesser-known billionaires such as the hedge fund manager Paul Singer and heir Timothy Mellon. My interest also extends to billionaires who are sure to have business before the government under Trump but who have previously supported Democrats, such as Jeff Bezos.
Do you work for a billionaire who might have business with Trump? Do you work for one of their companies? Do you have knowledge of these relationships more generally? Please get in touch. For more on how I handle tips and story ideas, read this piece I wrote on the important role of reader tips in our coverage of the Supreme Court .
Jeff Ernsthausen
I am a senior data reporter covering immigration, conflicts of interest in government contracting, and tax avoidance by wealthy Americans and corporations. If you come across a little-known dataset that you can share, or you want to confidentially share a tip about an abuse of the public trust, I’d love to hear from you.
Trump and Tariffs
Robert Faturechi
I have been reporting on Trump Media, the parent company of Truth Social. Our stories have focused on the conflicts of interest Trump’s stake in the company present and allegations of mismanagement and cronyism within the company. (The company has denied the allegations.) If you know anything about Trump Media or Trump’s other businesses, please get in touch. I’m also reporting on the Trump administration’s trade policies, including tariffs. Contact me if you work for Trump Media, the Commerce Department or the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), or know anything about lobbying efforts to win tariff exemptions.
Email: [email protected]
Signal/WhatsApp: 213-271-7217
Mailing address:
Veterans
This is just a small sample of our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops. You can hear more from our journalists about their work by signing up for our Dispatches newsletter .
