A Closer Look
Examining the News
The Real Story About Trump’s Latest Attack on the Press
On Wednesday, President Trump filed a libel suit against the New York Times that should be readily dismissed. That hasn’t stopped him from threatening to file more lawsuits soon.
Paratransit Services in New York City Are Severely Limited and Unpredictable. They Still Cost $614 Million a Year.
Access-A-Ride, the MTA’s system for riders with disabilities, sometimes drops people off hours early, and sometimes hours late. Rides have to be booked a full day in advance. It’s absurdly impractical for day-to-day life.
Iowa’s Lesson: Political Parties Are Not as Good as Government Officials at Counting Votes
Most primaries are run by state and local governments. But caucuses are different — and Iowa shows how that can be a problem.
Local Accountability Journalism Still Has a Huge Impact
Between the Local Reporting Network and ProPublica Illinois, our work shows that state leaders across the country are listening and things can change.
We’ve Been Tracking Pharma Payments to Doctors For Nearly A Decade. We Just Made A Big Breakthrough.
For years, we’ve wondered whether a doctor who received a payment linked to a particular drug prescribed more of that drug. With our new analysis, we finally have the answer: yes.
Balancing the Public Interest and a Family’s Grief
ProPublica published a video last week showing the final hours of a 16-year-old migrant who died in Border Patrol custody. The family said they should have been given a chance to see the video before it appeared. They have a point.
University of Illinois Told Our Partners They Must Share Sexual Misconduct Tips With Campus Authorities. Here’s How We’re Protecting Our Sources.
To maintain the privacy of our sources, ProPublica will collect tips coming in about sexual misconduct at the University of Illinois and only share them with our partners at NPR Illinois under certain circumstances.
Trump’s Ukraine Plotting Has Been Happening in Plain Sight. So Why Didn’t We See It?
It’s not just that there’s a lot to pay attention to.
Illinois Is Poised to Become the Gambling Capital of the Midwest
And like the state’s last gambling expansion, in 2009, the massive new bill could bring trouble.
You Can’t Tax the Rich Without the IRS
Until the budget-starved agency is restored, corporations and the wealthy will easily fend off attempts to increase the rates they pay.
How the Rich Really Play, “Who Wants To Be An Ivy Leaguer?”
A ProPublica editor who investigated how the rich buy their children’s way into elite colleges reflects on the latest scandal—and remembers when affluent readers mistook his expose for a “how-to” guide.
What We Learned From the First Year of the Local Reporting Network
Reporters across the country are brimming with ideas for great stories to investigate. All they lack is time and support.
What I Learned Covering HUD: Oversight Failures Are Symptoms of Deeper Dysfunction
My goal this year was to explore HUD’s failure to enforce legal standards for decent, safe, sanitary housing. What started as a simple premise brought to light greater challenges: Years of congressional cuts have left the agency in a state of chaos as communities suffer.
What Happens When the Next Financial Crisis Strikes?
As the 10-year anniversary of the last crash nears, pundits are predicting the next one. That’ll bring another problem: Who’s going to solve the crisis when our president has poisoned relations with the institutions that helped fix the last one?
Why Manafort and Cohen Thought They’d Get Away With It
It takes a special counsel to actually catch white-collar criminals.
Tax Case Flips the Script for Democrats and the GOP. But What About for Jurists?
A lawsuit attacking last year’s tax cut will test whether judicial conservatives align with Republicans, who find themselves defending Congress’ power, or with the states’ rights doctrine at the heart of their legal thinking.
A Free Press Works for All of Us
The cause of investigative reporting, a crucial element of our democracy, benefits enormously from our country’s tradition of a free, unfettered press.
Why the IRS’ Recent Dark Money Decision May Be Less Dire Than It Seems
With the tax agency already “toothless” on political cases, how much difference does it make if it’s now “deaf and blind,” too?
How the Fight Against Affirmative Action at Harvard Could Threaten Rich Whites
If preferences for black and Hispanic applicants are abolished, expect a backlash against admissions boosts for children of alumni and donors.
How Mitch McConnell Made Donald Trump
The president owes both his election and his long-term impact to the Senate majority leader, who not only engineered the strategy that will let Trump make two Supreme Court appointments, but also created the circumstances that facilitated his rise.
