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The Breakdown

How politics and government really work, and why they don’t.

Our series seeks to show how politics and government really work, and why they don’t.

Impact of Our Reporting
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The Breakdown

The Continuing Muddle at a Pro-Trump Political Committee

‘America Comes First’ can’t seem to decide if it’s a PAC or a super PAC, but in either case its federal filings remain problematic.

by Robert Faturechi and Derek Willis,

The Breakdown

Update: FEC Looking at Super PAC That Hyped Penny Stock

Officers of ‘Voters for Hillary,’ which raised money but reported no political expenditures, had close ties to a Las Vegas firm that the PAC purportedly hired to run a call center.

by Robert Faturechi and Derek Willis,

47 stories published since 2015

Can the Democrats Be as Stubborn as Mitch McConnell?

by Alec MacGillis,

Conservatives Plot Their Course on the Rising ‘Sea of Red’ in State Capitals

by Robert Faturechi,

Rick Perry’s Texas Giveaways

by Alec MacGillis,

Would Washington’s FDA Fix Cure the Patients or the Drug Industry?

by Alec MacGillis,

Meet the Candidate For Attorney General Who’s Hunted Quail with Corporate Donors

by Robert Faturechi and Sarah Smith,

The Sheriff Gets His Man

by Alec MacGillis,

Revenge of the Forgotten Class

by Alec MacGillis,

Would Wall Street Have a Place in a Clinton Administration?

by Alec MacGillis,

Clay Pigeons: How Lobbyists Secretly Woo Top Election Officials

by Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, and Eric Lipton, The New York Times,

The Democrats’ Bad Map

by Alec MacGillis,

Super PAC to Billionaire: We Need More Money to Save a Republican Senate

by Robert Faturechi and Lauren Kirchner,

Fact-checking Trump and Clinton on the Billionaire’s Tax Break

by Alec MacGillis,

The Surreal Politics of a Billionaire’s Tax Loophole

by Alec MacGillis,

As ISIS Brewed in Iraq, Clinton’s State Department Cut Eyes and Ears on the Ground

by Jeff Gerth,

‘White Trash’ — The Original Underclass

by Alec MacGillis,

The Best Reporting on Hillary Clinton Over the Years

by Sarah Smith,

The Best Reporting on Tim Kaine Through the Years

by Robert Faturechi,

The Best Reporting on Mike Pence Through the Years

by Sarah Smith,

What Newt Gingrich Really Thinks of Donald Trump

by Robert Faturechi,

‘On Like Donkey Kong’: How a Dubious Super PAC Boosted a Questionable Penny Stock

by Robert Faturechi and Derek Willis,

The Best Reporting on Ted Cruz Through the Years

by Sarah Smith,

Super PACs and Trump’s Wife: How a Photo Dispute Highlights Weakness in Campaign Finance Rules

by Robert Faturechi,

The Most Terrific Reporting on Trump

by Sarah Smith,

The Referendum That Might Have Headed Off Flint’s Water Crisis

by Alec MacGillis,

Why Is Mitch McConnell Picking This Fight?

by Alec MacGillis,

IRS Grants Nonprofit Status to ‘Dark Money’ Group Founded by Karl Rove

by Robert Faturechi and Derek Willis,

The Conservative Playbook for Keeping ‘Dark Money’ Dark

by Robert Faturechi,

Campaign Donations Reflect the Sharp Split in Congress Among Republicans

by Derek Willis,

The 10 Best 2015 Investigative Reports on Political Money

by Robert Faturechi,

‘Somebody Intervened in Washington’

by Alec MacGillis,

How ProPublica is (Un)-Covering Politics This Year and Beyond

by Lawrence Roberts,

Who Turned My Blue State Red?

by Alec MacGillis,

Hillary Clinton’s Mixed Record on Wall Street Belies Her Tough ‘Cut it Out’ Talk

by Jeff Gerth,

The Dog Ate My Vote: How Congress Explains Its Absences

by Derek Willis and Cecilia Reyes,

Is the Gun Lobby’s Power Overstated?

by Alec MacGillis,

Bankruptcy Lawyers Strip Cash from Coal Miners’ Health Insurance

by Alec MacGillis,

How Senate Hopefuls Keep Donors Secret From Voters Until It's Too Late

by Derek Willis and Robert Faturechi,

Insurance Lobby That Fought Hillarycare and Obamacare Now Has Sturdy Bridges to Democrats

by Alec MacGillis,

Road Hazard: How the ‘Embarrassing’ Gas Tax Impasse Explains Washington

by Alec MacGillis,

As Hollywood Lobbied State Department, It Built Free Home Theaters for U.S. Embassies

by Robert Faturechi,

Hacked Sony Emails Reveal Behind-the-Scenes Political Dealings in L.A.

by Robert Faturechi,

Higher Ed Lobby Quietly Joins For-Profit Schools to Roll Back Tighter Rules

by Alec MacGillis,

Rapid Rise in Super PACs Dominated by Single Donors

by Robert Faturechi,

Private Emails Reveal Ex-Clinton Aide’s Secret Spy Network

by Jeff Gerth,

Super PAC Men: How Political Consultants Took a Texas Oilman on a Wild Ride

by Robert Faturechi,

Hillary Clinton's Top Five Clashes Over Secrecy

by Jeff Gerth,

Echoes of Hillary’s Past as Emails Put Her on Defensive

by Jeff Gerth,

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.

Photo of Sharon Lerner
Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

Photo of Andy Kroll
Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

Photo of Melissa Sanchez
Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

Photo of Jesse Coburn
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.

Most Read

    “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.

    by T. Christian Miller and Sebastian Rotella,

    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.

    by K. Rambo, Street Roots,

    Local Reporting Network

    “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.

    by Hannah Allam,

    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.

    by William Turton, Christopher Bing, Avi Asher-Schapiro, Al Shaw and Jake Pearson,

    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.

    by Brandon Roberts and Vernal Coleman,