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

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, Dec. 23, 2016, 9 a.m. EST

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, July 7, 2016, 8 a.m. EDT

Can the Democrats Be as Stubborn as Mitch McConnell?

by Alec MacGillis,

Feb. 3, 2017, 5 a.m. EST

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

by Robert Faturechi,

Jan. 6, 2017, 12:43 p.m. EST

Rick Perry’s Texas Giveaways

by Alec MacGillis,

Jan. 3, 2017, 9 a.m. EST

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

by Alec MacGillis,

Nov. 30, 2016, 1:23 p.m. EST

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

by Robert Faturechi and Sarah Smith,

Nov. 17, 2016, 4:14 p.m. EST

The Sheriff Gets His Man

by Alec MacGillis,

Nov. 15, 2016, 6 a.m. EST

Revenge of the Forgotten Class

by Alec MacGillis,

Nov. 10, 2016, 9 a.m. EST

Would Wall Street Have a Place in a Clinton Administration?

by Alec MacGillis,

Nov. 7, 2016, 1:01 a.m. EST

Clay Pigeons: How Lobbyists Secretly Woo Top Election Officials

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

Nov. 4, 2016, 5:30 a.m. EDT

The Democrats’ Bad Map

by Alec MacGillis,

Oct. 22, 2016, 2:30 p.m. EDT

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

by Robert Faturechi and Lauren Kirchner,

Oct. 14, 2016, 12:55 p.m. EDT

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

by Alec MacGillis,

Oct. 13, 2016, 5:23 a.m. EDT

The Surreal Politics of a Billionaire’s Tax Loophole

by Alec MacGillis,

Sept. 7, 2016, 5 a.m. EDT

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

Aug. 15, 2016, 12 p.m. EDT

‘White Trash’ — The Original Underclass

by Alec MacGillis,

Aug. 5, 2016, 8 a.m. EDT

The Best Reporting on Hillary Clinton Over the Years

by Sarah Smith,

July 28, 2016, 1:16 p.m. EDT

The Best Reporting on Tim Kaine Through the Years

by Robert Faturechi,

July 22, 2016, 10 p.m. EDT

The Best Reporting on Mike Pence Through the Years

by Sarah Smith,

July 15, 2016, 11:29 a.m. EDT

What Newt Gingrich Really Thinks of Donald Trump

by Robert Faturechi,

July 13, 2016, 11 p.m. EDT

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

by Robert Faturechi and Derek Willis,

May 27, 2016, 5 a.m. EDT

The Best Reporting on Ted Cruz Through the Years

by Sarah Smith,

April 12, 2016, 8 a.m. EDT

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

by Robert Faturechi,

March 31, 2016, 8 a.m. EDT

The Most Terrific Reporting on Trump

by Sarah Smith,

March 15, 2016, 5 p.m. EDT

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

by Alec MacGillis,

March 4, 2016, 1 a.m. EST

Why Is Mitch McConnell Picking This Fight?

by Alec MacGillis,

Feb. 19, 2016, 1:30 p.m. EST

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

by Robert Faturechi and Derek Willis,

Feb. 9, 2016, 5:48 p.m. EST

The Conservative Playbook for Keeping ‘Dark Money’ Dark

by Robert Faturechi,

Feb. 4, 2016, 12:45 p.m. EST

Campaign Donations Reflect the Sharp Split in Congress Among Republicans

by Derek Willis,

Jan. 22, 2016, 6 a.m. EST

The 10 Best 2015 Investigative Reports on Political Money

by Robert Faturechi,

Dec. 22, 2015, 2:36 p.m. EST

‘Somebody Intervened in Washington’

by Alec MacGillis,

Dec. 21, 2015, 11 a.m. EST

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

by Lawrence Roberts,

Dec. 21, 2015, 1 a.m. EST

Who Turned My Blue State Red?

by Alec MacGillis,

Nov. 20, 2015, 6 p.m. EST

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

Nov. 13, 2015, 6 a.m. EST

The Dog Ate My Vote: How Congress Explains Its Absences

by Derek Willis and Cecilia Reyes,

Nov. 10, 2015, 12 p.m. EST

Is the Gun Lobby’s Power Overstated?

by Alec MacGillis,

Oct. 5, 2015, 3:40 a.m. EDT

Bankruptcy Lawyers Strip Cash from Coal Miners’ Health Insurance

by Alec MacGillis,

Oct. 1, 2015, 5 a.m. EDT

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

by Derek Willis and Robert Faturechi,

Sept. 18, 2015, 8 a.m. EDT

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

by Alec MacGillis,

Aug. 13, 2015, 5 a.m. EDT

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

by Alec MacGillis,

July 22, 2015, 5 a.m. EDT

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

by Robert Faturechi,

July 2, 2015, 5:15 a.m. EDT

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

by Robert Faturechi,

May 20, 2015, 6 a.m. EDT

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

by Alec MacGillis,

May 5, 2015, 8 a.m. EDT

Rapid Rise in Super PACs Dominated by Single Donors

by Robert Faturechi,

April 20, 2015, 5:15 a.m. EDT

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

March 27, 2015, 3:45 p.m. EDT

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

by Robert Faturechi,

March 19, 2015, 5 a.m. EDT

Hillary Clinton's Top Five Clashes Over Secrecy

March 13, 2015, 8 a.m. EDT

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

March 10, 2015, 6:28 p.m. EDT