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Holding Political Actors Accountable

460 stories published since 2016

A Onetime Rising Democratic Star Faces Questions About Voter Privacy

by Jessica Huseman, ProPublica, and Daniel Desrochers, Lexington Herald-Leader,

How Illinois Bet on Video Gambling and Lost

by Jason Grotto and Sandhya Kambhampati, ProPublica, and Dan Mihalopoulos, WBEZ Chicago,

Will Pelosi Open the Floor to Bipartisan Ideas?

by Derek Willis,

What We Learned From Collecting 100,000 Targeted Facebook Ads

by Jeremy B. Merrill,

Updated: The Hidden Money Funding the Midterms

by Derek Willis, ProPublica, and Maggie Severns, Politico,

VA Was “Taken Advantage Of” by Paying Billions in Fees, Secretary Says

by Isaac Arnsdorf,

The Laquan McDonald Shooting Keeps Exposing Critical Flaws in Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act

by Mick Dumke,

In Louisiana, More Than a Third of Ex-Lawmakers Continue to Try to Influence Their Old Colleagues

by Andrea Gallo, The Times-Picayune | The Advocate,

Elkhart’s Mayor Says He Won’t Run for Re-election, Amid Revelations of Misconduct in the Police Ranks

by Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica,

What Chicago Voters Can Look Forward to in a Very Crowded Mayoral Election

by Lakeidra Chavis,

How to Get Your Lawmakers to Listen

by Cynthia Gordy Giwa,

Capitol Words

by Matthew Gerring, ProPublica, and George Bixby, Will Horning, Jeiran Jahani, Rick Mangi, Dmitri Rappaport, and Albert Toledo, Chartbeat,

Why the Perfect Red-State Democrat Lost

by Alec MacGillis,

The Election Is Over. And Now the Next Elections Begin.

by Mick Dumke,

Aging Machines, Crowds, Humidity: Problems at the Polls Were Mundane but Widespread

by Ian MacDougall, Jessica Huseman, and Isaac Arnsdorf,

How North Carolina’s Early Voting Changes Affect Voters

by Ken Schwencke, ProPublica, and Tyler Dukes, WRAL News,

Last-Minute Tips for Figuring Out Your Ballot and Making Sure You Can Vote

by Cynthia Gordy Giwa,

The Informed Voter’s Guide to Making Sure Your Vote Counts

by Ally J. Levine,

Democratic Mailer in Texas Referred to Attorney General’s Office

by Blake Paterson,

How to “Follow the Money” When It Comes to Political Campaigns

by Cynthia Gordy Giwa,

In Illinois Governor’s Race, Rauner and Pritzker See a Clear Need to Promise Transparency

by Mick Dumke,

Pump and Trump

by Heather Vogell, ProPublica, with Andrea Bernstein and Meg Cramer, WNYC, and Peter Elkind, ProPublica,

Arrest Throws Texas Voter Registration Dispute Into Further Confusion

,

Citizens Count on the Illinois Freedom of Information Act but Keep Getting Shut Out

by Mick Dumke,

Let Us Know About Voting Problems During the Midterm Elections

by ProPublica,

Election Experts: We Need You

by Jessica Huseman,

4 Questions to Ask When Comparing Midterm Candidates

by Cynthia Gordy Giwa,

The Cost of the Office? Trump’s Billion-Dollar Loss — “Trump, Inc.” Podcast Extra

by ProPublica,

How Much Money Is Being Spent in the Illinois Governor’s Race?

by ProPublica,

How Effective Is Your Representative?

by Cynthia Gordy Giwa,

Elliott Broidy’s All-Access Pass — “Trump, Inc.” Podcast

by Eric Umansky,

Bipartisan Furor as North Carolina Election Law Shrinks Early Voting Locations by Almost 20 Percent

by Blake Paterson,

What’s in a Resume? A Lot, When It Comes to Trump Staffers

by Derek Kravitz,

New in Trump Town: Staffer Resumes

by Derek Kravitz, Al Shaw and Claire Perlman,

Voting in America Is WILD. Here’s How to Plan Ahead.

by Cynthia Gordy Giwa,

Congress Passes Measure to Protect Board that Monitors Nuclear Safety

by Rebecca Moss, Santa Fe New Mexican,

The Election DataBot: Now Even Easier

by Derek Willis and Gabrielle LaMarr LeMee,

Agency Takes Back Instructions to Residents in Brooklyn Housing Project to Stay Home on Primary Day

by Blake Paterson,

ProPublica’s User’s Guide to Democracy: Political Advertising

by Cynthia Gordy Giwa,

Shedding Some Light on Dark Money Political Donors

by Derek Willis,

Note to the Next Mayor: Chicago Is a City of the World, But We Want the Neighborhoods Fixed, Too

by Mick Dumke,

New Mexico Senators Speak Out Over Order They Say Would Hamper Nuclear Safety Board

by Rebecca Moss, Santa Fe New Mexican,

Why Manafort and Cohen Thought They’d Get Away With It

by Jesse Eisinger,

Looking at the Archives From the Time of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and Seeing Familiar Themes

by Helga Salinas,

Louisiana Senate President Sank Ride-Sharing Bill. His Close Pal Sells Insurance to Cabs.

by Rebekah Allen, The Times-Picayune | The Advocate,

Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort: Two Cases That Shook the Trump World — “Trump, Inc.” Podcast Extra

by Eric Umansky,

Tax Case Flips the Script for Democrats and the GOP. But What About for Jurists?

by Richard Tofel,

Fund Meant to Protect Elections May Be Too Little, Too Late

by Blake Paterson and Ally J. Levine,

When Sarah Sanders and the ACLU Teamed Up for Voting Rights

by Blake Paterson,

Did You Go to a Washington Nationals Game With Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh?

by Ariana Tobin and Justin Elliott,

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.

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    ProPublica Sued the FDA for Withholding Records About the Safety of Generic Drugs

    The agency declined to quickly release documents that would identify drugs made at some of the most troubled foreign factories. The request was part of ProPublica’s ongoing investigation into the safety of America’s generic drug supply.

    by Katherine Dailey and Jessie Nguyen, Medill Investigative Lab,

    Threat in Your Medicine Cabinet: The FDA’s Gamble on America’s Drugs

    A ProPublica investigation found that for more than a decade, the FDA gave substandard factories banned from the United States a special pass to keep sending drugs to an unsuspecting public.

    by Debbie Cenziper, Megan Rose, Brandon Roberts and Irena Hwang,

    “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,

    A Racist Harvard Scientist Commissioned Photos of Enslaved People. One Possible Descendant Wants to Reclaim Their Story.

    The images are among the oldest known photographs of enslaved people in America. Tamara Lanier’s fight to gain control of them shows there is no clear system in place to repatriate remains of captive Africans or objects associated with them.

    by Jennifer Berry Hawes,

    Federal Judge Deems Trump Administration’s Termination of NIH Grants Illegal

    In a ruling issued Monday, the judge called the government’s directives “arbitrary and capricious” and ordered funding for some of the NIH grants, including many profiled by ProPublica in recent months, to be restored.

    by Annie Waldman,