Coronavirus
The U.S. Response to COVID-19
Read our latest investigations into the crisis response and public health infrastructure.
The Postal Service Is Steadily Getting Worse — Can It Handle a National Mail-In Election?
Postal delays and mistakes have marred primary voting, and after years of budget cuts and plant closures, mail delivery has slowed so much that ballot deadlines in many states are no longer realistic.
Coronavirus Contracts: Tracking Federal Purchases to Fight the Pandemic
The federal government is spending billions of dollars to combat the coronavirus, and spending shows no sign of slowing down. Explore who the U.S. is buying from, what it’s buying and how much it’s paying.
States Are Reopening: See How Coronavirus Cases Rise or Fall
As states reopen, see if they meet White House guidelines for reopening and whether their COVID-19 infection rate is increasing or not.
COVID-19 Took Black Lives First. It Didn’t Have To.
In Chicago, 70 of the city’s 100 first recorded victims of COVID-19 were black. Their lives were rich, and their deaths cannot be dismissed as inevitable. Immediate factors could — and should — have been addressed.
Sen. Burr Cited COVID When He Dumped Shares Ahead of Stock Market Crash, According to FBI Records
New details have emerged about the now-closed investigation, including repeated calls to his brother-in-law, who also dumped stock.
Documents Show Trump Officials Skirted Rules to Reward Politically Connected and Untested Firms With Huge Pandemic Contracts
House Democrats investigating the COVID-19 response say Trump adviser Peter Navarro pressured agencies to award deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Contractor Who Was Awarded $34.5 Million in Government Money and Provided Zero Masks Pleads Guilty to Fraud
The VA and FEMA agreed to pay a first-time vendor in a desperate search for protective equipment. Now Robert Stewart admits he defrauded three federal agencies and lied about being in the Marine Corps.
CDC Shut Down a Lab Involved in Making Faulty Coronavirus Tests
A CDC lab involved in making faulty coronavirus tests sent to state and local officials early in the pandemic was closed down hours after an October investigation by ProPublica exposed key mistakes the CDC made in manufacturing those tests.
Illinois Will Start Sharing Data About COVID-19 Outbreaks in Schools
As educators and parents assess the risk of returning to the classroom, some felt frustrated by the lack of public data about COVID-19 in schools. After a ProPublica and Chicago Tribune investigation, the state will start publishing the data.
The Hospital System Sent Patients With Coronavirus Home to Die. Louisiana Legislators Are Demanding an Investigation.
The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus called the practice of sending infected coronavirus patients home to die “disturbing” after ProPublica found that one New Orleans hospital system had done so numerous times.
The Trump Administration Is Backing Out of a $647 Million Ventilator Deal After ProPublica Investigated the Price
The government overpaid by hundreds of millions for Philips ventilators, says a House investigation spurred by ProPublica reporting. Now that deal is off and Congress is scrutinizing other coronavirus deals made by trade adviser Peter Navarro.
Federal Investigation Finds Hospital Violated Patients’ Rights by Profiling, Separating Native Mothers and Newborns
It remains unclear just how many newborns were separated from their mothers as a result of the policies.
Local Reporting Network
Grace, Black Teen Jailed for Not Doing Her Online Coursework, Is Released
Grace’s story, first published by ProPublica Illinois, prompted outrage and debate across the country. Though a judge refused to set the girl free, the Michigan Court of Appeals ordered her immediate release from a juvenile detention facility in Detroit.
Out of View: After Public Outcry, CDC Adds Hospital Data Back to Its Website — for Now
Hospitalization data is important to understanding the coronavirus’s spread and impact. But after the Trump administration changed its reporting rules, the CDC removed the data from its site, and only added it back after a public outcry.
One Federal Agency Was Suing Him for Fraud. Another Paid His Company Millions for Masks.
Court records show the federal government gave $20 million in contracts to a company partly controlled by a man with a history of shady business practices.
FEMA Ordered $10.2 Million in COVID-19 Testing Kits It’s Now Warning States Not to Use
The faulty lab equipment sold by a company whose owner has faced fraud allegations is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general.
The Indian Health Service Wants to Return 1 Million KN95 Masks It Bought From a Former White House Official
The former official, Zach Fuentes, is refusing to take back the masks even though IHS said they did not meet FDA standards. His company’s lawyer says the IHS is trying to cancel the order for “political reasons.”
A Hospital Was Accused of Racially Profiling Native American Women. Staff Said Administrators Impeded an Investigation.
Federal regulators are investigating a New Mexico hospital accused of racial profiling. This comes as hospital staff said administrators appeared to hide documents and discouraged cooperation with an initial state inquiry.
Local Reporting Network
State Investigating Hospital With Coronavirus Policy That Profiled Pregnant Native American Mothers and Separated Them From Newborns
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham cited “significant, awful allegations” in a ProPublica and New Mexico In Depth story on a hospital where clinicians said pregnant Native women were singled out for COVID-19 testing and separated from newborns after delivery.
Local Reporting Network
Advocates Sue Trump Administration Over Mass Border Expulsions
The suit, which draws on ProPublica’s story illuminating the secretive policy, seeks to stop a 16-year-old boy from being expelled to Honduras and to reunite him with his father who’s already living in the U.S.
Contractors for Trump’s Controversial $3 Billion Food Aid Program Have Hired a Longtime Lobbyist to Tout Their Work
Lawmakers are asking why some federal contractors in Trump’s food aid program apparently lack qualifications to deliver the goods. Companies hired a consultant to tell positive stories.
COVID-19 Killed at Least 25 Residents of One Illinois Nursing Home. The Family of One Victim Has Filed a Lawsuit, Alleging Negligence.
The family of a Bria of Geneva resident who died from the coronavirus in April claims in the lawsuit that the nursing home failed to adequately test residents and staff, and didn’t isolate infected residents in time to protect others.
The State Attorney General Is Scrutinizing This Assisted Living Facility Over Its Handling of COVID-19. Some Residents Are Suing It, Too.
Coronavirus was infecting residents and staff of a Queens adult home, who told ProPublica management had misled them about its spread.
The Trump Administration Has Put Federal Workers at Coronavirus Risk, Senators Say
Citing ProPublica’s reporting, 22 Senate Democrats have asked the White House to explain its management of federal employee safety.
This Rural School District Has Been Asking for Wi-Fi for Years. Now It’s Finally Getting It.
An anonymous individual donated a dozen internet hotspots. A school district near Chicago is sending Chromebooks. And a superintendent in rural Illinois is stunned by the support to keep his students learning.
Congress Is Investigating Whether a Ventilator Company Is Gouging the U.S. — and Why the Government Is Letting It Happen
A congressional subcommittee is questioning a federal decision to pay quadruple the price for the commercial version of a ventilator Royal Philips N.V. had developed with taxpayer funds.
Democratic Senators Demand Answers on Trump’s Secretive Border Expulsions
After ProPublica’s report, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee ask the Department of Homeland Security to explain why it thinks emergency powers granted to the CDC allow it to bypass existing asylum laws.
ER Staffing Company Reverses Benefits Cuts for Doctors and Nurses Fighting Coronavirus
Alteon Health rolled back cuts to vacation and retirement benefits for emergency room doctors and medical professionals after ProPublica’s reporting. Hours are still being reshuffled as non-coronavirus patients avoid the ER.
Sen. Burr Faces DOJ Investigation for Selling a Fortune in Stocks Right Before the Market Crashed
The investigation comes after ProPublica reported that the North Carolina lawmaker unloaded a significant portion of his total stock holdings before the coronavirus sell-off in the stock market.
“Now I Can Afford My Meds.” After Months of Appeals, Retiree’s Medicaid Benefits Are Restored.
South Carolina’s Medicaid agency abruptly and unexpectedly canceled Judith Persutti’s insurance in 2019, but reinstated it following a little-used appeals process.
The VA Will Now Let Some Administrative Staff Work From Home
After New Mexico In Depth and ProPublica reported that the VA was not allowing telework, the agency reversed course. Some workers remain skeptical that the policy will be implemented.
Local Reporting Network
Senator Who Dumped Stocks Before Coronavirus Crash Has Asked Ethics Officials for a “Complete Review”
After ProPublica’s report that Richard Burr dumped stocks after reassuring the public about coronavirus readiness, he said he welcomed an ethics investigation.
Spencer’s Pressured Employees to Come to Work, Selling Gag Gifts and Sex Toys, Until We Called
One store manager said the gag gift shop was “valuing us coming in and selling dildos and shot glasses over the health of our families.” Just before its deadline to comment, the store announced it was closing due to coronavirus.
House Democrats Probe Faulty Test Kits’ Role in Delaying Coronavirus Response
The House Oversight Committee cited ProPublica’s reporting in requesting documents from the Trump administration.
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.
Sharon Lerner
I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.
Andy Kroll
I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.
Melissa Sanchez
I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.
Jesse Coburn
I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.
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