For decades, the Smithsonian Institution, which draws some 15 million visitors every year to its assemblage of 21 museums, has managed to stay mostly above the political fray. But that institutional exceptionalism is now imperiled as never before.
https://www.propublica.org/article/how-smithsonian-museum-american-history-became-target-trump-culture-war?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
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NEW: ProPublica revealed that the FBI was circling Sen. Collins over a defense contractor’s donations — until Trump gutted the unit in charge.
Collins has since mustered a defense with a series of incorrect and misleading claims.
https://www.propublica.org/article/debunking-susan-collins-fbi-navatek-investigation-claims?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #SusanCollins #Maine #FBI #Trump #Government #Corruption #Law #USPolitics #Journalism
Debt collection. Credit reporting. Payday loans. Consumer complaints to a federal database used to help reveal issues and bring accountability.
Then the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau stopped publishing the narratives.
https://www.propublica.org/article/cfpb-consumer-complaint-database?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Finance #Business #Consumer #Debt #Government #Accountability
NEW: In late 2024, FBI investigators had enough evidence to launch a sweeping bribery probe that could ensnare top lawmakers, including Sen. Susan Collins.
Then Trump was reelected and eviscerated the FBI and DOJ teams handling public corruption probes.
https://www.propublica.org/article/fbi-susan-collins-navatek-campaign-donations-investigation?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Government #Corruption #Trump #FBI #DOJ #Maine #Ethics #SusanCollins
For likely the first time in modern history, the Supreme Court decided more cases in fast-tracked, secretive proceedings than in open court.
Watch us break down how a once-rare emergency process became the norm.
https://www.propublica.org/article/supreme-court-shadow-docket-explainer?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#SupremeCourt #SCOTUS #Law #Courts #Transparency #Video #Explainer
NEW: On social media and in tabloids, photos from Don Jr. and Bettina Trump’s Bahamas wedding were tightly curated.
But sometimes, what — or, who — isn’t pictured is just as important as what is.
Let’s go on an investigative, visual tour.
https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-jr-wedding-umar-kremlev-reporting?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #DonaldTrumpJr #Wedding #Photo #Journalism #Russia #Putin #Politics #Trump #Law #Ethics
NEW: A federal judge has ruled that Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies continue to search and arrest Latino drivers at a higher rate, echoing the racial disparities that prompted court oversight of the department nearly two decades ago.
https://www.propublica.org/article/maricopa-county-sheriff-oversight-judge-ruling?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #MaricopaCounty #Arizona #AZ #Immigration #Police #Law
Tennessee Lawmakers Demand Answers on Safety in State Youth Prisons
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Lawmakers cited a recent WPLN and ProPublica investigation that found that juvenile justice facilities run by Tennessee businessman Jason Crews repeatedly failed to report abuse and other serious incidents to the state as required.
https://www.propublica.org/article/tennessee-private-youth-prisons-dcs-letter?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Tennessee #Prison #Children #Abuse #CriminalJustice #Justice #Law
Sports reporting is shrinking. But at ProPublica, we’re diving in.
We won’t cover the games, but we’ll be keeping score — of which powerful people are winning, of who’s being hurt and of which systems can be held accountable.
https://www.propublica.org/article/propublica-sports-investigations?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
“A Clear Watering Down”: Drug Transparency Bill Stripped of Critical Provisions Ahead of Senate Vote
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The Clear Labels Act was designed to alert consumers to where their drugs are coming from. After two major changes to the bill, experts worry it won’t be as effective.
https://www.propublica.org/article/clear-labels-act-drug-safety-senate-vote?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #FDA #Drugs #Transparency #Law #Senate #Health #Safety #Government
This week, ProPublica revealed that a Russian oligarch close to President Vladimir Putin bankrolled Donald Trump Jr.’s Bahamas wedding festivities.
Join our reporters on Sept. 23 for a behind-the-scenes conversation.
🗓️ RSVP: https://events.propublica.org/don-jr-wedding
#Journalism #Media #Russia #Putin #DonaldTrumpJr #Wedding #Politics #Law
NEW: Citing ProPublica’s reporting, leaders of Oregon’s House and Senate housing committees say they want to eliminate a law that exempts the detailed financials of subsidized housing projects from public disclosure requirements.
https://www.propublica.org/article/oregon-lawmakers-seek-to-open-housing-records?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Oregon #Government #Law #Transparency #Housing #Records
NEW: What to Know About Mail-In Voting for the 2026 Midterms
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The Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration from imposing new rules on mail-in voting before the November midterm elections. That means nothing has changed for voters — and mail-in voting can proceed as planned.
https://www.propublica.org/article/mail-in-voting-rules-midterm-elections?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #SCOTUS #SupremeCourt #MailVoting #Election #Midterms #Vote #Voting #Democracy
Arizona Made Its English Fluency Test Easier to Pass. Experts Say It Will Harm Students’ Ability to Succeed.
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When students score high enough on a state test, they’re considered fluent in English. But experts say thousands of students are leaving Arizona’s program for teaching English before they know the language well enough to succeed.
https://www.propublica.org/article/arizona-english-language-test-azella?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Arizona #English #Language #Students #Education #Teaching
NEW: Top Oversight Dem Opens Investigation of Donald Trump Jr.’s Russian Oligarch-Funded Wedding
Rep. Robert Garcia said the revelations that Umar Kremlev had bankrolled the wedding raise “serious national security and public corruption concerns” and requested the president’s son provide financial and other records about the arrangement.
https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-jr-wedding-umar-kremlev-payments-investigation?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Congress #DonaldTrumpJr #Trump #Russia #Putin #Security #Ethics #Law
NEW on “Paper Trail”: You may have heard that President Trump did not attend his eldest son’s wedding. But you know who did? A Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin.
And he didn’t just attend the wedding — he bankrolled it. Listen to how we found out:
https://www.propublica.org/podcast/donald-trump-jr-wedding-putin-russian-benefactor-funding?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#Podcast #Trump #Russia #Putin #Law #Ethics #Politics #DonaldTrumpJr #Wedding
ProPublica uncovered the machinery of the Dominican Republic baseball factory and the lenders and trainers who exploit players as young as 11.
Here are the key findings from our reporting.
https://www.propublica.org/article/dominican-republic-baseball-major-league-takeaways?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #DominicanRepublic #Baseball #MLB #MajorLeagueBaseball #Children #Sports
Papa Johns, Propaganda and Putin: How a MAGA Influencer With Ties to Russia Became Trump’s Arctic Adviser
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Thomas Dans’ opining on foreign policy, which has included a push for the U.S. to reestablish ties with Russia and annex Greenland, is “far beyond” the U.S. Arctic Research Commission’s scientific mandate, said a previous commission chair.
https://www.propublica.org/article/thomas-dans-arctic-research-commission-trump-russia-propaganda?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Arctic #Science #Research #Russia #Greenland #Politics #Trump
NEW: To give voucher programs a toehold in state legislatures, politicians touted how students with disabilities would gain access to private education.
But those students’ families often have the hardest time finding schools that will accept them.
https://www.propublica.org/article/school-vouchers-disabilities?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #School #Education #Disability #Accessibility #Students #Children #Parenting
NEW: The Environmental Protection Agency is finalizing a rule that’ll drastically weaken restrictions on “stripper wells,” which tend to be old, poorly maintained and prone to leaking methane, the highly potent greenhouse gas.
https://www.propublica.org/article/methane-gas-epa-proposal-stripper-wells?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Environment #Energy #Methane #Climate #ClimateChange #EPA
NEW: Evidence that became public only in the last two years raises new questions about a Saudi man who assisted two 9/11 hijackers.
“Somebody needs to explain to the American people why we didn’t see this information before,” a former FBI agent said.
https://www.propublica.org/article/fbi-911-saudi-bayoumi-investigation?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
NEW on “Paper Trail”: We uncovered how the MLB enabled a shadow industry in the Dominican Republic.
This is the story of a supernaturally talented child set to receive a $1.8M signing bonus — only for him and his family to lose almost all of it.
Listen to the full episode: https://www.propublica.org/podcast/dominican-republic-baseball-mlb-pipeline-david-ortiz?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#Podcast #MLB #Baseball #Sports #DominicanRepublic #Children
NEW: As delegates gather at NATO headquarters to discuss reducing civilian harm during combat, the Trump administration's absence from a group the U.S. co-founded is being dubbed "humiliating" and “dangerous” by current and former officials.
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-hegseth-dod-nato-civilian-harm-reduction-absent?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Trump #PeteHegseth #Defense #Pentagon #DOD #NATO #Politics
The Dominican Republic produces more major league ballplayers than any country outside the U.S., but the industry is essentially unregulated — and we’re investigating. Got a tip? Text “baseball” to 1-917-207-6447 on WhatsApp.
https://www.propublica.org/getinvolved/dominican-republic-baseball-whatsapp-line?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#Baseball #DominicanRepublic #Children #Sports #MLB #Journalism #WhatsApp
NEW: Major League Baseball has long known about teams making handshake deals with Dominican players as young as 11 — and the predatory industry that has grown around this system.
But it’s never publicly warned or penalized a team for making an early deal.
https://www.propublica.org/article/how-dominican-republic-baseball-factory-traps-players-mlb-santo-caraballo?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
NEW: In 2020, Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Oneil Cruz was involved in a car crash that left three people dead.
ProPublica reveals how a Dominican moneylender helped to ensure that the young star was not prosecuted.
https://www.propublica.org/article/oneil-cruz-pittsburgh-pirates-santo-caraballo-car-crash-payments-dominican-republic?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Pittsburgh #PittsburghPirates #OneilCruz #Baseball #MLB #Sports
A new audit by the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General found a lack of training for post office staff, deficiencies in how ballots were tracked and errors leading to delays.
Experts say it raises questions ahead of the midterms.
https://www.propublica.org/article/postal-service-audit-primary-election-ballots?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #USPS #Vote #Voting #Election #Midterms #Democracy #USPolitics
I Wrote About His Wrongful Conviction. He Got Only 13 Years of Freedom Before Cancer Took His Life.
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For years, I followed the case of Fred Steese, who spent 21 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. When he died in August, it felt like the universe had dealt him yet another injustice.
https://www.propublica.org/article/wrongful-conviction-cancer-death?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#Journalism #CriminalJustice #Law #Prison #Justice #Cancer #Death
NEW: Our analysis found that from 2020 to 2025, the rate of deaths involving ectopic pregnancies nearly doubled compared with the previous six-year period.
The uptick was steeper in states with abortion bans.
https://www.propublica.org/article/ectopic-pregnancy-deaths-doubled-analysis?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Women #Health #Pregnancy #Abortion #Data #Research #Texas