A Gutted Education Department’s New Agenda: Roll Back Civil Rights Cases, Target Transgender Students
The Trump administration is subverting the traditional priorities of the department’s decimated civil rights office by making discrimination investigations practically impossible — instead enforcing its own anti-diversity campaign.
Decades After Nike Promised Sweatshop Reforms, Workers in This Factory Were Still Fainting
Workers have been fainting for years in Cambodia’s garment factories, where more than 57,000 people now produce Nike goods. A former medical worker at one of the company’s suppliers blamed overtime hours, among other factors.
Texas Senate Approves Legislation to Clarify Exceptions to Abortion Ban
Following ProPublica’s reporting, Republicans acknowledged women were denied care because medical providers were unsure what Texas’ abortion ban allowed. But the new legislation doesn’t remove what doctors say are the biggest impediments to care.
Utah Farmers Signed Up for Federally Funded Therapy. Then the Money Stopped.
Farmers are dying by suicide at the third-highest rate by vocation in Utah. But after a federal program offering mental health support ran out of money, the state did not continue it.
Local Reporting Network
Trump Pick to Run DEA Could Challenge America’s Already Tense Relations With Mexico
In 22 years at the agency, Terry Cole never rose to its top ranks, but he is a vocal supporter of the president’s goal of going after Mexican officials who are complicit with drug cartels.
A DOGE Aide Involved in Dismantling Consumer Bureau Owns Stock in Companies That Could Benefit From the Cuts
Gavin Kliger helped oversee mass firings at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau while holding stock in companies that experts say likely stand to benefit from dismantling that agency — a potential violation of federal ethics laws.
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.
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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Help Us Report on How the Department of Education Is Handling Civil Rights Cases
Have you recently filed a civil rights complaint or do you have a pending case? We need your help to get a full picture of how the dismantling of the Office for Civil Rights is affecting students, parents, school employees and their communities.
Gun Owners Group Calls for Federal Inquiry Into Firearms Industry’s Secret Sharing of Customer Data
Citing a ProPublica investigation, Gun Owners for Safety called the secret program that spanned nearly two decades “underhanded.” “Gun owners’ privacy is not a partisan or ideological issue,” a member of the group wrote.
Defending Jan. 6 Rioters, Investigating Democrats: How Ed Martin Is Weaponizing the DOJ for Trump
As interim U.S. attorney in D.C., Martin has fired career prosecutors, dropped Capitol riot cases and launched sweeping probes into Trump’s political enemies.
Inspector General Probes Whether Trump, DOGE Sought Private Taxpayer Information or Sensitive IRS Material
The request, spelled out in an email obtained by ProPublica, comes amid concerns that DOGE has overstepped its bounds in seeking highly restricted private information about taxpayers, public employees or federal agencies.
Louisiana Judge Nullifies Death Row Inmate’s Murder Conviction That Was Based on Junk Science
Following a Verite News and ProPublica investigation, a district judge vacated the death sentence of Jimmie Duncan, whose 1998 murder conviction was based on allegedly fabricated bite mark analysis. It remains unclear if Duncan will walk free.
Local Reporting Network
Nike Says Its Factory Workers Earn Nearly Double the Minimum Wage. At This Cambodian Factory, 1% Made That Much.
Nike has made an expansive effort to convince consumers, investors and others that it is improving the lives of factory workers who make its products, not exploiting them. A rare view of wages at one Cambodian factory tests this claim.
ICE Air Has a New Contractor. This State Is Asking How It Will Protect the Detainees on Board.
A letter to the airline from Connecticut’s attorney general cited ProPublica’s reporting on ICE Air flight attendants, who said it was unclear how shackled detainees would get off a plane in an emergency.
ICE Awarded a $3.8 Billion Contract to Hold Immigrants on a Military Base. Days Later, It Was Canceled.
The administration still intends to move ahead with the plan to build a tent detention camp at Fort Bliss, sources said. It’s a job that promises to be highly sought after as Trump officials plan to pour billions of dollars into new detention facilities.
White House Proposal Could Gut Climate Modeling the World Depends On
Potential funding cuts for NOAA and its research partners threaten irreparable harm not only to climate research but to American safety, competitiveness, and national security.
The Untold Story of How Ed Martin Ghostwrote Online Attacks Against a Judge — and Still Became a Top Trump Prosecutor
Martin’s career is dotted with ethical and professional questions, records show. Some of the most serious ones about the interim U.S. attorney for D.C. have remained buried in court filings, overlooked by the press or never reported — until now.
Labor Department Official Warns That Staff Who Speak With Journalists Face “Serious Legal Consequences”
Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff issued the warning as department employees have spoken to the news media about harms they see resulting from the dismantling of their agency, which enforces laws guaranteeing workers’ rights.
Fentanyl Pipeline: How a Chinese Prison Helped Fuel a Deadly Drug Crisis in the United States
While China enforces strict laws against domestic drug trafficking, state-supported companies have openly shipped fentanyl to the U.S., investigators say. One prison-owned chemical company boasted online: “100% of our shipments will clear customs.”
The Trump Administration’s War on Children
The administration is quietly putting America’s children at risk by cutting funds and manpower for investigating child abuse, enforcing child support payments, providing child care and much more.
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