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.
Le preguntaron por sus tatuajes y un video de TikTok en una corte. Cinco días después, estaba en una prisión salvadoreña.
Albert Jesús Rodríguez Parra es uno de los más de 230 hombres venezolanos que la administración Trump envió a una cárcel de máxima seguridad en El Salvador. Tras ser liberado, dice que quiere que el mundo sepa lo que le sucedió.
The FDA Is Cracking Down on an Indian Drugmaker Investigated by ProPublica Last Year
In a warning letter, the Food and Drug Administration said Glenmark Pharmaceuticals failed to properly investigate flaws with a generic drug that ProPublica found was linked to U.S. deaths.
Microsoft Used China-Based Support for Multiple U.S. Agencies, Potentially Exposing Sensitive Data
Microsoft says it will no longer use China-based engineers to support the Pentagon. But ProPublica found that the tech giant has relied on its global workforce for years to support other federal clients, including the Justice Department.
His Former Company Got Caught Employing Undocumented Workers. Now He’s Profiting Off an Immigrant Detention Camp.
Disaster Management Group is one contractor behind the nation’s largest detention camp, to be built at Fort Bliss. It’s run by Nathan Albers, who previously co-owned a company that pleaded guilty to a scheme to hire and conceal undocumented workers.
ProPublica Updates Supreme Connections Database With Newly Released Financial Disclosures
We’ve updated our database with the latest financial filings from eight justices, detailing millions in book income, almost 40 trips and one gift.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Is Outsourcing More of His Office’s Work to Costly Private Lawyers
Despite having an office of hundreds of attorneys, Ken Paxton is frequently opting for private lawyers — many to whom he has personal or political ties — to argue on behalf of Texas. One attorney cost taxpayers more than $24,000 for a day’s work.
Los hombres que Trump deportó a una cárcel salvadoreña
El 15 de marzo, el gobierno del presidente Donald Trump envió a más de 230 inmigrantes venezolanos a una cárcel de alta seguridad de El Salvador. La semana pasada, fueron liberados con la misma premura con la que se los habían llevado. Éstas son sus historias.
The Men Trump Deported to a Salvadoran Prison
On March 15, President Donald Trump’s administration sent more than 230 Venezuelan immigrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Last week, the men were released as suddenly as they’d been taken away. These are their stories.
Four Years After Cop Was Filmed Slamming Black Woman to the Ground, Louisiana Passes Accountability Law
Despite being caught in a 2021 video ripping out Shantel Arnold’s hair, sheriff’s Deputy Julio Alvarado failed to report the incident. A new law authored by Arnold’s attorney will mandate excessive-force reporting for all law enforcement agencies.
Local Reporting Network
“Under the Microscope”: Activists Opposing a Nevada Lithium Mine Were Surveilled for Years, Records Show
Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, have collaborated with private security to surveil largely peaceful protesters opposed to the Thacker Pass mine, according to a ProPublica review of thousands of pages of law enforcement communications.
The Forest Service Claims It’s Fully Staffed for a Worsening Fire Season. Data Shows Thousands of Unfilled Jobs.
DOGE cuts and voluntary resignations have severely hampered the agency as the nation enters the peak of fire season, with more than 1 million acres burning across 10 Western states.
Trump Administration Looking to Slash Environmental Protection Rules for Rocket Launches
A draft executive order viewed by ProPublica directs the secretary of transportation to “use all available authorities to eliminate or expedite” environmental reviews for launch licenses — a change Elon Musk’s SpaceX and others have long sought.
Texas Lawmakers Largely Ignored Recommendations Aimed at Helping Rural Areas Like Kerr County Prepare for Flooding
Texas lawmakers’ inaction on flood prevention often hits rural and economically disadvantaged communities the hardest, experts said.
Microsoft Says It Has Stopped Using China-Based Engineers to Support Defense Department Computer Systems
After a ProPublica investigation revealed how Microsoft’s “digital escort” tech support service could expose sensitive government data to cyberattacks, the company says China-based engineers will no longer provide assistance on DOD cloud services.
Trump Administration Prepares to Drop Seven Major Housing Discrimination Cases
Federal housing officials spent years investigating cities from Chicago to Memphis to Corpus Christi for putting industrial plants and unwanted facilities in poor, nonwhite neighborhoods. Now, under Trump, the agency plans to drop the cases.
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