We’re Reporters, Not Teachers. We Were Able to Start Private Schools Anyway.
Our reporting has shown how easily people — some with questionable backgrounds — have founded their own private schools in barns, strip malls and other places. That led us to an experiment: If the hurdles to open a school are so low, could we do it?
It’s Easy to Start a Private School. Take Our Quiz to Find Out Where You Can Open Yours.
Her Agency Distributes Billions for Housing Projects. Her Husband’s Company Helped Develop Some of Them.
Andrea Bell, executive director of Oregon Housing and Community Services, filed amended state ethics paperwork after ProPublica asked about her husband’s work at a firm that’s consulted on projects receiving or in line for money from her agency.
Four Kids in One Faith-Healing Family Died. Authorities Could Do Nothing.
An exemption in Idaho law shields faith-healing parents from criminal prosecution for conduct that otherwise would be charged as neglect. It also keeps police and social workers from stepping in to protect a dead child’s surviving siblings.
1 Month Ago: Idaho Law Protects Faith Healers. It Wasn’t Always That Way.
1 Month Ago: Children in a Faith-Healing Sect Keep Dying. The State Lets It Happen.
How Texas Helped a Private School Chain’s AI Tool Get Into Public School Classrooms
Just three months after the Texas State Board of Education raised concerns about Alpha School’s AI learning platform, Education Commissioner Mike Morath was in talks about using the tool in public schools.
A Girl Nearly Died After Drinking Raw Milk. The State Did Little to Punish the Unlicensed Farmer Who Sold It.
California is teeming with black-market dairies, propped up by consumer demand fueled by misinformation. With evidence against one raw goat milk farm, regulators could have sought punitive action. But that’s not what happened.
4 Months Ago: He Profits Off Raw Milk That’s Making People Sick. The Government Isn’t Stopping Him.
Who’s the Shadow President?
Under the second Trump administration, the White House has often ignored Congress to carry out its agenda. Entire agencies, like USAID, have been gutted. ICE has grown explosively. Behind it all is one man you may not have heard of: Russell Vought.
ProPublica is a nonprofit, investigative newsroom that exposes corruption. We report in all 50 states and partner with local newsrooms. Our work spurs real-world impact and has received numerous awards, including nine Pulitzer Prizes. Read more
Our Biggest Stories
For over 18 years, we have remained committed to taking on investigations that otherwise wouldn’t get done, that demand change, and that shine a light on subjects that get little attention elsewhere.
Browse Topics
Skip topics listThe Dominican Baseball Factory
The Ugly Truth Behind MLB’s Recruiting Paradise
In a country where baseball is king, a corrosive system preys on young players’ dreams of major league stardom and financial security.
The Dominican Baseball Factory
Teams make handshake deals with players as young as 11 while moneylenders prey on their families. The industry is corrupt, but Major League Baseball and the players union have done little about it.
The Rising Baseball Star, a Fatal Car Crash and the Fixer
When an accident involving top prospect Oneil Cruz left three dead on a darkened road in the Dominican Republic, secret payoffs helped rescue his career and launched a shadowy business empire.
Events
The Wild West of School Vouchers
Join us to discuss how a surge in public funding is changing the private school landscape and what it means for families.
Oct. 6, 4 pm EDT
Virtual
Life of the Mother
How Abortion Bans Lead to Preventable Deaths
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, doctors warned that women would die, but lawmakers who passed state abortion bans didn’t listen. The worst consequences are now becoming clear.
Ectopic Pregnancy Deaths Have Nearly Doubled. It’s Worse in States With Abortion Bans.
With prompt and appropriate medical care, experts say, people shouldn’t die from an ectopic pregnancy. Women in Texas and Oklahoma have sued over delays in care, which, coupled with our new analysis, raises questions about the role of abortion bans.
“Ticking Time Bomb”: A Pregnant Mother Kept Getting Sicker. She Died After She Couldn’t Get an Abortion in Texas.
ProPublica has found multiple cases of women with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions. Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old mother, was told by doctors there was no emergency before preeclampsia killed her.
Smoke and Mirrors
Inside Colorado’s Troubled Marijuana Market
Colorado was the first state to legalize recreational marijuana, and it was once a model for regulation. But it has failed to keep up with other states’ safety measures, leading to an infiltration of chemically converted hemp that the state says presents “serious risks to public safety.”
Smoke and Mirrors: How Intoxicating Hemp Seeped Into the First Recreational Marijuana Market in the Country
Colorado, which once served as the model for marijuana regulation, generated billions of dollars in tax revenue while promising to keep consumers safe. Now it’s scrambling to keep harmful hemp off the shelves.
Regulators Knew This Marijuana Product Was Harming People. It Stayed on Shelves for More Than a Year.
Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division can take months or even years to issue formal safety warnings about marijuana products even when it receives reports that the products are harming people’s health, The Denver Gazette and ProPublica found.
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Nonprofit Explorer: Research Tax-Exempt Organizations
Search the full text of 18 million tax filing documents going back as far as 2001.
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Looking at Nursing Homes? See Which Ones Have Been Cited for Deficiencies
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Explore Financial Disclosures From President Trump and 1,600 of His Appointees
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Tracking Habeas Cases
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We dig deep into important issues, shining a light on abuses of power and betrayals of public trust — and we stick with those issues as long as it takes to hold power to account.
