Archive - Illinois
How Senator Vitter Battled the EPA Over Formaldehyde's Link to Cancer
Louisiana Sen. David Vitter has battled an EPA assessment that could label formaldehyde a 'known' carcinogen. The formaldehyde industry has been a generous campaign donor to Vitter.
Contractor Deaths Accelerating in Afghanistan as They Outnumber Soldiers
Of the 289 civilian contractors killed since the war in Afghanistan started, 100 have died in just the last six months, a recent analysis shows. That's a reflection of both growing violence and the importance of the civilians flooding into the country.
Behind the Financial Reform Push, Worries of Warring Regulators
Recent reports and testimony suggest that a crucial ingredient is in short supply in financial regulation: cooperation among the watchdogs. The collapse of Lehman Brothers presents a case in point.
Send Us Your Questions About Our Magnetar Investigation
Using financial products called CDOs, a Chicago hedge fund got rich as it helped to make the financial crisis worse. As readers look for more answers about the complex arrangement, ProPublica follows up on its investigation.
Stimulus Spending Update: $329 Billion Out the Door
The latest figures from Recovery.gov show that about $210 billion in stimulus spending and $119 billion in tax cuts have entered the economy. In total, that's just over 41 percent of the nearly $800 billion stimulus package.
A Note from Editor-in-Chief Paul Steiger on the Pulitzer Prize
Sheri's Fink's Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting from New Orleans is a powerful example of ProPublica's mission: to shine light on possible abuses of power or failures to uphold the public interest, so that the public can learn from and remedy them.
In Oregon, Treasury Officials and Investment Firms Cozy Up for Business
Oregon's investments for its pension funds, unlike those of many states, are doing well, thank you, and its investment officials are frequently wined and dined by the investment funds whose services the officials oversee.
Joaquin Sapien and Abrahm Lustgarten on the EPA and Gas Drilling
The EPA’s recently decided to conduct a nationwide scientific study on the natural gas drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing. In a podcast, two ProPublica reporters talk about the gas industry's response and other related issues.
ProPublica on 'This American Life' ... Plus, a Special CDO Singalong
Details of ProPublica's investigation of the Magnetar Trade can be heard on NPR's "This American Life," .
New Clues Emerge in Post-Katrina Vigilante Shooting at Algiers Point
In the days after Hurricane Katrina, somebody shot Donnell Herrington in the Algiers Point neighborhood. More than four years later, a man from a neighborhood militia is being implicated in the shooting, which the victim says was racially motivated.
E-mails Give Glimpse of How Magnetar Worked
E-mails with business partners suggest Magnetar's clout: The firm was involved at the start of deals and pushed for riskier bonds to be included in CDOs. One deal fell apart partly because of Ischus Capital Management's unease with pressure from Magnetar.
