Jeremy Kohler
I am a St. Louis-based reporter covering Missouri and the Midwest.
How to Reach Me
I’m interested in tips about abuses of power, political influence, harmful policing and court practices, reproductive rights, public spending, and illegal or unethical business practices in Missouri and the Midwest.
What I Cover
I cover issues that matter to Missouri and the Midwest, including politics, crime, abortion and reproductive rights, policing and incarceration. I also examine how cultural and political shifts are unfolding in a traditionally conservative state, focusing on policies, conflicts and power struggles shaping daily life in a region that is often overlooked.
My Background
At ProPublica, my reporting has focused on government accountability, law enforcement and the influence of money in public policy. I’ve investigated a “clean energy” lending program, exposing how a taxpayer-backed financing tool meant for home improvements has left vulnerable homeowners saddled with debt and the risk of losing their homes. I’ve reported on the tensions between St. Louis police and prosecutors, including efforts by police to undermine prosecutorial reforms. I’ve also examined the rise of private policing in St. Louis, where wealthy business interests fund and influence law enforcement outside of public oversight. In addition, I’ve covered the battle over reproductive rights in Missouri, revealing how state funds support anti-abortion groups beyond its borders and how conservatives in state government are working to reverse a constitutional amendment enshrining abortion rights. My work aims to expose abuses of power and the ways public policies impact the people they are supposed to serve.
Before joining ProPublica in 2021, I spent more than 22 years reporting for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, covering government, policing, health care and corruption. Before that, I worked for newspapers in New Jersey, including the Courier-Post, The Trentonian and the Gloucester County Times.
Three Months After Missouri Voted to Make Abortion Legal, Access Is Still Being Blocked
Reproductive rights are now enshrined in the state constitution, but Missouri’s main abortion provider is fighting legal hurdles to resume offering the procedure. Meanwhile, anti-abortion lawmakers strategize to prevent a return of abortion services.
Billy Long, Trump’s Nominee to Lead the IRS, Touts a Credential That Tax Experts Say Is Dubious
The former representative from Missouri, who once pushed to abolish the IRS, has marketed himself as a certified tax and business advisor after attending only a three-day seminar.
Missouri Voters Enshrined Abortion Rights. GOP Lawmakers Are Already Working to Roll Them Back.
One month after Missouri approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to abortion, legislators have proposed a flurry of bills to tighten abortion access or raise the bar for future amendments driven by voter initiatives.
Opponents of Missouri Abortion Rights Amendment Turn to Anti-Trans Messaging and Misinformation
Facing poll numbers showing support for a proposed amendment that would ensure reproductive rights in the state, abortion opponents have poured more than $1 million into a last-minute campaign to undermine support leading up to the election.
Missouri Outlawed Abortion, and Now It’s Funding an Anti-Abortion Group That Works in Other States
With millions in expanded tax credits and direct state funding going to anti-abortion groups, the nonprofit Coalition Life has expanded its operations beyond Missouri and into states where the procedure is still legal.
Texas Sends Millions to Crisis Pregnancy Centers. It’s Meant to Help Needy Families, But No One Knows if It Works.
Two years after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Texas leads the nation in funding for crisis pregnancy centers. The system is meant to help growing families, but it’s riddled with waste and lacks oversight, a ProPublica and CBS News investigation found.
St. Louis Police Chief Receives a Third of His Pay From a Local Foundation, Raising Concerns of Divided Loyalties
In a city with a high violent crime rate and claims of inequitable policing, leaders are questioning the $100,000 per year the chief receives from local business owners. “Can the criminals get together and pay the chief?” asked one alderwoman.
A Retired Detective Says He’s Too Sick to Testify at Murder Trials. Now Those Cases Are Falling Apart.
In St. Louis, murder investigations often rely on a single detective, making them vulnerable if the detective is unable or unwilling to come to court. But a former homicide investigator said he has no obligation to cooperate, claiming that “retirement is meant to be retirement.”
Police Resistance and Politics Undercut the Authority of Prosecutors Trying to Reform the Justice System
After major American cities began electing prosecutors who campaigned on the promise of systemic reform, law enforcement unions labeled these DAs as soft on crime while lawmakers made legal and legislative efforts to remove them from office.
A Detective Sabotaged His Own Cases Because He Didn’t Like the Prosecutor. The Police Department Did Nothing to Stop Him.
Across the country, police have undermined and resisted reform. To protest a prosecutor, one detective was willing to let murder suspects walk free, even if he’d arrested them and believed that they should be behind bars.
Minnesota Lets Nurses Practice While Disciplinary Investigations Drag On. Patients Keep Getting Hurt.
A 2015 state audit found the Minnesota Board of Nursing was slow to act on complaints about nurses, putting the public at risk. The board ramped up its discipline for a few years, but now cases are backing up again.