Yeganeh Torbati
Yeganeh Torbati is a former ProPublica reporter. She covered the U.S. federal government.
Yeganeh Torbati is a former ProPublica reporter who covered the U.S. federal government. Before joining ProPublica in June 2019, she covered immigration at Reuters. She was the first to reveal in 2018 the Trump administration’s detailed plans to penalize foreigners who use public benefits by making it harder for them to get green cards, and her narrative feature about a library on the U.S.-Canada border that plays host to reunions of families separated by the travel ban was adapted for a segment on “This American Life.”
In her previous role as a national security reporter for Reuters, Yeganeh was part of a reporting team that won a National Press Club award in 2017 for a series on a prisoner swap between Iran and the United States. As a reporter covering Iran, she was part of a Reuters reporting team that uncovered the financial empire controlled by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in 2013. The series received numerous awards including the Gerald Loeb Award and the Overseas Press Club Award.
Yeganeh grew up in Oklahoma, and speaks Persian and Spanish. To securely send Yeganeh documents or other files online, please visit our SecureDrop page.
Federal Prosecutors Have Steve Bannon’s Murky Nonprofit in Their Sights
Tucked at the bottom of the long indictment against Bannon, prosecutors say they want to seize the assets of his nonprofit Citizens of the American Republic, shedding more light on the secretive political group’s finances.
Erased From the Trump Administration’s Draft of a Key Foreign Aid Policy: Any Mention of LGBT People
USAID’s gender policy guides its priorities worldwide. A new version of that policy put forward by the Trump administration omits any mention of transgender people, and adopts a conservative framing of human rights.
Internal Memo Shows Trump Administration Expects Drastic Drop in Demand for U.S. Visas for Years to Come
The administration is predicting years of dramatically reduced demand for American visas and planning for large budget cuts to visa services worldwide.
Trump Is Donating Ventilators to Countries That Don’t Need or Can’t Use Them
Nearly 8,000 ventilators are destined for foreign countries as part of Trump’s plan to make the U.S. “king of ventilators.” But public health experts worry the machines are crowding out more urgently needed aid.
A Company Run by a White House “Volunteer” With No Experience in Medical Supplies Got $2.4 Million From the Feds for Medical Supplies
A $2.4 million deal to supply the Bureau of Prisons with surgical gowns was the second multimillion dollar contract for coronavirus supplies that went to somebody who did work for the White House but had little relevant experience.
The Indian Health Service Wants to Return 1 Million KN95 Masks It Bought From a Former White House Official
The former official, Zach Fuentes, is refusing to take back the masks even though IHS said they did not meet FDA standards. His company’s lawyer says the IHS is trying to cancel the order for “political reasons.”
Democratic Senators Call for USAID to Investigate Anti-LGBT, Anti-Muslim Comments by Appointees
The Democrats’ request comes as the agency grapples with internal frustration over its approach to racism and bias.
Did Your Job Give You Masks or Other Protective Gear? Send Us a Picture.
You can help us find out if the equipment issued to federal employees is certified for protective use.
Federal Agencies Have Spent Millions on KN95 Masks, Often Without Knowing Who Made Them
Government employees at several agencies are relying on KN95 masks that the agencies cannot guarantee offer the most protection. Some agencies have paid little attention to important manufacturing details and been tripped up by shifting regulations.
U.S. Foreign Aid Agency Defends Political Appointees Who Wrote Anti-LGBT, Anti-Islam Posts
The statement from acting administrator John Barsa comes after ProPublica reported that Merritt Corrigan, who has condemned the “tyrannical LGBT agenda,” was appointed as USAID’s new deputy White House liaison.