ProPublica

Private '100% schools' receive tuition vouchers funded by taxpayer dollars but operate with fewer standards and oversight than traditional public schools. The article details how institutions, like Atlas Preparatory Academy in Milwaukee, can conduct transactions (such as high compensation to board chairs or related consulting fees) that would be prohibited in a standard public school setting. Furthermore, voucher schools are not required to serve all children with disabilities, unlike public schools.

The federal government scrambled to find criminal cases supporting President Donald Trump’s claims of illegal voting by noncitizens, leading agents from Homeland Security Investigations to work across the country. Joe Teirab reported that after subpoenaing records on about 130 people in Minnesota, only one had been referred for prosecution, noting that the HSI task force was disorganized and the entire process was dysfunctional. ProPublica reviewed internal emails showing Department of Homeland Security’s personnel were tasked with leading this election agenda despite meager results.

Three Wall-Street-affiliated grantmaking giants—Vanguard Charitable, Fidelity Charitable, and Charles Schwab’s DAFgiving360—cut off donor dollars to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) using selective logic. ProPublica investigated these decisions, uncovering troubling inconsistencies in how the groups applied their policies, noting that donors and affected charities are routinely left unaware of the decision-making process.

An investigation by ProPublica and The Washington Post found that the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is failing to adequately protect hundreds of thousands of young athletes from sexual abuse. Despite promising strict safety measures and implementing sweeping reforms after a scandal, the AAU has been misleading the public about its prevention efforts and suppressing allegations.

An artillery plant funded by taxpayers cost $533 million but failed to produce a single usable shell due to frequent equipment malfunctions and factory issues. The U.S. Army ordered work on two production lines halted, and despite the failures, General Dynamics and its key Turkish subcontractor have not been publicly held accountable or forced to repay funds.

Former staff and youth reported that Wayne Halfway House failed to report suspected abuse at Tennessee juvenile prisons to state officials. Revelations include surveillance footage showing teens violently restraining a teenager in a detention center, an act violating policy. Despite internal complaints from employees like Tonya Webb, facility personnel reportedly denied knowledge of the incident, and the Department of Children's Services confirmed no incident report was received.

Juvenile facilities overseen by Tennessee businessman Jason Crews allegedly failed to report multiple incidents of physical abuse, including an attack on Thomas Jarvis captured on surveillance footage at the Middle Tennessee Juvenile Detention Center. ProPublica investigation revealed systemic failures by Wayne Halfway House leaders in reporting suspected physical and sexual abuse to state officials like the Department of Children’s Services. The article notes that these failures prevented the public from learning about violent attacks occurring across Crews’ facilities.

Filing Freedom of Information Act requests has become an increasingly difficult and chaotic process at agencies like OPM following staff cuts by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency in early 2025. This reduction in information specialists has caused massive backlogs, with the average processing time for simple requests more than doubling. The author notes that routine document requests now involve navigating abandoned email inboxes and changing web portals.

More than half the yards in a section of Omaha, Nebraska, near an old lead smelter still show contamination levels that can pose risks to children. Current EPA policy for the Superfund site only requires cleanup when lead concentrations exceed 400 parts per million, even though scientific research shows lower exposures can cause serious health issues like IQ loss and heart attacks.

James Talarico accused Ken Paxton of voter fraud related to an address where he no longer lived. The Texas Tribune and ProPublica found that Talarico's own voter registration also appears to involve a similar issue.

State Rep. James Talarico accused Ken Paxton of voter fraud, but ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found Talarico voted using his parents’ address after purchasing a nearby home, potentially violating voting laws. Paxton, Talarico’s Senate opponent, also faced similar allegations for voting at an address where he allegedly no longer resides. Both have not fully disclosed their voting histories, and an attorney noted Texas election laws are broadly worded, making fraud determinations challenging.

Residents in Omaha, Nebraska, have found inconsistent responses from the city and EPA regarding lead contamination cleanup in their yards, despite tests showing levels exceeding EPA thresholds. Some properties received retesting and cleanup, while others were denied based on EPA rules or location in non-priority zones.

Tennessee has removed nursing home inspection and investigation reports from its state website, making it harder for residents to access critical information about facility conditions. Advocates and families, like Olivia Kritsch whose father died at the Waters of Springfield nursing home, criticize the move as a lack of transparency. The state cites HIPAA compliance and resource constraints as reasons for removing the reports, though they remain available through third-party platforms like ProPublica.

The EPA has labeled its Omaha lead cleanup as successful, but recent tests reveal many yards still exceed lead levels deemed safe. Despite a $273 million cleanup effort since 1999, 1 in 10 remediated yards tested by ProPublica and Flatwater Free Press showed lead above original guidelines, and nearly a quarter met criteria for further study under new Trump-era standards.

Two government watchdog groups have filed complaints alleging Federal Communications Commission members violated ethics rules by accepting luxury Kennedy Center gala tickets from Paramount during merger reviews. The gifts, including $12,000 tickets to a 2025 event and skybox seats valued at $125,000, are tied to Paramount's $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and a prior merger with Skydance.

ProPublica investigated Mark McAfee, owner of America’s largest raw-milk dairy, amid concerns over health risks and shifting federal policies. The Trump administration’s approach to raw milk, influenced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has aligned with advocacy for the product despite scientific consensus that raw milk poses significant foodborne illness risks with no proven nutritional benefits over pasteurized milk.

The article details an investigation into whether blueberries sold in grocery stores originate from farms with labor abuses. It reveals that federal regulators do not require packaging to disclose specific farm sources, complicating efforts to trace berries to farms linked to labor trafficking cases, such as one involving a labor contractor who pleaded guilty to forced labor conspiracy.

Lynn and Katherine, two sisters raised in the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church, were sexually abused by their brothers, who may have also been abuse victims. The sisters later perpetuated the cycle of abuse as children and adults, highlighting a generational pattern of normalized sexual abuse within the church community.

Lithium-ion battery failures pose significant fire risks due to improper disposal and limited access to safe waste facilities. Federal data shows a rise in battery-related fires, while exemptions from clean air regulations allow industrial facilities to avoid compliance, raising health concerns in areas like Louisiana’s 'Cancer Alley'.

Lithium-ion battery failures are causing dangerous fires due to improper disposal and limited access to qualified waste facilities. Federal data shows a growing number of such fires, with experts highlighting the risks of damaged or recalled batteries and the need for industry responsibility in safe disposal.

Lithium-ion battery failures pose significant risks, including fires and explosions, with disposal challenges exacerbating the problem. Federal data highlights a growing number of battery-related fires, while exemptions from clean air rules allow industrial facilities to avoid compliance, raising health concerns in areas like Louisiana’s 'Cancer Alley'.

Mexico’s president rejected US Drug Enforcement Administration claims of a government-cartel connection, as Washington pressures her to extradite officials accused of ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. Sheinbaum resisted despite bilateral extradition agreements, prompting threats of tariffs and military action from Donald Trump.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is intensifying efforts to combat immigration scams targeting individuals in immigration proceedings, following a ProPublica report showing fraud complaints doubled under President Donald Trump's second administration. Scammers use social media and fake legal processes to steal millions, leading to deportations and prompting DHS to seek digital traces like URLs and WhatsApp numbers to track perpetrators.

ProPublica investigated private schools and found examples of institutions with serious issues, such as a school in Arkansas linked to a founder accused of a 'Fight Club' and a former superintendent in Florida who received public funds after mismanaging charter school money. The article highlights the lack of oversight for private schools compared to public ones, with many states taking a hands-off approach.

Public funds are increasingly supporting private schools, with states like Florida and Arizona showing lax regulation. This has led to a surge in private school openings despite concerns over founder backgrounds and student safety.

D.C. is experiencing a labor market decline with 46,000 job losses, high unemployment, and challenges in attracting workers due to housing and childcare costs. The D.C. Council opposes extended National Guard deployment, citing no impact on crime, while a report highlights injuries from crowd control weapons used on protesters. CDC funding cuts have worsened cyclosporiasis outbreaks, requiring preventive measures.

Alice Sebold was raped in 1981, leading to Anthony Broadwater's conviction, which was later vacated after 40 years. An investigation revealed systemic failures in Syracuse's police, prosecutors, and Syracuse University in addressing a rape crisis, including ignored cases and suppressed media coverage.

The federal government is revising public lands grazing regulations to increase livestock numbers on 155 million acres in the West, despite environmental concerns and criticism that the current system subsidizes wealthy ranchers. The Bureau of Land Management’s proposed changes, the first since 1995, would expand grazing despite expert warnings about overgrazing’s harmful effects on public lands.

Two lawmakers urged the CDC to track vitamin K shot refusals for newborns after a ProPublica report highlighted preventable deaths linked to the refusal. The vitamin K shot, routine since 1961, is being declined by some families due to medical mistrust and misinformation, but federal and state agencies do not track refusal rates or related bleeding cases.

President Donald Trump removed the three remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission, a bipartisan agency responsible for setting voting system standards and providing funding for upgrades. The president fired two Democrats and allowed the Republican to resign, leaving the agency without a functioning board as he seeks to influence election procedures ahead of midterms.

Under President Trump, deportations of unaccompanied immigrant minors have tripled compared to his last term. Elder Chavez, an 18-year-old granted Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, faces deportation after a traffic violation, despite having no criminal record and pursuing permanent residency. Immigration judges have issued over 10,000 removal orders monthly for such minors, a rate four times higher than in Trump’s last term.

Ohio's public education funding has declined from 47% to 32% since 1997, forcing local taxpayers to cover gaps. President Trump earned at least $2.2 billion in his first year in office, including $1.4 billion from family cryptocurrency ventures. The U.S. Supreme Court decided more cases via secret ballot than in open court during its most recent term.

The Bureau of Land Management is proposing new grazing regulations to increase livestock numbers on 155 million acres of Western public lands while reducing public participation in decision-making. The changes, part of the Trump administration's agenda, aim to cut regulatory burdens but face criticism for environmental harm and limiting oversight of grazing permits.

Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban immigrant with a history of mental illness, died by suicide at the East Camp Montana immigration detention center in El Paso, Texas, after repeated failures to address his mental health needs. Records show he complained multiple times about missed antipsychotic medication doses and was not transferred to a higher-level care facility despite staff acknowledging his crisis.

Massachusetts will extend the statute of limitations for rape cases involving DNA evidence, allowing indefinite prosecution if DNA matches a suspect after 15 years. Governor Maura Healey signed the law as part of her budget proposal, responding to advocacy from survivors and reports showing most states allow longer timelines for such cases.

ProPublica investigated America First Refining, a Texas oil refinery startup secretly funded by Donald Trump Jr., and discovered a suspiciously detailed but likely fictional website for Brownsville Energy Storage Terminals, a company allegedly owned by the refinery's CEO, John Calce. The website claimed global operations and executives with no online presence, raising doubts about the company's legitimacy.

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton appointed John Cheadle, a lawyer for payday lender Advance Financial, to the Metro Nashville Airport Authority Board. Cheadle's firm has sued thousands of Tennesseans over high-interest loans, and Sexton previously sponsored legislation enabling Advance Financial to offer a loan product that removed consumer protections, leading to widespread litigation.

Enid, Oklahoma's public water supply wells are located within a quarter-mile of oil field wastewater injection operations, violating state rules requiring a half-mile buffer. The city is appealing to state regulators to revoke permits for these wells, including the structurally problematic 'Flying Monkey' well, after they were approved without required hearings.

The Louisiana Supreme Court overturned Jimmie 'Chris' Duncan's 1998 conviction for a toddler's murder, citing flawed bite mark evidence as 'scientifically indefensible.' The decision followed a 2025 investigation revealing discredited forensic practices by experts Michael West and Steven Hayne, whose work contributed to nine other exonerations.

The Tennessee Lookout won 11 awards at the Tennessee Press Association Awards, including five first-place honors for investigative journalism on topics like the Memphis Safe Task Force, Tennessee State University underfunding, and legislation benefiting payday lender Advance Financial. The outlet, part of the nonprofit States Newsroom network, competed in the large newsroom division and received praise for accountability-focused reporting.