ProPublica

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.

Brig. Gen. Eric Widmar, senior legal counsel to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is resigning nearly a year before his term ends, citing personal reasons related to family demands. His departure follows a pattern of high-ranking military officials leaving under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, raising concerns about leadership stability and military professionalism.

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.

A billionaire-owned concrete plant operated by Crown Enterprises has acquired over 160 properties in Detroit's Cadillac Heights neighborhood, demolishing homes and displacing residents like Christina Kary. The company's expansion, facilitated by city policies including a 2019 land-swap deal and lenient permitting, has caused environmental and community disruptions, including dust, noise, and industrial lighting.

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.

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 Trump Justice Department claimed police reform efforts in cities like Louisville and Minneapolis were 'factually unjustified,' but a new ACLU report reveals continued excessive force and misconduct by officers, including Taser misuse during mental health calls. The report, covering late 2024 to early 2025, highlights incidents such as a Minneapolis officer repeatedly shocking a compliant individual and a Louisville officer escalating a mental health encounter with a Taser and baton.

Florida executed 19 prisoners in 2025, shattering its previous annual record of 11 executions set in 1936. Governor Ron DeSantis accelerated death warrants in 2025, leading to the state's busiest execution period in over 80 years, with Florida accounting for 40% of U.S. executions that year.

Native American Tribes in northern Arizona, including the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, seek a water rights settlement to address lack of running water in their communities. Four Upper Basin states—Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming—oppose the deal, delaying congressional approval and exacerbating water access issues for tribal residents.

A court-appointed monitor found the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has regressed in compliance with reforms from a racial profiling lawsuit. The report highlights a 'disturbing pattern' of policy violations, including leadership interference in misconduct investigations and disciplinary processes.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has criticized out-of-state funding for ballot initiatives while benefiting from financial support from a Delaware nonprofit with undisclosed donors for his own constitutional amendment to eliminate the state income tax. Critics argue the amendment would shift tax burdens onto working-class families and harm local retailers, while Kehoe and supporters claim it would enhance economic competitiveness.

Chinese investors and a Qatari royal family-linked entity acquired stakes in SpaceX before its IPO. SpaceX excluded investors from China and Hong Kong from its IPO due to regulatory risks. David Su, a Beijing-based venture capitalist, invested $15 million in SpaceX through a U.S. middleman firm, while his firm has ties to sanctioned companies and the Chinese government's aerospace initiatives.

Trump plans to protect methane-leaking stripper wells, which will benefit Jeffery Hildebrand, owner of Hilcorp, a major Trump donor. Hilcorp, known for operating low-producing oil wells with high methane emissions, has received regulatory relief through Trump's appointment of a former Hilcorp lobbyist to the EPA.

ProPublica updated its code of ethics to prohibit employees from wagering on news events via prediction markets, citing concerns about bias and public trust. The decision follows examples of problematic behavior in prediction markets, including a U.S. soldier profiting from a military mission and political candidates trading on their own races.

Rep. Norma Torres introduced an amendment to block taxpayer-funded VIP perks for pardoned drug traffickers and child traffickers, citing special treatment given to former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández after his pardon. The amendment failed in the House Appropriations Committee along party lines.

Protests against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown have led to federal agents using tear gas and pepper spray, harming over 79 children since 2025, according to ProPublica. Children were injured while in cars, homes, or walking to school, with the Department of Homeland Security defending its agents' actions.

Mark McAfee's Raw Farm sells raw milk linked to multiple outbreaks of salmonella, E. coli, and bird flu, yet the business generates $30 million annually. Federal and state regulators have tied the farm to over a dozen recalls and illnesses, but the government has not shut it down despite health experts warning of raw milk's risks.

Anant Ambani, son of a wealthy Indian businessman, met with Donald Trump Jr. after the Trump administration targeted his family's energy empire with tariffs. Months later, Ambani's company invested in America First Refining, a startup secretly backed by Trump Jr., which had struggled for years to secure funding and faced legal and business challenges.