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Midwest Archive

On the Front Line of the Fluoride Wars, Debate Over Drinking Water Treatment Turns Raucous

by Anna Clark,

“I Don’t Want to Be Here Anymore”: They Tried to Self-Deport, Then Got Stranded in Trump’s America

by Melissa Sanchez and Mariam Elba,

“No quiero estar más acá”: intentaron autodeportarse y quedaron atrapados en la América de Trump

por Melissa Sanchez y Mariam Elba,

Chicago Cop Who Falsely Blamed an Ex-Girlfriend for Dozens of Traffic Tickets Pleads Guilty but Avoids Prison

by Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen,

“His Audience Was Really Trump”: How New FBI Lead Used His Missouri AG Role to Wage a Culture War

by Jeremy Kohler,

Amid Rise of RFK Jr., Officials Waver on Drinking Water Fluoridation — Even in the State Where It Started

by Anna Clark,

“Just Let Me Die”: After Insurance Repeatedly Denied a Couple’s Claims, One Psychiatrist Was Their Last Hope

by Duaa Eldeib, photography by Sarah Blesener for ProPublica,

Three Chicago Schools Get Expensive STEAM Makeovers. Can the Effort Reverse Declining Enrollment?

by Mila Koumpilova, Chalkbeat, and Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica,

The Floods Kept Coming. He Needed to Grow a Crop That Would Thrive in Water — or to Quit.

by Julia Rendleman for ProPublica, Molly Parker, Capitol News Illinois, and Lylee Gibbs, Saluki Local Reporting Lab,

The Federal Farm Policy Trap: Why Some Farmers Are Stuck Raising Crops That No Longer Thrive

by Molly Parker, Capitol News Illinois, Julia Rendleman for ProPublica and Lylee Gibbs, Saluki Local Reporting Lab,

Trump’s Pick to Help Run the FBI Has a History of Prosecuting Influential Democrats

by Jeremy Kohler,

This Doctor Specializes in Diagnosing Child Abuse. Some of Her Conclusions Have Been Called Into Question.

by Jessica Lussenhop, and photography by Sarahbeth Maney,

A Doctor Challenged the Opinion of a Powerful Child Abuse Specialist. Then He Lost His Job.

by Jessica Lussenhop, and photography by Sarahbeth Maney,

100 Students in a School Meant for 1,000: Inside Chicago’s Refusal to Deal With Its Nearly Empty Schools

by Mila Koumpilova, Chalkbeat, and Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica,

Former Chicago Cop Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Battery of Two Female Colleagues

by María Inés Zamudio, Invisible Institute,

Red State Voters Approved Progressive Measures. GOP Lawmakers Are Trying to Undermine Them.

by Jeremy Kohler,

“The Federal Government Is Gone”: Under Trump, the Fight Against Extremist Violence Is Left Up to the States

by Hannah Allam,

Illinois Lawmakers Ban Police From Ticketing and Fining Students for Minor Infractions in School

by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards,

Help Us Report on Sexual Assault and Misconduct by the Chicago Police Department

by Dana Brozost-Kelleher, Isabelle Senechal and María Inés Zamudio, Invisible Institute,

Chicago Police Dismissed a Recruit’s Claims That a Colleague Sexually Assaulted Her. Then He was Accused Again and Again.

by María Inés Zamudio and Dana Brozost-Kelleher, Invisible Institute,

A Teacher Dragged a 6-Year-Old With Autism by His Ankle. Federal Civil Rights Officials Might Not Do Anything.

by Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen,

Millions of People Depend on the Great Lakes’ Water Supply. Trump Decimated the Lab Protecting It.

by Anna Clark,

The Untold Story of How Ed Martin Ghostwrote Online Attacks Against a Judge — and Still Became a Top Trump Prosecutor

by Jeremy Kohler and Andy Kroll,

White Supremacist Terrorgram Network Allegedly Inspired Teen Accused of Killing Parents and Plotting Trump Assassination

by A.C. Thompson, ProPublica and FRONTLINE, and James Bandler, ProPublica,

What Reality TV Gets Wrong About Criminal Investigations. (Spoiler: So Much.)

by Taylor Kate Brown,

Will Extreme Spending and Partisanship Undermine Trust in State Supreme Courts?

by Megan O’Matz,

In An Era of Big Money, the University of Illinois Shrugs Off Rules on Athletes’ NIL Deals

by Stacy St. Clair, Chicago Tribune, and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica,

The Art Institute of Chicago Returned a Sculpture to Nepal But Obscured Its Connection to a Wealthy Donor

by Steve Mills,

“A Wholly Inaccurate Picture”: Reality Cop Show “The First 48” and the Wrongly Convicted Man

by Jessica Lussenhop, photography by Sarahbeth Maney,

Police Across the U.S. Welcomed Cop Show “The First 48.” Then Relationships Soured.

by Jessica Lussenhop,

How Elon Musk, George Soros and Other Billionaires Are Shaping the Most Expensive Court Race in U.S. History

by Megan O’Matz,

A University, a Rural Town and Their Fight to Survive Trump’s War on Higher Education

by Molly Parker, Capitol News Illinois,

Under Pressure From Trump, ICE Is Pushing Legal Boundaries

by Vernal Coleman,

We Found Widespread Abuse of Disabled Patients at an Illinois Facility. The DOJ Is Investigating.

by Beth Hundsdorfer and Molly Parker, Capitol News Illinois,

Illinois Has Virtually No Homeschooling Rules. A New Bill Aims to Change That.

by Molly Parker and Beth Hundsdorfer, Capitol News Illinois,

Missouri GOP’s Effort to Take Over St. Louis Police Hearkens Back to Civil War

by Jeremy Kohler,

Amid Increasing Domestic Violence, Illinois Struggles to Review Fatalities

by Vernal Coleman,

The One That Got Away: This Small Town Is Left in Limbo After Betting Big on GMO Salmon

by Anna Clark,

Three Months After Missouri Voted to Make Abortion Legal, Access Is Still Being Blocked

by Jeremy Kohler,

Empacados: Retrato de una comunidad de inmigrantes que viven bajo la amenaza de ser deportados

por Melissa Sanchez, fotografía por Benjamin Rasmussen para ProPublica,

Hoping to “Trump Proof” Students’ Civil Rights, Illinois Lawmakers Aim to End Police Ticketing at School

by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards,

Boxed Up: A Portrait of an Immigrant Community Living Under Threat of Deportation

by Melissa Sanchez, photography by Benjamin Rasmussen for ProPublica,

Madison and Nashville School Shooters Appear to Have Crossed Paths in Online Extremist Communities

by Phoebe Petrovic, Wisconsin Watch,

Five Big Obstacles to Opening Child Care Facilities in Rural Illinois

by Molly Parker, Capitol News Illinois,

On a Mission From God: Inside the Movement to Redirect Billions of Taxpayer Dollars to Private Religious Schools

by Alec MacGillis,

“All Our Future Money Is Gone”: The Impossible Task of Providing Child Care in Rural Illinois

by Molly Parker, Capitol News Illinois, and Julia Rendleman for ProPublica, photography by Julia Rendleman for ProPublica,

Gretchen Whitmer’s Chance for Wide-Ranging Legacy Derailed by Botched Legislative Session

by Anna Clark,

Feds Fine Baker College $2.5 Million for Deceptive Marketing That Left Students With Debts and Regrets

by Anna Clark, ProPublica, and David Jesse, The Chronicle of Higher Education,

He Frantically Called 911 to Revive His Infant Son. Now He Could Face 12 Years in Prison.

by Pamela Colloff,

Billy Long, Trump’s Nominee to Lead the IRS, Touts a Credential That Tax Experts Say Is Dubious

by Jeremy Kohler and Alex Mierjeski,

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

Photo of Sharon Lerner
Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

Photo of Andy Kroll
Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

Photo of Melissa Sanchez
Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

Photo of Jesse Coburn
Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.

Most Read

    More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.

    The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And nearly 20 children, two of whom have cancer.

    by Nicole Foy, photography by Sarahbeth Maney,

    The Hospice Hustle

    Endgame: How the Visionary Hospice Movement Became a For-Profit Hustle

    Half of all Americans now die in hospice care. Easy money and a lack of regulation transformed a crusade to provide death with dignity into an industry rife with fraud and exploitation.

    by Ava Kofman,

    Machine Bias

    Machine Bias

    There’s software used across the country to predict future criminals. And it’s biased against blacks.

    Julia Angwin, Jeff Larson, Lauren Kirchner and Surya Mattu,

    White Parents Rallied to Chase a Black Educator Out of Town. Then, They Followed Her to the Next One.

    Cecelia Lewis was asked to apply for a Georgia school district’s first-ever administrator job devoted to diversity, equity and inclusion. A group of parents — coached by local and national anti-CRT groups — had other plans.

    by Nicole Carr,

    The Militia and the Mole

    Outraged by the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a wilderness survival trainer spent years undercover climbing the ranks of right-wing militias. He didn’t tell police or the FBI. He didn’t tell family or friends. The one person he told was a ProPublica reporter.

    by Joshua Kaplan,