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

Andrew Bailey’s nearly three-year term as Missouri’s top lawyer was marked by splashy fights over gender, schools and diversity that often fizzled but boosted his political profile. Now he’s co-deputy director of the FBI.

by Jeremy Kohler,

ProPublica and Other News Organizations Fight to Unseal Texas AG Ken Paxton’s Divorce Records

A group of eight state and national media organizations are arguing that the records are of public interest, especially in light of Paxton’s bid for a U.S. Senate seat.

by Lauren McGaughy, The Texas Newsroom,

The Texas Redistricting Fight Has Been the Testing Ground for the Trump Administration’s Latest Legal Strategy

The administration has been testing a strategy of using the courts as leverage to force political outcomes. In Texas, the state’s leaders and conservative activists have been willing, if not eager, collaborators.

by Robert T. Garrett for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune,

How Deeply Trump Has Cut Federal Health Agencies

More than ‎20,500 workers have left or been pushed out of federal health agencies, a ProPublica analysis found. Staffers say the cuts will leave their agencies less equipped to conduct studies, perform inspections and combat deadly outbreaks.

by Brandon Roberts, Annie Waldman and Pratheek Rebala, illustrations by Sam Green for ProPublica,

Featured Reporters

Portrait of Justin Elliott Justin Elliott
Portrait of Robert Faturechi Robert Faturechi
Portrait of Doug Bock Clark Doug Bock Clark
Portrait of Cassandra Jaramillo Cassandra Jaramillo

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Texas Lawmakers Pull Funding for Child Identification Kits Again After Newsrooms Report They Don’t Work

For the second legislative session, lawmakers have withdrawn funding for a company selling kits that promise to help find missing kids after ProPublica and The Texas Tribune reported there’s no evidence to support that claim.

by Lexi Churchill, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune,

Texas Lawmakers Push to Enforce Election Transparency Law After Newsrooms Found School Districts Failed to Comply

ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found nearly three dozen school districts were missing required campaign finance reports online. Now lawmakers are pushing to impose steep penalties on local governments that fail to abide by the law.

by Lexi Churchill, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune,

North Carolina Lawmakers Ask for Investigation Into Funding Disruptions for Sexual Abuse Survivors

In response to ProPublica’s reporting, a bipartisan committee of senators is asking the state auditor to investigate how $15 million intended to stop human trafficking had been spent and managed.

by Doug Bock Clark,

Series

Series: Without Knowledge or Consent: Inside the Secret Gun Industry Project to Change America

Series: Faith in Power: The Christian Right’s Attempt to Influence Elections

Dominion Energy’s Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center.

Series: Power Play: The Influence of Virginia’s Biggest Utility

Series: At a Great Price: The True Cost of the Sears Headquarters Deal

Series: Desperation Town: How Youngstown Gave Itself Away for the Promise of Jobs

Series: Big Jim: West Virginia’s Conflicted Governor

Series: The Real Bosses of New Jersey: How Unelected Officials Run Your Government

Series: The Bad Bet: How Illinois Bet on Video Gambling and Lost

Series: A User’s Guide to Democracy: Congress Works For You. Here’s How to Be a Better Boss.

Series: The Money Game: Tracking the Illinois Governor’s Race

Series: Politic-IL Insider: Analysis of Illinois’ Political Issues and Personalities

Series: Free the Files: Help Unlock Election Spending

Series: Buying Your Vote: Dark Money and Big Data

472 stories published since 2016

How We Tracked Workforce Reductions at Federal Health Agencies

by Pratheek Rebala, Annie Waldman and Brandon Roberts,

These GOP Lawmakers Referred Constituents to the CFPB for Help. Then They Voted to Gut the Agency.

by Joel Jacobs,

The IRS Says Churches Can Now Endorse Candidates. That Could Give Texas Pastors More Power Than Ever.

by Marissa Greene, Fort Worth Report and Report for America,

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Is Outsourcing More of His Office’s Work to Costly Private Lawyers

by Zach Despart, The Texas Tribune,

Why Gov. Greg Abbott Won’t Release His Emails With Elon Musk

by Lauren McGaughy, The Texas Newsroom,

Utah Sen. Mike Lee Says Selling Off Public Lands Will Solve the West’s Housing Crisis. Past Sales Show Otherwise.

by Abe Streep,

Elon Musk Hired a Dozen Texas Lobbyists This Year. State Law Keeps the Extent of Their Influence Under Wraps.

by Lauren McGaughy, The Texas Newsroom,

Inside Elon Musk’s Stellar Year at the Texas Capitol

by Lauren McGaughy, The Texas Newsroom,

North Dakota Ethics Commission Has No Authority to Punish Officials Violating Ethics Laws, State Leaders Argue

by Mary Steurer and Jacob Orledge, North Dakota Monitor,

Texas Lawmakers Pull Funding for Child Identification Kits Again After Newsrooms Report They Don’t Work

by Lexi Churchill, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune,

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

by Jeremy Kohler,

Texas Lawmakers Push to Enforce Election Transparency Law After Newsrooms Found School Districts Failed to Comply

by Lexi Churchill, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune,

Texas Lawmakers Are Again Pushing to Spend Millions on Kits to Find Missing Kids. Experts Say They Don’t Work.

by Lexi Churchill, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune,

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,

North Carolina Lawmakers Ask for Investigation Into Funding Disruptions for Sexual Abuse Survivors

by Doug Bock Clark,

Texas AG Ken Paxton Won’t Face Federal Corruption Charges as He Gains Momentum for Likely Senate Run

by Kayla Guo, The Texas Tribune,

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

by Megan O’Matz,

A Political Power Grab Redirected Funds for North Carolina’s Sexual Abuse Survivors. Women in Crisis Paid the Price.

by Doug Bock Clark,

How Texas Conservatives Use At-Large School Board Elections to Influence What Students Learn

by Jeremy Schwartz, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, and Dan Keemahill, The Texas Tribune, photography by Shelby Tauber for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune,

How a Push to Amend the Constitution Could Help Trump Expand Presidential Power

by Phoebe Petrovic, Wisconsin Watch,

Secretive D.C. Influence Project Appears to Be Running a Group House for Right-Wing Lawmakers

by Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski,

Ethical Concerns Surround Sen. Joni Ernst’s Relationships With Top Military Officials Who Lobbied Her Committee

by Robert Faturechi,

Speaker Mike Johnson Is Living in a D.C. House That Is the Center of a Pastor’s Secretive Influence Campaign

by Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski,

“We Feel Terrorized”: What EPA Employees Say About the Decision to Stay or Go Under Trump

by Sharon Lerner and Pratheek Rebala,

ProPublica’s Coverage of Donald Trump’s Appointments — and How They Could Reshape Federal Agencies

by ProPublica,

North Dakota Sued the Interior Department at Least Five Times Under Gov. Doug Burgum. Now He’s Set to Run the Agency.

by Mary Steurer, North Dakota Monitor, and Mark Olalde, ProPublica,

Women Made Electoral Gains in Statehouses Across the Country in 2024. The Southeast Is a Different Story.

by Jennifer Berry Hawes,

A Trump DOJ Could Bring an End to the Yearslong Investigation of His Ally Ken Paxton

by Vianna Davila, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune,

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

by Anna Clark,

Despite Trump’s Win, School Vouchers Were Again Rejected by Majorities of Voters

by Eli Hager and Jeremy Schwartz,

Trump’s Near Sweep of Texas Border Counties Shows a Shift to the Right for Latino Voters

by Jasper Scherer, Zach Despart and Berenice Garcia, The Texas Tribune, and Perla Trevizo and Dan Keemahill, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune,

What to Expect From ProPublica in a Second Trump Administration

by Stephen Engelberg,

El sheriff fronterizo pro armas y provida que perdió la lealtad de sus vecinos por ser tachado de “blando” con la inmigración

por Perla Trevizo, ProPublica y The Texas Tribune, fotografía por Gerardo del Valle, ProPublica,

Trump Claims “Illegal Alien” Voting Is Rampant. His Own Party Disagrees.

by Andy Kroll,

Watch: How the Race for Sheriff in Del Rio, Texas, Became a Referendum on Immigration

by Gerardo del Valle, ProPublica, and Perla Trevizo, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune,

A Pro-Gun, Anti-Abortion Border Sheriff Appealed to Both Parties. Then He Was Painted as Soft on Immigration.

by Perla Trevizo, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, photography by Gerardo del Valle, ProPublica,

Trump Media Outsourced Jobs to Mexico Even as Trump Pushes “America First”

by Robert Faturechi, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski,

ProPublica’s Coverage of the Election Issues That Matter to Voters

by ProPublica,

Trump Says He’ll Fight for Working-Class Americans. His First Presidency Suggests He Won’t.

by Eli Hager,

In Minnesota, the Mayo Clinic Sometimes Called the Shots With Gov. Tim Walz

by Max Nesterak, Minnesota Reformer, and Jessica Lussenhop, ProPublica,

The Small Midwestern Cities That Could Play a Pivotal Role in This Year’s Elections

by Alec MacGillis,

Without Knowledge or Consent

by Corey G. Johnson,

Who’s Mailing the Catholic Tribune? It’s Not the Church, It’s Partisan Media.

by Jennifer Smith Richards and Megan O’Matz,

JD Vance Campaign Event With Christian Right Leaders May Have Violated Tax and Election Laws, Experts Say

by Andy Kroll, ProPublica; Phoebe Petrovic, Wisconsin Watch; and Nick Surgey, Documented,

Opponents of Missouri Abortion Rights Amendment Turn to Anti-Trans Messaging and Misinformation

by Jeremy Kohler,

Battle Over Ballot Drop Boxes Rages On in Wisconsin as Officials Put Them at Center of Election Integrity Debate

by Megan O’Matz,

North Dakota’s Likely Next Governor Brushes Off Conflict Concerns, Says His Oil and Gas Ties Would Benefit the State

by Jacob Orledge, North Dakota Monitor,

Heritage Foundation Staffers Flood Federal Agencies With Thousands of Information Requests

by Sharon Lerner and Andy Kroll,

Emails Reveal How Walz Struggled to Deal With Unrest, Reach Consensus With Critics After Police Killings

by Jessica Lussenhop, ProPublica, and Michelle Griffith, Madison McVan and Deena Winter, Minnesota Reformer,

Officials Voted Down a Controversial Georgia Election Rule, Saying It Violated the Law. Then a Similar Version Passed.

by Doug Bock Clark,

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 Shadow President

    From the wholesale gutting of federal agencies to the ongoing government shutdown, Russell Vought has drawn the road map for Trump’s second term. Vought has consolidated power to an extent that insiders say they feel like “he is the commander in chief.”

    by Andy Kroll,

    What You Should Know About Russ Vought, Trump’s Shadow President

    Vought is the architect of President Trump’s broader plan to fire civil servants, freeze government programs and dismantle entire agencies. Here are some key things to know about the D.C. insider who wants to take a hatchet to the federal government.

    by Andy Kroll,

    Idaho Banned Vaccine Mandates. Activists Want to Make It a Model for the Country.

    The Idaho Medical Freedom Act makes it illegal to require anyone to take a vaccine or receive “medical intervention.” Leslie Manookian, the activist behind the law, hopes to make it a “societal norm” for the rest of the country.

    by Audrey Dutton,

    Rx Roulette

    Is Your Medication Made in a Contaminated Factory? The FDA Won’t Tell You.

    The agency’s decision to conceal drug names on inspection reports has prevented doctors, pharmacists and patients from knowing whether medications made overseas are tainted by manufacturing failures that could make them ineffective or unsafe.

    by Debbie Cenziper and Megan Rose,