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Holding Political Actors Accountable

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

Despite having an office of hundreds of attorneys, Ken Paxton is frequently opting for private lawyers — many to whom he has personal or political ties — to argue on behalf of Texas. One attorney cost taxpayers more than $24,000 for a day’s work.

by Zach Despart, The Texas Tribune,

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

We asked Abbott for his and his staff’s emails with Elon Musk and Musk’s companies. The governor’s office won’t turn them over, saying some contain “intimate and embarrassing” information that is “not of legitimate concern to the public.”

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.

Last month, Lee introduced a now-removed amendment to Trump’s policy megabill that mandated the sale of up to 3 million acres. It did little to address the challenges of building affordable housing on public land.

by Abe Streep,

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

Musk, the billionaire businessman behind Tesla and SpaceX, influenced several new Texas laws this year. How his lobbyists came about these wins, however, is more of a mystery.

by Lauren McGaughy, The Texas Newsroom,

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For the second legislative session, lawmakers have withdrawn funding for a company selling kits that promise to help find missing kids after ProPublica and The Texas Tribune reported there’s no evidence to support that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

465 stories published since 2016

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,

A Vexing To-Do List for Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer

by Anna Clark,

Election Deniers Secretly Pushed Rule That Would Make It Easier to Delay Certification of Georgia’s Election Results

by Doug Bock Clark,

Inside Project 2025’s Secret Training Videos

by Andy Kroll, ProPublica, and Nick Surgey, Documented,

Watch: 14 Hours of Never-Before-Published Videos From Project 2025’s Presidential Administration Academy

by Andy Kroll, ProPublica, and Nick Surgey, Documented,

The Man Behind Project 2025’s Most Radical Plans

by Alec MacGillis,

Trump Media Quietly Enters Deal With a Republican Donor Who Could Benefit From a Second Trump Administration

by Justin Elliott, Robert Faturechi and Alex Mierjeski,

Narcotraficantes mexicanos dijeron que apoyaron la primera campaña del ahora presidente de México. Agentes estadounidenses ya habían dejado de investigar.

por Tim Golden,

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

    Alaska Ignored Warning Signs of a Budget Crisis. Now It Doesn’t Have Funding to Fix Crumbling Schools.

    Lawmakers only budgeted $40 million of the nearly $800 million that districts say is needed to fix and maintain schools to keep them safe and operating. Gov. Mike Dunleavy then vetoed more than two-thirds of that.

    by Emily Schwing, KYUK,

    Local Reporting Network

    Now That They’re Free

    Venezuelan men deported by the Trump administration say they endured months of physical and mental abuse inside a Salvadoran prison. Though happy to be home, they say the fact that they were released is proof of how senseless their detentions were.

    by Perla Trevizo, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, Melissa Sanchez and Mica Rosenberg, ProPublica, Ronna Rísquez, Alianza Rebelde Investiga, and Adrián González, Cazadores de Fake News, photography and additional reporting by Adriana Loureiro Fernández for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune,

    Zero Trust

    Microsoft Used China-Based Engineers to Support Product Recently Hacked by China

    Microsoft announced that Chinese state-sponsored hackers had exploited vulnerabilities in its popular SharePoint software but didn’t mention that it has long used China-based engineers to maintain the product.

    by Renee Dudley,

    A Las Vegas Festival Promised Ways to Cheat Death. Two Attendees Left Fighting for Their Lives.

    Authorities are investigating why two women fell ill at the Revolution Against Aging and Death Festival. They both received peptide injections, an alternative therapy promoted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a way to fight aging and chronic disease.

    by Anjeanette Damon,

    Trump Administration Halted Lawsuits Targeting Civil Rights Abuses of Prisoners and Mentally Ill People

    The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division had brought lawsuits accusing Louisiana of confining prisoners longer than they should and South Carolina of keeping mentally ill people in unreasonably restrictive group homes. Both cases are now on hold.

    by Corey G. Johnson,