“The department is violating U.S. laws and policies that have grown out of hard-learned lessons from past wars and garnered bipartisan support across multiple administrations,” said Annie Shiel of the Center for Civilians in Conflict. By @hannahallam.bsky.social and Megan Rose, @propublica.org

Amid Mounting War Casualties, Pete Hegseth “Defunded and Impeded” Efforts to Protect Civilians, Lawmakers Say

Ten members of Congress have warned the secretary of defense that the Trump administration’s gutting of a program focused on shielding noncombatants puts service members in peril, erodes the military’...

propublica.org

Today is the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.

Spot on from @milleridriss.bsky.social to @hannahallam.bsky.social: "What it tells me is that this administration is not paying attention to the data, to what our allies are seeing globally, or to where the biggest threats of violence come from or how they might be prevented." 🎯

Counterterrorism Czar’s Blueprint Targets Leftists, Ignores Far-Right Violence and Heaps Praise on Trump

Sebastian Gorka’s anti-terror plan makes no mention of long-established threats posed by far-right militants and instead villainizes the president’s political enemies. “This administration is not payi...

propublica.org

Number of times the much-delayed Trump White House counterterrorism plan mentions Joe Biden: 7 Number of times it mentions the terror threat posed by the far right: 0 New, @hannahallam.bsky.social @propublica.org

Counterterrorism Czar’s Blueprint Targets Leftists, Ignores Far-Right Violence and Heaps Praise on Trump

Sebastian Gorka’s anti-terror plan makes no mention of long-established threats posed by far-right militants and instead villainizes the president’s political enemies. “This administration is not payi...

propublica.org

open.substack.com/pub/spytalk/...

A CIA Officer Returns to Iraq and Uncovers Embarrassing Details of the Spy Agency’s WMD Debacle

Jerry Watson is suing the CIA to admit its coverup of intelligence misjudgments that led to the 2003 invasion of Iraq

open.substack.com

"Increasingly, journalists are pushing back against attacks on our credibility by 'showing the work'... "In that spirit, I wanted to take this opportunity to show how basic beat reporting — fact-checking the assertions of a powerful figure — led to a broader story..." by @hannahallam.bsky.social

I Reached Out to the White House Counterterrorism Czar for Comment. He Lashed Out on X.

Sebastian Gorka accused a ProPublica reporter of writing a “putrid piece of hackery” about him. Here’s how basic beat reporting led to a broader story about the state of the U.S. counterterrorism miss...

propublica.org

On April 28, join us for a conversation about the oil industry’s wastewater crisis and its threat to public health and the environment. In partnership w/ @readfrontier.bsky.social, @insideclimatenews.org and @desmog.com, RSVP and submit your questions at:

ProPublica Event: The Trillion-Gallon Time Bomb: Inside the Oil Industry’s Wastewater Crisis

Join us for a discussion on how failures to properly regulate oilfield wastewater disposal now threaten public health and the environment.

events.propublica.org

A new investigation from ProPublica and @frontlinepbs.bsky.social examines federal agents’ response to protesters and bystanders at the Trump administration’s immigration sweeps. “We see, just, use of excessive force after use of excess force,” one expert said.

A Protester Threw a Snowball. Federal Agents Responded With Tear Gas and Pepper Balls.

A new investigation from ProPublica and FRONTLINE examines federal agents’ response to protesters and bystanders at the Trump administration’s immigration sweeps. “We see, just, use of excessive force...

propublica.org

"He name drops 'Marco,' 'Kash' and other friends in senior roles: 'They ask me as I bump into them in the West Wing: Have you killed more jihadis today?' ...His team’s custom lanyards are printed with 'WWFY & WWKY' in honor of a Trump line: 'We will find you and we will kill you.'"

Chris Morran@themorrancave.bsky.social · 4mo ago

A year ago, Gorka's counterterrorism strategy was “imminent.” In July, Oct., Jan., he was “on the cusp” of unveiling it. Nada. If it is released, experts expect it'll have few details on how to combat threats, given Trump's gutting of national security agencies. By @hannahallam.bsky.social

The Counterterrorism Czar Without a Counterterrorism Plan by @hannahallam.bsky.social @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/seba... "Nearly a year ago, Gorka declared a national #counterterrorism strategy “imminent.” "To date, no strategy has appeared, and no explanation for the delay."

The Counterterrorism Czar Without a Counterterrorism Plan

Amid Trump’s war in Iran and an exodus of intelligence staffers, Sebastian Gorka has asserted that a blueprint for fighting terror threats is “imminent” — but has not released it. Iranian threats have...

propublica.org

“This will go down as one of the most egregious failures in targeting and civilian harm-mitigation in modern U.S. history.” @wesjbryant.bsky.social @hannahallam.bsky.social

The U.S. Built a Blueprint to Avoid Civilian War Casualties. Trump Officials Scrapped It.

The Pentagon dismantled its civilian protection mission as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made “lethality” a top priority and the Trump administration reorganized national security around two principl...

propublica.org

NEW: A recently developed Defense Department program was meant to reduce civilian harm during military operations. But months before the Iran war, the mission was dissolved as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made “lethality” a top priority. By @hannahallam.bsky.social

The U.S. Built a Blueprint to Avoid Civilian War Casualties. Trump Officials Scrapped It.

The Pentagon dismantled its civilian protection mission as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made “lethality” a top priority and the Trump administration reorganized national security around two principl...

propublica.org

I’ve been in Minneapolis the last few days reporting on the ICE raids happening across the city. This morning federal agents shot and killed a man, identified by the AP as Alex Pretti. This marks the third shooting by federal agents since Operation Metro Surge started in Minnesota last month.

An observer arrested in Suth Minneapolis. Photo by Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune

Independent investigative journalism doesn’t exist by accident. It exists because people like you choose to fund it. This winter, join the 80,000+ members who make ProPublica’s work possible: https://propub.li/4pdrT69

Four years after her double lung transplant, 21-year-old Hannah’s body was at war with itself. “Hurry,” she wrote, unable to speak. The generic drug she took to prevent organ rejection should have been working. She didn't know the FDA doesn’t always ensure that’s the case. 🧵

Community health centers were created to be medical safety nets for people who struggle to afford primary care. But we found that several are suing patients and garnishing their paychecks – which experts say contradicts their mission. www.propublica.org/article/fede...

These Health Centers Are Supposed to Make Care Affordable. One Has Sued Patients for as Little as $59 in Unpaid Bills.

Federally funded community health centers receive grants in exchange for serving patients regardless of their ability to pay. But ProPublica found at least five across the country garnishing patients’...

propublica.org

cool cool cool cool cool

ProPublica@propublica.org · 9mo ago

NEW: Paul Newby, a born-again Christian, has turned his perch atop North Carolina’s Supreme Court into an instrument of political power. Over two decades, he’s driven changes that have reverberated well beyond the borders of his state. By @dougbockclark.bsky.social

“In photos of his bedroom shared by the police, the swastika on his wall appears alongside children’s wallpaper featuring construction vehicles.” Important reporting on a worrying neo-Nazi plot in the United Kingdom by @lizziedearden.bsky.social in the @nytimes.com.

British Neo-Nazis Discussed Targeting Migrants, Mosques and Synagogues

nytimes.com

"Staff at ICE’s training academy in Brunswick, Georgia, recently discovered one recruit had previously been charged with strong arm robbery and battery stemming from a domestic violence incident..." www.nbcnews.com/politics/imm...

Some new ICE recruits have showed up to training without full vetting

The recruits have had criminal backgrounds, failed drug tests or were unable to meet physical or academic standards, raising concerns about the agency’s rush to hire immigration officers, sources told...

nbcnews.com

The new Pentagon press corps appears to be a who's who of pro-Trump propagandists. And a security nightmare. At least one of these—Tim Pool's Timcast—was tied to a network of influencers that received money as part of a Russian influence operation. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

NEW: Trump’s DHS appointees have: • Dismantled civil rights guardrails, • Protected agents’ anonymity and encouraged them to wear masks, • Threatened groups that stood in their way, and overwhelmed legal challenges to their arrests & tactics. By @davidmcswane.bsky.social @hannahallam.bsky.social

How Trump is Building a Violent, Shadowy Federal Police Force

Trump’s DHS appointees have dismantled civil rights guardrails, protected agents’ anonymity and encouraged them to wear masks, threatened groups that stood in their way, and overwhelmed legal challeng...

propublica.org

This reporting is so important, and also just wanted to say that I love @propublica.org's How We Did This notes. I think it does so much for transparency and context, and helping people understand how a story is told.

Annie Waldman@anniewaldman.bsky.social · 10mo ago

"Critically, there is no way to know the complete scope of these stops since the government itself does not track them." An astonishing amount of work that went into shining a light on the details in this remarkable void.

BREAKING from PP We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens* The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied: Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado www.propublica.org/article/immi... by @nicolefoy.bsky.social

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 near...

propublica.org

NEW: I arrived in the U.S. eight weeks ago to report on how the administration’s immigration crackdown was playing out from the front lines. What I saw Thursday was the culmination of ICE’s aggressive behavior. By @tilleckert.com

I Filmed the ICE Officer Who Shoved a Woman. It Felt Like the New Normal.

I arrived in the U.S. eight weeks ago to report on how the administration’s immigration crackdown was playing out from the front lines. What I saw Thursday was the culmination of ICE’s aggressive behavior.

propublica.org

NEW: Income isn’t supposed to play a role in how much housing assistance FEMA gives families. But in some North Carolina counties, the highest-income homeowners received two to three times as much money after Hurricane Helene as those with lower incomes. With @theassemblync.bsky.social

Arduous and Unequal: The Fight to Get FEMA Housing Assistance After Helene

An analysis by ProPublica and The Assembly of the more rural counties in North Carolina hardest hit by Helene shows that the households that got the most aid tended to have the highest incomes.

propublica.org

NEW: Ohio Chaplain Freed From Jail as DHS Drops Deportation Case “This is beyond my dreams,” Ayman Soliman told ProPublica in a call just after his release. In a case marked by errors and inconsistencies, DHS had accused the children’s hospital chaplain of providing material support to terrorists.

Ohio Chaplain Freed From Jail as DHS Drops Deportation Case

“This is beyond my dreams,” Ayman Soliman told ProPublica on his release from an Ohio jail. In a case marked by errors and inconsistencies, DHS had accused the children’s hospital chaplain of providin...

propublica.org

The Ancil Payne Reporting Fellowship at @propublica.org is open for applications. The two-year fellow will report on the many federal agencies that have been pulled into immigration enforcement. The role is based in DC. job-boards.greenhouse.io/propublica/j...

Ancil Payne Reporting Fellowship

New York City, United States

job-boards.greenhouse.io

Some personal news: I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting. Thread incoming. substack.com/@karenattiah...

The Washington Post Fired Me — But My Voice Will Not Be Silenced.

I spoke out against hatred and violence in America — and it cost me my job.

substack.com

Trump's airstrike on a boat in the Caribbean crossed lines not even the worst War on Terror drone strike did. Never before did the US deliberately hit a nonthreatening target, in an area where the US military freely operates, when arrest was easily doable. My latest (first in @foreignpolicy.com!!):

Trump’s Speedboat Attack Crossed All the Lines

The killing of 11 people went beyond any strike in the war on terror.

foreignpolicy.com