"Records show the Texas attorney general has taken nearly 1,000 trips during his tenure, costing $3.3 million in security. We could only connect 138 of those trips and $553,000 in security costs to state business." by @zachdespart.bsky.social / @propublica.org / @texastribune.org

Ken Paxton’s Security for Travel Cost Taxpayers Millions. Just 1 in 6 of His Trips Had a Stated Business Purpose.

Records show the Texas attorney general has taken nearly 1,000 trips during his tenure, costing $3.3 million in security. We could only connect 138 of those trips and $553,000 in security costs to sta...

propublica.org

The perfection of this.

James McLeod@jamespmcleod.ca · 3d ago

Ingrid Carlberg, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, said the author was in Iceland “listening to the wind” when the academy reached her to notify her of the win. apnews.com/article/nobe...

Last time we reported the 170 number, Kristi Noem denied the administration had detained any citizens. This time, we’re releasing the full list — and a host of video evidence — along with our story.

A year ago, @propublica.org told you immigration agents had detained more than 170 U.S. citizens. We’ve updated our count, and we’ve got all the receipts. The tally: At least 506 citizens detained. Sometimes held at gunpoint, handcuffed, or even deported. projects.propublica.org/american-cit...

More Than 500 U.S. Citizens Have Been Detained, Including Handcuffed or Held at Gunpoint, in Trump’s Immigration Crackdown — ProPublica

The government doesn’t track how often immigration officers detain U.S. citizens. So ProPublica did. We’ve found more than 500 Americans who were held against their will during this Trump administrati...

projects.propublica.org

“We’re reporters, not teachers. We were able to start private schools anyway.” Stunning story by an incredible team at @propublica.org, @arktimes.bsky.social, @mtnstspotlight.bsky.social and @theassemblync.bsky.social

Almost Anyone Can Start a Private School. We Put This to the Test.

Our reporting has shown how easily people — some with questionable backgrounds — have founded their own private schools in barns, strip malls and other places. That led us to an experiment: If the hur...

propublica.org

More than 64,000 ballots have already been returned in the Nov. 3 election here in Michigan, per the state's dashboard. That's just shy of 1% of all registered voters in the state more than a month out.

NEW: California is teeming with black-market dairies, propped up by consumer demand fueled by misinformation. With evidence against one raw goat milk farm, regulators could have sought punitive action. But that’s not what happened.

A Girl Nearly Died After Drinking Raw Milk. The State Did Little to Punish the Unlicensed Farmer Who Sold It.

California is teeming with black-market dairies, propped up by consumer demand fueled by misinformation. With evidence against one raw goat milk farm, regulators could have sought punitive action. But...

propublica.org

Former Navatek executives, meanwhile, looked back with awe at how far their money went. “It was eye-opening for me, frankly,” said one. “‘Oh my God, all of it is for sale. It’s all for sale.’” READ MORE: www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...

The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way

After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...

propublica.org

Collins’ office “vigorously” denied Kao’s bribery allegations, calling them “outlandish” The anti-corruption agents on the case were pushed out in Trump’s purge of the FBI. An FBI spokesman defended their ouster and said the bureau “ultimately found nothing” implicating Collins.

ProPublica is revealing the existence of the case for the first time. These are the kinds of corruption claims Trump’s DOJ ignores. So we did our own investigation—knocking on doors as far away as Hawaii, looking at thousands of records that got the FBI to take Kao seriously

“You’ve seen me deliver.” That’s what Collins told Kao, he said, as her staff pressured him to up his donations. Kao wound up giving the Collins super PAC $150,000 in late 2019. Weeks later, according to an email, Collins’ office agreed to support $32m in new Navatek projects.

The contractor, Martin Kao, claimed he bribed Collins with campaign money for her help securing gov contracts for his boat-building company, Navatek. Kao routed $190k to Collins at a low point in her 2020 reelection effort. Collins steered almost $40 mil in contracts to Navatek.

Exclusive: In late 2024, FBI agents were looking at Sen. Susan Collins’ role in a massive illegal bribery scheme alleged by a former federal contractor. Then Trump gutted the FBI and DOJ, leaving no one to carry on the investigation – it’s dead. 🧵

Oof. Very grateful for life and writing.

The New York Times@nytimes.com · 4w ago

Breaking News: Annie Dillard, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the modern classic “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek,” has died at 81.

michigan fans will be like “i don’t know why everyone is so mad, this is exactly like that thing that happened a quarter of a century ago that i still remember because it made me so mad”

NEW: Over the “strongest possible” objections of a federal prosecutor handling the case, Trump DOJ officials quashed plans to bring civil rights charges against an ICE agent accused of shooting a Venezuelan immigrant and then lying about it.

Trump’s DOJ Blocked Serious ICE Shooting Charge Over Federal Prosecutor’s “Strongest Possible” Objections

A prosecutor planned to file civil rights charges — similar to those brought against the officers who killed George Floyd — against an ICE agent. In an email we exclusively obtained, he reveals that T...

propublica.org

"Since the 1970s, Idaho’s criminal and civil laws have allowed parents who belong to Followers of Christ and the state’s other faith-healing sects to pray rather than seek medical care as their children die." Another stunning story by @audreydutton.bsky.social, at @propublica.org

These Children’s Deaths Were Preventable. Their Parents Prayed Instead of Seeking Medical Care.

For decades, Idaho laws have allowed parents who belong to the Followers of Christ and other faith-healing sects to pray rather than seek medical care. Since 2015, at least 15 children have died of tr...

propublica.org

Nonstop Dolly on WFPK Louisville, for those inclined

LPM Music

Louisville Public Media (LPM) is an independent, community supported not-for-profit corporation serving our community with three distinct public radio stations and an investigative unit: 89.3 WFPL New...

lpm.org

A Canadian official said the U.S. wanted Canada to roll back a program "known as 'Buy Canadian,' which prioritizes using domestic products and suppliers for public-sector projects — similar to a policy the United States implements to favor its own industries." 🎁 via @nytimes.com

How U.S.-Canada Tariff Negotiations Turned Into an All-Out Trade War (Gift Article)

Detailed accounts of the final hours of the negotiations show that, while the United States offered Canada what it said was the best deal of any country, what Canada had to give up in exchange was see...

nytimes.com

A headline for lovers of journalism history. Via @wsj.com

Opinion | Trump to Ford Motor: Drop Dead

A 50% tariff on autos and parts from Canada would punish U.S. companies.

wsj.com

Seems like a day to re-up our story on where things stand for two cities with the same name, sitting across an increasingly fraught U.S. / Canada border ….

As Trump’s Tariff War With Canada Drags On, This Border Community Suffers Without a Voice

Under an intensifying trade war, parts of northern Michigan are feeling the financial pain. But with a president intent on conflict and a congressman silent on the issue, these Michiganders see no sig...

propublica.org

Missouri is fascinating. No better guide than @jeremykohler.bsky.social. The Missouri GOP "holds a supermajority in the legislature and controls every statewide office, yet voters have repeatedly used the initiative petition process to enact policies Republican leaders oppose."

Missouri Republicans Are Trying to Repeal Abortion Rights by Leaning Into Anti-Trans Sentiment

Two years after falsely linking reproductive rights to gender transition care for minors, GOP lawmakers have packaged the two issues into one amendment in an effort to strip away the right to abortion...

propublica.org

"Private schools — even those that are heavily dependent on taxpayer funding — often operate without the scrutiny public schools are subject to." @megomatz.bsky.social follows the money on private schools where 100% of students are backed by public $ - w/o the obligation of transparency + oversight

At “Quasi-Public” Private Schools, 100% of Students Get Tuition Vouchers. There’s Almost No Accountability.

Private schools — even those that are heavily dependent on taxpayer funding — often operate without the scrutiny public schools are subject to. Following the money at one Milwaukee private school reve...

propublica.org

"More than three-quarters of Michigan townships and villages have trouble finding people to fill elected or appointed offices..." "Without reform, some communities may be left with no way to collect taxes or run elections..." Important story at @bridgemi.com

Rural Michigan in crisis: Too many governments that too few want to lead - Bridge Michigan

Many of Michigan’s nearly 1,500 townships and villages are run by part-time retirees in their 80s who are begging for help. The system is frayed and, without reform, communities could falter. Lansing ...

bridgemi.com

"Did they use the federal government to do their dirty work of getting rid of tenants?" Listen to reporters @melissa-sanchez.bsky.social & Seb Rotella explain to @jlussenhop.bsky.social @propublica.org how they investigated the US government's mass raid on a Chicago apartment building last fall.

The True Story of Why Immigration Agents Raided a Chicago Apartment Building

Trump officials claimed they successfully arrested members of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in a dramatic midnight raid. We uncovered a very different story.

propublica.org

You love to see it. "Virginia Beach has confirmed there are no lead water service lines in the city. "This news comes following completion of an extensive, multi-year effort to identify the material of about 135,000 water service lines serving homes and businesses throughout the city."

Virginia Beach Confirms City Has No Lead Water Service Lines

Virginia Beach residents can have even greater confidence in the safety of their drinking water.

virginiabeach.gov

Your Alma College MFA in Creative Writing faculty: spinning gold. www.alma.edu/academics/pr...

Three years after police raided the Marion County Record, Marion agreed to pay reporter Phyllis Zorn $850,000, @speppered.bsky.social reports for @niemanlab.org.

Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio are being required to wear ankle monitors and turn their passports over to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/08/14/h...

Haitians in Springfield are required to report to Ohio's ICE offices and wear ankle monitors • Ohio Capital Journal

Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio are being required to wear ankle monitors and turn their passports over to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ohiocapitaljournal.com

(nods)

Thor Benson@thorbenson.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I've seen enough. Michigan is a weird state