Peter Elkind
@peterelkind.bsky.social
ProPublica Reporter. Books: Smartest Guys in the Room, Client 9, Death Shift. 'Pirate of Prague' podcast. Former Fortune Editor at Large. Repost = Worth reading.
Politico: Trump is airing a pro-Trump midterms ad on TV that -includes “paid for by the U.S. government” disclaimer text -features a song by an artist who says they didn’t approve it’s use and are now looking for a lawyer
Trump administration launches pro-Trump TV ad ahead of midterms
The 30-second ad, apparently paid for by U.S. tax dollars, features photos and videos of Trump, the American flag and military aircraft.
politico.com
Alligator Alcatraz’ confined detained immigrants in cages the size of phone booths, according to a new report by the DHS inspector general.
DHS watchdog: Immigrants held in outdoor cages the size of phone booths at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
The cages, called “calming areas,” were used for detainees to “reflect on their behavior choices, manage their emotions, reduce stress and practice self-directed behavior,” according to the inspector general’s report.
nbcnews.to
Trump: "The only control or 'guardrails' that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!"
My favorite doorknobs are the ones the New York City public schools installed at the turn of the 20th century. You can still occasionally find one on eBay!
Stonkers@stonkers.bsky.social · 2w agolook. it's perfectly normal to have a favorite doorknob, okay
JUST IN: US Supreme Court blocks Republican-drawn congressional map in Missouri reut.rs/4cyF0f4
EXCLUSIVE: The Environmental Protection Agency has quietly removed multiple online resources for companies on how to measure the carbon footprint of their supply chains, called Scope 3 emissions. Gift link @bloomberg.com: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
EPA Removes Online Scope 3 Emissions Guidance for Companies
As the Trump administration rolls back environmental rules, it’s also taking down resources that help corporations understand their environmental risk.
bloomberg.com
From @theathletic.com: Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith and his real estate firm have been accused of cheating a Native American investor out of $2.5 million as part of an alleged solar project scheme, according to a lawsuit.
Emmitt Smith accused of cheating Native American investor out of $2.5 million
The Kituwah suit against Smith, a three-time Super Bowl champ with the Cowboys, seeks the return of the $2.5 million loan plus interest.
nyti.ms
NEW: In internal meetings, top USPS officials expressed concerns about new mail voting rules. One repeated concern regarded how to avoid invalidating an entire batch of ballots if one voter among thousands couldn’t be confirmed as eligible. www.propublica.org/article/mail...
New Mail Voting Rules Moved Forward Despite USPS Officials’ Concerns About Mass Disenfranchisement
In internal meetings, officials worried the rules they were drafting could delay or block ballots from reaching large swaths of eligible voters for the upcoming midterms.
propublica.org
U.S. deportees assaulted, threatened at gunpoint in Equatorial Guinea, three say tucson.com/news/local/b...
U.S. deportees assaulted, threatened at gunpoint in Equatorial Guinea, three say
Immigrants deported from the U.S. to Equatorial Guinea say they have been threatened at gunpoint and fear for their lives while detained at a former hotel.
tucson.com
In 2024, 87% of ads mentioning gas prices were run by Republicans, our analysis found. This year, roughly two-thirds of these ads have come from Democratic candidates or groups. And those same Republicans are now quiet amid voter anger at soaring prices.
Gas prices were a staple of GOP ads in 2024. Now it’s Democrats’ turn.
A POLITICO analysis found a majority of ads mentioning gas prices are from Democrats — a sharp reversal from 2024, when Republican campaigns dominated the topic.
politico.com
A Georgetown data expert has issued a detailed takedown of the controversial "beginning analysis" improbably issued by the U.S. Census Bureau, claiming 24,000+ noncitizens voted in 2020. She cites "numerous red flags on methods and research integrity." mdi.georgetown.edu/response-to-...
Dissecting the “Beginning Analysis” of Noncitizen Voting - Massive Data Institute
Author: Amy O’Hara, Director of the Massive Data Institute at the McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University Rigorous scientific research into voting in U.S. elections consistently finds ...
mdi.georgetown.edu
Years of Trump Support Came Undone in 15 Minutes in an Airport. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/16/u...
Years of Trump Support Came Undone in 15 Minutes in an Airport.
The case represents a new front in President Trump’s mass deportation drive: arrests at airports of people who have active immigration cases and no criminal history.
nytimes.com
NEW from ProPublica! How Trump’s Unprecedented Effort to Prosecute Noncitizen Voters Fell Apart by @peterelkind.bsky.social @jenafifield.bsky.social @dougbockclark.bsky.social @kbmorales.bsky.social & Andy Mannix @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/nonc...
How Trump’s Unprecedented Effort to Prosecute Noncitizen Voters Fell Apart
To prove the president’s claims of illegal voting, the government has harnessed the power of Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of DHS established to combat the worst cross-border crime. So fa...
propublica.org
Don’t miss this outstanding story: Inside Trump’s Failed Hunt for Noncitizen Voters, by @peterelkind.bsky.social @jenafifield.bsky.social @dougbockclark.bsky.social @kbmorales.bsky.social and Andy Mannix
Inside Trump’s Failed Hunt for Noncitizen Voters
To prove the president’s claims of illegal voting, the government has harnessed the power of Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of DHS established to combat the worst cross-border crime. So fa...
propublica.org
"Dysfunctional": Trump tapped law-enforcement muscle and criminal data systems to generate dire warnings about hundreds of thousands of noncitizens on voter rolls. But after struggles to investigate, his mountain of claims has turned into a molehill. www.propublica.org/article/nonc...
Inside Trump’s Failed Hunt for Noncitizen Voters
To prove the president’s claims of illegal voting, the government has harnessed the power of Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of DHS established to combat the worst cross-border crime. So fa...
propublica.org
1/ This spring, while investigating the Trump administration’s efforts to influence the midterm elections, my reporting partner @jenafifield.bsky.social and I noticed something unprecedented, something very troubling… 🧵👇
FABULOUSLY reported and written piece: Anatomy of a government contracting debacle. Fiasco in the Factory: Taxpayers Funded a $533 Million Artillery Plant That Made Nothing www.propublica.org/article/gene...
Fiasco in the Factory: Taxpayers Funded a $533 Million Artillery Plant That Made Nothing
General Dynamics opened a Texas factory to churn out artillery shells for Ukraine, but the machines kept breaking. Robot arms smashed into things. Hunks of metal crashed to the floor. There was even a...
propublica.org
NEW: “Bottom line up front,” a Minnesota federal prosecutor privately replied to a DOJ demand for an update on Trump's "election integrity" campaign: “The HSI task force has been disjointed and disorganized." The entire process, he said, had been “dysfunctional.” www.propublica.org/article/nonc...
How Trump’s Unprecedented Effort to Prosecute Noncitizen Voters Fell Apart
To prove the president’s claims of illegal voting, the government has harnessed the power of Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of DHS established to combat the worst cross-border crime. So fa...
propublica.org
JUST OUT! "DYSFUNCTIONAL": How Trump’s Unprecedented Effort to Prosecute Noncitizen Voters Fell ApartHow Trump’s Unprecedented Effort to Prosecute Noncitizen Voters Fell Apart www.propublica.org/article/nonc...
propublica.org
After Alex Pretti was shot while peacefully witnessing during the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, the US government did not investigate his murder; they investigated groups that were supporting efforts to witness and document, calling them agitators. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/u...
U.S. Investigated Left-Leaning Groups During Minnesota Immigration Crackdown (Gift Article)
The government conducted expansive surveillance, infiltrated group chats and obtained financial records of organizations never accused of crimes.
nytimes.com
i've been covering national security for decades, on and off. i've never heard of anything like this. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
USS Abraham Lincoln sailors tried to jump overboard amid extended deployment – reports
Aircraft carrier’s crew in ninth month at sea and has spent record 250 days consecutively without making land
theguardian.com
At least 75 career federal officials who’d played important roles in elections have left, been fired or been reassigned. In their place are roughly two dozen people Trump has installed in positions that could affect elections. Ten of them actively worked to reverse the 2020 vote. (Published April)
Inside Trump’s Effort to “Take Over” the Midterm Elections
When Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election, the institutional guardrails of American democracy held. But if faced with the same tests today, those barriers — and people who held the line — would l...
propublica.org
Forecasters have warned that the relentless heat in Europe, combined with persistently dry conditions, could worsen the threat of wildfires. nyti.ms/4gesOBc
MIAMI — Haitian restaurant owner who voted for Trump regrets it: "He sold to me he’s a businessman who would make business decisions." After 34 years Wilkinson Sejour lost his entire management team because Trump ended TPS, will likely have to close stores. (H/T @billycorben.bsky.social )
Revlimid has its origin in a pill that cost patients $7.50 each. Decades later, the cancer drug costs more than $18,000 for a month’s supply — even though it still only costs about 25 cents to manufacture. (Published May 2025)
The Price of Remission: This Cancer Drug Saves Lives — but Costs a Fortune. I Wanted to Know Why.
When I was diagnosed with cancer, I set out to understand why a single pill of Revlimid cost the same as a new iPhone. I’ve covered high drug prices as a reporter for years. What I discovered shocked ...
propublica.org
The president of the United States once again offered bad data but this time accompanied it with a bad chart. So I wrote about it link.ctinsider.com/view/6650ab5...
An anti-CRT movement targeted an accomplished educator — driving her out of two Georgia school districts. The mission began inside a golf community clubhouse on a Sunday afternoon, where parents were coached on how to land a Fox News appearance. From the archives:
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 gr...
propublica.org
