Washington Post Data Team
@wpdatateam.bsky.social
Stories, news and asides from the Washington Post's Data Team. We crunch the numbers to make sense of the news.
Abdul El-Sayed won the Michigan Senate Democratic primary, overcoming an immense spending disadvantage and opposition from party leaders. @ence.bsky.social dug into the data to explain how: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
How El-Sayed won the contentious Michigan Senate Democratic primary
Abdul El-Sayed won with a populist platform buoyed by voter discontent with establishment Democrats and Israel.
washingtonpost.com
A group of Democratic lawmakers asked the Pentagon's inspector general to launch an investigation after the Post revealed that 15 companies backed by Donald Trump's sons received $3.2 billion in federal contracts, investments, and loans. By @abtran.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Lawmakers call for Pentagon probe of Trump family-backed companies
The letter to the Pentagon’s inspector general was prompted by reporting from The Post that startups affiliated with the president’s sons have won $3.2 billion in defense contracts.
washingtonpost.com
For-profit trade schools that enrolled military veterans using the GI Bill defrauded the federal government while leaving thousands without the career training they were promised. Read more in today's investigation by @abtran.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
How predatory trade schools drained $300 million from the GI Bill and cheated veterans
Trade schools fleeced VA — and taxpayers — of more than $300 million, often by teaching short and easy courses, a Post investigation finds.
washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post investigations team does not mess around -> www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Predatory schools fleeced GI Bill out of more than $300 million in a decade. Institutions defrauded VA and taxpayers, with some teaching how to grow grass and make fake rocks, a Post investigation finds. By Craig Whitlock (and me) wapo.st/4pW9eOt
How predatory trade schools drained $300 million from the GI Bill and failed veterans
Trade schools fleeced VA — and taxpayers — of more than $300 million, often by teaching short and easy courses, a Post investigation finds.
wapo.st
Last week, Obama released his summer reading list, a tradition dating to 2009. Data reporter Ela Jalil analyzed all of the 44th president's reading lists to determine which authors have appeared on his list before: www.washingtonpost.com/books/2026/0...
The authors who show up most often on Obama’s summer reading lists
The 44th president’s reading list is out, and it features some familiar names.
washingtonpost.com
Very cool to see this @emilygiam.bsky.social story on the bad math behind parlays in @mattlevine.bsky.social’s newsletter today… still one of my fave data stories ever www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
The DNC’s cash gap with the RNC is ~equal to the cash advantage Democratic House and Senate candidates have over their Republican opponents. Lots of evidence that small donors are engaged and just bypassing the national party. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
G Elliott Morris@gelliottmorris.com · last wk.can my comparative politics folks come up with any other example of the opposition party being $2m in debt when the incumbent government is ~20 points underwater on approval?
As U.S. measles cases reach a 35-year record, do you know what your local school’s vaccination rates are? Use this map by The Post to see how your schools’ rates compare:
As measles cases reach record highs, see your school’s vaccine rates
The share of U.S. counties where 95 percent or more of kindergartners were vaccinated against the disease has dropped to 28 percent, public records show.
washingtonpost.com
Economists have talked about it as the greatest wealth transfer in history. But generational wealth is obliterated for many by the astronomical costs of elder care. The poorest Americans spent nearly a third of their wealth on out-of-pocket care costs. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
NEW: Republican megadonors have now spent over $1 billion to influence the 2026 election. washingtonpost.com/elections/in...
MAGA Inc. has $400 million in the bank. The RNC has $128 million, to the DNC's $16 million (and $18m debt). So why are Democrats still up financially in some key races? Because candidates are out-raising their GOP opponents by huge margins with small-dollar donors.
Through July 12, ICE had arrested more than 200,000 people in 2026, a more than 40 percent increase compared with the same period last year. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Win For America, the gambling industry super PAC, raised another $29 million last quarter to spend on the midterms: $14.5M from DraftKings, $7.5M from Fanduel, $5.5M from bet365, $1.5M from Fanatics.
We've all internalised a rule: wait a year, and the tech gets cheaper. But the new price index data suggests that era may be ending. Software prices just posted their largest annual rise on record. Next up, hardware www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
The Trump brothers have invested in more than a dozen defense tech companies and other firms seeking businesses from the Pentagon and federal agencies, a Post analysis found. Most of the investments have taken place since President Trump’s reelection.
Trump’s sons invest heavily in defense tech as father’s administration pours money in
Most of the investments by funds linked to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have come since President Donald Trump’s reelection.
washingtonpost.com
Defense technology companies like Anduril and SpaceX have generated at least $3.2 billion in direct government business since Trump's sons invested in them. @abtran.bsky.social investigates with Lizza Dwoskin, @lmelgar.bsky.social , and Peter Jamison www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
Congressional Democrats are now talking *more* about Trump's major spending bill than Republicans. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
I'm on a new beat at The Post, writing about consumer economics. To start us off! I wrote about the massive Boomer wealth that's about to get passed down, and how it will make our wealth gap even more extreme. Gift link: wapo.st/4y9yCUD
Boomers’ massive wealth will mostly be passed down to people who are already rich
Often called the Great Wealth Transfer, the inheritances are expected to be the largest passage of generational wealth in history.
wapo.st
The elderly control more and more wealth, @federicacocco.bsky.social found. And they'll mostly pass it down to their rich kids. Read the story from @rachellerman.bsky.social here: www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Trump saw about a dozen medical specialists for his past check-ups as president, his doctors said. This year? 22 specialists — appearing to set a new bar. The White House said they're just being thorough and “have nothing to hide.” But outside doctors have questions. with @iarnsdorf.bsky.social
Trump sees 22 medical specialists, appearing to set new bar for presidents
Trump saw about a dozen specialists for prior check-ups, per past statements. The White House has declined to identify which specialists assessed the president.
washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post won a Pulitzer Prize for public service for coverage of DOGE and the federal workforce. It’s the second time The Post has won the prestigious award in five years. Read more about our winning coverage here: https://wapo.st/3OX3l5A
My piece with @ajvicens.bsky.social on how hundreds of Americans were fired or otherwise punished following the killing of right wing influencer Charlie Kirk is part of a package that has been recognized with the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting: www.reuters.com/investigatio...
The Charlie Kirk purge: How 600 Americans were punished in a pro-Trump crackdown
Two months after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, a government-backed campaign has led to firings, suspensions, investigations and other action against more than 600 people. Republican officials have end...
reuters.com
Incredible graphic
Andrew Ba Tran@abtran.bsky.social · 3mo agoWe got our hands on internal ICE records that show how widespread use of force, like punches, kicks, takedown maneuvers, restraint holds, and less-lethal weapons such as Tasers and pepper spray in detention centers has grown wapo.st/4tdgBRA (1/)
Amazing visuals! The steady rise in sea levels over recent decades challenge homes and infrastructure along the vulnerable coastline in the Outer Banks From @bradydennis.bsky.social, @kcrowebasspro.bsky.social & @johnmuyskens.bsky.social: www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
The costly quest to save N.C. beach homes: ‘What are we trying to protect?’
“When I look at Buxton, I see it as more of what’s to come,” one researcher said of the rapid erosion reshaping parts of the North Carolina coastline.
washingtonpost.com
so so great to see our TikTok project + reporting get this recognition!!! crowdsourcing data + partnering with your audience can power journalism in v cool ways
Meghan Hoyer@meghanhoyer.bsky.social · 4mo agoOur use of our audience's own data to unspool how TikTok works won a @sabew.bsky.social for best data journalism! Thrilled for the whole team that brought these stories to life: www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/int... www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i... www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
Our use of our audience's own data to unspool how TikTok works won a @sabew.bsky.social for best data journalism! Thrilled for the whole team that brought these stories to life: www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/int... www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i... www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
