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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. 🧵
Ignoring urgently needed reforms in favor of fruitlessly trying to find evidence of fraud, DOGE descended on the Social Security Administration “thinking it should work like a McDonald’s,” the agency’s former acting chief told ProPublica.

This is our #4 most-read story of 2025:
The Untold Saga of What Happened When DOGE Stormed Social Security
DOGE has ignored urgently needed reforms and upgrades at the Social Security Administration, according to dozens of insiders and 15 hours of candid interviews with the former acting chief of the agenc...
www.propublica.org
January 1, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Thank you for your readership in 2025!

In an extraordinary year under unprecedented circumstances, your support made our reporting even more impactful.

It’s not too late to become a member! Stand up for independent journalism: https://propub.li/4jbNDhm
January 1, 2026 at 9:00 PM
A long-read to add to your list:

Edgar Barrientos-Quintana spent 16 years behind bars wrongly convicted for a shooting featured on “The First 48.”

The Minnesota AG’s office effectively alleged that the show shaped the case instead of the case shaping the show.

(Published March 2025)
“A Wholly Inaccurate Picture”: The Popular Reality Show and the Wrongly Convicted Man
Edgar Barrientos-Quintana spent 16 years behind bars wrongly convicted for a shooting featured on “The First 48.” The Minnesota attorney general’s office effectively alleged that the show shaped the c...
www.propublica.org
January 1, 2026 at 7:00 PM
The idea Christians should be in positions of power is central to today’s Christian right, but it took root decades ago.

“We should be taking over every area of life,” one leader said in 1985.

(Published Oct. 2024)
By @phoebepetrovic.bsky.social
Tracing the Roots of the Christian Nationalist Movement That’s Influencing Modern Politics
The Christian right has become an increasingly powerful force in American politics at every level, from school boards to the presidency. Its roots trace back decades.
projects.propublica.org
January 1, 2026 at 5:30 PM
The name Phoebe is everywhere in Albany, Georgia.

The health care system’s logo and ads are on the sides of high school sports stadiums and on billboards. There are Phoebe golf tees, pens, beach chairs.

👉 This is the story of how that came to be: https://propub.li/4aA7iWj
January 1, 2026 at 4:00 PM
ProPublica examined months of Fox News’ coverage and reviewed over 700 videos posted on social media.

The network used five-year-old footage, mislabeled other dates and implied footage from elsewhere was in Portland.

(Published November)
“Riots Raging”: The Misleading Story Fox News Told About Portland Before Trump Sent Troops
After reviewing coverage from the network and hours of social media videos that preceded Trump’s decision, ProPublica found that Fox’s portrayal of “Portland rioters” routinely instigating violence wa...
www.propublica.org
January 1, 2026 at 3:00 AM
A Louisiana law cedes much of the power of the parole board to an algorithm that bars thousands of prisoners from a shot at early release.

Civil rights attorneys say it could disproportionately harm Black people — and may even be unconstitutional.

Published April w/ @veritenews.org
An Algorithm Deemed This Nearly Blind 70-Year-Old Prisoner a “Moderate Risk.” Now He’s No Longer Eligible for Parole.
A Louisiana law cedes much of the power of the parole board to an algorithm that bars thousands of prisoners from a shot at early release. Civil rights attorneys say it could disproportionately harm B...
www.propublica.org
January 1, 2026 at 1:30 AM
ProPublica’s journalism is fearless, fact-based and free to read. Keep us fueled.

⌛ Our Winter Member Drive ends at midnight! Make your gift: https://propub.li/3KL9hfZ
January 1, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Egg producers suspect bird flu is traveling through the air.

The USDA didn’t test the theory after a disastrous Midwestern outbreak. Here’s how we did.
How ProPublica Investigated a Bird Flu Outbreak in America’s Heartland
Early this year, bird flu ripped through 80 farms in Ohio and Indiana. Using genetic markers, wind simulations, satellite imagery, property records and more, we found that the virus could’ve been airb...
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December 31, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Taxpayers and charities helped develop Zolgensma. Then it debuted at a record price, ushering in a new class of wildly expensive drugs.

Its story upends the widely held conception that high prices reflect huge industry investments in innovation.

(Published February)
What a $2 Million Per Dose Gene Therapy Reveals About Drug Pricing
Taxpayers and charities helped develop Zolgensma. Then it debuted at a record price, ushering in a new class of wildly expensive drugs. Its story upends the widely held conception that high prices ref...
www.propublica.org
December 31, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Charging middle schoolers with a crime for making a TikTok that portrayed a school shooting indicates a lack of understanding on how to handle these incidents, one school safety expert said.

“Did those charges make that school safer? No,” she said.

(Published July)
Middle School Cheerleaders Made a TikTok Video Portraying a School Shooting. They Were Charged With a Crime.
Social videos, memes and retweets are becoming fodder for criminal charges in an era of heightened responses to student threats. Authorities say harsh punishment is necessary, but experts say the crac...
www.propublica.org
December 31, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Reposted by ProPublica
I'm so proud of ProPublica's journalism from 2025. In case you missed it, here's our most-read stories, as well as some you may have missed: www.propublica.org/article/prop...
The Most-Read ProPublica Stories of 2025
Our reporters published investigations this year on the Trump administration, health care, education and more. These are the stories readers spent the most time with in 2025.
www.propublica.org
December 31, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Vought holds one of the most powerful jobs in D.C., and he’s used his position to wage a quiet war to change the shape of the entire U.S. government.

Here's what you should know about Trump’s shadow president.
What You Should Know About Russ Vought, Trump’s Shadow President
Vought is the architect of President Trump’s broader plan to fire civil servants, freeze government programs and dismantle entire agencies. Here are some key things to know about the D.C. insider who ...
www.propublica.org
December 31, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Tens of thousands of readers fund ProPublica so our reporters can investigate freely, without interference.

Join them before the year ends:
Donate to ProPublica
Donate today to support ProPublica's singular mission: to produce deep-dive, well-researched, nonpartisan journalism that spurs real-world change.
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December 31, 2025 at 3:00 PM
The Bank Secrecy Act requires financial institutions to maintain programs to know their customers and detect suspicious activity. But it is up to banks to design those programs.

The regulations don’t even require that the programs be effective.

(Published June 2025)
How Foreign Scammers Use U.S. Banks to Fleece Americans
Asian crime syndicates’ online scams have reached industrial proportions, cheating victims around the world out of more than $44 billion a year. U.S. banks have been unable to stop them.
www.propublica.org
December 31, 2025 at 2:00 PM
NEW: The bill emerged in response to a ProPublica investigation exposing how Microsoft used China-based engineers to service Defense Dept.’s computer systems for nearly a decade, leaving sensitive data vulnerable to hacking from a leading cyber adversary.
Trump Signs Defense Bill Prohibiting China-Based Engineers in Pentagon IT Work
The measure, which emerged in response to a ProPublica investigation, bars Microsoft engineers in China and other adversarial countries from servicing sensitive Pentagon cloud computing systems.
www.propublica.org
December 31, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Internal documents and former company executives revealed how Cigna doctors rejected patients’ claims without opening their files.

“We literally click and submit,” one former company doctor said.

(Published March 2023 w/ @capitolforum.bsky.social)
How Cigna Saves Millions by Having Its Doctors Reject Claims Without Reading Them
Internal documents and former company executives reveal how Cigna doctors reject patients’ claims without opening their files. “We literally click and submit,” one former company doctor said.
www.propublica.org
December 31, 2025 at 12:00 PM
We found more than two dozen cases of immigration agents using "less lethal" weapons in ways that appear to flout the government's own rules, including by aiming at someone’s head, spine or groin or deploying chemical agents near children.

Published Nov. w/ @frontlinepbs.bsky.social
Trump’s Immigration Forces Deploy “Less Lethal” Weapons in Dangerous Ways, Skirting Rules and Maiming Protesters
Civil rights and weapons experts cite the consequences of federal agents’ use of crowd control weapons: religious leaders shot with pepper balls and noxious chemicals. A nurse nearly blinded by tear g...
www.propublica.org
December 31, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Before the year ends, consider making a gift to support independent investigative journalism.

Your support helps ensure ProPublica can keep doing the work others can’t, or won’t.

Join us with any gift amount: https://propub.li/3YJ5G5c
December 31, 2025 at 3:00 AM
A maternity ward doctor donated his own blood during surgery to keep a pregnant patient alive.

One woman gained fewer than 10 pounds over her entire pregnancy.

Another collapsed and had seizures during labor.
What I Saw at a Maternity Ward in Kenya After the U.S. Cut Off Food and Foreign Aid
Photographs tell a story of two mothers determined to help their babies gain enough weight to leave the hospital — only to face little to no food again.
www.propublica.org
December 31, 2025 at 2:00 AM
“It’s definitely welcomed news — very happy to hear it — but with the caveat that this whole thing took way too long,” said Lisa Warwick, whose husband, Scot, died after Weiner subjected him to 11 years of unnecessary treatments including chemo.

By @davidmcswane.bsky.social
Medical License Revoked for Montana Doctor Linked to Suspicious Deaths
Oncologist Thomas C. Weiner will never practice medicine in Montana again after a decision by the state medical board. A 2024 ProPublica investigation detailed how Weiner had long been suspected of hu...
www.propublica.org
December 31, 2025 at 12:00 AM
President Donald Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act will shift billions in costs for SNAP and Medicaid to states.

But with 26 having cut or eliminated state income taxes just since 2021, they may not have the money to continue the programs.
Wave of Tax Cuts Has Left Many States Vulnerable to Trump SNAP and Medicaid Crisis
President Donald Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act will shift billions in costs for SNAP and Medicaid to states. But with 26 having cut or eliminated state income taxes just since 2021, the...
www.propublica.org
December 30, 2025 at 10:00 PM
The unfounded idea that chlorine dioxide can be a miracle cure began to spread about 20 years ago when a gold prospector wrote a book claiming his team in Guyana fell ill with malaria and recovered after drinking safe amounts of chlorine dioxide.
Senator Endorses Discredited Doctor’s Book on a Chemical He Claims Treats Everything From Autism to Cancer
Wisconsin's Ron Johnson has a history of spreading vaccine misinformation. Now he's giving credence to assertions about the therapeutic powers of chlorine dioxide, a disinfectant and deodorizer. “It i...
www.propublica.org
December 30, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Reposted by ProPublica
This is a tired strategy: accuse journalists seeking response and more information of "stalking" and "harassment"... rather than engage even to simply offer a "no comment." People in power, especially taxpayer-funded ones, should have to answer questions: www.propublica.org/article/prop...
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation.
Our journalists reach out to people they’re writing about to ensure fairness. But in this environment, they’ve found their efforts to do so are more likely to be vilified than appreciated.
www.propublica.org
December 30, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Reposted by ProPublica
2/ In total, Republican legislators have attempted to seize some 29 boards and powers once controlled by Democrats – and succeeded in taking the majority of them, as we reported last week:

www.propublica.org/article/nort...
Inside the North Carolina GOP’s Decade-Long Push to Seize Power From the State’s Democratic Governors
For almost a decade, North Carolina’s majority-Republican legislature tried six times to strip Democratic governors of control over the board overseeing the swing state’s elections. This year, it fina...
www.propublica.org
December 29, 2025 at 9:56 PM