Josh Kaplan
@josh-kaplan.bsky.social
ProPublica reporter | Email me at [email protected] | Contact info & stories here: propublica.org/people/joshua-kaplan
Reposted by Josh Kaplan
JOB ALERT! We are hiring a business editor.
You have an unerring instinct for the jugular of the wealthy & powerful? Build a team with me and we’ll get after it!
job-boards.greenhouse.io/propublica/j...
You can email me or on Signal at 718-496-5233
You have an unerring instinct for the jugular of the wealthy & powerful? Build a team with me and we’ll get after it!
job-boards.greenhouse.io/propublica/j...
You can email me or on Signal at 718-496-5233
Senior Editor, Business
New York City, United States
job-boards.greenhouse.io
November 12, 2025 at 2:43 PM
JOB ALERT! We are hiring a business editor.
You have an unerring instinct for the jugular of the wealthy & powerful? Build a team with me and we’ll get after it!
job-boards.greenhouse.io/propublica/j...
You can email me or on Signal at 718-496-5233
You have an unerring instinct for the jugular of the wealthy & powerful? Build a team with me and we’ll get after it!
job-boards.greenhouse.io/propublica/j...
You can email me or on Signal at 718-496-5233
Reposted by Josh Kaplan
Hi, I'm the ProPublica reporter who's been tracking an unusual stat: U.S. citizens grabbed by immigration agents.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
October 18, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Hi, I'm the ProPublica reporter who's been tracking an unusual stat: U.S. citizens grabbed by immigration agents.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
NEW: Elon Musk’s SpaceX has taken money directly from Chinese investors, according to newly unsealed testimony. It's the first time direct Chinese investment in the defense contractor has been disclosed. www.propublica.org/article/elon...
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Took Money Directly From Chinese Investors, Company Insider Testifies
The newly unsealed testimony marks the first time direct Chinese investment in the company has been disclosed, raising new questions about foreign ownership interests in one of America’s most importan...
www.propublica.org
October 2, 2025 at 12:38 PM
NEW: Elon Musk’s SpaceX has taken money directly from Chinese investors, according to newly unsealed testimony. It's the first time direct Chinese investment in the defense contractor has been disclosed. www.propublica.org/article/elon...
Reposted by Josh Kaplan
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
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.
www.propublica.org
September 27, 2025 at 11:00 AM
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
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
NEW: Kristi Noem has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA's response to natural disasters.
But she fast-tracked $11 million+ to fix a Florida tourist attraction — after one of her big donors reached out. www.propublica.org/article/kris...
But she fast-tracked $11 million+ to fix a Florida tourist attraction — after one of her big donors reached out. www.propublica.org/article/kris...
Kristi Noem Fast-Tracked Millions in Disaster Aid to Florida Tourist Attraction After Campaign Donor Intervened
The DHS chief has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA’s response after natural disasters. Texts and emails obtained by ProPublica point to an effective way to get help faster: have one of Noe...
www.propublica.org
September 26, 2025 at 11:20 AM
NEW: Kristi Noem has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA's response to natural disasters.
But she fast-tracked $11 million+ to fix a Florida tourist attraction — after one of her big donors reached out. www.propublica.org/article/kris...
But she fast-tracked $11 million+ to fix a Florida tourist attraction — after one of her big donors reached out. www.propublica.org/article/kris...
Reposted by Josh Kaplan
Horryifying.
DOGE made false allegations against an Afghan man who had helped the U.S.
Then the Taliban captured, blindfolded and beat his family.
www.propublica.org/article/doge...
DOGE made false allegations against an Afghan man who had helped the U.S.
Then the Taliban captured, blindfolded and beat his family.
www.propublica.org/article/doge...
DOGE Targeted Him on Social Media. Then the Taliban Took His Family.
Afghan scholar Mohammad Halimi, who fled the Taliban in 2021, had worked to help U.S. diplomats understand his homeland. Then DOGE put his family’s lives at risk by exposing his sensitive work for a U...
www.propublica.org
August 22, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Horryifying.
DOGE made false allegations against an Afghan man who had helped the U.S.
Then the Taliban captured, blindfolded and beat his family.
www.propublica.org/article/doge...
DOGE made false allegations against an Afghan man who had helped the U.S.
Then the Taliban captured, blindfolded and beat his family.
www.propublica.org/article/doge...
New: Kristi Noem secretly took a cut of political donations.
A dark money group routed the funds to Noem's Delaware LLC, tax records show. The original source of the money remains unknown.
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
A dark money group routed the funds to Noem's Delaware LLC, tax records show. The original source of the money remains unknown.
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
Kristi Noem Secretly Took a Cut of Political Donations
A dark money group paid $80,000 to Noem’s personal company when she was governor of South Dakota. She did not include this income on her federal disclosure forms, a likely violation of ethics requirem...
www.propublica.org
June 30, 2025 at 12:55 PM
New: Kristi Noem secretly took a cut of political donations.
A dark money group routed the funds to Noem's Delaware LLC, tax records show. The original source of the money remains unknown.
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
A dark money group routed the funds to Noem's Delaware LLC, tax records show. The original source of the money remains unknown.
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
Reposted by Josh Kaplan
THREAD: An ex-DOGE engineer with no government or medical experience used AI to identify which Veterans Affairs contracts to kill, labeling them as “MUNCHABLE.”
@vernalcoleman.bsky.social @ericumansky.bsky.social and I got the code. Here’s what it tells us 1/
@vernalcoleman.bsky.social @ericumansky.bsky.social and I got the code. Here’s what it tells us 1/
June 6, 2025 at 2:36 PM
THREAD: An ex-DOGE engineer with no government or medical experience used AI to identify which Veterans Affairs contracts to kill, labeling them as “MUNCHABLE.”
@vernalcoleman.bsky.social @ericumansky.bsky.social and I got the code. Here’s what it tells us 1/
@vernalcoleman.bsky.social @ericumansky.bsky.social and I got the code. Here’s what it tells us 1/
Reposted by Josh Kaplan
NEW: We obtained DHS data that shows the US knew only 32 of the 238 Venezuelans deported to a prison in El Salvador in March were convicted of US crimes, only 6 of those violent. Trump called them “savages,” “monsters” and "the worst of the worst.” www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Trump Administration Knew Vast Majority of Venezuelans Sent to Salvadoran Prison Had Not Been Convicted of U.S. Crimes
Homeland Security records reveal that officials knew that more than half of the 238 deportees were labeled as having no criminal record in the U.S. and had only violated immigration laws.
www.propublica.org
May 30, 2025 at 10:43 AM
NEW: We obtained DHS data that shows the US knew only 32 of the 238 Venezuelans deported to a prison in El Salvador in March were convicted of US crimes, only 6 of those violent. Trump called them “savages,” “monsters” and "the worst of the worst.” www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Reposted by Josh Kaplan
THREAD: We recently heard that the Trump administration was leaning on the government of Gambia to help Elon Musk. For weeks, our team made phone calls, wrote letters and knocked on folks’ doors to try to confirm it. But we were stuck.
So our reporters got on a plane to Banjul. 1/
So our reporters got on a plane to Banjul. 1/
May 16, 2025 at 1:03 AM
THREAD: We recently heard that the Trump administration was leaning on the government of Gambia to help Elon Musk. For weeks, our team made phone calls, wrote letters and knocked on folks’ doors to try to confirm it. But we were stuck.
So our reporters got on a plane to Banjul. 1/
So our reporters got on a plane to Banjul. 1/
NEW: Behind closed doors, the Trump administration has mounted a “maximum pressure” campaign on a poor African democracy.
The objective: push the country to help Elon Musk's Starlink business.
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
The objective: push the country to help Elon Musk's Starlink business.
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
The Trump Administration Leaned on African Countries. The Goal: Get Business for Elon Musk.
The State Department has intervened on behalf of Musk’s satellite internet company in five developing nations. In Gambia, U.S. diplomats have lobbied and browbeat at least seven government ministers a...
www.propublica.org
May 15, 2025 at 11:50 AM
NEW: Behind closed doors, the Trump administration has mounted a “maximum pressure” campaign on a poor African democracy.
The objective: push the country to help Elon Musk's Starlink business.
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
The objective: push the country to help Elon Musk's Starlink business.
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Reposted by Josh Kaplan
I have written many healthcare stories, but never before have I written about my own health. I decided to do so after learning one of my drugs costs nearly $1,000 a pill and just 25 cents to make. What I found was an incredible story of discovery and exploitation. www.propublica.org/article/revl...
The Price of Remission
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 ...
www.propublica.org
May 8, 2025 at 1:51 PM
I have written many healthcare stories, but never before have I written about my own health. I decided to do so after learning one of my drugs costs nearly $1,000 a pill and just 25 cents to make. What I found was an incredible story of discovery and exploitation. www.propublica.org/article/revl...
NEW: As a defense contractor, Elon Musk's SpaceX sees allowing Chinese ownership as fraught. But it will allow the investment if it comes through offshore secrecy hubs like the Cayman Islands, court records say.
Expert: “It is certainly a policy of obfuscation." www.propublica.org/article/elon...
Expert: “It is certainly a policy of obfuscation." www.propublica.org/article/elon...
How Elon Musk’s SpaceX Secretly Allows Investment From China
As a U.S. military contractor, SpaceX sees allowing Chinese ownership as fraught. But it will allow the investment if it comes through secrecy hubs like the Cayman Islands, court records say. “It is c...
www.propublica.org
March 26, 2025 at 12:37 PM
NEW: As a defense contractor, Elon Musk's SpaceX sees allowing Chinese ownership as fraught. But it will allow the investment if it comes through offshore secrecy hubs like the Cayman Islands, court records say.
Expert: “It is certainly a policy of obfuscation." www.propublica.org/article/elon...
Expert: “It is certainly a policy of obfuscation." www.propublica.org/article/elon...
An extraordinary, must-read story about what's happening inside the Social Security Administration.
“Are we going to break something?” the agency's head asked in a meeting, referring to what DOGE has been doing with Social Security data. “I don’t know.” www.propublica.org/article/reco...
“Are we going to break something?” the agency's head asked in a meeting, referring to what DOGE has been doing with Social Security data. “I don’t know.” www.propublica.org/article/reco...
“The President Wanted It and I Did It”: Recording Reveals Head of Social Security’s Thoughts on DOGE and Trump
In a recording obtained by ProPublica, acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek portrayed his agency as facing peril, while also encouraging patience with “the DOGE kids.”
www.propublica.org
March 12, 2025 at 4:20 PM
An extraordinary, must-read story about what's happening inside the Social Security Administration.
“Are we going to break something?” the agency's head asked in a meeting, referring to what DOGE has been doing with Social Security data. “I don’t know.” www.propublica.org/article/reco...
“Are we going to break something?” the agency's head asked in a meeting, referring to what DOGE has been doing with Social Security data. “I don’t know.” www.propublica.org/article/reco...
Reposted by Josh Kaplan
This article is a genuine must read if you care about the future of the US, the economy and Social Security. Not exaggerating. www.propublica.org/article/reco...
“The President Wanted It and I Did It”: Recording Reveals Head of Social Security’s Thoughts on DOGE and Trump
In a recording obtained by ProPublica, acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek portrayed his agency as facing peril, while also encouraging patience with “the DOGE kids.”
www.propublica.org
March 12, 2025 at 3:04 PM
This article is a genuine must read if you care about the future of the US, the economy and Social Security. Not exaggerating. www.propublica.org/article/reco...
Reposted by Josh Kaplan
NEW: The murders of two people outside an LGBTQ+ bar at first looked like the act of a lone shooter. A ProPublica and @frontlinepbs.bsky.social investigation shows they were, in fact, the culmination of a coordinated, international recruiting effort by online extremists.
How the Terrorgram Collective’s Neo-Nazi Influencers Groomed a Teen to Kill
The murders of two people outside an LGBTQ+ bar at first looked like the act of a lone shooter. A ProPublica and FRONTLINE investigation shows they were, in fact, the culmination of a coordinated,…
propub.li
March 8, 2025 at 12:00 PM
NEW: The murders of two people outside an LGBTQ+ bar at first looked like the act of a lone shooter. A ProPublica and @frontlinepbs.bsky.social investigation shows they were, in fact, the culmination of a coordinated, international recruiting effort by online extremists.
Reposted by Josh Kaplan
Dan Bishop, nominated for a top post in Trump's OMB, acknowledged under questioning by @whitehouse.senate.gov that he lived in the D.C. townhouse that is part of an effort to influence powerful politicians. Says he paid fair market rent but does not offer a number www.youtube.com/live/coQ9vsn...
WATCH LIVE: Dan Bishop testifies in Senate confirmation hearing for deputy director of OMB
YouTube video by PBS NewsHour
www.youtube.com
March 6, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Dan Bishop, nominated for a top post in Trump's OMB, acknowledged under questioning by @whitehouse.senate.gov that he lived in the D.C. townhouse that is part of an effort to influence powerful politicians. Says he paid fair market rent but does not offer a number www.youtube.com/live/coQ9vsn...
NEW: Four years ago, Steve Berger started a secretive project to build ties with lawmakers and shape national policy.
Now he appears to be running a group house for conservative congressmen.
It’s not just Speaker Johnson living there. Another prominent Trump ally has the keys.
Now he appears to be running a group house for conservative congressmen.
It’s not just Speaker Johnson living there. Another prominent Trump ally has the keys.
Secretive D.C. Influence Project Appears to Be Running a Group House for Right-Wing Lawmakers
Evangelical pastor Steve Berger’s political influence campaign operates out of his D.C. townhouse. In addition to House Speaker Mike Johnson living there, a prominent Trump ally, Rep. Andy Ogles, has ...
www.propublica.org
March 6, 2025 at 1:52 PM
NEW: Four years ago, Steve Berger started a secretive project to build ties with lawmakers and shape national policy.
Now he appears to be running a group house for conservative congressmen.
It’s not just Speaker Johnson living there. Another prominent Trump ally has the keys.
Now he appears to be running a group house for conservative congressmen.
It’s not just Speaker Johnson living there. Another prominent Trump ally has the keys.
This is a thread about a political influence project you’ve never heard of.
It involves the man second in line for the presidency and an evangelical pastor who’s quietly forged close relationships with some of the most powerful men in the country.
It involves the man second in line for the presidency and an evangelical pastor who’s quietly forged close relationships with some of the most powerful men in the country.
February 28, 2025 at 6:02 PM
This is a thread about a political influence project you’ve never heard of.
It involves the man second in line for the presidency and an evangelical pastor who’s quietly forged close relationships with some of the most powerful men in the country.
It involves the man second in line for the presidency and an evangelical pastor who’s quietly forged close relationships with some of the most powerful men in the country.
NEW: A $3.7 million Capitol Hill townhouse is the D.C. headquarters of a secretive political influence project.
It’s owned by a major GOP donor. But one of the most powerful men in the country recently moved in: House Speaker Mike Johnson. www.propublica.org/article/mike...
It’s owned by a major GOP donor. But one of the most powerful men in the country recently moved in: House Speaker Mike Johnson. www.propublica.org/article/mike...
Speaker Mike Johnson Is Living in a D.C. House That Is the Center of a Pastor’s Secretive Influence Campaign
The Capitol Hill townhouse is owned by a major Republican donor. It’s the headquarters of a little-known political influence project that has reached a number of powerful Republican politicians.
www.propublica.org
February 28, 2025 at 2:49 PM
NEW: A $3.7 million Capitol Hill townhouse is the D.C. headquarters of a secretive political influence project.
It’s owned by a major GOP donor. But one of the most powerful men in the country recently moved in: House Speaker Mike Johnson. www.propublica.org/article/mike...
It’s owned by a major GOP donor. But one of the most powerful men in the country recently moved in: House Speaker Mike Johnson. www.propublica.org/article/mike...
Undocumented immigrants with no other criminal record have been transferred to Guantanamo. Access to lawyers, denied. Their families kept in the dark.
Why were they taken from the U.S. and moved to a prison designed for terrorists? Unclear. Evidence suggests it might be because of their tattoos.
Why were they taken from the U.S. and moved to a prison designed for terrorists? Unclear. Evidence suggests it might be because of their tattoos.
The Trump administration has flown about 100 immigrants to Guantanamo Bay. Perla Trevizo and I identified nearly a dozen of them and spoke to relatives of three of them. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
U.S. Claims Immigrants Held at Guantanamo Are “Worst of the Worst.” Their Families Say They’re Being Unfairly Targeted.
ProPublica and The Texas Tribune have identified nearly a dozen immigrants who have been flown to Guantanamo Bay. Government officials have refused to release the names of detainees or provide details...
www.propublica.org
February 14, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Undocumented immigrants with no other criminal record have been transferred to Guantanamo. Access to lawyers, denied. Their families kept in the dark.
Why were they taken from the U.S. and moved to a prison designed for terrorists? Unclear. Evidence suggests it might be because of their tattoos.
Why were they taken from the U.S. and moved to a prison designed for terrorists? Unclear. Evidence suggests it might be because of their tattoos.
Reposted by Josh Kaplan
The Trump administration has flown about 100 immigrants to Guantanamo Bay. Perla Trevizo and I identified nearly a dozen of them and spoke to relatives of three of them. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
U.S. Claims Immigrants Held at Guantanamo Are “Worst of the Worst.” Their Families Say They’re Being Unfairly Targeted.
ProPublica and The Texas Tribune have identified nearly a dozen immigrants who have been flown to Guantanamo Bay. Government officials have refused to release the names of detainees or provide details...
www.propublica.org
February 13, 2025 at 7:35 PM
The Trump administration has flown about 100 immigrants to Guantanamo Bay. Perla Trevizo and I identified nearly a dozen of them and spoke to relatives of three of them. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Trump and Elon Musk all but dismantled USAID. It took them less than a month.
It's an unprecedented test of the checks and balances at the heart of the American system of government.
The must-read inside story, from @annamaria.bsky.social and Brett Murphy. www.propublica.org/article/usai...
It's an unprecedented test of the checks and balances at the heart of the American system of government.
The must-read inside story, from @annamaria.bsky.social and Brett Murphy. www.propublica.org/article/usai...
In Breaking USAID, the Trump Administration May Have Broken the Law
ProPublica’s reporting provides new details about what legal risk officials were prepared to take and what laws they may have violated on their way to creating a “constitutional crisis.”
www.propublica.org
February 9, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Trump and Elon Musk all but dismantled USAID. It took them less than a month.
It's an unprecedented test of the checks and balances at the heart of the American system of government.
The must-read inside story, from @annamaria.bsky.social and Brett Murphy. www.propublica.org/article/usai...
It's an unprecedented test of the checks and balances at the heart of the American system of government.
The must-read inside story, from @annamaria.bsky.social and Brett Murphy. www.propublica.org/article/usai...
Reposted by Josh Kaplan
NEW: Organizations that provide vital, lifesaving care for desperate and vulnerable people around the world have been forced to halt operations, turn away patients and lay off staff.
“I’ve never seen anything that scares me as much as this,” one doctor said.
“I’ve never seen anything that scares me as much as this,” one doctor said.
“People Will Die”: The Trump Administration Said It Lifted Its Ban on Lifesaving Humanitarian Aid. That’s Not True.
Organizations that provide vital care for desperate and vulnerable people around the world have been forced to halt operations, turn away patients and lay off staff. “I’ve never seen anything that sca...
www.propublica.org
January 31, 2025 at 8:05 PM
NEW: Organizations that provide vital, lifesaving care for desperate and vulnerable people around the world have been forced to halt operations, turn away patients and lay off staff.
“I’ve never seen anything that scares me as much as this,” one doctor said.
“I’ve never seen anything that scares me as much as this,” one doctor said.
Reposted by Josh Kaplan
Trump has pardoned about 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants and commuted the sentences of leaders of militias such as the Oath Keepers.
If you haven't, it's worth taking the time to read or listen to @josh-kaplan.bsky.social's story. ⤵️
If you haven't, it's worth taking the time to read or listen to @josh-kaplan.bsky.social's story. ⤵️
Outraged by the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a wilderness survival trainer spent years undercover climbing the ranks of right-wing militias.
He didn’t tell police or the FBI. He didn’t tell family or friends. The one person he told was ProPublica reporter @josh-kaplan.bsky.social.
propub.li/3DGXECO
He didn’t tell police or the FBI. He didn’t tell family or friends. The one person he told was ProPublica reporter @josh-kaplan.bsky.social.
propub.li/3DGXECO
The Militia and the Mole
Outraged by the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a wilderness survival trainer spent years undercover climbing the ranks of right-wing militias. He didn’t tell police or the FBI. He didn’t tell family or friends. The one person he told was a ProPublica reporter.
propub.li
January 21, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Trump has pardoned about 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants and commuted the sentences of leaders of militias such as the Oath Keepers.
If you haven't, it's worth taking the time to read or listen to @josh-kaplan.bsky.social's story. ⤵️
If you haven't, it's worth taking the time to read or listen to @josh-kaplan.bsky.social's story. ⤵️