Nicole Santa Cruz
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nicolesantacruz.bsky.social
Nicole Santa Cruz
@nicolesantacruz.bsky.social
8.8K followers 160 following 7 posts
@ProPublica reporter in the Southwest (Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada) Tips: [email protected]
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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
schwanksta.com
In the spring, Trump cut $500 million from aid to food banks.

But they had already ordered 94 million pounds of food from the program — all abruptly canceled.

People at food banks noticed. The cuts meant less meat and lighter pickups.

We visualized it:

projects.propublica.org/trump-food-c...
Trump Canceled 94 Million Pounds of Food Aid. Here’s What Never Arrived.
ProPublica obtained records from the Department of Agriculture that detail the millions of pounds of food, down to the number of eggs, that never reached food banks because of the administration’s cut...
projects.propublica.org
October 3, 2025 at 11:32 AM
nicolesantacruz.bsky.social
As federal authorities sweep homeless encampments in D.C. , I want to resurface the reporting we @propublica.org did last year on the possessions people lose, which include the things they need to survive: projects.propublica.org/homeless-enc...
Swept Away: What Cities Really Take When They Sweep Homeless Encampments
People say having their possessions — from birth certificates to loved ones’ ashes — taken in “sweeps” traumatizes them, exacerbates health issues and undermines efforts to find housing and get or kee...
projects.propublica.org
August 15, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
schwanksta.com
Hot off the @propublica.org presses: We're publishing bios of all 238 of the Venezuelan men who Trump sent to CECOT in an interactive database: projects.propublica.org/venezuelan-i...
The Men Trump Deported to a Salvadoran Prison
On March 15, President Donald Trump’s administration sent more than 230 Venezuelan immigrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Last week, the men were released as suddenly as they’d been t...
projects.propublica.org
July 23, 2025 at 5:05 PM
nicolesantacruz.bsky.social
Super relevant:
June 23, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
tracyjan.bsky.social
Was wonderful connecting with so many reporters (and editors!) from local newsrooms at #IRE25 @ire.org in New Orleans!

Looking forward to reading your project proposals in the coming weeks.

And remember, we’re here to help you fine tune your proposals.

Email us at [email protected]
tracyjan.bsky.social Tracy Jan @tracyjan.bsky.social · Jun 12
Come work with me & my Big Brain, Big Heart colleagues as part of @propublica.org's Local Reporting Network!

Got an idea for a must-read local investigation that could make a difference in your community?

We want to know about it!

Deadline: 5 p.m. ET July 21

Reporters selected will start Oct. 1
ProPublica Opens Application for Five New Local Partners to Join Its 50 State Initiative
ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.
www.propublica.org
June 23, 2025 at 12:22 AM
nicolesantacruz.bsky.social
ICYMI, Latest w/@davebiscobing15.bsky.social‬: Arizona's largest county frequently pursues the death penalty. It rarely secures that sentence: www.propublica.org/article/mari...
Arizona’s Largest County Frequently Pursues the Death Penalty. It Rarely Secures That Sentence.
In nearly 350 death penalty cases Maricopa County prosecutors pursued over 20 years, just 13% ended in a death sentence. The numbers indicate the need for a more deliberate and transparent process to ...
www.propublica.org
June 16, 2025 at 8:42 PM
nicolesantacruz.bsky.social
My latest: DOJ abandons effort to address Phoenix's treatment of homeless people www.propublica.org/article/phoe...
DOJ Abandons Effort to Address Phoenix’s Treatment of Homeless People
The Justice Department retracted findings of constitutional violations in Phoenix and five other jurisdictions. Advocates say the move could further embolden cities and police departments to marginali...
www.propublica.org
May 24, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
propublicaguild.org
Today, we issued a letter — signed by 70% of our unit — to @sengelberg.bsky.social and @robinsparkman.bsky.social asking them to uphold ProPublica’s values of fairness, transparency and accountability at the bargaining table.
Dear Steve and Robin, Since we unionized in 2023, we have worked hard to reach a contract that honors ProPublica's mission. In order to fulfill that vision, our values of fairness, transparency and accountability must apply not only to our reporting but also to our workplace. Our proposals have sought basic contractual rights that align with those values and exist at many other unionized newsrooms. Instead of working with us to codify those rights, you have struck through many of our proposals, called for broad carve outs and delayed discussion of key provisions such as protections against layoffs and overwork. Those tactics are not in line with the ProPublica you say you want to build. In recent months: ● You have refused to allow stewards in performance meetings that could lead to discipline. ● You have resisted attempts to reform our disciplinary system, rejecting a standard approach to just cause and measures to improve transparency and clarity. ● You rejected our proposal that would ensure our jobs will not be replaced by artificial intelligence. What we are seeking is simple: ProPublica management must uphold its values in its own workplace. We expect that your proposals going forward will reflect these shared values. Sincerely, ProPublica Guild
May 1, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
mckenziefunk.com
THREAD: Last year, ProPublica started receiving tips from an unusual kind of source: flight attendants. They said they'd worked on deportation flights for ICE, and they could tell us what it was really like on board. 1/
April 1, 2025 at 9:50 PM
nicolesantacruz.bsky.social
Dog literally sinking into the couch
Brown goldendoodle laying on top of couch cushions
February 8, 2025 at 4:23 AM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
taliabuford.bsky.social
We're hiring two deputy editors join @propublica.org's award winning data & news apps teams, led by @schwanksta.com:

🧮5+ years in data or investigative journalism
➕ Supervising experience a plus
📌Remote friendly in U.S.
💰$140K - $150K

Data: grnh.se/133da8df6us
News Apps: grnh.se/4a6ceea76us
Deputy Data Editor
New York, New York, United States
grnh.se
February 6, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
asiafields.bsky.social
People who experienced homeless encampment sweeps in Washington state and Tennessee wrote about the impact it had on their lives.

Our team @propublica.org added these to our page featuring stories from people across the country: projects.propublica.org/impact-of-ho...
A notecard with the prompt, "What is something that was important to you that was taken in a sweep? How did it impact you?" The handwritten statement below says, "My momma’s ashes were displayed on my table in my tent. I came back one day — and EVERYTHING was gone, including her ashes. They were clearly labled ‘In loving memory — my mom, my best friend…’ and her name. Her ashes were all that I had left of her. No one stored my stuff. I called tons of places and NO ONE knew anything. It is very difficult for me still, everyday. No warning, no remorse, nothing." A notecard with the prompt, "What is something that was important to you that was taken in a sweep? How did it impact you?" The handwritten statement below says, “It’s hard to narrow my list down. One particularly devastating (for me) sweep took EVERYTHING I owned at the time I was gone from my spot for a couple nights. Save for my wallet, ID, and the clothes on my back, I had not brought anything with me. Unaware of the sweep, I returned to find my tent, my cot, all my clothing, several files with important document, literally everything; all of it, gone.” A notecard with the prompt, "What is something that was important to you that was taken in a sweep? How did it impact you?" The handwritten statement below says, “Lost my clothes tents more than once all my personal items i.e. pictures family photos and kids birth certificates and it really sucked how they did it and bulldozed everything I owned litterally bulldozed it.” A notecard with the prompt, "What is something that was important to you that was taken in a sweep? How did it impact you?" The handwritten statement below says, “Winter bedding & personal memorabilia pictures, things that can’t be replaced. One winter in the middle of the night they came and took bedding only now they mess with us every day now I try to keep it to a backpack and cart try to.”
February 4, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
melissa-sanchez.bsky.social
Take a look at our story, and Ben's gorgeous photography, to get better understand the human impact of Trump's threat to deport millions of people.

www.propublica.org/article/immi...
How One Immigrant Community Is Coping With the Threat of Deportation
The Nicaraguans who keep Wisconsin’s dairy farms, restaurants and factories working are sending home their most prized possessions, bracing for potential mass deportations. “We don’t have much, but wh...
www.propublica.org
January 31, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
mkramer.bsky.social
💪❤️🇺🇸

www.propublica.org/tips/federal...
Do You Work For the Federal Government? ProPublica Wants To Hear From You.
We’re doubling down on our coverage of government agencies and federal policy. With your help, we can dig deeper.
www.propublica.org
January 21, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
longreads.com
"I can't get any sort of anything that I might get attached to."

Maya Miller, @asiafields.bsky.social , @nicolesantacruz.bsky.social , and Ruth Talbot for @propublica.org
“I Have Lost Everything”: The Toll of Cities’ Homeless Sweeps
Cities often take belongings — including important documents and irreplaceable mementos — when they conduct sweeps of homeless encampments. ProPublica gave notecards to people across the country so…
projects.propublica.org
January 9, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
nicolefoy.bsky.social
One of the last ICE workplace raids in 2020? A Bollinger shipyard in Louisiana, which has major Coast Guard & Navy contracts. Company execs donate heavily to Speaker Mike Johnson & Majority Leader Steve Scalise

Will Trump deport immigrants building America's ships? My latest for @propublica.org
Trump Has Promised to Build More Ships. He May Deport the Workers Who Help Make Them.
President-elect Donald Trump has promised to increase the pace of U.S. military shipbuilding. But his pledge to also clamp down on immigration could make it hard for shipyards already facing workforce...
www.propublica.org
January 2, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
joeljacobs.bsky.social
ICYMI: Last week @megomatz.bsky.social and I reported on how the tribal lending industry has survived and thrived offering exorbitant online loans to millions of borrowers — with APRs that can exceed 600%.
www.propublica.org/article/trib...

We’ve been investigating this opaque industry for months:🧵
The Tribal Lending Industry Offers Quick Cash Online at Outrageous Interest Rates. Here’s How It’s Survived.
Despite lawsuits, prosecutions and federal crackdown attempts, the tribal lending industry has adapted for over a decade, providing exorbitant loans to millions of financially vulnerable consumers.
www.propublica.org
January 3, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
deldeib.bsky.social
Yesteday we brought you the story of how insurers have relied on doctors, some of whom “shut their eyes” to medical opinions that opposed their conclusions.

Today, @mayatmiller.bsky.social and I tell you the story of how insurers cite progress as a reason to deny

www.propublica.org/article/ment...
Her Mental Health Treatment Was Helping. That’s Why Insurance Cut Off Her Coverage.
Providers, patients and even some federal judges say progress-based insurance denials harm patients at key moments of mental health treatment.
www.propublica.org
December 31, 2024 at 12:44 PM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
pamelacolloff.bsky.social
NEW, from me: Shaken baby syndrome--a diagnosis that has resulted in wrongful convictions across the country--continues to shape criminal prosecutions and child welfare investigations, under the name "abusive head trauma."

My story of what happened to one family.

www.propublica.org/article/shak...
He Frantically Called 911 to Revive His Infant Son. Now He Could Face 12 Years in Prison.
Exonerations and new science continue to raise questions about shaken baby syndrome, a diagnosis that lives on under a different name: “abusive head trauma.” Critics say the name deflects scrutiny whi...
www.propublica.org
December 30, 2024 at 2:33 PM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
mgsquires.bsky.social
“We wanted to help ProPublica’s readers recognize the humanity of the people we had met and talked to, so we gave them notecards and asked them to describe their experiences with sweeps.”
“I Have Lost Everything”: The Toll of Cities’ Homeless Sweeps
Cities often take belongings — including important documents and irreplaceable mementos — when they conduct sweeps of homeless encampments. ProPublica gave notecards to people across the country so th...
projects.propublica.org
December 30, 2024 at 1:24 AM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
propublica.org
ProPublica spoke to about 150 people who had lived in homeless encampments when cities cleared them out in “sweeps.” We distributed notecards so people could tell us about the toll in their own words.

This is what they wrote.
December 27, 2024 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
propublica.org
Unhoused people told us they already feel like they’re seen as problems to be solved, not people to be helped.

In reporting on the issue, we wanted to help ProPublica’s readers recognize the humanity of the people we had met and talked to.

By @nicolesantacruz.bsky.social
What I Learned Reporting in Cities That Take Belongings From Homeless People
Some cities take people’s belongings — ignoring their own policies and court orders — and then fail to store them. Our reporting shows there are more effective and compassionate ways to deal with…
propub.li
December 27, 2024 at 3:00 PM
nicolesantacruz.bsky.social
Taking some time to reflect on my year and feeling particularly grateful for the many people who helped me stay afloat (shout out to our babysitter). Trying to parent AND be good at your job is hard (and we don’t talk about it enough)!
December 28, 2024 at 8:44 PM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
charlesornstein.bsky.social
New from me: Changing Laws and Changing Lives: Why ProPublica Is Dedicated to Local Investigations
Changing Laws and Changing Lives: Why ProPublica Is Dedicated to Local Investigations
Managing Editor Charles Ornstein explains the many ways ProPublica is trying to help fill the void left by local newsrooms shrinking and closing across the country.
www.propublica.org
December 18, 2024 at 2:20 PM
Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz
anniewaldman.bsky.social
NEW: After reviewing leaked documents, we have found UnitedHealth is strategically limiting access to a treatment for thousands of children with autism across the country in order to cut costs.

Advocates say the company’s strategy may be illegal.

www.propublica.org/article/unit...

👇
UnitedHealth Is Strategically Limiting Access to Critical Treatment for Kids With Autism
Leaked internal documents show that the insurance giant is culling providers of applied behavior analysis from its network and scrutinizing the medical necessity of therapy. Advocates say the company’...
www.propublica.org
December 13, 2024 at 1:34 PM