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Holding Political Actors Accountable

A Vexing To-Do List for Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer

As the governor, now a rising Democratic star, finishes out her final term, key populist pledges have been unfulfilled and her presidential resume is still being written.

by Anna Clark,

Election Deniers Secretly Pushed Rule That Would Make It Easier to Delay Certification of Georgia’s Election Results

On Monday, the GOP-controlled State Election Board is poised to adopt the rule, which would potentially allow county officials, including one who secretly backed the rule, to throw the election results of the swing state into chaos this fall.

by Doug Bock Clark,

Inside Project 2025’s Secret Training Videos

“Eradicate climate change references”; only talk to conservative media; don’t leave a paper trail for watchdogs to discover. In a series of never-before-published videos, Project 2025 details how a second Trump administration would operate.

by Andy Kroll, ProPublica, and Nick Surgey, Documented,

Watch: 14 Hours of Never-Before-Published Videos From Project 2025’s Presidential Administration Academy

The videos are part of an ongoing effort to recruit and train thousands of future conservative appointees. Despite Donald Trump’s efforts to disavow Project 2025, most of the speakers in the videos have previously worked for the former president.

by Andy Kroll, ProPublica, and Nick Surgey, Documented,

Featured Reporters

Portrait of Justin Elliott Justin Elliott
Portrait of Robert Faturechi Robert Faturechi
Portrait of Doug Bock Clark Doug Bock Clark
Cassandra Jaramillo
Portrait of Marilyn W. Thompson Marilyn W. Thompson

Impact of Our Reporting
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West Texas Pastor Who Used Illegal Donations From Churches to Campaign for Office Is Fined $3,500

Fines issued to Scott Beard of Abilene’s Fountaingate Fellowship and two pastors follow reporting from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune that revealed the churches donated to his campaign for local office despite state and federal prohibitions.

by Jessica Priest,

Friends of the Court

Senators Ask Billionaire Paul Singer and Power Broker Leonard Leo for Full Accounting of Gifts to Supreme Court Justices

The letters cite ProPublica’s reporting on an undisclosed private jet flight and Alaska fishing vacation provided to Justice Samuel Alito.

by Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski,

Former Kentucky Secretary of State Faces Ethics Charges

Alison Lundergan Grimes, a onetime Democratic rising star and subject of a ProPublica series, is accused of using state resources for her political advantage.

by Carson Kessler,

Series

Dominion Energy’s Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center.

Series: Power Play: The Influence of Virginia’s Biggest Utility

Series: At a Great Price: The True Cost of the Sears Headquarters Deal

Series: Desperation Town: How Youngstown Gave Itself Away for the Promise of Jobs

Series: Big Jim: West Virginia’s Conflicted Governor

Series: The Real Bosses of New Jersey: How Unelected Officials Run Your Government

Series: The Bad Bet: How Illinois Bet on Video Gambling and Lost

Series: A User’s Guide to Democracy: Congress Works For You. Here’s How to Be a Better Boss.

Series: The Money Game: Tracking the Illinois Governor’s Race

Series: Politic-IL Insider: Analysis of Illinois’ Political Issues and Personalities

Series: Free the Files: Help Unlock Election Spending

Series: Buying Your Vote: Dark Money and Big Data

417 stories published since 2016

The Man Behind Project 2025’s Most Radical Plans

by Alec MacGillis,

Trump Media Quietly Enters Deal With a Republican Donor Who Could Benefit From a Second Trump Administration

by Justin Elliott, Robert Faturechi and Alex Mierjeski,

Narcotraficantes mexicanos dijeron que apoyaron la primera campaña del ahora presidente de México. Agentes estadounidenses ya habían dejado de investigar.

por Tim Golden,

La historia oculta de la arriesgada investigación estadounidense de las acusaciones de que narcotraficantes financiaron una campaña del presidente mexicano López Obrador

por Tim Golden,

Drug Traffickers Said They Backed an Early Campaign of Mexico’s President. But U.S. Agents Were Done Investigating.

by Tim Golden,

Inside the Risky U.S. Probe of Allegations That Drug Mafias Financed a Campaign of Mexico’s President López Obrador

by Tim Golden,

Trump Media Made a Deal That Could Secure a Major Financial Windfall for the GOP Candidate

by Justin Elliott and Robert Faturechi,

In Private Speech, J.D. Vance Said the “Devil Is Real” and Praised Alex Jones as a Truth-Teller

by Andy Kroll, ProPublica, and Nick Surgey, Documented,

West Texas Pastor Who Used Illegal Donations From Churches to Campaign for Office Is Fined $3,500

by Jessica Priest,

Judge Denies Texas Attorney General’s Efforts to Use Consumer Protection Law to Shut Down a Migrant Shelter

by Alejandro Serrano and Robert Downen, The Texas Tribune, and Vianna Davila, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune,

We’re Releasing Our Full, Unedited Interview With Joe Biden From September

by ProPublica,

Texas Is the Largest GOP Stronghold Without Pro-School Voucher Legislation. Gov. Abbott Is on a Crusade to Change That.

by Jeremy Schwartz,

Introducing ProPublica’s 527 Explorer

by Ruth Talbot and Brandon Roberts,

527 Explorer

by Ruth Talbot, Brandon Roberts and Nat Lash,

What Idaho’s Republican Primary Tells Us About America’s Culture Wars

by Audrey Dutton,

Ken Paxton Has Used Consumer Protection Law to Target These Organizations

by Vianna Davila,

Texas’ Attorney General Is Increasingly Using Consumer Protection Laws to Pursue Political Targets

by Vianna Davila,

Scenes From a MAGA Meltdown: Inside the “America First” Movement’s War Over Democracy

by Andy Kroll,

Kristi Noem Said She Is Proud to “Support Babies, Moms, and Families.” Her Record Shows Otherwise, Critics Say.

by Jessica Lussenhop,

Help ProPublica and The Texas Tribune Report on School Board and Bond Elections in Your Community

by Jessica Priest, Jeremy Schwartz, Lexi Churchill and Dan Keemahill,

Former Far-Right Hard-Liner Says Billionaires Are Using School Board Races to Sow Distrust in Public Education

by Jeremy Schwartz,

She Campaigned for a Texas School Board Seat as a GOP Hard-Liner. Now She’s Rejecting Her Party’s Extremism.

by Jeremy Schwartz,

Georgia Promised to Fix How Voter Challenges Are Handled. A New Law Could Make the Problem Worse.

by Doug Bock Clark,

Texas School Districts Violated a Law Intended to Add Transparency to Local Elections

by Lexi Churchill and Jessica Priest,

The Influential Conservative Group Making it Harder for Idaho Districts to Fix Their Schools

by Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman,

As Elections Loom, Congressional Maps Challenged as Discriminatory Will Remain in Place

by Marilyn W. Thompson,

Documents Show Internal Clash Before U.S. Officials Pushed to Weaken Toddler Formula Rules

by Lucas Waldron and Heather Vogell,

An Oregon Bill to Cut Millions in Timber Taxes Is Dead, Despite Backing by the Industry, the Governor and a Top Lawmaker

by Rob Davis,

Idaho Resolution Would Aim to Lower Voting Threshold to Pass School Bonds

by Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, and Asia Fields, ProPublica,

Wisconsin Picks New Legislative Maps That Would End Years of GOP Gerrymandering

by Megan O’Matz,

El presidente mexicano López Obrador atacó nuestro artículo como “una calumnia” y a nuestro reportero como “un peón.” Aquí presentamos algunos hechos.

por Stephen Engelberg,

Mexican President López Obrador Called Our Story “Slander” and Our Reporter a “Pawn.” Here Are Some Facts.

by Stephen Engelberg,

Nevada Republicans’ Caucus Adds Chaos and Confusion to the State’s Presidential Primary

by Anjeanette Damon,

¿Entregaron los narcotraficantes millones de dólares a la primera campaña del Presidente Mexicano López Obrador?

por Tim Golden,

Did Drug Traffickers Funnel Millions of Dollars to Mexican President López Obrador’s First Campaign?

by Tim Golden,

Wisconsin’s Legislative Maps Are Bizarre, but Are They Illegal?

by Megan O’Matz, graphics by Lucas Waldron,

A Texas Billionaire’s Associates Are Trying to Sink a School Tax Election via Their Dark Money Nonprofit

by Jeremy Schwartz and Dan Keemahill,

We Don’t Talk About Leonard

by Andrea Bernstein, Andy Kroll and Ilya Marritz,

The Biden Interview: The President Talks About the Supreme Court, Threats to Democracy and Trump’s Vow to Exact Retribution

by John Harwood for ProPublica,

With Shutdown Looming, Biden Calls Out Speaker McCarthy for a “Terrible Bargain” With MAGA Republicans

by John Harwood for ProPublica,

Close to 100,000 Voter Registrations Were Challenged in Georgia — Almost All by Just Six Right-Wing Activists

by Doug Bock Clark, photography by Cheney Orr for ProPublica,

Senators Ask Billionaire Paul Singer and Power Broker Leonard Leo for Full Accounting of Gifts to Supreme Court Justices

by Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski,

Wisconsin Republicans Sowed Distrust Over Elections. Now They May Push Out the State’s Top Election Official.

by Megan O’Matz,

Texas Public Records Transparency Bill That Got Lost Amid GOP Infighting Finally Headed to Governor’s Desk

by Vianna Davila,

Texas Bill to Increase Transparency in Public Records Law Left in Limbo Despite Passing Legislature

by Vianna Davila,

Clyburn’s Role in South Carolina Redistricting May Be Examined as Supreme Court Hears Racial Gerrymandering Case

by Marilyn W. Thompson,

Trio of Texas Churches Donated to Political Candidate Despite Clear IRS Prohibition

by Jessica Priest and Jeremy Schwartz,

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice Runs for Senate Amid Stacks of Unpaid Bills

by Ken Ward Jr., Mountain State Spotlight,

How Rep. James Clyburn Protected His District at a Cost to Black Democrats

by Marilyn W. Thompson; Photography and video by Cheney Orr for ProPublica,

Two Republicans Kicked Off County Election Board in North Carolina for Failing to Certify Results

by Doug Bock Clark,