Skip to content
ProPublica Donate
ProPublica Donate

Regulation

The Efforts to Keep Industry in Check

Facing a National Shortage of Baby Formula, Trade Officials Opposed a Plan to Boost Imports

When the U.S. supply of baby formula collapsed in 2022, federal trade officials repeatedly argued against lifting the tariff on imports. Among their concerns: that it would raise “lots of questions from domestic dairy producers.”

by Heather Vogell,

No Pressure

Decrepit Pipes Put Jackson, Mississippi, on the Edge of Catastrophe. State Regulators Didn’t Act.

For years, Jackson residents endured periods of low water pressure, potentially unsafe drinking water or no water at all. All the while, state inspectors found few problems with the failing pipes that caused those problems.

by Nick Judin, Mississippi Free Press,

Local Reporting Network

A Wisconsin Tribe Built a Lending Empire Charging 600% Annual Rates to Borrowers

The Lac du Flambeau tribe is at the center of a $1 billion class-action settlement that comes after years of fending off claims of predatory lending practices.

by Megan O’Matz and Joel Jacobs,

“Now Is the Time to Take Action”: Carbon Monoxide Poisonings After Hurricane Beryl Are the Highest Since Texas Winter Storm

Little has changed since the 2021 Texas winter storm. Power outages following Beryl’s July landfall led to two deaths and roughly 400 Texans hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning.

by Lexi Churchill,

Featured Reporters

Neil Bedi
Portrait of Lexi Churchill Lexi Churchill
Portrait of Justin Elliott Justin Elliott
Portrait of Paul Kiel Paul Kiel
Kathleen McGrory

Impact of Our Reporting
Caret

Rent Barons

DOJ Files Antitrust Suit Against RealPage, Maker of Rent-Setting Algorithm

The lawsuit, which comes in the wake of a ProPublica investigation into the Texas company, accuses RealPage of taking part in an illegal price-fixing scheme to reduce competition among landlords to boost prices — and profits.

by Heather Vogell,

Minnesota AG Sues Contract-for-Deed Seller Who Allegedly Targeted Muslim Community

The complaint, which alleges violations of lending law and religious discrimination, follows a ProPublica and Sahan Journal investigation.

by Jessica Lussenhop,

The Secret IRS Files

Sports Team Owners Face New Scrutiny From IRS Over Tax Avoidance

A new campaign by the tax agency comes after ProPublica revealed how billionaires generate what can be hundreds of millions in tax savings by purchasing professional sports teams.

by Robert Faturechi, Ellis Simani and Justin Elliott,

Series

Series: No Pressure: The Warning Signs of the Jackson Water Crisis

Series: Unplugged: Will Taxpayers Foot the Oil Industry’s Cleanup Bill?

Series: The Inside Edge: How the Rich and Well-Connected Exploit Investment Advantages

Series: America’s Dangerous Trucks: Inside the Battle to Prevent Deadly Crashes

Series: Train Country: Investigating Railroad Safety in America

Series: Homeowner Hell: Investigating Colorado’s Unregulated Homeowners Associations

Series: Toxic Burden: How American Chemical Regulations Failed the Public

Series: Unchecked: America’s Broken Food Safety System

Series: Polluter’s Paradise: Environmental Impact in Louisiana

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

Series: Trashed: Inside New York’s Deadly Private Garbage Industry

Series: Louisiana’s Ethical Swamp: Lawmakers’ Conflicts of Interest

Series: HUD’s House of Cards: Public Housing Failures

Series: The Tax Divide: Inequities and Errors Riddle Cook County’s Property Tax Assessments

Series: Fed Tapes: The Secret Recordings of Carmen Segarra

Series: Freddie Mac: Playing the Mortgage Market

Series: Nuclear Safety: After Fukushima

Series: The Trade: Hold Companies, Executives and Government Officials Accountable

417 stories published since 2009

DOJ Files Antitrust Suit Against RealPage, Maker of Rent-Setting Algorithm

by Heather Vogell,

In Los Angeles, Your Chic Vacation Rental May Be a Rent-Controlled Apartment

by Robin Urevich, Capital & Main, and Haru Coryne, ProPublica,

Federal Law Thwarted Chicago’s Attempt to Sue Gun Makers. But Now It Has a New Strategy.

by Vernal Coleman,

The Nation’s First Law Protecting Against Gift Card Draining Has Passed. Will It Work?

by Craig Silverman,

The Biden Administration Says Its Trade Policy Puts People Over Corporations. Documents on Baby Formula Show Otherwise.

by Heather Vogell,

In a Push for Green Energy, One Federal Agency Made Tribes an Offer They Had to Refuse

by B. “Toastie” Oaster, High Country News,

How America’s “Most Powerful Lobby” Is Stifling Efforts to Reform Oil Well Cleanup in State After State

by Mark Olalde,

A Bottled Water Company in Michigan Is Still Extracting Millions of Gallons of Water for Free

by Anna Clark, photography by Sarahbeth Maney,

Minnesota AG Sues Contract-for-Deed Seller Who Allegedly Targeted Muslim Community

by Jessica Lussenhop,

IRS Audit of Trump Could Cost Former President More Than $100 Million

by Paul Kiel, ProPublica, and Russ Buettner, The New York Times,

Oil Companies Contaminated a Family Farm. The Courts and Regulators Let the Drillers Walk Away.

by Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Nick Bowlin, Capital & Main,

Sports Team Owners Face New Scrutiny From IRS Over Tax Avoidance

by Robert Faturechi, Ellis Simani and Justin Elliott,

EPA Proposes Ban on Pesticide Widely Used on Fruits and Vegetables

by Sharon Lerner,

FDA Moves to Scrutinize Specialized Health Screenings

by Anna Clark,

10 Times as Much of This Toxic Pesticide Could End Up on Your Tomatoes and Celery Under a New EPA Proposal

by Sharon Lerner,

Oil Companies Must Set Aside More Money to Plug Wells, a New Rule Says. But It Won’t Be Enough.

by Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Nick Bowlin, Capital & Main,

I Got Mailers Promoting Toddler Milk for My Children. I Went on to Investigate International Formula Marketing.

by Heather Vogell,

After CPAP Recall, Philips Must Institute New Safeguards in Agreement With U.S. Justice Department

by Michael Korsh and Evan Robinson-Johnson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

What You Should Know About “Toddler Milk” and How It’s Marketed to Parents

by Heather Vogell,

Chevron Will Pay Record Fines for Oil Spills in California

by Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun,

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

by Lucas Waldron and Heather Vogell,

What’s Missing From Railroad Safety Data? Dead Workers and Severed Limbs.

by Topher Sanders, Dan Schwartz, Danelle Morton and Gabriel Sandoval,

The Rising Cost of the Oil Industry’s Slow Death

by Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Nick Bowlin, Capital & Main,

After Seeing Controversial Contract-for-Deed Home Sales Affect Constituents, Minnesota Lawmakers Propose Reforms

by Jessica Lussenhop, ProPublica, and Joey Peters, Sahan Journal,

FDA Repeatedly Rejected Safety Claims Made by Philips After the CPAP Recall but Waited to Alert the Public, Emails Show

by Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica, and Michael D. Sallah and Michael Korsh, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

The Oregon Timber Industry Won Huge Tax Cuts in the 1990s. Now It May Get Another Break Thanks to a Top Lawmaker.

by Rob Davis,

Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Reform Controversial Contract-for-Deed Home Sales

by Jessica Lussenhop,

Indiana Lawmakers Trying to Kill Historic Suit Seeking Gun Industry Accountability

by Tony Cook, IndyStar, and Vernal Coleman, ProPublica,

Amid Recall Crisis, Philips Agrees to Stop Selling Sleep Apnea Machines in the United States

by Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica, and Michael D. Sallah, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

How Georgia’s Small Power Companies Endanger Their Most Vulnerable Customers

by Max Blau and Aliyya Swaby,

“We Buy Ugly Houses” Company Overhauls Policies in the Wake of ProPublica Investigation

by Anjeanette Damon and Byard Duncan,

FTC Orders Maker of TurboTax to Cease “Deceptive” Advertising

by Justin Elliott and Paul Kiel,

FEMA Leader Overseeing $4 Billion Fund to Pay Victims of New Mexico Wildfire Steps Down

by Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico,

Philips Recalled Breathing Machines in 2021. Chemicals of “Concern” Found in Replacement Machines Raised New Alarm.

by Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica; Michael D. Sallah and Evan Robinson-Johnson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; and Margaret Fleming, Medill Investigative Lab,

DTE Energy Facing Oversight of “Hardship-Inducing” Debt Collection Practices

by Sarah Alvarez, Outlier Media,

Los Angeles Orders More Residential Hotels to Stop Renting to Tourists

by Robin Urevich, Capital & Main,

“Unacceptable”: Senators Call on GAO to Probe FDA’s Oversight of Medical Devices, Citing Series on Philips CPAP Recall

by Jonathan D. Salant, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica; and Michael D. Sallah, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

Inside the Notorious Gun Shop Linked to Hundreds of Chicago Guns

by Vernal Coleman,

Millions of People Used Tainted Breathing Machines. The FDA Failed to Use Its Power to Protect Them.

by Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica, and Michael D. Sallah and Michael Korsh, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

Senators Question KPMG Role in Microsoft Profit-Shifting Scheme

by Paul Kiel,

A Top Mutual Fund Executive Made Millions for Himself Trading the Same Stocks His Giant Fund Was Trading

by Robert Faturechi and Ellis Simani with Mariam Elba, graphics by Lucas Waldron,

ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer Gets Email Alerts and Other Major Improvements

by Ken Schwencke,

Union Pacific Fired Him Rather Than Heed His Warnings of Dangerous Rail Conditions

by Danelle Morton and Topher Sanders, with additional reporting by Jessica Lussenhop,

DOJ Backs Tenants in Case Alleging Price-Fixing by Big Landlords and a Real Estate Tech Company

by Heather Vogell,

“Do Your Job.” How the Railroad Industry Intimidates Employees Into Putting Speed Before Safety

by Topher Sanders, Jessica Lussenhop, Dan Schwartz, Danelle Morton and Gabriel Sandoval,

U.S. Senator Expands Call for Crackdown on Philips Respironics

by Jonathan D. Salant, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

Virginia Law Allows the Papers of University Presidents to Stay Secret, Limiting Public Oversight

by Brandi Kellam, Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO, and Gabriel Sandoval, ProPublica,

LA Housing Department Proposes Increasing Residential Hotel Enforcement

by Robin Urevich, Capital & Main, with additional reporting by Gabriel Sandoval, ProPublica,

“A Setup for Disaster”: California Legislation Requiring Companies to Pay for Oil and Gas Well Cleanup in Limbo

by Mark Olalde,

Philips Kept Complaints About Dangerous Breathing Machines Secret While Company Profits Soared

by Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica; Michael D. Sallah, Michael Korsh and Evan Robinson-Johnson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; and Monica Sager, Northwestern University,