A Billionaire’s Guide to Buying Your Kids a Shot at Lots of Elite Colleges

Most tycoons give big to one or two universities as their children approach college age. David Shaw gave to seven. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Trump's Ukraine Plotting Has Been Happening in Plain Sight. So Why Didn't We See It? - ProPublica

It’s not just that there’s a lot to pay attention to. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

It’s not just that there’s a lot to pay attention to. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Google Says Google Translate Can't Replace Human Translators. Immigration Officials Have Used It to Vet Refugees. - ProPublica

Documents shared with ProPublica show that immigration officials have been told to vet refugees’ social media posts using Google Translate. Language experts caution even students against using the service. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Lawyer Fought Housing Segregation. Now Wealthy Want to Fire His Firm

Westport is the second Connecticut town this year to pressure one of the state’s leading law firms to abandon its affordable housing work — or risk losing the local school system as a client. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Companies Are Using a Depression-Era Law to Escape Trump’s Tariffs

Tariffs are hurting U.S. companies’ bottom lines. Free Trade Zones, a 1930s rule which they can use to shield themselves from those costs, require expensive legal help. One Michigan manufacturer called it “a no-win situation.” | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

MIT Media Lab Kept Regulators in the Dark, Dumped Chemicals in Excess of Legal Limit - ProPublica

Documents and interviews show the Media Lab, already under fire for accepting contributions from Jeffrey Epstein, is being investigated for an apparent violation of state environmental regulations. They paused operations after we asked questions. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

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@propublica.org | 5 years ago

MIT Media Lab hid excessive chemical dumping from regulators

Documents and interviews show the Media Lab, already under fire for accepting contributions from Jeffrey Epstein, is being investigated for an apparent violation of state environmental regulations. They paused operations after we asked questions. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Millions of Americans’ Medical Images and Data Are Available on the Internet

Hundreds of computer servers worldwide that store patient X-rays and MRIs are so insecure that anyone with a web browser or a few lines of computer code can view patient records. One expert warned about it for years. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Millions of Americans' Medical Images and Data Are Available on the Internet. Anyone Can Take a Peek. - ProPublica

Hundreds of computer servers worldwide that store patient X-rays and MRIs are so insecure that anyone with a web browser or a few lines of computer code can view patient records. One expert warned about it for years. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Millions of Medical Images and Data Are Available on the Internet

Hundreds of computer servers worldwide that store patient X-rays and MRIs are so insecure that anyone with a web browser or a few lines of computer code can view patient records. One expert warned about it for years. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Ransomware hackers are targeting managed service providers for local governments

Cybercriminals are zeroing in on the managed service providers that handle computer systems for local governments and medical clinics. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

We Asked Prosecutor If Health Insurance Companies Care About Fraud. They Laughed

To protect their networks and bottom lines, health insurers don’t aggressively pursue widespread fraud, making it easy for scammers. Then they pass the costs off to you. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

The Myths of the "Genius" Behind Trump's Reelection Campaign - ProPublica

Brad Parscale has said he’s taking a relative pittance to run the president’s reelection operation. But as with much of what Parscale has claimed about his work and life, that’s not the full story. This is. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Data Touted by OxyContin Maker to Fight Lawsuits Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story

Downplaying its role in the opioid epidemic, Purdue Pharma has embraced a federal statistic showing it was a minor player in the pain pill market. But when we took drug potency into account, Purdue’s importance soared. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

ProPublica Wants Pitches for State Government Investigations. Apply for a Spot in Our Local Reporting Network. - ProPublica

ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network produces impactful accountability stories that wouldn’t be done otherwise. Now, we’re looking for seven partners to work with in 2020. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Insurance Companies Are Fueling a Rise in Ransomware Attacks

Even when public agencies and companies hit by ransomware could recover their files on their own, insurers prefer to pay the ransom. Why? The attacks are good for business. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

California and EPA Poised to Expand Pollution of Aquifers (2016)

A little-known program under federal environment law is being used to permit oil and gas companies to inject waste into the state’s aquifers, even as the thirst for groundwater grows. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Insurance Companies Are Fueling a Rise in Ransomware Attacks

Even when public agencies and companies hit by ransomware could recover their files on their own, insurers prefer to pay the ransom. Why? The attacks are good for business. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

In Men, It’s Parkinson’s. In Women, It’s Hysteria

Neurologist Laura Boylan suffered from tremors and loss of balance that she attributed to a cyst in her brain. Why didn’t her doctors believe her? | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

How Amazon and Silicon Valley Seduced the Pentagon

Tech moguls like Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt have gotten unprecedented access to the Pentagon. And one whistleblower who raised flags has paid the price. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Off the Radar: Private Planes Hidden from Public View – ProPublica

ProPublica has obtained a list of private planes whose flights are blocked from public tracking sites, and among them are the planes of politicians, business executives, colleges, churches and even news organizations. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

ProPublica's guide to collaborative data journalism

We’ve learned a lot about how to make large-scale collaborations around datasets work, and today we’re giving away all of our secrets. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Rising Profits, Rising Injuries: The Safety Crisis at Georgia-Pacific

Five years ago, the paper and pulp company realized it needed to tackle a soaring injury rate. It did it the Koch way — and things have only gotten worse. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Iran Has Hundreds of Naval Mines. U.S. Navy Minesweepers Find Old Dishwashers

As tensions heat up in the Persian Gulf, the Navy’s minesweeping fleet may once again be called into action, but its sailors say the ships are too old and broken to do the job. “We are essentially the ships that the Navy forgot.” | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Parents Give Up Custody of Their Kids to Get Need-Based College Financial Aid

First, parents turn over guardianship of their teenagers to a friend or relative. Then the student declares financial independence to qualify for tuition aid and scholarships. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Trump Adviser Tom Barrack Pushed for Saudi Nuclear Deal - and Planned to Profit From It - ProPublica

Documents released by a congressional committee reveal Barrack’s plan to team up with Arab princes to buy a U.S. nuclear company. Federal prosecutors are investigating foreign influence. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

The Beleaguered Tenants of 'Kushnerville' - ProPublica

Tenants in more than a dozen Baltimore-area rental complexes complain about a property owner who they say leaves their homes in disrepair, humiliates late-paying renters and often sues them when they try to move out. Few of them know that their landlord is the president’s son-in- … | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

How Fundraisers Convinced Conservatives to Donate $10 Million - Then Kept Almost All of It. - ProPublica

Beginning in 2012, operatives used a federal PAC to target small-dollar donors, claiming they’d use the money to oppose Barack Obama. But that’s not what happened. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

University of Mississippi Students Face Possible Civil Rights Investigation After Posing With Guns in Front of Emmett Till Memorial - ProPublica

Three students were suspended from their fraternity house, Kappa Alpha, after we shared an Instagram photo one of the men posted that was taken in front of a sign commemorating the murder of the 14-year-old black youth in 1955. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Health Insurers Make It Easy for Scammers to Steal Millions. Who Pays? You

Health insurers are regarded as fierce defenders of health care dollars. But the case of David Williams shows one reason America’s health care costs continue to rise. The personal trainer spent years posing as a doctor and billing the nation’s top insurers, making off with millio … | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

The Village Where Every Cop Has Been Convicted of Domestic Violence

Dozens of convicted criminals have been hired as cops in Alaska communities. Often, they are the only applicants. In Stebbins, every cop has a criminal record, including the chief. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

The Village Where Every Cop Has Been Convicted of Domestic Violence - ProPublica

Dozens of convicted criminals have been hired as cops in Alaska communities. Often, they are the only applicants. In Stebbins, every cop has a criminal record, including the chief. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

A border patrol agents reveals what it's like to guard migrant children

With the agency under fire for holding children in deplorable conditions and over racist and misogynistic Facebook posts, one agent speaks about what it’s like to do his job. “Somewhere down the line people just accepted what’s going on as normal.” | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

TurboTax profited by charging the disabled, the unemployed and students

The move by TurboTax maker Intuit to charge more lower-income customers has helped boost revenue. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Going Quiet: More States Are Hiding 911 Recordings

Troy Phillips has tried everything to piece together his brother’s final moments and figure out if he received CPR. Rhode Island’s secretive 911 laws have gotten in the way. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

ProPublica Is Expanding Its Local Reporting Network to Youngstown, Ohio - ProPublica

Youngstown is losing its only daily newspaper, but there’s no shortage of investigative stories worthy of coverage. ProPublica will fund one investigative reporter at an Ohio news organization for a year. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Digital Jail: How Electronic Monitoring Drives Defendants into Debt

Ankle bracelets are promoted as a humane alternative to jail. But private companies charge defendants hundreds of dollars a month to wear the surveillance devices. If people can’t pay, they may end up behind bars. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

The Sheriff Lost Reelection. Then the Spending Spree Began

Sheriff Blake Turman says that after he beat then-Sheriff Dennis Meeks at the polls, he found that thousands of dollars worth of military equipment was missing and public funds were wasted. Meeks’ response: “He’s full of shit.” | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Low-Wage Workers Are Being Sued for Unpaid Medical Bills by a Nonprofit Christian Hospital That Employs Them - ProPublica

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare has sued many of its own employees over unpaid medical bills and garnishes their wages; its health care plan prevents them from going to competitors with better financial assistance. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

The Nonprofit Hospital that makes millions, owns collection agency and sues poor

Nonprofit hospitals pay virtually no local, state or federal income tax. In return, they provide community benefits, including charity care to low-income patients. In Memphis, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare has brought 8,300 lawsuits for unpaid medical bills in just five years. … | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Sting Catches Another Ransomware Firm–Red Mosquito–Negotiating with “Hackers”

We recently wrote about two U.S. firms that promised high-tech ransomware solutions but instead paid the cyber-attacker. A U.K. company appears to do the same. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

A GIS alignment error delivered a lucrative tax break to a billionaire

Opportunity zones are meant to spur new investment in poor areas. But Under Armour’s Kevin Plank is getting a tax break for investments that are not new and not in a poor tract. And Plank’s area was picked over neighborhoods that are actually poor. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

More Fraud and Mismanagement over New Jersey Tax Incentives Surface

A hospital connected to New Jersey political boss George E. Norcross III lied to win state tax breaks, a new special task force report says. The report details several other new pieces of evidence of Norcross’ influence over the tax incentive program. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Teach for America Evolved into an Arm of the Charter School Movement

Documents obtained by ProPublica show that the Walton foundation, a staunch supporter of school choice and Teach for America’s largest private funder, was paying $4,000 for every teacher placed in a traditional public school — and $6,000 for every one placed in a charter school. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

Wasted Funds How Sheriffs Undermined Their Successors After Losing Reelection

Alabama sheriffs who lost reelection in 2018 personally pocketed funds and deleted public records, an investigation by AL.com and ProPublica found. Holes were drilled through government-issued smartphones and leftover rice was poured down the drain, among other things. It’s a lon … | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago

I’m a Journalist. Apparently, I’m Also One of America’s “Top Doctors.”

Companies cash in by calling physicians “Super Doctor,” “Best Doctor” or “Top Doctor” and then selling them opportunities to boast about the honor. Experts call the accolades a “scam.” Giving me one highlights the absurdity. | Continue reading


@propublica.org | 5 years ago