Summer child care in Boise: The annual parenting equivalent to getting Taylor Swift tickets

At today's hearing, @blumenthal.senate.gov brought up letters we obtained from kids held at the Dilley detention facility: propub.li/4lZbTF1 He also referenced our reporting on how Trump has detained the parents of more than 11,000 children: propub.li/4c2uqg9

NEW: Today, Congressional Democrats are spotlighting a particularly troubling part of Trump's immigration dragnet: the American kids — including some featured in ProPublica's reporting — who have been collateral damage in the deportation campaign.

Important thread from our reporter @micarosenberg.bsky.social ⤵️

Yikes 😳 Wild story, excellent reporting! For another 🦇💩 crazy #Idaho connection, also check out this excellent if terrifying in-depth reporting from 7/2025: www.utahinvestigative.org/who-is-valar...

I love this job. I love ProPublica. I love my editors and my coworkers. And I would love to see us get to the finish line on the best contract possible for staff, so we can get back to focusing ALL of our energy on the work we're here to do.

The Trump administration's demands go against the ethos of "keep your federal hands off Idaho," former Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa said. I teamed up on this story with @jenafifield.bsky.social and @zachdespart.bsky.social who are tracking the DOJ's efforts. www.propublica.org/article/idah...

And here's a story by Avi Asher-Schapiro involving some Idaho characters (the C-suite of a nuclear startup) and a distinctly Idaho setting (the Idaho National Laboratory). For historical context, the INL was the site of the only fatal nuclear disaster in the U.S. www.propublica.org/article/trum...

It's a very Idaho day at ProPublica. First, here's my story about Trump finding the limit of what even a stronghold like Idaho will allow. I read through dozens of cards and letters Idahoans sent to Idaho's secretary of state, thanking him for his decision. www.propublica.org/article/idah...

NEW: In 2024, Trump won Idaho by one of the largest margins in the country. Now, its secretary of state is resisting the administration’s efforts to gather sensitive voter data ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Super interesting story out of Idaho: As Trump Demands Voter Data, This Fiercely Independent Red State Says No, by @audreydutton.bsky.social @jenafifield.bsky.social

1/ Today, we overwhelmingly voted to authorize a STRIKE as we fight for a fair contract with @propublica.org.

The best thing about The Pitt is that this season's big finale reveal won't be who did a murder, or what is the smoke monster, or will two people hook up. It's whether Dr. Robby will put a damn helmet on his head when he gets on his motorcycle.

Gilligan is beautiful

2/ You can support us by signing our petition + donating to our strike fund. Head to our website for more info on how to support us: propublicaguild.org

You know how it’s a @propublicaguild.org picket because Scabby has a tip line

3/ If you’d like to join our fight, donate to our strike fund – www.gofundme.com/f/support-pr... – and sign our petition calling for a fair contract now: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

1/ ICYMI: We are ready to strike if necessary to win the contract we deserve, complete with job security, guardrails around AI and fair wages. Yesterday, we practiced picketing outside @propublica.org offices.

Folks in Boise, join us Tuesday for a breakfast and press conference with Idaho Gov. Brad Little. The Q&A will be on the record. idahopressclub.org/events/

Glad to see change is coming after @audreydutton.bsky.social's great work on failures of Idaho's coroner system.

Idaho changed the law last year, making it illegal for school nurses or child care businesses to send home unvaccinated kids in the event of an outbreak, unless they show symptoms. Measles is uniquely good at getting around though; a person can spread it for up to 4 days before they show symptoms.

Measles has arrived in the Boise area. Five cases just reported in Canyon County, according to the state's weekly data. public.tableau.com/app/profile/...

If you live in a community that has wastewater testing, you can also check here to see if measles might be circulating. (Wastewater isn't infallible, but neither is case report data. More data points = more information.) data.wastewaterscan.org/tracker/?cha...

Wow. #measles

A thing I never imagined my child saying: "Alexa, play Skrillex."

Got this in my email this morning. If y'all see these videos on social media, please DM or tag me. I'm curious to see what people say.

WATCH: While federal judges decide whether Portland protesters’ behavior constitutes a rebellion, ProPublica set out to examine the degree to which they were inciting unrest and the role that federal officers played.

NEW: We reviewed 700+ videos, hours of footage from ICE protesters and counterprotesters in Portland. In 2 months before Trump said he was sending the National Guard, federal officers fire on, grab, pepper-spray or tear gas people 20 times -- without charging anyone. "Gratuitous," one expert said.

Qiyam leads a local environmental group in PA. He has an air purifier in every room of his house. Kiki, pictured here, has asthma and does not appreciate her feline inhaler. Tighter air pollution rules were finalized last year. Trump's EPA is rolling them back. 📸 @annie-flanagan.bsky.social

Journalism tip: If someone says drop the story, that’s a sign to keep reporting. Back reporters who won’t flinch. Support our independent journalism ➜ propub.li/43MugoG

NEW: Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, keeps shooting out of the ground in Oklahoma. Experts say it means even more wastewater is spreading underground, poisoning the state’s water supply.

“this law isn’t just about policy. It is about flipping the script on what we’ve considered the norm for generations now: that if you’re going to be part of a community, you must help protect the other people in your community.” “The law “not only rejects that norm […] it makes it illegal.”

I’m a journalist. I’m also an Idahoan. A couple weeks ago, I stood outside my child’s school, chatting with the school nurse. As we talked, my phone buzzed. It was a call from the person behind Idaho's new law — one that limits how a school nurse can respond if measles arrives.

NEW: The Idaho Medical Freedom Act, which makes it illegal to require almost anyone to take a vaccine, test or other “medical intervention,” comes amid a national measles outbreak larger than the U.S. has seen in decades. By @audreydutton.bsky.social

Like ghosts, we’re all about transparency. 👻 Got a tip for us? Contact our team safely on Signal at 917-512-0201. **We always show our work. Use our stencils to make your own pumpkin: propub.li/43AXneD

It's the most wonderful time of the year 🎃

I'm going to stop using exclamation points for the next month and see what happens! It'll be a fun experiment (prank?) and may result in some misinterpretations of tone, but that's OK! Thanks!!! or maybe Sorry!!!

NEW: Citing a ProPublica investigation, lawmakers are calling on the FDA to conduct more drug testing and to alert hospitals and other purchasers when foreign manufacturers with safety failures are given a special pass to send their products to the U.S.

A tiny piece of this story, that I hope won't go unnoticed: "Starting in 2021, Idaho schools reported a steady drop in the share of kindergartners with documented vaccinations. Phone surveys of parents, by contrast, showed vaccination rates have been largely unchanged."

In April, the #Idaho Medical Freedom Act became law, making it illegal to require anyone to take a vaccine or receive any “medical intervention.” #LeslieManookian, the activist behind the law, hopes to make it a “societal norm” for the rest of the country.
 My latest 🎥 for @propublica.org

EPA scientists linked PFNA with developmental, liver and reproductive harms. Their final report was ready in mid-April, according to an internal document reviewed by ProPublica, but it has yet to be released by the Trump administration. By @fastlerner.bsky.social

This law didn't happen in a vacuum. A poll released last week found: "Among all adults surveyed, 74% agree that parents should follow the CDC's child immunization schedules, down from 81% in March. The share who 'strongly agree' has fallen from 51% to 39% ..." according to @cidrap.bsky.social.

The author of the law told ProPublica she believes infectious diseases have been made “the bogeyman.” She thinks measles can protect against cancer and put cancer into remission. (The sources she provided for this claim don't actually say that.)

Whereas most states put the onus on unvaccinated people to show why they should opt out of a mandate, a new law in Idaho makes unvaccinated people the norm — shifting the burden of accommodation onto those who support vaccination. @audreydutton.bsky.social

NEW: The Idaho Medical Freedom Act makes it illegal to require anyone to take a vaccine or receive “medical intervention.” Leslie Manookian, the activist behind the law, hopes to make it a “societal norm” for the rest of the country.

The Idaho Medical Freedom Act makes it illegal to require anyone to take a vaccine or receive “medical intervention.” The activist behind the law hopes to make it a “societal norm” for the rest of the country. @audreydutton.bsky.social

Schools in South Carolina recently sent home unvaccinated kids, to stem a growing measles outbreak. Turns out 5 of them were infected and, if they'd been at school, could've unwittingly infected their classmates for days. That kind of precaution is now illegal in Idaho.

it's not friday?! are you kidding me right now

The reality of Kavanaugh stops: American citizens dragged, tackled, beaten, tased, and shot by immigration agents. Citizens held in the rain while in their underwear. A pregnant citizen's door blown off while Kristi Noem watched. Important story by @nicolefoy.bsky.social of @propublica.org