One thing I learned from reporting on fluoride is that, while rare, tooth decay can lead to death. tucson.com/news/local/b...

NEW: ProPublica has sued the Department of Education in federal court, accusing it of withholding public records about how it’s enforcing civil rights protections for millions of U.S. students.

As of Thursday, transgender people in Kansas whose driver’s licenses do not reflect their sex assigned at birth are breaking the law if they drive, after the legislature stripped them of previously valid credentials. The change took effect immediately with no grace period. Lawsuit filed, ACLU said.

“Many certificates in aesthetic services obtained by med spa workers require little more than buying memberships and taking a few workshops.” www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/02/26/m...

NEW: ProPublica recently reported that the U.S. Forest Service knowingly issued protective gear containing PFAS to wildland firefighters. The agency says it has now stopped distributing those garments. By @abestreep.bsky.social

NEW: South Carolina, which doesn’t require hospitals to disclose measles-related admissions, has reported only 20 such hospitalizations since Oct. 2. That leaves doctors with an incomplete picture of how the outbreak is affecting the community. By @jenniferberryhawes.bsky.social

Pam Bondi to investigate a Wisconsin Native American tribe over a road dispute, at the request of the GOP candidate for governor. www.jsonline.com/story/news/l... via @journalsentinel

If Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signs this bill, that leaves Arkansas as the only state that hasn't yet opted into expanded Medicaid coverage for postpartum care.

Wisconsin Assembly speaker relents: allows postpartum Medicaid extension for new moms. “Go out and take your victory lap,” Republican Robin Vos told caucus members.

I often hear from folks who are bewildered by the failure of efforts to hold people accountable for the Flint water crisis. "Why didn’t anyone go to jail?" Here's a view from a law prof / former federal prosecutor.

NEW: Powerful Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos had repeatedly blocked lawmakers from voting on a bipartisan bill to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage. The legislation now goes to Gov. Tony Evers, who is expected to sign it into law. By @megomatz.bsky.social

New Moms in Wisconsin to Get Extension of Vital Benefits After GOP Powerbroker Ends Holdout www.propublica.org/article/wisc...

Milwaukee attorney offers $100,000 Crime Stoppers award in Nancy Guthrie case. www.wisn.com/article/milw...

NEW: The FDA has removed a webpage warning about dangerous therapies claiming to treat autism. It’s part of a series of actions the agency has taken under RFK Jr. to discredit long-established science. By @megomatz.bsky.social

NEW: Chlorine Dioxide, Raw Camel Milk: The FDA No Longer Warns Against These and Other Ineffective Autism Treatments, by @megomatz.bsky.social

NEW: Rather than turn former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández over to immigration officials when he was released from prison less than four years into a 45-year sentence, the Trump administration paid to transport him 350 miles to a posh NYC hotel. By @keribla.bsky.social

For years, the FDA website warned of products and remedies claiming to treat autism that were being marketed deceptively and can be harmful. Just a few: •hyperbaric oxygen therapies •chlorine dioxide •raw camel milk. Now, under RFK Jr, that advisory is gone. New, @megomatz.bsky.social

Veterans and their advocates fear a new rule by the Department of Veterans Affairs — for determining disability compensation — will lower their payments for service-related illnesses and injuries. www.stripes.com/veterans/202...

Not so long ago, President Trump’s ambassador to Canada lifted a ceremonial shovel at the groundbreaking of the Gordie Howe bridge. Things have changed. My new @propublica.org story:

Habeas cases filed by immigrants claiming their detention is illegal have taken off to levels we have never seen before. Just look at that chart. www.propublica.org/article/habe...

Was Catherine O’Hara’s heart in the wrong place, or is everyone else’s?

When you hear of a billionaire losing money on a pricey hobby or side business — whether it's a race horse or a newspaper — remember that those losses can actually create huge write-offs that let the ultrarich get away with paying little or no income tax. (Published 2021)

The 5-year-old boy in a bunny hat, whose image rocketed around the world, is facing an escalating effort by DHS to deport him. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...

The letter highlighted this story I did with @megomatz.bsky.social and @jodiscohen.bsky.social (and referenced other good stories from folks diligently following the dismantling of OCR under this administration.) www.propublica.org/article/trum...

The US Department of Education wades into the "election integrity" space...

In almost every instance, President Donald Trump’s administration blamed the injured and dead for the shooting within hours of the incident, raising questions about whether federal officials can fairly and objectively investigate their own.

"Jeffrey Epstein likened bankrupt Detroit to a petri dish primed for monetary experimentation ... and separately was accused of involvement in a Ponzi scheme that allegedly defrauded the city’s general retirement system ..." 🤨

Local police did not open investigations into six of the 12 shootings by on-duty federal agents that have led to the deaths or injuries of citizens and immigrants since September, an analysis by reporter Andy Mannix and team at @propublica.org found.

The Trump administration raided a Chicago apartment complex, claiming violent Venezuelan gang members had taken over the building. That was a lie, according to court records @melissa-sanchez.bsky.social / @jodiscohen.bsky.social obtained. The WI landlord, upset over squatters, allowed the search.

“You are not entitled to a response from us, or anyone, ever,” is what an Education Department spokesperson wrote to one of our reporters, @megomatz.bsky.social, after she repeatedly tried to get comment from the department and its officials. (Published Dec. 2025)

The Education Department's efforts to fire staff cost over $28 million, GAO watchdog says / story by @npr.org www.npr.org/2026/02/02/n...

1/ BREAKING: Government documents reviewed by ProPublica identify Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, 35, as the two who fired their weapons during the deadly encounter with Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

Fairfield CT school cancels US Education Secretary Linda McMahon's visit after parent backlash. www.ctinsider.com/news/educati...

1/ NEW: @propublica.org has obtained a search warrant that the FBI is executing for records related to the contested 2020 election in Fulton County, Ga., which has not yet been widely shared. It’s an extraordinary document. Link: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

Fetterman now calling for the firing of Kristi Noem this morning, accusing her of "trashing" Trump's border legacy. Fetterman is one of 7 Dems who voted to confirm her as head of Homeland Security last year.

Wisconsin GOP Rep. Tom Tiffany voted after the Jan 6 riot not to certify presidential votes for Biden in PA and AZ. He’s running now for governor and got Trump’s endorsement. “He has always been at my side.”

In MN, a Border Patrol agent squirted pepper spray in the face of a man who was being pinned down. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/u...

I’ve been following this case for several years. Finally, a judge in Milwaukee brought a grieving father’s 13-year quest for justice to a close, accepting a plea deal for two men who were criminally charged for their role in the 2012 killing of teenager Corey Stingley at a convenience store.

A judge in Milwaukee brought a grieving father’s 13-year quest for justice to a close on Thursday, accepting a plea deal for two men who were criminally charged for their role in the 2012 killing of teenager Corey Stingley at a convenience store. www.propublica.org/article/core...

He had no legal training, no big-name lawyer or civil rights advocate by his side. Yet for 13 years, he refused to accept that the judicial system would hold no one responsible for the killing of his 16-year-old son. By @megomatz.bsky.social

Flashbangs burn hotter then lava. They've caused serious burns, severed hands, and even killed. *That's* what ICE just tossed into a car full of kids. Here's our investigation from 2015, by @juliaangwin.com: www.propublica.org/article/flas...

Colgate-Palmolive's promotional material for kids' fluoride toothpaste has shown the paste on a brush. Now in response to anti-fluoride efforts in TX, the company will display a pea-sized amount, rather than a swirl. A similar deal was made with Procter & Gamble. / By @annaleighclark.bsky.social

NEW: Restrained by three white men for attempted shoplifting, a Black teen died from asphyxiation. His father refused to accept that no one would be held responsible. More than a decade later, his idea of justice has shifted — and may finally be achieved.

Wisconsin officials have filed felony murder charges in the 2012 killing of Corey Stingley, an unarmed Black teen asphyxiated by white customers at a convenience store after attempting to shoplift. / A @propublica.org exclusive: www.propublica.org/article/wisc...

“You are not entitled to a response from us, or anyone, ever,” an Education Department spokesperson wrote to me after I repeatedly tried to get comment. In this column, my @propublica.org editor describes the pushback to our efforts to ensure fairness. www.propublica.org/article/prop...

STUNNING: Nearly a year since President Donald Trump took office, his education department’s Office for Civil Rights has not entered into a single new resolution agreement involving racial harassment of students, we found.  @jsmithrichards.bsky.social @megomatz.bsky.social @jodiscohen.bsky.social

So much to process in this story. Monkey Sounds, “White Power” and the N-Word: Racial Harassment Against Black Students Ignored Under Trump @jsmithrichards.bsky.social @megomatz.bsky.social @jodiscohen.bsky.social

Trump’s Education Department is ignoring discrimination against Black students. The department’s civil rights office has not entered into a single new agreement requiring schools to address racial harassment of students, my colleagues & I @propublica.org found. / News Tips: ProPublica.org/tips

Trump’s DOJ has offered states a ‘confidential’ deal to wipe voters flagged by feds as ineligible. Eleven states have shown a willingness to do so. Colorado & Wisconsin, however, rejected the memorandum of understanding and released copies of the proposal. stateline.org/2025/12/18/t...

Texas is using driver's licenses to compile a list of transgender people. It's unclear what the list will be used for. www.kut.org/politics/202...