Farmers have long relied on third-party contractors to source and manage farmworkers. But all that outsourcing makes it hard for growers to know how workers are being treated — and makes it easy to ignore when they’re treated badly. By @maxblau.bsky.social

NEW: Experts say the Fair Food Program has helped improve conditions for farmworkers who are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. But farms and produce buyers across the country have resisted joining. By @maxblau.bsky.social

Experts say the Fair Food Program has helped improve conditions for farmworkers who are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. But farms and produce buyers across the country have resisted joining. My latest for @propublica.org takes a close look at the program: www.propublica.org/article/fair...

I spoke with @thesundaylongread.bsky.social for their podcast, which was recorded live in front of the MFA students of @ugagrady.bsky.social. We chatted about how I reported on ghost networks for @propublica.org's "America's Mental Barrier" series. Listen here: sundaylongread.com/2025/09/26/p...

Sofi left behind her child in Mexico for the promise of providing him a better life by coming to the U.S. on a farmworker visa. She ended up in a trap. “Not all of us get to be smiled upon by the United States,” she said. By @maxblau.bsky.social

Kudos to UGA MFA alum @maxblau.bsky.social for reporting a terrific story and thanks to @thesundaylongread.bsky.social for featuring him and our program on its podcast. Take a listen! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...

Don't miss our Q&A with @propublica.org's @maxblau.bsky.social on bridging investigation and narrative, live at the University of Georgia. sundaylongread.com/2025/09/26/p...

I went on @slate.com's What Next podcast to discuss my ongoing H-2A visa series for @propublica.org. Listen to our convo about the perils of the program, tough choices facing foreign farmworkers, and the difficulties of clamping down on abuse and exploitation. slate.com/podcasts/wha...

Does your food come from a system of modern day slavery here in the US? I'm guest-hosting for Mary Harris today on What Next, @slate.com's daily news pod. ProPublica's @maxblau.bsky.social joined to share his reporting on H-2A visas for seasonal farmworkers, who will be more vulnerable under Trump.

In 2021, Javier Sanchez Mendoza Jr. pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in forced labor as part of a federal investigation that exposed widespread abuses of H-2A workers across Georgia. This is the story of what one of those workers endured. By @maxblau.bsky.social

"She was sold the American dream with a farmworker visa. She ended up in a nightmare." — @maxblau.bsky.social & Zaydee Sanchez @propublica.org

A big thanks to @wbur.org for chatting with me about @propublica.org's investigative series into harms happening within America's H-2A program. You can listen here: www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...

NEW: The H-2A visa program has failed to protect migrant farmworkers from wage theft, forced labor, violence and death. Here’s what experts, lawyers and advocates think would make the program safer. By @maxblau.bsky.social

Over the past few years, I’ve been fascinated with one of the largest federal investigations happening in Georgia, known as Operation Blooming Onion. So I partnered with Zaydee Sanchez to uncover the untold story of an unnamed victim at the heart of the case. 🧵

The mother of Ravi Coutinho, the subject of a recent ProPublica investigation, is suing Centene for publishing “misleading” information that gave her son a false impression about the kinds of mental health care that were actually available. By @maxblau.bsky.social‬

Ravi Coutinho died after being unable to find mental health treatment. Following @propublica.org's investigation, his mother is now suing his health insurer, saying it broke the law by publishing false information that misled its customers. My latest story: www.propublica.org/article/cent...

NEW: Of the 238 men deported to the prison in El Salvador, DHS data shows: • 130 had no U.S. criminal histories aside from immigration violations; • 32 had been convicted of crimes in the U.S.; • 6 of those were violent crimes.

1/ The day after the Antioch High shooting, Nashville police arrested a 12-year-old for posting a concerning screenshot on Instagram. His school was supposed to figure out if it was a valid threat. Instead, the school expelled him with no further investigation.

Standing in awe of the @propublica.org team helmed by @jenniferberryhawes.bsky.social that pulled off this journalistic feat: a stunning narrative that painstakingly captures Helene’s tragedies and NC’s missed opportunities. www.propublica.org/article/hurr.... www.propublica.org/article/hurr...

Our “America’s Mental Barrier” series, which examines how insurance companies interfere with access to necessary mental health care across the United States, was also named a finalist in the explanatory reporting category: www.propublica.org/series/ameri... Via @pulitzerprizes.bsky.social

📌 Free online event: On Wednesday, April 9 at 7 pm ET, watch acclaimed actors Oscar Isaac, Kathryn Erbe and Bill Camp perform this story by @maxblau.bsky.social. RSVP: towpropublica.eventbrite.com

Watch actors Oscar Isaac, Kathryn Erbe and Bill Camp perform ProPublica article “I Don’t Want to Die: Needing Mental Health Care, He Got Trapped in His Insurer’s Ghost Network" by reporter @maxblau.bsky.social. RSVP to attend this FREE event by Theater of War & WNYC on Zoom:

ProPublica and @texastribune.org took a snapshot of the blitz of executive orders President Donald Trump has signed since taking office, by tallying nearly three dozen from his first day. By @micarosenberg.bsky.social and Perla Trevizo, w/ design by @zisiga.bsky.social

Hot off the presses: projects.propublica.org/elon-musk-do...

A new report from @dol.gov has found widespread noncompliance and violations of federal law in how health plans and insurers cover mental health care, echoing the findings of a recent @propublica.org investigation. Here's the details on what DOL found: www.propublica.org/article/depa...

New: Labor Dept probe of insurers found widespread noncompliance and violations of federal law in how they cover mental health care -- findings that mirror a recent @propublica.org investigation. @deldeib.bsky.social @mayatmiller.bsky.social @anniewaldman.bsky.social @maxblau.bsky.social

Yesteday we brought you the story of how insurers have relied on doctors, some of whom “shut their eyes” to medical opinions that opposed their conclusions. Today, @mayatmiller.bsky.social and I tell you the story of how insurers cite progress as a reason to deny www.propublica.org/article/ment...

Today we published a story that took months to report & starts with a judge questioning an insurance company lawyer about how he could stand by a defense that “seems to be not true” Read about how insurers rely on doctors when denying coverage & what judges said www.propublica.org/article/ment...

A damning account of how insurers, like United, rely on the same doctors to deny mental health care, even as judges repeatedly question their calls: “puzzling,” “disingenuous”, “dishonest, “baseless” By the very best @deldeib.bsky.social @mayatmiller.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/ment...

ProPublica spoke to about 150 people who had lived in homeless encampments when cities cleared them out in “sweeps.” We distributed notecards so people could tell us about the toll in their own words. This is what they wrote.

NEW: After reviewing leaked documents, we have found UnitedHealth is strategically limiting access to a treatment for thousands of children with autism across the country in order to cut costs. Advocates say the company’s strategy may be illegal. www.propublica.org/article/unit... 👇

Let me tell you a story – one of the more haunting I’ve seen in 20 years of journalism. It’s about greed, death and denial. It took two years to unravel one doctor’s myth, a hospital’s complicity in creating it, and a documented trail of suspicious deaths…🧵

NEW: “Eat What You Kill” Hailed as a savior upon his arrival in Helena, Dr. Thomas C. Weiner became a favorite of patients and his hospital’s highest earner. As the myth surrounding the high-profile oncologist grew, so did the trail of patient harm and suspicious deaths. @davidmcswane.bsky.social

Hello BlueSky 👋 We are the workers at America's biggest investigative newsroom. We've been bargaining for our first contract for the past year. Follow us for updates on our campaign to improve our workplace! www.propublicaguild.org

NEW: Three years ago, UnitedHealthcare was sanctioned for illegally denying mental health coverage. We've found similar practices are still very much alive, after reviewing leaked documents that reveal the company’s playbook for limiting care. 🧵👇 www.propublica.org/article/unit...

Have you ever called a mental health provider listed in your insurer's directory, but couldn't make an appointment because the information was wrong? You're not alone. Regulators know that insurance directories are full of errors. Here's what I found. 🧵 www.propublica.org/article/ghos...

A third of the entire ProPublica staff is now on Bsky! Check out my colleagues here 👇

As the second Trump White House takes shape, our reporters are already digging into some issues that will require scrutiny in the coming years. We want to share some details, including how you can help inform future reporting. 👇

It's good to see a lot of familiar faces on Blue Sky. For those of you following me for the first time, I'm an investigative reporter with @propublica.org. I cover health and environmental issues across the South. Here's more about me and how to get in touch: www.propublica.org/people/max-b...