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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · 13d

Iowa district hired superintendent despite false Morgan State doctorate claim on his resume

apnews.com/article/ian-...

Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · 18d

apnews.com/article/iowa... ICE arrests leader of Iowa's largest public school district, calling him a 'criminal alien'

ICE arrests leader of Iowa's largest public school district, calling him a 'criminal alien'

Federal immigration agents have arrested the leader of Iowa’s largest school district in a targeted enforcement action that shocked students and educators. U.S.

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Jul 12

apnews.com/article/texa...

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Jun 24

Grassley calls on AG Bondi to fix mismanagement, claims backlog at benefits program for deceased officers apnews.com/article/gras...

Sen. Grassley calls delays at a benefits program for deceased officers 'absolutely unacceptable'

A powerful U.S. senator is calling on the Trump administration to fix a growing claims backlog at the program that promises benefits when police and firefighters die or become disabled in the line of ...

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Jun 14

The program did recently pay the wife and kids of Ronald Donat, whose 2021 death in training in Georgia was the subject of an AP investigation in February. Read about that and other takeaways - apnews.com/article/publ...

Takeaways from AP’s investigation of US death benefits program for public safety officers

A federal program that provides benefits to the families of police and firefighters who die and become disabled on duty is rapidly growing while facing criticism for increasing delays in deciding clai...

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Jun 14

AP investigation: 16 years after a Border Patrol agent died in training, his wife and kids are still being denied federal benefits that have been paid out after several similar deaths. The case shows how more grieving families are waiting years and getting denied aid apnews.com/article/offi...

A Border Patrol agent died in 2009. His widow is still fighting a backlogged US program for benefits

When her husband died during a U.S. Border Patrol training program for new agents, Lisa Afolayan applied for the federal benefits promised to families of first responders whose lives are cut short die...

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Jun 11

Always great to see when an investigation has impact. Experts are pushing for policy and cultural changes to save lives after my reporting documented a surprising number of recruits dying from heat and exertion at police academies apnews.com/article/poli...

Experts call for action to prevent deaths at US police academies, citing AP investigation

A panel of experts is calling for changes to prevent deaths linked to heat and exertion at the nation’s police academies.

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · May 6

Really proud of the impactful journalism — and the remarkable AP, Frontline and Howard Centers team that produced it — that was honored today as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. See it here: www.pulitzer.org/finalists/22...

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · May 5

‘It’s going to be devastating’ — apnews.com/article/afge... AFGE president says downsizing after Trump's exec order threatens the union's survival

AFGE president says downsizing after Trump's order threatens the union's survival

The president of the nation’s largest union for federal workers says the organization’s ongoing staff downsizing will devastate the services it provides members and threatens the group’s survival.

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Reposted by Ryan J. Foley

Carla K. Johnson @carlakjohnson.bsky.social · May 2

The email went to grantees working on research related to families, asking them to update their contact information in an attached spreadsheet. But the spreadsheet mistakenly included the department’s secret plans to terminate more than 150 research grants. My colleague Ryan J. Foley has the scoop.

Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · May 2

apnews.com/article/chil... Email mistake reveals secret plans to end research on Head Start and other child safety net programs

Email mistake reveals secret plans to end research on Head Start and other child safety net programs

A Department of Health and Human Services employee has emailed dozens of people this week, mistakenly including plans to slash research related to child safety net programs.

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · May 2

apnews.com/article/chil... Email mistake reveals secret plans to end research on Head Start and other child safety net programs

Email mistake reveals secret plans to end research on Head Start and other child safety net programs

A Department of Health and Human Services employee has emailed dozens of people this week, mistakenly including plans to slash research related to child safety net programs.

apnews.com

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Apr 24

apnews.com/article/afge...

Largest federal employee union, a leading Trump opponent, to lay off more than half of staff

The largest union for federal employees plans to lay off more than half its staff nationwide after President Donald Trump’s anti-union executive orders have rapidly weakened the organization’s finance...

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Apr 20

apnews.com/article/doge...

This Midwestern city has long been a federal hub. The pain from DOGE’s cuts is everywhere

The Kansas City, Missouri, metropolitan area has long been a regional hub for the federal government, and the pain from the Trump administration's cuts can be seen everywhere.

apnews.com

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Mar 14

GSA records obtained by AP contain a crucial detail that DOGE has not shared with the public: the dates when hundreds of federal offices and buildings will lose their leases this year apnews.com/article/doge...

Hundreds of federal offices could begin closing this summer at DOGE's behest, internal records show

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency is listing all the federal real estate leases it is ending, but new records obtained by The Associated Press show when those cancellations are expected ...

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Mar 8

apnews.com/article/doge... Meet Amy Gleason, the DOGE administrator who may — or may not — be wielding extraordinary power

Meet Amy Gleason, the DOGE administrator who may — or may not — be wielding extraordinary power

Amy Gleason, the acting administrator of the U.S. DOGE Service, is not a household name. But as Elon Musk’s effort to dramatically reduce the federal government faces a series of legal challenges, the...

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Feb 25

Hundreds of the federal contracts canceled by DOGE, nearly 40% in all, are expected to produce no savings to taxpayers

apnews.com/article/doge... Nearly 40% of contracts canceled by DOGE are expected to produce no savings

Nearly 40% of contracts canceled by DOGE are expected to produce no savings

Nearly 40% of the federal contracts that the Trump administration claims to have canceled as part of its signature cost-cutting program aren’t expected to save any money.

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Feb 18

8 -- Some are taking action to prevent future deaths. Several departments who have had deaths now screen for sickle cell trait. And Arkansas passed a law requiring instructors to get more training on health risks and medical intervention.

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Feb 18

7 -- Typically there’s little or no investigation, in rare cases not even an autopsy. Departments characterize the deaths as one-off tragedies, rather than the potential result of more systemic issues.

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Feb 18

6 -- Police recruits are treated differently than sworn officers who die in the line of duty. No organization tracks their deaths, and their relatives face uphill battles seeking death benefits and recognition on law enforcement memorials.

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Feb 18

5 -- Sickle cell trait explains part of the racial disparity. Autopsies show the condition contributed to several deaths of Black recruits. Unlike the NCAA and military, police departments typically do not screen for it.

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Feb 18

4 -- Nearly 60% of the recruits who died are Black, even though Black officers make up only about 12% of local police forces apnews.com/article/poli...

Takeaways from AP's investigation into dozens of deaths of police recruits

When a sheriff’s deputy died at a police academy in Evansville, Indiana, two years ago, law enforcement leaders said he'd collapsed in routine training.

apnews.com

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Feb 18

3 -- The number of deaths is growing at a time when departments are pushing to fill officer vacancies, tapping an older and more diverse pool. One expert warned about the deaths in 2023. But at least five more were recorded in 2024, including NYPD recruit Edgar Ordonez, who died of heat stroke

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Feb 18

2 -- Most of the deaths came after intense exertion during training drills, sometimes during high temperatures. Others involved grueling fight-for-your-life simulations, boxing or high-stakes timed runs www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQTY...

More police recruits are dying during training, AP investigation finds

YouTube video by Associated Press

www.youtube.com

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Feb 18

1 – We documented the deaths of at least 29 recruits participating in basic law enforcement training over the last decade apnews.com/article/poli...

Dying to serve: Dozens of recruits have died nationwide while training to become police officers

At least 29 recruits have died during basic training at law enforcement academies nationwide in the last decade.

apnews.com

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Ryan J. Foley @rjfoley.bsky.social · Feb 18

After a deputy died during training at a police academy in Indiana, the agency said he'd been participating in routine training.
I started hearing about other deaths around the country, and set out to investigate what was going on.
Today the @AP published the project. A thread:

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