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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

Ken Schwencke @schwanksta.com · 5d

In the spring, Trump cut $500 million from aid to food banks.

But they had already ordered 94 million pounds of food from the program — all abruptly canceled.

People at food banks noticed. The cuts meant less meat and lighter pickups.

We visualized it:

projects.propublica.org/trump-food-c...

Trump Canceled 94 Million Pounds of Food Aid. Here’s What Never Arrived.

ProPublica obtained records from the Department of Agriculture that detail the millions of pounds of food, down to the number of eggs, that never reached food banks because of the administration’s cut...

projects.propublica.org

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Nicole Santa Cruz @nicolesantacruz.bsky.social · Aug 15

As federal authorities sweep homeless encampments in D.C. , I want to resurface the reporting we @propublica.org did last year on the possessions people lose, which include the things they need to survive: projects.propublica.org/homeless-enc...

Swept Away: What Cities Really Take When They Sweep Homeless Encampments

People say having their possessions — from birth certificates to loved ones’ ashes — taken in “sweeps” traumatizes them, exacerbates health issues and undermines efforts to find housing and get or kee...

projects.propublica.org

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

Ken Schwencke @schwanksta.com · Jul 23

Hot off the @propublica.org presses: We're publishing bios of all 238 of the Venezuelan men who Trump sent to CECOT in an interactive database: projects.propublica.org/venezuelan-i...

The Men Trump Deported to a Salvadoran Prison

On March 15, President Donald Trump’s administration sent more than 230 Venezuelan immigrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Last week, the men were released as suddenly as they’d been t...

projects.propublica.org

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Nicole Santa Cruz @nicolesantacruz.bsky.social · Jun 23

Super relevant:

Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · Jun 22

Way back in 2011, my then-colleague @mariancw.bsky.social wrote a primer for @propublica.org on the War Powers Act. Worth a read today: What Exactly Is the War Powers Act and Is Obama Really Violating It?

What Exactly Is the War Powers Act and Is Obama Really Violating It?

The Obama administration is certainly sidestepping the controversial law known as the War Powers Act, but in doing so he’s following a well-worn path.

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

Tracy Jan @tracyjan.bsky.social · Jun 23

Was wonderful connecting with so many reporters (and editors!) from local newsrooms at #IRE25 @ire.org in New Orleans!

Looking forward to reading your project proposals in the coming weeks.

And remember, we’re here to help you fine tune your proposals.

Email us at [email protected]

Tracy Jan @tracyjan.bsky.social · Jun 12

Come work with me & my Big Brain, Big Heart colleagues as part of @propublica.org's Local Reporting Network!

Got an idea for a must-read local investigation that could make a difference in your community?

We want to know about it!

Deadline: 5 p.m. ET July 21

Reporters selected will start Oct. 1

ProPublica Opens Application for Five New Local Partners to Join Its 50 State Initiative

ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.

www.propublica.org

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Nicole Santa Cruz @nicolesantacruz.bsky.social · Jun 16

ICYMI, Latest w/@davebiscobing15.bsky.social‬: Arizona's largest county frequently pursues the death penalty. It rarely secures that sentence: www.propublica.org/article/mari...

Arizona’s Largest County Frequently Pursues the Death Penalty. It Rarely Secures That Sentence.

In nearly 350 death penalty cases Maricopa County prosecutors pursued over 20 years, just 13% ended in a death sentence. The numbers indicate the need for a more deliberate and transparent process to ...

www.propublica.org

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Nicole Santa Cruz @nicolesantacruz.bsky.social · May 24

My latest: DOJ abandons effort to address Phoenix's treatment of homeless people www.propublica.org/article/phoe...

DOJ Abandons Effort to Address Phoenix’s Treatment of Homeless People

The Justice Department retracted findings of constitutional violations in Phoenix and five other jurisdictions. Advocates say the move could further embolden cities and police departments to marginali...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · May 1

Today, we issued a letter — signed by 70% of our unit — to @sengelberg.bsky.social and @robinsparkman.bsky.social asking them to uphold ProPublica’s values of fairness, transparency and accountability at the bargaining table.

Dear Steve and Robin,
Since we unionized in 2023, we have worked hard to reach a contract that honors ProPublica's
mission. In order to fulfill that vision, our values of fairness, transparency and accountability
must apply not only to our reporting but also to our workplace.
Our proposals have sought basic contractual rights that align with those values and exist at
many other unionized newsrooms.
Instead of working with us to codify those rights, you have struck through many of our
proposals, called for broad carve outs and delayed discussion of key provisions such as
protections against layoffs and overwork. Those tactics are not in line with the ProPublica you
say you want to build.
In recent months:
● You have refused to allow stewards in performance meetings that could lead to
discipline.
● You have resisted attempts to reform our disciplinary system, rejecting a standard
approach to just cause and measures to improve transparency and clarity.
● You rejected our proposal that would ensure our jobs will not be replaced by artificial
intelligence.
What we are seeking is simple: ProPublica management must uphold its values in its own
workplace. We expect that your proposals going forward will reflect these shared values.
Sincerely,
ProPublica Guild

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

McKenzie Funk @mckenziefunk.com · Apr 1

THREAD: Last year, ProPublica started receiving tips from an unusual kind of source: flight attendants. They said they'd worked on deportation flights for ICE, and they could tell us what it was really like on board. 1/

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Nicole Santa Cruz @nicolesantacruz.bsky.social · Feb 8

Dog literally sinking into the couch

Brown goldendoodle laying on top of couch cushions

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

taliabuford.bsky.social @taliabuford.bsky.social · Feb 6

We're hiring two deputy editors join @propublica.org's award winning data & news apps teams, led by @schwanksta.com:

🧮5+ years in data or investigative journalism
➕ Supervising experience a plus
📌Remote friendly in U.S.
💰$140K - $150K

Data: grnh.se/133da8df6us
News Apps: grnh.se/4a6ceea76us

Deputy Data Editor

New York, New York, United States

grnh.se

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

Asia Fields @asiafields.bsky.social · Feb 4

People who experienced homeless encampment sweeps in Washington state and Tennessee wrote about the impact it had on their lives.

Our team @propublica.org added these to our page featuring stories from people across the country: projects.propublica.org/impact-of-ho...

A notecard with the prompt, "What is something that was important to you that was taken in a sweep? How did it impact you?" The handwritten statement below says, "My momma’s ashes were displayed on my table in my tent. I came back one day — and EVERYTHING was gone, including her ashes. They were clearly labled ‘In loving memory — my mom, my best friend…’ and her name. Her ashes were all that I had left of her. No one stored my stuff. I called tons of places and NO ONE knew anything. It is very difficult for me still, everyday. No warning, no remorse, nothing."

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

Melissa Sanchez @melissa-sanchez.bsky.social · Jan 31

Take a look at our story, and Ben's gorgeous photography, to get better understand the human impact of Trump's threat to deport millions of people.

www.propublica.org/article/immi...

How One Immigrant Community Is Coping With the Threat of Deportation

The Nicaraguans who keep Wisconsin’s dairy farms, restaurants and factories working are sending home their most prized possessions, bracing for potential mass deportations. “We don’t have much, but wh...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

Melody Joy Kramer, MLIS @mkramer.bsky.social · Jan 21

💪❤️🇺🇸

www.propublica.org/tips/federal...

Do You Work For the Federal Government? ProPublica Wants To Hear From You.

We’re doubling down on our coverage of government agencies and federal policy. With your help, we can dig deeper.

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

Longreads @longreads.com · Jan 9

"I can't get any sort of anything that I might get attached to."

Maya Miller, @asiafields.bsky.social , @nicolesantacruz.bsky.social , and Ruth Talbot for @propublica.org

“I Have Lost Everything”: The Toll of Cities’ Homeless Sweeps

Cities often take belongings — including important documents and irreplaceable mementos — when they conduct sweeps of homeless encampments. ProPublica gave notecards to people across the country so…

projects.propublica.org

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

Nicole Foy @nicolefoy.bsky.social · Jan 2

One of the last ICE workplace raids in 2020? A Bollinger shipyard in Louisiana, which has major Coast Guard & Navy contracts. Company execs donate heavily to Speaker Mike Johnson & Majority Leader Steve Scalise

Will Trump deport immigrants building America's ships? My latest for @propublica.org

Trump Has Promised to Build More Ships. He May Deport the Workers Who Help Make Them.

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to increase the pace of U.S. military shipbuilding. But his pledge to also clamp down on immigration could make it hard for shipyards already facing workforce...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

Joel Jacobs @joeljacobs.bsky.social · Jan 3

ICYMI: Last week @megomatz.bsky.social and I reported on how the tribal lending industry has survived and thrived offering exorbitant online loans to millions of borrowers — with APRs that can exceed 600%.
www.propublica.org/article/trib...

We’ve been investigating this opaque industry for months:🧵

The Tribal Lending Industry Offers Quick Cash Online at Outrageous Interest Rates. Here’s How It’s Survived.

Despite lawsuits, prosecutions and federal crackdown attempts, the tribal lending industry has adapted for over a decade, providing exorbitant loans to millions of financially vulnerable consumers.

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

Duaa Eldeib @deldeib.bsky.social · Dec 31

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...

Her Mental Health Treatment Was Helping. That’s Why Insurance Cut Off Her Coverage.

Providers, patients and even some federal judges say progress-based insurance denials harm patients at key moments of mental health treatment.

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · Dec 30

NEW, from me: Shaken baby syndrome--a diagnosis that has resulted in wrongful convictions across the country--continues to shape criminal prosecutions and child welfare investigations, under the name "abusive head trauma."

My story of what happened to one family.

www.propublica.org/article/shak...

He Frantically Called 911 to Revive His Infant Son. Now He Could Face 12 Years in Prison.

Exonerations and new science continue to raise questions about shaken baby syndrome, a diagnosis that lives on under a different name: “abusive head trauma.” Critics say the name deflects scrutiny whi...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

Michael Squires @mgsquires.bsky.social · Dec 30

“We wanted to help ProPublica’s readers recognize the humanity of the people we had met and talked to, so we gave them notecards and asked them to describe their experiences with sweeps.”

“I Have Lost Everything”: The Toll of Cities’ Homeless Sweeps

Cities often take belongings — including important documents and irreplaceable mementos — when they conduct sweeps of homeless encampments. ProPublica gave notecards to people across the country so th...

projects.propublica.org

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

ProPublica @propublica.org · Dec 27

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.

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

ProPublica @propublica.org · Dec 27

Unhoused people told us they already feel like they’re seen as problems to be solved, not people to be helped.

In reporting on the issue, we wanted to help ProPublica’s readers recognize the humanity of the people we had met and talked to.

By @nicolesantacruz.bsky.social

What I Learned Reporting in Cities That Take Belongings From Homeless People

Some cities take people’s belongings — ignoring their own policies and court orders — and then fail to store them. Our reporting shows there are more effective and compassionate ways to deal with…

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Nicole Santa Cruz @nicolesantacruz.bsky.social · Dec 28

Taking some time to reflect on my year and feeling particularly grateful for the many people who helped me stay afloat (shout out to our babysitter). Trying to parent AND be good at your job is hard (and we don’t talk about it enough)!

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · Dec 18

New from me: Changing Laws and Changing Lives: Why ProPublica Is Dedicated to Local Investigations

Changing Laws and Changing Lives: Why ProPublica Is Dedicated to Local Investigations

Managing Editor Charles Ornstein explains the many ways ProPublica is trying to help fill the void left by local newsrooms shrinking and closing across the country.

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Nicole Santa Cruz

Annie Waldman @anniewaldman.bsky.social · Dec 13

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...

👇

UnitedHealth Is Strategically Limiting Access to Critical Treatment for Kids With Autism

Leaked internal documents show that the insurance giant is culling providers of applied behavior analysis from its network and scrutinizing the medical necessity of therapy. Advocates say the company’...

www.propublica.org

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