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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak

@alikodjak.bsky.social
16K followers 560 following 373 posts

Assistant Managing Editor @ProPublica. Former @NPR, @APNews, @Business. Past President of the National Press Club. Your news tips welcome here!

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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Read this thread about our experiment with online sports betting. ⬇️⬇️⬇️. @propublica.org
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Reposted by Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak
ProPublica @propublica.org · 26/09/2026
Hey, ProPublica reporter Jake Pearson here. I’m taking over the account to tell you about my new story. For months, I posed as a problem gambler on DraftKings to test the company's "responsible gaming" safeguards. Spoiler alert: They made me a VIP — and I lost $10K. Here's how it all went down. 🧵
Selfie taken by ProPublica reporter Jake Pearson, a man wearing a backwards baseball cap and an orange T-shirt.
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The online sports betting companies say they don't need regulation because they put guardrails in place to prevent gamblers from going too far. @propublica.org gave reporter Jake Pearson some money and had him put that assertion to the test. Read on! www.propublica.org/article/draf...
propublica.org
I Deliberately Bet Like a Problem Gambler. DraftKings Made Me a VIP.
Amid growing public health concerns, operators like DraftKings have touted “responsible gaming” tools and prompts. But as I went off the deep end, I found they were no match for the incentives and pro...
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 17/09/2026
This week, ProPublica revealed that a Russian oligarch close to President Vladimir Putin bankrolled Donald Trump Jr.’s Bahamas wedding festivities. Join our reporters on Sept. 23 for a behind-the-scenes conversation. 🗓️ RSVP: events.propublica.org/don-jr-weddi...
Graphic titled "Bankrolled: How a Russian Oligarch Funded Donald Trump Jr.'s Wedding Weekend." Text below reads: The inside story of how ProPublica traced the lavish three-day party back to a secret benefactor. Wednesday, Sept. 23. 4 p.m. EST. An image shows dozens of people in a group wedding photo on a beach, including Donald Trump Jr.; his wife, Bettina; and Tiffany Trump. An arrow points to Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, labeled as "Don Jr.'s secret benefactor," in the back row.
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
In 2024, the FBI sought to launch a sweeping pay-to-play investigation examining interactions between Sen. Susan Collins and a top donor, records and emails show. @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
propublica.org
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way
After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
theatlantic.com
Pay No Attention to the Russian Oligarch at My Wedding Weekend
He’s just a dear friend we know nothing about!
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Sports is big business across the world -- with huge amounts of money and often children's health and futures at stake. @propublica.org is going to be there. @propublica.org @ggarciaroberts.bsky.social @mlb.com www.propublica.org/article/prop...
propublica.org
Why ProPublica Is Leaning Into Sports Investigations
Sports is a wealthy, powerful industry. We’ll cover the system instead of the games. We’ll ask who’s responsible for some of its biggest problems and who’s preventing them from being fixed.
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Have a tip for @propublica.org? Here's how to share it with us -- confidentially if you want. We read each and every one! www.propublica.org/tips/
propublica.org
How to Contact ProPublica or Send a Tip Securely — ProPublica
Our job is to hold people and institutions accountable. To do that, we need evidence.
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
That was fast.... www.propublica.org/article/dona.... @propublica.org
propublica.org
Top Oversight Dem Opens Investigation of Donald Trump Jr.’s Russian Oligarch-Funded Wedding
Rep. Robert Garcia said the revelations that Umar Kremlev had bankrolled the wedding raise “serious national security and public corruption concerns” and requested the president’s son provide financia...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Papa Johns, Propaganda and Putin: How a MAGA Influencer With Ties to Russia Became Trump’s Arctic Adviser www.propublica.org/article/thom...
propublica.org
How a MAGA Influencer With Ties to Russia Became Trump’s Arctic Adviser
As head of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, Thomas Dans has backed a takeover of Greenland and other items on President Donald Trump’s list. But it’s not always clear where the administration’s ag...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
youtu.be/_5_P7pS63hU?...
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Why is a Russian oligarch close to Putin bankrolling Don Jr.'s wedding? ProPublica drops BOMBSHELL
YouTube video by MS NOW
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
A spokesperson for Trump Jr.’s brother Eric said of Kremlev: “Eric has absolutely no clue who this person is, nor has never heard his name.” www.propublica.org/article/dona...
propublica.org
Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Bankrolled by Putin-Linked Russian Oligarch
The oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island. He appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, but he attended the intimate wedding with a large...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Donald Trump Jr.’s Bahamas Wedding Was Secretly Bankrolled by Russian Oligarch Close to Putin www.propublica.org/article/dona...
propublica.org
Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Bankrolled by Putin-Linked Russian Oligarch
The oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island. He appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, but he attended the intimate wedding with a large...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
When the league proposed changes that would have eliminated early deals and made it more difficult for moneylenders to prey on baseball families, David Ortiz used his influence within the powerful players union to help block the reform. @propublica.org @mlb.com www.propublica.org/article/how-...
propublica.org
How the Dominican Baseball Factory Traps Young Players and Their Families With False Promises
Teams make handshake deals with players as young as 11 while moneylenders prey on their families. The industry is corrupt, but Major League Baseball and the players union have done little about it.
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Major League Baseball built a pipeline in the Dominican Republic to scout superstars like David “Big Papi” Ortiz. But there’s an open secret: It enables an industry that financially exploits scores of kids and their families each year. @mlb.com @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/how-...
propublica.org
How the Dominican Baseball Factory Traps Young Players and Their Families With False Promises
Teams make handshake deals with players as young as 11 while moneylenders prey on their families. The industry is corrupt, but Major League Baseball and the players union have done little about it.
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The Trump administration is poised to loosen environmental restrictions on oil and gas wells that produce very little energy but release vast amounts of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas. @propublica.org @alexcuadros.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/meth...
propublica.org
EPA to Loosen Methane Rules, Boosting Pollution From Oil and Gas Wells
The Environmental Protection Agency is finalizing a rule that’ll drastically weaken restrictions on “stripper wells,” which tend to be old, poorly maintained and prone to leaking methane, the highly p...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
A devastating look at the way Major League Baseball looks the other way as little boys in the Dominican Republic are churned through baseball mills, exploited and ripped off as they try to lift their families out of poverty by playing ball. www.propublica.org/article/how-...
propublica.org
How the Dominican Baseball Factory Traps Young Players and Their Families With False Promises
Teams make handshake deals with players as young as 11 while moneylenders prey on their families. The industry is corrupt, but Major League Baseball and the players union have done little about it.
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
www.notus.org/agencies/tru...
notus.org
Trump’s Quietly Working to Give Part of Yosemite to a Private Developer
The National Park Service is under pressure to make an unprecedented deal that cedes a quarter-mile strip of the park.
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
These were schools that were funded like public schools but didn’t operate with the same oversight or transparency. @propublica.org @megomatz.bsky.social At “Quasi-Public” Private Schools, 100% of Students Get Tuition Vouchers. There’s Almost No Accountability. www.propublica.org/article/priv...
propublica.org
At “Quasi-Public” Private Schools, 100% of Students Get Tuition Vouchers. There’s Almost No Accountability.
Private schools — even those that are heavily dependent on taxpayer funding — often operate without the scrutiny public schools are subject to. Following the money at one Milwaukee private school reve...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
This one's a banger! @jessecoburn.bsky.social @propublica.org @nickvarchaver.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/gene...
propublica.org
Fiasco in the Factory: Taxpayers Funded a $533 Million Artillery Plant That Made Nothing
General Dynamics opened a Texas factory to churn out artillery shells for Ukraine, but the machines kept breaking. Robot arms smashed into things. Hunks of metal crashed to the floor. There was even a...
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Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
The ACLU has just detailed hundreds of cases of misconduct by immig agents: -kneeling on necks 52x -Agents choking people 10x -smashing car windows 47x -ramming cars 14x -Hit people w/ car 6x Report repeatedly cites ProPublica's reporting B/c transparency takes a village--when the govt blocks it
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Digital escorts? No, they are not what you think they are. Listen to our latest podcast to find out how Microsoft used digital escorts to help maintain government systems. It's a master class in tough journalism by @reneedudley.bsky.social @propublica.org www.propublica.org/podcast/micr...
propublica.org
How Microsoft’s “Little Workaround” Created a Major Pentagon Threat
A little-known Microsoft program allowed China-based engineers to service the U.S. government’s sensitive computer systems — until reporter Renee Dudley found out about it.
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Early last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis began signing death warrants at a faster rate than ever before. What followed was the most intense period of executions the state has carried out in more than eight decades. @pamelacolloff.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/flor...
propublica.org
Florida Is Executing Prisoners at a Record Pace, Even as Most of the U.S. Abandons the Death Penalty
Early last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis began signing death warrants at a faster rate than ever before. What followed was the most intense period of executions the state has carried out in more than eight ...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Shadow docket overtakes regular business at the Supreme Court. www.propublica.org/article/supr...
propublica.org
A Troubling Milestone: Most Supreme Court Rulings Are Secretive Votes With Little Justification
ProPublica conducted a new analysis that shows the court is deciding more consequential rulings than ever before in largely unsigned orders with little to no explanation.
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Maddie Stone @themadstone.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
But what about direct influence? My paper trail showed BP clearly *trying* to shape the wedges paper, but did the company succeed? To understand that, I reached out to Socolow and Pacala. Both, to their credit, gave me an extraordinary amount of time.
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
This diagram is from @propublica.org and @drilledmedia.bsky.social latest story: www.propublica.org/article/wedg...
propublica.org
How BP Execs Influenced a Climate Study That Shaped a Generation of Global Policy
BP sponsored an elite Princeton research center to address the climate problem without getting off fossil fuels. Its key work, a paper known as “Wedges,” guided climate discourse for a generation.
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Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
A good explainer about why it’s wise to be very skeptical of industrial carbon capture schemes…. projects.propublica.org/why-carbon-c...
projects.propublica.org
False Promises: The “Solution” to the Climate Crisis That Won’t Work
As global leaders look to tech advances to solve climate change, one leading idea involves capturing carbon pollution from the air and burying it underground forever. While carbon capture may sound pr...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
projects.propublica.org/carbon-captu...
projects.propublica.org
Carbon Captured
How the fossil fuel industry turned the plan to solve climate change into a plan to save itself
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
I Cold-Called President Trump. Here’s What He Told Me About an Oil Tycoon and Major Donor. www.propublica.org/article/prop...
propublica.org
I Cold-Called President Trump. Here’s What He Told Me About an Oil Tycoon and Major Donor.
I was hoping the president would give me some color about his relationship with billionaire Jeffery Hildebrand. I walked away with a clearer picture of what matters in Washington right now.
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
At least a dozen investors with addresses in mainland China, Hong Kong or Russia acquired stakes in SpaceX years ago through a middleman firm called Tomales Bay Capital. Before SpaceX IPO, Investors in China Secretly Acquired Stakes www.propublica.org/article/spac...
propublica.org
Before SpaceX IPO, Investors in China Secretly Acquired Stakes
One previously unreported SpaceX investor has ties to Chinese military contractors. The information was revealed only after ProPublica went to court to obtain it.
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
"I hear he does a good job" : President Trump on Jeffrey Hildebrand Trump Plans to Protect Methane-Leaking Stripper Wells. This Billionaire Donor Will Benefit. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
Trump Plans to Protect Methane-Leaking Stripper Wells. This Billionaire Donor Will Benefit.
Oil tycoon Jeffery Hildebrand gave millions to Donald Trump’s 2024 election campaign. He is set to reap a financial windfall as the EPA moves to weaken restrictions on wells like his that produce very...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
A U.S. Senator Pushed to Cut Firefighting Aircraft Inspections the Same Month His Former Company Failed One www.propublica.org/article/tim-...
propublica.org
A U.S. Senator Pushed to Cut Firefighting Aircraft Inspections the Same Month His Former Company Failed One
Before entering politics, Tim Sheehy ran an aerial firefighting company, Bridger Aerospace. In the Senate, he has sought to cut regulations and expand the government’s use of private aircraft on wildf...
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Ken Tremendous @kentremendous.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
I’ve put a couple kids in the hospital but
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
youtu.be/4xqvOGVVBYU?...
youtu.be
Why Oil Field Wastewater Is Bubbling Up All Over This State | ProPublica Docs
YouTube video by ProPublica
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
The administration's quotes are something in this story. Give it a read. @nicolefoy.bsky.social @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/immi...
propublica.org
Why Have Immigration Agents Detained This American Citizen Three Times?
Leonardo Garcia Venegas, a U.S. citizen whose prior detentions went viral and were detailed by ProPublica, was recently detained for a third time — and shackled. “I just want to live in peace,” he say...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Hey y’all ProPublica has a new podcast based on our great reporting. Listen here to the first episode podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
podcasts.apple.com
What the FDA Won’t Tell You About Your Medications
Podcast Episode · Paper Trail · May 14 · 39m
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Immigrants aren't the only ones being picked up by ICE and the Border Patrol. Hundreds of US citizens have been arrested while protesting the immigration sweeps. www.propublica.org/article/caug...
propublica.org
Caught in the Crackdown: As Arrests at Anti-ICE Protests Piled Up, Prosecutions Crumbled
ProPublica and FRONTLINE found more than 300 protesters and bystanders who were arrested on charges like assaulting an immigration agent or interfering with law enforcement. Over and over, the accusat...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
www.propublica.org/article/fede...
propublica.org
The Federal Government Is Rushing Toward AI. Our Reporting Offers Three Cautionary Tales.
We’ve been reporting on cybersecurity for years. As President Donald Trump and his Cabinet say artificial intelligence will transform the nation, the messaging isn’t new. It follows a familiar pattern...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Courts are weighing more than 30 lawsuits accusing fossil fuel companies of misrepresenting climate risks posed by their products. A goal of the legislation is to block these cases from going forward and prevent new ones from being filed. @abrahm.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/clim...
propublica.org
“Economic Civil War”: States Push Laws to Shield Oil and Gas Companies From Accountability
Most of the 15 bills being considered are part of a coordinated effort by groups linked to right-wing activist Leonard Leo.
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Szabo has been soliciting input and even specific regulatory language from oil industry groups that stand to gain from watered-down methane rules, according to internal emails, calendar entries and records of closed-door conversations reviewed by ProPublica. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
The Trump EPA Official in Charge of Methane Regulations Helped Write Oil Industry Argument Against Those Rules
Before becoming a top official at the Environmental Protection Agency, Aaron Szabo was a lobbyist for the oil and gas industry. Metadata shows he helped draft a trade group’s 2022 letter to the EPA ob...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
The VA under Trump cut tens of thousands of jobs while promising that “This administration is finally going to give the veterans what they want,” Secretary Doug Collins said last March. But as hundreds of mental health care providers have left, some vets are struggling. @propublica.org
propublica.org
Veterans Who Depend on Mental Health Care Keep Losing Their Therapists Under Trump
Hundreds of mental health professionals have left the Department of Veterans Affairs since President Donald Trump took office, leaving staff “at a breaking point” and some veterans waiting as long as ...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
So proud of my colleagues Brett Murphy, Anna Barry-Jester and Andy Kroll, along with the vast team that contributed to these great stories, including Kirsten Berg, Alex Mierjeski, Lisa Seville, Katie Campbell and so many others. @propublica.org www.propublica.org/atpropublica...
propublica.org
ProPublica Wins Polk Awards for International Reporting and Political Reporting
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 16/02/2026
ProPublica received eight handwritten letters from children who have been held at the detention center that 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was recently released from. We'll let their words speak for themselves.
propublica.org
“I Have Been Here Too Long”: Read Letters from the Children Detained at ICE’s Dilley Facility
Hundreds of children are currently being held with their parents at an immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas. In letters and drawings, eight kids convey the pain of feeling trapped with no end...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
After Trump pardoned former Honduran Pres. Hernandez - who was in prison for allowing 400 tons of cocaine to be trafficked to the US - prison officials paid a specialized tactical team overtime to drive him from West Virginia to the Waldorf Astoria in New York www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
Amid Mass ICE Arrests, Trump Pardon Recipient Juan Orlando Hernández Given Special Treatment
After the former Honduran president was pardoned, ICE dropped its detainer on him, and he was whisked away to a luxury hotel in New York City.
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
An expanded federal tool for identifying noncitizens on voter rolls is making persistent mistakes, particularly in assessing citizenship for people born outside the U.S. @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/save...
propublica.org
“Not Ready for Prime Time.” A Federal Tool to Check Voter Citizenship Keeps Making Mistakes.
The Department of Homeland Security pushed out the revamped tool while it was still adding data. That led to widespread misidentification, particularly for citizens born outside the U.S.
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
@propublica.org is hiring! Come work with the best in the biz! job-boards.greenhouse.io/propublica
job-boards.greenhouse.io
ProPublica
<p style="margin-bottom: 1em;">ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. With a team of more than 100 dedicated journalists, ProPu...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
www.instagram.com/reel/DUrjABi...
instagram.com
ProPublica on Instagram: "An American-made hunger crisis. A worsening cholera epidemic. Last summer, reporters Brett Murphy and Anna Maria Barry-Jester journeyed to refugee camps in Kenya and South ...
4,771 likes, 93 comments - propublica on February 12, 2026: "An American-made hunger crisis. A worsening cholera epidemic. Last summer, reporters Brett Murphy and Anna Maria Barry-Jester journeyed t...
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
www.propublica.org/article/fede...
propublica.org
Under GOP Pressure, Federal Agency Pulls Climate Change Chapter From Official Manual for U.S. Judges
The “Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence” — updated for the first time in 15 years — eliminates some 90 pages about climate science and comes just as numerous climate cases make their way through ...
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10/02/2026
"This is Mia, 7 years old -- 'I don't want to be in this place. I want to be in my school'" -- Walkinshaw confronts Lyons with letters written by kids being detained by ICE
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Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak @alikodjak.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
www.propublica.org/article/drug...
propublica.org
The Clear Labels Act Would Change What You Know About Your Prescription Medication
The bill, introduced by Sens. Rick Scott and Kirsten Gillibrand, follows a bipartisan investigation that cited ProPublica’s reporting on dangerous foreign drugmakers and the medicine they continued to...
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