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Jesse Coburn

@jessecoburn.bsky.social
9.3K followers 472 following 48 posts

ProPublica reporter Get in touch: jesse.coburn@propublica.org + signal.me/#eu/xwbuF7II5GLbAxTDMR4tp… www.propublica.org/people/jesse-cob…

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Reposted by Jesse Coburn
Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
NEW FROM PP The Trump admin keeps denying immigration agents are grabbing Americans, so we tracked it 500+ Americans detained 70+ kids, some cuffed or zip-tied 60+ held after filming 36+ held for day+ w/o access to lawyer ~12 deported (yes, deported) projects.propublica.org/american-cit....
projects.propublica.org
More Than 500 U.S. Citizens Have Been Detained, Including Handcuffed or Held at Gunpoint, in Trump’s Immigration Crackdown — ProPublica
The government doesn’t track how often immigration officers detain U.S. citizens. So ProPublica did. We’ve found more than 500 Americans who were held against their will during this Trump administrati...
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Reposted by Jesse Coburn
William Turton @williamturton.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
In 2024 the former CEO of a defense contractor made a stunning confession to two FBI agents. He alleged that was the ringleader of a massive pay-to-play operation, bribing senators with campaign contributions in exchange for govt contracts. 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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Reposted by Jesse Coburn
ProPublica @propublica.org · 19/08/2026
NEW: Congress appropriated $1 trillion for defense this year, more than twice as much as the combined budget for agencies overseeing health, veterans affairs, education, housing, agriculture and justice. We’re setting out to report on how this public money is being spent.
propublica.org
The $1 Trillion Black Box
The U.S. military budget is vast and opaque. Projects touted as engineering marvels end up facing years of delays and ballooning costs. ProPublica has launched a series to report on the Pentagon’s spe...
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Reposted by Jesse Coburn
Ken Schwencke @schwanksta.com · 19/08/2026
Good morning to this beautiful #longchart showing DoD funding versus a bunch of other agencies. We're investigating the Pentagon's $1 trillion "black box" budget: www.propublica.org/article/mili...
A screenshot of the top of an article, showing a headline of "The $1 Trillion Black Box," framed by a downward-facing bar chart showing the DoD appropriations against agencies like the EPA. The bar goes to $1 trillion, with an extension to 1.4 trillion showing a proposed increase next year.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
ProPublica is undertaking a project examining U.S. military spending, budgeting and contracting. Help us report this story: www.propublica.org/getinvolved/...
propublica.org
Do You Know About U.S. Military Spending? Help ProPublica Understand Where the Money Goes.
Many Pentagon projects face delays, budget increases and performance issues. The causes of these problems are often opaque to the taxpayers who foot the bill. Help point us to the most important stori...
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
“There’s no way that you can follow the money, because it keeps getting twisted like a Rubik’s Cube. ... None of it is set up to be transparent." www.propublica.org/article/mili...
propublica.org
The $1 Trillion Black Box
The U.S. military budget is vast and opaque. Projects touted as engineering marvels end up facing years of delays and ballooning costs. ProPublica has launched a series to report on the Pentagon’s spe...
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
To tell this story, I spoke with 36 current and former employees of General Dynamics, the Army, the Pentagon and the White House. You can read my full investigation here: 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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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Such critics fear that extreme cases like this one could become more common if the Trump administration succeeds in boosting the defense budget from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
The cost of the failed artillery project in Texas is tiny compared to the total U.S. defense budget. But critics say the fiasco is a symptom of a larger problem in Washington: Expensive defense failures lead only to more spending.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
General Dynamics declined interview requests from ProPublica, and a company spokesperson said ProPublica’s reporting “fundamentally mischaracterizes the circumstances.” When asked to specify the alleged errors, the spokesperson gave no response.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Acknowledging that General Dynamics failed to “meet contract specifications,” the Army told ProPublica it will recover funding for the project by getting unspecified discounts from General Dynamics on production orders.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
One former Army official who worked in the office supervising the project called it “an absolute disaster.” The Army “should’ve gone after recovering money from General Dynamics,” he said. 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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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Here’s a photo of botched shells at the factory. They’re supposed to have perfectly smooth noses. Instead, a machine mangled the metal into something that looks like the swirl of soft-serve ice cream.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
The situation never improved. The Army, which funded the factory, ordered work halted on two of the three production lines in August 2025. By then, General Dynamics had blown through eight deadlines.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Workers told me the factory's machines kept failing in bizarre ways. Robots caught fire. The plant’s signature device cracked the steel artillery shells. Sometimes staff had to pound machines with sledgehammers to get them to work right. They still botched most shells.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
You and I — all of us taxpayers — funded this $533 million artillery plant outside of Dallas. It hasn’t produced a single usable shell. Yet the defense contractor, General Dynamics, has never been held publicly accountable. Nor has it had to pay a penny back… 1/
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
NEW: Flaming robots. Haywire Turkish machines. An actual dumpster fire. General Dynamics received $533 million from the Army to produce artillery but hasn’t made a single usable shell. ProPublica got the inside story of what went wrong. It’s a wild ride: 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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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
. @nyc.streetsblog.org published the original investigation, which you can read here: www.streetsblogprojects.org/ghost-tags-i...
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Two defendants operated dealerships that I wrote about. Neither had much ostensible operations beyond printing tens of thousands of temp tags -- worth millions of dollars on the black market. I spoke to both of them at the time, and they denied selling tags. The feds now say they were:
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
In 2023, I reported on a network of people exploiting weak rules in New Jersey and Georgia to illegally sell temporary license plates through sham car dealerships. Yesterday, DOJ announced federal charges against eleven people involved in some of those dealerships: www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr...
justice.gov
 
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
.@StreetsblogNYC published the original investigation, which you can read here: www.streetsblogprojects.org/ghost-tags-i...
streetsblogprojects.org
GHOST TAGS: Inside the Black Market for Temporary License Plates
A three-part Streetsblog investigation into the fraudulent paper tags that drivers use to skirt accountability on the road.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Two defendants operated dealerships that I wrote about. Neither had much ostensible operations beyond printing tens of thousands of temp tags -- worth millions on the black market. I spoke to both of them at the time, and they denied selling tags. The feds now say they were:
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
You can read the full story here: www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
Government by AI? Trump Administration Plans to Write Regulations Using Artificial Intelligence
The Transportation Department, which oversees the safety of airplanes, cars and pipelines, plans to use Google Gemini to draft new regulations. “We don’t need the perfect rule,” said DOT’s top lawyer....
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
I’m still reporting this story. If you work for the federal government and would like to talk confidentially, you can reach me on Signal at jesse_coburn.56 or at jesse.coburn[at]propublica.org.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Is this part of an administration-wide plan for AI-written rules? DOT’s general counsel said that Pres. Trump is “very excited” about the project and that DOT is the “point of the spear,” per meeting notes. The White House wouldn’t say. DOT and its general counsel also didn’t comment.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
At a demonstration to DOT staff, a presenter said AI can do 80-90% of the work writing regulations, some of which is just “word salad” anyways. The plan has alarmed some agency staffers, given that LLMs are error prone and incapable of human reasoning. "It seems wildly irresponsible," said one.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Federal rulemaking is an exacting process, and the stakes are high at DOT, whose regs stop pipelines from exploding and planes from falling out of the sky. Major rules can take years to write+revise. With Google Gemini, DOT’s top lawyer now expects rules drafted in 20 minutes.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
NEW: The Trump administration is planning to use AI to write federal regulations despite the risk of hallucinations. “We don't even need a very good rule,” the Transportation Department’s top lawyer said of the plan, per meeting notes reviewed by ProPublica. “We want good enough.”🧵
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Reposted by Jesse Coburn
ProPublica @propublica.org · 15/12/2025
NEW: After reporting by ProPublica revealed industry connections among Transportation Department regulators and showed how they are seeking to loosen oil and gas pipeline safety regulations, Sen. Maria Cantwell is demanding answers. By @jessecoburn.bsky.social
propublica.org
Amid Trump’s Proposed Pipeline Safety Rollbacks, Senator Questions Regulators’ Industry Ties
After reporting by ProPublica revealed industry connections among Transportation Department regulators and showed how they are seeking to loosen oil and gas pipeline safety regulations, Sen. Maria Can...
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
I'm still reporting this story. If you work for DOT or an industry regulated by the agency and have relevant information to share, my email is jesse.coburn@propublica.org and I’m on the encrypted messaging app Signal (you can message me at jesse_coburn.56).
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Read my full investigation here: www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
How Trump’s Transportation Department Is Loosening Safety Rules Meant to Protect the Public
ProPublica has identified dozens of instances in which the Trump administration’s DOT has moved to cut, soften or delay safety regulations for cars, trucks, planes, trains and even oil pipelines. Expe...
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
And the pipeline group said its members “will continue to engage with PHMSA to advance rulemakings that prioritize the safety of our members and the communities that they serve.” Kochman did not respond to requests for comment.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Regarding the industry ties of agency leadership, DOT added: “Each of the appointees are here because they care about the safety of the American people, and they have the Secretary’s full vote of confidence to carry out that mission.”
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
DOT defended its safety record, saying: “The insinuation that slashing duplicative and outdated regulations contradicts that mission isn’t just wrong — it ignores the fact that doing so enhances focus on enforcing the key rules that actually keep the American people secure.”
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
All of this has alarmed safety advocates and current + former DOT officials: "The consequence of this, of pulling back on these safety regulations, is that more daughters, mothers, children, bread winners are going to lose their lives,” said one.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
This industry/regulator alignment is clearest at DOT's pipeline safety office. It's put out a flurry of deregulatory proposals, many signed by one Trump appointee: Ben Kochman. Until January, he worked for a pipeline trade group. One proposal cribs language from his old employer.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Overseeing all of this are dozens of Trump appointees who used to work in industries regulated by DOT: lobbyists, consultants, CEOs, trade group lawyers and more. Some of them disclosed $12M to $52M in financial interests in transportation companies and adjacent industries.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Take road safety. The last admin pushed rules for speed limiters+side guards in big rigs and automatic emergency braking in cars+trucks—est. to save 1k lives annually. After industry blowback, the Trump admin has killed, made plans to weaken or signaled delays/changes for each.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
DOT is on an unprecedented deregulatory blitz. The Trump admin calls this cutting red tape. Left unmentioned is just how many of the targeted rules sought to prevent deaths/injuries. "The regulations are written in blood," one former official told me. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
How Trump’s Transportation Department Is Loosening Safety Rules Meant to Protect the Public
ProPublica has identified dozens of instances in which the Trump administration’s DOT has moved to cut, soften or delay safety regulations for cars, trucks, planes, trains and even oil pipelines. Expe...
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
NEW: Sean Duffy frequently calls safety his “top priority” as transportation secretary. But I spent months wading through regulatory notices and found something far different: that USDOT has been delaying, weakening and killing dozens of safety rules, many opposed by the transportation industry.🧵
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
ProPublica is publishing the rule drafts in their entirety: Work requirements and term limits: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26... Mixed-status families: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
The rules from the Department of Housing and Urban Development would allow major changes to public housing and Section 8 vouchers: - full-time work requirements - 2-year time limits - stripping aid from whole families if one member is in the country illegally www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
Millions Could Lose Housing Aid Under Trump Plan
Drafts of unpublished rules obtained by ProPublica detail plans that would open the door to full-time work requirements, two-year limits on living in federally supported housing and stripping aid from...
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
New: four million people could be forced to leave public housing and other federally assisted housing under new plans from the Trump administration, according to experts who reviewed drafts of two unpublished rules obtained by @propublica.org.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
New: the Trump administration is preparing to shut down seven major housing discrimination and segregation cases — including high-profile investigations in Chicago, Houston and Flint — despite findings in some that civil rights violations occurred. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
Trump Administration Prepares to Drop Seven Major Housing Discrimination Cases
Federal housing officials spent years investigating cities from Chicago to Memphis to Corpus Christi for putting industrial plants and unwanted facilities in poor, nonwhite neighborhoods. Now, under T...
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Investigations frozen. Charges withheld. Defendants emboldened not to cooperate. The Trump administration is mounting a major retreat in the government's fight against housing discrimination and segregation, according to ten federal officials. Story here: www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
How the Trump Administration Is Weakening the Enforcement of Fair Housing Laws
Starting with cases involving sexual orientation and identity, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is hobbling enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. Said one HUD attorney: “People are reall...
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Reposted by Jesse Coburn
ProPublica @propublica.org · 02/04/2025
NEW: Following reporting by ProPublica, three Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee have warned HUD against using crypto, which they said could be “dangerous, speculative, and harmful to working families.” By @jessecoburn.bsky.social
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Representatives Demand Housing Agency Halt Any Cryptocurrency Experiments
Following reporting by ProPublica, three Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee have warned HUD against using crypto, which they said could be “dangerous, speculative, and harmful to work...
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Federal investigators spent years on two major housing discrimination cases in Texas, finding what they believed were stark civil rights violations. Then the Trump Admin assumed office and quietly took steps that officials think will likely kill both cases. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
propublica.org
Federal Investigators Were Preparing Two Texas Housing Discrimination Cases — Until Trump Took Over
The government spent years probing allegations that a Dallas HOA created rules to kick poor Black people out and that Texas discriminated against minority residents in Houston after Hurricane Harvey, ...
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
New: HUD officials recently discussed using the blockchain and maybe cryptocurrency at a division that oversees billions in grants for affordable housing, homeless shelters, disaster recovery etc. A staffer said it'd be like paying grantees in "monopoly money." www.propublica.org/article/hud-...
propublica.org
U.S. Housing Agency Considers Launching Crypto Experiment
The Department of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees billions in aid and insures more than a trillion dollars in mortgages, is pondering using the blockchain and a stablecoin. One HUD offic...
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
New: DOGE has gained access to a Department of Housing and Urban Development system containing confidential personal information about hundreds of thousands of alleged victims of housing discrimination. www.propublica.org/article/doge...
propublica.org
DOGE Gains Access to Confidential Records on Housing Discrimination, Medical Details — Even Domestic Violence
While some agencies have resisted efforts by Elon Musk’s team to access confidential records, HUD has opened the door. The potential harm to privacy could be significant.
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Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
The Housing Loophole That Lets Wealthy Investors Raise Rents on Poor Tenants www.propublica.org/article/affo...
propublica.org
The Housing Loophole That Lets Wealthy Investors Raise Rents on Poor Tenants
As the U.S. struggles with a housing shortage, investors continue to exploit a gap in an affordable housing law to raise rents on 115,000 apartments. Congress has repeatedly failed to act.
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