Inside TurboTax’s 20-Year Fight to Stop Americans From Filing Their Taxes for Free Using lobbying, the revolving door and “dark pattern” customer tricks, Intuit fended off the government’s attempts to make tax filing free and easy, and created its multi-billion-dollar franchise.

The 2019 ProPublica TurboTax investigation never gets old

Cooper, a dog with black and white fur, looks up solemnly. On his back is a "Paws for Fair Pay" cardboard sign. Behind him are ProPublica workers on strike, holding up signs that say "ProPublica workers on strike for a fair contract."

Cooper, our canine comrade, says Paws for Fair Pay!

If your pet is also standing in solidarity with us today, drop a photo below 🐾

Hate that we have to do this but we need a fair contract now.

A New Law Voids the IDs of Transgender Kansans. It Also Threatens Their Voting Access. - Bolts Almost as soon as Kansas lawmakers passed a new law targeting transgender people in late February, state officials started invalidating some people’s driver’s licenses without warning. The law, which ...

NEW: Kansas passed an anti-trans law that has retroactively voided the existing IDs of transgender residents.

One major implication: this effectively hinders their access to the polls given the requirements in this state.

Things are escalating in states.
boltsmag.org/kansas-trans...

The Horrors That Could Lie Ahead if Vaccines Vanish Researchers at Stanford University modeled how many people could die or be disabled in 25 years if vaccines for polio, measles, rubella or diphtheria were no longer available.

Researchers at Stanford University modeled how many people could die or be disabled in 25 years if vaccines for polio, measles, rubella or diphtheria were no longer available.

We decided to illustrate it.

It's Trans Day of Visibility, so we've made our special series about being trans on the internet completely free to read for everyone, forever.

www.theverge.com/cs/features/...

Here are a few stories from the collection:

The Horrors That Could Lie Ahead if Vaccines Vanish Researchers at Stanford University modeled how many people could die or be disabled in 25 years if vaccines for polio, measles, rubella or diphtheria were no longer available.

The Horrors That Could Lie Ahead if Vaccines Vanish: Two Stanford researchers modeled how many people polio, diphtheria, rubella and measles would kill or disable if the U.S. lost the vaccines that prevent them. @propublica.org illustrated the results. projects.propublica.org/childhood-va...

hi! I made this chart and am looking into this Q. Will report back.

randomly, same! I just bought it last week.

The Horrors That Could Lie Ahead if Vaccines Vanish Researchers at Stanford University modeled how many people could die or be disabled in 25 years if vaccines for polio, measles, rubella or diphtheria were no longer available.

“A year later, though, a scenario where no one can get these vaccines doesn’t feel as far-fetched, Kiang said. “Every week that goes by,” he said, “that seems more plausible.””

projects.propublica.org/childhood-va...

To show the possible deaths from measles we went super abstract – a spooky blob scaling from 6 to 290,000. Illustrations by Daniel Zender.

Here's the story: projects.propublica.org/childhood-va...

2/2

To show the possible deaths from measles we went super abstract – a spooky blob scaling from 6 to 290,000. Illustrations by Daniel Zender.

Here's the story: projects.propublica.org/childhood-va...

2/2

Visualizing scale, especially when there's a degree of uncertainty, is often tricky. For today's @propublica.org story on potential deaths and disabilities without vaccines, we tried to use illustration to convey an overwhelming scale (instead of traditional charts). 1/2

The Horrors That Could Lie Ahead if Vaccines Vanish Researchers at Stanford University modeled how many people could die or be disabled in 25 years if vaccines for polio, measles, rubella or diphtheria were no longer available.

How many people could die or suffer permanent disabilities if vaccines vanished in the United States? We (@propublica.org) illustrated the possibilities, based on modeling from researchers at Stanford University. projects.propublica.org/childhood-va...

In recent days, AMA communications to the New York Times have requested a correction on their part to reflect the actual language the AMA used in response to their inquiry. Additionally, a letter to the editor has been submitted requesting a public correction—this was neither a policy change nor was it an endorsement of a position taken by another medical society. In addition, during Congressional testimony in mid-March, I had the opportunity to set the record straight stating to the Subcommittee on Health of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that there has been no change in AMA policy with respect to access to and provision of gender-affirming care. This will appear in the Congressional Record.

The American Medical Association directly responds to New York Times coverage mischaracterizing their posiiton on gender affirming care for trans young people.

cloud.e.ama-assn.org/newsletter?u...

A scatterplot depicts credit scores on the x-axis and interest rates on the y-axis. Each dot on the plot represents the mean interest rate for all loans by that lender at that credit score between 2019 and 2023. Blue dots are labeled "Santander" and show that when credit scores are below 660, the mean interest rate is consistently above 15%. For the lowest credit scores, below 500, the mean interest rate is above 20%. Red dots are labeled "Exeter" and show a similar trend, but with even higher mean interest rates -- above 20% for most credit scores below 660.

In 2024, ProPublica published several stories on subprime auto lenders. This chart shows how high subprime interest rates were from both Santander and Exeter (really zoom in on the y-axis!) www.propublica.org/article/exet...

A scatterplot depicts credit scores on the x-axis and interest rates on the y-axis. Each dot on the plot represents the mean interest rate for all loans by that lender at that credit score between 2019 and 2023. Blue dots are labeled "Santander" and show that when credit scores are below 660, the mean interest rate is consistently above 15%. For the lowest credit scores, below 500, the mean interest rate is above 20%. Red dots are labeled "Exeter" and show a similar trend, but with even higher mean interest rates -- above 20% for most credit scores below 660.

In 2024, ProPublica published several stories on subprime auto lenders. This chart shows how high subprime interest rates were from both Santander and Exeter (really zoom in on the y-axis!) www.propublica.org/article/exet...

New Portland Trail Blazers Owner Played Key Role at Company Oregon Accused of Predatory Lending As CEO of Santander Consumer USA, the incoming Portland Trail Blazers owner was behind what regulators called an “aggressive push” to waive proof-of-income requirements.

ProPublica and Oregon Public Broadcasting published this story today on the Portland Trail Blazers owner's role at Santander, which the state of Oregon has accused of predatory lending.

It reminded me of a chart (next post) from a story a few years ago ...

www.propublica.org/article/tom-...

Donate to Support ProPublica Workers in Our Fight for a Fair Contract, organized by Eli Oberman We are the unionized workers at ProPublica, and we’re ready to… Eli Oberman needs your support for Support ProPublica Workers in Our Fight for a Fair Contract

Today 92% of @propublicaguild.org’s voting members approved a strike, with 99% casting a ballot.

That means we’re ready to walk out if mgmt doesn’t get serious about discipline, AI & wages.

You can support us by amplifying our message or giving to our strike fund:
www.gofundme.com/f/support-pr...

I Watched 6 Hours of DOGE Bro Testimony. Here's What They Had to Say For Themselves The hours of videos provide fascinating, or perhaps horrifying, insight into the thinking of someone inside DOGE.

I have watched 6 hours of a DOGE bro deposition. The whole thing, start to finish. It's a fascinating, and horrifying, look at the people who caused so much damage, didn't really achieve anything at all, while still being so sure they are right. Here's what they said: www.404media.co/i-watched-6-...

Screenshot of ProPublica webpage titled “Explore Financial Disclosures From President Trump and 1,500 of His Appointees,” accompanied by this blurb: “Use this database to explore potential conflicts of interest for President Donald Trump and his team. The documents disclose positions officials have held outside government, their assets and their debts, among other things.” A search bar prompts the user to search for a person or financial holding.

THREAD: We just released a tool that allows you to search billions of dollars in wealth, ties to the most powerful companies in the country, and details of the personal finances of President Trump and over 1,500 of his appointees.

Here’s how it works 1/

ProPublica Guild

More than 300 people have donated to our strike fund so far – THANK YOU!

As we continue our fight for a fair contract, your support and solidarity are important to us. We won't rest until we have a fair deal, and your support means everything!

Learn more and join our effort: propublicaguild.org

Nike Is Moving Jobs to Low-Wage Regions of Indonesia After moving manufacturing to the developing world to save on labor, Nike and other apparel brands are shifting employment in their Indonesian supply chain away from high-wage parts of the country and...

NEW: Nike says its factory workers should earn enough to pay their basic needs and have some money left over.

In Indonesia, its factory workforce has shrunk where the minimum wage is considered enough to live on.

And it has grown, dramatically, where the opposite is true.

A map of Java, Indonesia, shows triangles representing factories across the island. Purple triangles pointing up depict factories where workers have increased. Orange triangles pointing down depict factories where workers have decreased. The triangles are scaled by the net change in workers from 2015 to 2025. A small portion of the island near Jakarta has a gray overlay and is labeled “High-Wage Areas.” Most of the orange triangles are in this area. Most of the purple triangles are in the areas without the gray overlay.

New map! @propublica.org and The Oregonian found that Nike is moving jobs away from high-wage areas near Jakarta, opting for regions in Central & West Java where minimum wage is not enough to live on. It's part of our ongoing reporting on Nike's supply chain. www.propublica.org/article/nike...

Update/Scoop— New guidance sent this AM to Kansas DMVs indicates licenses that previously had gender marker changed not actually invalid yet. However, internally DMV can see who is flagged, and keeping track of who has/hasn't come in to update. Seems about 300 trans/GNC ppl flagged across the state.

A crowd of people on the sidewalk hold signs reading "ProPublica Workers Love a Union Contract" and "Ready to Strike"

A crowd of several doezen people hold signs reading "ProPublica Workers Deserve Fair Pay", "ProPublica Workers Love A Fair Contract", and "We're Not Shutting Up"

1/ Our members are practicing picketing @propublica.org offices in multiple cities right now to demand job security protections and guardrails around AI. We are ready to do what it takes to get a fair contract.

straight from @propublica.org's story
www.propublica.org/article/life...

“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...

Please take the time to read what the children detained in Dilley wrote me in their own words: www.propublica.org/article/ice-... 10/

On Saturday, Jan. 24, federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti.

Our photojournalists @cengizyar.com and @peterdicampo.bsky.social were on the ground in Minneapolis, covering events in the days surrounding Pretti’s death. This is what they witnessed.

Read more: https://propub.li/3ZjL7wH

The ProPublica Guild is Ready to Strike for a Fair Contract — ProPublica Guild The ProPublica Guild is prepared to strike. We have shown up and compromised at the bargaining table for more than two years, but our newsroom’s management has slow-walked negotiations , offering w...

We’re ready to strike for a fair contract after fighting for job security, a fair disciplinary process, wages that reflect the value of our work and clear guardrails around AI for more than two years. www.propublicaguild.org/updates/the-...