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Posts by Robin Sparkman

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The fugitive known as “Bitcoin Jesus” was indicted for tax evasion and facing prison.

Then he hired a “Friend of Trump.”

This is how it went down, from Avi Asher-Schapiro & @mtredden.bsky.social

www.propublica.org/article/bitc...

2 months ago 711 261 6 21

The good news here is that you could not pick a worst candidate to bully than @propublica.org. These are rock-solid, bone-deep ethical journalists with the legal and financial backing to stand firm, no matter what.
That said: SUPPORT THEM! DONATE!

5 months ago 21 1 1 0
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America’s Largest Landlord to Stop Using RealPage Rent-Setting Software, Makes Deal With DOJ Greystar, which manages nearly 950,000 apartments, has agreed to stop using “anti-competitive” algorithms to suggest rents. ProPublica previously showed how such software lets landlords set rents in a...

The biggest landlord in the US will stop using rent-setting algorithms that critics say can result in price-fixing.

Greystar settled after federal prosecutors sued it, other landlords and the software’s maker.

We first wrote about the practice in 2022.

www.propublica.org/article/grey...

8 months ago 879 218 22 10
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A Giant Indian Drugmaker Failed to Fix Safety Breaches. The FDA Let It Off the Hook Again and Again. Documents obtained by ProPublica offer a rare glimpse into discussions between the global drugmaker Sun Pharma and the FDA, exposing how the agency tolerated substandard manufacturing for years.

In the final weeks of 2022 the agency barred a Sun Pharma factory from shipping its drugs to the U.S. Even then, regulators immediately excluded more than a dozen medications from the ban. Those drugs kept flowing to US consumers. @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/fda-...

8 months ago 12 5 1 0

THREAD: We recently heard that the Trump administration was leaning on the government of Gambia to help Elon Musk. For weeks, our team made phone calls, wrote letters and knocked on folks’ doors to try to confirm it. But we were stuck.

So our reporters got on a plane to Banjul. 1/

11 months ago 4662 2065 107 311
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ProPublica Selects 13 Journalists for Investigative Editor Training The 2025 cohort of nine outside journalists and four ProPublicans will receive intensive training and mentorship from ProPublica editors and staff.

www.propublica.org/article/prop...

11 months ago 4 0 1 0
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Internal VA Emails Reveal How Trump Cuts Jeopardize Veterans’ Care, Including To “Life-Saving Cancer Trials” Despite a congressional mandate to expand care for veterans, internal Veterans Affairs messages obtained by ProPublica paint a stark portrait of how chaotic cost cutting has already imperiled tests of...

In one email to Veterans Affairs HQ, doctors in PA said a hiring freeze was causing “severe and immediate impacts” and that more than 1,000 veterans would lose access to treatment for cancer, kidney disease and traumatic brain injuries. @propublica.org
www.propublica.org/article/trum...

11 months ago 19 11 1 1
Labor Department Official Warns That Staff Who Speak With Journalists Face “Serious Legal Consequences”

Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff issued the warning as department employees have spoken to the news media about harms they see resulting from the dismantling of their agency, which enforces laws guaranteeing workers’ rights.

Labor Department Official Warns That Staff Who Speak With Journalists Face “Serious Legal Consequences” Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff issued the warning as department employees have spoken to the news media about harms they see resulting from the dismantling of their agency, which enforces laws guaranteeing workers’ rights.

Dept. of Labor leadership is warning staff against speaking with journalists, regardless of what info is discussed.

That's not going to stop my @propublica.org colleagues from listening.

Here's how to reach them:
www.propublica.org/tips/

11 months ago 615 172 23 10
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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,…

NEW: 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, only to suddenly reverse course under Trump.

By @jessecoburn.bsky.social

1 year ago 912 347 31 24
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Under Pressure From Trump, ICE Is Pushing Legal Boundaries Confrontations with judges are grabbing attention, but more quietly a pattern of questionable arrests shows the extent to which the administration is willing to test norms and laws.

ICE Ramps Up Warrantless, Legally Dubious Arrests, by @vernalcoleman.bsky.social

1 year ago 230 76 15 3
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ProPublica didn’t just prove nonprofit journalism could work — it changed how investigative reporting is measured - Poynter Launched in 2008, ProPublica pioneered a sustainable nonprofit newsroom model, proving that impact — not clicks — could drive funding for journalism

This was the biggest shift in mindset when I came to ProPublica and I'm grateful for it: "The decision to measure success by impact — not clicks, pageviews, ad sales, subscriptions or any other metric — is ProPublica’s other major contribution to nonprofit journalism" www.poynter.org/business-wor...

1 year ago 95 18 0 3
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A “Goofy” DJ’s Secret Life at the Center of an Online Terrorism Network To friends, Matthew Allison was a likeable part of Boise, Idaho’s electronic music scene. But behind his computer screen, authorities say, he helped lead the Terrorgram Collective, an online network t...

An easygoing DJ led a dual life as an online propagandist for white supremacist hate and, prosecutors say, inspired followers to kill LGBTQ+ people and people of color. @propublica.org @frontlinepbs.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/matt...

1 year ago 15 7 2 0
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Reporter, ProPublica-Texas Tribune Initiative Austin, Texas, United States; Regions

🚨 JOURNALISM JOB ALERT 🚨

@propublica.org is looking to hire a reporter for our joint investigative unit with @texastribune.org

Get all the details, including salary range, and apply here 👇👇

job-boards.greenhouse.io/propublica/j...

1 year ago 133 94 0 2
Text: Join our Local Reporting Network! You/your newsroom would... [pencil and paper emoji] Collaborate with us on an one-year investigative project, [handshake emoji] Get access to our resources and specialty team expertise, [money bag emoji] Receive up to $75k of salary coverage + a benefits allowance

Text: Join our Local Reporting Network! You/your newsroom would... [pencil and paper emoji] Collaborate with us on an one-year investigative project, [handshake emoji] Get access to our resources and specialty team expertise, [money bag emoji] Receive up to $75k of salary coverage + a benefits allowance

1/ 📣 LOCAL JOURNALISTS: Want to collaborate with us?

Apply for ProPublica's Local Reporting Network! We're standing by to help with proposals. 🧵

1 year ago 428 196 8 12
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Trump Energy Secretary Chris Wright Is for “All Sources” of Energy, So Long as They’re Oil and Gas In his confirmation hearing, the Liberty Energy founder pledged broad support for renewable energy. But when speaking to conservatives, he declared, “We don’t have replacements” for coal, oil and gas.

NEW: The Doublespeak of Energy Secretary Chris Wright, by @abrahm.bsky.social

1 year ago 218 64 11 4
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NIH Ends Future Funding to Study the Health Effects of Climate Change It’s unclear whether the guidance will impact active grants, but it appears to halt opportunities for future studies. One climate health expert said the directive would have a “devastating” impact on ...

NEW: NIH Ends Funding to Study the Health Effects of Climate Change, by @anniewaldman.bsky.social and @fastlerner.bsky.social

1 year ago 244 107 8 9
Computational Journalist New York, New York, United States

Great job alert: ProPublica is hiring a computational journalist, "someone who will use technology and data to identify and unlock stories that would otherwise be out of reach."

Salary: $120K-$140K
Remote: ✅

Come join us!

1 year ago 7231 2368 148 102
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Investigative journalism isn’t free to do, but thanks to 70K+ members, it’s free to read. Please support ProPublica during our Spring Member Drive if you are able to!

1 year ago 204 46 1 2
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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...

NEW: 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 official derided it as “monopoly money.”

By @jessecoburn.bsky.social

1 year ago 873 290 84 74

IRIS made ToxMap possible 👇

projects.propublica.org/toxmap/

1 year ago 373 152 9 7
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A New Missouri Bill Would Let Residents Donate to Anti-Abortion Centers Instead of Paying Any Taxes Four months after Missouri voted to legalize abortion, Republican lawmakers are proposing a 100% tax credit — capped at $50,000 per year — for taxpayers who donate to crisis pregnancy centers.

"The proposal would establish a 100% tax credit, up from 70%, and a $50,000 annual cap per taxpayer. The result: Nearly all Missouri households... could fully satisfy their state tax bill by redirecting their payment from the state to pregnancy centers." www.propublica.org/article/miss...

1 year ago 282 132 31 33
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This Charter School Superintendent Makes $870,000. He Leads a District With 1,000 Students. On paper, Salvador Cavazos earns less than $300,000 to run Valere Public Schools, a small Texas charter network. But taxpayers likely aren’t aware that in reality, his total pay makes him one of the c...

www.propublica.org/article/vale...

1 year ago 3 1 0 0
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Ethical Concerns Surround Sen. Joni Ernst’s Relationships With Top Military Officials Who Lobbied Her Committee Ernst, an Iowa Republican, is one of the most influential voices in Congress on military topics. Ethics and military experts say her relationships with top Air Force and Navy officials created potenti...

New: www.propublica.org/article/joni...

1 year ago 4 2 0 0
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Mother Speaks Out Against Trump’s Detention of Her Son at Guantanamo The Trump administration detained Yoiker Sequera at Guantanamo Bay for almost two weeks before he was deported to Venezuela. His mother reflects on finding out her son had been sent to the infamous pr...

www.propublica.org/article/trum...

1 year ago 6 1 0 0
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DOGE’s Millions: As Musk and Trump Gut Government, Their Ax-Cutting Agency Gets Cash Infusion The Department of Government Efficiency is funded — and acts — like a federal agency. But the White House has shielded DOGE from the rules that govern such agencies, ProPublica found as it examines th...

Here’s a few examples of our recent coverage:

www.propublica.org/article/doge...

www.propublica.org/article/elon...

www.propublica.org/article/elon...

1 year ago 61 13 1 1
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The Trump Administration Keeps Citing an Untrue Stat as It Targets Federal Workers A “survey of our niche audience for our niche audience” was the source for the claim that only 6% of federal employees are working full time in their offices. The number isn’t true. Why do administrat...

The Trump administration repeatedly cites the statistic that only 6% of federal employees work full-time in their offices.

Guess what? The stat isn't true.

Our editor-in-chief Steve Engelberg investigates how and why this lie continues to spread — and the impact: www.propublica.org/article/fede...

1 year ago 810 258 27 15
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How We Report on Maternal Health — and How to Get in Touch With Our Team For years, ProPublica has examined the deaths of pregnant women and new mothers to uncover problems that can prevent other deaths. Our reporting has sparked change. Now, we are investigating the impac...

Our reporters understand this may be difficult to talk about and have detailed how we report on maternal health to let you know what you can expect from us.

www.propublica.org/article/help...

1 year ago 99 21 1 1
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Gun Lobbyists and Cambridge Analytica Weaponized Gun Owners’ Private Details for Political Gain Documents and interviews reveal how the now-disgraced political firm targeted potential voters by combining its cache of confidential consumer data with information secretly collected from millions of...

New w/ Corey G. Johnson for @propublica.org:

We reached out to 6k ppl whose private info was harvested by the gun industry for political gain.

They represented a wide range of viewpoints. But one thing united dozens who spoke to us: They weren't happy about it. www.propublica.org/article/guns...

1 year ago 180 49 6 3
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Three Months After Missouri Voted to Make Abortion Legal, Access Is Still Being Blocked Reproductive rights are now enshrined in the state constitution, but Missouri’s main abortion provider is fighting legal hurdles to resume offering the procedure. Meanwhile, anti-abortion lawmakers st...

The proposed amendment would ban abortion in Missouri except for medical emergencies, when a fetus has abnormalities, or in cases of rape or incest but ONLY with a police report AND subject to a 12-week limit.

It would also prohibit public funding for abortions.

New, @jeremykohler.bsky.social

1 year ago 279 110 11 9
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“We Feel Terrorized”: What EPA Employees Say About the Decision to Stay or Go Under Trump More than 300 career employees at the Environmental Protection Agency have left. Those who remain face a painful decision: resign or work for an administration that plans to radically reshape the EPA ...

Hi Friends: A reminder that if you work for the government, @propublica.org wants to hear from you. www.propublica.org/article/epa-...

1 year ago 22 10 0 0