\n<\/p>\n
When President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, ProPublica\u2019s reporters set out to cover how his second administration would reshape the government and the country.<\/p>\n
Our reporters detailed what happened when the Department of Government Efficiency, initially led by Elon Musk, slashed federal agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Social Security Administration. We wrote about the people caught up in the administration\u2019s immigration crackdown, including the more than 170 U.S. citizens who had been detained by immigration agents. We profiled key figures in the administration, including the 22-year-old picked to lead terrorism prevention and the man who has been described as Trump\u2019s shadow president.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Our newsroom also focused beyond the White House. Ginger Thompson wrote a five-part series, with research by Doris Burke, that told the story of American health care through the only hospital in Albany, Georgia. Ellis Simani and Lexi Churchill uncovered a Texas charter school superintendent who makes $870,000. And David Armstrong sought to understand why a single pill of his cancer drug cost the same as a new iPhone.<\/p>\n
Those were all among the investigations that readers spent the most time with this year. In the new year, ProPublica will keep reporting on these storylines \u2014 and new ones.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the meantime, revisit our most-read stories of 2025, as measured by the total amount of time spent reading them across several of our publishing platforms.<\/p>\n
1. The Militia and the Mole<\/strong><\/p>\n By Joshua Kaplan<\/em><\/p>\n Outraged by the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a wilderness survival trainer spent years undercover climbing the ranks of right-wing militias. He didn\u2019t tell police or the FBI. He didn\u2019t tell family or friends. The one person he told was a ProPublica reporter.<\/p>\n 2. Sick in a Hospital Town<\/strong><\/p>\n By Ginger Thompson, with research by Doris Burke<\/em><\/p>\n Why were the people in Albany, Georgia, so sick, when the town\u2019s most powerful institution was a hospital?<\/p>\n 3. Inside ICE Air: Flight Attendants on Deportation Planes Say Disaster Is \u201cOnly a Matter of Time\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n By McKenzie Funk<\/em><\/p>\n Current and former flight attendants for GlobalX, the private charter airline at the center of Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown, expressed concern about their inability to treat passengers humanely and to keep them safe.<\/p>\n 4. The Untold Saga of What Happened When DOGE Stormed Social Security<\/strong><\/p>\n By Eli Hager\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n DOGE has ignored urgently needed reforms and upgrades at the Social Security Administration, according to dozens of insiders and 15 hours of candid interviews with the former acting chief of the agency, who admits he sometimes made things worse.<\/p>\n 5. Trump\u2019s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal<\/strong><\/p>\n By Justin Elliott, Robert Faturechi and Alex Mierjeski<\/em><\/p>\n The Trump administration has argued that Fed board member Lisa Cook may have committed mortgage fraud by declaring more than one primary residence on her loans. We found Trump once did the very thing he called \u201cdeceitful and potentially criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n 6. Getting \u201cDOGED\u201d: DOGE Targeted Him on Social Media. Then the Taliban Took His Family.<\/strong><\/p>\n By Avi Asher-Schapiro and Christopher Bing<\/em><\/p>\n Afghan scholar Mohammad Halimi, who fled the Taliban in 2021, had worked to help U.S. diplomats understand his homeland. Then DOGE put his family\u2019s lives at risk by exposing his sensitive work for a U.S.-funded nonprofit.<\/p>\n 7. <\/strong>\u201cThe Intern in Charge\u201d: Meet the 22-Year-Old Trump\u2019s Team Picked to Lead Terrorism Prevention<\/strong><\/p>\n By Hannah Allam<\/em><\/p>\n One year out of college and with no apparent national security expertise, Thomas Fugate is the Department of Homeland Security official tasked with overseeing the government\u2019s main hub for combating violent extremism.<\/p>\n 8. The Price of Remission<\/strong><\/p>\n By David Armstrong<\/em><\/p>\n When Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer, he set out to understand why a single pill of Revlimid cost the same as a new iPhone. He has covered high drug prices as a reporter for years. What he discovered shocked him.<\/p>\n 9. \u201cIncalculable\u201d Damage: How a \u201cWe Buy Ugly Houses\u201d Franchise Left a Trail of Financial Wreckage Across Texas<\/strong><\/p>\n By Anjeanette Damon and Mollie Simon<\/em><\/p>\n Charles Carrier is accused of orchestrating a yearslong Ponzi scheme, bilking tens of millions of dollars from both wealthy investors and older people with modest incomes. Despite signs of trouble, the houseflipping chain HomeVestors of America didn\u2019t step in.<\/p>\n 10. The White House Intervened on Behalf of Accused Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate During a Federal Investigation<\/strong><\/p>\n By Robert Faturechi and Avi Asher-Schapiro<\/em><\/p>\n Federal authorities were chided for seizing electronic devices from Tate and his brother, and told to return them, records and interviews show. Experts said the intervention was highly inappropriate.<\/p>\n 11. <\/strong>This County Was the \u201cModel\u201d for Local Police Carrying Out Immigration Raids. It Ended in Civil Rights Violations.<\/strong><\/p>\n By Rafael Carranza, Arizona Luminaria. Co-published with <\/em>Arizona Luminaria<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n Under Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County was one of the first testing grounds for ICE\u2019s 287(g) program, which lets local police enforce immigration laws. Many Arizonans say those abuses parallel what\u2019s playing out now under Trump.<\/p>\n 12. The H-2A Visa Trap<\/strong><\/p>\n By Max Blau, ProPublica, and Zaydee Sanchez, for ProPublica, with illustrations by Dadu Shin for ProPublica<\/em><\/p>\n Sofi left behind her child in Mexico for the promise of providing him a better life. She ended up a victim of an operation that is alleged to have exploited the H-2A visa program \u2014 and the workers it brought to America.<\/p>\n 13. <\/strong>\u201cTicking Time Bomb\u201d: A Pregnant Mother Kept Getting Sicker. She Died After She Couldn\u2019t Get an Abortion in Texas.<\/strong><\/p>\n By Kavitha Surana and Lizzie Presser, photography by Lexi Parra for ProPublica<\/em><\/p>\n ProPublica has found multiple cases of women with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn\u2019t access abortions. Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old mother, was told by doctors there was no emergency before preeclampsia killed her.<\/p>\n 14. <\/strong>To Pay for Trump Tax Cuts, House GOP Floats Plan to Slash Benefits for the Poor and Working Class<\/strong><\/p>\n By Robert Faturechi and Justin Elliott<\/em><\/p>\n A menu of options being circulated by congressional Republicans also includes new tax cuts for corporations and the ultrawealthy.<\/p>\n 15. Kristi Noem Secretly Took a Cut of Political Donations<\/strong><\/p>\n By Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski<\/em><\/p>\n A dark money group paid $80,000 to Noem\u2019s personal company when she was governor of South Dakota. She did not include this income on her federal disclosure forms, a likely violation of ethics requirements, experts say.<\/p>\n 16. We Found That More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They\u2019ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.<\/strong><\/p>\n By Nicole Foy, photography by Sarahbeth Maney<\/em><\/p>\n The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally \u2014 almost certainly incomplete \u2014 includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And nearly 20 children, two of whom have cancer.<\/p>\n 17. Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera.<\/strong><\/p>\n By Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Brett Murphy, photography by Peter DiCampo<\/em><\/p>\n Behind closed doors in Washington, top advisers made a series of decisions that had devastating repercussions for the poorest country on earth. We went to South Sudan and found people who died as a result.<\/p>\n 18. \u201cThe President Wanted It and I Did It\u201d: Recording Reveals Head of Social Security\u2019s Thoughts on DOGE and Trump<\/strong><\/p>\n By Eli Hager<\/em><\/p>\n In a recording obtained by ProPublica, acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek portrayed his agency as facing peril, while also encouraging patience with \u201cthe DOGE kids.\u201d<\/p>\n 19. This Charter School Superintendent Makes $870,000. He Leads a District With 1,000 Students.<\/strong><\/p>\n By Ellis Simani, ProPublica, and Lexi Churchill, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune. Co-published with <\/em>The Texas Tribune<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n On paper, Salvador Cavazos earns less than $300,000 to run Valere Public Schools, a small Texas charter network. But taxpayers likely aren\u2019t aware that in reality, his total pay makes him one of the country\u2019s highest-earning superintendents.<\/p>\n 20. What You Should Know About Russ Vought, Trump\u2019s Shadow President<\/strong><\/p>\n By Andy Kroll<\/em><\/p>\n Vought is the architect of Trump\u2019s broader plan to fire civil servants, freeze government programs and dismantle entire agencies. Here are some key things to know about the D.C. insider who wants to take a hatchet to the federal government.<\/p>\n 21. <\/strong>\u201cSlow Pay, Low Pay or No Pay\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n By T. Christian Miller<\/em><\/p>\n Blue Cross authorized mastectomies and breast reconstructions for women with cancer but refused to pay the full doctors\u2019 bills. A jury called it fraud and awarded the practice $421 million.<\/p>\n 22. \u201cWe\u2019re Broken\u201d: As Federal Prisons Run Low on Food and Toilet Paper, Corrections Officers Are Leaving in Droves for ICE<\/strong><\/p>\n By Keri Blakinger<\/em><\/p>\n Many of the problems the agency is facing now are not new, but staff and prisoners fear an exodus of officers could make life behind bars even worse.<\/p>\n 23. <\/strong>He Spent Funds Meant for Native Hawaiians on Polo and Porsches. The Federal Government Failed to Stop Him.<\/strong><\/p>\n By Nick Grube, Honolulu Civil Beat. <\/em>Co-published with <\/em>Honolulu Civil Beat<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n A small business program allowed Christopher Dawson to win big contracts if he promised to uplift Native Hawaiians. Instead, federal prosecutors allege, he used the money to line his own pockets.<\/p>\n 24. Young Girls Were Sexually Abused by a Church Member. They Were Told to Forgive and Forget.<\/strong><\/p>\n By Jessica Lussenhop, ProPublica, and Andy Mannix, Minnesota Star Tribune, photography by Leila Navidi, Minnesota Star Tribune. Co-published with <\/em>Minnesota Star Tribune<\/em>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n In Minnesota, leaders of an Old Apostolic Lutheran Church community enabled a child abuser by telling his victims that once the sins were \u201cwashed away in the blood of reconciliation,\u201d they could never speak of them again.<\/p>\n 25. Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared.<\/strong><\/p>\n By Lizzie Presser, Andrea Suozzo, Sophie Chou and Kavitha Surana<\/em><\/p>\n ProPublica\u2019s first-of-its-kind analysis is the most detailed look yet into a rise in life-threatening complications for women experiencing pregnancy loss under Texas\u2019 abortion ban.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, ProPublica\u2019s reporters set out to cover how his second administration would reshape the government and the country. Our reporters detailed what happened when the Department of Government Efficiency, initially led by Elon Musk, slashed federal agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39664,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[21373,247,11456,1623],"class_list":{"0":"post-39663","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-social-issues","8":"tag-mostread","9":"tag-propublica","10":"tag-propublicas","11":"tag-stories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/39664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}