Anna Maria Barry-Jester

John Oliver (on right) gestures with his hands as he speaks. On left, a ProPublica headline from December 15, 2025 reads: “Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera.” An article excerpt below says: "... turning rows red, yellow or green every few seconds, never asking a single question.”

1/ On yesterday’s @lastweektonight.com about USAID, John Oliver cited several of our investigations.

First up was our reporting about how DOGE operatives had arbitrarily cut aid programs, in some cases by literally clicking through a spreadsheet: propub.li/4cCsSKP

It was extraordinary. I hope they bring it back soon.

1. A #measles & #flu update.
We're only 9 weeks into the year & the total confirmed measles cases so far puts makes 2026 the second worst year for measles in the past 34 years.
The worst year was last year. But in merely 9 weeks, 2026 has recorded 56% of the entire 2025 total.
Gonna be a bad year.

El Paso ICE Camp East Montana under quarantine after measles outbreak Camp East Montana, the ICE immigration detention center in El Paso, is under quarantine following a measles outbreak.

Camp East Montana in El Paso is currently under quarantine following a measles outbreak and cases of tuberculosis.

My breaking story:

ProPublica Sues Education Department for Withholding Records About Discrimination in Schools Under Secretary Linda McMahon, the work of the Office for Civil Rights, which aims to protect students from discrimination, is cloaked in secrecy.

ProPublica has sued the U.S. Department of Education
W/ @jsmithrichards.bsky.social

www.propublica.org/article/educ...

Seized Art, Eavesdropping Guards: Parents Describe a Clampdown at Dilley Detention Center as Kids Shared Their Stories Detainees told ProPublica that art supplies have been removed in room searches, immigrants have lost access to Gmail and staff hover within earshot during video calls.

Guards at children's Dilley detention center are confiscating kids' drawings, art supplies: www.propublica.org/article/dill...

Exclusive: Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation Staff members have been instructed to scrub this topic and ‘biodefense’ from the agency’s website.

Scoop: The NIH infectious-diseases institute (NIAID) will soon scrub “pandemic preparedness” and “biodefense” from its web pages, according to e-mails I obtained.

The directive is the start of a broader shake-up at NIAID, which has long been attacked by Republicans.

Trump Deletes Racist Video of Obamas After Outcry

Across Trump’s administration, racist images and slogans have become common on official sites. The White House, Labor Department and Homeland Security Department have all promoted social media posts that echo white supremacist messaging.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...

The Real Story Behind the Midnight Immigration Raid on a Chicago Apartment Building The Trump administration has claimed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken over the building. But new documents make no mention of the gang and reveal federal agents had information about “ille...

our government used a Blackhawk helicopter in a major American city, detained children and zip-tied U.S. citizens all to target... squatters

and the alleged Tren de Aragua presence? "It was a brutal lie against the American public."
www.propublica.org/article/chic...

The Real Story Behind the Midnight Immigration Raid on a Chicago Apartment Building The Trump administration has claimed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken over the building. But new documents make no mention of the gang and reveal federal agents had information about “ille...

The Trump administration has claimed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken over a building. But new documents make no mention of the gang and reveal federal agents had information about “illegal aliens unlawfully occupying apartments.” by @melissa-sanchez.bsky.social @jodiscohen.bsky.social

The Minnesota Star Tribune is hiring an investigative reporter — it's an incredibly important time for this kind of journalism (like, no doy). Apply here: recruiting2.ultipro.com/STA1013/JobB...

One year after US aid freeze, HIV care in Africa is in retreat One year after President Donald Trump froze U.S. foreign aid, HIV treatment still exists across much of Africa — but the outreach, prevention, and monitoring systems that sustained it are fraying. The...

One year after President Donald Trump froze U.S. foreign aid, HIV treatment still exists across much of Africa — but the outreach, prevention, and monitoring systems that sustained it are fraying. I trace how those losses are reshaping access to care for @devex.com: www.devex.com/news/one-yea...

Federal agent secured gun from Minn. man before fatal shooting, videos show A Washington Post analysis of videos sheds light on the encounter that left 37-year-old Alex Pretti dead.

My @washingtonpost.com colleagues worked round the clock this weekend to expose the truth of what's happening in Minneapolis and bring urgent weather news to millions facing dangerous cold and snow.

If you value this work, tell Jeff Bezos to #SaveThePost
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

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....

NEW: 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. “We want good enough.”

By @jessecoburn.bsky.social

TincherSealedWitnessDec012426.PDF

This witness to Alex Pretti's murder not only refutes the governmen't story, but says she is afraid to go home because federal agents might arrest her. This is what it feels like to live under state terror.
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

I’ve been in Minneapolis the last few days reporting on the ICE raids happening across the city. This morning federal agents shot and killed a man, identified by the AP as Alex Pretti. This marks the third shooting by federal agents since Operation Metro Surge started in Minnesota last month.

Complaint Accuses Trump’s Criminal Attorney of “Blatant” Crypto Conflict in His Role at DOJ A watchdog group is seeking an inspector general investigation into Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche after ProPublica reported that he had ordered changes to crypto prosecutions while owning more ...

Following I and @shaw.al's investigation, an ethics watchdog group is seeking an investigation into whether Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche broke federal conflict-of-interest law. www.propublica.org/article/todd...

Trump Administration Orders USDA Employees to Investigate Foreign Researchers They Work With The new directive asks workers to check the backgrounds of foreign nationals collaborating with the department’s scientists for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.” Their names are being sen...

The new directive asks USDA workers in the agency’s research arm to use Google to check the backgrounds of all foreign nationals collaborating with its scientists.

The names of flagged scientists are being sent to national security experts at the agency, according to records reviewed by ProPublica.

Last week I asked BOP officials if they had sent tactical teams to Minneapolis. They denied it (left).

Multiple agency sources told me otherwise, and photos from
reporters on the ground soon confirmed BOP folks were there.

Now BOP is finally admitting it (right):

I am still tracking the detentions of U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents

If you know something or want to share your story, please get in touch

✉️nicole.foy@propublica.org
Signal: nicolefoy.27

www.propublica.org/article/immi...

After Sowing Distrust in Fluoridated Water, Kennedy and Skeptics Turn to Obstructing Other Fluoride Sources Florida and Utah have banned fluoridation, with multiple other states looking to do the same. Critics of fluoride in drinking water point to supplements as an alternative, but many are creating barrie...

Colgate-Palmolive's promotional material for kids' fluoride toothpaste has shown the paste on a brush. Now in response to anti-fluoride efforts in TX, the company will display a pea-sized amount, rather than a swirl. A similar deal was made with Procter & Gamble. / By @annaleighclark.bsky.social

Yes, immigration agents not only took Arnoldo's phone, the 10th grader had to use Find My Phone to locate it — in a vending machine for used electronics, close to an ICE detention center.

Read the full story here:
www.propublica.org/article/vide...

We Found More Than 40 Cases of Immigration Agents Using Banned Chokeholds and Other Moves That Can Cut Off Breathing Civilians have had apparent seizures. One had his eyes roll back. Another had ribs broken. “I felt like I was going to pass out and die,” said a 16-year-old citizen put in a chokehold. The government ...

Immigration agents are choking people in America's streets & using tactics against their own policy/training. Many LEO agencies have banned their use

A Colombian TikToker. An ICU nurse. A father holding his child.

A 16-year-old citizen

DHS calls this "utmost professionalism"

w/ @mckenziefunk.com

Renee Macklin Good’s wife says she nurtured kindness On Wednesday, Renee Macklin Good was fatally shot by a federal ICE agent. Becca Good, her wife, shared the following statement with MPR News.

"I am now left to raise our son and to continue teaching him, as Renee believed, that there are people building a better world for him. That the people who did this had fear and anger in their hearts, and we need to show them a better way." - Becca Good www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

They Couldn’t Access Mental Health Care When They Needed It. Now They’re Suing Their Insurer. A new lawsuit alleges that an insurer’s ghost network hindered New York City employees from accessing the mental health care they sought — and harmed the reputation of psychiatrists wrongly listed as ...

A new lawsuit alleges that an insurer’s ghost network hindered New York City employees from accessing the mental health care they sought — and harmed the reputation of psychiatrists wrongly listed as being in-network. My latest for @propublica.org: www.propublica.org/article/embl...

Chart that shows total US vaccine recommendations declining from 18 to 11 while most nations in the world range from 13 to 18.

New from @helenbranswell.bsky.social with a chart by me: the United States is now a global outlier when it comes to vaccines

www.statnews.com/2026/01/09/c...

After Trump Officials Cut Food Aid to Kenya, Children Starved to Death “Brutal and traumatizing”: Interviews and a trove of internal documents show government officials and aid workers desperately tried to warn Trump advisers about impending disaster and death.

“There was zero plan, except causing pain,” said one U.N. official about the Trump administration’s decision to stop funding the group with no notice or communication. “And that is not forgivable.”

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.

hey! just putting this out there:

propublica.org/tips

Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera. 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 re...

John Gai carried his sick father to a nearby clinic in a wheelbarrow, but he died from cholera on the way.

Gai then pushed the wheelbarrow for hours through the camp to take him to the cemetery: “Nobody should have to carry a dead body among the living.”

After Trump Officials Cut Food Aid to Kenya, Children Starved to Death “Brutal and traumatizing”: Interviews and a trove of internal documents show government officials and aid workers desperately tried to warn Trump advisers about impending disaster and death.

They also maintained nobody has died because of the USAID cuts. Here’s our reporting from Kenya, where we found that isn’t true, with 📸 by @storitellah.com www.propublica.org/article/keny...