Sharon Lerner

NEW: For decades, the State Dept. has given $ to groups protecting human rights in poor and authoritarian countries. Now the Trump administration is in the process of directing some of that $ to advocate for white South Africans and right-wing causes in Europe www.propublica.org/article/huma...

New: A private equity executive took a top Pentagon role. Then a firm he has close ties to landed a $281 Million no-bid contract from the unit he runs. www.propublica.org/article/geor...

for those, like me, who can't get enough of this story...

New from me: Trump’s EPA doubles down on climate change denial by repealing rules that limit emissions from power plants, claiming that greenhouse gas emissions from power plants “have no material impact on global climate change.” insideclimatenews.org/news/1409202...

Some details: Kremlev, the Russian who sponsored Don Jr's wedding, is a former member of the Night Wolves biker gang, went to China with Putin and is personally sanctioned by Ukraine for his role in abducting children www.propublica.org/article/dona...

"It’s not clear why Kremlev helped pay for Trump Jr.’s wedding. The men appear to have met only recently. Public reporting suggests Trump Jr. could have afforded it himself, with Forbes recently estimating his net worth at roughly $300 million." www.propublica.org/article/dona...

and now we know that young military veterans have higher ‘forever chemical’ levels than non-veterans. Thank you for your service doi.org/10.1021/EHP....

NEW: Don Trump Jr’s luxurious wedding was secretly bankrolled by a Russian oligarch close to Putin. A saga involving private islands, the Olympics, and a Russian government-backed biker gang: www.propublica.org/article/dona...

"The oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island. He appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, but he attended the intimate wedding with a large group of other Russian guests." Now kinda fascinated as to *why* Trump snr didn't attend.

“This should be unthinkable for the son of the president. End of story.” A Russian oligarch close to Putin bankrolled Don Jr.’s wedding. www.propublica.org/article/dona...

In 2009, Umar Kremlev did not yet exist...

To be read immediately. Prepare to scream www.propublica.org/article/dona...

Forever grateful that Kris Hansen bravely shared her story with me — and the world www.propublica.org/podcast/fore...

🎧NEW EPISODE🎧 As a Minnesotan and the daughter of a former 3M scientist, this one was a little bit personal. The incomparable @fastlerner.bsky.social asks the question, how does a multibillion dollar corporation keep a planet-sized secret... a secret? Listen here: www.propublica.org/podcast/fore...

so damning www.propublica.org/article/doj-...

NEW on “Paper Trail”: More likely than not, there are ”forever chemicals” in your blood. Here’s the thing: 3M knew that these chemicals had seeped into people’s blood for decades — and continued making them. We found out how they kept this secret. Listen to the full episode:

The podcast of how Kris Hansen discovered ¸— or, really, rediscovered — PFAS in the blood of the general public

just got an EPA a press release announcing that it will sepnd some fraction of <$12M to protect drinking water from extreme weather events... w/o mentioning Trump cancelled $83B in renewable energy projects that addressed the underlying cause of extreme weather www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...

We're still tracking Russ Vought, Trump's "shadow president," at @propublica.org. Here's my latest on Vought and what he's done to the CFPB after courts stopped him from killing it. Think less watchdog, more golden retriever: www.propublica.org/article/bilt...

Every once in a while journalism works. Turkmenistan is going to start plugging its methane leaks, thanks to excellent reporting from the Guardian and @dpcarrington.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Senators criticize Trump administration’s demands to access health data as a condition for lifesaving aid. The move follows reporting by @propublica.org's @fastlerner.bsky.social & @annamaria.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/sena...

theintercept.com/2026/08/16/r...

www.404media.co/show-how-3m-... 😬

I’ve been tracking the slush fund/immunity deal in my newsletter since it happened in May & I’ll stay on it whether it’s in the headlines or not. My analysis is based on 25 years at DOJ & you can read along for free—because I believe our power is shared knowledge. Joycevance.substack.com

🚨 WE HAVE A DEAL! After three years, in a major step forward for our members, we have ratified our first contract with @propublica.org’s management. We deeply appreciate everyone who supported us along the way. Here are some of our big wins👇

so happy about this!

“It’s laughable to suggest that on the African continent, the prime issue of human rights concern is whites in South Africa,” one former agency official told ProPublica. --> This is where the Trump administration wants our tax dollars to go:

NEW: Trump Officials Want to Use Human Rights Aid to Advocate for White South Africans and Right-Wing Causes in Europe Proposed grant recipients have included a free-speech organization that has fought against bans on “gay conversion therapy” and an Afrikaner group that promotes self-governance.

Yet again, these grants are not surprising, but they are shocking. “It’s laughable to suggest that on the African continent, the prime issue of human rights concern is whites in South Africa,” a former official told ProPublica.

NEW: Trump Officials Want to Use Human Rights Aid to Advocate for White South Africans and Right-Wing Causes in Europe, by @annamaria.bsky.social and @fastlerner.bsky.social

The latest from me and @annamaria.bsky.social on the proposed grants from the State Department to advocates for white South Africans and groups aligned with conservative and anti-immigration movements in Europe www.propublica.org/article/huma...

NEW: Months after FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty cast a decisive vote approving Paramount’s historic $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, she and a guest accepted Kennedy Center gala tickets from the company worth more than $12,000.

“ProPublica should be the example for the industry,” says reporter Mark Olalde, “that means fair pay… that means layoff protections, and that means guardrails around artificial intelligence.” Learn more about our fight for a fair contract at propublicaguild.org

this makes my head explode 🤯. I think about it a lot. But especially when it's so hot that people are dying 👇 www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...

“I care most about a contract that will lift the salary floors of our lowest paid employees so that they can afford to live in the cities that we work in,” says research reporter Kirsten Berg. We deserve a fair contract now!

So grateful to @amywestervelt.bsky.social and everyone else involved for making this so clear. and infuriating. projects.propublica.org/carbon-captu....

much-needed clarity from the indomitable @annamaria.bsky.social about the money that's supposed to paying for global aid — and isn't www.propublica.org/article/trum...

Imagine if France said they'd help the US with urgently needed medical aid and relief after a disaster, but only if we turned over sensitive medical data for millions of Americans. That's what Trump's State Dept. is doing across Africa. By @fastlerner.bsky.social @annamaria.bsky.social

Thanks @fastlerner.bsky.social and @annamaria.bsky.social for speaking with us about the Trump admin’s unprecedented demands for data access in exchange for global health funding. Our new analysis of the few publicly-available health agreements: www.citizen.org/wp-content/u...

NEW: Across Africa, the State Department has demanded access to health data for millions of people as a condition of giving countries billions of dollars in aid needed to address HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and other illnesses.

Expert: “If you take the deal, you’re going to be exploited. If you don’t take it, you’re going to die”. @fastlerner.bsky.social @annamaria.bsky.social for @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/trum...

New from @annamaria.bsky.social and myself about the new approach to foreign aid, which be given “in a way that directly benefits the American people and directly promotes our national interest,” according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio www.propublica.org/article/trum...

An infuriating read from @alexcuadros.bsky.social about the Trump donors whose stripper wells are huge sources of climate pollution www.propublica.org/article/trum...

www.propublica.org/article/snap...

@propublica.org has the story: anntelnaes.substack.com/p/speaking-o...

The scary video that goes with the scary story. I recommend both - with a restful break in between www.youtube.com/shorts/E11GI... @lisalsong.bsky.social @mayatmiller.bsky.social

The EPA got info on the toxicity of GenX in 2006, when DuPont sent it the 1st of 16 reports showing the compound causes cancer 20 years later, the agency is rolling back drinking water limits on GenX and other PFAS chemicals citing the need for more research 🤯 theintercept.com/2016/03/03/n...

wow. EPA just announced a major PFAS rollback 😞 It's withdrawing drinking water limits for PFNA, PFHxS, GenX and PFBS that were finalized under Biden. The Trump administration says it needs to review the science—but the science was reviewed many many times over the years it took to pass these