Joel Jacobs

Joel Jacobs

@joeljacobs.bsky.social

Data reporter @propublica.org. Former software engineer. .

4.2K followers125 following14 posts

Joel Jacobs reposted

Charles Ornstein
@charlesornstein.bsky.social

“That is a serious, serious gap in safety.” A School Bus Killed a 5-Year-Old. The Crash Is Among Dozens Missing From the Bus Company’s Federal Safety Record. By @wmariano.bsky.social @joeljacobs.bsky.social @mariamelba.bsky.social w/ @wbur.org

propublica.orgA School Bus Killed a 5-Year-Old. The Crash Is Among Dozens Missing From the Bus Company’s Federal Safety Record.A national system tracks serious bus crashes so regulators can keep roads safe. But the process fails to identify most of a major company’s fatal collisions, WBUR and ProPublica found.

Joel Jacobs reposted

ProPublica
@propublica.org

NEW: Elizabeth Warren and other U.S. senators sent letters grilling the nation’s major credit bureaus after a ProPublica investigation revealed two of the companies were fixing fewer consumers’ credit reports under the Trump administration.

propublica.orgLawmakers Demand Answers About Growing Number of Unfixed Mistakes on Credit ReportsFour senators wrote letters to Experian and TransUnion, requesting information on the companies’ dispute handling processes after ProPublica revealed they have been dismissing more consumer complaints...

Joel Jacobs reposted

ProPublica Guild
@propublicaguild.org

Our unit members are ON STRIKE and not participating in this event. DON’T CROSS THE PICKET LINE!

Al Shaw@shaw.al

If you registered to come to the event today on how to use the ProPublica Trump disclosures News app, the @propublicaguild.org is asking y’all NOT TO ATTEND in support of our strike today. We hate to do this, but management isn’t offering us a fair deal.

Joel Jacobs reposted

Melissa Sanchez
@melissa-sanchez.bsky.social

I hate that contract negotiations are not going better, but this is where we are. Today my colleagues and I @propublica.org are walking out. We need management to come to the table with more serious contract proposals that address our real concerns about discipline, job protections and fair wages.

ProPublica Guild@propublicaguild.org

We’re on strike today! Support our fight for a fair contract by NOT visiting the @propublica.org website or engaging with ProPublica stories today. Tell ProPublica’s management you won’t cross the picket line: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

Joel Jacobs reposted

Eric Umansky
@ericumansky.bsky.social

NEW: Under Trump, mental health care for vets is getting squeezed VA is bleeding shrinks & *not replacing them* One told me she's so overloaded her sessions can be *16 mins* She's had to online sessions w/ 35 vets How is that therapeutic? It's not, she said www.propublica.org/article/vete...

propublica.orgVeterans Who Depend on Mental Health Care Keep Losing Their Therapists Under TrumpHundreds of mental health professionals have left the Department of Veterans Affairs since President Donald Trump took office, leaving staff “at a breaking point” and some veterans waiting as long as ...

Joel Jacobs reposted

ProPublica
@propublica.org

NEW: TransUnion and Experian, two of the three major credit bureaus, have started dismissing a larger share of consumer complaints without help since the Trump administration began dismantling the CFPB.

propublica.orgCredit Bureaus Are Leaving More Mistakes on Frustrated Consumers’ Reports Under Trump’s CFPBTransUnion and Experian, two of the three major credit bureaus, have started dismissing a larger share of consumer complaints without help since the Trump administration began dismantling the CFPB.

Joel Jacobs reposted

ProPublica Guild
@propublicaguild.org

We can’t produce fearless investigative journalism without job security and a fair contract. After almost two years of bargaining, we need your help. Show your support for @propublica.org workers by adding your name to our petition: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

actionnetwork.orgFair Contract Now for ProPublica GuildWe, the workers of ProPublica, provide our readers with deeply researched, unbiased news that holds power to account. This work is more important now than ever, but our staff can’t properly contribute...

Joel Jacobs reposted

ProPublica Guild
@propublicaguild.org

We’re holding a lunch-out today to demand that @propublica management agree to a fair discipline and performance evaluation system. Just today, a member of our Bargaining Committee and Unit Council was fired as a result of ProPublica's flawed system.

Joel Jacobs reposted

Molly Redden
@mtredden.bsky.social

Do you have information about Big Law spurning clients who might incur Trump's anger? Get in touch: molly.redden@propublica.org or on Signal at mollyredden.14

Molly Redden@mtredden.bsky.social

New from me: Big Law is fearful of representing anyone Trump sees as his enemies, and it's thwarting challenges to his agenda. “There are cases that aren’t being brought at a time when civil rights abuses are maybe at the highest they’ve been.” www.propublica.org/article/trum...

propublica.orgTrump’s War on Big Law Means It’s Harder to Challenge the AdministrationSome of America’s largest law firms are refusing to take pro bono and paid legal work from groups that seek to hold the government to account on issues like environmental protection, LGBTQ+ rights and...
Joel Jacobs
@joeljacobs.bsky.social

NEW from me: The CFPB's consumer complaint system is more popular than ever, fielding over 2.7M complaints last year. But Republican lawmakers still voted to slash the CFPB's budget, even after referring thousands of their own constituents' issues to the agency. www.propublica.org/article/cfpb...

propublica.orgThese GOP Lawmakers Referred Constituents to the CFPB for Help. Then They Voted to Gut the Agency.Many of the same Republican lawmakers who have targeted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for cuts have collectively directed thousands of constituents’ complaints about banks, credit cards, lo...

Joel Jacobs reposted

ProPublica
@propublica.org

NEW: Many of the same Republican lawmakers who have targeted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for cuts have collectively directed thousands of constituents’ complaints about banks, credit cards, loans and other products to the agency. By @joeljacobs.bsky.social

propublica.orgThese GOP Lawmakers Referred Constituents to the CFPB for Help. Then They Voted to Gut the Agency.Many of the same Republican lawmakers who have targeted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for cuts have collectively directed thousands of constituents’ complaints about banks, credit cards,…

Joel Jacobs reposted

Charles Ornstein
@charlesornstein.bsky.social

NEW: A 700% APR Lending Business Tied to Dr. Phil’s Son Is Dividing an Alaska Tribe @kylehopkinsak.bsky.social @megomatz.bsky.social @joeljacobs.bsky.social w/ @adn.com

propublica.orgA 700% APR Lending Business Tied to Dr. Phil’s Son Is Dividing an Alaska TribeTribal lender Minto Money has boosted the economy of its Alaska town. But some tribal members are appalled by the millions it’s made off desperate borrowers — much of which, lawsuits allege, has gone ...

Joel Jacobs reposted

Eric Umansky
@ericumansky.bsky.social

Replying to @ericumansky.bsky.social

Trump says he loves vets. He's promised to "put veterans first." He's also planning to cut the agency that cares for more than nine million of them. If you're a vet who gets care at VA -- or you work there -- *we want to hear from you.* www.propublica.org/getinvolved/...

propublica.orgHave You Been Affected by Changes at the Department of Veterans Affairs? Tell Us About It.Have you experienced setbacks in your care or benefits amid the changes at the Department of Veterans Affairs? ProPublica wants to hear from you.

Joel Jacobs reposted

Eric Umansky
@ericumansky.bsky.social

NEW INVESTIGATION from me and @vernalcoleman.bsky.social: Internal emails show doctors and others at VA hospitals around the country begging for help as cuts hurt veterans' care, including "live-saving cancer trials." www.propublica.org/article/trum...

propublica.orgInternal 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...

Joel Jacobs reposted

ProPublica
@propublica.org

NEW: The closure effectively hobbles the VA’s efforts to investigate and eliminate long-standing racial inequities that the department itself has acknowledged. “The consequences will be dire, wide-reaching and deadly,” an advocate for Black veterans said. By @vernalcoleman.bsky.social

propub.liThe Office That Investigates Disparities in Veterans’ Care Is Being “Liquidated”The closure effectively hobbles the VA’s efforts to investigate and eliminate long-standing racial inequities that the department itself has acknowledged. “The consequences will be dire, wide-reaching...

Joel Jacobs reposted

Lisa Song
@lisalsong.bsky.social

“We are really trying very, very hard ... to move our world forward" through "foundational, sometimes groundbreaking research, and then you get flagged and blacklisted because there is a word like ‘female’ in your project.” My latest, w/the brilliant Agnel Philip www.propublica.org/article/ted-...

propublica.orgA Study of Mint Plants. A Device to Stop Bleeding. This Is the Scientific Research Ted Cruz Calls “Woke.”The senator flagged thousands of National Science Foundation grants for using words like “female” and “diversify.” A ProPublica analysis found numerous examples of projects caught up in his crude meth...
Joel Jacobs
@joeljacobs.bsky.social

For more, see our full tribal lending series here: www.propublica.org/series/despe... Or check out my thread on our previous reporting 👇

Joel Jacobs@joeljacobs.bsky.social

ICYMI: Last week @megomatz.bsky.social and I reported on how the tribal lending industry has survived and thrived offering exorbitant online loans to millions of borrowers — with APRs that can exceed 600%. www.propublica.org/article/trib... We’ve been investigating this opaque industry for months:🧵

propublica.orgThe Tribal Lending Industry Offers Quick Cash Online at Outrageous Interest Rates. Here’s How It’s Survived.Despite lawsuits, prosecutions and federal crackdown attempts, the tribal lending industry has adapted for over a decade, providing exorbitant loans to millions of financially vulnerable consumers.

Joel Jacobs reposted

Megan O'Matz
@megomatz.bsky.social

Federal authorities haven’t shown much interest lately in addressing payday-like lenders tied to Native American tribes, which offer quick cash online at astronomical interest rates. But we found that some states have effectively shut down such lending. www.propublica.org/article/stat...

propublica.orgTribal Lenders Say They Can Charge Over 600% Interest. These States Stopped Them.Online lenders tied to Native American tribes argue that they aren’t subject to state lending laws, but they backed away from operating in six states where attorneys have acted forcefully to protect c...

Joel Jacobs reposted

ProPublica
@propublica.org

NEW: Federal authorities have struggled to regulate tribal lending operations that offer short-term loans at crushing interest rates. But six states have shown that tribal immunity doesn’t prevent state officials from acting to protect consumers. By @joeljacobs.bsky.social & @megomatz.bsky.social

propub.liTribal Lenders Say They Can Charge Over 600% Interest. These States Stopped Them.Online lenders tied to Native American tribes argue that they aren’t subject to state lending laws, but they backed away from operating in six states where attorneys have acted forcefully to protect…

Joel Jacobs reposted

Josh Kaplan
@josh-kaplan.bsky.social

THREAD: In 2023, I received an envelope with no return address. Inside was a flash drive containing tens of 1000s of secret files. It came from a vigilante with a tumultuous past, who'd conducted a years-long undercover operation. He didn’t tell the FBI or his family. He only told me.

Joel Jacobs reposted

Ken Schwencke
@schwanksta.com

For the past year, @propublica.org has been reporting on the toll when a city "sweeps" an encampment. We handed out cards so folks could write in their own words what it meant to have their belongings trashed. We're publishing dozens of those stories here: projects.propublica.org/impact-of-ho...

projects.propublica.org“I Have Lost Everything”: The Toll of Cities’ Homeless SweepsCities often take belongings — including important documents and irreplaceable mementos — when they conduct sweeps of homeless encampments. ProPublica gave notecards to people across the country so th...
Joel Jacobs
@joeljacobs.bsky.social

10/ Despite lawsuits, prosecutions and federal crackdown attempts, how has the industry managed to persist? With help from powerful lobbying groups that have spent millions. “This is a very entrenched industry with a lot of dollars at stake,” said UNM law professor Nathalie Martin.

Joel Jacobs
@joeljacobs.bsky.social

9/ In a statement to ProPublica last year, John Johnson Sr., LDF’s president, described the tribe’s lending business as “a narrative of empowerment, ethical business practice, and commitment to community enrichment.”

Joel Jacobs
@joeljacobs.bsky.social

6/ We found that the enterprise helped the Lac du Flambeau tribe avoid financial ruin, but it also led to costly lawsuits — including one that went up to the Supreme Court — and dubious partnerships with outside entities handling much of the daily operations: www.propublica.org/article/wisc...

propublica.orgDesperate Times Led Wisconsin Tribe to High-Interest Lending, Dubious Partnerships and Legal JeopardyFacing financial ruin, the Lac du Flambeau tribe began offering short-term loans online with annual rates often over 600%. But as the tribe rose in an industry derided for predatory practices, it put ...
Joel Jacobs
@joeljacobs.bsky.social

7/ In the Supreme Court case, a borrower with a 741% loan from LDF said that the incessant collection efforts by an LDF business partner — even after he declared bankruptcy — drove him to attempt suicide. The business partner declined to comment.

Joel Jacobs
@joeljacobs.bsky.social

4/ Industry defenders argue that the operations provide crucial revenue for tribes and valuable credit for borrowers. But the sky-high interest rates and involvement of nontribal business partners have drawn scrutiny and legal trouble.

Joel Jacobs
@joeljacobs.bsky.social

5/ Only a few dozen tribes have entered the lending business, but the operations can become massive. In August, we reported on a WI tribe’s business, which settled a consumer lawsuit for $1.4 BILLION in debt relief and $37.4 million in payments: www.propublica.org/article/wisc...

propublica.orgA Wisconsin Tribe Built a Lending Empire Charging 600% Annual Rates to BorrowersThe Lac du Flambeau tribe is at the center of a $1 billion class-action settlement that comes after years of fending off claims of predatory lending practices.
Joel Jacobs
@joeljacobs.bsky.social

2/ These short-term lenders have had tremendous reach: Our analysis found nearly 5% of bankruptcy cases nationwide included tribal loan debt, and an average of >1,800 complaints are routed to the FTC annually. But regulator and legislative reform efforts have repeatedly fallen short.

Joel Jacobs
@joeljacobs.bsky.social

3/ The lenders’ websites are owned by Native American tribes, which are entitled to sovereign immunity. As a result, they claim that the businesses are not subject to state laws that cap interest rates.

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