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Sen. Susan Collins helped steer millions in federal defense contracts to Navatek, whose CEO illegally funneled thousands of dollars to her campaign.
The FBI sought to launch a probe and was eyeing Collins and other lawmakers.
Then Trump gutted the unit in charge. THREAD 🧵
ALT Martin Kao, CEO of defense contractor Navatek, poses next to Sen. Susan Collins for a photo. Collins is holding a model of a boat in her hands. Behind them is a large sign with the Navatek logo.
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We previously reported how data recovery company MonsterCloud purported to recover ransomware victims’ locked files without paying hackers.
In reality, CEO Zohar Pinhasi secretly paid the hackers, charging his clients hefty fees on top.
propublica.org/article/zohar…
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Local and state officials insisted they performed admirably after a flash flood killed two children.
But first responders say officials made decisions that left residents vulnerable, even though they knew a dangerous flood was likely.
propublica.org/article/wildf…
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New: ProPublica has selected five students for its 2026 class of Emerging Reporters. These student journalists will receive stipends and mentorship from ProPublica’s staff. propub.li/4BDFmMj
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Public school enrollment was declining in West Virginia even before its voucher program was established. But things have only gotten worse.
Since 2019, 70 public schools have closed in the state, and up to 20 more schools are in jeopardy.
propublica.org/article/west-…
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Hundreds of workers at Washington’s Hanford Site became sick after working around radioactive waste.
Despite a law intended to speed up delivery of workers’ compensation, we found the DOE has spent nearly $12 million fighting their claims.
propublica.org/article/hanfo…
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Federal officials brushed off the issue as Utah prioritized the fur industry’s interests.
Little has been done to stop the spread of the virus and ensure it can’t spread to humans, a failure that experts called “irresponsible’’ and “astounding.”
propublica.org/article/bird-…
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New: Conservative powerbroker Cleta Mitchell has raised a grassroots army to transform American voting systems and worked closely with the administration to enact her plans. No one besides Trump himself has done more to overhaul elections. propub.li/4BNTSRN
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A trust owned by Texas AG Ken Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, invested in a company led by a convicted fraudster.
The firm and its affiliates later sent the trust 15 payments totaling $83K before and during the AG’s impeachment trial.
propublica.org/article/ken-p…
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Regulators in other states have come down hard on Citation Oil & Gas before: In 2025, Utah reached a $700K settlement with the company after a crude oil spill.
Oklahoma, however, has never issued a single punishment to this repeat offender.
propublica.org/article/oklah…
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Under the Trump administration, the Department of Education has stopped publishing the list of schools facing federal civil rights investigations.
We sued to get the records — and now we’re publishing the list of schools under investigation.
propublica.org/article/civil…
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Two months after Navatek’s CEO, Martin Kao, made a donation to a Susan Collins super PAC through a shell company, he told his fellow execs that he received word Collins would commit to getting his company $32M in naval contracts.
Listen to this excerpt:
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For more, listen to the full episode: propub.li/4zmnROT
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Unsafe recreational marijuana products have stayed on shelves in Colorado for as long as three years, according to a new state audit.
The report follows a yearlong Denver Gazette-ProPublica investigation into the agency's regulatory lapses.
propublica.org/article/color…
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The FBI opened an investigation into an alleged pay-for-play scheme on Capitol Hill.
The CEO of the defense firm Navatek told agents his business consisted of bribing public officials — and it involved some of the most powerful figures in Congress.
propublica.org/article/navat…
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State officials say an agency tasked with election security has become less equipped to help states fight cyber threats.
Some leaders have filled gaps with their own resources. But some services, like intel on foreign actors, can’t be replicated.
propublica.org/article/cisa-…
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A week after ProPublica published an investigation that found $470 million in SNAP benefits were stolen from Americans last year alone, the Trump administration announced a new rule to add microchips, which are more secure, to EBT cards.
propublica.org/article/snap-…
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The Trump administration is buying a stake in a private oil firm, and investors in the company could receive enormous wealth from the arrangement.
The role of the Venezuelan government and the potential benefits to its people are largely absent from the text of the deal.
propublica.org/article/trump…
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Wildfires in the American West present a secondary threat that has received far less attention: flooding.
A tourist town knew recent fires could worsen flash floods, but officials chided residents who posted warnings on social media.
propublica.org/article/wildf…
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Officer Jaron Alexander says he didn’t come back to Ingram, Texas, to help deport his neighbors.
But one year after joining ICE’s 287(g) program, his department has handed over the equivalent of 10% of the town.
propublica.org/article/depor…
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New: Citation Oil & Gas is named more often than any other company in Oklahoma’s database of oil field pollution incidents and violations — listed more than 1,000 times over the past decade. The state’s oil regulator has never punished the company. propub.li/3WPqUk7
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