@josh-kaplan.bsky.social
ProPublica reporter | Email me at [email protected] | Contact info & stories here: propublica.org/people/joshua-kaplan
@propublica.orgReposted by @josh-kaplan.bsky.socialHey, ProPublica reporter Jake Pearson here. I’m taking over the account to tell you about my new story. For months, I posed as a problem gambler on DraftKings to test the company's "responsible gaming" safeguards. Spoiler alert: They made me a VIP — and I lost $10K. Here's how it all went down. 🧵
@josh-kaplan.bsky.socialBlockbuster story about Susan Collins — a shocking, detailed window into the dark side of money in politics.
@josh-kaplan.bsky.socialUpdates on our Don Jr/Russian oligarch story, with Oversight Dem launching an investigation and President Trump weighing in www.propublica.org/article/dona...
@josh-kaplan.bsky.socialNEW: 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...
@charlesornstein.bsky.socialReposted by @josh-kaplan.bsky.socialDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth Cut Civilian Protections Over the Objection of Top Commanders
@propublica.orgReposted by @josh-kaplan.bsky.socialNEW: The AAU, one of the country's largest youth sports organizations, is failing on nearly every level to adequately protect children in its care from sexual abuse, a ProPublica and @washingtonpost.com investigation found.
@jessecoburn.bsky.socialReposted by @josh-kaplan.bsky.socialNEW: Flaming robots. Haywire Turkish machines. An actual dumpster fire.
General Dynamics received $533 million from the Army to produce artillery but hasn’t made a single usable shell.
ProPublica got the inside story of what went wrong. It’s a wild ride: www.propublica.org/article/gene...
@jbsapien.bsky.socialReposted by @josh-kaplan.bsky.socialA few weeks ago, after two years of work, I published a story unlike any I’d encountered in my 18 years at ProPublica. I’ve been off social media for a while, but I felt compelled to share some of my reporting journey here. 🧵
@tchristianmiller.bsky.socialReposted by @josh-kaplan.bsky.socialAlice Sebold, the Lovely Bones author, accused the wrong man of rape years ago. @propublica.org asks the question: so who did it? The answer is an amazing work of journalism, truly stunning in the writing and reporting. Put aside some time. It's a must read must read. By Joaquin Sapien.
@charlesornstein.bsky.socialReposted by @josh-kaplan.bsky.social“Chaps, I have had a go at rewriting the paper.”
-Chris Mottershead, BP climate adviser
Beyond Denial: How Oil Execs Shaped a Landmark Climate Study @themadstone.bsky.social @amywestervelt.bsky.social @katieworth.bsky.social @drilledmedia.bsky.social @propublica.org
@josh-kaplan.bsky.socialNEW: We got a private SpaceX investor list, from way before the IPO.
It's a rare window into a particularly delicate issue for Musk: which investors in countries like China got stakes in SpaceX, and how.
One investor has ties to Chinese military contractors.
@themorrancave.bsky.socialReposted by @josh-kaplan.bsky.socialImagine 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.
@josh-kaplan.bsky.socialTrump Jr’s lawyer, John Willding, said in an email that there was “no transaction in India or with an Indian company that I was ever involved with.” In response to ProPublica’s questions, the White House said that “there are no conflicts of interest.”
@josh-kaplan.bsky.socialReliance also said in its statement: “The investment was evaluated and approved on its commercial merits, strategic fit and long-term value creation potential.”
@josh-kaplan.bsky.socialReliance said it did not receive “any unique or preferential treatment” from the U.S. government. “There is no connection between Reliance’s investment in AFR and any unique measures associated with general U.S. trade, tariff, sanctions or licensing outcomes," it said.
@josh-kaplan.bsky.socialIn response to detailed questions, a spokesperson for America First Refining said, “The claims in this story are false,” but declined to specify what they were referring to.
@josh-kaplan.bsky.social“The entire premise of this story relating to Don is false,” the Trump Jr. spokesperson said, adding, “Don does not interface with the Federal Government on behalf of any company that he invests in or advises.”
@josh-kaplan.bsky.socialA Trump Jr spokesperson said Trump Jr. “has no operational involvement in AFR and is simply a passive minority investor in an American company that aligns with his worldview.”
@josh-kaplan.bsky.socialThere’s much, much more in the full story. Read it here: www.propublica.org/article/trum...
@josh-kaplan.bsky.socialSoon, the Ambanis’ company made its investment in the Trump Jr-backed startup. The investment coincided with the family’s securing major U.S. policy wins that their company had been lobbying for.