Hi Reader,
Given the dizzying news cycle lately, I thought you’d appreciate a roundup of some recent stories that take a long, deep look at the forces at play in the coming election and beyond:
Today we published a new story that examines a key figure behind Project 2025, the controversial blueprint for a second Trump administration. Project 2025’s most dramatic plans, such as abolishing the Department of Education, have caused alarm among liberals. But ProPublica’s profile of Paul Dans, the recently resigned director of the initiative, makes clear that the most sweeping effects of the plan will likely stem from its less-publicized aspects, and Dans, until now an obscure lawyer, has been at the center of it.
Dans, the portrait reveals, grew up in a liberal family and went to an elite college but now considers himself a “deplorable.” He compiled a massive database that will allow a potential new Republican administration to sweep out thousands of members of the “deep state” and replace them with MAGA loyalists. Not only will a second Trump administration be better prepared to take action than the chaotic first Trump administration, the article concludes, it will be far better prepared than any previous administration to deploy its partisans throughout the federal government.
We also recently published an investigation into the Biden administration’s claim that its trade policy puts people over corporations. Documents on baby formula show how the Biden administration quietly pushed more than a half-dozen countries to weaken, delay or rethink regulations aimed at protecting the public’s health, sometimes after manufacturers complained. The interference, documented in trade letters sent during President Joe Biden’s first two years, represents the latest chapter in the federal government’s long-running support for the multibillion-dollar formula industry, even as the Biden administration has publicly promised a different approach. Critics say the efforts are undermining public health.
In partnership with Documented, we published a story with a recording of a 2021 speech J.D. Vance gave to the Teneo Network, an invitation-only group of young conservatives. The Teneo Network is a Leonard Leo-backed group that seeks to cultivate conservative influence in business and culture. In Vance’s 30-minute speech and question-and-answer session, which had not been previously reported, he said conservatives should stand up for “nonconventional people” who speak the truth, such as Infowars founder Alex Jones and Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Also in partnership with Documented, we published an investigation about Ziklag, a little-known but influential organization with ties to the Republican party. This network of ultrawealthy Christian donors is spending nearly $12 million to mobilize Republican-leaning voters and purge more than a million people from the rolls in key swing states, in hopes of tilting the 2024 election in favor of former President Donald Trump. Our reporter, Andy Kroll, obtained thousands of documents, including e-mails, internal videos and strategy documents, outlining the group’s plans to influence American society.
Ziklag is a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity, but its actions and internal communications reveal a political agenda that several nonpartisan lawyers and legal experts believe violate the terms of its exemption status, which prohibits participation in political activity. Here, too, is a link to a short explainer video we produced.
Earlier in July we published a stunning story in partnership with Wisconsin Watch about Pastor Matthew Trewhella, who has blockaded abortion clinics, called for churches to form militias and defended the murder of abortion providers. Decades ago, his extremism made him a political pariah. Today, he’s influencing Republican policies behind the scenes by providing a religious justification for some far-right policies and causes. With the political establishment shifting, he exemplifies how, in this splintered landscape, even the most fringe figures can become influencers.
We know it is critical to report on growing efforts to reshape American democracy, and we plan to remain laser-focused for the foreseeable future. Thanks for helping make this possible.
All the best,
Robin Sparkman
President, ProPublica
