August 11, 2025 · View in browser

Frustrated by oil companies mysteriously withholding large amounts of royalties, North Dakota mineral owners lobbied for change. Instead, lawmakers provided an oversight program that, owners say, fails to address the issue it was created to solve.

From the outset, Donald Trump’s second stint as president has been dogged by ethics and legal controversies, like Elon Musk-linked roles, stock sales and dark money deals. And we’ve been watching.

Join us Wednesday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. ET as our reporting team reviews what it has learned and answers your questions. You’ll hear from:

ProPublica reporter Melissa Sanchez discusses with “PBS NewsHour” her reporting on the 238 men deported to a prison in El Salvador. In the video, some of the men, who have since been released, speak out about abuse they experienced while detained. 

Sanchez is part of a team of reporters from ProPublica, The Texas Tribune, Alianza Rebelde Investiga (Rebel Alliance Investigates) and Cazadores de Fake News (Fake News Hunters) who spent months scouring law enforcement records and speaking with family members of the deported men. Their findings are showcased in a number of stories, including a database we created with information on each individual. In the vast majority of cases, the men were sent to the maximum-security prison, Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, or CECOT, having not been convicted of crimes in the U.S. The Trump administration knew this. Read more from the investigation:

• He Came to the U.S. to Support His Sick Child. He Was Detained. Then He Disappeared.

• He Was Asked About His Tattoos and a TikTok Video in Court. Five Days Later, He Was in a Salvadoran Prison.

• Now That They’re Free

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