The state has spent years reshaping public schools to integrate lessons about Jesus and encourage pride in America’s history.<a href="[link removed]><img src="[link removed]" alt="" border="0" /></a>

Nonprofit, investigative journalism on a mission to hold the powerful to account. Donate <[link removed]>

ProPublica <[link removed]> ProPublica <[link removed]>
The Big Story
October 22, 2025 · View in browser <[link removed]>

In today’s newsletter: Oklahoma’s shift toward conservatism and Christianity in public schools has come amid abysmal test scores and high dropout rates <[link removed]>; more than 170 U.S. citizens have been held by immigration agents <[link removed]>; Idaho becomes first state to ban vaccine mandates <[link removed]>; and more from our newsroom.

<[link removed]>
This Is Ground Zero in the Conservative Quest for More Patriotic and Christian Public Schools <[link removed]>

The future that the Trump administration envisions for public schools is more patriotic, more Christian and less “woke.” Want to know how that might play out? Look to Oklahoma. ProPublica’s Jennifer Smith Richards <[link removed]> reported from Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and McCurtain, Pushmataha and Pittsburg counties. Here’s what you need to know:

* Rightward Shift: Long before the Trump administration began pushing patriotic curricula and expanding private school choice, Oklahoma experimented with many of those conservative ideas.

* Classroom Control: State law restricts how teachers handle lessons about racism and gender — and the materials they keep in their classrooms.

* Pockets of Resistance: Some educators and parents have balked at the conservative movement in schools, with legal challenges slowing a number of mandates.

Read story <[link removed]>

 
That Stat

 
170

The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did.

We found more than 170 such incidents since the start of the second Trump administration. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And nearly 20 children, including two with cancer.

Immigration agents can hold someone who they reasonably suspect is in the country illegally. We found more than 50 Americans who were held after agents questioned their citizenship. They were almost all Latino.

Immigration agents also can arrest citizens who allegedly interfere with or assault officers. We compiled cases of about 130 Americans, including a dozen elected officials, accused of assaulting or impeding officers. These cases have often wilted under scrutiny. In nearly 50 instances that we have identified so far, charges have never been filed or the cases were dismissed. Our count found a handful of citizens have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors.

In response to questions from ProPublica, the Department of Homeland Security said agents do not racially profile or target Americans. “We don’t arrest US citizens for immigration enforcement,” spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin wrote. The White House told ProPublica that anyone who assaults federal immigration agents will be prosecuted.

Read story <[link removed]>

 
Idaho

 
Red dots form an X in the middle of a bandage. <[link removed]>
Idaho just made it illegal for state and local governments, private businesses, employers, schools and day cares to require anyone to take a vaccine. <[link removed]>

ProPublica reporter Audrey Dutton digs into what the Idaho Medical Freedom Act means for the state and for others that might follow suit. Leslie Manookian, the activist behind the law, hopes to make it a “societal norm” for the rest of the country. Her nonprofit, the Health Freedom Defense Fund, is now distributing model legislation and a how-to guide <[link removed]>, with talking points to persuade legislators. Manookian said in podcast interviews that she is working with the nonprofit Stand For Health Freedom <[link removed]> to mobilize activists in every state.

Read story <[link removed]>

 

More from the newsroom

 

Joint Congressional Investigation Launched in Response to ProPublica’s Revelations on Detained Americans <[link removed]>

<[link removed]>

Ethics Watchdog Group Seeks Investigation Into Border Czar and Contracts Following ProPublica Report <[link removed]>

<[link removed]>

This County Was the “Model” for Local Police Carrying Out Immigration Raids. It Ended in Civil Rights Violations. <[link removed]>

<[link removed]>

Arizona Police Agencies Were Once at the Forefront of Local Immigration Enforcement. Now Most Are Avoiding It. <[link removed]>

<[link removed]>

What You Should Know About Russ Vought, Trump’s Shadow President <[link removed]>

<[link removed]>

 

 

Find us on Facebook Find us on Facebook Threads <[link removed]> Find us on Instagram Find us on Instagram Instagram <[link removed]> Watch us on TikTok Watch us on TikTok TikTok <[link removed]> Find us on X Find us on X (Twitter) <[link removed]> Find us on Mastodon Find us on Mastodon Mastodon <[link removed]>
Was this email forwarded to you from a friend? Subscribe. <[link removed]>

 
This email was sent to [email protected].

 

Preferences <[link removed]> Unsubscribe <[link removed]>  
ProPublica

155 Ave of the Americas, 13th Floor

New York, NY 10013