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Paper Trail: Daily Summaries Delivered
by ProPublica
Investigative reporters at ProPublica chase down evidence of wrongdoing and bring it to light. That evidence can be on paper — or on thumb drives, in secret recordings, from conversations with whistleblowers. Each episode, you’ll ride along as we talk to reporters and their sources, uncover hidden facts and show you the receipts. When we publish what we find, things can change. Laws are passed, corrupt leaders fall, innocent people walk out of prison and sometimes a life is even saved. Investigative reporter Jessica Lussenhop is your guide.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 4 days ago36 min
Who’s the Shadow President?
Reporter Andy Kroll got his hands on secret tapes of a low-profile bureaucrat named Russell Vought. Turns out, as director of the Office of Management and Budget, he’s been quietly reshaping the federal government and commanding many of the second Trump administration’s biggest moves. Read the reporting here: https://www.propublica.org/article/russ-vought-trump-shadow-president-omb Support our journalism by donating at propublica.org/donate.
- 2 weeks ago28 min
Don Jr.’s Secret Wedding Guest
While investigating the personal wealth of the president’s oldest son, investigative reporters Justin Elliott and Brett Murphy learned something almost too strange to be true: that a Russian oligarch closely allied with Vladimir Putin might have attended Donald Trump Jr.’s recent wedding in the Bahamas. Using a combination of social media and shoe-leather reporting, a team of ProPublica reporters soon realized that the guest list was just the tip of the iceberg. Read the reporting here: https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-jr-wedding-bankrolled-russian-oligarch-umar-kremlev-putinSupport our journalism by donating at propublica.org/donate.
- 3 weeks ago44 min
The Predatory Industry Behind MLB’s Dominican Superstar Pipeline
Major League Baseball has built a pipeline in the Dominican Republic to scoop up young players with the potential of superstars like Red Sox hero David “Big Papi” Ortiz. But reporter Gus Garcia-Roberts uncovered how MLB has allowed a shadow industry to flourish — one that exploits young players and their families. In this episode, Gus brings us the story of Belfi Rivera, a supernaturally talented young Dominican player who experienced firsthand how the system is broken. Support our journalism by donating at propublica.org/donate.
- Sep 3, 202644 min
How the Planet-Altering Disaster of “Forever Chemicals” Was Kept Secret
We now know harmful “forever chemicals” are likely in the bodies of most people on Earth. Decades ago, 3M knew that these chemicals had seeped into the public’s blood, but they kept that a secret. One 3M scientist helped reporter Sharon Lerner understand how they kept it quiet for so long.Reporter: Sharon LernerRead More: https://www.propublica.org/article/3m-forever-chemicals-pfas-pfos-inside-story Support our journalism by donating at propublica.org/donate.
- Aug 20, 202641 min
The True Story of Why Immigration Agents Raided a Chicago Apartment Building
In the middle of a September night last year, hundreds of agents stormed a Chicago apartment building, some rappelling down from a Black Hawk helicopter. They arrested 37 immigrants and claimed that two were confirmed members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua — but then never identified any of them. Reporters Melissa Sanchez and Sebastian Rotella set out to track down the people arrested, and, along with a team of ProPublica reporters, they uncovered a very different story behind the raid.Read the original reporting here: https://www.propublica.org/article/chicago-venezuela-immigration-ice-raid-landlord-tren-de-araguahttps://www.propublica.org/article/chicago-venezuela-immigration-ice-fbi-raids-no-criminal-chargesSupport our journalism by donating at propublica.org/donate.
- Aug 6, 202645 min
How “Forgive and Forget” Buried a Church’s Dark Secret
Host Jessica Lussenhop received an unusual email: A prosecutor had major concerns about a case in Minnesota. A man had pleaded guilty to felony child sexual abuse, but it seemed like the church he belonged to, the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church, might have played a part in keeping the abuse quiet. Lussenhop teamed up with reporter Andy Mannix, and they discovered this case was just a symptom of a much bigger problem in the OALC.Read the original stories here: https://www.propublica.org/series/forgive-and-forgetThe National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 800-656-HOPE (4673).If you have information about the OALC, contact Andy Mannix and Jeremy Kohler.Support our journalism by donating at propublica.org/donate.
- Jul 23, 202633 min
What Happened When Trump Officials Destroyed USAID (From Reveal)
This week, we’re presenting a conversation with ProPublica reporters that originally aired on Reveal’s podcast “More to the Story.” When the administration and DOGE cut off funding to USAID, administration officials claimed that aid was still flowing and no one had died as a result. Reporters Brett Murphy and Anna Maria Barry-Jester learned that wasn’t true and traveled to South Sudan and Kenya to find out what really happened. If you have information on foreign aid, contact Murphy here and Barry-Jester here.Read the original reporting here: https://www.propublica.org/article/kenya-trump-usaid-world-food-program-starvation-children-deathshttps://www.propublica.org/article/usaid-cholera-deaths-trump-humanitarian-aid-cuts-south-sudanSupport our journalism by donating at propublica.org/donate.
- Jul 9, 202633 min
How Microsoft’s “Little Workaround” Created a Major Pentagon Threat
A source told reporter Renee Dudley something she found hard to believe: that Microsoft was running tech support for the Department of Defense through China, the country’s biggest cybersecurity adversary. The arrangement was called “digital escorting.” She thought it sounded like a conspiracy theory — until she started looking into it. This is the story of what she found and how her investigation changed government policy.Read More: www.propublica.org/article/microsoft-digital-escorts-pentagon-defense-department-china-hackersSupport our journalism by donating at propublica.org/donate.
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About Paper Trail
Investigative reporters at ProPublica chase down evidence of wrongdoing and bring it to light. That evidence can be on paper — or on thumb drives, in secret recordings, from conversations with whistleblowers. Each episode, you’ll ride along as we talk to reporters and their sources, uncover hidden facts and show you the receipts. When we publish what we find, things can change. Laws are passed, corrupt leaders fall, innocent people walk out of prison and sometimes a life is even saved. Investigative reporter Jessica Lussenhop is your guide.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Paper Trail as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
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How often does Paper Trail release new episodes?
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Paper Trail covers topics including News, Documentary, Culture, Society & Culture. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
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