Paper Trail

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.