Last year, as the 2024 election dominated headlines, ProPublica reporters and editors delved into the issues that concern many voters.
Kavita Surana, Cassandra Jaramillo and Lizzie Presser discovered the death of at least five women who did not have access to timely reproductive and medical care under the Texas and Georgia abortion bans. In our composition series exploring new patterns of immigrationThis was reported by Melissa Sanchez and Maryam Jamil which took place in Whitewater, Wisconsinwhen the city became a Republican talking point. Eli Hager and Lucas Waldron went deep why low-income families in arizona are not taking advantage of school vouchers how voucher advocates have come up with similar programs throughout the country.
That’s not all. Our reporters have also spent several months investigating other issues that affect readers’ lives, ranging from the challenges of finding a mental health care provider that accepts insurance yes the human toll of the fentanyl crisis.
ProPublica journalists will continue this work in the new year Donald Trump’s second administration is taking shape. In the meantime, check out ProPublica’s 25 most-read stories published in 2024, based on total time spent reading them across our multiple publishing platforms.
1. A year after the abortion refusal
By Stacey Kranitz, special for ProPublica, and Kavit Surana
Tennessee law prohibits women from obtaining abortions under almost all circumstances. But as soon as babies appear, the state practically does not help. ProPublica followed Mayron Michelle Hollis and her family for a year as they fought for it.
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2. “Eat what you kill”
J. David McSwain; published in association with the Montana Free Press
After arriving at St. Peter’s Hospital in downtown Helena, Montana, Dr. Thomas S. Hailed as a savior, Weiner became a patient favorite and the hospital’s highest earner. As the myth surrounding the high-ranking oncologist grew, so did the trail of patient injuries and suspicious deaths.
3. Armed and Underground: Inside the Turbulent Secret World of the American Militia
Joshua Kaplan
Internal reports show how AP3, one of the largest armed groups in the US, has grown even as prosecutors have pursued other paramilitary groups since the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
4. How 3M executives convinced a scientist of the safety of Forever Chemicals, which she found in human blood
By Sharon Lerner, photography by Haruka Sakaguchi, special to ProPublica; published in association with The New Yorker
Decades ago, Chris Hansen showed 3M that its PFAS chemicals were found in human bodies. Her bosses terminated her employment. As the EPA moved to force the chemicals out of drinking water, she struggled with the secrets 3M kept from her and the world.
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Daniel Villasano for ProPublica
5. Pregnant teen dies after trying to get help during three visits to Texas emergency room
Lizzy Presser and Kavita Surana
It took three emergency room visits and 20 hours before 18-year-old Nevaeh Crane was admitted to the hospital because her condition worsened. Doctors insisted on two ultrasounds to confirm “fetal death”. She is one of at least three Texas women who have died as a result of the state’s abortion ban.
6. Many of Trump’s witnesses have received significant financial benefits from his businesses and campaigns
Robert Faturechi, Justin Elliott, and Alex Merjeski
Witnesses in various criminal cases against Donald Trump have received raises, new jobs and more. If some gain was intended to influence testimony, it could be a crime.
7. ‘Not Medically Necessary’: Inside Company Helping America’s Largest Health Insurer Denied Medical Coverage
T. Christian Miller, ProPublica; Patrick Rucker, The Capitol Forum; and David Armstrong, ProPublica
When companies like Aetna or UnitedHealthcare want to rein in costs, they turn to EviCore, whose business model depends on refusing to pay for care that doctors recommend to their patients.
8. Trump’s IRS audit could cost the former president more than $100 million
By Paul Kiel, ProPublica, and Russ Buettner, The New York Times
The IRS has concluded in its long-running investigation that Donald Trump actually claimed the same massive write-off twice on his failed Chicago tower.
9. Woman dies after being told it would be ‘a crime’ to interfere with her miscarriage at Texas hospital
Cassandra Jaramilo and Kavita Surana
Joseli Barnica is one of at least three pregnant Texas women who died after doctors delayed emergency care. She told her husband that the medical team said they could not act until the fetal heartbeat stopped.
10. Abortion bans delay medical emergencies. Experts in Georgia say this mother’s death could have been prevented.
Kavita Surana
At least two women in Georgia have died after being unable to access legal abortions and timely medical care in their state, ProPublica reports. This is one of their stories.
11. How Walmart Financial Services Became a Magnet for Fraud
Craig Silverman and Peter Elkind
Fraudsters defrauded consumers out of more than $1 billion by exploiting Walmart’s lax security. The company has resisted taking responsibility, breaking promises to regulators and skimping on training.
12. He was convicted of murdering his child. Prosecutors say he’s innocent, but that may not be enough.
By Pamela Koloff, photo by Stacey Kranitz; published in association with The New York Times Magazine
When new scientific evidence calls into question convictions, the justice system has no easy path to freedom — even when prosecutors ask.
13. Trump’s lawyers said in court that no one would grant him bail. Then he had a lifeline, but they didn’t tell the judges.
Robert Faturechi, Justin Elliott, and Alex Merjeski
An appeals court has reduced Donald Trump’s bail by more than 60% after his lawyers said it was “practically impossible” to pay the full amount. Their refusal to disclose the offer from the billionaire financier could have violated ethics rules.
14. For the women who accused the Trump campaign of harassment, this was more harassment
Marilyn W. Thompson
Donald Trump is well-known for publicly mocking his political rivals, but the president-elect’s campaign has also used similar tactics to conduct private, merciless attacks on some of its own employees.
15. Inside the historic suit that the gun industry and Republicans are on the verge of murder
By Vernal Coleman, photo by Sarabeth Maney
For 25 years, gun manufacturers have repeatedly tried to stop one city’s illegal gun sales lawsuit. Meanwhile, the illegal procurement of firearms continued unabated and at a dangerous pace.
16. Inside the Ziklag, a secret organization of wealthy Christians trying to influence elections and change the country
Andy Kroll, ProPublica and Nick Sergi, documented
The little-known charity is backed by prominent conservative donors, including the families behind Hobby Lobby and Uline. He spent millions to make a big political push for the 2024 election, but he may have broken the law.
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Collage by Han Cao for ProPublica. Source images: Brown County, Wisconsin court document and photos courtesy of Maylia Satello and Kerry Harrison.
17. Mailia and Jack: A Story of Teenagers and Fentanyl
Lizzie Presser; published in association with Teen Vogue
The police knew she was selling counterfeit Percocet but didn’t stop her. His mother searched for the right treatment for his addiction, but found none. Two teenagers found themselves in a system unprepared to deal with children on both sides of the drug trade.
18. Secret Project 2025 training videos
Written by Andy Kroll, ProPublica and Nick Sergi, documented
“Eliminate references to climate change”; speak only to conservative media; don’t leave a paper trail for observers. In a series of never-before-released videos, Project 2025 detailed how a second Trump administration would operate.
19. What happened in Whitewater
By Melissa Sanchez and Maryam Jamil, photo by Sofia Aldinho, special to ProPublica
Before Springfield, Ohio, became a flashpoint for the immigration debate, Trump and right-wing pundits seized on the police chief’s plea for resources to say Whitewater was under “invasion.” The truth turned out to be much more complicated.
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Tony Luong, Special to ProPublica
20. Why I left the net
By Annie Waldman, Maya Miller, Duaa Eldabe and Max Blau, photography by Tony Luongo, special for ProPublica, design by Zisiga Mukulu; in association with NPR
Those who need therapy often have to pay out of pocket or go without, even if they have health insurance. Hundreds of mental health professionals told us they fled the networks because insurers made their jobs impossible and their lives miserable.
21. The 11-year-old denied the threats and was allowed to return to school. The Tennessee State Police arrested him anyway.
Alia Swaby, ProPublica, and Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio
State law makes threats of mass violence at school a felony, even if they are not credible. Judges and school officials say the law unnecessarily traumatizes children.
22. Truancy: America’s Hidden Education Crisis
Alec McGillis; published in association with The New Yorker
Absenteeism has almost doubled since the pandemic. With state and federal governments largely abdicating any role in getting kids back into classrooms, some schools have turned to private companies for a reimagined version of truancy.
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Ash Ponders, specially for ProPublica
23. In a state with school vouchers for all, low-income families are opting out
Eli Hager and Lucas Waldron
Working-class parents often express interest in vouchers. But in Arizona, the nation’s school choice capital, those families are not using them because of the inaccessibility of private schools and the cost of transportation, food and uniforms.
24. Judge Eileen Cannon failed to crack down on the far-right junket
Marilyn W. Thompson and Alex Merjeski
Eileen Cannon, whose oversight of Donald Trump’s classified documents case has drawn widespread criticism, has repeatedly violated a rule requiring federal judges to disclose information about their attendance at private seminars.
25. A third woman has died because of Texas’ abortion ban. Doctors are avoiding D&Cs and looking to riskier miscarriage treatments.
Lizzy Presser and Kavita Surana
The case of 35-year-old Portia Ngumezi raises questions about how abortion bans force doctors to avoid standard care even for simple miscarriages.
