Megan O'Matz
@megomatz.bsky.social
Wisconsin reporter, ProPublica.
“You are not entitled to a response from us, or anyone, ever,” an Education Department spokesperson wrote to me after I repeatedly tried to get comment. In this column, my @propublica.org editor describes the pushback to our efforts to ensure fairness. www.propublica.org/article/prop...
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation.
Our journalists reach out to people they’re writing about to ensure fairness. But in this environment, they’ve found their efforts to do so are more likely to be vilified than appreciated.
www.propublica.org
December 29, 2025 at 7:42 PM
“You are not entitled to a response from us, or anyone, ever,” an Education Department spokesperson wrote to me after I repeatedly tried to get comment. In this column, my @propublica.org editor describes the pushback to our efforts to ensure fairness. www.propublica.org/article/prop...
Reposted by Megan O'Matz
STUNNING: Nearly a year since President Donald Trump took office, his education department’s Office for Civil Rights has not entered into a single new resolution agreement involving racial harassment of students, we found.
@jsmithrichards.bsky.social @megomatz.bsky.social @jodiscohen.bsky.social
@jsmithrichards.bsky.social @megomatz.bsky.social @jodiscohen.bsky.social
Monkey Sounds, “White Power” and the N-Word: Racial Harassment Against Black Students Ignored Under Trump
Since Trump returned to office, the Education Department’s civil rights office has not resolved a single racial harassment investigation. It sends a message that “people impacted by racial discriminat...
www.propublica.org
December 19, 2025 at 12:42 PM
STUNNING: Nearly a year since President Donald Trump took office, his education department’s Office for Civil Rights has not entered into a single new resolution agreement involving racial harassment of students, we found.
@jsmithrichards.bsky.social @megomatz.bsky.social @jodiscohen.bsky.social
@jsmithrichards.bsky.social @megomatz.bsky.social @jodiscohen.bsky.social
Reposted by Megan O'Matz
So much to process in this story. Monkey Sounds, “White Power” and the N-Word: Racial Harassment Against Black Students Ignored Under Trump @jsmithrichards.bsky.social @megomatz.bsky.social @jodiscohen.bsky.social
Monkey Sounds, “White Power” and the N-Word: Racial Harassment Against Black Students Ignored Under Trump
Since Trump returned to office, the Education Department’s civil rights office has not resolved a single racial harassment investigation. It sends a message that “people impacted by racial discriminat...
www.propublica.org
December 19, 2025 at 1:40 PM
So much to process in this story. Monkey Sounds, “White Power” and the N-Word: Racial Harassment Against Black Students Ignored Under Trump @jsmithrichards.bsky.social @megomatz.bsky.social @jodiscohen.bsky.social
Trump’s Education Department is ignoring discrimination against Black students. The department’s civil rights office has not entered into a single new agreement requiring schools to address racial harassment of students, my colleagues & I @propublica.org found. / News Tips: ProPublica.org/tips
Monkey Sounds, “White Power” and the N-Word: Racial Harassment Against Black Students Ignored Under Trump
Since Trump returned to office, the Education Department’s civil rights office has not resolved a single racial harassment investigation. It sends a message that “people impacted by racial discriminat...
www.propublica.org
December 19, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Trump’s Education Department is ignoring discrimination against Black students. The department’s civil rights office has not entered into a single new agreement requiring schools to address racial harassment of students, my colleagues & I @propublica.org found. / News Tips: ProPublica.org/tips
Trump’s DOJ has offered states a ‘confidential’ deal to wipe voters flagged by feds as ineligible. Eleven states have shown a willingness to do so. Colorado & Wisconsin, however, rejected the memorandum of understanding and released copies of the proposal. stateline.org/2025/12/18/t...
Trump's DOJ offers states 'confidential' deal to wipe voters flagged by feds as ineligible • Stateline
The U.S. Department of Justice has sent confidential draft agreements on voter data sharing to more than a dozen states, part of the Trump administration’s effort to obtain unredacted voter rolls, wit...
stateline.org
December 18, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Trump’s DOJ has offered states a ‘confidential’ deal to wipe voters flagged by feds as ineligible. Eleven states have shown a willingness to do so. Colorado & Wisconsin, however, rejected the memorandum of understanding and released copies of the proposal. stateline.org/2025/12/18/t...
Texas is using driver's licenses to compile a list of transgender people. It's unclear what the list will be used for. www.kut.org/politics/202...
The state is making a list of transgender Texans. It’s using driver's licenses to help.
A year after the state blocked transgender Texans from updating their state IDs, it has collected information on more than 100 people who have tried. Officials won’t say what they’re using the list fo...
www.kut.org
December 16, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Texas is using driver's licenses to compile a list of transgender people. It's unclear what the list will be used for. www.kut.org/politics/202...
Reposted by Megan O'Matz
“It is all lunacy. Absolutely, it’s 100% nonsense,” said Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society about the claims made in Kory's book that chlorine dioxide is a miracle treatment for a wide range of ailments.
By @megomatz.bsky.social
By @megomatz.bsky.social
Senator Endorses Discredited Doctor’s Book on a Chemical He Claims Treats Everything From Autism to Cancer
Wisconsin's Ron Johnson has a history of spreading vaccine misinformation. Now he's giving credence to assertions about the therapeutic powers of chlorine dioxide, a disinfectant and deodorizer. “It i...
www.propublica.org
December 13, 2025 at 2:45 PM
“It is all lunacy. Absolutely, it’s 100% nonsense,” said Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society about the claims made in Kory's book that chlorine dioxide is a miracle treatment for a wide range of ailments.
By @megomatz.bsky.social
By @megomatz.bsky.social
Reposted by Megan O'Matz
Wisconsin's Sen. Ron Johnson has a history of spreading vaccine misinformation. Now he's giving credence to assertions about the therapeutic powers of chlorine dioxide, a disinfectant and deodorizer. “It is all lunacy," one expert said. www.propublica.org/article/ron-... @megomatz.bsky.social
Senator Endorses Discredited Doctor’s Book on a Chemical He Claims Treats Everything From Autism to Cancer
Wisconsin's Ron Johnson has a history of spreading vaccine misinformation. Now he's giving credence to assertions about the therapeutic powers of chlorine dioxide, a disinfectant and deodorizer. “It i...
www.propublica.org
December 11, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Wisconsin's Sen. Ron Johnson has a history of spreading vaccine misinformation. Now he's giving credence to assertions about the therapeutic powers of chlorine dioxide, a disinfectant and deodorizer. “It is all lunacy," one expert said. www.propublica.org/article/ron-... @megomatz.bsky.social
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson has a history of spreading vaccine misinformation. Now he's giving credence to assertions about the therapeutic powers of chlorine dioxide, a disinfectant & deodorizer. “It is all lunacy," one expert said. / My latest for @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/ron-...
Senator Endorses Discredited Doctor’s Book on a Chemical He Claims Treats Everything From Autism to Cancer
Wisconsin's Ron Johnson has a history of spreading vaccine misinformation. Now he's giving credence to assertions about the therapeutic powers of chlorine dioxide, a disinfectant and deodorizer. “It i...
www.propublica.org
December 11, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson has a history of spreading vaccine misinformation. Now he's giving credence to assertions about the therapeutic powers of chlorine dioxide, a disinfectant & deodorizer. “It is all lunacy," one expert said. / My latest for @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/ron-...
Reposted by Megan O'Matz
ICE arrested a man in Manitowoc seeking asylum from Nicaragua before his Nov. 4 hearing before an immigration court judge. Now he may be deported to a third country: Honduras. A system where rule of law is replaced by "crazy arbitrariness" @wisconsinwatch.org wisconsinwatch.org/2025/11/wisc...
‘So sudden, so jarring’: Immigration ruling streamlines deportations to countries asylum seekers barely know
A Board of Immigration Appeals decision makes it easier for federal officials to toss thousands of asylum cases and send applicants to a “third country” where they have never lived. But the mechani…
wisconsinwatch.org
November 15, 2025 at 2:37 PM
ICE arrested a man in Manitowoc seeking asylum from Nicaragua before his Nov. 4 hearing before an immigration court judge. Now he may be deported to a third country: Honduras. A system where rule of law is replaced by "crazy arbitrariness" @wisconsinwatch.org wisconsinwatch.org/2025/11/wisc...
Wisconsin Judge Brad Schimel, a Trump loyalist, lost his 2025 race for the state Supreme Court, even though Elon Musk poured over $20 million into his campaign. Now, the Trump administration appointed Schimel as the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/u...
Who Is Elon Musk Helping Now? A Judicial Candidate Who’s a Big Trump Fan.
www.nytimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Wisconsin Judge Brad Schimel, a Trump loyalist, lost his 2025 race for the state Supreme Court, even though Elon Musk poured over $20 million into his campaign. Now, the Trump administration appointed Schimel as the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/u...
In 48 other states, new moms have access to Medicaid for up to one year after they give birth. Not in Wisconsin.
There, the limit remains two months. And it’s only because of one man: Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. / My latest story for @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/wisc...
There, the limit remains two months. And it’s only because of one man: Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. / My latest story for @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/wisc...
He Vowed to “Protect the Unborn.” Now He’s Blocking a Bill to Expand Medicaid for Wisconsin’s New Moms.
Splitting with anti-abortion members of his own party, Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has refused to join 48 other states in ensuring that vulnerable women have access to potentially lifesaving ...
www.propublica.org
November 17, 2025 at 2:21 PM
In 48 other states, new moms have access to Medicaid for up to one year after they give birth. Not in Wisconsin.
There, the limit remains two months. And it’s only because of one man: Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. / My latest story for @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/wisc...
There, the limit remains two months. And it’s only because of one man: Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. / My latest story for @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/wisc...
“It’s 20,000 of them running through my house like we got Saddam Hussein in the closet." Read the definitive story of the US military-like raid on a Chicago apartment building & the false claims that led to extraordinary force. / by @melissa-sanchez.bsky.social + www.propublica.org/article/chic...
“I Lost Everything”: Venezuelans Were Rounded Up in a Dramatic Midnight Raid but Never Charged With a Crime
Authorities said Tren de Aragua “terrorists” had taken over the building. A ProPublica investigation found little evidence to back up the government’s claims. For the first time, the Venezuelans arres...
www.propublica.org
November 13, 2025 at 3:26 PM
“It’s 20,000 of them running through my house like we got Saddam Hussein in the closet." Read the definitive story of the US military-like raid on a Chicago apartment building & the false claims that led to extraordinary force. / by @melissa-sanchez.bsky.social + www.propublica.org/article/chic...
Trump had a rare opportunity to fix the clemency system. Instead, experts said, he has exploited it.
“If you’re a donor or political supporter, you move to the front of the line.” /by @jeremykohler.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/trum...
“If you’re a donor or political supporter, you move to the front of the line.” /by @jeremykohler.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/trum...
How Trump Has Exploited Pardons and Clemency to Reward Allies and Supporters
The president’s second term has brought a flood of clemency for allies and donors — as well as felons, like him, who were convicted of financial wrongdoing.
www.propublica.org
November 12, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Trump had a rare opportunity to fix the clemency system. Instead, experts said, he has exploited it.
“If you’re a donor or political supporter, you move to the front of the line.” /by @jeremykohler.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/trum...
“If you’re a donor or political supporter, you move to the front of the line.” /by @jeremykohler.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Trump pardons Wisconsin fake electors & two legal architects of the effort to overturn the 2020 election: Carol Brunner, Mary Buestrin, Darryl Carlson, Andrew Hitt, Kelly Ruh, Bob Spindell, Pam Travis, Kenneth Chesebro, Jim Troupis. / by @mollybeck.bsky.social www.jsonline.com/story/news/p...
Trump pardons Wisconsin Republicans named in efforts to overturn 2020, but state prosecutions aren't affected
President Donald Trump has pardoned Wisconsin Republicans who participated in a scheme he created to try to overturn his 2020 election loss.
www.jsonline.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Trump pardons Wisconsin fake electors & two legal architects of the effort to overturn the 2020 election: Carol Brunner, Mary Buestrin, Darryl Carlson, Andrew Hitt, Kelly Ruh, Bob Spindell, Pam Travis, Kenneth Chesebro, Jim Troupis. / by @mollybeck.bsky.social www.jsonline.com/story/news/p...
Families of the missing in Syria were looking in the wrong place. Using drone footage, journalist @mcneill.bsky.social & @reuters.com team proved the Assad government ordered bodies trucked from a known mass grave & dumped in new secret trenches. A ghastly story: www.reuters.com/investigates...
www.reuters.com
October 31, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Families of the missing in Syria were looking in the wrong place. Using drone footage, journalist @mcneill.bsky.social & @reuters.com team proved the Assad government ordered bodies trucked from a known mass grave & dumped in new secret trenches. A ghastly story: www.reuters.com/investigates...
Wisconsin's governor today signed a bipartisan bill banning cellphone use in classes by July 2026. "It’s really tough to be a kid these days & we know that cellphones can be a major distraction from learning, a source of bullying & a barrier to our kids’ important work of just being a kid," he said.
October 31, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Wisconsin's governor today signed a bipartisan bill banning cellphone use in classes by July 2026. "It’s really tough to be a kid these days & we know that cellphones can be a major distraction from learning, a source of bullying & a barrier to our kids’ important work of just being a kid," he said.
Can Americans save a Phoenix mail room that provides a small but valuable service: helping unhoused people obtain their mail? The US Post Office cut its contribution - only $24,000 a year, as @nicolesantacruz.bsky.social discovered. www.propublica.org/article/phoe...
U.S. Postal Service Cuts Funding for a Phoenix Mail Room Assisting Homeless People
The loss of support comes at a time of uncertainty for one of Arizona’s largest homeless services providers as the Trump administration calls for reducing and restructuring homelessness assistance gra...
www.propublica.org
October 28, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Can Americans save a Phoenix mail room that provides a small but valuable service: helping unhoused people obtain their mail? The US Post Office cut its contribution - only $24,000 a year, as @nicolesantacruz.bsky.social discovered. www.propublica.org/article/phoe...
Reposted by Megan O'Matz
Conservative education activists such as Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice have access to the top levers of the government.
“If America’s public schools cease to exist tomorrow, America would be a better place,” Justice told ProPublica.
@megomatz.bsky.social @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
“If America’s public schools cease to exist tomorrow, America would be a better place,” Justice told ProPublica.
@megomatz.bsky.social @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.
Under Trump, the Department of Education has been bringing in activists hostile to public schools. It could mean a new era of private and religious schools boosted by tax dollars — and the end of publ...
www.propublica.org
October 24, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Conservative education activists such as Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice have access to the top levers of the government.
“If America’s public schools cease to exist tomorrow, America would be a better place,” Justice told ProPublica.
@megomatz.bsky.social @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
“If America’s public schools cease to exist tomorrow, America would be a better place,” Justice told ProPublica.
@megomatz.bsky.social @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
Reposted by Megan O'Matz
Education Secretary Linda McMahon has tapped Meg Kilgannon, who advocates for more Christian leadership in school districts, as a top adviser.
Kilgannon has decried the removal of spirituality as a topic from classrooms.
By @megomatz.bsky.social and @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
Kilgannon has decried the removal of spirituality as a topic from classrooms.
By @megomatz.bsky.social and @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
Five Ways the Department of Education Is Upending Public Schools
The Trump administration has made a rapid succession of hires and decisions at the Department of Education that could spur profound changes in how schools operate and children learn. Here’s what to kn...
www.propublica.org
October 27, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Education Secretary Linda McMahon has tapped Meg Kilgannon, who advocates for more Christian leadership in school districts, as a top adviser.
Kilgannon has decried the removal of spirituality as a topic from classrooms.
By @megomatz.bsky.social and @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
Kilgannon has decried the removal of spirituality as a topic from classrooms.
By @megomatz.bsky.social and @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
Wisconsin's food stamp program (called FoodShare) will run out of funding in a matter of days due to the federal government shutdown, the governor said, affecting nearly 700,000 residents. "Benefits may not be available in November," the state website says. content.govdelivery.com/attachments/...
content.govdelivery.com
October 22, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Wisconsin's food stamp program (called FoodShare) will run out of funding in a matter of days due to the federal government shutdown, the governor said, affecting nearly 700,000 residents. "Benefits may not be available in November," the state website says. content.govdelivery.com/attachments/...
Oklahoma has spent years reshaping public schools to integrate lessons about Jesus & foster patriotic pride in US history. By the time the 2nd Trump admin began espousing its “America First” agenda, OK had been there, done that. / by @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
This Is Ground Zero in the Conservative Quest for More Patriotic and Christian Public Schools
Oklahoma has spent years reshaping public schools to integrate lessons about Jesus and encourage pride in America’s history. By the time the second Trump administration began espousing its “America Fi...
www.propublica.org
October 22, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Oklahoma has spent years reshaping public schools to integrate lessons about Jesus & foster patriotic pride in US history. By the time the 2nd Trump admin began espousing its “America First” agenda, OK had been there, done that. / by @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Reposted by Megan O'Matz
NEW: Vought is the architect of President Trump’s broader plan to fire civil servants, freeze government programs and dismantle entire agencies.
Here are some key things to know about the D.C. insider who wants to take a hatchet to the federal government.
Here are some key things to know about the D.C. insider who wants to take a hatchet to the federal government.
What You Should Know About Russ Vought, Trump’s Shadow President
Vought is the architect of President Trump’s broader plan to fire civil servants, freeze government programs and dismantle entire agencies. Here are some key things to know about the D.C. insider who wants to take a hatchet to the federal government.
www.propublica.org
October 20, 2025 at 1:00 PM
NEW: Vought is the architect of President Trump’s broader plan to fire civil servants, freeze government programs and dismantle entire agencies.
Here are some key things to know about the D.C. insider who wants to take a hatchet to the federal government.
Here are some key things to know about the D.C. insider who wants to take a hatchet to the federal government.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh ruled that ICE could consider race in LA raids & that citizens shouldn’t be concerned about being swept up. He was wrong. Reporter @nicolefoy.bsky.social found more than 170 citizens have been detained, sometimes for days, without charges or with flimsy premises.
October 20, 2025 at 3:07 AM
Justice Brett Kavanaugh ruled that ICE could consider race in LA raids & that citizens shouldn’t be concerned about being swept up. He was wrong. Reporter @nicolefoy.bsky.social found more than 170 citizens have been detained, sometimes for days, without charges or with flimsy premises.
Reposted by Megan O'Matz
Among the Education Department’s new appointees is Lindsey Burke, the lead author of Project 2025’s education section.
She envisions dramatic enrollment declines for public schools: “We’re going to have a lot of empty school buildings.”
By @megomatz.bsky.social @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
She envisions dramatic enrollment declines for public schools: “We’re going to have a lot of empty school buildings.”
By @megomatz.bsky.social @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.
Under Trump, the Department of Education has been bringing in activists hostile to public schools. It could mean a new era of private and religious schools boosted by tax dollars — and the end of publ...
www.propublica.org
October 16, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Among the Education Department’s new appointees is Lindsey Burke, the lead author of Project 2025’s education section.
She envisions dramatic enrollment declines for public schools: “We’re going to have a lot of empty school buildings.”
By @megomatz.bsky.social @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
She envisions dramatic enrollment declines for public schools: “We’re going to have a lot of empty school buildings.”
By @megomatz.bsky.social @jsmithrichards.bsky.social