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Podcast

Paper Trail

10 episodesLatest Aug 20, 2026
Recorded in United States of AmericaAbout United States of AmericaEnglishSociety & CultureDocumentaryNews
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. Support our journalism by donating at propublica.org/donate.

Episodes

  1. 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 immigrant…

    41:40
  2. 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 li…

    45:45
  3. 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…

    33:41
  4. 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…

    33:51
  5. Should People Who Killed Their Abusers Walk Free?

    In 2024, Oklahoma legislators passed an unusual law: It would create a pathway to freedom for people who could prove that domestic violence was a substantial contributing factor to…

    38:34
  6. How a 25-Cent Pill Became a Hundred-Billion-Dollar Business

    Reporter David Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer and soon learned that one of his drugs would cost almost $1,000 per pill. He set out to discover why, and uncovered financial rec…

    41:25
  7. How to Fight a Health Insurance Denial With a Little-Known Tool

    ProPublica got a tip from a reader named Teressa. Her husband was having a severe mental health crisis, and her health insurance company was denying coverage for his hospital and i…

    39:14
  8. How to Lose a Car in 15 Days

    Local reporters at The Connecticut Mirror heard story after story of drivers having their cars towed and then sold out from underneath them, sometimes in just 15 days. They teamed…

    41:37
  9. What the FDA Won’t Tell You About Your Medications

    For years, the Food and Drug Administration told the public that generics are just as safe and effective as brand-name medications. But ProPublica reporters uncovered reports from…

    38:58
  10. Introducing “Paper Trail”Trailer

    Investigative journalism can change the world. Host and reporter Jessica Lussenhop tells the story of how she learned that for herself.Follow this feed for a new investigation on e…

    04:34
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