Josh Kaplan

THREAD: In 2023, I received an envelope with no return address. Inside was a flash drive containing tens of 1000s of secret files. It came from a vigilante with a tumultuous past, who'd conducted a years-long undercover operation. He didn’t tell the FBI or his family. He only told me.

For those who've been following the story of John Williams, the mole inside the militia movement, he's now released a significant portion of his files through @ddosecrets.com: ddosecrets.com/article/para...

NEW: A $3.7 million Capitol Hill townhouse is the D.C. headquarters of a secretive political influence project. It’s owned by a major GOP donor. But one of the most powerful men in the country recently moved in: House Speaker Mike Johnson. www.propublica.org/article/mike...

NEW: We got a private SpaceX investor list, from way before the IPO. It's a rare window into a particularly delicate issue for Musk: which investors in countries like China got stakes in SpaceX, and how. One investor has ties to Chinese military contractors. www.propublica.org/article/spac...

NEW: Earlier this year, an obscure startup in Texas announced that it had received at least $100 mil from one of the richest men in Asia. We dug into the backstory. We discovered a saga involving Donald Trump Jr., Russian oil, and an Indian billionaire family’s private zoo.

NEW: An Indian billionaire was in Trump’s crosshairs. Then he poured millions into an obscure startup secretly backed by Donald Trump Jr. www.propublica.org/article/trum... w/ @justinelliott.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social

Wild story: DOGE meets nuclear reactor safety

NEW: Kristi Noem Misled Congress About Top Aide’s Role in DHS Contracts, Internal Agency Records Show www.propublica.org/article/kris...

NEW: We’ve uncovered the first known example of taxpayer money flowing from DHS to businesses controlled by Kristi Noem’s allies and friends. It’s part of a money trail that’s been shrouded in secrecy—and involves $220 million, a mysterious Delaware LLC & a horse named Gill.

NEW: Elon Musk’s SpaceX has taken money directly from Chinese investors, according to newly unsealed testimony. It's the first time direct Chinese investment in the defense contractor has been disclosed. www.propublica.org/article/elon...

NEW: Kristi Noem has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA's response to natural disasters. But she fast-tracked $11 million+ to fix a Florida tourist attraction — after one of her big donors reached out. www.propublica.org/article/kris...

New: Kristi Noem secretly took a cut of political donations. A dark money group routed the funds to Noem's Delaware LLC, tax records show. The original source of the money remains unknown. www.propublica.org/article/kris...

NEW: Behind closed doors, the Trump administration has mounted a “maximum pressure” campaign on a poor African democracy. The objective: push the country to help Elon Musk's Starlink business. www.propublica.org/article/trum...