Author Archive
Topher Sanders
Workforce
Veterans who depend on mental health care keep losing their therapists under Trump
Since the start of the second Trump administration, departures of VA psychologists have been outpacing hires, and the department's cohort of social workers declined by nearly 700 staffers.
- Vernal Coleman, Topher Sanders, Joel Jacobs and Eric Umansky, ProPublica
Management
People are still being swallowed by storm drains. One federal agency is pushing for safety measures
A new federal rule requires that local officials in flood-prone areas consider safety features for drain openings. In 2021, ProPublica reported that uncovered storm drains were responsible for at least three dozen deaths over six years.
- Topher Sanders, ProPublica
Oversight
A Norfolk Southern Policy Lets Officials Order Crews to Ignore Safety Alerts
In October, months before the East Palestine derailment, the company also directed a train to keep moving with an overheated wheel that caused it to derail miles later in Sandusky, Ohio.
- Topher Sanders and Dan Schwartz, ProPublica
Management
Agency Policing Tent City for Immigrant Kids Lacks Experience Investigating Sex Crimes Involving Children
The Federal Protective Service, which primarily secures federal buildings, has been charged with responding to incidents at the shelter with 2,800 immigrant children in Tornillo, Texas.
- Topher Sanders and Michael Grabell, ProPublica