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August 18, 2023
Kalimah Muhammad Vishal Shankar
Hackwatch Anti-MonopolyDepartment of JusticeFTCHack WatchHousingMedia Accountability
Memo to the Media: Stop Quoting RealPage
A company under federal antitrust investigation for helping landlords jack up rents is not a reliable or independent source.
August 17, 2023 | The American Prospect
The CFTC Ponders Gambling on Democracy’s Future
As long as one party remains totally united behind a man who attempted to overthrow the government by force, was the most corrupt president in American history, and undermines the public’s faith in elections at every turn, the future of American democratic self-government is at risk.
Sounds scary. But what if I told you this was a great opportunity for fun and profit? Silicon Valley–backed startup Kalshi is attempting to expand the amount of gambling on the country’s elections with the introduction of an “event contract” centered around congressional elections. Simply put, the firm aims to allow traders to bet on the event: Which party will win control of Congress?
August 16, 2023 | Revolving Door Project Newsletter
Toni Aguilar Rosenthal Hannah Story Brown
Newsletter Confirmations CrisisGovernanceGovernment Capacity
Delayed Confirmation of Biden Nominees Both Common and Costly
On July 25, 2023, military leaders in Niger, along with members of the Presidential Guard, enacted a coup against President Mohamed Bazoum. Led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, a Nigerien military officer and self-appointed President of Niger’s military junta, coup plotters detained the democratically-elected President Bazoum, as well as members of his family, threatened to kill him in the event of any military intervention in the coup, and most recently put him on trial for treason.
Despite widespread rumors of an emergent coup in the country, the United States was reportedly “blindsided” by it, and scrambled to respond. Of course, American intel regarding the actual political atmosphere of the country was hindered in no small way by the lack of State Department personnel staffing embassies in the region.
August 16, 2023
Louis DeJoy Is Not A Climate Ally
DeJoy remains the single biggest impediment to getting a fully electric and union-built postal fleet.
August 14, 2023 | Revolving Door Project Blog
Stop Trying To Dunk On Consumers
Let’s just admit economic media’s talking heads are out of touch
August 10, 2023
RELEASE: Biden Justice Department Self-Sabotages By Embracing Debt Ceiling
All last spring, as the looming threat of default swallowed up all the oxygen on the Hill, every other serious crisis demanding political attention played second fiddle to Republicans’ manufactured disaster. In May, President Biden said his “hope and intention” was to “find a rationale to take it to the courts to see whether or not the 14th Amendment is, in fact, something that would be able to stop it.” A lawsuit brought this May by 75,000 federal employees challenging the constitutionality of the debt limit offers just that opportunity.
So why is the Justice Department actively fighting to get the case dismissed, likely limiting the federal government’s capacity to govern effectively?
August 09, 2023
The Small Business Administration Needs To Increase Its Capacity, Not Lending Authority To Fintechs
Continued reliance on underregulated financial technology companies could stand to further harm the agency’s reputation and goals for lending equity.
August 04, 2023
Mainstream Media Can’t Keep Losing the Money Trail
We Need to Be Direct About Corporations’ Actions & Incentives
August 03, 2023 | The American Prospect
The Unholy Alliance Between ‘Certified’ Clean Natural Gas Producers and the Certifying Companies
Companies have been charging customers a premium for “greener” gas since 2018. But certified gas could become even more lucrative as the Biden administration seeks to update its standards for gas production. Scenting advantage, back in July 2022 11 companies—five gas producers, four methane monitoring and certification companies, one emissions trading company, and one consulting firm—came together to form a new lobbying group: the Differentiated Gas Coordinating Council (DGCC).
August 03, 2023
Blog Post BankingCampaign FinanceCongressional OversightConsumer ProtectionFinancial RegulationIndependent Agencies
Why Does Thom Tillis Love Junk Fees?
Because his corporate donors profit from them.
August 02, 2023 | Revolving Door Project Newsletter
Following Failed Hearing, Jim Jordan And Republicans Try New Tacks To Take Down Khan and Kanter
Two weeks ago, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan entered a House Judiciary Committee hearing with a target on her back. In the leadup to the hearing, Republicans readied their trumped-up attacks against Khan and the agency she leads: a barely relevant memo from a conflicted ethics officer, a list of unfounded grievances from bitter former Commissioner Christine Wilson, and absurd defenses of Elon Musk’s lazy privacy practices at Twitter. But Khan emerged unscathed, and by the end, the Republicans had lost all their fire.
August 01, 2023
GM Exec. To White House: We Can't Be Held To Our Own Standards
Reuters reported Thursday on a recent meeting between the White House Office of Management and Budget officials and General Motors (GM) executive David Strickland. In the meeting, Strickland complained about proposals for updated vehicle emissions rules, which he argued could cost the industry from $100 to $300 billion dollars from 2027, when the rule would take effect, to 2031. Rather than acquiesce to the dire warnings of an economically interested party, the Biden administration did the right thing — it called Strickland’s numbers “pure speculation and inaccurate.”
July 28, 2023
The Democratic Party Has Moved Past Larry Summers. Why Can’t The Media?
Reporters Need To Toss Outdated Rolodexes And Contact New Economic Minds. If Summers Can’t Even Stand Moderate Democratic Policy Priorities, How Can He Be A “Democratic” Talking Head?
July 26, 2023
It’s Time For “Union Joe” To Prove Himself
If Biden wants to keep his nickname and the working class vote, he needs to start listening to the unions.
July 21, 2023
Harlan Crow’s Minions Are Keeping Your Rent High
The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) – a landlord lobby group led by Crow’s right-hand man – has spent millions to kill tenant protections and rent regulation.