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March 24, 2023
DOJ IN THE NEWS: Mid-March Trends
This is the latest installment of a new biweekly blog series from RDP. Every two weeks, we call out ongoing trends in media coverage of the Justice Department’s focus and priorities, giving context from our past DOJ oversight work as needed, with an eye to the impact of DOJ capacity and resources, as well as alignment with the Biden administration’s professed goals.
March 23, 2023
Larry Summers-Linked Payments Company Accused of Criminality
Short-seller Hindenburg Research says the payments mogul Block has inflated user metrics, ignored widespread criminal transactions on its platforms, and evaded regulations.
March 17, 2023
Justice Department Revokes Trump-Era Support for Fossil Fuel Companies in State-Level Climate Cases
Just last week, I highlighted the enormous stakes of the Justice Department’s long-anticipated filing in a climate liability case brought by Boulder County, Colorado against fossil fuel companies Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil seeking damages for their campaign of corporate deception. […] Yesterday, the Justice Department finally offered its answer.
March 10, 2023
DOJ IN THE NEWS: Early March Trends
This is the latest installment of a new biweekly blog series from RDP. Every two weeks, we call out ongoing trends in media coverage of the Justice Department’s focus and priorities, giving context from our past DOJ oversight work as needed, with an eye to the impact of DOJ capacity and resources, as well as alignment with the Biden administration’s professed goals.
March 08, 2023
A Test For DOJ De-Trumpification: State-Level Climate Liability Cases
Over halfway through Biden’s term, Attorney General Merrick Garland is maintaining the Trump Justice Department’s position on an alarming number of legal cases. Our litigation tracker documents approximately 40 such cases across education, immigration, the environment, criminal justice, transparency, agriculture and other issues. It is by no means a comprehensive list.
March 08, 2023
Addressing OIRA’s Scope Creep:
President Biden Must, at a Minimum, Raise the Threshold for “Economic Significance”
What if a tiny government agency staffed by career economists wielding cost-benefit analysis as their primary tool were in charge of reviewing and modifying substantive regulations from most major federal agencies, despite their lack of subject-matter expertise on topics as varied as climate change, workplace health hazards, and automobile safety standards?
March 08, 2023
Does Austan Goolsbee Still Blindly Trust Wall Street?
His defense of HAMP is that his hands were tied, but he seemingly went out of his way to handcuff himself.
March 02, 2023
Workers Beware: Biden’s Potential Fed Pick Prescribes Unemployment & Reduced Social Security Benefits
Karen Dynan has been reported as one of a few economists on Biden’s shortlist to replace Lael Brainard on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. While her proponents have highlighted the Harvard-trained economist’s perfect centrist resume, her recent statements on how best to tackle inflation should concern workers and their allies. And this blithe analysis concerning unemployment should come as no surprise – Dynan, like Biden’s foils in the GOP, believes cuts to Social Security benefits are likely.
March 01, 2023
We Don't Need A Morgan Stanley Economist On The Fed
The conflict of interest here would be self-evident.
February 24, 2023
As Biden Takes On Airline Junk Fees, It's Worth Asking Why Buttigieg Didn't
For two years, Secretary Buttigieg elected not to block airlines from charging extra for parents and guardians to sit with their kids. This month the White House stepped in.
February 23, 2023
Bureau of PrisonsCapacityCivil Rights DivisionDepartment of JusticeGovernanceSpecial Litigation Section
DOJ IN THE NEWS: Mid-February Trends
This piece marks the start of a new biweekly blog series from RDP. Every two weeks, we’ll call out ongoing trends in media coverage of the Justice Department’s focus and priorities, giving context from our past DOJ oversight work as needed, with an eye to the impact of DOJ capacity and resources, as well as alignment with the Biden administration’s professed goals.
February 10, 2023
Journalists' Lack Of Understanding Distorts Economic Coverage
There’s a lot to gripe about when discussing the Beltway media class in the United States. Progressives at groups like FAIR and Media Matters have spent years rightfully criticizing the press for access journalism, the ever-present need to equate perspectives from both major parties, and corporate-sponsored PR published under the facade of a news article. But a recent study of biases present in the BBC’s coverage of UK politics may help us understand yet another major failing of our media. Journalists lack an understanding of basic economic principles, leading them to unwittingly flawed reporting.
February 08, 2023
Bankers’ Complaints About Junk Fee Crackdown Offer Biden an Opening
The President should remind Wall Street that hard-working Americans hate getting ripped off.