October 09, 2024
Meet Corporate Landlords’ New Favorite Caucus
Big Real Estate and landlord lobby groups have given large donations to the four co-founders of the Congressional Real Estate Caucus.
July 16, 2024
Graft And Scams Rule The Republican Party. Let Them Have It.
Biden’s Futile Attempts To Win Back The Hearts Of Long-Gone Crypto Scammers Won’t Work. They Will, However, Allow The Democratic Party And Its Base To Get Fleeced.
June 20, 2024
Déjà Vu All Over Again: Cryptocurrency Edition
We already know how the industry’s money gets lawmakers to launder its image, let’s not fall for it again.
May 13, 2024
The Pro-Fossil Fuel Lawmakers and Regulators Bankrolled by Scott Sheffield, Fracking CEO Behind Oil Price-Fixing Conspiracy
Our review of campaign finance data shows that Sheffield has personally spent more than $750,000 to shape energy policy in his favor at the federal and state levels.
October 30, 2023
Meet Harlan Crow's Favorite Democrats
Josh Gottheimer, Joe Manchin, Henry Cuellar, and Dean Phillips are among the many Democrats to receive campaign donations from Clarence Thomas’ billionaire benefactor.
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.
April 27, 2023
CFPB To Tenants: We’ve Got Your Back
Biden’s best regulator takes aim at one of the biggest barriers to accessing rental housing.
November 14, 2022 | The Nation
Money From Nothing: Sam Bankman-Fried’s Crypto Shakedown
The rapid meltdown of FTX stands as one of the most gruesome chapters in the annals of investment fiascos: think of the false technological promises of Elizabeth Holmes’s Theranos grift combined with the evaporation of Bernie Madoff’s prestigious Ponzi fund. But the saga of FTX involves much more than either the vanity and hubris of Holmes’s fraud offensive or the deceptive practices of the Madoff scam. The rapid rise and fall of Bankman-Fried points up the delusional character of information-age capitalism; Far from standing as an outlying trend within the crypto investment world, Bankman-Fried’s scam was nestled at the very heart of its prevailing business model.
February 10, 2021
Barr's Current Fintech Ties Run Through Venture Capital Firm Of Former Finance Execs
Under-appreciated in the Michael Barr press blitz (again, including by us) is Barr’s current listed work as an advisor to the venture capital firm NYCA Partners, which exclusively invests in fintech startups.
February 02, 2021
Yellen Should Move Quickly To Appoint A Climate Leader In Treasury
During Janet Yellen’s confirmation hearing to become Secretary of the Treasury, she promised to “look to appoint someone at a very senior level” to lead the Treasury’s efforts on climate action.
December 15, 2020
Buttigieg's Campaign Donors Would Likely Get A Strong R.O.I. If He Headed Transportation
Pete Buttigieg is now a top contender for Secretary of Transportation in the Biden Administration, but his tendency to shift policy positions based on the preferences of large donors and industry lobbyists remains a significant concern if he were chosen to head DOT.
December 13, 2020
Right-Wing Media Is Now Suddenly Concerned About The Revolving Door
Concerns over the presence of corporate insiders in the Biden administration are coming opportunistically from so-called “right-wing populists.” This makes it all the more important for Biden and the Democrats to close the revolving door once and for all.
May 27, 2020
What Might a Biden Administration’s Policy Towards India Look Like?
Former Vice President and current Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has often boasted of his considerable foreign policy experience, having served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and played an active role in the Obama administration’s foreign policy making. Throughout the 2020 primary, however, Biden’s foreign policy agenda rarely featured. A closer look reveals significant cause for concern. While Biden seeks to show that his foreign policy platform would be more progressive than that of Trump’s, his record has weak spots when it comes to far-right Indian nationalism.
May 14, 2020
Is A Campaign Fundraiser Overseeing Biden's Policy Shop?
If Niejelow is indeed taking a major position overseeing campaign policy, it raises significant questions about the line between Biden’s fundraising and policy teams, since Niejelow is a campaign bundler.
May 12, 2020
A VP Harris Must Make Clear Commitments To Build Trust
Now, especially as Biden pivots to consolidating populist votes for the general election, Harris should consider distancing herself from those corporate forces through clear commitments to wielding executive authority against bad actors and for the common good. Here are a few suggestions.