Feeding Frenzy

Open Secrets

• Corporate PAC cash takes a winding route to Democratic Senate challengers rejecting it December 11, 2019
  Top Democratic Senate challengers are rejecting corporate PACs, but that money can still find its way to their accounts in other ways. The post Corporate PAC cash takes a winding route to Democratic Senate challengers rejecting it appeared first on OpenSecrets News.
  Karl Evers-Hillstrom
• Ukrainian foreign influence operation bankrolled by secret donors in coordinated effort December 10, 2019
  A controversial Ukrainian politician's U.S. foreign influence operations were a coordinated effort bankrolled through shell companies and offshore entities. The post Ukrainian foreign influence operation bankrolled by secret donors in coordinated effort appeared first on OpenSecrets News.
  Anna Massoglia
• ‘Dark money’ groups drove support for IRS rule eliminating donor disclosure December 10, 2019
  A proposed Trump administration rule to exempt some nonprofits from disclosing their donors to the IRS is drawing support from "dark money" groups. The post ‘Dark money’ groups drove support for IRS rule eliminating donor disclosure appeared first on OpenSecrets News.
  Karl Evers-Hillstrom
• Fastest-growing Washington lobbying firms benefit from Trump ties and revolving door hires December 5, 2019
  At least 22 lobbying firms in Washington saw revenue more than double in the Trump era compared to the previous three years. Many recruited well-connected lobbyists who had rich connections to the Trump administration. The post Fastest-growing Washington lobbying firms benefit from Trump ties and revolving door hires appeared first on OpenSecrets News.
  Yue Stella Yu
• GOP Senate appointee Kelly Loeffler has extensive history of giving to Republicans — and a few Democrats December 4, 2019
  Atlanta businesswoman Kelly Loeffler will replace Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) when the longtime lawmaker retires at the end of the year The post GOP Senate appointee Kelly Loeffler has extensive history of giving to Republicans — and a few Democrats appeared first on OpenSecrets News.
  Karl Evers-Hillstrom

ACLU

• ICE and CBP Are Secretly Tracking Us Using Stingrays. We’re Suing. December 11, 2019
  Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are using incredibly invasive surveillance technology as part of their continued efforts to target and tear apart communities across the country. They’re doing so in near-total secrecy and without any public accountability. The ACLU has been asking ICE and CBP for basic informa […]
  Alexia Ramirez
• Devin Nunes’ Cow Has a First Amendment Right to Call Rep. Nunes a ‘Treasonous Cowpoke’ December 11, 2019
  You might think that Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), the Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, would be too busy to file baseless defamation lawsuits against anonymous Twitter accounts. But you’d be wrong. Last year, Rep. Nunes sued a number of people who were mean to him online, including the Twitter parody accounts Devin Nunes’ Mom and Devin Nun […]
  Brian Hauss
• The Battle for Abortion Access Is In the States December 11, 2019
  This past year has been a critical one in the fight for reproductive freedom. For decades, politicians who want to interfere with people’s personal decisions about pregnancy have worked to push abortion care out of reach. They’ve quietly passed 483 state abortion restrictions since 2011 — including 59 new restrictions passed in 2019 alone. And after Trump wa […]
  Jessica Arons
• In 2019, We Fought Across the Country to Dismantle Mass Incarceration. We Won on Multiple Fronts. December 10, 2019
  This year, despite deep political divisions, one area of growing consensus from stakeholders on both sides of the aisle was the need to reform our country’s criminal legal system.  Implementation of the First Step Act coincided with Democratic presidential candidates making criminal legal reform a cornerstone of their policy platforms — so much so that 14 of […]
  Ari Rosmarin
• Three Ways the “Fairness for All Act” Doesn’t Protect LGBTQ People from Discrimination December 9, 2019
  On Friday, Congressman Chris Stewart (R-Utah) and several of his Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives introduced the so-called “Fairness for All Act.” The bill is being described by its supporters as a compromise that protects both LGBTQ people and religious liberty. In reality, the bill facilitates the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts […]
  Ian S. Thompson

Brennen Center