Podcasts about responsive politics

There's a movement going around in Conservative, quasi-Libertarian, & even Younk Turk Libby circles called a Constitutional Convection, Convention Of states, or Con-Con, but is it a way to hold #GovtCorp in check, or hand them even more power by bypassing Constitutional Law? Let's take a look by going deep down the rabbit hole, far beyond the mainstream!    Cheers, and Blessings     Show Notes       Robert Brown https://youtu.be/fTUlAPWdN-A   Alec and Article V https://newswithviews.com/alec-global-corporations-state-legislators-and-an-article-v-convention/   Behind The Deep State | Convention of States: Deep State Plan to Overthrow Constitution?  https://www.podbean.com/ei/dir-43tci-12e3cc08     The Scaife Family was one of the initial funders of the secretive Right-leaning Council For National Policy(CNP) along with blasphemous Rev. Sun Myung Moon, Koch Bros, and Mercers. Nearly every mainstream Conservative belongs to this group. If all is in the up, & up, why the secrecy? In 2021, Scaife donated $400,000 to the Reason Foundation, $180,000 to The CATO institute, $350,000 To The Daily Caller News Foundation, $800,000 to The Heritage Foundation, & several hundred thousand to the American Enterprise Institute(AEI) just to name a few.   http://scaife.com/sarah2021.pdf     The Mercer Family Foundation is also a premier donor to The Council For National Policy, Cato Institute, Media Research Center, Heritage, Federalist Society, & Reason Foundation to name just a handful.   https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Mercer_Family_Foundation     According to the Center for Responsive Politics, in 2016 Mercer gave some $25 million to conservative groups and candidates, including President Trump. Last year, he was also one of the 10 biggest political donors in the country, alongside better-known figures such as George Soros, Sheldon Adelson and Mike Bloomberg.   2017   https://clips.cato.org/sites/default/files/Cato_nprkuar_mercer.pdf     CATO Funders, Even Soros, Carnegie, Ford Foundation!   https://www.forbes.com/sites/lauriebennett/2012/03/13/the-kochs-arent-the-only-funders-of-cato/?sh=7d14fcc12096     79 other foundations who funded CATO   https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Cato_Institute/2007_Foundation_Funders     COS Founder, & Yizzy   https://conventionofstates.com/news/how-a-trip-to-israel-changed-mark-meckler-s-worldview     Mark Meckler-ZioShillenstein   https://selfgovern.com/jewish-americans-must-take-a-stand-now/     Marck Meckler Breitbart Writer   https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2014/02/10/article-v-an-emergency-solution-hidden-in-plain-sight/     Mark Meckler Member Of ALEC, & COS Director   https://alec.org/person/mark-meckler/   COS https://securetherepublic.com/blog/2013/12/08/exposing-the-convention-of-the-states-cos-as-an-article-v-constitutional-convention/     A Convention of States is The Last Thing America Needs https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/380467-a-convention-of-states-is-the-last-thing-america-needs-right-now/     https://alphanews.org/counterpoint-convention-of-the-state-is-a-bad-idea/     Who's Funding It?     the American Legislative Exchange Council and the Koch brothers     https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Convention_of_States_Action     Dark Money Behind Convention Of States http://campconstitution.net/dark-money-scam-behind-concon-convention-of-states-by-andy-schlafly/     Council For National Policy(CNP) Member Lists   https://documented.net/investigations/documented-has-obtained-a-recent-council-for-national-policy-membership-list       It's been so long since the average person has heard the whole truth on an issue, on the rare occasions they do, their first reaction is like they've just been insulted.       Remember that top supporters of COS like Levin, Prager, Hannity, & Shapiro pushed multiple Unconstitutional Wars, & also they love to talk a big game about free speech, & how the Left are so quick to play the race card yet, as soon as we point out a Those We Speak Of connection, they say we're antisemitic. Not only that, but as I've said before, they also promoted George W. Bush, McCain, & Romney as Conservatives, & we see how that turned out.     Also, one of their biggest reasons for a Con-Con are Term Limits which sounds great on the surface, but when a politician knows they'll be voted out regardless, what's to stop them from leading completely dishonest campaigns in order to push specific policies? They know they'll have better paying jobs for the very companies they were shilling for waiting at the end of their terms.   Please check out my Podcasting Family over at Alternate Current Radio. You will find a plethora of fantastic talk, and music shows including the flagship Boiler Room, as well as The Daily Ruckus! https://alternatecurrentradio.com/   Fringe Radio Network- Radio on the Fringe!  http://fringeradionetwork.com/   Patreon-Welcome to The Society Of Cryptic Savants  Welcome members of The Society Of Cryptic Savants! (bitchute.com)   "A special Thank You to my Patrons who contributed to this episode. You are very much appreciated.   Thank You Guys For Your Continued Support!   Their Order Is Not Our Order!

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Show (11/22/2022) 3:05pm- Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced he will be reopening an investigation into Donald Trump regarding payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels and alleged business fraud. In The Daily Wire, Greg Wilson argues that the numerous investigations into the former president are forms of punishment regardless of conviction. He states: “Prosecutors usually only like to take on cases they know they can win, but it's different when it comes to dirtying up Trump.” 3:30pm- According to The Post Millennial, the Associated Press has fired Jim Laporta—the journalist who falsely reported that a Russian missile had killed multiple people in Poland, a NATO ally.  3:35pm- During today's press conference, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre told a reporter “I'm done with you” after repeatedly telling members of the press that her and Dr. Anthony Fauci would not be answering questions about the origins of COVID-19.  3:45pm- On Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci—director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases—delivered his final message from the White House press podium prior to his scheduled retirement at the end of the year. He used the platform to implore Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19.  4:05pm- In a recent National Review editorial, national affairs reporter John Fund told Democrats to return monetary donations from FTX and its CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, FTX executives donated $57 million to Democrat candidates and progressive organizations. Executives of FTX, a now bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange business, are currently under investigation for fraud.  4:20pm- CNN reports that the United States is running low on some weapons and ammunition being used by the Ukrainian military for defense against Russia.  4:35pm- While appearing on Fox News, Senator Tom Cotton said that he believes China, under the leadership of its President Xi Jinping, may attempt to annex Taiwan as soon as next year. 4:40pm- Despite promising to hold Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accountable for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, President Joe Biden has provided MBS with immunity from a lawsuit filed by Khashoggi's fiancé. Just several days after the administration's decision, OPEC+ announced plans to increase its production of oil. Is it a coincidence? 5:05pm- According to an NJ.com report, the New Jersey State Assembly voted on a measure to limit concealed carry throughout the state.  5:15pm- While appearing on Tom Segura's podcast, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino said there are very few genuine movie stars today—arguing that moviegoers pay to see comic book characters and superheroes, not specific actors. 5:30pm- While speaking from the U.S. Southern Border in Texas, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said if Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas does not resign by the time Republicans take over the House of Representatives on January 3rd, he will be under investigation for border security failures. 5:45pm- On his HBO television show, Bill Maher said that the source of “rot” on the political left stems from woke academia. Why did Harvard and Yale withdraw from the U.S. News Law School Ranking System? The Wall Street Journal editorial board suggests that by rejecting ranking systems, the schools “may be adapting ahead of a Supreme Court ruling on the use of race in admissions” and that this could “serve as a cover for a desire by Yale to be free to admit students with lower test scores in service to diversity.” 6:05pm- While on The View, host Whoopi Goldberg suggested that people should go back to wearing masks when out in public to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other colds.   6:25pm- The Rich Zeoli Show is preempted for Temple Basketball!

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 2:  In a recent National Review editorial, national affairs reporter John Fund told Democrats to return monetary donations from FTX and its CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, FTX executives donated $57 million to Democrat candidates and progressive organizations. Executives of FTX, a now bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange business, are currently under investigation for fraud. CNN reports that the United States is running low on some weapons and ammunition being used by the Ukrainian military for defense against Russia. While appearing on Fox News, Senator Tom Cotton said that he believes China, under the leadership of its President Xi Jinping, may attempt to annex Taiwan as soon as next year. Despite promising to hold Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accountable for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, President Joe Biden has provided MBS with immunity from a lawsuit filed by Khashoggi's fiancé. Just several days after the administration's decision, OPEC+ announced plans to increase its production of oil. Is it a coincidence? 

The cost of elections is on the rise. Adjusted for inflation, the 2022 congressional elections are set to cost $9.3 billion dollars, compared to $6.7 billion in 2018, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. And the average cost to win a seat has doubled since 2004. In this episode Kyle Kondik shares his outside spending analysis, where outside spending is targeted and how outside spending is influencing his assessment of races. Kyle and Miles Coleman also discuss updated Sabato's Crystal Ball House and Gubernatorial ratings and what political ads tell us about some key races. Links in this Episode: Following the Money: What Outside Spending Tells Us About the Race for the House Notes on the State of Politics: Sept. 28, 2022

In Sabato's Crystal Ball this week, Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman write that Democrats are hoping to make the 2022 election more of a choice than a referendum. Democrats are benefiting from some damaged Republican candidates in several key races as well as the emergence of abortion as a key issue in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision. In this episode, they discuss how the political environment has changed and what it portends for Senate races.  Links in this episode:  “Senate Rating Changes: Arizona, Pennsylvania to Leans Democratic,” Sabato's Crystal Ball Election Spending Overview, Center for Responsive Politics

The 2021 election cycle is already underway, and Democrats are already spending big money on Republican primaries. According to a new report from the Center for Responsive Politics, a left-leaning watchdog group, Democrats have already spent more than $1 million on ads in Republican primaries this cycle.A report found that the largest Democratic spender in Republican primaries so far is the Senate Majority PAC, a super PAC affiliated with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. the fact that Democrats are spending any money in Republican primaries at all is noteworthy. It's a sign that they believe they can influence the outcome of GOP primaries and that they see vulnerabilities in the Republican field of candidates.What's more, the Democrats' spending is likely to increase as we get closer to the general election. So if you're a Republican, be prepared to see a lot more Democratic ads in your primary race.Support the show

Amy Scott fills in for Kai today to answer listener questions with Kimberly. One listener has a follow up question on a story on Marketplace last week about how little child care workers get paid. He wondered, then why is childcare so expensive? Where does the money go? We’ll dig into the costs. We’ll also answer your questions about money in politics and what’s behind the baby formula shortage. Then, our hosts give a listener some drink recommendations. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Everything you need to know about Citizens United on its 10th anniversary” from The Center for Responsive Politics “As baby formula plant reopens, can the U.S. diversify the marketplace?” from Marketplace “Second time’s a charm? Baby formula plant at center of shortages quietly reopened July 1” from Politico “As child care costs soar, providers are barely getting by. Is there any fix?” from NPR Report: The Economics of Child Care Supply in the United States from The Treasury Department If you’ve got a question about money and politics, let us know. Email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org. Or leave us a voice message at (508) 827-6278 or (508) U-B-SMART.

Amy Scott fills in for Kai today to answer listener questions with Kimberly. One listener has a follow up question on a story on Marketplace last week about how little child care workers get paid. He wondered, then why is childcare so expensive? Where does the money go? We’ll dig into the costs. We’ll also answer your questions about money in politics and what’s behind the baby formula shortage. Then, our hosts give a listener some drink recommendations. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Everything you need to know about Citizens United on its 10th anniversary” from The Center for Responsive Politics “As baby formula plant reopens, can the U.S. diversify the marketplace?” from Marketplace “Second time’s a charm? Baby formula plant at center of shortages quietly reopened July 1” from Politico “As child care costs soar, providers are barely getting by. Is there any fix?” from NPR Report: The Economics of Child Care Supply in the United States from The Treasury Department If you’ve got a question about money and politics, let us know. Email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org. Or leave us a voice message at (508) 827-6278 or (508) U-B-SMART.

Subscribe to The Realignment on Supercast to support the show and access all of our bonus content: https://realignment.supercast.com/.REALIGNMENT NEWSLETTER: https://therealignment.substack.com/PURCHASE ONE PERSON ONE, VOTE AT OUR BOOKSHOP: https://bookshop.org/shop/therealignmentEmail us at: realignmentpod@gmail.comNick Seabrook, author of One Person, One Vote: A Surprising History of Gerrymandering in America, joins The Realignment to discuss the history of gerrymandering and its costs, the need for responsive politics, why despite its long history, gerrymandering is particularly harmful today,  and the reasons why campaign finance reform, electoral reform, and new parties won't solve America's polarization problem.

Joined by Sheila Krumholz, Executive Director of OpenSecrets, and Norman Ornstein, chair of the Board of Campaign Legal Center, host Simone Leeper looks back on the history of campaign finance law in the United States.As they trace historical events from the Watergate scandal to the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision and beyond, Simone and her expert guests explore the scandals, legislation and judicial decisions that have helped shape the current system and the root causes of the ever-growing cost of our elections. Guests:Sheila Krumholz is the executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan watchdog group that tracks money in politics on its website, OpenSecrets.org. Krumholz became Executive Director in 2006, prior to which she was CRP's research director for eight years, supervising data analysis for CRP's website, OpenSecrets.org, and for CRP's partners and clients in the media, academia and elsewhere. Krumholz has testified before Congress and the Federal Election Commission on issues related to government transparency and is cited frequently in prominent national media outlets. She regularly makes presentations to scholars, government officials, NGOs that conduct research and advocacy, meetings of professional news organizations, and trains reporters on CRP's data tools and resources. Currently, Krumholz serves on the board of the Institute for Nonprofit News. She has a degree in international relations and political science from the University of Minnesota.Learn more about OpenSecrets, the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics, here. Norman J. Ornstein, CLC's Board Chair, is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. He is co-host of AEI's Election Watch series, is a contributing editor and columnist for National Journal and The Atlantic, and a BBC News election analyst. His campaign finance working group of scholars and practitioners helped shape the major law, known as McCain/Feingold, that reformed the campaign financing system.View his full bio here. Links: Money-in-Politics Timeline (OpenSecrets.org)"The Tillman Act: 34 Stat. 864 (1907)" by Paweł Laider and Maciej Turek (Basic Documents in Federal Campaign Finance Law)Mission and history (The Federal Election Commission)﷟HYPERLINK "https://www.fec.gov/about/mission-and-history/"Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) (The Federal Election Commission)“Anniversary of U.S. v. Nixon Shows Why We Should Restructure the FEC” (Campaign Legal Center)Buckley v. Valeo (Oyez.org)Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (Oyez.org)“How Does the Citizens United Decision Still Affect Us in 2022?” (Campaign Legal Center)McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission (Oyez.org) About CLC:Democracy Decoded is a production of Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization which advances democracy through law at the federal, state and local levels, fighting for every American's right to responsive government and a fair opportunity to participate in and affect the democratic process. You can visit us on the web at campaignlegalcenter.org.

A 2014 Princeton political science study showed that government actions nearly always conform to the wishes of wealthy and powerful US elites. "Our central finding was this: Economic elites and interest groups can shape U.S. government policy — but Americans who are less well off have essentially no influence over what their government does," wrote co-authors Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page. America's oligarchical influence extends from healthcare and fossil fuels to the industry of war itself. American companies account for more than half of all arms sales worldwide. The Center for Responsive Politics reports that "in the past two decades, (the arms industry's) extensive network of lobbyists and donors have directed $285 million in campaign contributions and $2.5 billion in lobbying spending to influence defense policy." Arms manufacturers (more commonly known by the Orwellian appellation, "defense industry") shrewdly concentrate on hiring ex-government officials to advance their agenda and pump up their "ill-begotten gains." This ensures that their interests are represented by people who know the officials they're lobbying. Even more importantly, it puts those officials on notice that there is a lucrative future in store for them if they play along. Arms oligarchs have hired more than 200 lobbyists who, in the report's words, "have worked in the same government that regulates and decides funding for the industry." Arms manufacturers played a dominant role under Trump, but are also well-represented in the Biden Administration: While Biden has touted strict ethics rules that attempt to thwart the influence of lobbyists on the administration, several of his earliest appointees, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken consulted for a private equity firmthat emphasized its "access, network and expertise" in the defense industry. Austin also had a seat on the United Technologies and Raytheon board, earning more than $250,000 from the now merged companies. "Ill-Begotten Gains" It's not just the arms industry, of course. Other oligarchs have bilked the people of the United States in more creative ways. Jeff Bezos built his Amazon empire off his ability to sell products online without charging sales tax. This government-granted loophole made him an oligarch, a position he has used to further cement his power and influence. He has purchased the most influential paper in the nation's capital—an oligarch's move if there ever was one—while constantly extending his monopolistic power into new markets.. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thomas-saulsberry/support

Democrats still hope they can salvage pieces of their ambitious tax agenda even after Sen. Joe Manchin blew up the legislation that included it. I'm sick of trying to fathom Manchin's mind or motives but senate Democrats think he's sincere about tax reform. In a Monday interview on a West Virginia radio station, Manchin pointedly said that ensuring people pay “their fair share” of taxes is the main reason he's come this far in negotiations. “You have a chance to fix the tax code that makes it fair and equitable.” Well, if Democrats are willing to take another stab at tax reform, I've got just the candidate: Get rid of the “carried interest” loophole that lets private equity managers – among the wealthiest people in America – pay a tax rate lower than most Americans. The “carried interest” loophole is huge, and it's a pure scam. Private equity managers get this tax break even though they invest other peoples' money. They don't risk a penny of their own. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama all promised to get rid of it. They didn't. Hell, even Donald Trump promised to get rid of it. He didn't, either. “I don't know what happened,” said Larry Kudlow, the conservative economist who crafted Trump's tax plan. “I don't know how that thing survived,” he said, adding, “I'm sure the lobbying was intense.”You'd think that the carried interest loophole would be high on the Democrats' list of revenue-raisers. After all, closing it could raise $180 billion over the next decade from among the richest Americans. That's $180 billion that could go toward supporting vulnerable Americans and investing in America's future.Think again. The loophole – which treats the earnings of private equity and hedge-fund managers as capital gains, taxed at a top rate of just 20 percent, instead of personal income, whose top tax rate is 37 percent – remains as big as ever. Bigger. Astonishingly, some influential Democrats, such as House Ways and Means Committee chair Richard Neal, defend the loophole. They say closing it would hobble the private equity industry, and, by extension, the US economy. This is pure rubbish. In fact, private equity firms generate huge social costs. They buy companies they see as ripe for “turnarounds” – a polite way of saying that once they buy these companies they'll cut wages, outsource jobs, strip assets, and then resell what's left, often laden with debt. Look no further than the strike by Alabama's Warrior Met Coal mineworkers that's been underway since April 1st. Warrior Met is owned by a group of private equity firms led by New York-based Apollo Global Management. Mineworkers gave up their pension plan, retiree health care and wages to make Warrior Met's mines mines profitable, as Apollo and other private equity investors siphoned off hundreds of millions of dollars for themselves in special cash dividends.Since the pandemic began, private equity has been using the flood of cheap money to buy companies at a record pace, and then squeeze them (and their workers) dry. 2021 has been private equity's biggest ever — reaching a record $1.1 trillion in deals.So why are Democrats subsidizing private equity's predatory behavior with this tax loophole? How did the loophole survive the Clinton and Obama administrations when the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress? Why isn't it even on the current list of tax reforms Democrats went to use to pay for the Build Back Better package, if they can resurrect it in January? What's the dirty secret? Thanks for subscribing to my newsletter. If you'd like to help support it, please consider a paid subscription or a gift subscription. “This is a loophole that absolutely should be closed,” said Biden adviser Jared Bernstein. But “when you go up to Capitol Hill and you start negotiating on taxes, there are more lobbyists in this town on taxes than there are members of Congress.”Last year 4,108 individual lobbyists formally registered to lobby Congress and the executive branch on taxes. The private equity industry alone has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to congressional campaigns – $600 million over the past decade, according to a New York Times analysis earlier this year. But here's the thing. Most of these campaign contributions (bribes) have gone to Democrats. Nearly 60 percent of campaign donations from partners in the private equity industry during the 2020 election went to Democratic candidates for federal office. During the 2020 election, Biden's presidential campaign received over $3 million from people working in private equity and related investment funds, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Biden was the top recipient of campaign money from this industry.The dirty secret is Democrats have depended on campaign funding from private-equity partners — hugely wealthy people who are shafting workers across the land. Back in 2010, some courageous House Democrats squeaked through a tax plan that closed the loophole, but Democrats who controlled the Senate wouldn't go along. Senator Charles Schumer was among those who argued against closing it. The United States, he said, “should not do anything” to “make it easier for capital and ideas to flow to London or anywhere else.” Oh, please. As if Wall Street needed billions in annual bribes to stay put.When I publicly criticized Schumer for this, he explained to me that he didn't think it fair to close the loophole for private equity and hedge fund partners but to leave it in place for other partnerships, such as housing developers.Well, one person's view of fairness may differ from another's. But I don't think there's any question that the carried interest loophole is unfair to everyone except the fabulously rich who benefit from it.Democrats must close this loophole. Now. Your thoughts? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit robertreich.substack.com/subscribe

Lot's of big crypto news around infrastructure bill, Cardano ADA, Bitcoin Mining, Bitcoin Futures ETF, and Ripple XRP SEC Lawsuit.Rep. Anna G. Eshoo submitted a letter to Speaker Pelosi to amend the cryptocurrency broker language in the Senate's infrastructure bill.#Crypto industry spent on $2.4M on lobbying during the first half of this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.Cardano's ada surges as much as 22% after creator Charles Hoskinson stokes hopes its smart-contract update is imminent.Wyoming leaning into crypto in a push to attract miners and other crypto-related businesses.Australian crypto mining company Mawson Infrastructure has purchased 17,352 ASIC bitcoin miners from Chinese manufacturer and Nasdaq-listed Canaan Creative, the company said Thursday.Valkyrie becomes fourth firm to apply for BTC futures ETF.XRP Lawsuit: SEC v. Ripple Upcoming Due Dates outlined by attorney James Filan.Tom Emmer Interview - https://youtu.be/G-y-6Zn_71s

According to The Center for Responsive Politics, the 2020 elections cost a combined $14.4 billion. That money has to come from somewhere, and while the last cycle saw an unprecedented number of small donors, a lot of those dollars came from billionaires.Amanda and Faiz talk with Teddy Schleifer, a senior reporter covering money and influence (or billionaires) for Recode. They discuss how tech billionaires with relatively little political experience, like Reid Hoffman and Dustin Moskovitz, spent gobs of money trying to get Democrats get elected; whether it actually helped; and whether Democrats should partner with billionaires in the first place. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

According to The Center for Responsive Politics, the 2020 elections cost a combined $14.4 billion. That money has to come from somewhere, and while the last cycle saw an unprecedented number of small donors, a lot of those dollars came from billionaires. Amanda and Faiz talk with Teddy Schleifer, a senior reporter covering money and influence (or billionaires) for Recode. They discuss how tech billionaires with relatively little political experience, like Reid Hoffman and Dustin Moskovitz, spent gobs of money trying to get Democrats get elected; whether it actually helped; and whether Democrats should partner with billionaires in the first place. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

The political money game is changing. Small donor fundraising is at an all-time high, while corporations are holding off on donating in the wake of the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. What do these changes mean for political contributions, and how will they change campaigning going forward? Sheila Krumholz joins us this week to discuss the long view. She's the director of the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks political money and advocates for curtailing its influence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Politicians have been trying to “fix” health care in the United States for nearly a century, and they really never manage to do it. Why? It has everything to do with money, and the moneyed interests--from health insurers to hospitals to pharmaceuticals--which have basically built the system we have today, and which spend more on lobbying to keep it that way than the military-industrial complex spends on defense. The Partnership for America’s Health Care Future, a group led by Hillary for America and Obama Administration alum Lauren Crawford Shaver, represents the latest move by the money to stop overhauls of health care, from a public option to Medicare for All, that a majority of Americans support.  Karl Evers-Hillstrom, who covers money in politics at opensecrets.org, the online home of the Center for Responsive Politics   Melissa Thomasson, Chair and the Julian Lange Professor of Economics at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where she studies the economic history of health insurance and health care   Dr. Eric Topol, a physician, researcher, and author of many books, including most recently, “Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again”  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Congress is flexing its muscles. The new president needs to pass a bumper stimulus plan. The old one faces trial in the Senate. Stakes are high for both parties, as the leadership vies with fringe members ever more adept at hogging attention. How will the new Congress work?We speak to Idrees Kahloon, The Economist’s Washington correspondent. Josh Holmes, a former aide to the Republican Senate leader, and Sarah Bryner of the Center for Responsive Politics also join.John Prideaux, our US editor, hosts with New York bureau chief Charlotte Howard, and Jon Fasman, US digital editor.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Congress is flexing its muscles. The new president needs to pass a bumper stimulus plan. The old one faces trial in the Senate. Stakes are high for both parties, as the leadership vies with fringe members ever more adept at hogging attention. How will the new Congress work?We speak to Idrees Kahloon, The Economist’s Washington correspondent. Josh Holmes, a former aide to the Republican Senate leader, and Sarah Bryner of the Center for Responsive Politics also join.John Prideaux, our US editor, hosts with New York bureau chief Charlotte Howard, and Jon Fasman, US digital editor.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Campaign donations, special interests, PAC, Super Pacs; money, money, and more money that is spent on political campaigns. This year is the mother of all records though. Brendan Quinn from the Center for Responsive Politics (opensecrets.org) gives us some insight into the deluge of campaign money and helps to answer the question - does money really buy an election? https://www.opensecrets.org/ (https://www.opensecrets.org/) https://www.facebook.com/OpenSecrets/ (https://www.facebook.com/OpenSecrets/)

CheckIn by GovSight. GovSight Reporter Ronald Maniece checks in with Executive Director of the Center for Responsive Politics Sheila Krumholz on the most expensive election cycle in history, COVID-19's consequence on campaign fundraising and campaign finance reform. 

The 2000 election isn’t a particularly great analogue to the Trump campaign’s legal challenges here in 2020, but it can help us better understand presidential transitions — because George W. Bush had the shortest one ever. We discussed the transfer of power on yesterday’s show, and a listener asked about it, so today we’re going to get into some presidential history. Plus: your questions about campaign finance, conservative social media and California’s new rules for gig workers, all on this super-sized Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Here’s a list of everything we talked about today (if these links don’t work, try our episode page at makemesmart.org): “Campaign spending could continue long after Election Day” from “Marketplace Morning Report” “2020 election to cost $14 billion, blowing away spending records” from Open Secrets, the Center for Responsive Politics website “A Twitter for conservatives? Parler surges amid election misinformation crackdown” from NBC News “Foreign election interference is finding plenty of places online to spread” from “Marketplace Tech” “Fact-Checked on Facebook and Twitter, Conservatives Switch Their Apps” from The New York Times “Why it’s ‘critical’ for presidential transition to move forward” from PBS NewsHour “What’s ascertainment? The green light to launch transition” from the Associated Press “What Uber, Lyft Prop 22 win could mean for the future of all freelance work” from NBC News

The 2000 election isn’t a particularly great analogue to the Trump campaign’s legal challenges here in 2020, but it can help us better understand presidential transitions — because George W. Bush had the shortest one ever. We discussed the transfer of power on yesterday’s show, and a listener asked about it, so today we’re going to get into some presidential history. Plus: your questions about campaign finance, conservative social media and California’s new rules for gig workers, all on this super-sized Whadda Ya Wanna Know Wednesday. Here’s a list of everything we talked about today (if these links don’t work, try our episode page at makemesmart.org): “Campaign spending could continue long after Election Day” from “Marketplace Morning Report” “2020 election to cost $14 billion, blowing away spending records” from Open Secrets, the Center for Responsive Politics website “A Twitter for conservatives? Parler surges amid election misinformation crackdown” from NBC News “Foreign election interference is finding plenty of places online to spread” from “Marketplace Tech” “Fact-Checked on Facebook and Twitter, Conservatives Switch Their Apps” from The New York Times “Why it’s ‘critical’ for presidential transition to move forward” from PBS NewsHour “What’s ascertainment? The green light to launch transition” from the Associated Press “What Uber, Lyft Prop 22 win could mean for the future of all freelance work” from NBC News

Democrats outspent Republicans on federal races this cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. What effect did it have? Plus, we still don’t have all of the election results, but there’s definitely a chance we see a divided government coming out of this. What would that mean for fiscal policy? Also, the U.S. is formally out of the Paris climate agreement as of today. And, marijuana was legalized in a number of states yesterday, but cannabis stocks are taking a hit today.

Democrats outspent Republicans on federal races this cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. What effect did it have? Plus, we still don’t have all of the election results, but there’s definitely a chance we see a divided government coming out of this. What would that mean for fiscal policy? Also, the U.S. is formally out of the Paris climate agreement as of today. And, marijuana was legalized in a number of states yesterday, but cannabis stocks are taking a hit today.

Spending in the 2020 presidential election is expected to reach a record-shattering $10.8 billion, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Britain and the United States condemned what they said were a litany of malicious cyberattacks orchestrated by Russian military intelligence, including attempts to disrupt next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. President Donald Trump said the government’s top pandemic fighter, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is a “disaster” — and possibly an “idiot” — as he claimed that Americans are “tired of” Covid-19, even as the number of coronavirus cases continued spiking in much of the United States. Plus, Yelp is adding alerts to its review pages of businesses accused of “overtly racist actions,” and Hawaii reopens to tourists for the first time in seven months.

How often do you think the biggest spender wins the election here in the U.S.? Would you be surprised to find out it’s 88.5% of the time in the House and 82.9% of the time in the Senate?Far more often than not, the best fundraiser wins. As a result, campaign finance stateside has exploded in recent years to records we could scarcely imagine. Where does the money come from, where is it going, and how has it impacted our democratic process?That’s what we’re answering today with Sheila Krumholz, executive director for the Center for Responsive Politics, the organization behind OpenSecrets.Listen for an honest, nonpartisan account of how money begets influence in politics. There’s never been a better time to learn about the relationship than now.

Astonishing sums are being spent in the US election, so we drill down into the figures. Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, talks us through how much campaigns are spending. In Germany spending on elections is a fraction of that in the US, and with greater oversight, as Tanit Koch, managing director at news channel n-tv, explains. We hear about strict new electoral spending rules in South Africa from Dr Magnus Ohman, specialist in African political finance at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems. And following a boost in political donations for the last Australian elections we ask Danielle Wood from the Grattan Institute in Melbourne whether it is inevitable that political campaign financing around the world is going to become more Americanised. Also in the programme, UK prime minister Boris Johnson has said the country must "get ready" for no EU trade deal by the end of the year. David Herzenhorn is bureau chief for Politico in Brussels and tells us why a deal is still proving so hard to reach. Plus, the Israeli parliament has approved a US-brokered agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, and earlier this week the first cargo ship to sail under its terms docked at the Israeli port of Haifa, having travelled from Dubai. We find out why relations between the sides are warming now, from Bernard Avishai, professor of political economy at Dartmouth College in the United States.

In the last of our election specials, we debate the big issues with a Republican and a Democrat. William Spriggs is chief economist at the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations - a Democrat appointed to the Department of Labor by President Obama. Michael Johns is the National Tea Party movement co-founder and leader, and a former White House speechwriter for President George Bush. Sasha Twining is joined by them both throughout the programme to debate the key issues of the election, including the economy, the US-China trade war and the coronavirus pandemic. Also in the programme, we speak to Sarah Bryner, research director at the Center for Responsive Politics in Chicago, about election fundraising and what all those dollars are spent on. And Marylouise Serrato of American Citizens Abroad tells us what US voters abroad are concerned about in the run up to polling day. (Picture: 'Vote' badges, credit: Getty Images)

Chris Low of FHN Financial says markets expect to hear from pharmaceutical companies within the next two weeks on progress with a covid vaccine, and that could end the current period of flatness. We're rounding up a week of special programmes on the US election. We speak to Sarah Bryner, research director at the Center for Responsive Politics, in Chicago, about election fundraising and what all those dollars are spent on. And Marylouise Serrato of American Citizens Abroad tells us what US voters abroad are concerned about in the run up to polling day.

各位朋友大家早安，今天是7月7日，滿好的一個日子，歡迎您和我們一起關心世界大小事。 英媒：類新冠病毒 7年前就送到武漢病毒研究所 新冠肺炎病毒究竟從何而來？英國媒體《周日泰晤士報》5日報導，2013年，6名男子在中國雲南廢棄銅礦坑清理蝙蝠糞便時罹患嚴重肺炎，出現發燒、咳嗽、呼吸困難等類武漢肺炎症狀，其中3人不幸因此死亡，而其他倖存的男子接受冠狀病毒篩檢，結果呈陽性反應。蝙蝠糞便樣本當時被送到中國湖北武漢病毒研究所，研究人員發現了新型冠狀病毒RaTG13，而該病毒株與2020年1月底肆虐的新冠病毒相似度達96.2%，但中國科學家一直對這事隱而不宣。 相關報導： 類新冠病毒 7年前就發現 疫情／全球逾53.5萬死 確診病例超過1152萬 港版國安法可要求交涉港資料 不從罰款判刑 在香港國家安全法實施後，香港特首林鄭月娥6日首度召開維護國家安全委員會會議，訂定《中華人民共和國香港特別行政區維護國家安全法第四十三條實施細則》，為警務人員擴權。細則於6日晚間刊登於「香港特別行政區政府憲報」，翌日生效。其中第五條指出，香港警務處若有需要，可要求外國及台灣政治性組織及其代理人，就涉港活動提供指定資料，台方若繳交不正確、不完整的資料，將被判最高十萬港幣（約三十八萬台幣）罰款與有期徒刑兩年。 除此之外，港府要求社群平台提供用戶資訊甚至移除危及國安的內容，路透報導，Google、臉書和推特等已表示，暫停回應這項請求。北京是否據此封殺這些社群平台在香港的運作，還值得觀察。 相關報導： 香港國安惡法管很大 可要求台交涉港資料 不從罰款判刑 港版國安法要求提供用戶資訊 臉書、Google暫不配合 川普任內科技業更有錢 卻更支持民主黨 川普任內科技業賺飽飽，蘋果、微軟的市值首突破1.5兆美元，但這些企業的員工顯然對川普的治理並不滿意，他們比以往更加反對川普，轉而支持民主黨。根據美國無黨派研究小組Center for Responsive Politics的調查，五大科技巨頭包含蘋果、亞馬遜、臉書、微軟、Alphabet等企業的員工，捐助民主黨的政治獻金近1500萬美元，而共和黨只獲得不到300萬美元。而且美國疫情雖未趨緩，但美股始終很給力，科技大公司漲不停。 美股道瓊漲460點 那斯達克再創新高 以上就是今天的新聞重點，謝謝您的收聽，我們下次空中見。

Bob has worked with leaders at organizations from multinationals like Chanel, Ericsson, Ford, and GE to non-profits like New York Public Radio, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Center for Responsive Politics, and the Wikimedia Foundation, as well as innovative technology companies like Spotify and numerous startups. Since 2001, Alex has worked professionally as a coach to creators, founders, and leaders on the rise to take aligned action using their strengths, values, intuition, and creative thinking to achieve success on their own terms. In her five best-selling books, award-winning podcast Her Rules Radio, and weekly writing, I explore success energetics, positive psychology, embodied leadership, entrepreneurship, and personal growth strategies so that my readers and clients can bring their unique voice and work into the world. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobgower/

If money can’t buy votes, what can it buy? Sarah Bryner, Centre for Responsive Politics and ex-Federal Election Commission chair, Bradley Smith discuss the ways and means of campaign fundraising and finding ways to lure donations during a pandemic.

Episode 5 unpacks the money behind the spring primaries, the winners and losers, legal trickery by Super PACs, and the federal government's handling of the coronavirus -- and who benefits. Special guest: Sheila Krumholz, Executive Director of the Center for Responsive Politics. Music contributed by SHVVVR, Derek Bass, Aston Hollins McClanahan, Bejesus, and The Sutures.

Center for Responsive Politics researcher Anna Massoglia discusses the need for campaign finance accountability and transparency. 

In 2010, the Supreme Court opened the floodgates to record amounts of secret cash flowing into our elections. Here’s how it works - and why we have to stop it.Guests:Former Rep. J.C. Watts (R-OK)Anna Massoglia, Center for Responsive Politics, ResearcherMore show notes at www.swampstories.org. Follow Issue One on Twitter. Follow Weston Wamp on Twitter.

An exploration of the Americans Abroad vote, a climate forum is actually happening, what happens if you donate too much to a campaign, and Debate Bingo is here.Sponsors:Skillshare (http://skillshare.com/prh)The Meb Faber Show (https://mebfaber.com/podcast)Links:Election Ride Home Primary Debate BINGO! (Election Ride Home)Absentee Voting Information for U.S. Citizens Abroad (US State Department)How to Vote as an American Living Abroad (NYT)Democrats AbroadOverview of Democratic delegates by state, 2020 (Ballotpedia)2020 Democrats Abroad primary (Wikipedia)Host an Event (Joe Biden for President)ActBlueDoD Releases Biennial Study of U.S. Voters Abroad (Federal Voting Assistance Program)Ronald Steenblik (Twitter)Climate Forum announcement (Twitter/Ali Velshi)Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service and Our Daily Planet to Host Climate Forum with 2020 Presidential Candidates (GU Politics)UPDATE: MSNBC Joins as Media Partner for GU Politics/Our Daily Planet Climate Forum, Now Scheduled for September 19-20 (GU Politics)NBC News Now (Streaming)Types of contributions (FEC)2020 Campaign Contribution Limits (Open Secrets/Center for Responsive Politics)2020 Democrats’ campaign finance pledges, explained (Vox)Remedying an excessive contribution (FEC)

Late Night staffers Sal Gentile and Henry Melcher talk to Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics and OpenSecrets.org, about corruption in Washington in the Trump era.

In a special double edition of WBAI New York's "Waking Up," Celeste Katz talks Stonewall, money in politics, mass transit, the week in Washington, and Election 2020 with Jeff Simmons of WBAI, Anna Massoglia of the Center for Responsive Politics, Jose Martinez of The City, Elaine Quijano of CBS News, and Michael Gormley of Newsday. Show your support! www.give2wbai.org

In a special double edition of WBAI New York's "Waking Up," Celeste Katz talks Stonewall, money in politics, mass transit, the week in Washington, and Election 2020 with Jeff Simmons of WBAI, Anna Massoglia of the Center for Responsive Politics, Jose Martinez of The City, Elaine Quijano of CBS News, and Michael Gormley of Newsday. Show your support! www.give2wbai.org

It’s Shut Down Mania! Trump threatens to shut down the government for a “very long time” if the Senate does not pass a bill with $5 billion for his Great Wall of ‘Merica.  Despite what he said during his meeting with Chuck and Nancy, He’s blaming the Democrats. Mad Dog Mattis resigns as Trump’s Defense Secretary. Mattis’s resignation letter is widely seen as a protest against Trump’s announcement that he wants U.S. troops out of Syria and Afghanistan. Mattis also objected with Trump alienating allies and embracing autocratic regimes like China and Russia. German officials call it “a moment of alarm in Europe.” Democrats say ixnay to the Green New Deal committee championed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other newly elected progressives. Instead, Democrats tapped Florida Democrat, Rep. Kathy Castor to head a revived House panel on climate change. Castor didn’t waste any time embracing Exxon Mobil’s talking points, arguing it might be “unconstitutional” to ban members from the committee who are flush with Big Oil and Gas money. Despite being hugely popular, Democrats still can’t get it through their head that a Green New Deal is the way forward. Here’s a little tidbit about Castor: According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Castor accepted more than $73,000 from the energy and natural resources sector during her Congressional career. That includes $60,000 from corporate political action committees. Climate agreement in Poland helps to bolster the Paris Agreement. The agreement established a rule book for how countries should measure their greenhouse gas emissions, report on emissions cuts and hold each other accountable. However, the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait blocked language “welcoming” a recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that concluded the world must limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius or face catastrophic impacts. Hackers broke into NASA servers and downloaded Social Security numbers and other personal info. NASA officials say they still don’t know the total number of employees that were affected. And, the City of Opp, Alabama police department blames a recent rise in homicides on townspeople moving away from God and embracing Satan. Andrew Cuomo releases an extensive legislative wish list that includes legalizing marijuana, an Equal Rights Act, campaign ethics and finance reforms, a Green New Deal and more.   Governor Tom Wolf says it’s time to start looking at legalizing marijuana with New Jersey and New York getting ready to legalize it in 2019.  GOP leaders, follow suit, by blowing smoke and reefer madness.   Stephen Caruso from Pennsylvania Legislative Services wrote an excellent report on how Southeast Democrats were unified under the leadership of Madeleine Dean and were able to pick up 5 of 7 House leadership positions. It’s been over a month and I can barely remember the guy who ran against Gov. Wolf in November. In today’s Last Call, Gritty and Sean’s tattoo plans. The Pentagon is finalizing a proposal for the Space Force as a sixth military branch. According to a draft of the proposal, the Space Force would be organized under the Department of the Air Force, kind of like the Marines are organized as an independent service under the Navy. It’s a White Christmas on Mars. The European Space Agency’s Mars Express probe beamed back images of a 50 mile wide Martian crater filled with ice. The Korolev crater is on the northern pole plane which surrounds Mars’s polar ice cap. The crater contains 530 cubic miles of water ice and is a mile thick in places. Arizona State University’s New Space launches the MILO Institute - get ready for the public-private-partnerships in space exploration. Sean prepares for 2020 by going on a mega facebook purge. Fox news has an extensive debate about Gingerbread people being gender neutral? Free Will has a double can release tomorrow at both locations: Micromosa and DDH Love Letter from the 90s.

In this episode, we learn about why the 2018 midterms are so important, how to be an informed voter, and what all we can do to get out the vote for 2018. Laura walks us through her strategy and approach to researching candidates and ballot measures. We also talk about reasonable shortcuts to take if you don’t have the time or inclination to do the research yourself.Support Glimmering PodcastLinks:Gerrymandering, explained - VoxThe Gerrymandering Project – FiveThirtyEightIconic Dodge City moves its only polling place outside town.53,000 mostly Black voters’ registrations are on hold due to Georgia’s Exact Match law.Save My State | #VoteSaveAmerica — Check to see if you are registered and view your local ballot. Also has voter information for every state like registration deadlines, polling booth locations, and everything on a state’s ballot. This is a good way to help an out-of-state friend vote! Uber and Lyft will [MAYBE] help you find your polling place on Election Day - The Verge — We are skeptical about how dedicated Uber and Lyft drivers (not to mention their respective companies) are in this endeavor. Voter Information: Varied State Approaches — Shows how well (or badly) each state prepares and educates its citizens for voting. Fighting Hate | Southern Poverty Law Center — The SPLC is the premier U.S. non-profit organization monitoring the activities of domestic hate groups and other extremists – including the Ku Klux Klan, the neo-Nazi movement, neo-Confederates, racist skinheads, black separatists, antigovernment militias, Christian Identity adherents and others.Mission | OpenSecrets — Nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, the Center for Responsive Politics is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. OUR VISION is for Americans to be empowered by access to clear and unbiased information about money’s role in politics and policy and to use that knowledge to strengthen our democracy. OUR MISSION is to produce and disseminate peerless data and analysis on money in politics to inform and engage Americans, champion transparency, and expose disproportionate or undue influence on public policy.Mission & History - FollowTheMoney.org — The non-partisan Institute researches and archives a 50-state federal/state database of contributions documenting $100+ billion, plus more than 2 million state lobbyist-client relationships that are registered annually. Recent expansions include selected local-level data, collecting independent spending reports for federal campaigns and in 31 states, and lobbying spending in 20 states.Vote Smart - The Voter's Self Defense System — Find your candidates' bio, voting record, ratings by special interest groups (like, their NRA "grade"), who is funding them, and more.Vote Informed on the Entire Ballot - BallotReady — Enter your address and this site (and app) will collate as much info as they can from across the web, to give you a sample ballot with every measure and candidate summarized. You can print your sample ballot "cheat sheet" and take it with you to the polls!Oregon Secretary of State: Voting & Elections — Oregon's official website for all election & voting related activities. It is a PITA to use but at least it exists! ORESTAR (Oregon Elections System for Tracking and Reporting) is located here.

More than $4bn has already been raised by candidates running in the midterm elections in the United States. Ed Butler speaks to Shelia Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics and Charles Myers, chairman of Signum Global Advisors, on how Wall Street is giving more money to the Democrats this year. Michael Whitney from The Intercept describes Beto O'Rourke's record-breaking fundraising in Texas. And Mike Franz, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, discusses whether spending big on your campaign really matters.(Photo: Stickers made available to voters in Iowa, Credit; Getty Images)

Businesses have long used lobbyists to influence business and government leaders to create legislation or conduct an activity that will help their organizations. Lobbying is typically focused on legislators or members of regulatory agencies to influence specific legislation or gain corporate tax benefits. Understanding the role of business lobbying is essential for successful business leader activism. Learn more on Activate World Follow Activate World on Twitter Follow Activate World on LinkedIn

Last month, the committee that ran President Donald Trump’s inaugural festivities released basic details about its revenues and spending. Trump raised $107 million, almost twice the previous record, and spent $104 million. The committee’s tax filing showed that $26 million of the spending went to an event planning firm started in December by a friend of the First Lady. It’s not clear how the firm spent that money, or how most of the money raised for the inauguration was used. The tax filing doesn’t show spending by subcontractors, nor is it required to do so. In this week’s episode of Trump Inc., we dig into the inauguration. We’ve found that even experienced inaugural planners are baffled by the Trump committee’s massive fundraising and spending operation. We also noticed that two members of the inaugural committee have been convicted of financial crimes, and a third — the committee’s treasurer — was reportedly an unindicted co-conspirator in an accounting fraud. Greg Jenkins led President George W. Bush’s second inaugural committee in 2005, which raised and spent $42 million (that would be $53 million in today’s dollars). Asked about how Trump’s team managed to spend so much more, Jenkins said, “It's inexplicable to me. I literally don't know.” “They had a third of the staff and a quarter of the events and they raise at least twice as much as we did,” Jenkins said. “So there's the obvious question: where did it go? I don't know.” Steve Kerrigan, who led both of President Obama’s inaugural committees, agreed. “There was no need for that amount of money,” said Kerrigan.” We literally did two inaugurations for less than the cost of that.” According to Trump’s filing, slightly more than half of the money went to four event-planning companies, including the firm owned by the First Lady’s friend, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. Her company, WIS Media Partners, paid the co-creator of “The Apprentice,” Mark Burnett, to help with the festivities, as the New York Times reported.   Melania Trump has since cut off her work with Wolkoff after the disclosure of the spending. Wolkoff and WIS Media Partners did not respond to a request for comment. We asked the White House and the inaugural committee about fundraising and spending related to the inauguration. Officials did not agree to be interviewed on the record. We also looked at members of the inaugural committee, which had about 30 people in leadership and fundraising roles. The committee’s treasurer, Doug Ammerman, was named by prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator in a tax shelter fraud in the early 2000s, according to the Wall Street Journal.  Ammerman was a partner at the accounting firm KPMG, which later admitted criminal liability. A Senate investigation from the time includes emails from Ammerman suggesting he was aware of the scheme. Ammerman is also currently accused in a shareholder lawsuit of dumping stock in a grilled chicken chain, El Pollo Loco, where he was on the board, ahead of a bad quarterly report. Ammerman did not respond to requests for comment. The finance vice-chair for the inaugural committee, Elliott Broidy, pleaded guilty in 2009 to paying bribes to get investments from the New York State pension fund. His felony conviction was later downgraded to a misdemeanor. Broidy, a top Trump fundraiser, has also come under scrutiny in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Broidy did not respond to requests for comment. Another inaugural organizer was Rick Gates, the former deputy to former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Gates pleaded guilty this year to lying to the FBI and to conspiracy in a vast money laundering scheme, charges that came from Mueller’s office. At the time that Gates worked on the inauguration, he had not been indicted, but his dealings with former Ukrainian strongman Viktor Yanukovych had already come under scrutiny. Gates’ business partner, Manafort, was forced off of the Trump campaign in the summer of 2016 after it was reported he got nearly $13 million of undisclosed payments from Yanukovych. Gates did not respond to requests for comment. We found one more thing that set this inauguration apart: Some of the donations are almost impossible to trace. As the Center for Responsive Politics reports, two “dark money” groups, which do not disclose their donors, gave $1 million each. Trump’s inaugural committee appears to have been the first to accept significant donations from dark money groups. Kerrigan, Obama’s inauguration chief, said he would have rejected a check from a group designed to preserve donor anonymity. “I would have said, ‘Prove who you are and if you can’t pass vet, I’ll have to give the check back,’” Kerrigan said. There are also, of course, many donors we do know about. Like other presidents, Trump raised millions from corporate contributions and wealthy individuals. The securities and investment industry contributed the most, nearly $15 million. Other top industries included real estate, casinos, oil and gas, and mining — each of which later benefited from various presidential initiatives and policies. The existence of a contribution, of course, doesn’t mean that’s the reason for a policy change. Click here to explore OpenSecrets’ analysis of inaugural contributions. And click here to check out journalist Christina Wilkie’s easy-to-search spreadsheet of inaugural donors.

On today's episode: How does the government make sure elections are conducted fairly? Who's keeping track of all the money donated to candidates? Is the Federal Election Commission still relevant in the era of dark money and Super PACs? Joining us on the show is Bob Biersack, senior fellow at the Center for Responsive Politics. 

Nate Yohannes (linkedin.com/in/nateyohannesgovernmentaffairs) is Senior Advisor to the Chief Investment and Innovation Officer at the US Small Business Administration. He was appointed by the White House Office of Presidential Personnel as a Presidential Appointee in the Obama Administration. As the Senior Advisor, Mr. Yohannes assists with managing the Small Business Investment Company, a $25 billion private equity/venture fund and the SBIR program, a $2.5 billion per year grant program to high growth domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) that has the potential for commercialization. Mr. Yohannes sits on President Obama's Broadband Opportunity Council, a multi-agency team responsible for providing counsel to President Obama on how to advance the United States as the most broadband accessible country in the world. In addition, Yohannes held a leadership position and played a pivotal role with the first ever White House Demo Day. Mr. Yohannes regularly works with staff at the White House's Business Council, Domestic Policy Council, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Innovation Cohort and National Economic Council on issues that directly affect high growth small businesses across the country. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Mr. Yohannes was the Vice President – Associate General Counsel at the Money Management Institute (MMI). Earlier in his career he clerked for Chief Justice Paula Feroleto of the New York State Supreme Court. Mr. Yohannes received his JD from the University at Buffalo Law School and a BA from SUNY Geneseo and is a member of the New York State Bar.   In this episode, we discussed:  government resources available to entrepreneurs looking to access capital. Resources: SBIC SBIR SBA Growth Accelerator Competition U.S. Economic Development Administration Audacity of Hope, Barack H. Obama *A special thanks goes to the following contributors to this episode: Elias Aseged, Accenture Brittany Déjean, AbleThrive Jessica Eggert, Medley Sumayyah Emeh Edu, Sumayyah Emeh Edu Consulting Chioke Mose-Telesford, Grand Circus Jon Pincus, A Change is Coming Courtney Seiter, Buffer Terrell Sterling, Oracle Michael Young, BLOC   THE NEWS The FCC passed new privacy rules Thursday requiring internet service providers to obtain their subscribers' permission before collecting and distributing their private information. Telecom industry giants like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon object to the new rules, saying they will harm the Internet ecosystem. Privacy advocates, though, applaud the rules. Critics of the rules say so-called edge providers like Netflix and other companies should also be restricted from freely sharing their users' information without permission. But the FCC, of course, doesn't have jurisdiction over internet companies like Netflix. Cecilia Kang has the story in The New York Times. ----Eric Lipton at The New York Times reported last week on AT&T's lobbying influence within the beltway. Lipton reports that AT&T is Congress' biggest donor, contributing a total of over $11 million to most members of Congress since 2015, which is 4 times that of Verizon. The company also has almost 100 registered lobbyists, not including non-profit organizations it contributes to. AT&T announced two weeks ago that it has agreed to purchase Time Warner for $85.4 billion. Time Warner's properties include HBO and CNN. ---- Senator Elizabeth Warren is leading progressive members of Congress who are pushing Hillary Clinton to crack down on large tech companies if Clinton becomes president. Warren says companies like Google, Amazon and Apple have too much market power. But according to the Center for Responsive Politics, tech companies have contributed some $39 million to the Clinton campaign, compared to just $787,000 for Trump. Shane Goldmacher has the story in Politico. ---- A new Pew Report finds that a fair number of people loathe the political dialogue that happens among friends, family members and acquaintances on social media. Almost twice as many social media users reported being “worn out” by political discussions on Facebook, compared to those who like seeking lots of political content. The report also found a large percentage of people found political discourse on line to be angrier, less respectful and less civil than political conversations in public. You can find these and other findings at Pew. ---- Finally, Alphabet, Inc.--the parent company of Google, is putting the brakes on further build out of its fiber network in places it's not already committed. Google Access CEO Craig Barrett announced he is stepping down in a surprise blog post last week. Google Fiber will continue to be available in Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Charlotte, NC; Kansas City in MO and KS; Nashville, TN; Provo, UT; Salt Lake City, UT; and North Carolina's Triangle region. In addition, Comcast is suing the Nashville metro government, including the city's mayor, in the U.S. District Court in Nashville. Comcast argues that Google, when it comes into Nashville, shouldn't just be able to come in and reconfigure wires on utility poles without first waiting for incumbent providers to adjust the wires themselves. Sam Gustin at Motherboard and Jon Brodkin at Ars Technica have the story.

Dr. Tracy Weeks (@tracyweeks)  is the Executive Director for the State Educational Technology Director's Association (SETDA). Prior to joining the team at SETDA, she served as the Chief Academic and Digital Learning Officer for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the first senior state leadership position of its kind in the nation. In that role, Dr. Weeks oversaw the areas of: K-12 Curriculum and Instruction, Career and Technical Education, Exceptional Children, and the North Carolina Virtual Public School. She also served as the state agency lead on the development of the North Carolina Digital Learning Plan. From 2008-2014, Tracy led the North Carolina Virtual Public School, the second largest state-led virtual school in the nation, as the Chief Academic Officer and subsequently the Executive Director. She holds a bachelors degree in Secondary Math Education from UNC-Chapel Hill, a Masters of Education in Instructional Technology with a Statistics minor and a Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction from NC State University. She is a NC Teaching Fellow, NC Education Policy Fellow, and a member of Phi Kappa Phi. In this episode we discussed: the importance of high speed internet in schools. challenges school districts are facing when it comes to providing high speed internet in classrooms. how to use school broadband resources to enhance access to broadband outside of the classroom. recommendations for ensuring schools have appropriate infrastructure to accommodate growing demand for broadband bandwidth. Resources: SETDA Slack Mindset by Carol Dweck Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Ken Robinson   NEWS A large scale DDOS attack affected a large number of important and widely used sites on Friday, causing users to lose access to sites like Spotify, SoundCloud, Twitter and Shopify. The way these attacks usually work is that a hacker will overwhelm a particular site with junk traffic. However, in between the URL you enter into your browser, and the site's IP address, are what are known as DNS providers that route you to where you want to go. This time, the attack was made on one of those DNS providers--a company called Dyn--making the hack even worse and more widespread affecting many different sites instead of just a single one. In addition, the hack was executed by aggregating notoriously insecure Internet of Things devices, like home security cameras, into botnets. The White House says the Department of Homeland Security is looking into the breach. To make things even creepier, one security researcher told Techcrunch that the attack looks more like probing-- a deliberate attempt to test the defense capabilities of the sites. Darrell Etherington has the story in TechCrunch. ---- AT&T has agreed to buy Time Warner Cable in an $85.4 billion deal. The deal comes amidst a wave of consolidation in the media industry, including Comcast's acquisition of NBCUNiversal and Verizon's acquisition of Huffington Post and proposed acquisition of Yahoo. AT&T also recently acquired DirectTV for $48.5 billion. Time Warner's media properties include HBO, CNN, TNT and TBS. Michael De La Merced has the story for The New York Times. ---- A new study by Girls who Code and Accenture finds that, without significant intervention by educators, parents and policymakers, the proportion of computer scientists in the workforce who are women will decline from 24% to 22% by 2025. The proportion of women computer sciences has fallen from 37% in 1995. The report is optimistic, however, and concludes that women could account for 39% of computer scientists by 2025 if appropriate measures are taken. Jessica Guynn has the story in USA Today. ---- A Russian hacker suspected of intruding into American targets has been arrested in Prague, but the authorities have not released the suspect's name. But American officials familiar with the matter, but who asked for anonymity, told Ricky Lyman and Hana de Goeij at the New York Times that the suspect has not been linked to Russian intrusions into the Democratic National Committee. Two weeks ago, the Obama administration officially accused Russia of attempting to sway the U.S. elections by hacking into the DNC. ---- There is a sex scandal at the FCC. Fred Campbell at Forbes reports that a female employee working in the Office of Communications Business Opportunities (OCBO), which works to increase opportunities for minorities and women working in the telecommunications sector, was subjected to her male co-workers watching porn in the office. When she complained to her boss, Thomas Reed, the employee's complaint alleges that she was given lower quality assignments. An Inspector General's report into the employee's complaint conducted in 2012, which we're just finding out about now, concluded that watching porn, and the agency's subsequent response to it, violated various ethical and administrative rules. And Still, as Fred Cambpell at Forbes reports, the FCC did nothing outside of forcing the employee watching porn to resign. The FCC's legal team even attempted to dismiss the employee's case in federal court--a court that found that the employee had been subjected to “discriminatory intimidation, ridicule, and insult”. Fred Campbell has the story in Forbes. ---- Finally, The Center for Responsive Politics reported last week that Silicon Valley-based tech companies are outspending Wall Street on lobbying activities in DC by more than 2 to 1. According to the Center, Silicon Valley spent $49 million on lobbyists last year compared to just $19.7 million for the five largest banks. Seleha Moshin has the story for Bloomberg.

Just as the US 2016 election race is heating up, Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico and Libertarian candidate making his second bid for the White House, discusses his immigration, fiscal and monetary policy, as well as legalising marijuana. Then, hosts Cardiff Garcia and Shannon Bond take a deep dive into the world of campaign finance. Tracking the funding of the 2016 campaign, the Center for Responsive Politics looks at who can spend money on political campaigns, how much they can spend, and more about the dark money. FT reporters also provide despatches from the Democratic and Republican primary races. Go to FT.com/alphachat for show notes and links. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If you want to know what the single biggest vulnerability is for identity theft and credit card fraud in your name, that's easy: it's using your card at major retail stores that have repeatedly been breached by hackers. Using outdated kiosk computers to process sales, retailers have allowed clever thieves to install viruses that silently relay customers' credit card info back to them. This is how Target negligently let thieves pilfer 70 million card numbers, it's how Home Depot allowed 56 million credit card numbers to be stolen, it's how Michaels' stores – well, the list goes on. But that's how it happened. Facing these disasters, big box stores might work to increase the security on their own systems, that, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center, a non-profit organization that monitors identity theft and assists victims, are the number one cause of data breaches. Alas, the stores' have decided to instead to rely on slick lobbying campaigns and well-compensated political allies to confuse the issue. Specifically, the retailers have been clamoring for banks and credit card companies to issue cards with four-digit PINs. PINs are annoying to consumers and, from a security perspective, relatively worthless. A four-digit numerical password is inherently insecure because there are only 10,000 unique combinations. A computer can generate all of them in under one millisecond, making “brute force” attacks completely painless for any mildly sophisticated criminal. Indeed, law enforcement officials in Europe, where credit card PIN use is more prevalent, have observed thieves adapting, sometimes by waiting to view someone key in their PIN before stealing their card. But what's easy for a computer is sometimes difficult for the average person, who carries four cards in their wallet, to remember. For these reasons, experts consider PINs to be headed shortly to the scrapheap of history, to be replaced by much more sophisticated approaches like encryption and tokenization. That doesn't mean that PINs can't be a useful cudgel for the retailers, who are looking to use the issue as a wedge that prevents them from upgrading their outdated technology faster. Enter noted computer security expert (I jest) Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), who weighed in on the issue this week in a letter to the FBI. Durbin complained the FBI hadn't included language about PINs in the final version of its consumer bulletin that even the newest types of credit cards can still be vulnerable to fraud. The bulletin “raises significant questions about...whether the FBI is taking appropriate steps to warn against and deter payment card fraud involving lost or stolen cards,” Durbin wrote. For the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, Durbin sure is shameless about plugging for the big box stores, which have consistently poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into his campaign coffers, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. Some would say it's the Chicago way. You may remember a major lobbying dust-up over credit card “interchange fees” about five years ago. Then, Durbin led the charge to put price controls in place on how much Visa, Mastercard and other companies could charge stores to process their payments. The government-set prices were supposed to help consumers, but that turned out not to be the case, as studies since then have showed the big box stores just took home the extra profit and laughed their way to the bank. Look, it's one thing to nakedly fight for your own bottom line in a clear business-on-business K Street war. It's another to alarm consumers with warnings about a discredited security technique when your own stores (and Durbin's own donors) are the ones practically giving their customers' credit card numbers to fraudsters. Shame on Senator Durbin.

The company Monsanto is a multinational Chemical and Agricultural Biotechnology company based in Creve Coeur, Missouri. It is most famous (or infamous) for its production of genetically engineered seeds as well as its production of the weed killer Roundup. The company, which began as a small chemical start-up company in 1901, has grown to become an immensely powerful corporation with Net Sales for the 2012 fiscal year of over $13.5 billion and operations in 68 countries across six continents. [2] [3] [4] According to a recent study by Food and Water Watch, 93% of the US soybean market, and 80% of the US corn market contain genetics patented by the agribusiness giant. [5] Monsanto owns over 1,676 patents on seeds plants and other agricultural applications. [6] Since 1996, the amount of acreage supporting Monsanto's genetically engineered (GE) crops has exploded from 3 million to 282.3 million worldwide. In the US alone, 151.4 million acres of land support Monsanto's GE products, accounting for 40% of overall acreage devoted to agricultural production across the board. [7] Monsanto's success is not solely, if at all, attributable to its ability to create a superior product. Monsanto has been very aggressive in its lobbying and public relations efforts. According to figures from the Center for Responsive Politics, Monsanto has donated over $4,607,790 to US political campaigns since 1990, and has spent over $61,852,724 since 1998 lobbying elected representatives. [8] More insidious perhaps, is the revolving door which sees Monsanto board members having worked for the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Agriculture, not to mention positions in public universities, industry and trade groups. (See diagrams below.)

Issue: Participatory Democracy Broadcast Time: 10-11:00 a.m. Program Topic: Free speech, corporate money, and democracy Key Discussion Points: a) The constitutional background of granting personhood to corporations and equating political spending with free speech. b) The practical outcomes for democracy. c) What can citizens do? Guests: A) Jeff Clements, co-founder of Free Speech for People and author of the book Corporations Are Not People. www.freespeechforpeople.org B) Sheila Krumholz, Executive Director of the Center for Responsive Politics. www.opensecrets.org Call In Program: Yes Political Broadcast: Yes Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters www.lwvme.org Engineer: Joel Mann

You might think the lobbying in Washington, D.C., stops on a piece of legislation once it's signed into law. But when it comes to the financial regulatory reform bill, which became law last summer, the lobbying intensified in some areas. Companies shifted focus from members of Congress to the regulatory bodies themselves: the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Reserve and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.Michael Beckel, the money-in-politics reporter for the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks public data on campaign contribution, said big commercial banks and security investment firms like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and CitiGroup are among the top spenders — plunking down millions for these efforts. "It's battle after battle to be able to implement, and in some places, just to try to grind to a halt, or defund, or repeal completely, what's going on," he said. "I think that the companies are investing significant sums of money in this lobbying approach and they clearly see a value to what they're doing, otherwise they wouldn't be putting up so much money to make sure that their voices are heard in the process."And with the 2012 election season coming up — and the first campaign finance filings due to come out next month — Beckel said we'll be able to see which donors are bankrolling which candidates.MarketsThe Dow fell 80 points, to close at 12,110. The Nasdaq dropped 18 points, to 2,669. And the S&P 500 ended the day at 1,287, down eight points.

Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, joins Nicole Sandler to talk about campaign funding and how to track it at opensecrets.org