Crypto Won Big in the 2024 Election
After pouring unprecedented amounts of money into races across the ballot this election season, the cryptocurrency industry will now have the most political influence it has ever had.
45 Articles by: Freddy Brewster
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Freddy Brewster is a freelance reporter and has been published in the Los Angeles Times, NBC News, CalMatters, the Lost Coast Outpost, and other outlets across California.
Leonard Leo’s Dark Money Web Is Sowing Election Day Chaos
Right-wing activist groups with ties to conservative Supreme Court mastermind Leonard Leo have been on a voter-suppression blitz ahead of Election Day, pushing unfounded claims of noncitizens voting and filing lawsuits that have restricted voting rights.
Lobbyists Are Urging SCOTUS to Gut Consumer Protections
Lobbyists are urging the Supreme Court to use upcoming cases to gut consumer protections. The lobbying groups involved are tied to conservative donors who have spent decades working to roll back consumer regulations and environmental protections.
Amid Hurricane Milton, GOP Reps Are Blocking Climate Action
As Hurricane Milton bears down on their districts, two Republican representatives backed by fossil fuel companies are pushing legislation that claims the climate crisis is a “false emergency.”
Neil Gorsuch’s Big Oil Pals Are Targeting Green Legislation
An oil giant linked to Justice Neil Gorsuch is pressing the Supreme Court to allow a crude oil train to run perilously close to a key water source for 40 million people. At stake in the case are foundational environmental laws protecting the Southwest.
Climate Denialism Made Hurricane Helene’s Destruction Worse
In the years before Hurricane Helene ravaged North Carolina last week, Republican lawmakers and corporate interests continually sabotaged efforts to prepare the state for stronger storms and a rising sea.
Corporations Want Government-Funded Lobbyists
Republican lawmakers are pushing two anti-ESG bills designed to combat “woke” investing that would install taxpayer-funded corporate lobbyists in the SEC. Critics say it’s a conservative wish list “straight out of the Project 2025 playbook.”
J. D. Vance Is Trying to Push Citizens United Further
J. D. Vance and other Republicans are spearheading a lawsuit that aims to get the Supreme Court to move beyond its Citizens United decision and tear up some of the last remaining rules designed to limit the influence of money in politics.
Big Tech Is Lobbying to Keep Its Stranglehold on Local News
California legislators were considering bills that would have forced Google, Meta, and other tech firms to pay ongoing fees for earning billions from using news outlets’ content. Big Tech’s lobbying and strong-arm tactics helped kill the legislation.
These Grocery-Store Chains Want to Cripple the FTC
The Federal Trade Commission is trying to stop the merger of two of the US’s largest grocery-store chains, Kroger and Albertsons. In response, the companies are suing to undermine the FTC and dismantle the country’s antitrust machinery.
Harris Needs to Put Working-Class Policy Before DC Decorum
Three years ago, Kamala Harris bypassed a chance to raise the federal minimum wage out of respect for Senate procedure. Now she’s campaigning on a relatively progressive economic agenda — but is she willing to break Capitol Hill’s rules to fight for it?
The Crypto Industry’s 2024 Election Spending Spree
Pro-crypto candidates in the 2024 election cycle are enjoying a major funding boost from the $2.5 trillion cryptocurrency industry, which is fighting hard to reverse regulatory measures put in place by government agencies like the SEC.
Billionaire Donor Wants Kamala Harris to Fire the FTC Chair
A major Democratic donor and Microsoft board member is pressuring Kamala Harris to dismiss the government’s top antitrust regulator, who has launched an aggressive crackdown on corporate power since taking office.
Big Tech Consolidation Amplified the CrowdStrike Outage
On Friday, an update to a cybersecurity program took down Microsoft systems across the globe. Microsoft has resisted efforts to regulate a root cause of this chaos: the concentration of digital infrastructure in the hands of a few tech giants.
Most Large US Public Charities Are Now Dark-Money Funds
Finance giants like Fidelity and Schwab are pushing “donor-advised funds” that enable the ultrawealthy to funnel cash to far-right extremist groups anonymously under the guise of charitable giving. Project 2025 has benefited enormously.
Right-Wing Money Is Lobbying for Modern Payday Lenders
Consumer advocates want “earned-wage access” apps to be regulated as payday loans, in order to prevent them from taking advantage of consumers in dire straits. Fintech companies have backed right-wing-funded efforts to counter such legislation.
Boeing Has Allies in the Biden Justice Department
Boeing is facing scrutiny from the Justice Department that could lead to criminal charges. But a department official involved in the case formerly consulted on behalf of the company — just one among many such officials with close corporate connections.
The Rail Industry Is Still Lobbying Against Safety Rules
Since the 2023 East Palestine derailment disaster, the railroad industry has continued to lobby against federal safety regulations, even as new data suggests that recent increases in train length have made derailments more likely.
“Banking-as-a-Service” Firms Can Evaporate Your Life Savings
On the rise in the banking sector, “banking-as-a-service” companies operate outside purview of banking regulators. With lax oversight and heavy industry lobbying, these firms are misleading consumers about the safety of their savings.
Why NY Governor Kathy Hochul Killed Congestion Pricing
A historic congestion pricing plan for New York City was slated to go into effect this month. NY governor Kathy Hochul suddenly blocked it this week — and has taken tens of thousand of dollars in campaign funding from auto groups opposed to the plan.