Washington, D.C.
Barack Obama set a record last week when his campaign announced a second-quarter fund-raising haul of $86 …
lobbying
Gaddafi’s Corporate Quislings
Things are looking increasingly bleak for Muammar Gaddafi, as the West and its allies continue to pressure those in his inner circle to abandon him. But Gaddafi isn’t the only uncomfortable one, as revelations continue to emerge about the massive, immoral suck-up western companies undertook during the dictator’s brief period of …
Washington’s Recession-Proof Industry
Here’s one sector that hasn’t suffered in the recession: Washington lobbyists.
Since 2000, the financial services industry’s spending on federal lobbying rose 102%, to $472.9 million last year, according to an analysis by the …
Despite Insurers’ Best Efforts, Regulators Stand Their Ground
Anyone who thought the fight was over with the signing of the Affordable Care Act was sorely mistaken. And no, I’m not talking about Republicans efforts to repeal the law or challenge its constitutionality. I’m talking about the writing of regulations that will implement the law.
Some 10-20 pages – or more – of regulations are …
Speaking of Political Sex Scandals
No tickling here that we know of, but an important reminder that there is another member, Republican Senator John Ensign of Nevada, who is under investigation — criminal investigation — for his alleged lucrative attempts to silence the husband of the staffer he was having an affair with, as Eric Litchblau and Eric Lipton of the New …
Our Chatty Cathy Congress
Those of us former little girls of a certain age can remember a doll that we all had to have. She was called Chatty Cathy, and if you pulled a string in her neck, she would say things like “Please brush my hair” and “Let’s have a party!”
It turns out that Chatty Cathy and the United States House of Representatives have a lot in …
HEALTH REFORM: The Drug Industry’s Sweetheart Deal
It turns out that spending $609,000 a day on lobbying can be a great investment. Health reform is looking to be very, very good for the pharmaceutical business. Jon Cohn has new evidence on why we should take their complaints about the bill with two aspirin–and a grain of salt.
