If the Supreme Court follows through with the draft opinion leaked last month and overturns Roe v. Wade, attorneys general in dozens of states with abortion bans already on the books will have new authority over how, or whether, those laws are enforced.  The expected ruling, in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, would end the federal right to abortion, making abortion access subject to laws on a basis. Twenty-two states have laws that could be used to restrict abortions, according to the , including seven with pre-Roe abortion bans and 13 with “trigger” laws...…If the Supreme Court follows through with the draft opinion leaked last month and overturns Roe v. Wade, attorneys general in dozens of states with abortion bans already on the books will have new authority over how, or whether, those laws are enforced.  The expected ruling, in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, would end the federal right to abortion, making abortion access subject to laws on a basis. Twenty-two states have laws that could be used to restrict abortions, according to the , including seven with pre-Roe abortion bans and 13 with “trigger” laws...WW…

Big Wall Street banks are to reverse a section of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill that requires them to post collateral when making internal derivatives transactions among their affiliates and subsidiaries. Congressional Republicans have supported the banks’ efforts for several years. Now a key House Democrat has taken up their cause.Financial Services Committee member Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) has begun urging regulators to act on the matter, spearheading that asks them to take “quick action” to repeal the requirement. The letter, which is co-signed by 16 other Democrats, was...…Big Wall Street banks are to reverse a section of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill that requires them to post collateral when making internal derivatives transactions among their affiliates and subsidiaries. Congressional Republicans have supported the banks’ efforts for several years. Now a key House Democrat has taken up their cause.Financial Services Committee member Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) has begun urging regulators to act on the matter, spearheading that asks them to take “quick action” to repeal the requirement. The letter, which is co-signed by 16 other Democrats, was...WW…

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin made hundreds of millions in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis by executing mass foreclosures as the CEO of OneWest bank. Now, as he takes the helm of an unprecedented bailout fund enacted in response to the coronavirus crisis, he’s in a position to profit once again. The coronavirus stimulus bill gives Mnuchin broad authority over a $454 billion slush fund for bailing out large U.S. businesses. Lobbyists and policymakers are still working out the rules of which companies will qualify, but in its design, the Mnuchin-led fund is for assisting large...…Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin made hundreds of millions in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis by executing mass foreclosures as the CEO of OneWest bank. Now, as he takes the helm of an unprecedented bailout fund enacted in response to the coronavirus crisis, he’s in a position to profit once again. The coronavirus stimulus bill gives Mnuchin broad authority over a $454 billion slush fund for bailing out large U.S. businesses. Lobbyists and policymakers are still working out the rules of which companies will qualify, but in its design, the Mnuchin-led fund is for assisting large...WW…

As part of the enormous New York state budget finalized late last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislators came to an agreement to dissolve the state’s dysfunctional ethics board, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), and replace it with a new entity.Good government groups including Common Cause New York and the League of Women Voters of New York had warned before the deal was finalized that the agreement on the commission being floated in the Albany press suffered from the same major flaw as JCOPE: that its members would not be independent of the politicians who would appoint them....…As part of the enormous New York state budget finalized late last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislators came to an agreement to dissolve the state’s dysfunctional ethics board, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), and replace it with a new entity.Good government groups including Common Cause New York and the League of Women Voters of New York had warned before the deal was finalized that the agreement on the commission being floated in the Albany press suffered from the same major flaw as JCOPE: that its members would not be independent of the politicians who would appoint them....WW…

Capitol Hill is rife with ethics issues, but one has broken through in the mainstream media as a hot topic: the stock trades of members of Congress. The profit-seeking plays of federal lawmakers have caught a wave of headlines. In February, the New York Times published an , “Congress Must Pass A Stock Trading Ban.” Press coverage in the , Washington Post, Politico, Marketplace, and others gave the impression that Congress was “” about cracking down on the obvious conflicts of interest.But all of these outlets failed to inform readers of key legislative context: bills to limit...…Capitol Hill is rife with ethics issues, but one has broken through in the mainstream media as a hot topic: the stock trades of members of Congress. The profit-seeking plays of federal lawmakers have caught a wave of headlines. In February, the New York Times published an , “Congress Must Pass A Stock Trading Ban.” Press coverage in the , Washington Post, Politico, Marketplace, and others gave the impression that Congress was “” about cracking down on the obvious conflicts of interest.But all of these outlets failed to inform readers of key legislative context: bills to limit...WW…

On June 17, Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi exercised options he had purchased a year earlier to purchase 20,000 shares of stock in semiconductor manufacturing company Nvidia at a price of $100 per share, according to a disclosure filed by the speaker. Nvidia shares traded at between $160 and $169 the following day when markets opened. Two days after Pelosi bought the stocks, the Senate voted to proceed to consider a bill that would provide about $52 billion in subsidies over the next five years to the U.S. semiconductor industry. Nvidia stock jumped to around $181 a share following...…On June 17, Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi exercised options he had purchased a year earlier to purchase 20,000 shares of stock in semiconductor manufacturing company Nvidia at a price of $100 per share, according to a disclosure filed by the speaker. Nvidia shares traded at between $160 and $169 the following day when markets opened. Two days after Pelosi bought the stocks, the Senate voted to proceed to consider a bill that would provide about $52 billion in subsidies over the next five years to the U.S. semiconductor industry. Nvidia stock jumped to around $181 a share following...WW…

UPDATE: Five days after this article was published, Kennedy signed on as a to the Carried Interest Fairness Act.In his campaign to unseat progressive stalwart Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.), the grandson of former attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, has painted himself as a reformer who will work for the people who have been disenfranchised by the political system. “Systemic reform begins with recalibrating our entire economy to put power with workers, families, and communities–not corporate interests,” Kennedy’s “economic justice” issue page reads. Yet when it comes...…UPDATE: Five days after this article was published, Kennedy signed on as a to the Carried Interest Fairness Act.In his campaign to unseat progressive stalwart Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.), the grandson of former attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, has painted himself as a reformer who will work for the people who have been disenfranchised by the political system. “Systemic reform begins with recalibrating our entire economy to put power with workers, families, and communities–not corporate interests,” Kennedy’s “economic justice” issue page reads. Yet when it comes...WW…

This article is the first in a series exposing unexplored avenues of systemic corruption in Congress. This work is 100% reader supported. Help us fund the series .When Florida Republican Vern Buchanan introduced a bill in 2017 to lower federal income taxes on limited-liability corporations, he , saying that small businesses shouldn’t have to “pay a higher tax rate than large corporations.” What he didn’t say is that the bill would save him as much as $7.5 million in taxes on income from his own private companies, most of them LLCs. Buchanan is the president, director, member, or...…This article is the first in a series exposing unexplored avenues of systemic corruption in Congress. This work is 100% reader supported. Help us fund the series .When Florida Republican Vern Buchanan introduced a bill in 2017 to lower federal income taxes on limited-liability corporations, he , saying that small businesses shouldn’t have to “pay a higher tax rate than large corporations.” What he didn’t say is that the bill would save him as much as $7.5 million in taxes on income from his own private companies, most of them LLCs. Buchanan is the president, director, member, or...WW…

In Michigan this week, activists with the Defend Black Voters coalition held a series of protest actions to call out companies in the Detroit Regional Chamber that have donated to politicians who back new voter restriction laws despite claiming to stand for democracy and voting rights.   The coalition, composed of state groups such as Michigan People’s Campaign and national organizations such as Community Change Action, brought the demonstration to Mackinac Island, where the Detroit Regional Chamber was holding its biannual public policy conference. The coalition’s first...…In Michigan this week, activists with the Defend Black Voters coalition held a series of protest actions to call out companies in the Detroit Regional Chamber that have donated to politicians who back new voter restriction laws despite claiming to stand for democracy and voting rights.   The coalition, composed of state groups such as Michigan People’s Campaign and national organizations such as Community Change Action, brought the demonstration to Mackinac Island, where the Detroit Regional Chamber was holding its biannual public policy conference. The coalition’s first...WW…

Breonna Taylor was a tax-paying citizen of Louisville, Kentucky. She paid a five percent income tax on her salary as an emergency medical technician, and a six percent sales tax on most purchases. In return, the city of Louisville provided her with streets, parks, sanitation, and funding for a police department. On March 13, the Louisville Metropolitan PD broke into Taylor’s apartment to serve a “no-knock” warrant on the wrong address. The three officers—trained, hired and armed with her tax dollars—shot her eight times while she was lying in bed and killed her.There has been little...…Breonna Taylor was a tax-paying citizen of Louisville, Kentucky. She paid a five percent income tax on her salary as an emergency medical technician, and a six percent sales tax on most purchases. In return, the city of Louisville provided her with streets, parks, sanitation, and funding for a police department. On March 13, the Louisville Metropolitan PD broke into Taylor’s apartment to serve a “no-knock” warrant on the wrong address. The three officers—trained, hired and armed with her tax dollars—shot her eight times while she was lying in bed and killed her.There has been little...WW…