President Trump meets with Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the Oval Office on March 14, 2017. Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images. By Ken Klippenstein A law firm that reportedly has advised President Trump’s real estate empire registered last month to lobby the Trump administration as part of Saudi …
Heitkamp, Backing Deregulation Bill, Owns Stock in Financial Firms that Stand to Profit
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) on Capitol Hill January 25, 2018. Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images. By Alex Kotch This week, the U.S. Senate will consider a bipartisan bill to massively roll back regulations put in place to prevent the risky financial practices that led to the 2008 economic crisis. As David Dayen reported at The Intercept, S.2155, the Economic Growth, …
Lawyers Challenging Mine Safety Rule Blocked Release of Mine-Safety Study for Years
Donald Trump wearing a hard hat during a rally in Charleston, West Virginia on May 5, 2016. Photo by Mark Lyons/Getty Images. By Steve Horn The legal team working to end new safety measures for repeat violators of mining-safety rules has a history of pushing to squelch a long-term study on mining-cancer rates, as well as lobbying against safety regulations, …
Mining Safety Chief Deciding Whether to Settle Suit His Own Group Filed
Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health David Zatezalo. Image via msha.gov By Steve Horn David Zatezalo, President Trump’s top official for mining safety, is set to decide over the next two weeks whether to settle a mining-safety lawsuit filed by an industry group that included Zatezalo at the time. The Mine Safety and Health Administration told TYT that MSHA lawyers …
Congressional Budget Deal a Boon to Military Contractors
President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell(R-Ky.), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Defense Secretary James Mattis in the Oval Office in December 2017. Photo by Olivier Douliery/Getty Images. By Michael Tracey The massive budget deal now speeding through Congress—to head off a threatened government …
HHS Medicaid Work Requirements Could Enrich Secretary’s Old Company
By Jonathan Larsen On Friday, four days after the swearing in of new Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, the agency signed off on Medicaid work requirements in a state where Azar’s old company is a subcontractor paid to help the state keep its Medicaid costs down. The company, Health Management Systems (HMS), works with both the public and …
DCCC Email Sets Fundraising “Goals” Favoring Establishment Candidates
Deep Sran, a Democratic candidate running in Virginia’s 10th congressional district. Image via deepforcongress.com. By Michael Tracey The chairperson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, last week sent an email to House candidates announcing “fundraising goals” which some candidates see as wildly exorbitant and an attempt to force out disfavored Democrats long before primary …