By Michael Tracey The Trump administration is expected soon to enact a new regulation that could give the flagging U.S. gun industry an economic boost potentially worth millions of dollars, TYT has learned. After years of sky-high sales—driven by fears that Barack Obama would impose drastic gun control measures—gun manufacturers have experienced declining domestic demand since the election of Donald …
Revolving Door: Food Industry Lobbyists Swarm USDA to Shape Welfare, Visa Policies
President Donald Trump with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in the White House on April 25, 2017. Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images. By Alex Kotch Three White House ethics waivers released this month show that former food industry lobbyists are helping shape policy by advising top officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The waivers, issued by White House counsel Donald …
Saudi Arabia Using Law Firm Tied to Trump to Lobby U.S. for Nuclear Deal
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 …
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 …
Trump’s Foreign Policy Record Is Nothing To Boast About, But Boast He Will Tonight
President Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on October 16, 2017, in Washington, D.C. Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images. By Michael Tracey At tonight’s State of the Union address, President Trump is likely to tout the administration’s supposed foreign policy achievements, but it’d take some especially exaggerated braggadocio to give a positive spin to the past year of …