NewsTrust - Money and Politics - Most Recent Stories: News (Mainstream)

Seven members of House defense subcommittee scrutinized by ethics investigators

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Carol D. Leonnig - Oct. 30 (News Report) - The investigations by two separate ethics offices include an examination of the powerful subcommittee chairman, John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), as well as others who helped steer federal funds to clients of the PMA Group. The lawmakers received campaign

NewsTrust Rating: 3.9 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Ethics list heavy on defense spenders

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Politico - By Jonathan Allen - Oct. 30 (News Report) - Seven members of the powerful House panel that handles the Pentagon's purse — and the lucrative earmarks inside — have been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, according to an internal ethics committee document obtained by The Washington Post.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.4 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Lawmakers targeted in ethics probe

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Politico - By John Bresnahan - Oct. 30 (Breaking News) - A leaked document shows that House ethics investigators are probing the activities of nearly three dozen lawmakers — an ethical dust storm that will empower the Republicans and could imperil efforts to get health care reform through the House next week.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.3 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

What's So Scary About Michael Pollan? Why Corporate Agriculture Tried to Censor His University Speech | Health and Wellness

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Associated Press - By Martha Rosenberg - Oct. 28 (News) - "Agribusiness gets plenty of opportunities to preach its point of view at agriculture schools such as Cal Poly, where the likes of Monsanto and Cargill fund research," the Times wrote, calling the 800-acre Harris Ranch, near Coalinga, whose "smell assaults passersby long before the panorama of thousands of cattle packed atop layers of their own manure,"--"Cowschwitz." Ouch.

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

How Drug-Industry Lobbyists Got Their Way on Health Care

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Time - By Karen Tumulty, Michael Scherer - Oct. 22 (Special Report) - It's understandable the drugmakers would want a roll-call accounting of who their friends and enemies are, considering the size of the investment they are making on Capitol Hill: in the first six months of this year alone, drug and biotech companies and their trade associations spent more than $110 million — that's about $609,000 a day — to influence lawmakers, according to figures compiled by the nonpartisan watchdog group Center for Responsive Politics. The drug industry's legion of registered lobbyists numbers 1,228, or 2.3 for every member of Congress. And its campaign contributions to current members of Waxman's committee have totaled $2.6 million over the past three years.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Dem officials set stage for corporate-backed health care campaign

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Politico - By Ben Smith,Kenneth P. Vogel - Oct. 16 (Special Report) - At a meeting last April with corporate lobbyists, aides to President Barack Obama and Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) helped set in motion a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign, primarily financed by industry groups, that has played a key role in

NewsTrust Rating: 3.9 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Biggest Obstacle to Global Climate Deal May Be How to Pay for It

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Elisabeth Rosenthal - Oct. 15 (Special Report) - The price of a climate agreement will be $100 billion a year by 2020, many economists estimate; some put the cost at closer to $1 trillion.

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Lobbyists Fight Efforts to Save on Health Care

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK - Oct. 11 (News Analysis) - Most of the serious proposals to fulfill President Obama’s vow to curb health care costs have fallen victim to organized interests and parochial politics.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.9 average - 4 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

A Year after the Great Collapse

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Bill Moyers Journal - By Bill Moyers - Oct. 11 (Special Report) - Just over a year after economic calamity brought promises of reform from Washington, has Wall Street really changed? Former International Monetary Fund chief economist Simon Johnson and US Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) report on the state of the economy.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.0 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

N.D. scandal raises concerns about health cooperative route

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Karl Vick - Oct. 11 (News) - For North Dakota insurance sales representatives, March may have been the ideal time to enjoy the swim-up bar at a resort on Grand Cayman Island. But back on the frigid northern Plains, policyholders at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota were less delighted when they learned about the trip for 66 staff members and guests.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Confronting Rick Berman

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

MSNBC - By Rachel Maddow - Oct. 07 (Special Report) - Berman, proudly known as "Dr. Evil," still refused to answer who pays for his attack websites, even as he's served as a leader in generating what critics say is misinformation about virtually all reform initiatives of the last 20 years, including union organizing rights and the Employee Free Choice Act.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.1 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Obama: Health Plan Will Boost Economy - WSJ.com

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Wall Street Journal - Oct. 04 (News Analysis) - Obama used his weekly radio address to tout a health-insurance overhaul making its way through Congress, calling it a critical step toward reducing the nation's deficit and boosting an ailing economy.

NewsTrust Rating: 2.8 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Fed Preparing to Step Up Regulation of Banks' Pay

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Neil Irwin, Tomoeh Murakami Tse - Sep. 19 (News Report) - The Federal Reserve is moving to restrict compensation practices at the nation's banks, expanding its regulatory reach to oversee how tens of thousands of bank employees ranging from chief executives to loan officers are paid.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average - 4 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

In Shift, Wall Street Goes to Washington

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By David Cho, Steven Mufson, Tomoeh Murakami Tse - Sep. 13 (Special Report) - In the year since the investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed, paralyzing global markets and triggering one of the biggest government forays into the economy in U.S. history, Wall Street has looked south to forge new business strategies, hew to new federal policies and find new talent.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.2 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Reversal of Supreme Court Precedents at Issue

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Robert Barnes - Sep. 09 (News Analysis) - The Supreme Court's unusual hearing Wednesday on the role corporations can play in influencing elections carries the potential not only for rewriting the nation's campaign finance laws but also for testing the willingness of the court led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. to defy the decisions of Congress and to set aside its own precedents.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.4 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Supreme Court: campaign finance overhaul in 'Hillary' case?

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Christian Science Monitor - By Warren Richey - Sep. 09 (News Report) - The US Supreme Court this week takes up a potential crossroads case that could greatly expand the ability of corporations and labor unions to wield influence in federal elections. The high court on Wednesday is re-hearing a case it heard last spring

NewsTrust Rating: 3.4 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

SCOTUS campaign case could boost GOP

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Politico - By Kenneth P. Vogel - Sep. 08 (News Analysis) - Campaign finance experts predict the court, which has demonstrated an inclination towards incremental loosening of rules restricting the flow of money into politics, will expand the types of ads corporations and unions can pay for. Their only question is just how much the justices will open the floodgates.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average - 3 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

U.S. Share of Worldwide Arms Market Grows

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Thom Shanker - Sep. 07 (News Report) - Despite a recession that knocked down global arms sales last year, the United States expanded its role as the world’s leading weapons supplier, increasing its share to more than two-thirds of all foreign armaments deals, according to a new Congressional study.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average - 5 Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Senator signals possible health care compromise - CNN.com

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

CNN - Sep. 06 (News Report) - A moderate Senate Democrat said Sunday he could support a bill that would trigger government-funded public health insurance if new health care legislation failed to deliver on its promises. The comment by Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska on CNN's "State of the Union" signaled a possible compromise on the most contentious issue in efforts to overhaul the nation's ailing health care system.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.7 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Experts see double-digit Dem losses

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Politico - By Josh Kraushaar - Aug. 31 (News Report) - After an August recess marked by raucous town halls, troubling polling data and widespread anecdotal evidence of a volatile electorate, the small universe of political analysts who closely follow House races is predicting moderate to heavy Democratic losses in 2010.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.0 average (not enough reviews) - See Reviews » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Privatized welfare plan price swells ::

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Associated Press - Aug. 22 (News Report) - Indiana will spend nearly $180 million more than it initially planned to privatize and automate many of its welfare functions just two years into a closely watched 10-year deal that is one of the most lucrative contracts in state history. The cost of the $1.16 billion contract Gov. Mitch Daniels signed in late 2006 has risen 15 percent, to $1.34 billion, under changes made to the agreement with a group led by Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM Corp.

NewsTrust Rating: 3.5 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

UBS will give IRS 4,450 names of suspected tax cheats

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Reuters - By Stephen Ohlemacher, Devlin Barrett, Associated Press Writers - Aug. 19 (News Report) - Swiss banking giant UBS agreed Wednesday to turn over to the IRS details of 4,450 accounts suspected of holding undeclared assets by U.S. customers, ending an intense trans-Atlantic legal fight. IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman says the accounts held $18 billion in assets at one time. Many have since been closed, he said.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.4 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

White House Is Seeking to Repair Intraparty Rift About Public Option - washingtonpost.com

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Michael D. Shear, Ceci Connolly - Aug. 18 (News Report) - President Obama's advisers acknowledged Tuesday that they were unprepared for the intraparty rift that occurred over the fate of a proposed public health insurance program, a firestorm that has left the White House searching for a way to reclaim the initiative on the president's top legislative priority.

NewsTrust Rating: Not rated yet - See Info » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Six Lobbyists Per Lawmaker Work on Health Overhaul (Update2)

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Bloomberg - By Jonathan D. Salant, Lizzie O’Leary - Aug. 14 (Investigative Report) - “The sheer quantity of money that’s sloshed around Washington is drowning out the voices of citizens and the groups that speak up for them,” said McNeely, whose group backs a public health plan, which Obama and many Democrats consider a centerpiece of any proposal and most Republicans oppose.

NewsTrust Rating: 4.4 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer

Obama Considers Raising Fees on Large Financial Firms (Update1)

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Bloomberg - By Rebecca Christie - Aug. 14 (News Report) - It is not surprising that it’s generating debate,” Barr said in an interview this week. “It would have been crazy to think that we’d send it up and people would sing ‘Kumbaya’ and hold hands and pass it in five minutes. The entire conversation on the Hill right now, on regulatory reform, all revolves around people fighting about our plan.”

NewsTrust Rating: 3.8 average (not enough reviews) - See Review » - Review It Visit NewsTrust | About | Sign Up | Disclaimer