Little Lobbyists

Jeneva Stone lives with her husband and their two sons in Bethesda, Maryland. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. View. (CNN) — My son Rob is 23 years old. He follows politics, enjoys sips of whiskey, and loves baseball. He also has a rare form of dystonia, a feeding tube, and a tracheostomy, among other pre-existing medical conditions. He uses a speech-generating computerized device to communicate with us. If the Affordable Care Act (ACA) were struck down by the Supreme Court after the addition of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a mother of a disabled child herself, Rob would be uninsurable, like so many of his disabled peers.Feeding TubeObamacareDiseaseACAMedicaidThe Supreme CourtHealth CareCNNU.S. Supreme CourtLittle LobbyistsRobHusbandCapitol HillAmy Coney BarrettRead Full Story

© Greg NashSen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced Friday she’s reintroducing a bill to prohibit lawmakers from trading stocks as Democrats look to make the issue a key aspect of Georgia’s two Senate runoffs.The reintroduction of the bill by Warren and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) coincides with scrutiny Georgia Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R) and David Perdue (R) are facing over their own stock trading during the pandemic.Democrats have accused the two senators, who are locked in competitive runoffs to keep their seats, of using private information gleaned from congressional briefings to buy and sell stocks during the pandemic.Loeffler and Perdue have both denied any wrongdoing, and federal officials have not found sufficient evidence to bring any charges, but Democrats are hoping to use the issue to flip both Senate seats and hand them a majority in the upper chamber come January.Democrat the Rev. Raphael Warnock is challenging Loeffler, while Jon Ossoff is challenging Perdue. If both Democrats win, the party will hold a 50-50 Senate majority, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris being able to cast tiebreaking votes.Warren’s proposal is part of a wider anti-corruption effort she is pushing that would include a lifetime ban on lobbying for former members of Congress. It also would forbid lobbyists from fundraising for political candidates."After nearly four years of the most corrupt president in American history and with U.S. senators brazenly trading stocks to profit off a raging pandemic, the Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act is more urgent than ever in order to rein in corruption, strengthen ethics, end lobbying as we know it, improve the integrity of our judiciary, reform campaign finance laws and finally ensure that we put people over profits and communities over corporations," Warren and Jayapal said in a joint statement. Members of Congress are legally allowed to buy and sell individual stocks with few restrictions, though many often use tools such as blind trusts to avoid the perception of conflicts of interest. Stock trades by Loeffler, Perdue and others have raised eyebrows given the inside knowledge they have and the economic downturn that’s been fueled by the coronavirus outbreak, causing watchdog groups to call for sweeping ethics changes on Capitol Hill.LawmakersU.S. SenatorsU.S. StocksDemocratsSenateAmericanLoeffler , PerdueCapitol HillTrading StocksStock TradesEnd LobbyingD-MassLobbyistsFederal OfficialsCongressional BriefingsElizabeth WarrenPramila JayapalKelly LoefflerDavid PerdueRaphael WarnockJon OssoffKamala Harris

WASHINGTON — A Trump campaign fundraiser and a lawyer for the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner were involved in an effort to get a pardon from the White House at the behest of a wealthy octogenarian in the early days of the Trump administration, lawyers for the two men told NBC News.Read Full Story Tax EvasionPoliticsTrump CampaignFederal CourtThe New York TimesThe Justice DepartmentThe Department Of JusticeLawyersMr. DillerLobbyistsClemencyBribeInvestigationMr. BroidySanford DillerJared KushnerElliott BroidyAbbe Lowell

Given how much the pandemic has hammered small businesses, three big changes to the Paycheck Protection Program are likely to come as a welcome relief. The Covid relief package passed by Congress earlier this week allocates an additional $284.45 billion in lending to eligible businesses. The bill, which President Trump...Read Full StoryCovidGross IncomeMortgage InterestLoan AmountPoliticsPublic HealthIncome TaxProperty TaxCongressFountainheadBusiness LobbyistsEligible BusinessesLow-income AreasMinority-owned BusinessesLodging Businesses

Apple lobbyists are trying to weaken a new law aimed at preventing forced labor in China, the Washington Post reported Friday, citing two congressional staffers familiar with the matter, highlighting the clash between its business imperatives and its official stance on human rights. From the report:. The Uyghur Forced Labor...Read Full Story Forced LaborThe Washington PostChinaUnfree LabourChinese GovernmentXinjiangU.S. CompaniesWorkers RightsU.S. Department Of LaborLobbying AgainstMuslimApple LobbyistsUighur LaborChinese ManufacturingHuman Rights Reports

Dentons has tapped a pair of lobbyists from McGuireWoods’ consulting arm whose clients have included Amazon and TripAdvisor, boosting its public policy group ahead of the next political transition in Washington, D.C.With a growing emerging technologies practice, Michael Drobac and Gregory Walden said they were drawn to the world’s largest firm by its international reach and its growth in areas that are important for their practice.To read the full story on Westlaw Today, click here: bit.ly/31LlGa0LobbyingPublic PolicyEmerging TechnologiesTripadvisorAmazonDCConsultantTripAdvisorMcGuireWoodsDentons TapsWestlaw TodayMichael DrobacGregory WaldenLobbyistsD.C.

Three of Newsom’s children were in contact with a California Highway Patrol officer who tested positive for COVID-19, and the entire family is now quarantining. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his family are now quarantining after a member of their security team tested positive for COVID-19. The governor’s office said...Read Full Story CovidPublic HealthCoronavirus Disease 2019SacramentoThe French LaundryThe New York TimesThe Los Angeles TimesFrenchGovernorOfficerJenniferNapa ValleyCareLobbyistsSecurityGavin Newsom

- A federal judge handling the bankruptcy of a company involved in an allegedly corrupt nuclear bailout has ordered a prominent law firm to explain its role in the affair. The firm, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, served both as lead bankruptcy counsel to the company receiving the $1.3 billion ratepayer bailout and as a lobbyist for the effort to pass it last year, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Alan M. Koschik wrote last week.Read Full Story LobbyistsBankruptcyUnited StatesFederal ProsecutorsState LawmakersPublic ProsecutorsHouse LawmakersThe Ohio Capital JournalFirstEnergy Corp.FBIGermanFirstEnergy SolutionsEnergy HarborKoschikHB 6David M. DevillersLarry HouseholderChuck Jones

Adelson contributes $4.5m toward campaign revisiting talk of casino gambling for Texas. Currently, TX strictly forbids casino gaming with card rooms attempting to skirt state law. An ulterior motive may be Adelson’s long-standing opinion against legalizing marijuana. One of America’s largest states has long experienced a vacant hole without any...Read Full Story New MexicoOrganized CrimePoliticsLouisianaNevadaFlorida StateRepublican LawmakersHouseSuper PACPreserve AmericaDemocratTexansAdelson LobbyingLas Vegas-style CasinosTX LobbyistsSheldon AdelsonJoe DeshotelDonald Trump

The Department of Justice is investigating a possible 'secret lobbying scheme' where certain people allegedly 'acted as lobbyists' in order to get a White House pardon or reprieve. Attorney General William Barr is also pushing back against the White House, denying widespread election fraud in a new interview. Paula Reid reports.Read Full Story The White HouseDojLobbyistsPardonDOJCourt DocumentsSecret DocumentsAttorney GeneralThe Department Of JusticeWidespread Election FraudSchemeLobbyingWilliam BarrPaula Reid