Explainer: the campaign contribution figures being thrown around by RFK Jr. in his Senate testimony to Bernie Sanders. We scrutinized the FEC data and here's what we conclude:
https://readsludge.com/2025/01/31/on-the-bernie-rfk-pharma-money-spat/
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New: Sanders took a No Pharma Money Pledge in 2020 and Sludge found no evidence it was violated. Today, we have a closer look at the pharma money spat between RFK and Bernie, informed by the FEC data.
https://readsludge.com/2025/01/31/on-the-bernie-rfk-pharma-money-spat/
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Trump began rolling back EPA emissions rules for vehicles.
"Consumers will pay more at the pump, automakers will lose EV buyers, and health care costs will go up from people breathing dirtier air," said Dan Becker of the Safe Climate Transport Campaign.
https://readsludge.com/2025/01/30/trump-takes-aim-at-electric-vehicles/
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New - The Trump admin began moving to roll back EPA rules curbing emissions and promoting electric vehicles after his campaign raked in oil industry donations.
He'll have backup from fossil fuel industry lobbying group AFPM, which shattered its lobbying record last year in pressing to undo Biden's rules.
https://readsludge.com/2025/01/30/trump-takes-aim-at-electric-vehicles/
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🙌 We produce these time-intensive investigations as a two-person newsletter. We depend on the support from readers who think it's important to know which lawmakers are invested in the weapons companies they overwhelmingly fund.
Join us to get our daily newsletter in full and help our independnent muckraking:
https://readsludge.com/membership/
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Here's that exclusive list of all the members of Congress invested in defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Boeing whose revenue they approve with their votes, with amounts detailed for each senator and rep.
Plus some historical info on the rising defense budget, and names of some of the lawmakers buying / selling stocks in Defense contractors...
https://readsludge.com/2024/09/12/here-are-the-members-of-congress-invested-in-war/
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📈 Rep. Rashida Tlaib cites our report on the members of Congress invested in Pentagon contractors, in new op-ed:
"According to a recent Sludge analysis, as of last year, more than 50 members of Congress owned stock in defense contractors..."
https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2025/01/29/rashida-tlaib-federal-budget-war-profiteering-congress-defense-stocks/77854378007/
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NEW: CoreCivic donated $500,000 to the Trump inauguration, according to a new disclosure. In its post-election investor call, the prison company's CEO said it was ramping up its capacity to help ICE detain immigrants for profit.
No paywall:
https://readsludge.com/2025/01/29/prison-company-banking-on-ice-raids-donated-to-trump-inauguration/
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In the final weeks of her Senate term, Kyrsten Sinema sided with Republican senators and former Sen. Joe Manchin to hand the Trump administration control of the NLRB.
The Trump admin has now fired Democratic NLRB Member Gwynne Wilcox, teeing up a constitutional challenge.
https://readsludge.com/2024/12/12/manchin-and-sinemas-parting-gift-to-corporate-america/
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Announced today: Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is joining the Coinbase global advisory council alongside Chris LaCivita, Trump 2024 co-manager and GOP operative.
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New: Trump's meme coin opens up new avenues for favor-trading and potential bribery in his administration—and crypto influencers like Elon Musk have a long record of pumping token prices with their posts.
https://readsludge.com/2025/01/28/how-trumps-meme-coin-enables-corruption-even-without-a-direct-payoff/
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In September, Doug Emhoff headlined a “Lawyers for Harris” event at the L.A. office of Willkie Farr & Gallagher, a law firm known for advising private equity. Now he’s taking a job as a partner with the firm.
https://readsludge.com/2025/01/27/emhoff-returns-to-corporate-law/
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New from us: Here Is All the Money AIPAC Spent on the 2024 Elections
A searchable data table of all the AIPAC PAC contributions to members of Congress, more federal candidates, and super PAC support in 2023-2024.
https://readsludge.com/2025/01/24/here-is-all-the-money-aipac-spent-on-the-2024-elections/
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New post, on the junk food and seed oil industry lobbyist appointed USDA chief of staff. The USDA is in charge of federal nutrition guidelines.
https://readsludge.com/2025/01/23/maha-junk-food-and-seed-oil-lobbyist-tapped-for-top-usda-position-2/
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NEW: The USDA's new chief of staff is a career junk food and seed oil lobbyist.
https://readsludge.com/2025/01/23/maha-junk-food-and-seed-oil-lobbyist-tapped-for-top-usda-position-2/
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Meta shelled out a record $24.4 million on lobbying last year, according to new disclosures, blowing past Amazon and other tech giants as it sought to influence Congress on issues like content moderation, data privacy, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), and antitrust policy.
https://readsludge.com/2025/01/22/meta-spends-record-lobbying-sum-amid-tiktok-ban-debate/
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NEW: Meta spent a record high $24.4 million on lobbying last year as lawmakers banned its rival TikTok, according to new disclosures.
https://readsludge.com/2025/01/22/meta-spends-record-lobbying-sum-amid-tiktok-ban-debate/
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Trump ended the pause on new LNG export permits, handing a big win to executives from Venture Global, Cheniere Energy, and others who were present at an April meeting where he requested $1 billion in campaign support.
https://readsludge.com/2025/01/21/trump-rewards-fossil-fuel-donors-on-day-one/
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NEW: Trump has ended a pause on new liquid natural gas exports, something that the fossil fuel executives who he asked to help him raise $1 billion told him was a top priority.
https://readsludge.com/2025/01/21/trump-rewards-fossil-fuel-donors-on-day-one/
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While Trump ran on the cause of taking on Big Tech's power, his transition team is considering Melissa Holyoak, a former attorney for a prominent Google-funded think tank, to be the next CFPB director. Her nomination to join the FTC was met with staunch opposition from conservative activists.
https://readsludge.com/2025/01/20/trump-could-pick-a-big-tech-ally-for-next-cfpb-head/
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