Government

• Revolt emerges against earmark ban: The GOP backlash against their own earmark ban is continuing to build momentum. A group of Republican members of Congress is working on a strategy to lift the ban in the next Congress. (The Hill)
• Super Shift hits Congress: The focus of most independent expenditures shifted from the Republican presidential contest to Congressional races, specifically Republican primaries, in the first half of May. (Politico)
• Super PAC runs afoul of House rules: The Veterans for a Strong America Action Group super PAC is attacking North Dakota Senate Candidate Rick Berg in support of his GOP primary opponent. But their ads, which utilize footage of Berg speaking on the House Floor, may have broken House rules against using footage of proceedings for political purposes. (National Journal)

State and Local

• Online lobbying reports for Delaware: Delaware’s Legislature approved new reporting requirements for lobbyists, including a provision that would require the state’s Public Integrity Commission to post lobbying reports online. (Lobby Comply)
• Grand Canyon state corruption: An Arizona State Representative and former Tempe City Councilmember was indicted on charges that he accepted numerous tickets to sporting and charity events in exchange for facilitating meetings between a company and local officials. (Courthouse News)

International

• Ex-Chinese officials urge financial disclosure: Three retired Chinese Communist Party officials called for current leaders to disclose their family wealth in advance of an expected succession of power. The public calls for disclosure come in the wake of a massive scandal that resulted in the fall of politician Bo Xilai. (Yahoo/Reuters)
• Lobbying reports on the way? The British Government is moving to “introduce a register of lobbyists” in response to a string of recent scandals. Critics responded to the proposal by demanding that it reports also include information on the content of discussions between lobbyists and officials. (BBC)