As the 2016 elections come into view, reimagining the way in which we tell money in politics stories is one of the biggest challenges we face.
Continue readingAIG court decision shows influence of big banks on bailout
Why did AIG take the fall for the 2008 financial crisis while other big banks survived just fine?
Continue readingHastert case points to a much bigger source of scandal
The biggest scandal involving former House Speaker Dennis Hastert has little to do with the one he faced in a U.S. courthouse in Chicago this week.
Continue readingA lot of Washington influence is never disclosed
There’s a lot more lobbying and influence peddling in Washington than is ever revealed to the public.
Continue readingInfluence peddlers seem to know more about the Trans-Pacific Partnership than Congress
Even though the Trans-Pacific Partnership is shrouded in extreme secrecy, that hasn’t stopped interest groups from aggressively lobbying in its favor.
Continue readingMicro-targeting is America’s latest political export
As seen in this year's U.K. elections, data mining and micro-targeting are catching on. Here's why that might be troublesome for transparency advocates.
Continue readingIt’s not just Bill Shuster: We need better lobbying disclosure
While the Shuster-Rubino story tells us much about Shuster, there’s a much wider world of information on lobbying that needs to be disclosed.
Continue readingCitizens United is a revolving door problem
Before considering an amendment to combat Citizens United, perhaps there's another approach to limit the ability of well-heeled special interests to give to political organizations that act as surrogates for politicians.
Continue readingCorporations get more breaks on Tax Day
If corporations shouldered the same ratio of the tax burden relative to individuals that it did throughout the 1950s, they’d have paid an additional $560 billion to Uncle Sam in 2014.
Continue readingRedesign is awful, but USASpending still proves power of the public
The latest iteration of USASpending.gov, which combines all the virtues of clunky design with the frustrations of diminished functionality, is a reminder for this writer of the early days of the Sunlight Foundation.
Continue reading
59063
