The Bubble Barons investigation launched last week by AlterNet and LittleSis.org has gotten off to a fast start, with over 250 citizen journalists signed up to track down information on the 67 bubble barons we’ve identified. In less than a week, the research group has made over 500 edits to the LittleSis database, building out …
Unplugging Power
New Investigation: Exposing the Bubble Barons
Today, in partnership with AlterNet, we are launching a new investigation of the class of American super-rich we’ve deemed the Bubble Barons, “a select group of American multi-billionaires who saw astronomic gains in wealth during the housing bubble, and who so far have evaded all accountability in the midst of the worst economic crisis since …
Landrieu phone squad: the Boustany connection
The four conservative activists arrested for tampering with the phones of Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu earlier this week have been linked to the Pelican Institute, a conservative New Orleans think tank. Pelican is a relatively new organization, but it appears to have strong ties to members of the state’s Republican elite, most notably Representative Charles …
Did Baucus’s romantic trip to Dubai cost taxpayers billions?
News broke this morning that Senator Max Baucus had recommended his girlfriend for a US attorney job. Earlier this year, Baucus nominated Melodee Hanes, his state director and girlfriend, for the post, along with two others. He later withdrew her name. During her time in Baucus’s office, Hanes collected plenty of taxpayer money at the …
Following the Chamber money trail, part 1
The data is in — as promised, we’ve compiled comprehensive political giving info for every US Chamber of Commerce board member using OpenSecrets campaign contribution data. Current Chamber board members have given over $6 million in campaign contributions since 1992, an average of over $50,000 per director. Roughly 85% of these funds went to Republicans.* …
Who rules the Chamber?
In the hopes of predicting the next defector from the Chamber of Commerce (following the high-profile lead of Apple), we’ve compiled comprehensive political giving info on the business lobby’s 100+ board members. By analyzing the political ties among the directors, we figured we’d be able to get an idea of who really rules the Chamber …
Democrats still fighting for public option
Sen. Chris Dodd says he and key Democratic leaders in the Senate haven’t given up on a public option yet. (Reuters) Health insurance CEOs are firing back against the Senate Finance Committee‘s health bill, saying it will cost them more in the long run. (WSJ) White House aides David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel are calling …
Intel Inside? Let’s Try ‘Inside Intel’ Instead.
Lobbyists Groups Hired in 2009 ($80,000 or more): American Continental Group Cassidy and Associates Board of Directors: Noteworthy Members: Reed E. Hundt: according to an official Federal Communications Commission biography, Hundt was named Chairman of the FCC by President Clinton and was sworn in by Vice President Gore in1993, a position he filled for five …
Wells Fargo, Wachovia, and the Vulcan Three
Last October, in a stunning turn of events at the height of the Wall Street crisis, Wachovia backed out of a deal with Citigroup and agreed to a $15 billion merger with Wells Fargo — the biggest bank merger ever. The Charlotte-based Wachovia had recently collapsed under the weight of its own mortgage portfolio and …
Tonawanda Coke and the fight for clean air
Matthew and I have always been very excited about the potential of LittleSis as a research tool and platform for activists. It’s a big reason we built it: we wanted to put a cutting-edge research tool in the hands of people who were challenging power. Journalists working to monitor centers of power, but also organizers …
Banking on Birmingham
Yesterday, using basic features of LittleSis, I discovered that the key matchmaker in the biggest, most complex bank merger in the history of Wall Street was a construction aggregate supply company based in Birmingham, Alabama. Strange as it may seem, the evidence strongly suggests that individuals associated with this company leveraged their networks to bring …
Almost There! Only $115 to go on Bay Area Funding
After about six weeks of drawing interest, building new friendships, and researching our brains out, we’ve managed to collect 27 donations from organizations and individuals who are rallying behind the Bay Area Research Project. The result? We’re inspired, and working harder than ever to close the funding gap, and publish our final research. Why Donating …