Last year, Congress passed three trade deals with foreign countries — South Korea, Panama, and Colombia. Although these deals were referred to in mainstream political debate as “free trade” agreements, the truth is that all three agreements protected certain industries over others rather than completely drop trade barriers.  The agreements, like past free trade pacts, also
Continue Reading >>>

Republic Report’s Suzanne Merkelson contributed writing and research to this article. The Huffington Post published an excellent piece yesterday by reporter Chris Kirkham describing how the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) wants to buy up state prisons, all under the guise of helping state governments deal with their budget shortfalls. Called the Corrections Investment Initiative
Continue Reading >>>

The ways in which industry advances a policy agenda are multifaceted, and often extend far beyond the realm of traditional “inside lobbying.” To influence policymakers, industry will often try to manipulate public opinion. In the case of greenhouse gas pollution, industry has taken to new levels of influence peddling to suppress the science of global
Continue Reading >>>

Former President George W. Bush will speak at the annual meeting of APSCU, the leading association of for-profit colleges, on June 22 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Bush is an appropriate speaker, in a sense, because his Administration’s deliberate actions made it easier for bad actors among for-profit schools to
Continue Reading >>>

Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of the start of the pro-democracy protest movement in the Kingdom of Bahrain. As demonstrators took to the streets to speak out against the government, police attacked protesters and detained a number of people, including American citizens Huwaida Arraf and Radhika Sainath. After media pressure forced their release, both Americans were
Continue Reading >>>

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a secretive corporate front group funded by Big Business that works to pass corporate-friendly bills in state legislatures. It has grown so powerful that it now has nearly one-third of all state legislators under its umbrella. ALEC has worked with legislators to pass bills ranging from issues as
Continue Reading >>>

Drones are mainly associated with the Predator airships that patrol the Afghanistan sky. But thanks to a bipartisan vote last week, the public can expect 30,000 domestic drones flying over the United States in the next eight years. The dramatic change in policy, which has raised concerns with everyone from civil liberties groups like the
Continue Reading >>>

  At the Republic Report, we’ve covered how President Obama’s former communications director, Anita Dunn, swung through the revolving door and now works for corporate interests, advising lobbying campaigns against many of Obama’s top priorities. Although Dunn is no longer working for the Obama administration, she continues to visit the White House regularly and her
Continue Reading >>>