About: Zaid Jilani
Bio: Zaid Jilani is a reporter for The Intercept. He is the former Communications and Outreach Coordinator for United Republic and the former Senior Reporter-Blogger for ThinkProgress. His work has also appeared in outlets including Salon and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2009 and moved shortly after to Washington to work to make America a more just and free place.
February 3, 2012
Stealth Influence: Defense Contractors Lavish Congressman McKeon’s Wife With Campaign Donations
Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) has a very powerful role in the House of Representatives. As chairman of the Armed Services Committee, he controls billions of dollars of government spending, much of it going to the military-industrial complex. Thus, it’s no surprise that the defense industry donated more than $339,000 to his 2010 re-election campaign, with
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February 3, 2012
Amazon Spends $156,000 To Win Tax Break Costing South Carolina $2.5 Million A Year
In a classic case of a special interest carving out an exemption for itself in the law, large online retailers like Amazon.com have for years avoided charging the same state sales taxes that brick-and-mortar stores are required to levy. This “Amazon Loophole” has denied states much-needed revenue. As one example, in 2011 alone, Wisconsin lost
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