This post is the second in a series. Yesterday, Republic Report’s Suzanne Merkelson reported on how members of Congress travel to Israel largely on AIPAC’s dime, thus viewing the Israel-Palestine conflict from a one-sided perspective. Few members have visited the area on behalf of J Street, a pro-two state solution organization that brings politicians in
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**Republic Report’s Zaid Jilani has organized a protest on March 13th outside of the Koch Industries lobbying office in Washington, D.C. to oppose the hostile takeover of the Cato Institute. See this Facebook page for details.** The petrochemical billionaires David and Charles Koch are attempting a hostile takeover of the Cato Institute, one of the
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It’s not just NASCAR.  Mitt Romney’s “great friends” tend to be owners of things, owners who can make large contributions to his campaign and associated Super PAC. Large donations are troublesome because they suggest the donor will have outsized influence on the politician if elected. It’s more troublesome when these great friends own businesses that
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Mitt Romney’s super PAC, Restore Our Future, outspent that of Rick Santorum 2-1 in order to secure the slim margin of victory in Romney’s home state of Michigan yesterday. According to the Federal Election Commission, super PACs spent $5.8 million on TV ads, direct mail, and robocalls to voters in Arizona and Michigan leading up
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The process of hydraulic fracking, or fracking, has come under fire in recent years as it has become apparent that this gas extraction technique poses significant risks to the environment and human health. Facing increasing pressure from environmental watchdogs and community groups, the oil and gas industry has spent millions of dollars to lobby against nationwide regulations
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On Sunday, the Wikileaks revealed a massive trove of e-mails from the intelligence firm STRATFOR. Republic Report covered yesterday how these files showed that Dow Chemical was monitoring Occupy Wall Street rallies out of the concern that activists trying to hold the corporation responsible for the Bhopal chemical disaster were joining the movement. Interestingly, a
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Last night, Wikileaks revealed a massive trove of e-mails from the firm Stratfor. The e-mails show that the company, working on behalf of chemical giant Dow Chemical, closely monitored news coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Stratfor relayed the activities of people seeking redress for the 1984 Dow Chemical/Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal,
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Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons is in the news this week after obtaining the distinction of becoming the biggest super PAC donor in the country. USA Today reports that Simmons has funneled $12 million to the Karl Rove group called Crossroads, and has backed super PACs supporting Newt Gingrich and Gov. Rick Perry with millions more.
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