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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: lobbying

lobbying stories: 58 news summaries

41 - 58 of 58 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3

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 Lobbyists
 to McCain:
 Gee, Thanks,
 Traitor 

Loyal donors kicked to curb as candidate burnishes image

May 21, 08 11:14 AM CDT
(Newser) - John McCain has been purging his campaign of lobbyists, which has left more than a few feeling betrayed. These are the people, after all, who stuck through McCain when his primary chances looked grim, and kept his campaign financially above water. “If it was OK to have these people... More »

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John McCain • lobbying • campaign contributions • lobbyists • Republican nomination • McCain 2008

ANALYSIS

Cutting Lobby Ties Is 'Messy Business'

McCain plays reform card with new policy, but conflicts abound

May 20, 08 10:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - John McCain is at war with his own staff to save his image as a crusader against special interests, the New York Times reports. Five aides have been sent packing, and new rules promulgated to rout out any further conflicts. But with many staffers who made their living as lobbyists,... More »

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John McCain • Rick Davis • lobbying • conflicts of interest • Washington lobbyists • Charlie Black • purge

McCain Loses 5th Adviser Over Lobbying Ties

Co-chair's company banked nearly $15M from Saudi deals

May 18, 08 3:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - A high-ranking John McCain adviser has dropped out over his lobbying ties, Politico reports. Former Rep. Thomas Loeffler, McCain's national co-chair, is the fifth lobbying-connected resignation from the camp this week—and proof that McCain is serious about his lobbying shakeout. But not all in the GOP are thrilled. “... More »

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John McCain • lobbyist • lobbying • lobbyists • campaign • McCain 2008 • Thomas Loeffler

Menthol Gets Free Pass in Cigarette Bill

Other flavored smokes face ban, but industry protects cash cow

May 13, 08 1:08 PM CDT
(Newser) - Congress is preparing to vote on legislation that would ban almost all flavored cigarettes—except menthol, the most prevalent flavoring of all. The bill would eliminate kinds like cloves and cinnamon that appeal to kids, but make an exception for menthol—which lures new smokers by masking the harshness of... More »

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Congress • lobbyist • lobbying • Philip Morris • tobacco companies • cigarette • menthol

 Housing Bill Loaded with
 Corporate Tax Breaks 

But little to prevent foreclosures

Apr 16, 08 9:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - The bill was rushed through the Senate to come to the aid of homeowners facing foreclosure, but it turns out that some of its biggest beneficiaries are automakers, airlines and energy producers. The Senate’s housing bill is packed with billions in corporate tax cuts, the New York Times... More »

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Congress • housing market • lobbying • Senate Finance Committee • lobbyists • economic stimulus package • subprime crisis • housing legislation

Obama Has Big-Money Donors, Too

Billionaires and so-called bundlers account for half

Apr 11, 08 1:49 PM CDT
(Newser) - Barack Obama has made much of his grass-roots fundraising, but he’s no stranger to big-money donors, the Washington Post reports. Seventy-nine bundlers—deep-pocketed backers who use their contacts to drum up even more cash—have wrangled up more than $200,000 each for the senator. Five billionaires are... More »

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Barack Obama • Obama 2008 • lobbying • campaign fundraising • bundlers

Congress Cashes In on Subprime Lobby

Campaign donations from housing, financial industries skyrocket

Apr 9, 08 1:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - The subprime crisis isn’t bad for everyone: congressmen and lobbying firms are doing great, Politico reports. Industries caught in the crunch have drastically scaled up their campaign contributions, and dozens of new lobbying firms have sprung up to cash in. Securities and investment PACs, for example, have already given... More »

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lobbying • lobbyists • housing industry • economic stimulus package • subprime crisis • housing legislation

ANALYSIS

Saint John Still Tainted by Senate Murk

Ethics crusader is still no stranger to
lobbying culture

Mar 27, 08 12:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - With John McCain the presumptive Republican nominee, Democrats are rushing to expose chinks in the Arizona senator's saintly armor, Michael Scherer reports in Time. Though McCain talks tough about special interests, he has often appeared to have done their bidding. He once, for example, wrote a letter on behalf of... More »

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John McCain • Howard Dean • McCain Feingold • Dish Network • Campaign Finance Reform • lobbyist • Democratic National Committee • lobbying • FedEx • Senate Commerce Committee • McCain 2008 • AT&T • Vicki Iseman • Keating Five • Qwest Communications • 1996 Telecommunications Act • Federal Communications Commission • Public Citizen

 In the Works:
 Wireless Bill of Rights 

States fight feds over who will regulate

Mar 21, 08 3:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - Wireless carriers seem to have angered a few too many consumers with hidden fees and surprise charges. Politicians in 22 states are considering various versions of a wireless consumers’ bill of rights, reports BusinessWeek. But the wireless industry, daunted at facing different regulations in every state, is throwing its... More »

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Congress • cell phones • legislation • Minnesota • consumer protection • lobbying • cell phone industry • state legislature • wireless industry • consumer advocacy

Broadcaster Rebuts McCain Lobbying Denial

Recalls meeting before FCC letters; McCain did, too, in 2002 deposition

Feb 23, 08 10:05 AM CST
(Newser) - John McCain's campaign has flatly denied that the senator met with a broadcaster or his lobbyist before writing to the FCC on his behalf in 1999. But Bud Paxson remembers the meeting; he says VIcki Iseman set it up, and may have attended, too. "Was Vicki there? Probably,"... More »

MORE ABOUT:
ethics • John McCain • FCC • lobbying • Vicki Iseman • Paxson Communications

Video Game Industry Reaches Boss Level

Industry chiefs aim to get more of a say in Washington

Jan 14, 08 10:14 PM CST
(Newser) - The video game industry has grown up and is going to start putting some quarters into Washington, the New York Times reports. Game makers have formed their first political action committee and will soon start making campaign donations to candidates, in hopes of steering more of them to the industry's... More »

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Nintendo Wii • Washington • lobbying • campaign contributions • lobbyists • video games

Law Firm's Lobbying
Dogs Giuliani

Company pushed law Bush opposed on anti-terror grounds

Dec 4, 07 1:49 PM CST
(Newser) - Rudy Giuliani's law firm lobbied Congress last year in favor of a law the White House said would undermine the war on terror, the New York Times reports. The firm represented Ethiopian political parties pushing for legislation to withhold American aid if their government doesn't share power. The administration supports... More »

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Rudy Giuliani • Ethiopia • lobbying • Election 2008 • election • George W. Bush

Lobbyists Hone End Runs Around New Ethics Law

Nothing in the rules a loophole can't 'fix'

Oct 14, 07 7:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - The new political ethics law was supposed to stop corruption, shady lobbying and runaway perks that had plagued Washington. Instead, its biggest impact seems to be an upsurge in seminars aimed at teaching lobbyists how to skirt the law by informing them of  the precise limitations—and loopholes—of the... More »

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lobbying

Blackstone Lobbying Backfires

Private equity firms ‘overreach’ with claim they help the poor

Sep 21, 07 8:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Private equity firms launched their first coordinated effort at lobbying this year—and overshot by a long stretch, Bloomberg reports. Blackstone and 11 other firms joined hands to fight a tax hike on carried interest—fund managers' share of profits—and have gone so far as to argue that the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Magic Johnson • Charles Rangel • lobbying • Blackstone • House Ways and Means Committee • Private Equity Council

Party Conventions Peddle Pricey Face Time With Pols

As Congress tightens rules, conventions flout them

Aug 14, 07 4:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - Organizers of the 2008 Republican and Democratic conventions are openly soliciting seven-figure payments from corporations and lobbyists in return for valuable access to lawmakers, the Washington Post reports. The access peddling comes at precisely the moment  Congress is trying to limit the influence of lobbyists at conventions with tighter ethics... More »

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ethics • Congress • Democratic National Convention • lobbying • George W. Bush • Republican National Convention

Ethics Reform Bill Sails Through Senate

Some Republicans unsatisfied with scope; Bush may not sign

Aug 2, 07 6:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - The ethics reform bill, which tightens restrictions on congressional pet projects and lobbyist dealings, easily cleared the Senate today. The final vote was 83-14, with all of those opposed Republicans. Critics say the bill won't go far enough to curb earmark spending, the AP reports, but Dianne Feinstein praised the... More »

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ethics • Senate • Dianne Feinstein • House of Representatives • reform • Russ Feingold • ethics bill • lobbying • Tom Coburn • George W. Bush

Ethics Bill Clears House

Senate expected to pass reforms

Jul 31, 07 4:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - The House passed a bill today that would impose sweeping new ethics rules and restrictions on lobbying, the Washington Post reports. The bill, which passed by an overwhelming 411-8 vote, takes particular aim at earmarks for legislators' personal projects. It also curbs campaign contributions and lobbyist wining and dining and... More »

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ethics • Senate • earmarks • corruption • House of Representatives • reform • lobbying

Big Biz Lobbyists Sit Out Private Equity Tax Fight

Other bankers
unmoved to defend their tax advantages

Jul 30, 07 11:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - Two big business lobbying groups are sitting out the fight in Congress over increasing taxes on private-equity earnings—in part, the Financial Times reports, because many of their members are threatened by the rise of private equity.  Big firms like Blackstone pay traditional banks hefty fees for the underwriting... More »

MORE ABOUT:
private equity • taxes • bank • Business Roundtable • Financial Services Forum • lobbying

41 - 58 of 58 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3


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