One consistent theme in Popular Information's reporting is corporate accountability. Yesterday, there were two dramatic developments on that front.
First, ExxonMobil shareholders, over the opposition of company management, installed two board members that will push the company to take climate change more seriously. The WSJ described the shareholder vote as "a historic defeat for the oil giant that will likely force it to alter its fossil-fuel focused strategy." Meanwhile, "a Dutch court found that Shell is partially responsible for climate change, and ordered the company to sharply reduce its carbon emissions." The ruling "could set a precedent in other Western jurisdictions, particularly in Europe, opening oil companies to new legal jeopardy over their carbon emissions."
I will be monitoring these developments closely. Today, however, I want to hear from you. What stories have you been following? What topics would you like to see Popular Information take on?
You can leave your thoughts in the discussion thread linked below, starting now. I’ll be dropping by to participate in the discussion and answer your questions at 11:00 AM Eastern, for about an hour.
Popular Information is taking Memorial Day off and will return to your inbox on Tuesday, June 1.
Continue your laser focus on the insurrection & the lawmakers who voted against ratification of the election. Those lawmakers & the companies that finance them must not be allowed to sweep this all under the rug.
Thanks for all your work. Very pleased to support you.
As for topics - a personal issue for me is this the USA /Canada border reopening… why is it still closed with all the vaccination? When do we get the vaccine passport? I haven’t seen my son, who lives in Canada, since last year January as I can’t take the time off for the 2 weeks quarantine.
But it’s not just my personal issue! Many families and many, many businesses in border towns on both sides are affected negatively a great deal from this closing.
There are already a couple of posts about campaign finance and gun lobbies. What interests me is the broader effect that lobbying has, and how it got to be this way. My understanding is that we defunded federal budget accountability and support offices, leaving most congresspeople with insufficient funds to write most of their own legislation, which effectively forces them to "outsource" that to lobbies, which are cash rich and highly incentivized.
Some amount of that spending is publicly visible, some is not. It would be very interesting to see the real impacts of that cash flow on the bills that get written and outcomes produced. Many complain about the influence of the lobbies, but nobody does anything about it.
There is also a well-known rotating door through congressional offices of staffers who are egregiously underpaid but do the job to make the connections and learn the game, then go off to work on K Street to make multiples. Why not pay congressional staff more, so they can write their own bills that reflect the will of their constituents?
Does the general public see any tangible benefits from lobbying? Aside from aligning on either side of social issues, it seems only a handful of elites and powerbrokers are the only winners in the game, and the rest of us common folk are left with the hidden consequences of being represented by pliable politicians whose votes affect us in our everyday lives. How can we use this to convince voters that they often end up voting against their own interests?
Mostly here to let you know I read you daily. I appreciate your "Follow the money" approach. May I suggest "Follow the water"? I suspect many people think water problems they know about locally are isolated. But in fact water issues are very common. Water is tied to commercial exploitation vs residential use vs commercial necessity, also tied to fracking, also tied to pipeline leaks and other environmental damage. Which corp pays too little for water and damages water supply most excessively? ExxonMobil? Nestle?
Critical issues, in my view, are:(1) rapid de-fossil fueling our transportation system, (2) protecting democracy from voter suppression, & (3) finding ways to bring the radicalized, post facts right back into meaningful social and political discourse.
The cultish right continues to support massive subsidies for companies who already make windfall profits. Gotta put a stop to that. A topic I would like to see some Legum coverage on is the extremely well funded many groups who insist that the United States is a Christian nation, founded on biblical principles, that the 10 commandments are the foundation for our laws, and who are doing everything they can to make the US a Theocracy. If you are interest in a clear and cogent expose on why this is not true in the least, please read "The Founding Myth" by attorney Andrew Siedel of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
There's something interesting in these stories where large corporations, natural resources, and investor profit vs greater good all intersect. Water, oil, rainforest, climate, pollution....there are only a few organizations large enough to really tip these scales, but a lot of these stories are covered as isolated incidents (e.g. Deepwater Horizon) instead of the result of poor / unprioritized / non-existent ESG functions within these companies.
Thanks for your incredible reporting. What can we do to amplify the impact of your reporting on corporate accountability? How can we help hold these mega-companies accountable.
Capitalism is the driver of our economy and way of life. However, abuses to both are occurring and being passed off as “this is America and our way of life”. You are adept at getting to the bottom of major issues and I believe you can help bring light to the more complex issues, such as J P Morgan charging late fees throughout the pandemic.
I asked during one of the last comment/question sessions, but what if any progress has been made on funding programs to make child care cheaper? I know some more progressive groups have pushed for 'free college', which is noble, but setting families up for success early on by creating free childcare programs or reducing the cost burden through subsidies or tax credits seems like the more prudent choice at this time. Where I live, the monthly cost of daycare ranges anywhere from $2000 to $3000 per month. Imagine a family saving between $24,000 and $36,000 a year, or one parent now being able to enter the workplace as opposed to being forced to stay at home with the kids simply because childcare is too expensive. I would like to see PI cover this topic, if at all possible.
As a supporter from Richmond, CA -- home to a Chevron refinery that spews toxins into the air -- I look forward to Chevron shareholders following in ExxonMobile footsteps.
Others have mentioned that your consistent exposure of the corporations that support Congressional members who perpetuate the Big Lie is something we need to continue to talk about, no shout about!(Mike and Lib)
Agreed! We cannot let Republicans control this narrative.
Thank you for your terrific journalism. I'm also a proud supporter.
I'm thinking perhaps an indepth look at the long history of environmental damage of both big-oil and its inevitable partnership with car manufacturers, power generation and creation of potential fertility apocalypse from the plastics industry
Keep up the focus on corporate accountability, and as much as possible specifically on corporate accountability for supporting the Sedition Caucus, the most proximate threat we face. I'd be interested to hear more about the activism inspired by the reporting on corporate donations and hypocrisy. What actions are civil rights groups, business watchdogs, the Democratic Party, etc. planning in order to hold companies accountable who continue to support seditionists. And if they're not planning anything, why not? Isn't consumer backlash a critical piece of enforcing corporate accountability to democracy and to the planet? What can individual citizens do to encourage more ESG pressure on companies and their investors?
Just read story by Canadian “The Breach” about links to Brazilian water privatization. Really curious to know if US firms are funding Bolsonaro’s dirty work on water and Amazon destruction, not to mention Mikita weapons and training for a potential coup or action against Lula in the future.
I've been enjoying the articles so far. I was curious if you will do a deep dive into cryptocurrency? There is a potential for large corporations can start using it to spread money around to further their agenda's. Also what is your opinion on the established wall street elite being mad that common people are organizing and affecting the crypto market just as they do on wall street.
I agree with Lib that you continue your laser focus on the Sedition Caucus in Congress who voted against certification of the 2020 election and democracy, and their corporate sponsors, especially since they would like nothing more than to “move on” and sweep it all under the rug. It needs to continually have a bright light shining on it, otherwise The Big Lie is going to lead down a road we may never return from. The truth needs to be told and those members held to account for their assault on our democracy. They know better. Also, continue showing the link between dark money and the ways in which it influences policy that shapes all of our lives. I think this is one of the ways that people might see how they vote against their own interests often times. Thank you for the excellent work you are doing!
I guess one of my biggest concerns is the skyjacking of the plane in Belarus to arrest the dissident blogger. I have no doubt Alexander Lukashenko was emboldened by Russia's ridiculous arrest and imprisonment of Alexei Navalny. Between that, the repressions of dissent in Hong Kong and the leaning towards autocracy here in the USA I have a high level of unease.
Two big events indeed. I’ve been following the oil industry response to the Dutch lawsuit (and similar US based lawsuits) in the states. There has been an effort to strip municipalities of the power to hire lawyers who will bring such lawsuits. They can’t go after the substance of the claims, so they are seeking to undermine the procedures for how those claims get to court by taking away the ability to hire a lawyer on contingency (or stripping them of authority to bring the claim entirely). This began as a push by the pharmaceutical companies in response to the opioid litigation, but the oil companies have always had a seat at the table and now that this decision has come down I expect we will see more pressure on this issue. Keep up the good work!
Would like to see you collaborate with Brian Krebs on Krebsonsecurity to look into the background of Cyber Ninjas.
Cyber Ninjas claims to be a viable IT security business with actual customers but I can’t imagine a business that currently exhibits such nonsense actually providing real security to real customers.
The listing of ethical hacking as their service has to be one of the most comical corporate misstatements of the year.
Most media reports I have seen have not dug deep into CJ’s IT business nor looked into their customers.
As your and Brian's sleuthing is the best there is I believe that a bit of digging into CJ’s IT business would uncover a bit of intrigue.
It has become more and more apparent that the corporate world will have to take clear and decisive action if they are to stand up the states’ voter suppression.
All the companies Judd has listed as supporting fair voting must move beyond rhetoric and pledge to institute punitive action against states pushing voter suppression. Given the wide variance in the corporations the actions could vary widely but could include:
- no future business development in a voter suppressive state
- no future business in the state that brings a financial advantage to the state
- hard hitting direct advertising campaigns that spotlight voter suppression
- financial support of colleges not only in academia but also sports
- etc
And if but probably more likely when the state legislature passes these bills these corporations need to stick to their guns and implement these actions.
One of the biggest corporations that could impact this issue was not mentioned above but Apple's recent announcement of huge investments across the entire country has the opportunity and scope to make profound impacts on voter suppression in this country.
- 20k new jobs across the country
- $430B investment
- 9k suppliers in 50 states (this is done to develop political clout in those states and could be used to our advantage)
- WA, CA, CO, TX, NY, MA slated for major investment
- $1B new NC campus engineering hub w/ 3k new jobs
- and $1B investment in the Austin Apple complex
If Apple were to indicate that it will not invest $1B in a state that supports voter suppression it would send a strong message to the Texas legislature that their actions will have serious consequences and even more important would be for Apple to adhere to that pledge when Texas commits itself to voter suppression.
The same muscle could be used by Apple in NC with the $1B investment noted.
While it is unclear exactly how when and where Apple’s $430B investment among 9k suppliers in 50 states will be executed Apple should be clear and upfront that they will not invest in any state that supports voter suppression. Just Say No !!!
I can’t see Apple supporting voter suppression or even being silent. The question is how strong a voice for democracy do they want to be.
Please sit down with Tim Cook and have an honest discussion about the corporate power Aplle wields and the influence they could have on this country's future
Thanks for everything you do Judd. This may seem obvious or perhaps it's more nuanced than I realize, but do you have a comment on the John Cena apology to the Chinese government? Seems like yet another example of corporations literally bowing to the Chinese government over profits, yet in America they can't even keep a simple promise to not donate to politicians who oppose democracy. Again, this is probably obvious (Chinese Communist government and all) but is it any wonder more and more young Americans are turning to socialism? Thanks again.
My current focus on transportation planning is on Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) more than zero-emission BEVs. How do we plan for driving less? Will metropolitan areas need to redevelop? Should the Amazon retail model be rejected? Does plug-in hybrid PHEV tech actually offer more incentives for driving less? In answer to that last question, I'm saying yes, PHEV does offer more incentives than all-battery BEV like the Tesla 'S' road lizard nor the Ford f-150 BEV which is more of a status symbol than a truck.
Thank you Judd for your awesome reporting! As a math teacher, I love your data analysis. What I'd like to see is more indepth analysis of the monetary effectiveness Congress members have on their state. For example, I read a statement months ago McConnell is successfully re-elected because his state pays no taxes due to his power in Congress. I have no idea if the statement is true or false. It made me think of all the, "I'll vote for this if you throw this in the bill for my state," scenarios we hear so much about. I believe tax breaks and tax avoidance (legal and otherwise), given to certain organizations is a large reason for our current wealth inequality. Tell me where I can find this data and I'd enjoy digging into it.
Something off the radar, but in keeping with the fraudulent election claims by Trump and his cult-like supporters, is the lack of reaction or comment by either of Arizona's Democratic Senators, Kelly and Sinema, regarding the preposterous "recount" debacle in Maricopa County. They should be out front and center condemning this clearly anti-democratic action by the Republican legislature, yet I've looked for articles and haven't found one. Would love to hear your take on their lack of leadership during this destructive moment in Arizona, which has implications for elections throughout the entire country.
Good memorial to Sen John Warner in Sabato's Crystal Ball (highly recommended). Sadly the only Republican who I think approaches this level of civility is Mitt Romney. Despite being a dyed in the wool Democrat, I hold Romney in highest regard. While I would welcome any additional Democratic Senators, I hope we keep Romney around.
"Well, I took my responsibility exactly as the Constitution defines it and as the oath I took requires it," Romney told local station KSL. "Which is that I was sworn before God to apply impartial justice as a Senate juror."
"Does anyone seriously believe that I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me?"
Despite the fact that every Republican member of congress took this oath, only Romney should feel comfortable standing in front of St Peter.
Dear Readers: Virginia lost one of its most prominent and successful political figures on Tuesday, as former Sen. John Warner (R-VA) died at the age of 94. Warner served for three decades in the Senate (1979-2009), becoming known for his expertise on military matters and growing into a role as an elder statesman -- the kind of elected official that seems so hard to find in modern politics.
Warner’s first election to the Senate came after the death of Richard Obenshain, one of the most influential figures in the rise of the modern Republican Party in Virginia. Obenshain defeated Warner and others to win the 1978 Republican Senate nomination at a convention, but then died in a plane crash during the general election campaign. Warner replaced him on the ballot and won a narrow victory in November 1978. Following that initial victory, Warner generally won easily for the rest of his career with the exception of 1996, when another Warner -- Mark, no relation -- held him to a five-point victory. Mark Warner later became governor and succeeded John Warner in the Senate, and the elder Warner would later endorse Mark Warner (and some other Democrats) during his retirement.
John Warner was a 1953 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, a friend to the UVA Center for Politics in many ways over the years, and a gentleman even when disagreements occurred. Sen. Warner proved politics is a good thing, and he’s a role model for politicians -- and all of us -- if we are to restore civility to our system.
This may be too local an issue, but I'd appreciate your type of reporting on public safety and policing. What are the forces that have made so many urban police departments so untouchable (like my own)? Because this is the U.S., what are the financial incentives that keep this system in place? How do other democracies handle public safety?
Perverse incentives in health care in particular as a market failure and a failure of the profit motive to provide for well being. This creates the rationale for making certain industries, like health care nonprofit/public.
It is my understanding that there is a group of millionaires who have large yachts that go out on the sees and scramble their communications doing legal and illegal business and political support for things that are totally outside of the law and they have alot of effect on our country. Our law enforcement can't monitor or get a handle on this frustrating an FBI that has no jurisdiction outside of our land. What is the CIA doing about this and our government?
Judd, great job across the board. We need more quality journalists like you out there. I'm a bit late to the game here, but I'm particularly interested in the area of political/democratic reform in this country; I'm becoming convinced that innovations such as open primaries and ranked-choice voting are the solution to breaking the partisan gridlock and legislative collapse in our government. If you had the energy, resources and interest to investigate how this movement is coming along in the country (with or without corporate support) that would be phenomenal. Thank you!
Continue your laser focus on the insurrection & the lawmakers who voted against ratification of the election. Those lawmakers & the companies that finance them must not be allowed to sweep this all under the rug.
I’m consistently baffled by the gun lobby’s hold on our politicians when popular opinion is pro background checks and anti semi automatic weapons.
Campaign finance reform and government officials investing in companies that they have policy influence over. Thank you for your amazing work.
Thanks for all your work. Very pleased to support you.
As for topics - a personal issue for me is this the USA /Canada border reopening… why is it still closed with all the vaccination? When do we get the vaccine passport? I haven’t seen my son, who lives in Canada, since last year January as I can’t take the time off for the 2 weeks quarantine.
But it’s not just my personal issue! Many families and many, many businesses in border towns on both sides are affected negatively a great deal from this closing.
Water. The ownership of water. The impact of climate change. How will life exist in tomorrow’s world as a result of these factors.
There are already a couple of posts about campaign finance and gun lobbies. What interests me is the broader effect that lobbying has, and how it got to be this way. My understanding is that we defunded federal budget accountability and support offices, leaving most congresspeople with insufficient funds to write most of their own legislation, which effectively forces them to "outsource" that to lobbies, which are cash rich and highly incentivized.
Some amount of that spending is publicly visible, some is not. It would be very interesting to see the real impacts of that cash flow on the bills that get written and outcomes produced. Many complain about the influence of the lobbies, but nobody does anything about it.
There is also a well-known rotating door through congressional offices of staffers who are egregiously underpaid but do the job to make the connections and learn the game, then go off to work on K Street to make multiples. Why not pay congressional staff more, so they can write their own bills that reflect the will of their constituents?
I dropped by to say thanks. Your reporting is direct and factual. I remain pleased to support it.
Reality Winner. Why is she still in jail? I know the federal judicial system is a mess. But this girl did us a favor.
Trump Grand jury in NYC. The real story out there
What has happened with sleaze bags Trump pardoned. Are they still working for him? Stone no doubt, but who else.
And the Weasel Stephen Miller. He needs to be watched. I know he went to Texas. A brief on him now and again would be good.
Does the general public see any tangible benefits from lobbying? Aside from aligning on either side of social issues, it seems only a handful of elites and powerbrokers are the only winners in the game, and the rest of us common folk are left with the hidden consequences of being represented by pliable politicians whose votes affect us in our everyday lives. How can we use this to convince voters that they often end up voting against their own interests?
Mostly here to let you know I read you daily. I appreciate your "Follow the money" approach. May I suggest "Follow the water"? I suspect many people think water problems they know about locally are isolated. But in fact water issues are very common. Water is tied to commercial exploitation vs residential use vs commercial necessity, also tied to fracking, also tied to pipeline leaks and other environmental damage. Which corp pays too little for water and damages water supply most excessively? ExxonMobil? Nestle?
Water and our use of it
Critical issues, in my view, are:(1) rapid de-fossil fueling our transportation system, (2) protecting democracy from voter suppression, & (3) finding ways to bring the radicalized, post facts right back into meaningful social and political discourse.
The cultish right continues to support massive subsidies for companies who already make windfall profits. Gotta put a stop to that. A topic I would like to see some Legum coverage on is the extremely well funded many groups who insist that the United States is a Christian nation, founded on biblical principles, that the 10 commandments are the foundation for our laws, and who are doing everything they can to make the US a Theocracy. If you are interest in a clear and cogent expose on why this is not true in the least, please read "The Founding Myth" by attorney Andrew Siedel of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
There's something interesting in these stories where large corporations, natural resources, and investor profit vs greater good all intersect. Water, oil, rainforest, climate, pollution....there are only a few organizations large enough to really tip these scales, but a lot of these stories are covered as isolated incidents (e.g. Deepwater Horizon) instead of the result of poor / unprioritized / non-existent ESG functions within these companies.
Critical Race Theory is becoming the latest culture war the GOP are grabbing on to. Who is funding this distraction from the real issues in education?
Thanks for your incredible reporting. What can we do to amplify the impact of your reporting on corporate accountability? How can we help hold these mega-companies accountable.
Thanks so much for all you do Judd! Your work is catalyzing change.
Capitalism is the driver of our economy and way of life. However, abuses to both are occurring and being passed off as “this is America and our way of life”. You are adept at getting to the bottom of major issues and I believe you can help bring light to the more complex issues, such as J P Morgan charging late fees throughout the pandemic.
Keep on reporting, thank you for your information!
thanks for factual reporting without giving opinions, please keep on it !
I asked during one of the last comment/question sessions, but what if any progress has been made on funding programs to make child care cheaper? I know some more progressive groups have pushed for 'free college', which is noble, but setting families up for success early on by creating free childcare programs or reducing the cost burden through subsidies or tax credits seems like the more prudent choice at this time. Where I live, the monthly cost of daycare ranges anywhere from $2000 to $3000 per month. Imagine a family saving between $24,000 and $36,000 a year, or one parent now being able to enter the workplace as opposed to being forced to stay at home with the kids simply because childcare is too expensive. I would like to see PI cover this topic, if at all possible.
To echo a previous sentiment, keep following the money. Thank you Judd.
As a supporter from Richmond, CA -- home to a Chevron refinery that spews toxins into the air -- I look forward to Chevron shareholders following in ExxonMobile footsteps.
Others have mentioned that your consistent exposure of the corporations that support Congressional members who perpetuate the Big Lie is something we need to continue to talk about, no shout about!(Mike and Lib)
Agreed! We cannot let Republicans control this narrative.
Thank you for your terrific journalism. I'm also a proud supporter.
I'm thinking perhaps an indepth look at the long history of environmental damage of both big-oil and its inevitable partnership with car manufacturers, power generation and creation of potential fertility apocalypse from the plastics industry
Keep up the focus on corporate accountability, and as much as possible specifically on corporate accountability for supporting the Sedition Caucus, the most proximate threat we face. I'd be interested to hear more about the activism inspired by the reporting on corporate donations and hypocrisy. What actions are civil rights groups, business watchdogs, the Democratic Party, etc. planning in order to hold companies accountable who continue to support seditionists. And if they're not planning anything, why not? Isn't consumer backlash a critical piece of enforcing corporate accountability to democracy and to the planet? What can individual citizens do to encourage more ESG pressure on companies and their investors?
Long overdue very good news. Time for the dinosaurs to enter join the modern world.
Just read story by Canadian “The Breach” about links to Brazilian water privatization. Really curious to know if US firms are funding Bolsonaro’s dirty work on water and Amazon destruction, not to mention Mikita weapons and training for a potential coup or action against Lula in the future.
Thank you for your reporting.
Thanks for all the great work you and your team are doing to expose the Congressional/Corporate Cabal. It does not like the light you shine.
Enjoy your break.
I've been enjoying the articles so far. I was curious if you will do a deep dive into cryptocurrency? There is a potential for large corporations can start using it to spread money around to further their agenda's. Also what is your opinion on the established wall street elite being mad that common people are organizing and affecting the crypto market just as they do on wall street.
I agree with Lib that you continue your laser focus on the Sedition Caucus in Congress who voted against certification of the 2020 election and democracy, and their corporate sponsors, especially since they would like nothing more than to “move on” and sweep it all under the rug. It needs to continually have a bright light shining on it, otherwise The Big Lie is going to lead down a road we may never return from. The truth needs to be told and those members held to account for their assault on our democracy. They know better. Also, continue showing the link between dark money and the ways in which it influences policy that shapes all of our lives. I think this is one of the ways that people might see how they vote against their own interests often times. Thank you for the excellent work you are doing!
I guess one of my biggest concerns is the skyjacking of the plane in Belarus to arrest the dissident blogger. I have no doubt Alexander Lukashenko was emboldened by Russia's ridiculous arrest and imprisonment of Alexei Navalny. Between that, the repressions of dissent in Hong Kong and the leaning towards autocracy here in the USA I have a high level of unease.
Two big events indeed. I’ve been following the oil industry response to the Dutch lawsuit (and similar US based lawsuits) in the states. There has been an effort to strip municipalities of the power to hire lawyers who will bring such lawsuits. They can’t go after the substance of the claims, so they are seeking to undermine the procedures for how those claims get to court by taking away the ability to hire a lawyer on contingency (or stripping them of authority to bring the claim entirely). This began as a push by the pharmaceutical companies in response to the opioid litigation, but the oil companies have always had a seat at the table and now that this decision has come down I expect we will see more pressure on this issue. Keep up the good work!
Would like to see you collaborate with Brian Krebs on Krebsonsecurity to look into the background of Cyber Ninjas.
Cyber Ninjas claims to be a viable IT security business with actual customers but I can’t imagine a business that currently exhibits such nonsense actually providing real security to real customers.
The listing of ethical hacking as their service has to be one of the most comical corporate misstatements of the year.
Most media reports I have seen have not dug deep into CJ’s IT business nor looked into their customers.
As your and Brian's sleuthing is the best there is I believe that a bit of digging into CJ’s IT business would uncover a bit of intrigue.
It has become more and more apparent that the corporate world will have to take clear and decisive action if they are to stand up the states’ voter suppression.
All the companies Judd has listed as supporting fair voting must move beyond rhetoric and pledge to institute punitive action against states pushing voter suppression. Given the wide variance in the corporations the actions could vary widely but could include:
- no future business development in a voter suppressive state
- no future business in the state that brings a financial advantage to the state
- hard hitting direct advertising campaigns that spotlight voter suppression
- financial support of colleges not only in academia but also sports
- etc
And if but probably more likely when the state legislature passes these bills these corporations need to stick to their guns and implement these actions.
One of the biggest corporations that could impact this issue was not mentioned above but Apple's recent announcement of huge investments across the entire country has the opportunity and scope to make profound impacts on voter suppression in this country.
- 20k new jobs across the country
- $430B investment
- 9k suppliers in 50 states (this is done to develop political clout in those states and could be used to our advantage)
- WA, CA, CO, TX, NY, MA slated for major investment
- $1B new NC campus engineering hub w/ 3k new jobs
- and $1B investment in the Austin Apple complex
If Apple were to indicate that it will not invest $1B in a state that supports voter suppression it would send a strong message to the Texas legislature that their actions will have serious consequences and even more important would be for Apple to adhere to that pledge when Texas commits itself to voter suppression.
The same muscle could be used by Apple in NC with the $1B investment noted.
While it is unclear exactly how when and where Apple’s $430B investment among 9k suppliers in 50 states will be executed Apple should be clear and upfront that they will not invest in any state that supports voter suppression. Just Say No !!!
I can’t see Apple supporting voter suppression or even being silent. The question is how strong a voice for democracy do they want to be.
Please sit down with Tim Cook and have an honest discussion about the corporate power Aplle wields and the influence they could have on this country's future
Thanks for everything you do Judd. This may seem obvious or perhaps it's more nuanced than I realize, but do you have a comment on the John Cena apology to the Chinese government? Seems like yet another example of corporations literally bowing to the Chinese government over profits, yet in America they can't even keep a simple promise to not donate to politicians who oppose democracy. Again, this is probably obvious (Chinese Communist government and all) but is it any wonder more and more young Americans are turning to socialism? Thanks again.
My current focus on transportation planning is on Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) more than zero-emission BEVs. How do we plan for driving less? Will metropolitan areas need to redevelop? Should the Amazon retail model be rejected? Does plug-in hybrid PHEV tech actually offer more incentives for driving less? In answer to that last question, I'm saying yes, PHEV does offer more incentives than all-battery BEV like the Tesla 'S' road lizard nor the Ford f-150 BEV which is more of a status symbol than a truck.
Thank you Judd for your awesome reporting! As a math teacher, I love your data analysis. What I'd like to see is more indepth analysis of the monetary effectiveness Congress members have on their state. For example, I read a statement months ago McConnell is successfully re-elected because his state pays no taxes due to his power in Congress. I have no idea if the statement is true or false. It made me think of all the, "I'll vote for this if you throw this in the bill for my state," scenarios we hear so much about. I believe tax breaks and tax avoidance (legal and otherwise), given to certain organizations is a large reason for our current wealth inequality. Tell me where I can find this data and I'd enjoy digging into it.
Something off the radar, but in keeping with the fraudulent election claims by Trump and his cult-like supporters, is the lack of reaction or comment by either of Arizona's Democratic Senators, Kelly and Sinema, regarding the preposterous "recount" debacle in Maricopa County. They should be out front and center condemning this clearly anti-democratic action by the Republican legislature, yet I've looked for articles and haven't found one. Would love to hear your take on their lack of leadership during this destructive moment in Arizona, which has implications for elections throughout the entire country.
GREED GREED GREED none of them think about the future
Public Service Announcement
Good memorial to Sen John Warner in Sabato's Crystal Ball (highly recommended). Sadly the only Republican who I think approaches this level of civility is Mitt Romney. Despite being a dyed in the wool Democrat, I hold Romney in highest regard. While I would welcome any additional Democratic Senators, I hope we keep Romney around.
"Well, I took my responsibility exactly as the Constitution defines it and as the oath I took requires it," Romney told local station KSL. "Which is that I was sworn before God to apply impartial justice as a Senate juror."
"Does anyone seriously believe that I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me?"
Despite the fact that every Republican member of congress took this oath, only Romney should feel comfortable standing in front of St Peter.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Readers: Virginia lost one of its most prominent and successful political figures on Tuesday, as former Sen. John Warner (R-VA) died at the age of 94. Warner served for three decades in the Senate (1979-2009), becoming known for his expertise on military matters and growing into a role as an elder statesman -- the kind of elected official that seems so hard to find in modern politics.
Warner’s first election to the Senate came after the death of Richard Obenshain, one of the most influential figures in the rise of the modern Republican Party in Virginia. Obenshain defeated Warner and others to win the 1978 Republican Senate nomination at a convention, but then died in a plane crash during the general election campaign. Warner replaced him on the ballot and won a narrow victory in November 1978. Following that initial victory, Warner generally won easily for the rest of his career with the exception of 1996, when another Warner -- Mark, no relation -- held him to a five-point victory. Mark Warner later became governor and succeeded John Warner in the Senate, and the elder Warner would later endorse Mark Warner (and some other Democrats) during his retirement.
John Warner was a 1953 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, a friend to the UVA Center for Politics in many ways over the years, and a gentleman even when disagreements occurred. Sen. Warner proved politics is a good thing, and he’s a role model for politicians -- and all of us -- if we are to restore civility to our system.
-- The Editors
This may be too local an issue, but I'd appreciate your type of reporting on public safety and policing. What are the forces that have made so many urban police departments so untouchable (like my own)? Because this is the U.S., what are the financial incentives that keep this system in place? How do other democracies handle public safety?
Perverse incentives in health care in particular as a market failure and a failure of the profit motive to provide for well being. This creates the rationale for making certain industries, like health care nonprofit/public.
It is my understanding that there is a group of millionaires who have large yachts that go out on the sees and scramble their communications doing legal and illegal business and political support for things that are totally outside of the law and they have alot of effect on our country. Our law enforcement can't monitor or get a handle on this frustrating an FBI that has no jurisdiction outside of our land. What is the CIA doing about this and our government?
I'm just dropping by to express gratitude for the great work you do Judd! So happy to support your efforts.
Judd, great job across the board. We need more quality journalists like you out there. I'm a bit late to the game here, but I'm particularly interested in the area of political/democratic reform in this country; I'm becoming convinced that innovations such as open primaries and ranked-choice voting are the solution to breaking the partisan gridlock and legislative collapse in our government. If you had the energy, resources and interest to investigate how this movement is coming along in the country (with or without corporate support) that would be phenomenal. Thank you!
Climate cheats in water, energy, agriculture
Do you feel there’s a way for the strategy used with the oil companies to be copied in some fashion to deal with voter suppression?