In the last month, Popular Information exposed Ron DeSantis' lies about elementary school math textbooks (prompting the Florida Department of Education to publicly attack this newsletter), revealed that a PR firm representing Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Netflix was advising its clients to stay silent on abortion rights (prompting nationwide coverage in Business Insider, Newsweek, CNN, Ad Age, Fortune, Fox Business, and elsewhere), and documented how Toyota, for the second time, quietly broke its pledge to stop donating to members of Congress that voted to overturn the election (a story that, within hours, was trending worldwide on Twitter).
Today, however, I want to hear from you. What's on your mind? What topics would you like to see Popular Information take on in the weeks ahead?
You can leave your thoughts in the discussion thread linked below, starting now. I’ll be dropping later today to answer as many of your questions as I can.
There was an attempted coup in the United States, led by Donald Trump, and yet no leaders have been held accountable through prosecution by the DOJ. This will only spur them to do it again and bring the end to US democracy as we know it. WHY? What is Garland waiting for?
I don't think he is in the Federalist Society. That group is predominantly hard right and is populated by many member of Opus Dei, a right wing Catholic cult as well as the Federalists that includes people like Bill Barr, who was Director of the Opus Dei Information Office in DC before hsi trump appointment as well as 5 conservative Catholics on the Supreme Court. Garland is Jewish and would not be welcome with that crowd. You will recall , he couldn't even get a hearing for his appointment to the SC. Had he been a Federalist, they would have put him right on with the others. You may wish to watch the Sheldon Whitehouse presentation on these guys.
We don't have governance. We have two corrupt parties whose primary goal is to remain in power. NEITHER has a primary interest in recreating a government that serves people and the nation. The only opposing force are non-Democrats—progressives running for office as Democrats, and being fought tooth and nail by corporate neoliberal "Democrats" who want Trump to win rather than have progressives win.
Oh, WTF! He needs to start prosecuting the people in contempt of Congress or step out and get out of the damn way! People say, "well, Biden couldn't get someone progressive through Congressional approval - so what? He could appoint an "Acting AG" just like Trump did with so many appointments.
Too many people in Congress are bought and paid for by big corporations, and Big Pharma, Big Fossil Fuels, the military-industrial complex, you-name-it. Now citizens come last on the agenda of some of them to write and approve bills for us.
There are more corporate pukes than corrupt Joe the coal baron Manchin and Christian Enema in the Democratic Party. If Nancy Pelosi and DCCC endorses them (like Henry Cuellar) voters need to vote for their primarying opponent to change the Democratic Party from becoming Republican Party Chapter 2.
They also supported Scher, and Oregon Rep who voted against lowering prescription drug costs, one of three in the House who were critical to passage. Fortunately Scher just lost his primary in Oregon, so he will no longer by sitting in the House!! A great conservationist woman candidate won.
I know. I cheered! I sent contributions to her and several other progressives who ran for out-of-state office from where I live. I will not give to the national Democratic Party so long as they interfere in state elections by trying to gaslight people into believing that only privileged neoliberal creeps can keep Rethugnicans from office and endorse instead sexists like Cuellar in Texas. Doing so destroys trust in the party because it invariably does not have the consistent goals necessary to confirm a real identity. When the Democratic Party "tent is big" enough to accommodate running Republicans like police-state Bloomberg and inviting union-busting Republicans like John Kasich to address the Democratic Convention, that tent is too big.
What worries me now is that the Supreme Court, persuaded by Roberts, will approve of Mississippi's plan to limit abortions to the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. The vast majority of abortions are in the first trimester, but it is almost always poor women and women of color who don't know where to find help, and get past the 15 weeks before locating a provider, or a state they can travel to for an abortion. If SC upholds Mississippi, middle class women may drop away from the current mass movement growing to support abortion for all, a woman's right to control her body. We need a huge outcry to get Congress to pass a federal right-to-abortion law.
We need to expand SCOTUS asap- & can only happen if we get a larger/safer majority this year when corporate Dinos get nullified. People are sick & tired of -VOTE: Wallstreet or Wallstreet..
Considering how important Pennsylvania is going to be in the upcoming elections, I'd like to see which corporations are funding the Republican candidates in this state. Our state legislature is filled with those supporting the Big Lie. Which corporations will decide to ignore exactly who Mastriano is and pump money into his campaign. I want a big spotlight on the money.
This is extremely important. You must have just read the Heather Cox Richardson piece. The hard right have been aiming at delegitimizing the regulatory agencies for a long time. Not only does this serve to undercut the New Deal agencies but goes to the heart of decisions in the 1880's that allowed regulatory bodies like the Interstate Commerce Commission and later the Sherman Antitrust Act. It goes hand in hand with the theory of the unilateral executive as many of those kinds of regulatory decisions would revert back to the departments within the executive branch as the Congress cannot micromanage. When gingrich said that he was interested in going back to the forties, he clarified his statement to say that it was the 1840's to which they want to return. When drumpf dropped enforcement of EPA regulations on the pretext of the covid outbreak, it was at the behest of major polluters and a triumph for koch industries and that political element. This Fifth Circuit decision, like most from there, is a very dangerous development with this rogue Court.
Yup, I just posted my comment before I saw yours. The impact of this decision cannot be overstated in any way. It would effectively end the ability of government departments to regulate just about anything.
When I read about this decision, the thought that kept running through my mind is that the John Birch Society is finally getting its way - deregulation and tax cuts for the rich. Gutting the government until it is a toothless corpse.
I’m concerned about the mainstream news outlets. Why are they sensationalizing what’s happening instead of calmly and step-by-step explaining WHY we are where we are re: gas prices, baby formula, inflation and all the other issues confronting our nation now? ANYONE can say they can solve the problems but I expect the news to lay it all out on the line and educate the people on WHY things are happening instead of riling up the masses. Frustrated, unhappy and unknowledgeable people do NOT make voters who make good decisions.
Wholeheartedly agree. Even left leaning outlets are hysterical in their coverage of inflation, especially gas prices. Biden's"approval ratings" should not be daily headline items. Inflation is a worldwide issue and we are in probably the best position to tackle the issue.
Climate change is definitely starting to impact food prices. Calif's Central Valley may only bring in 15-20% of its crops max this summer due to their extreme water shortage. Eastern Oregon and eastern Washington are in drought, and E. Wash is one of the big breadbaskets of the nation. The climate crisis is starting to affect how much food we can produce under extreme weather/climate conditions.
I think the 24-hour news cycle is partly to blame. They just need to talk about stuff even if they have nothing to say even if they have nothing new to say and they pick up on catch phrases and use them over and over again! I hear more and more reporters asking questions that are based on assumptions rather than asking questions that will clarify so that fewer assumptions are necessary.
And it seems harder for respondents to challenge the underlying assumption in the moment they just answer the question.
And the Saudis are part of the gas crisis - they are shorting us because MDS didn't like the fact that Biden publicly called him a killer. They could be producing more, and have been asked to, because of the Ukraine war, but they aren't cooperating.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, climate crisis and skyrocketing energy prices should be the death knell of oil and gas. But somehow, they seem to be growing stronger, with help from both parties. Follow the money and see who is being bought. Who is stopping the Green energy Manhattan project?
If you could finger anybody, it would be Joe Manchin. He's now the Chair of the Senate Natural Resources committee. (I know - seniority can bring you some appalling end results.) I saw part of his opening talk on Cspan today before questioning the Interior Sec about her 2023 budget. Manchin was disgusting - he was moaning and groaning about the cancelling of offshore leasing, federal land leasing, etc, regardless of the fact that there are 9,000 parcels leased out that the fossil fuel people haven't even used yet. He's such a suck-up to fossil fuel at its worst. His nose must have oil on it from all his ass-kissing to Chevron, Exxon and the rest.
Certainly plenty of reason to be angry w Manchin, but he’s not the root problem. Manchin, like all Reps and Senators, are truly just representatives for the real influencers. Money talks in American politics and someone is bankrolling Manchin and the GOP. WHO, WHY and HOW are the story.
Also "carbon offsets" that are lies at best and fraud at worst, including offsets sold by companies who promise not to cut down forests that were never going to be cut down, or, even better, forests that already burned down.
Those offsets are bought up by companies like Exxon and Sunoco to justify their continuing environmental affronts, and in the end it's all of humanity who will pay the price.
And (sorta) along those lines, what about the recent settlement made by Remington with the Sandy Hook survivors explicitly stating they should never have sold the AR-15 to the public and paying $73 million to back that up. I only found that on Al Jazeera but it's incredibly meaningful.
The wider (and higher) the 1/6 conspiracy seems to have spread, the more crucial is the question of how it was financed: which cutouts and pass-throughs, and behind them which American oligarchs, which foreign countries (e.g. Saudi Arabia?—what if the Saudis bankrolled parts of 1/6 through the worthless whelp Jared?). Who paid for all those bus trips and hotel bills incurred by the 1/6 rabble (not to mention the suites occupied by the War Room at the Willard Hotel)? What shadowy, unknown entities pumped money into Ginni Thomas's "foundation" and all the other 1/6 bankrollers? Popular Information has a demonstrated knack for uncovering financial double-dealing of supposedly public-spirited corporations and foundations, and while I expect some names will come up during the 1/6 hearings, I have concerns the 'usual suspects' will escape any consequences AT ALL for attempting to bring down the republic (looking at YOU, Rebekah Mercer). It would be wonderful if PI could ratchet up your levels of investigation to probe these entities. Thanks for all you do!!
I hope you will track the political contributions of the weapons-makers like Northrup-Grumman, Raytheon, and Lockheed-Martin. They are making many billions as the "defense" budget increases with no apparent limit.
I’m not saying you should do more “positive” stories, but every once in a great while you could cover corporations who are setting a good example (assuming they exist) - not price gouging, behaving in a way that supports societal improvement. Would be good for others to see it is possible.
From Desmoines Register Tom Greene, Guest columnist, June 27, 2019:
The AARP has a unique, profitable arrangement with UnitedHealthCare's parent company, UnitedHealth Group. The AARP does provide some member benefits, such as travel and dining discounts. However, it doesn't advertise that it has received more than $4.5 billion in tax-free payments since 2010 from UnitedHealth Group via royalties on the sale of supplemental insurance plans like AARP-branded Medigap policies according to a report from The Federalist based on the organizations' IRS 990 filings. That figure doesn't even include revenues from numerous other products and services AARP markets incessantly for countless companies through a myriad of licensing agreements.
The board to investigate on-line infiltration, and improve safety has itself been attacked by the bot-army and its activity suspended. This would appear to be counter-product time. A) What did they expect, did they think that hostile soc-med didn't really exist? B) Why not appoint a young, soc-med-tech savvy and software-able person to run investigation? C) What happens now, when dis-info pre-elections is again unsupervised, uncollated and disruption runs riot thanks to the digital soldiers of Flynn etc and the anarchy-capitalism of Theil, Bannon and Musk? See Jim Stewartson for expertise and historic, in-depth fact-finding despite disinformation campaigns by liars and bots. Thnxxx
Thanks! “You never want to be silent, because then the people putting out the disinformation own the narrative,” about sums up the "flat-footed" response. This is so important. If you don't recognise the battlefield, how are you going to win the war? New times, new tactics needed! Respect Jim Stewartson's grasp of all this! Thnxxx again!
Inflation seems to be exaggerated by high fossil fuel prices. Are there any government efforts to crack down on price gouging in the fossil fuel industry? How much of the price increases are really inflationary and how much is just taking advantage of consumers. Since the fossil fuel industry supports the GOP (climate deniers), raising gas prices is a win win for them. They hurt the Biden administration and they increase their profits at the same time.
In particular, with a chunk of China locked down, one would assume that would put a dent in global demand. Remember when the US was in the midst of the pandemic, has prices were $2 a gallon. China is now a relatively middle class country and one would assume both consumer and industrial demand would be down significantly with the lockdown of Shanghai and who knows how many other cities.
Inasmuch as Federal legislation is not a realistic option, please explore the methods (if any) by which Presidential Executive Orders can help insure an accurate vote count (and voting availability) on the State and Local levels, (from the neighborhood to the Sec’y of States’ offices).
Just my two cents, but I would think that it's because they don't really give a hoot about abortions per se. They're pro-birth. Once the baby is born, it and its mother are on their own.
I cannot imagine a mind more corrupted by capitalistic greed than the one that actually thinks about maintaining the supply of unwanted babies. That completely removes the humanity and commodifies actual human beings. This is the type of thinking that led to slavery and concentration camps. It's a very dangerous sign.
Funny how these “market oriented” people fail to see that
White birth rates are a really clear market signal. White families don’t want/can’t afford large families. Why would they think they’ll suddenly want to adopt? Surely the number of infertile, White, child-wanting families is statistically irrelevant
I am still hoping for a Spotify piece. The company still has not been held accountable for funding misinformation and racist rhetoric. On the contrary, it has been rewarded for it with Joe Rogan being more popular than ever.
Why are those opposed to abortion rights virtually NEVER asked to explain how they can also be rationally opposed to expanding easy access to contraception? Fewer unwanted pregnancies means fewer abortions. Planned Parenthood does more to reduce the need for abortion than any anti-choice organization. Can anyone name a single prominent forced-birther who's also -- publicly -- strongly pro-contraception-access? I've very rarely seen any reporting that confronts this hypocrisy directly and exposes the reality that ending abortion is clearly not the real goal. Alito's Dobbs draft is just a sign of what could follow.
I live in MD in the DC metro area and I see a bunch of ads/PSAs on network cable promoting the oil and natural gas industry as renewable sources of energy we need to reinvest in, and also telling congress not to defund medical research so migraine sufferers, for example, can keep finding better treatments. I can’t recall the orgs promoting these campaigns, but they sound misleading to me. Do you know who these orgs are and who backs them politically? Can you shine some light on this?
Oil companies and pharmaceutical manufacturers are lobbying against Build Back Better policies to address climate change and lowering drug costs. Oil companies do not want a shift away from fossil fuels and drug manufacturers claim if drug prices are lower- which they are anywhere except the US-research into new medications will not be possible without that additional revenue. It’s called protecting self interests.
I very much appreciate your reporting on and dedication to legislative issues, and would like to see more coverage regarding climate legislation (or the lack thereof), and what organizations are setting new and positive precedents on that front.
We’ve heard about abuse of PPP loans. What about another angle? Unemployment insurance was denied to me for over a year because of a vindictive former employer filing an appeal with the state. We had a hearing and I won. The state still took over 8 months to distribute the money. They waited until threatened with lawsuit to do it. After talking with countless “agents” of the unemployment office it became clear they were purposely not paying out money. I’ve heard of this happening to others I know. Curious if there is anything there other than basic fraud protection. Also, fraud protection firmly in place against unemployed vulnerable people, but not rich businesses?
(1) Gerrymandering especially in swing states. (2) The Federalist Society’s role in establishing the current majority on the Supreme Court. Who belongs to this organization? What are its aims? Why has this group had a major role in determining the composition of SCOTUS? Is there a comparable liberal organization(s)? (3) What exactly is Opus Dei? What is its mission? What is its role in the Catholic Church? Are members of SCOTUS are involved in it?
As someone from that world, what is your view on the state of the big, traditional news media? Eg, NYT, WaPo, big 3 networks.
They continue to downplay the GOP assault on democracy and still give Trump tons of uncritical, earned media. Dems barely get a mention, but bad faith influencers get profile pieces. I try to provide funding and constructive feedback, but it seems to be as bad as 2015-16. I support local/investigative journalism (like you), but their voice is too big to abandon to the crazies.
I think there is a lot of excellent reporting in the NYT and the WaPo. But there is also, IMO, too much horserace coverage and false balance. I don't generally watch news on TV. Nothing against it but the pace is too slow for me.
A suggestion for an article is to look at the role cable companies play in supporting Fox News and how every subscriber actually supports it’s racist programming.
Judd, how about talking about the Republicans blaming the Democrats, for the infant formula shortage, then voting against the millions in relief for that very same problem.
The way that you follow the money is invaluable. You are wonderful, and you should keep doing what you are doing.
An issue that is really worrying me is the concerted effort taking place to turn parents against public schools. It is working. Whether the issue is race and CRT, masks, books, sexual education, gender issues, social emotional learning, etc...It all focuses on making parents on both sides feel angry and powerless about what is happening in public schools. This is being done purposefully as a step toward moving public education money to private schools. There is too much reporting that presumes politicians are caving to parents' concerns, rather than purposefully causing them. It is happening here in TN, making national news with school board meetings and Moms for Liberty. But Governor Lee has said from the beginning that this is his priority issue, before any of that happened. The funding formula has just changed here to be per child. And the power over textbooks may be shifting from local control to a state-appointed commission.
I wonder about whether the primary motivation is money or the control over what is being taught and who is getting well-educated, or other things. I guess it will be a win-win for them if they succeed because they will get it all.
I'd like to see more stories on the people behind large media organizations. I've seen lots on companies and advertisers. But, what about the chief executives and board members? We can try to hold corporations accountable. But what about the people behind those corporations? They seem to escape any scrutiny/accountability.
Here’s something that’s causing me a lot of stress currently (in addition to a lot of other people I’d guess), election ads. There’s one currently running on our local stations in Minnesota claiming if the Republican wins, he’ll “fire Nancy Pelosi”. Considering that she’s elected and not “hired” that’s a patently false promise. Do local TV stations have to allow these lies to be broadcast? Can they refuse to run these ads? Can they add a disclaimer that tells the viewing public these are lies? They are maddening!
I still can't understand what Merrick Garland's job is. How is it possible to get away with an insurrection? In a "law and order" country like the US? What the fuck?
You're doing a great job, Judd. I am becoming so saddened and discouraged by what's going on in our country. the rise of racial and extreme right violence, the power of money in politics that seems to be expanding...we never should have allowed money to control the directions of our legislators and that's what has happened. ON a literal, and a psycological level, the wish to remain in office exceeds the wish to address the concerns of our country and our people. And the news that CPAC (and our American citizens within that organization) is holding their national conference in Hungary and celebrating Orban. How much weirder can things get, hnow much more extreme can the "right" get? I also wish the news would stop presenting Biden as teetering on the ede of failure... is that drawing listeners for them? WTF is going on. Thanks for listening.
I thank my lucky stars for you and Popular Information. I've learned a lot and I share as much as I can with my measly number of followers. May it be UNPOPULAR with the likes of Ron DeSantis, in that it brings corruption to light. Democracy survives only if we the people are educated and aware.
This is just an aside topic, but if you have a slow news day, may i suggest an article on how important independent newspapers are/were to historical research? As a person who studies the past and does documentary research, I rely heavily on archived newspaper articles to find the information on any given topic. However with the monopolistic takeover's of newspapers by private equity companies it it going to have a very detrimental effect to preserving news of the past. Most of these newspapers have been plundered and gutted. Their news quality and articles are no longer covering as much local news as they previously did. Worse most of these papers are going behind pay walls and their past content isn't being made available to public libraries or historical societies, unless thru a paid third party. In essence, this corporate greed by private equity and corporations is creating very real Orwellian "Memory Holes" in history.
Which is highly ironic to say the least, when you consider that the promise of the internet should have actually created greater access to public information and news.
I’d like a deep dive into when is the best time, strategically, to give small donations to political campaigns and/or which umbrella organizations for the R’s and D’s are the most effective one’s to support.
A deep dive is probably outside the purview of the newsletter but, having run and worked on campaigns, the earlier the better. That's why there is EMILY's List: Early Money Is Like Yeast
Judd, Thank you for all of your hard work,firstly. I’m sorry that due to your clear and accurate reporting you’re receiving threats! I’m wishing you safe reporting!! I would love to see a report about some empowering act/s from groups who are working in positive ways against the “machine” (that which is likely fostering the threat toward it)alongside you! (Be they environmentalists, social justice activists or bakers!)
Again, thank you Judd and team of 2 for your brave and integrous reporting!
State politics. They're NOT just small potatoes, especially now with Roe about to be overturned and the ongoing assault on voting rights. Local investigative journalism has been systematically decimated, so we're left mostly in the dark about the machinations of state and local governments to undermine our democracy.
The credit card industry is running what amounts to modern indentured servanthood, and I can never find anything about it... who the players are and how they get away with it.
Louisiana has an abortion bill that stipulates any judge finding the bill to be unconstitutional be removed from office for handing down such an opinion. Thus the third branch of government is destroyed. And yet no outlet has addressed this concept.
The difference (race, income, education, etc) between rural and urban America. This is the dividing line. I work in an urban setting and live in a rural community, their views of America are vastly different on many fronts. Btw, if the authoritarians win, we will be at the top of the list of people to put in re-education camps.
Dem messaging is perfectly fine - and the normal range of views one would expect of millions of people coming to alignment. The problem is that media has normalized this as “Dems in disarray” and set unified GOP messaging (which is largely set by a few dozen donors) as the standard.
Push back on the narrative. Democracy is messy. Unified messaging signals autocracy and cults.
Inconsistent messaging is why media can normalize "disarray" narrative. A good communicator controls the messaging by having clear and consistent messages. When media tries to change the topic, a good communicator stays on message. Psaki was excellent at doing this. Dems are not.
And why is "civility" only demanded of the left? Why do we continue to play by Marquis de Queensberry rules when the other side burned the rule book and knocked the ref out with a folding chair a long time ago??
I'd love to see something detailed (if possible) on how the federal courts (especially the current Supreme Court) seem set to support the resurrection of the insidious "non-delegation doctrine". It's not an exciting subject, to be sure, but it has the potential of effectively ending the regulatory ability of all federal departments. If anyone wants to see what unfettered corporate power would look like, well, we might soon find out.
Judd, I love your exposes of corruption and bigotry by the GOP. They keep me so well informed about what is going on around the country. I live in a very blue state and blue city—NYC. The democratic party here is very corrupt, hands out no-bid contracts to political donors, changes party rules to lock out reformers from leadership posts, etc. Would you consider doing some investigations and reporting on big city machine politics corruption? Some topics in NYC where I think your skills would really be useful are the Empire Station/Penn 15 development project, which is a state-run project in Midtown Manhattan, and the attempt by the Kings County (Brooklyn) Democratic Party leadership to fraudulently hold on to their positions and lock out newcomers.
There was an attempted coup in the United States, led by Donald Trump, and yet no leaders have been held accountable through prosecution by the DOJ. This will only spur them to do it again and bring the end to US democracy as we know it. WHY? What is Garland waiting for?
Wasn’t/isn’t Garland a member of the Federalist (rich bigot) society?
I don't think he is in the Federalist Society. That group is predominantly hard right and is populated by many member of Opus Dei, a right wing Catholic cult as well as the Federalists that includes people like Bill Barr, who was Director of the Opus Dei Information Office in DC before hsi trump appointment as well as 5 conservative Catholics on the Supreme Court. Garland is Jewish and would not be welcome with that crowd. You will recall , he couldn't even get a hearing for his appointment to the SC. Had he been a Federalist, they would have put him right on with the others. You may wish to watch the Sheldon Whitehouse presentation on these guys.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=sheldon+whitehouse+dark+money&qpvt=sheldon+whitehouse+dark+money&view=detail&mid=69DB783D4BAF024E32CA69DB783D4BAF024E32CA&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dsheldon%2Bwhitehouse%2Bdark%2Bmoney%26qpvt%3Dsheldon%2Bwhitehouse%2Bdark%2Bmoney%26FORM%3DVDRE
Thank you. I have seen this video-appreciate. I don’t expect much from Garland. Hope I’m wrong!
He acted as a Moderator for The Federalist Society.
What did he moderate?
omg, is he? why the rush to appoint him? what is wrong with US governance???
We don't have governance. We have two corrupt parties whose primary goal is to remain in power. NEITHER has a primary interest in recreating a government that serves people and the nation. The only opposing force are non-Democrats—progressives running for office as Democrats, and being fought tooth and nail by corporate neoliberal "Democrats" who want Trump to win rather than have progressives win.
https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/civpro/2016/03/judge-merrick-garland-was-a-repeat-moderator-for-federalist-society-events.html
He is listed on their fedsoc.org as a person they have on their prefered list.
They also gave him a glowing bio when he became AG.
Oh, WTF! He needs to start prosecuting the people in contempt of Congress or step out and get out of the damn way! People say, "well, Biden couldn't get someone progressive through Congressional approval - so what? He could appoint an "Acting AG" just like Trump did with so many appointments.
Yes!
Great question
THANK YOU
Too many people in Congress are bought and paid for by big corporations, and Big Pharma, Big Fossil Fuels, the military-industrial complex, you-name-it. Now citizens come last on the agenda of some of them to write and approve bills for us.
Really hoping that the Roe leak has fired up voters to keep the house &senate & gain enough so that corporate pukes like Manchinima won’t matter.
There are more corporate pukes than corrupt Joe the coal baron Manchin and Christian Enema in the Democratic Party. If Nancy Pelosi and DCCC endorses them (like Henry Cuellar) voters need to vote for their primarying opponent to change the Democratic Party from becoming Republican Party Chapter 2.
They also supported Scher, and Oregon Rep who voted against lowering prescription drug costs, one of three in the House who were critical to passage. Fortunately Scher just lost his primary in Oregon, so he will no longer by sitting in the House!! A great conservationist woman candidate won.
I know. I cheered! I sent contributions to her and several other progressives who ran for out-of-state office from where I live. I will not give to the national Democratic Party so long as they interfere in state elections by trying to gaslight people into believing that only privileged neoliberal creeps can keep Rethugnicans from office and endorse instead sexists like Cuellar in Texas. Doing so destroys trust in the party because it invariably does not have the consistent goals necessary to confirm a real identity. When the Democratic Party "tent is big" enough to accommodate running Republicans like police-state Bloomberg and inviting union-busting Republicans like John Kasich to address the Democratic Convention, that tent is too big.
😉!
What worries me now is that the Supreme Court, persuaded by Roberts, will approve of Mississippi's plan to limit abortions to the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. The vast majority of abortions are in the first trimester, but it is almost always poor women and women of color who don't know where to find help, and get past the 15 weeks before locating a provider, or a state they can travel to for an abortion. If SC upholds Mississippi, middle class women may drop away from the current mass movement growing to support abortion for all, a woman's right to control her body. We need a huge outcry to get Congress to pass a federal right-to-abortion law.
We need to expand SCOTUS asap- & can only happen if we get a larger/safer majority this year when corporate Dinos get nullified. People are sick & tired of -VOTE: Wallstreet or Wallstreet..
Considering how important Pennsylvania is going to be in the upcoming elections, I'd like to see which corporations are funding the Republican candidates in this state. Our state legislature is filled with those supporting the Big Lie. Which corporations will decide to ignore exactly who Mastriano is and pump money into his campaign. I want a big spotlight on the money.
I learned yesterday that the family that owns Martin's Potato Bread supports Mastriano and has given him a whole lot of money
I guess I'm adding another brand t my never purchase list.
Fifth Circuit SEC decision. The end of the New Deal
This is extremely important. You must have just read the Heather Cox Richardson piece. The hard right have been aiming at delegitimizing the regulatory agencies for a long time. Not only does this serve to undercut the New Deal agencies but goes to the heart of decisions in the 1880's that allowed regulatory bodies like the Interstate Commerce Commission and later the Sherman Antitrust Act. It goes hand in hand with the theory of the unilateral executive as many of those kinds of regulatory decisions would revert back to the departments within the executive branch as the Congress cannot micromanage. When gingrich said that he was interested in going back to the forties, he clarified his statement to say that it was the 1840's to which they want to return. When drumpf dropped enforcement of EPA regulations on the pretext of the covid outbreak, it was at the behest of major polluters and a triumph for koch industries and that political element. This Fifth Circuit decision, like most from there, is a very dangerous development with this rogue Court.
I really don't like how my 40+ years of reading dystopian SF is paying off.
well said
Yup, I just posted my comment before I saw yours. The impact of this decision cannot be overstated in any way. It would effectively end the ability of government departments to regulate just about anything.
Such an important development!
When I read about this decision, the thought that kept running through my mind is that the John Birch Society is finally getting its way - deregulation and tax cuts for the rich. Gutting the government until it is a toothless corpse.
The Kochj father was the origianl funder for Robert Welch when he founded the Birch Society
TIL - but not surprised.
I’m concerned about the mainstream news outlets. Why are they sensationalizing what’s happening instead of calmly and step-by-step explaining WHY we are where we are re: gas prices, baby formula, inflation and all the other issues confronting our nation now? ANYONE can say they can solve the problems but I expect the news to lay it all out on the line and educate the people on WHY things are happening instead of riling up the masses. Frustrated, unhappy and unknowledgeable people do NOT make voters who make good decisions.
Wholeheartedly agree. Even left leaning outlets are hysterical in their coverage of inflation, especially gas prices. Biden's"approval ratings" should not be daily headline items. Inflation is a worldwide issue and we are in probably the best position to tackle the issue.
Corporate monopolies - where there is an opportunity to raise prices beyond cost increases - are a major contributor to inflation in this environment. Wall Street calls this "pricing power," when commenting on the value of a company's stock. I heard a report on Bloomberg that normally refiners get about $12-15 per barrel, but recently they've gotten as much as $55 per barrel. Here is another such report from Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/sorry-but-for-you-oil-trades-at-250-a-barrel/2022/05/09/5c8e422e-cf64-11ec-886b-df76183d233f_story.html
Climate change is definitely starting to impact food prices. Calif's Central Valley may only bring in 15-20% of its crops max this summer due to their extreme water shortage. Eastern Oregon and eastern Washington are in drought, and E. Wash is one of the big breadbaskets of the nation. The climate crisis is starting to affect how much food we can produce under extreme weather/climate conditions.
They seem to want to outscream each other … reminds me of “the best is yet to COME!”
I go to BBC and Al Jazeera
I think the 24-hour news cycle is partly to blame. They just need to talk about stuff even if they have nothing to say even if they have nothing new to say and they pick up on catch phrases and use them over and over again! I hear more and more reporters asking questions that are based on assumptions rather than asking questions that will clarify so that fewer assumptions are necessary.
And it seems harder for respondents to challenge the underlying assumption in the moment they just answer the question.
And the Saudis are part of the gas crisis - they are shorting us because MDS didn't like the fact that Biden publicly called him a killer. They could be producing more, and have been asked to, because of the Ukraine war, but they aren't cooperating.
Price gouging by the gas industry and others.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, climate crisis and skyrocketing energy prices should be the death knell of oil and gas. But somehow, they seem to be growing stronger, with help from both parties. Follow the money and see who is being bought. Who is stopping the Green energy Manhattan project?
If you could finger anybody, it would be Joe Manchin. He's now the Chair of the Senate Natural Resources committee. (I know - seniority can bring you some appalling end results.) I saw part of his opening talk on Cspan today before questioning the Interior Sec about her 2023 budget. Manchin was disgusting - he was moaning and groaning about the cancelling of offshore leasing, federal land leasing, etc, regardless of the fact that there are 9,000 parcels leased out that the fossil fuel people haven't even used yet. He's such a suck-up to fossil fuel at its worst. His nose must have oil on it from all his ass-kissing to Chevron, Exxon and the rest.
Certainly plenty of reason to be angry w Manchin, but he’s not the root problem. Manchin, like all Reps and Senators, are truly just representatives for the real influencers. Money talks in American politics and someone is bankrolling Manchin and the GOP. WHO, WHY and HOW are the story.
Also "carbon offsets" that are lies at best and fraud at worst, including offsets sold by companies who promise not to cut down forests that were never going to be cut down, or, even better, forests that already burned down.
Those offsets are bought up by companies like Exxon and Sunoco to justify their continuing environmental affronts, and in the end it's all of humanity who will pay the price.
The hypocracisy of pro life politicians doing nothing to save lives outside of the womb by not banning assault weapons and being anti vax.
And (sorta) along those lines, what about the recent settlement made by Remington with the Sandy Hook survivors explicitly stating they should never have sold the AR-15 to the public and paying $73 million to back that up. I only found that on Al Jazeera but it's incredibly meaningful.
More about the the funding that fuels Moms for Liberty, Parents Defending Education, and their attacks on school districts.
I've been exploring an update on this
I would appreciate it. You do so well with these stories and the media is lazy. I expect to see more under-the-radar attacks on local districts using outrageously expensive FOIA requests like the one in my state (see: https://www.the74million.org/article/million-dollar-records-request-from-covid-and-critical-race-theory-to-teachers-names-schools-minnesota-districts-flooded-with-freedom-of-information-document-demands/)
Government currently is by corporations, for corporations. You correctly target corporate duplicity. Please continue as you do.
Our govt is corporate socialism.
Yes. Profits privatized and costs socialized.
The wider (and higher) the 1/6 conspiracy seems to have spread, the more crucial is the question of how it was financed: which cutouts and pass-throughs, and behind them which American oligarchs, which foreign countries (e.g. Saudi Arabia?—what if the Saudis bankrolled parts of 1/6 through the worthless whelp Jared?). Who paid for all those bus trips and hotel bills incurred by the 1/6 rabble (not to mention the suites occupied by the War Room at the Willard Hotel)? What shadowy, unknown entities pumped money into Ginni Thomas's "foundation" and all the other 1/6 bankrollers? Popular Information has a demonstrated knack for uncovering financial double-dealing of supposedly public-spirited corporations and foundations, and while I expect some names will come up during the 1/6 hearings, I have concerns the 'usual suspects' will escape any consequences AT ALL for attempting to bring down the republic (looking at YOU, Rebekah Mercer). It would be wonderful if PI could ratchet up your levels of investigation to probe these entities. Thanks for all you do!!
I hope you will track the political contributions of the weapons-makers like Northrup-Grumman, Raytheon, and Lockheed-Martin. They are making many billions as the "defense" budget increases with no apparent limit.
Add to that the corporations still in business that have left behind superfund sites…
I’m not saying you should do more “positive” stories, but every once in a great while you could cover corporations who are setting a good example (assuming they exist) - not price gouging, behaving in a way that supports societal improvement. Would be good for others to see it is possible.
THis was a good one on AriZona Iced Tea in the LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-04-12/az-iced-tea-inflation-99-cents
Put some pressure on AARP to drop United Healthcare at the insurance they support/offer based on the things you have reported previously
Does’nt AARP own United Health?
From Desmoines Register Tom Greene, Guest columnist, June 27, 2019:
The AARP has a unique, profitable arrangement with UnitedHealthCare's parent company, UnitedHealth Group. The AARP does provide some member benefits, such as travel and dining discounts. However, it doesn't advertise that it has received more than $4.5 billion in tax-free payments since 2010 from UnitedHealth Group via royalties on the sale of supplemental insurance plans like AARP-branded Medigap policies according to a report from The Federalist based on the organizations' IRS 990 filings. That figure doesn't even include revenues from numerous other products and services AARP markets incessantly for countless companies through a myriad of licensing agreements.
The board to investigate on-line infiltration, and improve safety has itself been attacked by the bot-army and its activity suspended. This would appear to be counter-product time. A) What did they expect, did they think that hostile soc-med didn't really exist? B) Why not appoint a young, soc-med-tech savvy and software-able person to run investigation? C) What happens now, when dis-info pre-elections is again unsupervised, uncollated and disruption runs riot thanks to the digital soldiers of Flynn etc and the anarchy-capitalism of Theil, Bannon and Musk? See Jim Stewartson for expertise and historic, in-depth fact-finding despite disinformation campaigns by liars and bots. Thnxxx
The Washington Post article on this topic is good: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/05/18/disinformation-board-dhs-nina-jankowicz/
Thanks! “You never want to be silent, because then the people putting out the disinformation own the narrative,” about sums up the "flat-footed" response. This is so important. If you don't recognise the battlefield, how are you going to win the war? New times, new tactics needed! Respect Jim Stewartson's grasp of all this! Thnxxx again!
Oof! That article was so hard to take!
Inflation seems to be exaggerated by high fossil fuel prices. Are there any government efforts to crack down on price gouging in the fossil fuel industry? How much of the price increases are really inflationary and how much is just taking advantage of consumers. Since the fossil fuel industry supports the GOP (climate deniers), raising gas prices is a win win for them. They hurt the Biden administration and they increase their profits at the same time.
In particular, with a chunk of China locked down, one would assume that would put a dent in global demand. Remember when the US was in the midst of the pandemic, has prices were $2 a gallon. China is now a relatively middle class country and one would assume both consumer and industrial demand would be down significantly with the lockdown of Shanghai and who knows how many other cities.
Inasmuch as Federal legislation is not a realistic option, please explore the methods (if any) by which Presidential Executive Orders can help insure an accurate vote count (and voting availability) on the State and Local levels, (from the neighborhood to the Sec’y of States’ offices).
Why there isn’t more of a fight by prolife people for funding for long term contraception. It would greatly reduce need for abortions
Just my two cents, but I would think that it's because they don't really give a hoot about abortions per se. They're pro-birth. Once the baby is born, it and its mother are on their own.
Correct. Then mom can be persuaded to place her child in the domestic supply of infants - er, I mean - put the child up for adoption.
I cannot imagine a mind more corrupted by capitalistic greed than the one that actually thinks about maintaining the supply of unwanted babies. That completely removes the humanity and commodifies actual human beings. This is the type of thinking that led to slavery and concentration camps. It's a very dangerous sign.
Exactly. A person with that sort of thinking has NO business being a justice of ANY kind
Specifically, being concerned about the dwindling supply of white babies who would help maintain white majority population levels.
Yes, of course racism is a part.
Funny how these “market oriented” people fail to see that
White birth rates are a really clear market signal. White families don’t want/can’t afford large families. Why would they think they’ll suddenly want to adopt? Surely the number of infertile, White, child-wanting families is statistically irrelevant
I am still hoping for a Spotify piece. The company still has not been held accountable for funding misinformation and racist rhetoric. On the contrary, it has been rewarded for it with Joe Rogan being more popular than ever.
Why are those opposed to abortion rights virtually NEVER asked to explain how they can also be rationally opposed to expanding easy access to contraception? Fewer unwanted pregnancies means fewer abortions. Planned Parenthood does more to reduce the need for abortion than any anti-choice organization. Can anyone name a single prominent forced-birther who's also -- publicly -- strongly pro-contraception-access? I've very rarely seen any reporting that confronts this hypocrisy directly and exposes the reality that ending abortion is clearly not the real goal. Alito's Dobbs draft is just a sign of what could follow.
I live in MD in the DC metro area and I see a bunch of ads/PSAs on network cable promoting the oil and natural gas industry as renewable sources of energy we need to reinvest in, and also telling congress not to defund medical research so migraine sufferers, for example, can keep finding better treatments. I can’t recall the orgs promoting these campaigns, but they sound misleading to me. Do you know who these orgs are and who backs them politically? Can you shine some light on this?
I live in the same area and see the same ads. These are almost exclusively industry front groups.
Oil companies and pharmaceutical manufacturers are lobbying against Build Back Better policies to address climate change and lowering drug costs. Oil companies do not want a shift away from fossil fuels and drug manufacturers claim if drug prices are lower- which they are anywhere except the US-research into new medications will not be possible without that additional revenue. It’s called protecting self interests.
I very much appreciate your reporting on and dedication to legislative issues, and would like to see more coverage regarding climate legislation (or the lack thereof), and what organizations are setting new and positive precedents on that front.
Yes, need to do more on climate
We’ve heard about abuse of PPP loans. What about another angle? Unemployment insurance was denied to me for over a year because of a vindictive former employer filing an appeal with the state. We had a hearing and I won. The state still took over 8 months to distribute the money. They waited until threatened with lawsuit to do it. After talking with countless “agents” of the unemployment office it became clear they were purposely not paying out money. I’ve heard of this happening to others I know. Curious if there is anything there other than basic fraud protection. Also, fraud protection firmly in place against unemployed vulnerable people, but not rich businesses?
(1) Gerrymandering especially in swing states. (2) The Federalist Society’s role in establishing the current majority on the Supreme Court. Who belongs to this organization? What are its aims? Why has this group had a major role in determining the composition of SCOTUS? Is there a comparable liberal organization(s)? (3) What exactly is Opus Dei? What is its mission? What is its role in the Catholic Church? Are members of SCOTUS are involved in it?
As someone from that world, what is your view on the state of the big, traditional news media? Eg, NYT, WaPo, big 3 networks.
They continue to downplay the GOP assault on democracy and still give Trump tons of uncritical, earned media. Dems barely get a mention, but bad faith influencers get profile pieces. I try to provide funding and constructive feedback, but it seems to be as bad as 2015-16. I support local/investigative journalism (like you), but their voice is too big to abandon to the crazies.
I think there is a lot of excellent reporting in the NYT and the WaPo. But there is also, IMO, too much horserace coverage and false balance. I don't generally watch news on TV. Nothing against it but the pace is too slow for me.
A suggestion for an article is to look at the role cable companies play in supporting Fox News and how every subscriber actually supports it’s racist programming.
I've actually done a couple of pieces on that. Here's the latest: https://popular.info/p/you-are-probably-paying-for-pro-russian?s=w
Thanks for the reminder. I know this is a huge issue, problem is I forgot how I knew this. I’m going to blame it on being old.
Thank you for the great work you are doing. I really appreciate your independent reporting.
Judd, how about talking about the Republicans blaming the Democrats, for the infant formula shortage, then voting against the millions in relief for that very same problem.
That was something
The way that you follow the money is invaluable. You are wonderful, and you should keep doing what you are doing.
An issue that is really worrying me is the concerted effort taking place to turn parents against public schools. It is working. Whether the issue is race and CRT, masks, books, sexual education, gender issues, social emotional learning, etc...It all focuses on making parents on both sides feel angry and powerless about what is happening in public schools. This is being done purposefully as a step toward moving public education money to private schools. There is too much reporting that presumes politicians are caving to parents' concerns, rather than purposefully causing them. It is happening here in TN, making national news with school board meetings and Moms for Liberty. But Governor Lee has said from the beginning that this is his priority issue, before any of that happened. The funding formula has just changed here to be per child. And the power over textbooks may be shifting from local control to a state-appointed commission.
I wonder about whether the primary motivation is money or the control over what is being taught and who is getting well-educated, or other things. I guess it will be a win-win for them if they succeed because they will get it all.
I'd like to see more stories on the people behind large media organizations. I've seen lots on companies and advertisers. But, what about the chief executives and board members? We can try to hold corporations accountable. But what about the people behind those corporations? They seem to escape any scrutiny/accountability.
Here’s something that’s causing me a lot of stress currently (in addition to a lot of other people I’d guess), election ads. There’s one currently running on our local stations in Minnesota claiming if the Republican wins, he’ll “fire Nancy Pelosi”. Considering that she’s elected and not “hired” that’s a patently false promise. Do local TV stations have to allow these lies to be broadcast? Can they refuse to run these ads? Can they add a disclaimer that tells the viewing public these are lies? They are maddening!
I still can't understand what Merrick Garland's job is. How is it possible to get away with an insurrection? In a "law and order" country like the US? What the fuck?
Why is CNN accepting advertising and money from Saudi Arabia? (visitsaudi.com)
You're doing a great job, Judd. I am becoming so saddened and discouraged by what's going on in our country. the rise of racial and extreme right violence, the power of money in politics that seems to be expanding...we never should have allowed money to control the directions of our legislators and that's what has happened. ON a literal, and a psycological level, the wish to remain in office exceeds the wish to address the concerns of our country and our people. And the news that CPAC (and our American citizens within that organization) is holding their national conference in Hungary and celebrating Orban. How much weirder can things get, hnow much more extreme can the "right" get? I also wish the news would stop presenting Biden as teetering on the ede of failure... is that drawing listeners for them? WTF is going on. Thanks for listening.
I thank my lucky stars for you and Popular Information. I've learned a lot and I share as much as I can with my measly number of followers. May it be UNPOPULAR with the likes of Ron DeSantis, in that it brings corruption to light. Democracy survives only if we the people are educated and aware.
This is just an aside topic, but if you have a slow news day, may i suggest an article on how important independent newspapers are/were to historical research? As a person who studies the past and does documentary research, I rely heavily on archived newspaper articles to find the information on any given topic. However with the monopolistic takeover's of newspapers by private equity companies it it going to have a very detrimental effect to preserving news of the past. Most of these newspapers have been plundered and gutted. Their news quality and articles are no longer covering as much local news as they previously did. Worse most of these papers are going behind pay walls and their past content isn't being made available to public libraries or historical societies, unless thru a paid third party. In essence, this corporate greed by private equity and corporations is creating very real Orwellian "Memory Holes" in history.
Which is highly ironic to say the least, when you consider that the promise of the internet should have actually created greater access to public information and news.
I’d like a deep dive into when is the best time, strategically, to give small donations to political campaigns and/or which umbrella organizations for the R’s and D’s are the most effective one’s to support.
A deep dive is probably outside the purview of the newsletter but, having run and worked on campaigns, the earlier the better. That's why there is EMILY's List: Early Money Is Like Yeast
This is interesting : https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/sports/columnist/mike-freeman/2021/03/18/naacp-nfl-dont-fund-fox-news-hatred-bigotry-lies-and-racism/4743485001/
Judd, Thank you for all of your hard work,firstly. I’m sorry that due to your clear and accurate reporting you’re receiving threats! I’m wishing you safe reporting!! I would love to see a report about some empowering act/s from groups who are working in positive ways against the “machine” (that which is likely fostering the threat toward it)alongside you! (Be they environmentalists, social justice activists or bakers!)
Again, thank you Judd and team of 2 for your brave and integrous reporting!
Kristien
Judd - keep up the great work.
What do you know about the effects of the 5th Circuit Courts ruling on the 'nondelegation clause"?
State politics. They're NOT just small potatoes, especially now with Roe about to be overturned and the ongoing assault on voting rights. Local investigative journalism has been systematically decimated, so we're left mostly in the dark about the machinations of state and local governments to undermine our democracy.
The credit card industry is running what amounts to modern indentured servanthood, and I can never find anything about it... who the players are and how they get away with it.
Louisiana has an abortion bill that stipulates any judge finding the bill to be unconstitutional be removed from office for handing down such an opinion. Thus the third branch of government is destroyed. And yet no outlet has addressed this concept.
Interesting. Will check it out.
Louisiana HB 813. By McCormick (R) currently scuttled by author.
Interesting. I hadn’t heard that. Nullification for the 21st century seems to be nullifying the courts.
Why aren't dems actively pushing for gun legislation? How many receive money from pro gun groups?
The difference (race, income, education, etc) between rural and urban America. This is the dividing line. I work in an urban setting and live in a rural community, their views of America are vastly different on many fronts. Btw, if the authoritarians win, we will be at the top of the list of people to put in re-education camps.
Why is there still no COVID vaccine for 0-5 year olds?
Good question.
The gun crisis - how will laws like NYC’s Red Flag stem gun violence in the age of 3d printing.
Capitalism is toxic.
Dems messaging is scattered and doesn't reflect average people. GOP messaging is trash. But is consistent, vocal, and constant. Dems are not.
Dem messaging is perfectly fine - and the normal range of views one would expect of millions of people coming to alignment. The problem is that media has normalized this as “Dems in disarray” and set unified GOP messaging (which is largely set by a few dozen donors) as the standard.
Push back on the narrative. Democracy is messy. Unified messaging signals autocracy and cults.
Inconsistent messaging is why media can normalize "disarray" narrative. A good communicator controls the messaging by having clear and consistent messages. When media tries to change the topic, a good communicator stays on message. Psaki was excellent at doing this. Dems are not.
You understand Jen Psaki is one person and the Dems are millions.
Something is seriously wrong if the GOP sounds like one person
And why is "civility" only demanded of the left? Why do we continue to play by Marquis de Queensberry rules when the other side burned the rule book and knocked the ref out with a folding chair a long time ago??
I'd love to see something detailed (if possible) on how the federal courts (especially the current Supreme Court) seem set to support the resurrection of the insidious "non-delegation doctrine". It's not an exciting subject, to be sure, but it has the potential of effectively ending the regulatory ability of all federal departments. If anyone wants to see what unfettered corporate power would look like, well, we might soon find out.
Judd, I love your exposes of corruption and bigotry by the GOP. They keep me so well informed about what is going on around the country. I live in a very blue state and blue city—NYC. The democratic party here is very corrupt, hands out no-bid contracts to political donors, changes party rules to lock out reformers from leadership posts, etc. Would you consider doing some investigations and reporting on big city machine politics corruption? Some topics in NYC where I think your skills would really be useful are the Empire Station/Penn 15 development project, which is a state-run project in Midtown Manhattan, and the attempt by the Kings County (Brooklyn) Democratic Party leadership to fraudulently hold on to their positions and lock out newcomers.
Thanks, and keep up the work.
I did this on New York Democrats and am going to keep my eye on this story: https://popular.info/p/new-york-is-on-the-brink-of-historic?s=w Always open to suggestions for other stuff
Great! Thanks!
I would like to see you explore the causes
and expose the sources of disinformation, along with any ideas you may have for combatting this bullshit.