Big Tech Wants Free Rein to Sell Your Data
Tech companies accused of exposing consumers to fraud want the Trump administration to let them freely buy and sell your personal information.
67 Articles by: Freddy Brewster
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Freddy Brewster is a freelance reporter and has been published in the Los Angeles Times, NBC News, CalMatters, the Lost Coast Outpost, and other outlets across California.
Biden Paved the Way for Trump’s Leniency on Corporate Crime
The federal government under Joe Biden prosecuted fewer corporate crime cases than at any point in the last 30 years. Now the Trump administration is set to drop or pause more than 100 enforcement actions against corporate misconduct.
Trump’s IRS Pick Has Ties to Shady Donors Under IRS Scrutiny
Donald Trump’s nominee for Internal Revenue Service director, Billy Long, just had his six-figure debt paid off by campaign donors whose firms are under scrutiny by the IRS for potential tax fraud.
Even Credit Unions Are in on Banks’ Junk Fee Racket
The credit union motto is “people helping people.” Yet credit unions, like big banks, collect billions of dollars through excessive overdraft fees — and the Trump administration just made it easier for them to do so.
Dark Money Is Funding the GOP’s War on Consumer Protections
Thirteen legal groups bankrolled by dark money are urging the Supreme Court to kneecap federal agencies’ ability to take on corporations — a strategy to strip agencies of their power to protect consumers and workers.
Supreme Court Lobbyists Don’t Want to Reveal Their Funders
A government committee in charge of federal judiciary rules wants to make Supreme Court lobbyists disclose who is funding them. Some of the most powerful corporate and conservative forces in DC are trying to keep that information secret.
Trump’s EPA Wants to Block Toxic Pesticide Warnings
Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency is advancing a proposal to block states from warning consumers about herbicides and other agricultural products in their food — including the widely used glyphosate, which some studies have linked to cancer.
Tim Scott Is Fighting for His Donors’ Junk Fees
Joe Biden’s CFPB passed rules limiting overdraft and credit card late fees. As the chair of the Senate committee that oversees the agency, Tim Scott wants to reinstate these junk fees — a key priority for his donors in finance.
The Trump Administration’s Entanglements With Saudi Arabia
Trump administration economic projects like its big AI build-out involve billions of dollars in investments from the Saudi Arabian government. The committee that’s supposed to oversee the deals is stacked with officials with business ties to the Saudis.
Before the DC Plane Crash, Lawmakers Expanded Flight Traffic
Months before last night’s fatal aircraft collision, lawmakers dismissed safety warnings and approved an airline-backed measure that increased flight traffic at Washington, DC’s already overstressed airport — the site of the disaster.
Donald Trump Is Drawing Heavily From Project 2025
On day one of his second presidential term, Donald Trump signed a blizzard of executive orders. Nearly two-thirds of them came straight from Project 2025, the corporate-backed right-wing policy blueprint that Trump disavowed on the campaign trail.
Dark Money Groups Want the Government to Bet Big on Crypto
Right-wing dark money groups are lobbying for the US and state governments to invest billions of dollars in Bitcoin reserves, jeopardizing public funds and the environment alike.
Jared Kushner May Profit From Expanded Israeli Settlements
On Wednesday, Jared Kushner doubled his stake in a financial firm that stands to gain from turbocharging illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory — just before the announcement of a cease-fire deal that Kushner may have helped advise on.
Biden Is Ignoring Environmental Concerns to Boost AI
Joe Biden’s own Energy Department is warning that data centers’ energy consumption, water use, and emissions are already skyrocketing amid droughts and climate disasters. Biden just signed an executive order to accelerate an AI build-out anyway.
How Big Oil Made It Harder to Fight the Los Angeles Fires
Fossil fuel companies are profiting off a state tax break depriving California of up to $146 million of annual tax revenue that could be used to combat climate-change-fueled wildfires — like the inferno currently tearing through Los Angeles.
Americans Are Alarmingly Underinsured for Flood Damage
According to new data from the Federal Reserve, nearly three-quarters of expected flood damage to American homes is currently uninsured — and Republicans and those who don’t perceive personal harm from climate change are more likely to lack adequate coverage.
The DOJ Is Letting McKinsey Opioid Consultants Off the Hook
The Biden administration’s Justice Department is allowing global consulting firm McKinsey to defer prosecution for its extensive role in fueling the opioid epidemic.
Crypto Could Barrel Us Into Another Financial Crisis
Recent reports from federal regulators warning about crypto’s volatility and lack of regulation echo alerts about the subprime mortgage industry before the 2008 financial crisis.
Kamala Harris Didn’t Defend Lina Khan
Kamala Harris stayed silent during the election as big Democratic donors attacked chief antitrust regulator Lina Khan — at the same time Khan’s agency launched an investigation into the employer of Harris’s brother-in-law and top advisor.
Joe Biden Is Giving More Leniency to Corporate Lawbreakers
The Biden Justice Department just announced it is making it easier for corporate lawbreakers to avoid prosecution — even if they have committed multiple crimes, earned significant profit from their wrongdoing, and failed to self-disclose the misconduct.