Political Betting Platforms Have a Friend in Trump
Political betting markets, which facilitated more than $3 billion in total election-related bets during this election season, are poised to win big from Trump administration ties and policies.
53 Articles by: Katya Schwenk
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Katya Schwenk is a journalist based in Phoenix, Arizona.
Will the Next President Help Banks Trap Customers?
Wall Street CEOs are courting both the Trump and Harris campaigns. If their effort succeeds, a new rule that makes it easier for customers to change banks will almost certainly be on the chopping block.
Dark Money’s Plan to Sabotage a Key Transparency Law
Last year, Arizona voters passed a ballot measure that requires dark money groups funding political advertising to reveal the source of their money. Now it has become the target for corporate interests trying to limit campaign finance laws.
The GOP Scheme to Let Trump Pick His Own Ethics Chief
Republican senator Mike Lee is blocking the appointment of the head of the Office of Government Ethics until after Inauguration Day. The tactic is meant to give Donald Trump the power to handpick his own ethics overseer if he wins the election.
Elon Musk Could Secure a Huge Tax Cut If Trump Wins
If Donald Trump wins the election and keeps his promise to appoint Elon Musk to a prominent government position, Musk could reap one of the largest personalized tax breaks in US history — on top of the massive tax cuts Trump wants to give billionaires.
Bail Bond Insurers Are Lobbying to Keep People in Jail
The for-profit bail industry is behind a new federal effort to criminalize charitable efforts designed to help people who can’t afford to post bail. The legislation is part of a national wave of attacks on bail reforms.
Amid Hurricane Milton, GOP Reps Are Blocking Climate Action
As Hurricane Milton bears down on their districts, two Republican representatives backed by fossil fuel companies are pushing legislation that claims the climate crisis is a “false emergency.”
The Regulatory Loophole That Keeps Poisoning Atlantans
This week, a Georgia chemical plant suffered yet another accident, releasing toxic fumes into an Atlanta suburb for at least the fourth time. The plant falls into a yawning regulatory loophole that chemical industry lobbying has kept open for years.
Lawmakers Aren’t Disclosing Their Private Equity Millions
The wealthiest members of Congress from both parties — including vice presidential candidate J. D. Vance — have millions invested collectively in private equity funds. In many cases, they are not required to disclose details about these investments.
Families Are Paying Millions in School Lunch Junk Fees
One of the world’s largest payment processing companies is charging parents exorbitant fees to load money into students’ meal accounts. The operation is now facing federal scrutiny.
Texas Has Set Up a System of Oil-Friendly Business Courts
Texas is about to open its business courts, a new legal system backed by Big Oil that is expected to have immediate impacts on environmental cases in the state. The courts’ judges were handpicked by Gov. Greg Abbott, a major recipient of oil industry cash.
Leonard Leo’s Plan to Suppress Voters in Swing-States
A cadre of lawyers tied to conservative activist Leonard Leo is spearheading a series of legal attacks on voting rights in critical swing states. The operation aims to suppress voters, with the potential to tip the scales during the election this fall.
J. D. Vance Wants to Gut Biden’s Consumer Protections
J. D. Vance has cosponsored 24 GOP attempts to gut Biden administration consumer protections, from air quality standards to cracking down on junk fees. His voting record offers a glimpse of what’s to come under a potential second Trump administration.
Airlines Still Want to Cheat You Out of Your Money
The airline industry’s top lobbying group, Airlines for America, is pushing back against the Biden administration’s rule requiring that consumers get automatically refunded for flights that are delayed or canceled.
Billionaire Donor Wants Kamala Harris to Fire the FTC Chair
A major Democratic donor and Microsoft board member is pressuring Kamala Harris to dismiss the government’s top antitrust regulator, who has launched an aggressive crackdown on corporate power since taking office.
Big Tech Consolidation Amplified the CrowdStrike Outage
On Friday, an update to a cybersecurity program took down Microsoft systems across the globe. Microsoft has resisted efforts to regulate a root cause of this chaos: the concentration of digital infrastructure in the hands of a few tech giants.
The Rich Are Pushing Right-Wing Tax Education in Schools
The Tax Foundation’s TaxEDU curriculum teaches students that corporate tax cuts help workers. With backing from the Koch network and big oil, the right-wing nonprofit is implanting this agenda in public schools.
Most Large US Public Charities Are Now Dark-Money Funds
Finance giants like Fidelity and Schwab are pushing “donor-advised funds” that enable the ultrawealthy to funnel cash to far-right extremist groups anonymously under the guise of charitable giving. Project 2025 has benefited enormously.
The Gun Lobby Ensured That Guns Are Allowed at the RNC
Despite the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, guns are allowed just outside the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. That’s thanks to the gun lobby, which fought for a state law that prohibits cities from restricting guns on public property.
The Supreme Court Just Legalized Bribery
The Supreme Court just gutted a key federal bribery statute this week, handing down a ruling that allows powerful interests to give gifts to politicians as rewards for favors.