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The "Swiss Bank Accounts" of the 2012 Elections: How Secret Donors Are Corrupting Democracy

by Brendan Fischer — January 21, 2013 - 8:45am

The corrosive influence of money in politics was amplified in 2012 by the fact that in many cases we don't know which individuals or which corporations actually provided much of the funding to affect election results. "Dark money" -- election spending where we don't know the source of the funds -- played a bigger role in 2012 than in any other presidential election since Richard Nixon's.

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Fracking Industry Goes After Promised Land Film

by Meher Ahmad — January 18, 2013 - 8:47am
  • Topics: Fracking, Propaganda, Public Relations

    • Before Gus Van Sant's latest film Promised Land even premiered, the energy industry was up in arms, gearing up to counter the film's apparent anti-fracking stance with a barrage of "community" responses (read: thinly veiled corporate PR).

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    The NRA and Koch-Backed ALEC Have Fought Gun Buyback Programs Across Country

    by Brendan Fischer — January 15, 2013 - 6:43am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Democracy, Politics

    • The National Rifle Association (NRA) is threatening legal action if the Tucson Police Department tries to destroy the guns it acquired through a voluntary gun buyback program -- thanks to legislation advanced by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and then passed in Arizona.

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    FreedomWorks Putting Its War Chest to Work for ALEC’s Anti-Union Agenda in the States

    by Brendan Fischer — January 14, 2013 - 7:57am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Democracy, Labor, Politics

    • The Tea Party-affiliated group FreedomWorks -- the right-wing organization that helps connect "Tea Party" groups with talking points, rallies, and more -- is gearing up to direct its sizeable war chest towards advancing anti-union initiatives in the states, supporting an agenda set by groups like David Koch's Americans for Prosperity and the Koch-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). This strongly suggests that the battle for the future of private and public sector unions in America is beginning a new phase of combat.

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    What Will Scott Walker Lift from the ALEC Agenda in 2013?

    by Brendan Fischer — January 9, 2013 - 8:33am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Democracy, Politics, Wisconsin Protests

    • Wisconsin's 2011-2012 legislative session saw the introduction of 32 bills or budget provisions reflecting American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) model legislation -- including Governor Scott Walker's contentious attack on public sector collective bargaining, voter ID legislation, and bills that make it harder for Americans to hold corporations accountable when their products injure or kill -- and 19 of those proposals became law.

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    CoalSwarm: A Clearinghouse for Shared Information on King Coal

    by PRW Staff — January 6, 2013 - 11:13am
  • Topics: Energy, Environment

    • The article below was written by Ted Nace, who founded CoalSwarm. Since 2008, the Center for Media and Democracy has been hosting the CoalSwarm wiki project on CMD's SourceWatch.org website. SourceWatch is a sister site of this site, PRWatch.org, and other sites of CMD, which include ALECexposed.org and the FoodRightsNetwork.org.

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    CMD Joins Amicus Brief Asking U.S. Supreme Court to Allow All Americans to Access Public Records

    by Brendan Fischer — January 4, 2013 - 9:33am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Democracy, Politics

    • The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) has joined an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the right of all Americans to access public records, regardless of which state they call home.

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    $12M Donation to FreedomWorks Laundered through a "Shell Corporation" May Have Violated Federal Law

    by Brendan Fischer — January 3, 2013 - 8:14am
  • Topics: Election 2012, Corporations, Democracy, Politics

    • New details are emerging about how a multi-millionaire used shell corporations to funnel money to the Super PAC associated with embattled Tea Party group FreedomWorks for America -- and how those laundered contributions may have violated federal law.

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    It Ain't Over Till It's Over: Wall Street Gears Up for Austerity Battles of 2013

    by Mary Bottari — January 2, 2013 - 8:53am
  • Topics: Astroturf, Corporate Campaigns, Public Relations, Real Economy Project

    • For better or worse, a bill passed Congress in the wee hours of 2013 averting the much-hyped "fiscal cliff" for now and raising taxes on couples making over $450,000 and extending a lifeline of unemployment benefits to 2 million Americans.

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    King Coal Gets a Boost through ALEC

    by Jill Richardson — January 1, 2013 - 9:28am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed

    • As Americans experienced epic droughts, freakish hurricanes, and other extreme weather over the past few years, many are eager to see our nation secure a sustainable energy supply for the future that won't break our climate. But others -- most notably the polluting fossil fuel industries -- are eager to double down on the same old technologies that are responsible for the climate crisis in the first place.

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