money in politics

September 15, 2022 - This November voters in Kentucky will weigh in on a proposed constitutional amendment that would deny any state right to an abortion, similar to the one that recently failed in Kansas. We look at the players and money behind Kentucky's anti-abortion ballot measure and the effort to defeat it.  

July 21, 2022 - North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) pushed for the new state budget to allocate millions of dollars to close hog farms, which are concentrated in environmental justice communities in the state's increasingly flood-prone east. But the Republican-controlled state legislature, where the industry is a powerful force, passed a budget without the funds — and Cooper signed it.  

July 20, 2022 - A watchdog group has filed complaints against several gun companies including Georgia's Daniel Defense for donating to super PACS while under federal contract, which is illegal. The Federal Election Commission, known for its ineffectiveness, faces pressure to hold weapons manufacturers accountable.   

June 24, 2022 - The former North Carolina congressman and White House chief of staff, under investigation for registering to vote in three states, Meadows promoted lies about the 2020 presidential election that President Trump used to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from supporters. Trump then gave a chunk of the money to the nonprofit Conservative Partnership Institute, where Meadows and other Trump loyalists work to lift up election deniers.

June 7, 2022 - Daniel Defense is the Georgia-based company that manufactured the AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle used in the massacre that left 19 schoolchildren and two teachers dead in Uvalde, Texas. The private company is a major federal contractor, inking its latest deal to provide arms for the U.S. Marshals Service 10 days after the Uvalde shooting. It's also been a generous contributor to Republican candidates and a pro-gun political action committee.   

June 3, 2022 - The recent National Rifle Association convention in Houston took place just days after a gunman with an AR-15-style rifle killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in the Texas city of Uvalde. Some politicians scheduled to address the gathering canceled even before the shooting, some canceled afterwards — and some showed up anyway.

April 22, 2022 - Scores of people who have publicly spread lies about the results of the 2020 presidential election are seeking to be governor, attorney, or secretary of state — offices that run, oversee, and protect elections. At least 19 of them are running in the seven Southern states holding elections for those offices this year.