Tag Archives: project

Mitch McConnell Just Made It Virtually Impossible to Police Dark Money in 2016

by MarcelaWilshire Posted on December 17, 2015

Mother Jones

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Conservative Solutions Project has run more than 4,882 ads in support of Marco Rubio this election—and not a dime of its funding has been made public. As a politically active nonprofit, the outfit is theoretically regulated by the Internal Revenue Service, but thanks to clever legislative maneuvering by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and congressional Republicans, there’s no danger that the IRS will apply any special scrutiny to the people or corporations generously financing this key component of Rubio’s run for president. (His actual campaign unveiled its first ad just a few weeks ago).

Buried deep in the massive end-of-the-year spending bill released late Tuesday night were provisions that not only prohibit the IRS from cracking down on groups like Conservative Solutions Project, but that block the Securities and Exchange Commission from prying into the political spending of public companies.

In last year’s budget deal, McConnell pushed through higher limits for campaign contributions to party organizations, allowing wealthy donors to chip in hundreds of thousands of dollars. During this year’s budget negotiations, McConnell initially tried to further loosen restrictions on how party committees spend money. But he faced strong opposition from an unusual coalition of congressional Democrats and members of the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus. The pushback appears to have caused McConnell, a longtime foe of campaign finance rules, to abandon the plan. But he did manage to slip provisions into the legislation that weakened enforcement and transparency when it comes to politically active nonprofits.

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Mitch McConnell Just Made It Virtually Impossible to Police Dark Money in 2016

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Marco Rubio Sure Does Have a Lot of (Very, Very) Secret Admirers

by ChelseaI05 Posted on November 25, 2015

Mother Jones

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We all know that dark money is this year’s hotness, right? So who’s the king of dark money? It turns out the answer is Marco Rubio. Other candidates all have their Super PACs, but Super PACs disclose their donors. Rubio has the Conservative Solutions Project, a 501(c)(4) that doesn’t. And as Andrew Prokop points out, CSP has been responsible for virtually all of the TV ads so far promoting Rubio.

Wait—allow me to revise and extend. 501(c)(4) groups aren’t allowed to promote candidates, so of course CSP isn’t doing so. It’s doing “issue education.” Like this, for example:

Can you feel the education? Sure you can! So far Rubio’s buddies who run CSP have spent $8.4 million educating us about the problems facing America and the types of fresh, young, Cuban-American men who are leading the charge to solve them. For some reason though, none of the worthies involved in this issue education care to make their largesse public. I wonder what they’ve got to hide?

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Marco Rubio Sure Does Have a Lot of (Very, Very) Secret Admirers

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Watchdog Groups Ask Justice Department to Investigate Pro-Rubio Nonprofit

by MercedeCoburn Posted on November 5, 2015

Mother Jones

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More than $5 million has been spent on television ads backing Marco Rubio’s presidential run—but none of it has come from the Florida senator’s campaign, or even the super-PAC formed to help elect him. Instead, all the spending has come from a dark money group that does not disclose its donors.

On Thursday, two campaign finance watchdog groups asked the Department of Justice to investigate whether the Conservative Solutions Project’s work on Rubio’s behalf is legal. In a letter to the tax division of DOJ, the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 allege that the group exists solely to support Rubio’s candidacy, in violation of its 501(c)(4) nonprofit tax status. That tax status allows the group to raise unlimited sums—it has raised over $18 million thus far—while keeping its donors secret.

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Watchdog Groups Ask Justice Department to Investigate Pro-Rubio Nonprofit

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Trans-Pacific Partnership could undermine climate regulations, top economist warns

by VeraLNVsjwvas Posted on October 28, 2015

Trans-Pacific Partnership could undermine climate regulations, top economist warns

By on 28 Oct 2015 6:33 amcommentsShare

As a general rule, climate hawks are not jumping for joy over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a new trade deal between the U.S. and some Asian and Pacific nations. On Tuesday, in an interview with Democracy Now!, Nobel economics laureate Joseph Stiglitz gave them another reason to worry: He argued that certain provisions in the TPP would allow polluters to sue governments for setting carbon emission limits.

“This is a trade agreement that has all kinds of provisions intended to restrict regulations,” Stiglitz told Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman.

As an example of the absurdity of these types of provisions, Stiglitz cited Philip Morris suing Uruguay in 2010 under a different treaty. Uruguay had implemented a regulation that required tobacco companies to append health warnings to cigarette cartons  — similar to what we have in the United States — and Philip Morris sued the country for a loss in expected profits. “In other words,” Stiglitz said, “the view is, they have the right to kill people, and if you want to take away that right, you have to pay them not to kill.”

The Columbia University economist warned that the TPP could spur similar litigation over climate regulations. “We know we’re going to need regulations to restrict the emissions of carbon,” argued Stiglitz. “But under these provisions, corporations can sue the government, including the American government, by the way, so all the governments in the TPP can be sued for the loss of profits as a result of the regulations that restrict their ability to emit carbon emissions that lead to global warming.”

Writing for Project Syndicate earlier this month, Stiglitz explained that corporate interests argue these types of provisions are “necessary to protect property rights where the rule of law and credible courts are lacking.” But he calls that argument “nonsense,” especially in the case of regulations formulated to target industries whose “profits are made from causing public harm.”

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Joseph Stiglitz: Under TPP, Polluters Could Sue U.S. For Setting Carbon Emissions Limits

, Democracy Now!.

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Trans-Pacific Partnership could undermine climate regulations, top economist warns

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The Feds Just Got Sued for Letting Nestlé Bottle Water in California’s Drought Country

by LeonoreOuthwait Posted on October 14, 2015

Mother Jones

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A group of environmental organizations sued the US Forest Service on Tuesday, claiming that it allowed Nestlé to illegally divert millions of gallons of water from California’s San Bernadino National Forest to use for Arrowhead brand bottled water while the state struggles through a historic drought.

Nestlé has had rights to bottle water from the forest’s Strawberry Creek for decades, but a Desert Sun investigation in March of this year found that the company’s permit to use a four-mile pipeline that transports the water to the bottling plant expired in 1988. A month later, the agency announced it was investigating the permit.

Other popular bottled water brands like Aquafina and Dasani also source from catastrophically dry regions.

The plaintiffs—the Center for Biological Diversity, the Story of Stuff Project, and the Courage Campaign Institute—are calling on the Forest Service to shut down use of the pipeline and conduct an environmental review immediately. They contend that the Forest Service is breaking its own policies by allowing the bottling operation to continue, as the siphoning of water from already depleted water source is harming local habitats and wildlife.

“Recent reports have indicated that water levels at Strawberry Creek are at record lows,” said the plaintiffs in a statement yesterday. “In exchange for allowing Nestlé to continue siphoning water from the Creek, the Forest Service receives just $524 a year, less than the average Californian’s water bill.”

After a Mother Jones investigation found that Starbucks bottled Ethos brand water in Merced, California, the company announced it would move its operations out of state due to concerns about the drought. When asked if Nestlé would stop bottling California water, CEO Tim Brown replied, “Absolutely not. In fact, if I could increase it, I would.”

Brown argues that his company’s permit has not expired, since it it still being reviewed by the Forest Service. Furthermore, the amount of water used at the company’s five California bottling plants—about 1.9 million gallons per day—is not contributing to California’s drought, he wrote earlier this year: “To put that amount in perspective, this is roughly equal to the annual average watering needs of two California golf courses.”

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The Feds Just Got Sued for Letting Nestlé Bottle Water in California’s Drought Country

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Here’s What Happens When You Photoshop All the Men Out of Politics

by MaryannHickey Posted on October 14, 2015

Mother Jones

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The current pace at which women are elected to office in the United States and abroad is incredibly slow. A recent study cited in the Nation found that gender equality in American politics won’t be seen for another 500 years— a demoralizing trend that’s also evident in most major industries, from Silicon Valley to Hollywood.

For anyone who believes that women’s underrepresentation in politics and industry is a progressive myth, a new video created by Elle UK proves otherwise. Using the power of Photoshop, the project wipes out all the men in politics, entertainment, and more to show just how few women actually have a seat at the table. Watch below:

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Here’s What Happens When You Photoshop All the Men Out of Politics

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All 8,400 Apollo Moon Mission Photos Just Went Online. Here Are Some of Our Faves.

by Greg3678myvmzjm Posted on October 2, 2015

Mother Jones

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Every photo ever taken by Apollo astronauts on moon missions is now available online, on the Project Apollo Archive’s Flickr account. That’s about 8,400 images, grouped by the roll of film they were shot on. You can finally see all the blurry images, mistakes, and unrecognized gems for yourself. The unprocessed Hasseblad photos (basically raw scans of the negatives) uploaded by the Project Apollo Archive offer a fascinating behind-the-scenes peek at the various moon missions…as well as lots and lots (and lots) of photos detailing the surface of the moon. Here’s a very small taste. All photos by NASA/The Project Apollo Archive.

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All 8,400 Apollo Moon Mission Photos Just Went Online. Here Are Some of Our Faves.

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Democrats Introduce Sweeping, Historic Bill to Protect LGBT Rights

by FredManifold32 Posted on July 23, 2015

Mother Jones

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Members of Congress introduced on Thursday a historically comprehensive bill that would create federal standards to protect LGBT people from discrimination in housing, workplaces, schools, public accommodations, and financial transactions.

Same-sex marriage is now the law of the land, but most states still lack laws explicitly prohibiting discrimination against LGBT people in other areas. “This means that while same-sex couples can today legally marry, tomorrow they could lose their jobs, be kicked out of a restaurant, or be turned down for a mortgage, just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), a cosponsor of the bill, said in Washington before its introduction in the House and Senate.

The Equality Act, as it’s known, would expand the Civil Rights Act of 1964—which outlaws discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin—to also include protections for LGBT people. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), who became the fourth openly gay member of Congress five years ago, cited staggering statistics to support the bill. He said 63 percent of LGBT Americans have reported experiencing discrimination at some point in their lives, and that 56 percent of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people have experienced discrimination when trying to get health care. “The current system, this patchwork of protections and lack of protections for the LGBT community in our states, is not working,” he said Thursday.

But the Equality Act will likely face opposition from Republican lawmakers. In 2013, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would have prohibited discrimination in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, passed in the Senate but died in the GOP-controlled House.

Only 21 states explicitly outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, and of those, 19 states plus Washington, DC, also prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity, according to the Human Rights Campaign. For a better sense of the fragmented landscape, check out the following maps on employment discrimination, housing discrimination, discrimination in public places, and credit discrimination, courtesy of the Movement Advancement Project, a Colorado-based think tank.

Employment discrimination and sexual orientation/gender identity Movement Advancement Project

Public accommodations laws generally cover anywhere someone is when they are not at home, work, or school, including retail stores, restaurants, parks, hotels, doctors’ offices, and banks. – See more at: http://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/non_discrimination_laws#sthash.yu3LZkag.dpuf

Housing discrimination and sexual orientation/gender identity Movement Advancement Project

Public accommodation discrimination and sexual orientation/gender identity Movement Advancement Project

Credit discrimination and sexual orientation/gender identity Movement Advancement Project

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Democrats Introduce Sweeping, Historic Bill to Protect LGBT Rights

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Supercut: Joe Biden Has a Really Itchy Face

by KimberlyGreen5 Posted on July 7, 2015

Mother Jones

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The first thing I want to say is this: I didn’t intend to make this video.

My project was more noble. I’ve noticed Vice President Joe Biden appearing a lot recently with President Obama at big news conferences—the Cuba embassy announcement, when the Supreme Court upholding a key element of the Affordable Care Act, the heckler scene at the White House’s LGBT Pride Dinner, the first White House reaction to the Charleston massacre. Biden is such a big, everyday presence in public life—like furniture in a comfortable room—that I wanted to see if there were any common threads I could pick out about him by watching these appearances. Has he visibly changed over the years in the same way Barack Obama has, for example? In what ways has his public performance changed over the years?

Instead, all I noticed was…his itchy face. He scratches his face a lot. More than other people behind the podium, or on stage. Far more. It’s true, it must get pretty boring, listening and clapping and laughing so much. And imagine if you wanted to scratch your face, it would build up and you would really want to scratch it.

Now, it’s all I can see.

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Supercut: Joe Biden Has a Really Itchy Face

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The Combined Black Workforces of Google, Facebook, and Twitter Could Fit on a Single Jumbo Jet

by WhitneyClogstoun Posted on July 2, 2015

Mother Jones

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We already knew that Google, Facebook, and Twitter employed relatively few African Americans, but new details show that the gap is truly striking. All three companies have disclosed their full EEO1 reports, detailed accounts of their employees’ race and gender demographics that the law requires them to submit to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The reports show that out of a combined 41,000 Twitter, Facebook, and Google employees, only 758, or 1.8 percent, are black. To put this in perspective, all of those workers could fit onto a single Airbus A380. Have a look:

African Americans comprise 13 percent of the overall workforce, which means they are underrepresented at Google, Facebook, and Twitter by a factor of 7. Here’s a visual comparison of the black employees…

versus all other employees:

Race and gender gaps in tech hiring have been hot-button issues as of late. Since last May, when Rev. Jesse Jackson showed up at Google’s shareholder meeting, he has won some serious diversity concessions from major tech companies—but the pace of minority hiring remains slow. As the Guardian noted yesterday, Facebook hired 1,216 new people last year, and only 36 were black. Since last year, the percentage of black Google workers has not changed.

It should be easier to shift workplace demographics at smaller companies. Twitter, with fewer than 3,000 employees in 2014, has a huge black user base that is sometimes referred to as “Black Twitter.” Jackson wants the company to do more to move the needle. “I am very disappointed,” he told the Guardian. “We are becoming intolerant with these numbers. There’s a big gap between their talk and their implementation.”

Airplane image: Anthony Lui/Noun Project

Correction: An early version of this story misstated the number of black employees at Google and incorrectly suggested that Twitter had released its 2015 EEO1 report. Mother Jones regrets the errors.

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The Combined Black Workforces of Google, Facebook, and Twitter Could Fit on a Single Jumbo Jet

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