Campaign Finance

National: “Watchdog Sues Paul Ryan-Aligned Dark Money Group” by Maggie Severns for Poltico

Ohio: “Lack of Campaign Fundraising Caps, Tracking Issues at City Hall Raise Concerns” by Doug Caruso and Rick Rouan for Columbus Dispatch

Rhode Island: “Mattiello Is Ordered to Repay $72K to Leadership PAC” by Katherine Gregg for Providence Journal

Tennessee: “Tennessee Lawmakers Still ‘Double-Dipping’ After Warning from Campaign Finance Official” by Joel Ebert for The Tennessean

Wisconsin: “Want to Give Digital Currency to a Political Campaign? State Ethics Panel Mulls If and How” by Mark Sommerhauser for Wisconsin State Journal

Ethics

National: “Mulvaney, Watchdog Bureau’s Leader, Advises Bankers on Ways to Curtail Agency” by Glenn Thrush for New York Times

New Jersey: “Video Shows Port Authority Commissioner Telling Cops: ‘You may shut the f— up!’” by Ted Sherman (NJ Advance Media) for Newark Star-Ledger

Lobbying

National: “Skadden Lawyer Craig Leaves Firm After Inquiry on Ukraine Report” by Greg Farrell for Bloomberg.com

Kentucky: “Metro Council Member Doubles as Lobbyist in Frankfort” by Joe Sonka for Insider Louisville

Redistricting

National: “Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Texas Redistricting” by Rafael Bernal for The Hill

Campaign Finance

National: “If a Parent’s Day Job Is Running for Congress, Can the Campaign Pay for Child Care?” by Danielle Kurtz for Minnesota Public Radio

Maryland: “Baltimore City Council to Consider Public Financing of City Elections” by Ian Duncan for Baltimore Sun

Montana: “Former State Legislator Finally Pays $70K Fine for Campaign Finance Violations” by Ed Kemmick for Missoula Current

Ohio: “How One GOP Heiress Influenced the Ohio House – and Its Leader’s Demise” by Jessie Balmert for Cincinnati Enquirer

South Dakota: “A 6-Year-Old Gave $1,000 to Paul TenHaken – and It’s Legal” by Joe Sneve for Sioux Falls Argus Leader

Elections

National: “U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn Should Be Kept Off the 2018 Ballot, Colorado Supreme Court Rules” by Jesse Paul, Mark Matthews, and John Frank for Denver Post

Ethics

California: “O.C. Anti-Corruption Task Force Collapsed Amid Infighting Between Federal and Local Investigators” by Adam Elmahrak and Richard Winton for Los Angeles Times

Michigan: “Trash Titan Chuck Rizzo Gets 5½ Years: ‘I’ve let many people down’” by Tresa Baldas for Detroit Free Press

Lobbying

National: “Protesters Target NRA Lobbyist’s Home and Wife’s Business” by Rachel Weiner for Washington Post

New York: “JCOPE Passes Sweeping New Lobbying Regulations” by Chris Bragg for Albany Times

Campaign Finance

National: Pruitt’s Capitol Hill Condo Fallout Hits a Republican Senator by Ari Natter for Bloomberg.com

Elections

National: Manafort Suspected as ‘Back Channel’ to Russia, U.S. Says by David Voreacos for Bloomberg.com

Ethics

National: EPA Inspector General to Probe Pruitt’s Use of Security Detail on Personal Trips by Brady Dennis for Washington Post

Michigan: Ex-Detroit Deputy Police Chief Celia Washington Gets 1 Year in Prison for Bribery by Tresa Baldas for Detroit Free Press

Missouri: Judge Refuses to Dismiss Criminal Case Against Greitens by Robert Patrick and Joel Currier for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

New York: Former de Blasio Fundraiser Facing Criminal Charges for Straw Donations in 2013 Mayoral Election by Molly Newman, Shayna Jacobs, and James Fanelli for New York Daily News

Lobbying

Canada: Democracy Watch to File Lobbying Complaint About Facebook Exec by Beatrice Britneff for iPolitics.ca

Florida: Citizens Decry City of Tallahassee’s In-House Football Ticket Probe as a ‘Whitewash’ by Jeff Burlew for Tallahassee Democrat

Campaign Finance

Canada: “B.C. Ponders More Changes to Election-Financing Rules” by Matt Robinson for Vancouver Sun

Ethics

Florida: “Fernandez Gave Football Tickets to City Officials; Investigation Finds ‘No Rule Violation’” by Jeff Burlew for Tallahassee Democrat

Georgia: “Former Atlanta Mayor Named in Federal Subpoena” by Dale Russell for WAGA

Iowa: “Iowa Elections Official Did Not Disclose Side Business” by Ryan Foley (Associated Press) for Daily Nonpareil

Missouri: “Missouri Ethics Nominees: No promises made to Greitens” by Blake Nelson (Associated Press) for Columbia Missourian

New Mexico: “Financial Disclosures Tripping Up New Mexico Legislators” by Andrew Oxford (Santa Fe New Mexican) for Las Cruces Sun-News

New York: “New York Attorney General Seeks Power to Bypass Presidential Pardons” by Danny Hakim and William Rashbaum for New York Times

Lobbying

National: “Patrick Kennedy Profits from Opioid-Addiction Firms” by Adam Cancryn for Politico

Procurement

Maryland: “Hogan Administration Delays Consideration of Fast-Tracked Transportation Contract” by Michael Laris for Washington Post

Campaign Finance

Indiana: Indiana GOP Locked Senate Candidate Todd Rokita Out of Donor Database Over Likely Ethics Violation by Brian Slodysko (Associated Press) for Indianapolis Star

Missouri: Hawley Says Probe into Greitens, Charity Indicates Potential Felony by Governor by Lindsay Wise (McClatchy), Jason Hancock, and Bryan Lowry for Kansas City Star

Montana: Dark Money Group Pays $30K Fine for Breaking Montana Campaign Finance Law by John Adams (Montana Free Press) for Montana Current

Ethics

National: Watchdog: EPA broke law building Pruitt’s secure phone booth by Alex Guillén and Anthony Adragna for Politico

Arizona: Don Shooter Seeks $1.3 Million from House Speaker, Ducey’s Chief of Staff Following Removal by Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Dustin Gardner for Arizona Republic

Illinois: U.S. Supreme Court Again Rejects Hearing Rod Blagojevich’s Appeal by Jason Meisner for Chicago Tribune

Lobbying

Florida: Proposal on November Ballot Would Toughen Lobbying Rules by Lloyd Dunkelberger (News Service of Florida) for Bradenton Herald

Kansas: Gov. Colyer Signs Sweeping Executive Branch Transparency Measure by Hunter Woodall for Kansas City Star

Campaign Finance

Illinois: “Cook County Tax Officials Take Excess Campaign Donations from Appeals Firms, Ethics Panel Says” by Ray Long and Hal Dardick for Chicago Tribune

Elections

National: “Sources: Mueller has evidence Cohen was in Prague in 2016, confirming part of dossier” by Peter Stone and Greg Gordon for McClatchy DC

National: “R.N.C. Official Who Agreed to Pay Playboy Model $1.6 Million Resigns” by Rebecca Ruiz and Jim Rutenberg (New York Times) for MSN

Ethics

National: “Trump Grants Pardon to Former Bush Official; Some Say He Is Using the Law as a Political Tool” by Philip Rucker, Josh Dawsey, and Matt Zapotosky for Washington Post

National: “Trump Attorney Michael Cohen’s Mystery Legal Client: Fox News commentator Sean Hannity” by Philip Bump, Devlin Barrett, and Beth Reinhard for Washington Post

West Virginia: “Legislative Auditors Recommend Ethics Investigation of Justice Loughry” by Phil Kabler for Charleston Gazette-Mail

Lobbying

Arizona: “Woman at Center of Phoenix Lobbyist Forgery Scandal Convicted, Sentenced” by Dustin Gardner and Rick O’Dell for Arizona Republic

Michigan: “Mich. Speaker ‘Not Lobbied’ on Trip with Lobbyists” by Jonathan Oosting for Detroit News

Washington: “Many of the State’s Powerful Lobbyists Work from One Olympia Neighborhood” by Joseph O’Sullivan (Seattle Times) for The Olympian

Campaign Finance

National: Ex-Texas Congressman Convicted of Fraud, Conspiracy by The Associated Press for Arizona Daily Sun

Florida: Florida’s State Lawmakers Haven’t Gotten a Dime from the NRA Since 2005 by Dan Sweeney for South Florida Sun Sentinel

Elections

National: National Enquirer Paid Second Source with Embarrassing Trump Rumor by Carol Leonnig for Washington Post

Ethics

National: Ryan Poised to Earn Millions Even If He Sheds ‘Weekend Dad’ Role by Jeff Green, John McCormick, and Bill Allison for Bloomberg.com

National: Former Staffer: EPA fired him for refusing to OK first-class flight by Alex Guillén for Politico

New York: Ex-Cuomo Aide Percoco Can Get $36K NY Pension Despite Corruption Conviction by Julie McMahon for Syracuse Post-Standard

Lobbying

Oregon: Oregon’s Largest Business Organization Fires Its CEO, Former GOP Legislator Mark Johnson by Mike Rogoway and Ted Sickinger for Portland Oregonian

Wisconsin: Wisconsin Speaker Robin Vos Took Free Trip to London with Lobbyists and Leaders from Other States by Jason Stein and Patrick Marley for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Campaign Finance

National: “Facebook Fallout Deals Blow to Mercers’ Political Clout” by Nicholas Confessore and David Gelles for New York Times

National: “NRA Discloses Two Dozen Additional Contributions from Russian Donors” by Pete Madden and Matthew Mosk for ABC News

National: “Ex-Candidates May Face Restrictions on Campaign Cash” by Ken Doyle for Bloomberg Government

Missouri: “Missouri Defends Campaign Donation Limits in Eighth Circuit” by Joe Harris for Courthouse News Service

Elections

Kansas: “Kansas AG Wants Court to Bar Out-of-State Residents from Running for Governor” by Hunter Woodall for Kansas City Star

Ethics

Kentucky: “Kentucky Lawmaker Fined for ‘Inappropriate Text Messages’” by Adam Beam (Associated Press) for Miami Herald

Ohio: “Amid FBI Investigation, Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger Resigns” by Chrissie Thompson and Jessie Balmert for Cincinnati Enquirer

Legislative Issues

National: “AP Finds Legislatures Lack Public Records on Harassment” by David Lieb (Associated Press) for Arizona Daily Star

Natoinal: “Speaker Paul Ryan Will Not Seek Re-election in November” by Jonathan Martin and Nicholas Fandos for New York Times

National: “Bipartisan Senators Unveil Compromise Special Counsel Bill Amid Hopes to Break Political Logjam” by Karoun Demirjian for Washington Post

Lobbying

Missouri: “Records Show Drop in Number of Lawmakers Bunking with Lobbyist” by Kurt Erickson for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Campaign Finance

New Mexico: Biggest Donors Get Around Contribution Limits by Marjorie Childress (New Mexico In Depth) for New Mexico Political Report

New York: State BOE Moves to Curb Autonomy of Enforcement Counsel by Rachel Silberstein for Albany Times Union

Ethics

National: Top Government Ethics Official Demands EPA Probe Pruitt’s Ethics Controversies by Brady Dennis (Washington Post) for Denver Post

National: Trump Advised to Stay Away from Fund for Staff in Russia Probe by Shannon Pettypiece for Bloomberg.com

National: Mueller Investigating Ukrainian’s $150,000 Payment for a Trump Appearance by Michael Schmidt and Maggie Haberman for New York Times

Colorado: Colorado State Sen. Vicki Marble Violated Ethics Rules Through Her Role in Oil and Gas Forum Last Year, Commission Rules by Jesse Paul for Denver Post

Florida: Hialeah’s ‘Junkyard Millionaire’ and His Son Charged in Opa-locka Corruption Case by Jay Weaver for Miami Herald

Georgia: Man Gets Prison for Obstruction in Atlanta Bribery Probe by Kate Brumback (Associated Press) for Washington Times

Elections

South Dakota: “South Dakota a ‘Standout’ in Limiting Voters’ Ability to Bring Issues to the Ballot” by Dana Ferguson for Sioux Falls Argus Leader

Ethics

National: “F.B.I. Raids Office of Trump’s Longtime Lawyer Michael Cohen; Trump Calls It ‘Disgraceful’” by Matt Apuzzo for New York Times

National: “Lobbyist Couple Had to Change the Locks on Pruitt” by Eliana Johnson for Politico

District of Columbia: “Emails: Ousted D.C. government watchdog frustrated the mayor’s aides” by Fenit Nirappil for Washington Post

Indiana: “Senate Candidate Braun Pushed Legislation Benefiting His Industry as a State Lawmaker” by Tony Cook, Kaitlin Lange, and Robert King for Indianapolis Star

Maryland: “Former Md. Liquor Board Commissioner Sentenced in Bribery Scheme” by Lynh Bui for Washington Post

Lobbying

Alabama: “Ivey Signs Ethics Exemption for Developers into Law” by Kim Chandler for AP News

New York: “JCOPE Reaches Settlement with Top Lobbyist Over de Blasio Donation” by Chris Bragg for Albany Times Union

Campaign Finance

National: “Facebook’s New Rules Aim to Thwart the Kind of Ads Bought by Russian Trolls During the Election” by Tony Romm for Washington Post

Arizona: “Ducey Signs Bill Overriding Local Laws on Certain Campaign-Finance Disclosures” by Howard Fischer (Capitol Media Services) for Arizona Daily Star

Ohio: “Critics Say Rep. Jim Renacci May Have Used ‘Straw Donor’ Scheme to Fund State Campaign Account” by Deirdre Shesgreen (USA Today) for Cincinnati Enquirer

Ethics

National: “Mueller Probe Tracking Down Trump Business Partners, with Cohen a Focus of Queries” by Kevin Hall, Ben Wieder, and Greg Gordon for McClatchy DC

Colorado: “Sexual Harassment, Misconduct Prevalent but Largely Unreported at Colorado Capitol, New Report Finds” by John Frank and Jesse Paul for Denver Post

West Virginia: “WV Ethics Commission Takes Issue with New Public Service Volunteer Law” by Phil Kabler for Charleston Gazette-Mail

Legislative Issues

Hawaii: “What’s Up with All the Gut-And-Replace Trickery at The Legislature This Year?” by Nathan Eagle for Honolulu Civil Beat

Lobbying

National: “Lobbyist Tied to Pruitt’s Condo Had Roster of Clients Facing EPA” by Jennifer Dlouhy and Jennifer Jacobs for Bloomberg.com

Canada: “Facebook Claims Its Very Busy Man in Ottawa Is Not a Lobbyist” by Murad Hemmadi for Macleans.ca

Campaign Finance

Colorado: “Denver DA Drops Grand Jury Investigation into Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams” by Jesse Paul for Denver Post

New Mexico: “Judge Approves Settlement Over New Mexico Campaign Cash” by Morgan Lee (Associated Press) for Virginian-Pilot

Ethics

National: “‘Fat Leonard’ Affected Pentagon’s Pick to Lead Joint Chiefs” by Craig Whitlock for Washington Post

Kentucky: “Sexual Harassment Case: No ethics charges for three lawmakers” by Adam Beam (Associated Press) for State-Journal

Pennsylvania: “Former Philly Sheriff John Green Beats Every Charge in Federal Bribery-Conspiracy Trial” by Craig McCoy for Philadelphia Inquirer

Pennsylvania: “In a First, Pennsylvania Supreme Court OKs Noneconomic Damages for Turnpike Whistleblower” by Peter Hall for Allentown Morning Call

Legislative Issues

Minnesota: “Tony Cornish’s Capitol Visit Might Spark Restraining Order” by Kevin Featherly for Minnesota Lawyer

Lobbying

Kansas: “Second Sunshine Bill Sent to Gov. Colyer to Fix Kansas Transparency Issue” by Hunter Woodall for Kansas City Star

Campaign Finance

Canada: “Facebook Makes It Easy to Run Illegal and ‘Astroturf’ Ads, Say Canadian Digital Political Strategists” by Peter Mazureeuw for Hill Times

Hawaii: “Super PAC’s Attack Reveals Gaps in Hawaii Campaign Finance Law” by Nathan Eagle for Honolulu Civil Beat

Elections

National: “Young Women Help Lead Campaigns to Success at the Polls” by Michael Tackett for New York Times

Ethics

National: “Top Pruitt aide at EPA also shopped for housing on his behalf” by Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis for Washington Post

National: “Pruitt Had a $50-a-Day Condo Linked to Lobbyists. Their Client’s Project Got Approved.” by Eric Lipton for New York Times

National: “Elizabeth Esty, Saying She Mishandled Abuse Claim, Won’t Defend House Seat” by Liam Stack for New York Times

National: “The FBI Says Bob Brady and Marjorie Margolies Conspired to Violate Election Laws. Why Weren’t They Charged?” by Andrew Seidman for Philadelphia Inquirer

National: “First Sentence Handed Down in Mueller Probe” by Spencer Hsu for Washington Post

Arizona: “Lawmaker: Prosecutors investigating ‘sexually explicit communications’ tied to House probe” by Yvonne Wingett Sanchez for Arizona Republic

Tech and Social Media

Maryland: “Maryland, ACLU Reach Settlement Over Governor Deleting Critical Comments on His Facebook Page” by Ovetta Wiggins for Washington Post

Campaign Finance

Arizona: “‘Dark Money’ in the States: Arizona GOP Blocks Cities from Implementing Transparent Elections” by Josh Keefe for Newsweek

New York: “Appeal to End ‘LLC Loophole’ Is Rejected” by Chris Bragg for Albany Times Union

Ethics

National: “Rushed EPA Ethics Ruling on Pruitt Condo Deal ‘Problematic,’ Experts Say” by Stephanie Ebbs, Matthew Mosk, and John Santucci for ABC News

National: “Top Government Ethics Chief Walter Shaub and Staff Used Headspace Meditation App to Deal with Stress of Working Under Trump” by Dan Mangan for CNBC

National: “From Mueller to Stormy to ‘Emoluments,’ Trump’s Business Is Under Siege” by Jonathan O’Connell and David Fahrenthold (Washington Post) for MSN

Alabama: “State Rep, Former AL GOP Chairman Arrested on Bribery Charges” by Melissa Brown for Montgomery Advertiser

Maryland: “Nathaniel Oaks Is the Latest Maryland Politician to Be Convicted. Is Enough Being Done to Prevent Corruption?” by Luke Broadwater for Baltimore Sun

Oregon: “The Oregonian Places Lien on Home of Kitzhaber Fiancée” by Gary Warner for Bend Bulletin

Lobbying

National: “Congressman Files Papers Clarifying Lobby Registration Dates” by Julie Carr Smyth (Associated Press) for WRAL