Lobbying

Missouri: “Audit Finds Senate Slush Fund for Lobbyist-Financed Meals” by Kurt Erickson for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Campaign Finance

“Addicted to Making Campaign Contributions?” by Russell Berman for The Atlantic

New York: “Judge: Citizens United must disclose donor information to NY” by Larry Neumeister (Associated Press) for ABC News

Tennessee: “Feds Open Investigation of Rep. Jeremy Durham” by Stacey Barchenger, Dave Boucher, and Joel Ebert for The Tennessean

Ethics

“Hillary Clinton and Her Family’s Foundation Aren’t Likely to Get the McDonnell Treatment. Here’s Why.” by Matt Zapotosky and Rachel Weiner for Washington Post

Connecticut: “CT Supreme Court Rules in FOI Case Involving Ritter, CRRA” by Mark Pazniokas for CT Mirror

Illinois: “Chicago Insider Who Took $2 Million in Bribes in Red Light Camera Scandal Gets 10 Years in Prison” by David Kidwell (Chicago Tribune) for Los Angeles Times

Maine: “Paul LePage, Besieged Maine Governor, Hints at Resignation” by Jess Bidgood for New York Times

Nebraska: “Panel Tells Embattled Nebraska Senator to Resign by Friday” by Grant Schulte (Associated Press) for ABC News

Pennsylvania: “FBI Seeks Kenney Campaign Records as Part of Union Probe” by Jeremy Roebuck and Mark Fazlollah for Philadelphia Inquirer

Campaign Finance

“How One Donor Is Profiting Off the Trump and Sanders Campaigns” by Russell Berman for The Atlantic

Connecticut: “Inside the Political Fundraising Game” by Ken Dixon, Angela Carella, and Neil Vigdor for CT Post

South Dakota: “Koch Brothers-Backed Group Says Ballot Measure Could Invite Lawsuits” by Dana Ferguson for Sioux Falls Argus Leader

Virginia: “The Money Floods in When the General Assembly Gathers” by Dave Ress for The Daily Press

Ethics

“Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin to Separate After His Latest Sexting Scandal” by Amy Chozick and Patrick Healy for New York Times

California: “State Worker Accepted 24 Pairs of Free Designer Sunglasses, Sold Boss a Pair for $20” by Taryn Luna for Sacramento Bee

Florida: “Get This Vice Mayor Angry and He Might Sue” by Monique Madan for Miami Herald

Maine: “Pressure Is Building on LePage over His Behavior” by Dennis Hoey for Portland Press Herald

Elections

“FBI is Investigating Foreign Hacks of State Election Systems” by Ellen Nakashima for Washington Post

“Democrats’ Weak Bench Undermines Hope of Taking Back Senate” by Jennifer Steinhauer for New York Times

“Breitbart Rises from Outlier to Potent Voice in Campaign” by Michael Grynbaum and John Herrman for New York Times

Lobbying

Florida: “Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s Son Rose to the Top Skirting Lobbying Rules, Critics Say” by Francisco Alvarado for FloridaBulldog.org

Hawaii: “Just 2 Lobbyists Have Donated $650k to Hawaii Candidates in the Past 10 Years” by Jaelynn Grisso for Honolulu Civil Beat

Pennsylvania: “State Not Tracking Lobbying by Marijuana Companies” by Scott Kraus for Allentown Morning Call

Campaign Finance

Arizona: “State Regulator Subpoenas Utility Companies’ Campaign Spending Records” by Howard Fischer (Capitol Media Services) for Arizona Daily Star

Ethics

“Ethicists Scoff at Clinton Foundation Transition Plan” by Katy O’Donnell for Politico

Florida: “Florida Newspaper Kills Story of Local Official Allegedly Seeking Favors from Developer” by Marc Caputo for Politico

Maryland: “Anne Arundel Ethics Commission Executive Director Dies” by Amanda Yeager for Capital Gazette

New York: “Ken Thompson, Brooklyn District Attorney, Is Fined for Misusing Funds on Meals” by J. David Goodman and Alan Feuer for New York Times

Elections

California: “Legislature OKs Selfies at the Ballot Box” by Anshu Siripurapu for Sacramento Bee

Legislative Issues

California: “In California’s Democrat-Dominated Capitol, It’s Senate vs. Assembly” by Alexei Koseff for Sacramento Bee

Campaign Finance

“Study: Outside groups, secret money far more prominent than ever before” by Robert Maguire for Center for Responsive Politics

“Inside the Exclusive Events Helping to Fund Clinton and the Democratic Party” by Matea Gold and John Wagner for Washington Post

“Donald Trump Is Finally Raising Money. So Why Isn’t He Spending It?” by Matea Gold and Anu Narayanswamy for Washington Post

Missouri: “Campaign Limits Ballot Question Challenged” by Kurt Erickson for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Wisconsin: “Ethics Commission Will Be Able to Make Political Donations” by Scott Bauer (Associated Press) for Minneapolis Star Tribune

Ethics

Connecticut: “Questions Raised About State Education Officials’ Roles in Their Children’s Hiring” by Jon Lender for Hartford Courant

New York: “Cuomo Signs Ethics Bill, with Few Cheers” by Chris Bragg in Albany Times Union

Pennsylvania: “Political Operative Gets Probation for Role in Chaka Fattah’s Corruption Case” by Jeff Gammage for Philadelphia Inquirer

Elections

“Federal Appeals Court Says No to Restoring Extra Days of Early Voting in Ohio” by Mark Berman for Washington Post

Lobbying

New York: “NY State Ethics Watchdog Investigating Nonprofit with Ties to Large Corporate Political Donor” by Larry Kaplan for Nonprofit Quarterly

Campaign Finance

“Sanders’ New Group Exempt from Campaign Finance Laws” by Jasper Craven for VTDigger.org

Florida: “On 2nd Try, Miami-Dade Commissioners Approve Petition Count” by Douglas Hanks for Miami Herald

Ethics

Connecticut: “Malloy Releases Funds Withheld from CT Watchdog Agencies” by Keith Phaneuf for CT Mirror

Indiana: “FBI Looking for Foul Play in Creation of Indiana Vaping Law” by Tony Cook for Indianapolis Star

Elections

“Hillary Clinton’s 15,000 New Emails to Get Timetable for Release” by Mark Lander and Steven Lee Myers for New York Times

“Racism and Talk of Religious War: Trump staff’s online posts” by Jeff Horwitz (Associated Press) for Philadelphia Inquirer

Virginia: “McAuliffe Restores Voting Rights to 13,000 Felons” by Laura Vozzella for Washington Post

Legislative Issues

“Inside the Conservative Push for States to Amend the Constitution” by Michael Wines for New York Times

Lobbying

“Signs Suggest Hillary Clinton May Be More Open to Lobbyists in Her Administration” by Catherine Ho for Washington Post

“The Lobbying Law at the Center of Manafort’s Trouble with Ukraine” by Megan Wilson for The Hill

Missouri: “Republican Resigns from Missouri House to Avoid Waiting Period to Lobby” by Jason Hancock for Kansas City Star

Campaign Finance

“FEC to Fight Fake Candidates Like ‘Deez Nuts’” by Mark Hensch for The Hill

California: “Little-Regulated Accounts Offer a Path to Political Clout in Sacramento” by Jessica Calefati and Kaitlyn Landgraf (Bay Area News Group) for Marin Independent Journal

Massachusetts: “Donors Behind Charter Push Keep to the Shadows” by Michael Levenson for Boston Globe

New York: “For 2017 Effect, Time Running Out for Campaign Finance Bills in Limbo” by Samar Khurshid for Gotham Gazette

Ethics

“Foundation Ties Bedevil Hillary Clinton’s Presidential Campaign” by Amy Chozick and Steve Eder for New York Times

“Power Opens Door to Sexual Harassment” by Dave Boucher and Joel Ebert for The Tennessean

Elections

“Trump’s Empire: A maze of debts and opaque ties” by Susanne Craig for New York Times

Campaign Finance

“How One Family’s Deep Pockets Helped Reshape Donald Trump’s Campaign” by Nicholas Confessore for New York Times

“Rep. Ami Bera’s Father Sentenced to Prison for Funneling Money to His Son’s Campaigns” by John Myers and Sophia Bollag for Los Angeles Times

Florida: “South Florida Politicians Repeatedly Fined for Failing to Disclose Donors on Time” by Alex Daugherty for Miami Herald

Maryland: “Grass Roots Group Eyes Launch of ‘Citizen-Funded’ Campaign System” by Fatimah Waseem for Baltimore Sun

New Jersey: “ELEC Unable to Meet Because of Vacancies” by Briana Vannozzi for NJTV News

Ethics

“No Record That Clinton, Aides Took Required Ethics Training” by Anita Kumar for McClatchy DC

“Ex-Officials Use Court Ruling to Attack Bribery Convictions” by Maryclaire Dale (Associated Press) for Washington Times

Florida: “County Estimate to Search for Nine Days of Correspondence: $22,000” by Douglas Hanks for Miami Herald

Idaho: “Idaho lawmakers Guthrie, Perry Face Investigation Over Alleged Affair” by Kimberlee Kruesi (Associated Press) for Idaho Statesman

New Jersey: “Judge in Newark Blasts U.S. Attorney for Seeking Light Sentences in Corruption Cases” by Salvador Rizzo for Bergen Record

Elections

“Clinton Foundation to Restrict Foreign, Corporate Donations If Hillary Clinton Wins” by Abby Phillip and Rosalind Helderman for Washington Post

“Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort Resigns” by Robert Costa, Dan Balz, and Jose DelReal for Washington Post

Lobbying

“Trump Chair Routed Ukrainian Money to D.C. Lobbyists” by The Associated Press for Politico

Texas: “Pool Offers Changes to Lobby Ordinance” by Jo Clifton for Austin Monitor

Campaign Finance

“Pro-Trump Super PAC Hire Tests Federal Election Rules” by Andrew Perez for MapLight

South Dakota: “Charles Koch’s Network Launches New Fight to Keep Donors Secret” by Fredreka Schouten for USA Today

Tennessee: “Durham Campaign Investigation Hints at ‘Serious Violations’” by Joel Ebert and Dave Boucher for The Tennessean

Elections
“Early Voting Limits Donald Trump’s Time to Turn Campaign Around” by Patrick Healy for New York Times

“Trump Shakes Up Campaign, Demotes Top Adviser” by Robert Costa and Jose DelReal for Washington Post

Ethics

Washington: “Can State Lawmakers Use GoFundMe to Attend National Conventions – and Not Report Donors?” by Melissa Santos  for Tacoma News Tribune

Pennsylvania: “Nutter Calls Controller ‘a Snake’ After Report Alleging ‘Slush Fund’” by Claudia Vargas for Philadelphia Inquirer

Lobbying

Florida: “After #StartCounting Didn’t Work, Miami-Dade Group Sues Elections Dept.” by Douglas Hanks for Miami Herald

Campaign Finance

Washington: “Judge Gives Attorney General Green Light to Follow Tim Eyman’s Money” by Joel Connelly for Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Ethics

Kentucky: “Correction: Feuding Governors Story” by Adam Beam (Associated Press) for Lexington Herald-Leader

Missouri: “Faith Leaders Go on Trial for Protesting Missouri Senate for Medicaid Expansion” by Celeste Bott for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Pennsylvania: “Jury: A.G. Kane Guilty of Perjury, Obstruction, All Other Charges” by Craig McCoy, Angela Couloumbis, and Laura McCrystal for Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia: “D.A. Williams Belatedly Reports $160,050 in Gifts” by Chris Brennan for Philadelphia Inquirer

Elections

“The Psychiatric Question: Is It Fair to Analyze Donald Trump from Afar?” by Benedict Carey for New York Times

“Transcribers’ Agony: Frustrated Not by What Trump Says but How He Says It” by Daniel Libit for CNBC

Lobbying

“Obama Facing Pressure to Rip Up His Lobbyist Rules” by Sarah Wheaton for Politico

Campaign Finance

District of Columbia: “‘Shadow Campaign’ Donor and Mastermind Sentenced to Three Months Behind Bars” by Ann Marimow, Mike DeBonis, and Rachel Weiner for Washington Post

Montana: “Groups Change Ad Strategies before Campaign Finance Deadline” by Matt Volz (Associated Press) for McClatchyDC

New Mexico: “Legal Loophole Allows Last-Minute Money in Bernco Race to Remain Hidden” by Trip Jennings for New Mexico In Depth

Texas: “Texas Ethics Commission Chases ‘Campaign in a Box’ Spending” by Ross Ramsey for Texas Tribune

Ethics

“Secret Ledger in Ukraine Lists Cash for Donald Trump’s Campaign Chief” by Andrew Kramer, Mike McIntire, and Barry Meier for New York Times

Alabama: “Ethics Commission Schedules Special Meeting to Address Backlog” by Mike Cason for AL.com

Massachusetts: “City Employees Undergo Ethics Refresher Course” by Meghan Irons for Boston Globe

Elections

“Will Donald Trump Hand State Capitols to Democrats?” by Russell Berman for The Atlantic

“Inside the Failing Mission to Tame Trump’s Tongue” by Alexander Burns and Maggie Haberman for New York Times

Lobbying

“Thought the U.S. Was Divided Already? Just Watch as Elections Go Digital.” by Stephen Ansolabehere for Washington Post

California: “Lawmakers Weaken Bill to Ban Behind-the-Scenes Communications at Coastal Commission” by Dan Weikel for Los Angeles Times

Campaign Finance

Alaska: “Anchorage Rep. LeDoux’s New Fundraising Effort Targets Lobbyists, Bar Owners” by Nathaniel Herz for Alaska Dispatch News

New Jersey: “Voters to Decide on Belmar Pay-to-Play” by Paul Williams for Asbury Park Press

New Mexico: “New Mexico Election Officials Fix Campaign Spending Glitch” by Associated Press for KOB 

Ethics

“Criticize Politicians on Twitter? They Might Block You” by Colin Campbell for Raleigh News & Observer

New York: “For Cuomo, Passing Ethics Bill Was Urgent, Signing It Was Not” by David Howard King for Gotham Gazette

Elections

“One Ally Remains Firmly Behind Donald Trump: The N.R.A.” by Nick Corasaniti and Alexander Burns for New York Times

“Hack of Democrats’ Accounts Was Wider Than Believed, Officials Say” by Eric Lichtblau and Eric Schmitt for New York Times

“Is Trump Wrecking Both Parties?” by Thomas Edsall for New York Times

Redistricting

North Carolina: “Federal Judges Find NC Legislative Districts Unconstitutional” by Lynn Bonner for Raleigh News & Observer

Lobbying

“How Think Tanks Amplify Corporate America’s Influence” by Eric Lipton and Brooke Williams for New York Times

Florida: “County Ballot Measure on Campaign Finance Delayed to 2018” by Douglas Hanks for Miami Herald

Campaign Finance

“Facebook May Soon Have More Power Over Elections Than The FEC. Are We Ready?” by Nathaniel Persily for Washington Post

Missouri: “Contribution Limits, Tobacco Tax Increase Gain Enough Signatures to Appear on Missouri Ballot” by Jason Hancock for Kansas City Star

Ethics

“Emails Renew Questions About Clinton Foundation and State Dept. Overlap” by Eric Lichtblau for New York Times

New Jersey: “Christie Rejects Claim He Lied about Bridgegate” by Dustin Racioppi and Bob Jordan for Asbury Park Press

Elections

“Donald Trump Suggests ‘Second Amendment People’ Could Act Against Hillary Clinton” by Nick Corasaniti and Maggie Haberman for New York Times

California: “‘It Became a Price War’: Signature gatherers rake in top dollar with crowded field of ballot initiatives” by Christine Mai-Duc for Los Angeles Times

Wisconsin: “In Wisconsin, a Controversial Voter ID Law Could Help Choose the President” by Matt Zapotosky for Washington Post

Legislative Issues

California: “California High Court Says Legislators’ Votes Are Protected by Free Speech Rights” by Maura Dolan for Los Angeles Times

Lobbying

“AARP to Withdraw from Controversial Conservative Group Amid Rising Pressure” by David Marans for Huffington Post

Kansas: “Kansas Boy Suffered Fatal Neck Injury on Waterslide” by The Associated Press for WIBW

New York: “Sparks at JCOPE Over Retroactive Donor Disclosure” by Chris Bragg for Albany Times Union

Campaign Finance

“How the Internet Could Democratize Campaign Spending” by Bob Biersack for Washington Post

“Trump Embraces Fundraising, Not Transparency” by Shane Goldmacher for Politico

Ethics

Alabama: “Mike Hubbard Seeks New Trial on Ethics Charges” by Brian Lyman for Montgomery Advertiser

Illinois: “Judge Denies Blagojevich’s Bid to Lighten 14-Year Sentence” by Michael Tarm and Sara Burnett (Associated Press) for ABC News

Oregon: “Oregon Elections Director Resigned Amid an Investigation into Inappropriate Comments” by Hillary Borrud for Portland Oregonian

Tennessee: “Tennessee Lawmaker Convicted of Felony Tax Fraud” by The Associated Press for ABC News

Procurement

Indiana: “Ethics Concerns Prompt IPS to Drop Plan to Purchase Testing Software” by Chelsea Schneider for Indianapolis Star

Lobbying

“Think Tank Scholar or Corporate Consultant? It Depends on the Day” by Eric Lipton, Nicholas Confessore, and Brooke Williams for New York Times

Tennessee: “Texts Show Ex-Haslam Aide’s Chats During Cooling Off Period” by Dave Boucher and Nate Rau for The Tennessean

Campaign Finance

Alabama: “How the University of Alabama System Funneled $1.4 Million Through a ‘Dark Money’ Web” by Connor Sheets for AL.com

Ethics

California: “Stockton Mayor Arrested, Accused of Holding Strip Poker Game at Youth Camp” by Nashelly Chavez and Bill Lendelof for Sacramento Bee

Florida: “First Opa-locka Administrator Charged in Major FBI Corruption Probe” by Jay Weaver and Michael Sallah for Miami Herald

Hawaii: “How Ethics Commission Upheaval Is Playing Out in The Mayor’s Race” by Nick Grube for Honolulu Civil Beat

Pennsylvania: “Pennsylvania Attorney General Goes on Trial in Leak Case” by David Dekok for Reuters

Elections

“The Crusade of a Democratic Superlawyer with Multimillion-Dollar Backing” by Robert Barnes for Washington Post

“How Will the Internet Change Political Advertising?” by Robert Gebelhoff for Washington Post

Procurement

District of Columbia: “Vincent Orange to Resign from D.C. Council After Fury Over Chamber of Commerce Job” by Fenit Nirappil for Washington Post