Ethics

National: “Trump’s Legal Troubles Are Far from Over Even as Mueller Probe Ends” by Rosalind Helderman and David Fahrenthold for San Jose Mercury News

National: “Prosecutors No Longer Pursuing 188 Inauguration Protest Cases” by Keith Alexander (Washington Post) for MSN

Connecticut: “State Ethics Board Drops Appeal of Edsall Nepotism Ruling” by Paul Doyle for Connecticut Post

Florida: “Ethics Board Aims to Put Teeth in Code, Seeks Greater Oversight of Tallahassee City Hall” by Jeff Burlew for Tallahassee Democrat

Washington D.C.: “As D.C. Leaders Tout Reforms, Latest Ethics Scandal Evokes City’s History of Corruption” by Paul Schwartzman for Washington Post

Lobbying

Colorado: “Lawmakers Take Aim at Disclosure Loopholes in Colorado Lobbying Laws” by Sandra Fish for Colorado Sun

Florida: “Fisher Island Residents Needed a Lobbyist. They Hired Miami’s Mayor.” by Douglas Hanks and Joey Flechas for Miami Herald

Nevada: “After Kelvin Atkinson’s Downfall, Will There Be Strong Anti-Corruption Reforms in Nevada?” by James DeHaven for Reno Gazette-Journal

Campaign Finance

Massachusetts: “New Proposal for Massachusetts House Caucus Funding Raises Fears of Legislative ‘Slush Fund’” by Shira Schoenberg for MassLive.com

Elections

California: “L.A. City Council Candidate Sues to Stop Former Ethics Commissioner from Running” by Emily Alpert Reyes for Los Angeles Times

Ethics

National: “Appeals Court Judges Appear Skeptical of Emoluments Case Against Trump” by Sharon LaFraniere (New York Times) for MSN

Indiana: “Complaint Could Cost Attorney General Curtis Hill His Law License – and Elected Position” by Tony Cook, Ryan Martin, and Kaitlin Lange for Indianapolis Star

Missouri: “Voters Approved Clean Missouri, but Lawmakers Want Them to Reconsider” by Galen Barcharier for Columbia Missourian

Oregon: “Cylvia Hayes Settles with Oregonian Over Legal Fees” by Ted Sickinger for Portland Oregonian

Washington D.C.: “D.C. Council Votes to Reprimand Jack Evans Over Ethics Issues” by Fenit Nirappil for Washington Post

Lobbying

New York: “9 Fund-Raisers in 1 Night: Democrats vow reform in N.Y., but money still flows” by J. David Goodman for New York Times

Oklahoma: “Do You Hire Lobbyists? Agencies Face Deadline from Stitt” by Tres Savage for NonDoc

Campaign Finance

California: Donors to D.A. Jackie Lacey Included a Murder Suspect’s Parents and a Convicted Felon by Matt Hamilton and Harriet Myers for Los Angeles Times

Maryland: Baltimore Co. Council Approves Public Campaign Financing Measure by Alison Knezevich for Baltimore Sun

North Carolina: Ex-N Carolina Lawmaker Indicted in Campaign Finance Probe by Gary Robertson (Associated Press) for WRAL

Ethics

National: Mueller Sought Michael Cohen’s Emails Months Before FBI Raid, Warrants Show by Devlin Barrett, Matt Zapotosky, and Rosalind Helderman (Washington Post) for MSN

National: Steve King Posts Meme Warning That Red States Have ‘8 Trillion Bullets’ in Event of Civil War by Reis Thebault (Washington Post) for MSN

Georgia: Former Ralston Aide Takes Over as Georgia Ethics Director by Staff for AP News

Illinois: The Consummate Political Insider Linked to the Burgeoning City Hall Corruption Probe by Jason Meisner for Chicago Tribune

Lobbying

Kentucky: Former Lobbyist to Pay $15,000 Ethics Fine. He Was Already Convicted in Bribery Case. by Bill Estep for Lexington Herald-Leader

Redistricting

Virginia: Supreme Court Divided Over Virginia Redistricting Case and Question of Racial Discrimination by Robert Barnes for Washington Post

Campaign Finance

Canada: “An SNC-Lavalin Lobbyist Attended Liberal Donor Events, Critics Say It Was Cash-for-Access” by Maura Forrest and Jesse Snyder for Cochrane Times

Arkansas: “Former Arkansas Senator Is Fined $11,000 by Ethics Panel” by Lisa Hammersly for Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Illinois: “Debt Collector Indicted on Pay-to-Play Charges Linked to Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown” by Patrick O’Connell and Megan Crepeau for Chicago Tribune

Minnesota: “Lawmakers Look to Close Campaign Finance Loophole Affecting Minneapolis Elections” by Peter Callaghan for MinnPost

Elections

National: “Workers on Bernie Sanders’ 2020 Campaign Have Unionized” by Juana Summers for AP News

Kentucky: “Kentucky Legislature Passes Bill Stripping Grimes of Authority Over State Board of Elections” by Jessica Huseman for ProPublica

Ethics

California: “California Is Awash in Cannabis Cash. Some Is Being Used to Bribe Public Officials” by Patrick McGreevy for Los Angeles Times

Lobbying

National: “Trump-Connected Lobby Firms Cash in With Foreign Governments” by Theodoric Meyer for Politico

National: “Lobbying Case Against Democrat with Ties to Manafort Reaches Key Stage” by Kenneth Vogel and Katie Benner for New York Times

Campaign Finance

Nevada: Municipal Election Voters Blind to Campaign Donors by Shea Johnson for Las Vegas Review-Journal

Elections

California: ‘We Got Our Clocks Cleaned’: GOP quietly works to expand ballot-harvesting in California while criticizing Democrats for the practice by Amy Gardner (Washington Post) for San Jose Mercury News

Ethics

National: Former Spa Owner and Frequent Mar-a-Lago Guest Sparks Concerns About ‘Porous’ Environment at President’s Club by Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Emily Rauhala, Lori Rozsa, and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post) for MSN

National: GAO Urges More Transparency of Political Appointments, Compliance with Agency Ethics Programs by Nicole Ogrysko for Federal News Network

Arkansas: Former Arkansas Senator Is Fined $11,000 by Ethics Panel by Lisa Hammersly for Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Maryland: Baltimore Mayor Pugh Didn’t Disclose Seat on Maryland Medical System Board, as Required on City Ethics Forms by Doug Donovan and Luke Broadwater for Baltimore Sun

Missouri: Missouri Considers Trimming Impeachment After Greitens’ Case by David Lieb for AP News

New Mexico: Legislature Seals Deal on Independent Ethics Commission by Trip Jennings for New Mexico In Depth

Campaign Finance

National: “2020 Dems Fight to Win Big-Money Purity Test” by Maggie Severns for Politico

New Mexico: “GOP Lawmakers Blast Campaign Finance Bill” by Colleen Heild for Albuquerque Journal

Ethics

Connecticut: “Ethics Office: Sen. Alex Bergstein Not Barred from Paying Staffer with Personal Funds” by Neil Vigdor for Hartford Courant

Illinois: “Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Ethics Reform Plan Stalls in City Council Committee” by John Byrne for Chicago Tribune

Iowa: “County Officials Vacationed at Vendor’s Florida Beach Condo” by Ryan Foley for AP News

New York: “New York AG Subpoenas Deutsche Bank for Records Related to 3 Trump Properties, Including Chicago’s Trump Tower” by David Fahrenthold and Jonathan O’Connell (Washington Post) for Chicago Tribune

Legislative Issues

Tennessee: “How Little-Known Meetings in Hard-to-Find Locations Can Make or Break Legislation in Tennessee” by Joel Ebert for The Tennessean

Lobbying

National: “Paul Manafort Is Sentenced to a Total of 7 1 / 2 Years in Prison for Conspiracy and Fraud, and Charged with Mortgage Fraud in N.Y.” by Spencer Hsu, Rachel Weiner, and Ann Marimow (Washington Post) for MSN

Canada: “SNC-Lavalin Board Chair, a Former Top Bureaucrat, May Have Run Afoul of Federal Lobbying Rules” by Beatrice Paez for Hill Times

Florida: “Miami-Dade Ethics Board Dismisses Lobbying Complaint Against Beckham Group” by Joey Flechas for Miami Herald

Campaign Finance

National: “Election Watchdog Hits Jeb Bush’s Super-PAC with Massive Fine for Taking Money from Foreign Nationals” by Nihal Krishan for Mother Jones

New Mexico: “Changes Likely for Dark-Money in New Mexico Elections” by Associated Press for KOB

Ethics

Florida: “Gov. Ron DeSantis Hitches Ride to New York on South Florida Gambling Mogul’s Jet; GOP Picks Up Tab” by Steve Bousquet for South Florida Sun Sentinel

Nevada: “Former State Sen. Atkinson Pleads Guilty, Used $250K in Campaign Funds for SUV, Night Club” by James DeHaven for Reno Gazette-Journal

New York: “Freebies, No-Show Jobs and Bribes: Ex-Long Island official convicted of graft” by Sarah Maslin Nir and Arielle Dollinger for New York Times

Lobbying

National: “Incendiary N.R.A. Videos Find New Critics: N.R.A. leaders” by Danny Hakim (New York Times) for MSN

Canada: “Sask. Lobbyist ‘Loophole’ Should Be Closed: NDP” by Adam Hunter for CBC

New York: “Lobbyists Accused of Misconduct Create Quandary at Capitol” by Rachel Silberstein for Albany Times Union

Campaign Finance

West Virginia: “Lawmakers Vote to Raise Their Campaign Contribution Limits” by Erin Beck for Beckley Register-Herald

Ethics

National: “After Week of Infighting, Democrats Wonder Where to Draw Line on Speech” by Glenn Thrush and Sheryl Gay Stolberg (New York Times) for MSN

Kansas: “White Linen Restaurant Bans Lawmakers, Lobbyists After Altercation” by Sherman Smith for Topeka Capital-Journal

New York: “State Legislature Pushing to Revamp Embattled Ethics Board” by Michael Gormely for Newsweek

Washington D.C.: “D.C. Council, Bowser Administration Receive Federal Subpoenas in Jack Evans Ethics Probe” by Peter Jamison, Steve Thompson, and Fenit Nirappil for Washington Post

Lobbying

National: “How Lobbying Has Changed in Donald Trump’s Washington” by Luke Mullins for Washingtonian Magazine

Nevada: “RJ Investigation Finds Violations, No Enforcement of County Lobbying Disclosures” by Michael Scott Davidson for Las Vegas Review-Journal

New Mexico: “Lobbyists Weigh in on Disclosure, Ban on Spending Proposals” by Marjorie Childress for New Mexico In Depth

Campaign Finance

Michigan: “Dark Money Used to Evade Donor Disclosure Laws in Michigan” by Jonathan Oosting for Detroit News

Ethics

National: “The Mueller Report No One’s Talking About” by Darren Samuelsohn and Andrew Desiderio for Politico

National: “House Votes for Sweeping Ethics Overhaul That GOP Plans to Block” by Anna Edgarton for Bloomberg News

Connecticut: “State Ethics Board Fines Ex-UConn Diversity Official $20,000 for Improperly Giving Husband a $54,000 Fellowship” by David Owens for Hartford Courant

Florida: “Former City Manager Rick Fernandez Fined $6K in Ethics Case” by Jeff Burlew for Tallahassee Democrat

Missouri: “Hawley Insider Had Seat at Table in Secretary of State Inquiry That Cleared Senator” by Jason Hancock, Steve Vockrodt, and Lindsay Wise for Kansas City Star

Oregon: “Oregon Ethics Commission Rejects Settlement with Cylvia Hayes, Ex-First Lady” by Gordon Friedman for Portland Oregonian

Texas: “Former Richardson Mayor, Developer Found Guilty in Bribery, Corruption Trial” by Kevin Krause for Dallas News

Campaign Finance

National: “Transgender Political Candidates Are Increasingly Common. The Money Backing Them Is Not” by Lateshia Beachbum for Center for Public Integrity

Ethics

National: “In the Middle of His Official Business, Trump Took the Time to Send Checks to Michael Cohen” by Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman (New York Times) for MSN

National: “Payments to Corporation Owned by Ocasio-Cortez Aide Come Under Scrutiny” by Michelle Ye Hee Lee (Washington Post) for MSN

Arkansas: “Arkansas Lawmakers Vote to Increase Maximum Ethics Fines” by the Associated Press for AP News

California: “California Lawmakers Accepted $810,000 in Gifts and Overseas Trips in 2018” by Patrick McGreevy and Tryn Luna (Los Angeles Times) for San Diego Union Tribune

Kentucky: “Kentucky Secretary of State Staff Searched Voting Records for Investigators and Rivals, Records Show” by Daniel Desrochers (Lexington Herald Leader) and Jessica Huseman for ProPublica

New Hampshire: “GOP Lawmakers Wore Pearls While Gun Violence Victims Testified. Activists Were Outraged.” by Reis Thebault for Washington Post

Oregon: “Oregon Legislature Reaches $1.3M Settlement Over Sexual Harassment” by Hillary Borrud for Portland Oregonian

Oregon: “Cylvia Hayes, Ex-Oregon First Lady, Agrees to Settle Ethics Charges for $44,000” by Gordon Friedman for Portland Oregonian

South Carolina: “SC Politicians, Lobbyists and More 0we $2.4M in Ethics Fines, But Many Will Never Pay” by Lucas Deprile for The State

Campaign Finance

Arizona: “Judge Says Ex-AG Horne Denied Due Process in Campaign Violations Case” by Howard Fischer (Capitol News Services) for Arizona Daily Star

Kansas: “Prosecutors Weigh Options After Jury Acquits Michael O’Donnell on Most Counts” by Amy Renee Leiker for Wichita Eagle

Nevada: “Senate Majority Leader Kelvin Atkinson Resigns After Admitting to Misappropriating Campaign Funds for Personal Use” by Riley Snider, Megan Messerly, and Michelle Rindels for Nevada Independent

Ethics

National: “Trump Tweet Touting One of His Scotland Golf Courses as ‘the Greatest’ in the World Draws Criticism” by David Fahrenthold and Joel Achenbach (Washington Post) for San Francisco Chronicle

District of Columbia: “Towing Contractor Hooked D.C. Officials with $50,000 in Bribes, He Admits in Court” by Ann Marimow and Peter Jamison for Washington Post

Lobbying

National: “Ilhan Omar’s Criticism Raises the Question: Is Aipac too powerful?” by Sheryl Gay Stolberg for New York Times

Canada: “Lobbying Commissioner Should Investigate Facebook, Says MP Angus” by Elizabeth Thompson for CBC

Louisiana: “Entergy Fined $5M, Can Move Forward with New Power Plant” by Michael Issac Stein (The Lens) for Louisiana Weekly

Procurement

National: “Nationwide Lobbying Push for Contractor Monitoring Software Alarms State CIOs” by Benjamin Freed for StateScoop

Campaign Finance

Pennsylvania: “Philly District Attorney Larry Krasner Settles Campaign-Finance Violation” by Andrew Seidman for Philadelphia Inquirer

Ethics

National: “‘Not in Compliance’: Wilbur Ross, the Trump official who keeps watchdogs up at night” by Carrie Levine and Peter Overby for Center for Public Integrity

National: “Federal Grand Jury Issued Subpoena for Documents Relating to D.C. Council Member Jack Evans” by Steve Thompson for Washington Post

Maryland: “Maryland Delegate Says She Won’t Resign after House Censures Her for ‘Racist and Hateful Slur’” by Luke Broadwater and Pamela Wood (Baltimore Sun) for MSN

South Carolina: “Panel Punts Vote on Controversial SC Nominee, Setting Up Battle on Senate Floor” by Bristow Marchant for The State

Texas: “‘Sense of Despair’ as Former Dallas City Council Member Pleads Guilty in Feds’ Case That Implicates Prominent Developer” by Robert Wilonsky for Dallas News

Legislative Issues

North Carolina: “Why a Judge Ruled That the Entire North Carolina Legislature Is Illegitimate” by Alan Greenblatt for Governing

Lobbying

New Mexico: “Former Public Servants Lobby Ex-Colleagues” by Dan McKay for Albuquerque Journal

Campaign Finance

Arizona: “Regulators Now Have the Votes to Subpoena Utility’s Political Spending Records” by Howard Fischer (Arizona Daily Star) for Arizona Daily Star

Texas: “Most Dallas City Council Members’ Campaign-Finance Reports Show Violations – But No One Enforces Rules” by Corbett Smith for Dallas News

West Virginia: “W.Va. Senate Passes Bill to Change to Campaign Finance Law, Opponents Say It Lacks Transparency” by David Mistich for West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Elections

Illinois: “Chicago Poised to Elect first African-American Female Mayor After Lori Lightfoot, Toni Preckwinkle Advance” by Bill Ruthhart for Chicago Tribune

North Carolina: “Bladen County Operative at Center of NC Election Fraud Investigation Indicted, Arrested” by Ely Portillo and Jim Morrill for Raleigh News and Observer

Ethics

National: “House Democrats Forge Ahead on Electoral Reform Bill” by Zach Montellaro for Politico

Pennsylvania: “Pa. Audit Says Officials Took Freebies from Voting Machine Firms” by Liz Navratil and Angela Couloumbis for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Lobbying

New Hampshire: “NH Lobbyists Paid Record Fees in 2018 But Info Hard to Track” by Kevin Landrigan for Manchester Union Leader

Campaign Finance

Idaho: “Sunshine Bill on Electioneering Stalls in Committee, Amid Nonprofits’ Concerns Over ‘Donor Privacy’” by Savannah Cardon for Idaho Press

Rhode Island: “Ex-GOP Candidate for Congress in R.I. Charged in Fraud” by Patrick Anderson for Providence Journal

Elections

National: “U.S. Cyber Command Operation Disrupted Internet Access of Russian Troll Factory on Day of 2018 Midterms” by Ellen Nakashima (Washington Post) for MSN

Ethics

Maryland: “Md. Lawmaker Apologizes for Allegedly Using N-Word with Her Colleagues” by Ovetta Wiggins for Washington Post

Legislative Issues

California: “California Lawmakers and Lobbyists Hustle to Write Hundreds of Bills, Many Not Fully Cooked” by John Myers (Los Angeles Times) for San Diego Union Tribune

Lobbying

Kentucky: “Kentucky Senate OKs Bill to Reveal Executive Branch Lobbying” by The Associated Press for Miami Herald

Michigan: “Lobbyist Spending Topped the Charts in Michigan Last Year, Reports Show” by Carol Thompson for Lansing State Journal