News You Can Use Digest – April 24, 2026

National/Federal

Trump Fought to Keep the Ballroom Fundraising Contract Secret. Here’s What’s in It.

Anchorage Daily News – Jonathan Edwards and Dan Diamond (Washington Post) | Published: 4/21/2026

The Trump administration’s contract governing hundreds of millions of dollars in private donations to build Donald Trump’s White House ballroom shields donors’ identities, excludes the White House from conflict-of-interest protections, and was disclosed only after a lawsuit and a judge’s order. White House officials have declined to disclose the total amount raised, the identities of all donors or, until recently, basic details about the building’s design. Court documents show Trump knew he was going to tear down the East Wing at least two months before doing so, but he never told the public

House Democrat Resigns Ahead of Possible Expulsion Vote Over Alleged Financial Crimes

MSN – Anna Liss-Roy, Mariana Alfaro, Marianna Sotomayor, and Kadia Goba (Washington Post) | Published: 4/21/2026

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress to avoid a possible expulsion vote on allegations she used Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) money mistakenly sent to her family’s health care company during the pandemic to boost her 2022 campaign for Congress. The House Committee on Ethics found she violated more than two dozen ethics rules. Cherfilus-McCormick separately faces criminal charges that could lead to decades in prison tied to the errant FEMA dollars.

Chavez-DeRemer Stepping Down as Labor Secretary

MSN – Nick Niedzwiadek (Politico) | Published: 4/20/2026

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is stepping down from her Cabinet post amid a series of misconduct allegations against her and her top staffers. Chavez-DeRemer has been under scrutiny since January, when Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito opened an investigation into allegations she was involved in an extramarital affair with a member of her security detail, that she drank on the job, and top aides concocted official events to facilitate her personal travel plans.

From the States and Municipalities

Alabama – Alabama’s Top Ethics Official Quits Mabel Amos Board After Money Went to His Children: ‘It was not prohibited’

MSN – Mike Cason (AL.com) | Published: 4/18/2026

Alabama Ethics Commission Executive Director Tom Albritton resigned from the board of the Mabel Amos Memorial Fund as part of a dispute over allegations of self-dealing. It is the latest development in a years-long legal dispute over the scholarship fund named in honor of Amos, who was Alabama’s Secretary of State from 1967 until 1975. Lawsuits by state Attorney General Steve Marshall and others challenged the scholarship awards to Albritton’s children and others.

Connecticut – More Money, More Influence? Here’s Who Spends the Most Paying Lobbyists in CT

Yahoo News – Brianna Gurciullo (CT Insider) | Published: 4/19/2026

Each year, lobbyists in Connecticut receive tens of millions of dollars in combined compensation from companies, trade groups, unions, nonprofits, and other clients trying to influence decisions by state government officials. Those clients have spent more than $70 million paying in-house or outside lobbyists in 2025 and 2026. Lobbyists say they provide information and perspectives to officials as they craft legislation and policies, and their spending is tracked by the Office of State Ethics. But do the companies or groups that spend the most have an outsized influence in Hartford?

Hawaii – Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke Received Target Letter in $35,000 Probe

Honolulu Civil Beat – Christina Jedra | Published: 4/22/2026

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke received notice that she is a target in the Hawaii attorney general’s investigation of $35,000 given to an influential state lawmaker in 2022. Lobbyist and businessperson Tobi Solidum also received a target letter in the case. The attorney general’s probe is an offshoot of a federal investigation that landed two ex-state lawmakers, Ty Cullen and J. Kalani English, in prison. For years, Cullen and English were taking cash bribes from businessperson Milton Choy.

North Carolina – Four Lobbyists Indicted over Kentucky Bourbon Distillery Trip for NC Lawmakers

Yahoo News – Dan Kane and Virginia Bridges (Raleigh News and Observer) | Published: 4/22/2206

A Wake County grand jury indicted four Raleigh lobbyists, saying they violated North Carolina’s gift ban by getting their clients to sponsor a bourbon-tasting junket to Kentucky that included state lawmakers. Kevin Wilkinson, David Ferrell, Douglas Bowen Heath, and Douglas Miskew each face a misdemeanor charge. Three of the four represent alcoholic beverage companies. The indictments say the money went to tour sponsor Greater Carolina, which then paid the travel, meal, and hotel costs.

Ohio – Ohio Treasurer Candidate Showered with Gifts from CEOs, Fundraisers, Lobbyist, Disclosures Show

Signal Ohio – Jake Zuckerman | Published: 4/10/2026

Republican state treasurer candidate Jay Edwards received more than 42 gifts worth at least $75 a piece last year as he prepared his campaign, financial disclosures show. The list of gift-givers spans a mix of industrial titans and personal friends of Edwards. That includes health care entrepreneurs, construction executives, campaign fundraisers, and a lobbyist for the vendor that is regularly in the hunt for state lottery contracts. Did Edwards really receive more than $3,100 worth (at minimum) of gifts, as he disclosed in his financial statement? Probably not, he said in an interview.

Oklahoma – New Questions Emerge Over Oklahoma’s Invest in Oklahoma Contract After Shared Lobbyist Discovered

KOGU – Paul Monies (Oklahoma Watch) | Published: 4/22/2026

Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ hired the same lobbying firm as the parent company of a financial firm he later recommended for a state contract, raising more questions about whether the treasurer’s compressed selection process was fair and transparent. The contract gives 311 Capital Management, a subsidiary of Citizen Capital, a potentially lucrative investment advisory role over billions of dollars of investments from state pension and trust funds. The common lobbying thread is The 1907 Group, which represented the interests of Citizen Capital before the treasurer, governor, and lawmakers for the past two years.

Virginia – GOP’s Hope to Undo Virginia’s New Redistricting Power Grows After Judge Halts Maps

Yahoo News – Markus Schmidt (Virginia Mercury) | Published: 4/21/2026

After losing the redistricting referendum, Virginia Republicans are now shifting their focus to the courts, arguing the legal fight, not the ballot box, will ultimately determine whether the measure stands. That battle escalated when a Tazewell County Circuit Court judge issued a new ruling that halts implementation of the voter-approved amendment less than 24 hours after it passed. While the result initially cleared the way for newly drawn congressional maps to take effect, the latest ruling by Judge Jack Hurley pauses that process, at least for now, as the case ultimately heads to the Supreme Court of Virginia.