National/Federal

Elon Musk’s Starlink Expands Across White House Complex

DNyuz – Maggie Haberman, Kate Conger, Eileen Sullivan, and Ryan Mac (New York Times) | Published: 3/17/2025

Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is now accessible across the White House campus. It is the latest installation of the Wi-Fi network across the government since Musk joined the Trump administration as an unpaid adviser. Musk, who is now an unpaid adviser working as a “special government employee” at the White House, controls Starlink and other companies that have regulatory matters before or contracts with the federal government. Questions about his business interests conflicting with his status as a presidential adviser and major Trump donor have persisted for weeks.

With Orders, Investigations and Innuendo, Trump and G.O.P. Aim to Cripple the Left

DNyuz – Kenneth Vogel and Shane Goldmacher (New York Times) | Published: 3/19/2025

President Trump and his allies are attacking the players and machinery that power the left, taking a series of partisan official actions that, if successful, will threaten to hobble Democrats’ ability to compete in elections for years to come. So far, the attacks have been diffuse and sometimes indiscriminate or inaccurate. But inside the administration, there are moves to coordinate and expand the assault. It is not unusual for partisans in Congress or their outside allies to push for investigations into political groups on the other side of the aisle, but using the levers of government to target the opposition is considered an abuse of power.

Judges Fear for Their Safety Amid a Wave of Threats

DNyuz – Mattathias Schwartz and Abbie VanSickle (New York Times) | Published: 3/19/2025

President Trump’s angry call for the impeachment of a federal judge who ruled against his administration on deportation flights set off a string of social media taunts and threats, including images of judges being marched off in handcuffs. The threats and intimidation may have not become actual violence, but they appear to be mounting, as Trump, his advisers, and his supporters are questioning the legitimacy of the American legal system. There is no evidence that jurists’ judgment has been warped by their antagonists. But at the least, public perceptions of judicial decisions could be shaped by the volume of attacks on the courts.

Trump’s Ending of Hunter Biden’s Security Detail Raises Questions About Who Gets Protection

DNyuz – Eileen Sullivan (New York Times) | Published: 3/19/2025

While former President Joe Biden and his wife are by law allowed to have protection for the rest of their lives, their adult children had it only for a few months. Before leaving office, Biden issued an executive order that extended the protection to them, but President Trump revoked their detail. Despite the legitimate questions of cost for protecting so many people, the sudden announcement of the cessation of protection for Hunter Biden, coupled with Trump’s fixation on the former president and his only living son, raised questions about whether this move was the latest stop on the president’s revenge tour.

Two Democratic Commissioners Fired from FTC

MSN – Julian Mark, Cat Zakrzewski, and Will Oremos (Washington Post) | Published: 3/18/2025

President Trump fired the only two Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission, handing the remaining Republican commissioners exclusive control over the agency that oversees antitrust and consumer protection laws and serves as the U.S. government’s primary regulator of the tech industry. Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter announced their dismissals on social media, with both calling their firings illegal. Bedoya indicated that he intends to sue over his firing.

Judge Says Trump Penalties on Law Firm Send ‘Chills Down My Spine’

MSN – Perry Stein (Washington Post) | Published: 3/12/2025

A federal judge blocked provisions of President Trump’s executive order targeting attorneys at Perkins Coie. U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell said Perkins Coie was likely to ultimately prevail in court with its challenge of the order, which was prompted by the firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and its prior work for Trump’s political opponents. Howell warned that the order could damage the integrity of the entire legal profession, intimidating lawyers from taking up cases that the president views as going against his interests.

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Curb Judges’ Power to Block Policies Nationwide

MSN – Josh Gerstein (Politico) | Published: 3/13/2025

President Trump is asking the Supreme Court to eliminate a key tool that lower courts have used to block various aspects of his agenda, Trump asked the justices to rein in or shelve three nationwide injunctions lower-court judges have issued against his bid to end birthright citizenship. But his request could have repercussions far beyond the debate over the controversial citizenship plan.

National Democratic Committees to Stage Town Halls in House GOP Districts

MSN – Patrick Svitek (Washington Post) | Published: 3/14/2025

A coalition of national Democratic committees is launching town hall meetings in Republican-held House districts across the country, ramping up the party’s efforts to put politically vulnerable GOP lawmakers on the defensive over President Trump’s agenda. The groups aim to hold town halls in all 50 states.

Amid ‘DEI’ Purge, Pentagon Removes Webpage on Iwo Jima Flag-Raiser

MSN – Jon Swaine and Alex Horton (Washington Post) | Published: 3/17/2025

Until recently, a page on the Defense Department’s website celebrated Pfc. Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian who was one of the six Marines photographed hoisting a U.S. flag on Iwo Jima in 1945. But the page, along with many others about Native American and other minority service members, has now been erased amid the Trump administration’s wide-ranging crackdown on what it says are “diversity, equity and inclusion” efforts in the federal government.

How Matt Gaetz Poisoned the House Ethics Committee

MSN – Haily Fuchs (Politico) | Published: 3/18/2025

Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz is gone from Congress, but the wounds he inflicted on the House ethics committee that investigated him remain fresh. As the committee prepares in the coming weeks to ramp up after a monthslong delay and a pileup of potential cases, it is still regrouping from its crisis last year over whether to break with recent precedent and release the results of an investigation into Gaetz, who was being considered for attorney general.

Jury Selection Underway in Bribery Trial of Wife of Convicted Ex-New Jersey Senator

Yahoo News – John Russell | Published: 3/18/2025

The public corruption trial of Nadine Menendez, the wife of former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, is underway, having been split off from her co-defendants’ trial last year and then postponed by medical adjournments. Nadine Menendez was initially charged alongside her husband, accusing the couple of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of bribes and gifts, including gold bars, from several businesspeople in exchange for the senator’s political influence.

From the States and Municipalities

Europe – Huawei Lobbyists Banned from Accessing European Parliament After Bribery Arrests

MSN – Associated Press | Published: 3/14/2025

The European Parliament banned lobbyists working for Huawei from its premises following the arrests of several people in a corruption probe linked to the company, in yet another scandal to hit the Legislature. Huawei is suspected by Belgian prosecutors bribing European Union lawmakers. The European Parliament said the decision to suspend the access of Huawei lobbyists has been taken as a precautionary measure, in line with its security rules.

California – An L.A. City Council Member Is Launching a Nonprofit. Ethics Experts Have Questions

Los Angeles Times – Dakota Smith | Published: 3/15/2025

Los Angeles City Councilperson Tim McOsker is launching a nonprofit to pay for basic services, including street lighting and park improvements, in his district, an unusual move that raises questions for ethics experts. The One Five Fund, which formally launches in the next few months, “will make requests of folks throughout the city for money,” McOsker said. McOsker will fundraise for One Five but will not be involved in allocating the money, according to his office.

California – Will Disgraced Former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu Serve Prison Time?

Voice of OC – Spencer Custodio | Published: 3/17/2025

Federal prosecutors asked a judge to sentence disgraced former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu to eight months in prison and a $40,000 fine for wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and lying to FBI agents about trying to ram through the corrupted Angel Stadium sale to get $1 million in campaign support. Sidhu is asking for three years of probation and community service or a home arrest sentence. Sidhu resigned shortly after revelations of the corruption probe in 2022, and the stadium sale was canceled around the same time.

District of Columbia – D.C. Drops Lawsuit Against Proud Boys, Oath Keepers Over Jan. 6 Attack

Philadelphia Tribune – Ellie Silverman (Washington Post) | Published: 3/17/2025

The District of Columbia dropped a lawsuit against the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers over the attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying the city was unlikely to recover enough money to justify continuing legal action against the far-right groups and others it had sought to hold responsible for the riot. The suit marked the first effort by a government agency to hold individuals and organizations civilly liable for the violence at the Capitol that day.

Florida – 2 Miami-Dade Health Inspectors Accused of Fabricating Violations to Extort Restaurants

MSN – David Goodhue (Miami Herald) | Published: 3/12/2025

Two Miami-Dade County health inspectors were arrested on accusations they extorted bribes from restaurant owners. In total, Charles Bryant II and Craig Bethel extorted $14,620 from 15 businesses, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said. Both men, who worked for the Department of Environmental Resources Management, are accused of making up bogus health violations and threatening the businesses with shutting them down if they did not pay them money.

Florida – Ron DeSantis’ Team Is Urging Florida Lobbyists Not to Back Rep. Byron Donalds for Governor

MSN – Matt Dixon (NBC News) | Published: 3/18/2025

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s political operation is making calls to state lobbyists, urging them not to support U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, whose 2026 bid for governor has already collected more than $3 million, much of which has come from President Trump’s donors. Donalds announced his Trump-backed bid for governor in February, but there remains the prospect that DeSantis’s wife, Casey, also jumps into the race, which would set up a heavyweight Republican primary and continue the long-running political proxy war between Trump and DeSantis.

Florida – Lee School Board’s $180K Lobbying Contract Sparks Conflict-of-Interest Concerns

Yahoo News – Mickenzie Hannon (Naples Daily News) | Published: 3/13/2025

Some Lee County residents are questioning a new $180,000 contract the school board approved with Ballard Partners for federal lobbying services, raising concerns over potential conflicts-of-interest. Some residents voiced concerns about Ballard Partners’ ties to political consultant Terry Miller, who joined the firm as a partner in the Fort Myers office in 2023. He has also worked on campaigns for several board members. Critics argued the contract could give Miller undue influence over district affairs.

Hawaii – ‘Clean Government’ Bills Have Renewed Support

Yahoo News – Dan Nakaso (Honolulu Star-Advertiser) | Published: 3/18/2025

A series of bills aimed at further cleaning up government ethics, lobbying practices, and campaign contributions, while making it easier for new candidates to campaign for office, are suddenly enjoying renewed energy in the Hawaii Legislature after a lull in 2024. Collectively, the bills that remain alive this session are designed to tighten many of the practices that have directly or indirectly been linked to recent federal trials, guilty verdicts, and pleas by state and county officials.

Kansas – Kansas Senate Adds to Potential Makeover of State Elections with Passage of Two More Bills

Yahoo News – Sherman Smith and Anna Kaminski (Kansas Reflector) | Published: 3/17/2025

Lawmakers passed two bills that would ban the use of ranked-choice voting in Kansas and restrict funding for election-related activities, such as voter registration efforts. The Legislature now has sent three election bills to the governor’s desk. The other one would narrow the window for advance ballots to arrive at county election offices.

Kansas – Kansas GOP Activist, Democrat Legislator Find Common Ground in Opposition to Campaign Finance Bills

Yahoo News – Tim Carpenter (Kansas Reflector) | Published: 3/17/2025

Democratic Rep. Alexis Simmons and former Kansas Republican Party Executive Director Kris Van Meteren stand uncommonly side-by-side against elimination of contribution limits for political party committees. Both said they could see logic to House Bill 2054’s doubling of contribution limits for candidates seeking election as governor and other statewide offices, the state Legislature and State Board of Education.

Kentucky – Secrecy Shrouds Campaign to Form New Suburban City in Louisville Metro

WDRB – Marcus Green | Published: 3/11/2025

The battle over a new city proposed for Jefferson County has been waged on yard signs, in online forums, and through word of mouth. But one front where the campaign is not occurring is on disclosure forms bringing transparency to groups fighting for and against the city of Eastwood. In many cases, local and state laws require those advocating for high-profile issues in Louisville and Frankfort to identify themselves and explain how much they are spending to influence decision makers. That is not happening in the Eastwood debate.

Michigan – Detroit Chamber Can’t Comp Lawmakers for Mackinac Conference

MIRS – Staff | Published: 3/11/2025

The Detroit Regional Chamber is not allowed to give lawmakers free admission to their annual Mackinac Policy Conference, which other attendees pay $3,200 apiece to attend, the secretary of state’s office said in a preliminary ruling. Normally, registration is $3,200 for chamber members, but state law bans gifts worth more than $79 from lobbyists, like the Detroit Regional Chamber. The Senate is advancing a bill that would allow lawmakers to continue receiving tickets to charity events or admission to a conference or educational event directly related to their duties, like the Mackinac Policy Conference.

Michigan – Michigan House Democrats Take Second Run at Ethics and Transparency Legislation

Yahoo News – Jon King (Michigan Advance) | Published: 3/18/2025

Michigan House Democrats used Sunshine Week, which acknowledges the importance of transparency in government, to re-introduce a package of bills they say will provide needed accountability to the finances of elected officials. The bills failed to get through the House last year during the lame duck session. Several of the sponsors saying the package would improve accountability by stopping election and campaign finance law violations in real-time, while also curtailing the influence of lobbying and financial interests on the legislative process.

Montana – Witness Testimony Wraps in Ellsworth Ethics Probe as Business Associate Skirts Subpoena

Bozeman Daily Chronicle – Seaborn Larson and Blair Miller (Lee Newspapers) | Published: 3/17/2025

Witness testimony over three days before a legislative ethics committee fortified allegations that Sen. Jason Ellsworth failed to disclose an extensive personal and professional relationship when organizing a state-funded contract for a friend, special counsel Adam Duerk argued. The committee’s final meeting before it begins crystalizing its forthcoming report for the Senate included a video statement from Bryce Eggleston, the contractor whom Ellsworth awarded a $170,100 state-funded contract to analyze the rollout of the GOP’s judicial reform agenda after the 2025 legislative session.

Nevada – Nevada Official Faces Ethics Commission over Golden Knights Perks

MSN – Mary Hynes (Las Vegas Review-Journal) | Published: 3/19/2025

Dwayne McClinton, director of the Nevada Office of Energy, is the subject of a state ethics complaint that claims he accepted free Vegas Golden Knights tickets and solicited access to a private watch party while negotiating a potential taxpayer-funded partnership with the National Hockey League team. McClinton neither disclosed the gifts nor abstained from further work on the partnership project.

New Jersey – Pay-to-Play

MSN – Riley Yates (NJ Advance Media) | Published: 3/20/2025

Two years ago, the New Jersey Legislature eviscerated the state’s pay-to-play law, a once-heralded good government measure that seeks to prevent construction companies, insurance brokers, and law offices from buying contracts through campaign donations. That has helped funnel campaign funds to political machines across New Jersey. In total, public contractors poured $3.8 million last year into political parties at the state, county, or local level, more than double what they gave in 2023, when the new rules first took effect.

New Mexico – Campaign Finance Reform Is ‘Dead,’ Says Sponsor

KUNM – Marjorie Childress (New Mexico In Depth) | Published: 3/16/2025

A bill meant primarily to close loopholes in New Mexico’s law governing the reporting of campaign contributions and expenditures crashed in the House Government, Elections, and Indian Affairs committee. Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth has sought to close loopholes in the Campaign Reporting Act since several groups exploited them in a partially successful attempt to evade disclosing their donors and spending in the 2020 election.

New Mexico – Major Lobbyist Transparency Bill Nears Finish Line

New Mexico In Depth – Marjorie Childress | Published: 3/18/2202

The New Mexico Senate voted to require new reports from registered lobbyists and those that pay them about the legislation they support or oppose. The House must now agree with changes made to House Bill 143. Sen. Jeff Steinborn has pushed for this type of lobbyist reporting since 2017, but his bills have not made it far in the Senate before.

New York – Adams’s Associates Under Federal Investigation Over Ties to China

DNyuz – Bianca Pallaro, Jay Root, Michael Forsythe, and William Rashbaum (New York Times) | Published: 3/18/2025

The Trump administration appears likely to succeed in having federal corruption charges dropped against New York City Mayor Eric Adams in Manhattan. But in Brooklyn, a separate group of prosecutors has been conducting a long-running investigation involving the mayor’s most prominent fundraiser, and at one point searched her homes and office for evidence of a possible Chinese government scheme to influence Adams’s election, according to a search warrant.

New York – Judge Upholds Income Limits for State Legislators

Jamestown Post-Journal – John Whittaker | Published: 3/20/2025

A New York Supreme Court justice upheld outside income limits for state legislators but struck down a section of the law that would strip lawmakers of their voting rights if they violate the income limits. Republicans asked the judge to declare the law unconstitutional under the state and federal constitutions while the state argued limiting outside income falls within the Legislature’s legitimate interest in preventing conflict-of-interest and ethics issues caused by outside earned income.

Ohio – Six Years After Bribery Scandal, Ousted First Energy Lobbyists Still Aren’t Talking to the PUCO

MSN – Jake Zuckerman (Cleveland Plain Dealer) | Published: 3/13/2025

Nearly six years ago, the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation that benefitted FirstEnergy, which was later deemed to be the fruit of a bribery scheme. Three corporate lobbyists and one executive, all since ousted from their roles with FirstEnergy, once again avoided answering questions under oath about what happened. The goal of the hearing was to establish a process and build a record that the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio could take to court, where a judge could issue an order compelling them to testify while giving immunity from being held criminally accountable for whatever answers they may provide.

Oklahoma – Ryan Walters Used His Official-Looking X Account to Support Trump. It Cost Him $5K to Settle Ethics Complaint.

Yahoo News – Nolan Clay (Oklahoman) | Published: 3/17/2025

State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters agreed to pay a $5,000 settlement after being accused of ethics violations for pushing for Donald Trump’s election on a social media account with his official title. The Oklahoma Ethics Commission voted to settle three cases against Walters over his social media posts in support of Trump. It also voted to sue Walters over alleged campaign finance violations.

Oregon – Oregon’s 3 Most Populous Counties Don’t Track Who Lobbies Their Leaders

MSN – Austin De Dios (Portland Oregonian) | Published: 3/14/2025

None of Oregon’s most populous counties track with whom lobbyists meet or how much they spend on events with public officials. The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners is looking to change that.

Tennessee – No Formal Ethics Commission Training Yet for Lee’s Cabinet After September Pledge

Des Moines Register – Vivian Jones (Nashville Tennessean) | Published: 3/10/2025

Additional ethics training has not occurred for members of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s cabinet nearly six months after a state ethics board recommended that they do so. Last year, Lee and Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds both repaid travel payments to nonprofits with connected political groups that employ lobbyists after media reports led to ethics complaints that alleged the travel expenses constituted illegal gifts.

Texas – How At-Large Voting Creates Conservative Majorities on Texas School Boards

MSN – Jeremy Schwartz (ProPublica) and Dan Keemahill (Texas Tribune) | Published: 3/19/2025

The way communities elect school board members plays a key, if often overlooked, role in whether racially diverse districts experience takeovers by ideologically driven conservatives seeking to exert greater influence over what children learn in public schools In Texas. Since the pandemic, such groups have successfully leveraged the state’s long-standing and predominantly at-large method of electing candidates to flip school boards in their direction.

Texas – Bills Filed to Ban ‘Deepfakes’ in Political Ads in Texas

MSN – Bethany Blankley (The Center Square) | Published: 3/19/2025

Two bills were filed in Texas that would require additional disclosures for political ads. The bills were filed after the state Ethics Commission expanded disclosure requirements for campaign ads on social media posts. House Bill 366 would require disclosures on political ads that contain altered images known as “deep fakes.”

Utah – Utah on Path to End Automatic Mail Ballots after Wave of Misinformation

MSN – Patrick Marley and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez (Washington Post) | Published: 3/17/2025

Utah is poised to abolish its practice of automatically mailing ballots to all voters, handing a victory to President Trump and Republicans who have vilified voting by mail since his 2020 election defeat. The likely changes in Utah are modest compared with Trump’s calls for ending mail voting altogether but would nonetheless mark a dramatic shift in a Republican stronghold that has long embraced mail balloting as convenient and secure.

Vermont – Vermont House Passes Change to Ethics Law, Despite Objections from the State’s Ethics Commission

VTDigger.org – Shaun Robinson | Published: 3/14/2025

The state panel tasked with reviewing alleged violations of Vermont’s ethical standards for government officials has been at odds with lawmakers over a bill that would limit the panel’s role in reviewing potential misconduct by state leaders. The House passed the bill that would, among other changes, exempt the panels and boards that investigate alleged misconduct by legislators, judges, and attorneys from a legal requirement to “consult” with the state ethics commission.

West Virginia – WV House Republicans Join Dems 54-41 to Reject Bill Allowing Direct Corporate Political Donations

West Virgina Watch – Caity Coyne | Published: 3/13/2025

The West Virginia House rejected a bill that would have allowed businesses and corporations in the state to directly donate up to $2,800, and potentially more, to candidates. Under House Bill 2729, business owners could have given the maximum amount of money to candidates multiple times by donating through their businesses, individual giving, and PACs.