October 3, 2025 •
News You Can Use Digest – October 3, 2025
National/Federal
Congressional Conflicts: Lawmakers dump Tylenol stock before autism controversy
MSN – Mark Stricherz (Center Square) | Published: 9/29/2025
Before President Trump warned pregnant women to avoid taking Tylenol, three members of Congress dumped stock in the company that makes the popular painkiller, sell-offs that saved them from incurring sizable losses, a media investigation found. The lawmakers sold $1,001 to $15,000 each in Kenvue, a consumer products company that spun off from Johnson & Johnson two years ago. The sales are notable also because most investment analysts recommended that investors hold their shares.
White House Considers Funding Advantage for Colleges That Align with Trump Policies
MSN – Laura Meckler and Susan Svrluga (Washington Post) | Published: 9/28/2025
The White House is developing a plan that could change how universities are awarded research grants, giving a competitive advantage to schools that pledge to adhere to the values and policies of the Trump administration on admissions, hiring, and other matters. The new system would represent a shift away from the unprecedented wave of investigations and punishments being delivered to individual schools and toward an effort to bring large swaths of colleges into compliance with Trump priorities all at once.
Trump Asks Supreme Court to Decide Whether He Can End Birthright Citizenship
MSN – Devan Cole and John Fritze (CNN) | Published: 9/26/2025
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of President Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship, pushing the issue before the justices for the second time this year. While the Supreme Court handed down a decision in June that dealt with birthright citizenship, that case was technically focused on a more procedural question of how much power lower courts had to stop a policy implemented by a president.
Trump Administration Moves to Defund Inspector General Watchdog Group
MSN – Meryl Kornfierld (Washington Post) | Published: 9/30/2025
The Trump administration plans to end funding for an oversight group that helps inspectors general root out waste, fraud, and abuse, marking the latest example of Trump’s drive to limit federal watchdog activities. The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency is the umbrella organization for 72 inspectors general across government. It acts as a watchdog of the watchdogs, providing training, peer reviews, and cross-agency oversight work for inspectors general. It also runs oversight.gov, where whistleblowers can disclose wrongdoing and inspector general reports are shared publicly.
A New Lawsuit Alleges the Gun Industry Exploited Firearm Owners’ Data for Political Gain
MSN – Corey Johnson (ProPublica) | Published: 9/25/2025
Two major law firms accused the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) of violating the privacy rights of millions of gun owners by running a decades-long program that sent their information to political operatives without consent. The complaint asks the court for approval of class-action status and requests financial damages against the NSSF, claiming the gun industry lobbying group enriched itself by exploiting valuable gun buyer information for political gain.
Trump Administration Illegally Targeted Pro-Palestinian Protesters, Judge Rules
MSN – Joanna Slater (Washington Post) | Published: 9/30/2025
The Trump administration’s push earlier this year to arrest and deport international students for their pro-Palestinian activism was illegal, U.S. District Court Judge William Young ruled, calling the crackdown a “truly scandalous and unconstitutional suppression of free speech.” He said he would decide an appropriate remedy for the Trump administration’s conduct after a future hearing. The case brought by a union of university professors accused the administration of having an unconstitutional policy of deporting people based on their political views.
Lawmakers Across the Country This Year Blocked Ethics Reforms Meant to Increase Public Trust
MSN – Gabriel Sandoval (ProPublica) | Published: 10/1/2025
At a time when the bounds of government ethics are being stretched in Washington, D.C., hundreds of ethics-related bills were introduced this year in state Legislatures. Democratic and Republican lawmakers tried to push through bills to tighten gift limits, toughen conflict-of-interest provisions, or expand financial disclosure reporting requirements. While legislation strengthening ethics oversight did pass in some places, lawmakers across multiple states targeted or thwarted reforms.
Supreme Court Allows Lisa Cook to Remain on Fed Board for Now
MSN – Justin Jouvenal and Andrew Ackerman (Washington Post) | Published: 10/1/2025
The Supreme Court ruled Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook can remain in her job for now and announced it will take up a high-stakes case over President Trump’s attempt to remove her from the central bank. The court will hear arguments in the case in January, and its temporary ruling will last at least until then. The provisional ruling to allow Cook to keep her job signals hesitation from at least some of the justices regarding the president’s aggressive campaign to oust Cook and gain tighter control over the Federal Reserve.
MSN – Faith Wardell (Politico) | Published: 10/1/2025
Agencies across the federal government are explicitly blaming Democrats for the government shutdown, from banners on top of public websites to suggested out-of-office messages for federal employees, in an unusually overt show of partisan messaging that some ethics experts say may violate federal law. The deluge of statements began hours before the shutdown with a single red pop-up posted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s website. “The radical left are going to shut down the government,” the page read.
Judge Blocks Kari Lake from Laying Off Over 500 Voice of America Staffers
MSN – Scott Nover (Washington Post) | Published: 9/30/2025
U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth temporarily blocked the layoffs of more than 500 Voice of America employees, delivering a setback to the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the United States’ international broadcasting agency. The order comes amid a protracted legal battle over whether the administration’s gutting of the U.S. Agency for Global Media violates federal broadcasting law.
White House Withdraws Controversial Pick to Lead Bureau of Labor Statistics
MSN – Lauren Kaori Gurley, Emily Davies, and Andrew Ackerman (Washington Post) | Published: 9/30/2025
The White House withdrew its nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics. President Trump chose Antoni to replace the former commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, a Biden appointee, who was fired by the president hours after the release of weak jobs data. Trump claimed, without evidence, that data produced under her watch was “rigged.” Antoni’s nomination drew criticism from Democrats and both liberal and conservative economists because of his partisan views and lack of experience.
Supreme Court Allows Trump Officials to Freeze Billions in Foreign Aid
MSN – Justin Jouvenal (Washington Post) | Published: 9/26/2025
The Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to freeze more than $4 billion in foreign aid, a victory for the president’s push to exert greater control over federal spending. The justices lifted a preliminary injunction from a federal judge who found the president had usurped Congress’s power of the purse by refusing to spend billions of dollars it had budgeted for food, medicine, and development around the world.
With Comey Prosecution, Trump Fulfills Promise of Revenge
MSN – Patrick Marley (Washington Post) | Published: 9/26/2025
Soon after a federal grand jury indicted former FBI Director James Comey, President Trump declared “JUSTICE IN AMERICA!” in a social media post, following up with a post calling Comey a “destroyer of lives” and “A DIRTY COP.” Trump’s predecessors sought to distance themselves from the Justice Department’s prosecutorial decisions, declining to weigh in on pending cases. Trump, in contrast, openly intervened in the Comey case, pushing out a prosecutor who declined to bring charges, replacing him with an ally and publicly demanding that Attorney General Pam Bondi act.
Nexstar and Sinclair Bring Jimmy Kimmel’s Show Back to Local TV Stations
Yahoo News – Wyatte Granham-Phillips and Andrew Dalton (Associated Press) | Published: 9/26/2025
Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group brought Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show back to their local television stations, ending a dayslong TV blackout for dozens of cities across the U.S. Kimmel’s suspension lasted less than a week, while the affiliate blackout stood for just over a week.
Why K Street Is Now Living in Fear of Trump’s Retribution Campaign
Yahoo News – Caitlin Oprysko, Brendan Bordelon, and Yasmin Khorram (Politico) | Published: 9/30/2025
Much of the private sector is paralyzed by President Trump’s broader efforts to leverage the might of the government to bend companies to his whims. But that pressure is magnified in government affairs shops across Washington, where corporations are desperate to curry Trump’s favor and avoid his wrath. The job market is so precarious in the Trump era that it has been tough for even moderate Republicans to get land a big influence job on K Street, let alone Democrats, said Jeff Forbes, a founding partner at the lobbying firm Forbes Tate Partners.
From the States and Municipalities
Alabama – Alabama Ethics Commission Issues Guidance on ‘Revolving Door’ Provisions
Alabama Reflector – Ralph Chapoco (Alabama Reflector) | Published: 10/2/2025
The Alabama Ethics Commission said former public officials and employees may accept employment after leaving government from businesses they or their employers dealt with as public officials, provided they do not lobby for them. The decision permits Gary Fuller, the outgoing mayor of the city of Opelika, and Micah Williamson, a former rehabilitation specialist with the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, to take positions with third-party firms without violating “revolving door” provisions of the ethics law.
Arizona – She Didn’t Report Paying Her Fiancé Public Campaign Cash. Now This Dem Faces Penalties
USA Today – Ray Stern (Arizona Republic) | Published: 9/28/2025
Arizona campaign finance officials rejected a proposed $7,000 sanction for a state lawmaker who flouted the law while paying her fiancé with public campaign cash, with one official saying Rep. Anna Abeytia should pay a larger fine. The sanction proposed by the Citizens Clean Elections Commission for Abeytia included a $5,000 fine for ignoring campaign finance reports and inquiries by the commission during the runup to her successful 2024 election.
Arizona – Conservatives Say Charlie Kirk Shooting Shows Need for Anonymous Political Spending
Yahoo News – Taylor Seely (Arizona Republic) | Published: 9/28/2025
The day after conservative political leader and Arizona resident Charlie Kirk was assassinated, leaders from Christian, conservative, and libertarian non-profits stood outside the Arizona Supreme Court with a sign. “STOP DONOR DOXING,” it read. Attorneys and leaders spoke about Kirk and how his death underscored the need to allow people to make anonymous donations to political campaigns. The state’s high court had just heard arguments over whether to overturn the Voters’ Right to Know Act.
Arizona – AZ Supreme Court Allows GOP Lawmakers to Challenge Voter-Approved Dark Money Disclosure Law
Yahoo News – Jerod MacDonald-Evoy (Arizona Mirror) | Published: 9/29/2025
The legal battle over a voter-approved anti-dark-money law passed in 2022 will continue as the Arizona Supreme Court said Republican lawmakers have a right to legally challenge the law but did not rule on its constitutionality. The decision comes as the court has been weighing another challenge to the law brought by proponents of anonymous campaign spending who are challenging its constitutionality. The ruling was on a case brought by GOP lawmakers who claim that the voter-approved proposition takes away their legislative powers, violating the state constitution.
California – Newsom Signs Elections Bills Allowing Public Financing, Curbing Voting Incentives
MSN – Lia Russell (Sacramento Bee) | Published: 10/2/2025
Californians will vote next year on an initiative to repeal a ban on public financing in elections and another that prohibits offering payouts or other incentives to people for registering to vote. Several charter cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles have public financing, but after former Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation in 2016 expanding the practice, courts ruled voters would need to approve lifting a statewide ban on public financing that was voted on by a ballot initiative in the 1980s.
California – Company Wins $1.9 Million Verdict in Baldwin Park Cannabis Corruption Scandal
MSN – Jason Henry (San Gabriel Valley Tribune) | Published: 9/22/2025
A company that purchased a cannabis license connected to a bribery scheme set up by Baldwin Park officials won a $1.9 million verdict. A jury determined that former City Attorney Robert Tafoya, Councilmember Manny Lozano and former city council member Ricardo Pacheco committed fraud and are personally liable for $1.6 million of the total. The city of Baldwin Park is on the hook for an additional $290,000 for “negligence,” according to the jury’s verdict.
MSN – Aaron Schrank (LAist) | Published: 9/26/2025
The top homelessness agency for the Los Angeles region approved its first-ever conflict-of-interest policy months after reporting revealed the agency’s chief executive officer signed contracts with a nonprofit tied to her husband. The new policy says Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority officials with real or perceived conflicts will no longer be named on contract signature lines.
California – Oakland School Board Director Faces Up to $95,000 in Ethics Penalties
MSN – Ashley McBride (Oaklandside) | Published: 10/1/2025
Oakland Unified school board director Mike Hutchinson is facing 19 ethics violations over his failure to file campaign finance disclosures for his unsuccessful 2016 campaign for the school board. According to a report prepared by the commission’s enforcement chief, he failed to file a key disclosure form for his 2016 campaign. City records show Hutchinson’s 2016 campaign only submitted various incomplete versions of Form 410, which candidates and committees file to set up their campaign accounts. As Hutchinson has not yet closed the campaign account, the filing failures have piled up.
Florida – Florida Officials Vote to Donate Land to Trump Library. There’s Backlash.
MSN – Lori Rozsa (Washington Post) | Published: 9/30/2025
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his cabinet voted to donate a prime piece of land in downtown Miami – next to the iconic Freedom Tower – for the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library. The vote came after a surprise move by the DeSantis administration to take over the vacant lot from Miami Dade College. The plan drew immediate backlash from many in Miami’s Cuban American community, who say the tower, known as the “Ellis Island of the South,” represents the opposite of Trump’s mass deportation campaign and tough immigration policies.
Nevada – Court Rules Trump’s U.S. Attorney in Nevada Was Unlawfully Appointed
MSN – Jeremy Roebuck (Washington Post) | Published: 9/30/2025
A federal judge disqualified President Trump’s pick for U.S. attorney in Nevada, ruling she had been unlawfully appointed. It is the second court ruling in as many months to cast doubt on the Justice Department’s novel strategy for retaining the president’s most controversial appointees in top prosecutorial roles. The judge concluded that Sigal Chattah, who was appointed interim U.S. attorney in March, had served beyond the 120-day expiration date for that role and Trump administration efforts to keep her past that deadline did not withstand legal scrutiny.
New Jersey – NJ Teachers Union Misused Dues to Fund Chief’s Bid for Governor, Lawsuit Claims
Yahoo News – Nikita Biryukov (New Jersey Monitor) | Published: 9/30/2025
Two public school teachers are suing the New Jersey Education Association, alleging the teachers’ union violated the law when it funneled $40 million to former union president Sean Spiller’s gubernatorial campaign this spring. The suit alleges the union improperly used dues it said would not fund its political committees to fuel the independent expenditure groups that backed Spiller’s failed bid for the Democratic nod for governor.
New Jersey – Archives Released Too Much of Sherrill’s Military Record to GOP Rival’s Allies
Yahoo News – James LaPorta (CBS News) | Published: 9/26/2025
A branch of the National Archives released a mostly unredacted version of U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s military records to Nicholas De Gregorio, an ally of Jack Ciattarelli, her Republican opponent in the New Jersey governor’s race. The disclosure potentially violates the Privacy Act of 1974 and exemptions established under the Freedom of Information Act.
New York – Super PACs Pay $900,000 to Settle Inquiry Tied to Zeldin, Head of EPA
Breaking One – Nicholas Fandos, Shane Goldmacher, and Maggie Haberman (New York Times) | Published: 9/25/2025
Two Republican super PACs paid nearly $1 million to quietly settle an inquiry into whether they illicitly coordinated with the campaign of Lee Zeldin during his 2022 run for governor of New York. The state’s top elections watchdog spent years investigating the matter, using subpoenas to try to show there was illegal overlap between the Zeldin campaign and two groups that spent $20 million supporting it, Save Our State Inc. and Safe Together New York. The fine is the largest ever paid in a super PAC coordination case in New York.
New York – NY AG James Turns to Legal Defense Fund Amid Scrutiny from Trump DOJ
Gothamist – Jimmy Vielkind | Published: 9/29/2025
New York Attorney General Letitia James is turning to a national Democratic group to fund her legal defense as prosecutors appointed by President Trump investigate and bring charges against his adversaries. James, a Democrat, won a 2023 fraud judgement against the president that cast doubt on Trump’s claims to be a brilliant businessperson. The Democratic Attorneys General Association said contributions would be routed through a 527 organization and would be disclosed in an annual filing. That kind of organization can accept unlimited donations in order to influence policies, appointments, or elections.
New York – Eric Adams Grinds on in Quest for Public Campaign Dollars
MSN – Greg Smith (The City) | Published: 9/29/2025
New York City Mayor Eric Adams may have thrown in the towel on his reelection fight, but he is still demanding millions of taxpayer dollars worth of campaign matching funds to pay off outstanding bills from his now defunct campaign. He is doing that while facing the very real possibility the Campaign Finance Board, which has been denying him these funds for months, may go a step further and move to recapture millions of dollars it had approved for him in his 2021 campaign.
New York – Good Government Groups: N.Y. lobbyists must be mandated to report campaign contributions
Spectrum News – Kate Lisa | Published: 1/26/2025
Good-government groups want New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to get behind a push supported by the state’s ethics watchdog to require lobbyists to disclose their political contributions to campaigns. A coalition of ethics advocates urged members of the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government to back a proposal to close the campaign finance loophole during a public hearing in New York City. The group is weighing more than 40 proposals to strengthen state ethics and lobbying laws for its 2026 legislative agenda.
New York – Eric Adams Ends Reelection Campaign
Yahoo News – Joe Anuta and Jeff Coltin (Politico) | Published: 9/28/2025
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he is ending his reelection campaign, a move that virtually ensures he will lose in November and seals his fate as the city’s first one-term mayor since David Dinkins. The mayor blamed city election officials, lingering concerns over a since-dismissed federal bribery case and the media for undermining his effort to secure a second term.
North Carolina – Former NCGOP Director to Lead ‘Election Integrity’ Efforts, Serve as Election Board Liaison, Says NC Auditor
MSN – Will Doran (WRAL) | Published: 9/26/2025
The leaders of all 100 county election boards in North Carolina will now report to and be trained by Dallas Woodhouse, a longtime Republican Party operative, state Auditor Dave Boliek told some county elections officials. Woodhouse, who led the state GOP from 2015 to 2019, most recently worked as the North Carolina director for the group American Majority. That group explicitly describes its goal: to help Republicans and hurt Democrats in elections.
Ohio – Ohio Redistricting Process Hits Dead End as Republicans Play Waiting Game
MSN – Jeremy Pelzer (Cleveland Plain Dealer) | Published: 9/30/2025
The first phase of Ohio’s latest congressional redistricting process ended in gridlock, with increasing signs that Republicans intend to wait out the process so they can redraw the state’s 15 congressional districts without Democratic support. September 30 was a state constitutional deadline for the Republican-controlled Legislature to pass a map with bipartisan support. But as a joint legislative redistricting committee wrapped up its work, the panel’s Republican co-chair said his party has not even put together any redistricting plan yet.
Oklahoma – Oklahoma Senators Consider Foreign Agent Disclosure Rules Amid China Influence Concerns
MSN – Alexia Aston (Oklahoman) | Published: 9/30/2025
State lawmakers could consider legislation or ethics rules that would require people in Oklahoma advocating on behalf of a foreign entity, country, organization, or individual to disclose their relationship with that entity. During an interim study session in the Senate Judiciary Committee, senators considered ways to establish the state’s own version of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Oregon – Trump Calls for Troops in Portland, Escalating Use of Military Inside U.S.
MSN – Michael Birnbaum, Dan Lamothe, and Todd Frankel (Washington Post) | Published: 9/27/2025
President Trump said he will send troops to Portland, Oregon, and to immigration detention facilities around the country, authorizing “Full Force, if necessary” and escalating a campaign to use the U.S. military against Americans that has little modern precedent. The announcement appeared likely to set up a first test for a White House effort targeting left-wing protest groups. It came just days after Trump signed an executive order directing the nation’s full counterterrorism apparatus against domestic political opponents despite long precedent restricting such a move.
Rhode Island – New Limits on Gifts for Lawmakers and Who Can Give Them Are Coming in the New Year
Yahoo News – Alexander Castro (Rhode Island Current) | Published: 9/30/2025
The Rhode Island Ethics Commission approved two proposed rule changes regarding gifts to public officials. The first change increases the gift cap for public officials, who will soon be able to receive $50 single gifts, or $150 worth of gifts in aggregate in one year, from the same person. The other measure widens the ethics code’s definition of an “interested person” to include all lobbyists, including ones working on behalf of nonprofits.
Rhode Island – Ethics Commission OKs State Rep’s Bid to Rejoin Court-Appointed Counsel List
Yahoo News – Alexander Castro (Rhode Island Current) | Published: 9/30/2025
The Rhode Island Ethics Commission approved a petition from state Rep. Jason Knight, who is a criminal defense attorney, to apply to rejoin the state judiciary’s roster of court-appointed lawyers available to represent indigent defendants. Commissioners voted to adopt a staff recommendation concluding the ethics code does not disallow Knight from returning to the state Supreme Court’s attorney list. Normally, as an elected official, Knight would be barred while in office and for one year after leaving his elected position.
MSN – Jaden Edison (Texas Tribune) | Published: 9/30/2025
The Texas Education Agency investigation into teachers’ social media comments after Charlie Kirk’s killing has legal experts and public education advocates troubled by what they say amounts to a “witch hunt” that shows a lack of regard for educators’ free speech rights. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath had sent a letter to superintendents criticizing content he found “reprehensible and inappropriate” and promising to refer such posts to his agency’s investigative unit with a recommendation the instructors have their teaching licenses suspended.
Texas – Dallas City Council Delves Deeper into Ethics Debate, Rejects Nominee to Ethics Board
MSN – Devyani Chhetri (Dallas Morning News) | Published: 10/1/2025
A majority of the Dallas City Council rejected their colleague’s nominee to the ethics advisory commission, citing adversarial online conduct by her husband. Posts and videos by the husband featured caricatures of city officials, sometimes using deepfake artificial intelligence. Natalie LeVeck, council member Bill Roth’s nominee, is a senior counsel at Google and teaches law at Southern Methodist University.
Search
State and Federal Communications, Inc. provides research and consulting services for government relations professionals on lobbying laws, procurement lobbying laws, political contribution laws in the United States and Canada. Learn more by visiting stateandfed.com.
