In the last few weeks, Popular Information has exposed the corporations bankrolling the sponsors of Texas' abortion ban, revealed the duplicity of Apple, Netflix, GM, and others on climate change, and laid out the real facts about crime in America.
Today, however, I want to hear from you. What's on your mind? What stories have you been following? What topics would you like to see Popular Information take on?
You can leave your thoughts in the discussion thread linked below, starting now. I’ll be dropping by to participate in the discussion and answer your questions at 1 PM Eastern, for about an hour.
UPDATE (2PM): I’m thrilled about all the insightful comments and questions from Popular Information readers today. I wasn’t able to get to all of them but I need to sign off now to make sure you have a great newsletter tomorrow morning. I promise that I will read everything here, even if I can’t respond to each one. Thanks, Judd
I would like a close up look at the progress (or lack thereof) of legal proceedings against Donald Trump and The Trump Organization (civil and criminal). I was hoping something would come out of it that would derail his political ambitions.
I'm monitoring this and will provide some coverage when I think I have something to add. Trump is still the dominant figure on the right. It might be exhausting but we still have to pay attention.
I was wondering if you could possibly get just a small indication (leak?) from the DOJ that would let us know they don't intend to leave Trump and friends unaccountable for the crimes they have committed. For the sake of our mental health.
I agree. The lack of criminal charges against Trump, family, organization and his cronies is another substantive crack in the rule of law. What does this tell our children and their children. We were sickened for five years, we cried when Biden won, we opened our heart to hope again, but then, nada from Garland. Why?
This subject is at the top of my list. I just really became aware of Judd Legum and Population Information today. I will be subscribing today. I look forward to all of the great work that you do and finally getting answers to some extremely important issues.
I get more anxious every day that passes in which the Democrats fail to get their act together and pass the legislation needed to make this country more equitable for all. Letting McConnell stall them only plays into the hands of the Republican agenda to re-elect the dictator in Florida. The filibuster is not sancrosanct, nor written into the constitution. They need to get over it and get on with it. Republicans have not been wearing gloves for some time and the Democrats need to get in the ring and fight it out. My concern is, why the Democrats are taking so long to recognize this? We have seen the enemy and they are us.
I agree with you that there is nothing special about the filibuster but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere at the moment. Nevertheless, even a slimmed-down reconciliation bill could be monumental from a policy perspective and Democrats have a window between now and the end of the year to pass it. As I've documented, a lot of powerful interests are trying to kill the bill. We'll see what happens.
The Democrats need to railroad everything through. It’s made more difficult by lack of truth in the media. We’re already hanging off the cliff! The Dems need to throw some punches now.
Exactly my frustration too. I cannot fathom what benefit accrues to NOT eliminating the filibuster. It could have been done months ago. I do not see another option.
If the Republicans take full control of congress, the filibuster will be the first thing to go. Dems should do this preemptively before 2022 elections and at least do some good in the short term.
I hit "like" but of course I don't like it at all...regarding the Republicans hypocrisy and the filibuster. Dems should have done it months ago. Not a time for timidity of any kind.
I couldn't have said it better. I share all of this frustration, along with a deep-seated fear for our democracy. The GOP has ceded any responsibility for good governance and now works only to enhance their own power, a drive that has been fueled by trump and company and which has encouraged deceit and corruption.
Democrats have traditionally managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory - due to infighting among themselves. It isn't clear to me that there is any answer to this. Manchin needs to be publically revealed by a prominent Democrat as the fraud that he is - coal mine owner twice over, and in the pocket of the oil and gas industries.
ALL of this is available here - in https://popular.info/p/the-manchin-industry - but it needs a prominent Democrat to bring it to the eye of the public, and put Manchin's seat at risk.
As others have commented - the filibuster should be staked through it's dirty heart and left out to rot. It allows a minority to stop decisions made by a majority. How that matches up with representative democracy is hard to fathom. It's time is past- make it go away now.
Yes, Judd's inquiry into the Manchin industry is thorough and brilliantly presented. I made a copy of it to read to a friend who has macular degeneration. However, Manchin is certainly not the only one who chooses sides based on the money to be gained from special interest lobbying gestures. Nor should people assume that racism is not a major factor in many decisions--and that is not dependent on which party the politician belongs to. And, finally, realize that Democrats may become the minority party in both houses. Even Joe Manchin said "if you want people with more progressive views than I , you must vote them in."
No point Susan in getting anxious about something you can do nothing about! Instead, spend your time calling reps and senators and tell them how you feel and how you want them to vote! It's not about Right and Left it's about the $$$$
This is a very common request and I'm thinking about how to address it. One simple thing is to spread the information. Communicating to the subject of the reporting and letting them know that you know the truth and spreading the word to other people. Powerful entities change when enough people know the truth that it's a problem for them.
Totally agree. I’ve written a couple of letters to companies that I use, but I’m not completely sure that they are going to the right person to make a difference.
find out who the CEO is and with a little digging on internet you may be able to find home address....drop them a line voicing your concerns. it may not result in any change but will certainly get their attention. just sending a note to corporate headquarters will probably end up in the shredder.
Yes please this Judd - some kind of tip / direction re. what to do with the energy and upset you spark with your wonderful newsletter - want to direct it in a way that is helpful!
US Code 2383; those who incite, assist, or engage in rebellion or insurrection...imprisoned up to ten years and be incapable of holding any office under the United States. Why are we seeing so few prison sentences or such lenient prosecution such as the 14 day prison sentence just handed out for the Jan 6th terrorists? When can we expect to see the inciters in Congress and Trump hauled up on charges such as for this code? If we don't see any real punishment for these traitors, they are just going to try again and if history is any guide, the attempt after the failed Beer Hall Putsch is not a pleasant experience for anyone.
Prosecutors like to win and those charges would be more difficult to prove for any individual defendant. We know that was the overall purpose of January 6 but was that what was motivating an individual person that broke a window? We can guess but that's not enough in criminal court.
Would it be worth delaying for the subpoenas of the higher ups and their communications to bear fruit? Seems like prosecution has to happen fast but it looks like there's more evidence out there.
Follow J6 Defendants outcomes, detailed Court proceeding summaries, and thoughtful analysis re where ‘Garland’ is headed by following these 2 Twitter accounts:
empty wheel
elie mystal……
and these authors provide a lotta other good stuff too.boot.
You mean Mercer's money? Could be, but prob not just Russia
I just don't by the narrative of this autistic, genius recluse who then uses his fortune to create a network of right-wing orgs. Recluses aren't known for networking
Thank you for being such a trusted and valuable source of information, Judd. Through your reporting, we canceled a contract with AT&T (and all its previous iterations) of 20+ years. It felt really good to fill out that survey.
Any time you expose the hypocrisy of companies, I'm in. Who says publicly they support climate change legislation, but who works against it when they think no one is watching? Who says publicly they support voting rights legislation, but are funding politicians to not support and vote in favor of it? I realize one consumer alone is likely to not make a difference, but when a majority of us hit these companies where it hurts we can affect meaningful change.
I wish there was more of an update. There won't be a federal voting bill until the filibuster rules have changed. And there doesn't seem to be enough Democrats that support changing the filibuster rules to do it.
I too am interested in this subject. I feel like time is ticking away while numerous states are setting up systems and individuals to steal the next presidential election. If we don’t have a federal bill to override this mess, we could easily lose our democracy.
I would like to hear more about the so-called “labor shortage”. Specifically, businesses/business owners that are complaining about the labor shortage, pushing for an end for unemployment benefits, while quietly raking in some of their best profits ever. It’s absolutely happening out there and popular information is a perfect avenue for exposing it.
I was actually thinking about this today. It's an important point. If employers paid more and treated their employees better, there might be less of a shortage.
I have a 26 yr old daughter, and was recently at a wedding for a 30 yr. old. They all "joke" there's no future for them with climate change. They all "joke" they should live for today because the future is bleak. (these are highly educated, talented young people.) It's not about just money anymore for the next generations - it's about quality of life, company culture, and really showing your business cares. I think too many businesses are old school and not quickly changing course. Why would a young adult work for a company that pollutes, doesn't give back, etc? I think this demo and their view of life is part of the reason for the shortage.
The real shortage is in wages. Owners of large companies are more than happy to pay fewer people and have their customers wait longer when their bottom line isn’t really shifting. But you will hear them talk about a “labor shortage” non-stop because it is convenient cover for the fact that they can simply get away with it as it stands, without substantially raising wages. A good idea for popular information might be to seek out companies that have made public statements about labor shortages, while seeing how much they’re paying out their shareholders dividends/exec bonuses/things like that. I think we will find that as usual, corps are talking about one thing while doing another.
I was reading in the paper today that people are quitting jobs at a fast clip. Us baby boomers are coming to the end of our work careers. (I personally quit my job at Walmart before 65 because of the pandemic and the difficulty of the work for my age.) I would like to see some statistics on the number of people quitting or being laid off compared to their ages. How close are we to inverting the greater number of people supporting Soc Sec to the greater number being the people that receive it. Nobody talks about that and I would think that will be a big issue. I also wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people in that age group or close to it are ready to make the next jump or transitions in their life. I also think a lot of people had to tighten their belt during the pandemic and learned that can live with less money and came to enjoy a lot less stress. It's almost like we have a perfect storm of issues coming together and there really is no one true thing. All in IMHO.
Their situation is a bit different because of their self-inflicted brexit foolishness. In the US though, large companies are making massive profits while putting the burden on workers & consumers, while simultaneously crowing to the media about the “labor shortage” and that “people just don’t want to work when they can stay home on unemployment”, because they don’t want to have to pay a living wage.
I've been thinking lately of all the older senators and representatives who benefited from the programs and policies of yore: 90% marginal tax rate, publicly funded and affordable higher education, and public housing and healthcare (looking at you on that last one, McConnel), but have then consistently voted to prevent younger generations from benefitting from the same. There must be a spreadsheet or list like this, but I can't find it. It smacks of, "we got ours, now we taking yours," and I wish it would be mentioned more in policy debates.
This is a good one, particularly health care. Senators and congresspeople should have access to the same health plans we do, at the same cost, and only for their term of office.
I love your work. The way you call out corporations for their hypocrisy and apply pressure on them is so important. My biggest fear now is that fair elections are threatened.
Voting rights for sure. The GOP is gathering steam on ways to take the votes no matter who actually wins in counties across the US. While I care about everything else, I’ve come to believe that nothing will matter if our voting rights aren’t protected.
Credo Mobile is the only progressive phone company I know of. They’ve donated millions to progressive causes. I love this company ~ been with them ten years.
I’m switching from Verizon to Credo. Only they completely online, no stores. But that of course keeps their cost down. They are mad generous to progressive organizations, selected by their customers.
I agree with Queenbeehoney: CREDO Mobile is my phone company and has been for more than 10 years now. I love the company and recommend them to everyone I know. They have great customer service--and have helped me get my monthly phone bill to below $50. Last week, I switched my internet provider from AT&T to Earthlink, and told AT&T very clearly why I terminated them: they are bad corporate citizens.
Loved your article on climate change and how companies and their execs can be so hypocritical. Anything more you can do on climate change and money flows is great.
Also like the idea in the comments below for a boycott list that could let us know by issue which companies to avoid and why. Can't avoid everyone (especially the big ones) but would be impactful to see it all laid out in one place.
Merrick Garland, the DOJ, and the almost total inaction over this seemingly endless rolling coup.
MG and the DOJ currently seems like the only thing that might halt the trajectory of your country into complete and total fascism.
There are so many important things that hover on the fringes, but the only thing that might really turn this around is decisive action on the part of MG and the DOJ. I would love a bit of analysis on this. Is he stealthily conducting leak-proof investigations into Trump and the rolling coup? OR, is he just letting his country slide unchecked into full fascism?
Oh, and of course, an analysis of Sinema. Is there anything that can be done regarding her monstrous recalcitrance? I'm beginning to wonder if she needs a professional psychiatric evaluation. So much of her current behaviour is off the charts, beyond the psychological fracture that would naturally occur from throwing your base to the wolves for money. There's something really major going on with her.
Thank you so much for all you do, and particularly for your recent article clarifying that America doesn't have a problem with rising crime rates, we have a crisis of rising gun homicides. While the general media tends to focus on the shooter in these cases, I hope you'll investigate three major groups who profit from gun crime: firearms dealers, manufacturers and Congress. Irresponsible gun dealers—often white and affluent--funnel firearms into black and brown neighborhoods, where homicides are highest. Manufacturers knowingly supply these same irresponsible dealers, and also design and market weapons to avoid gun safety laws. These groups are protected by NRA-backed politicians who refuse to adopt the common-sense gun safety legislation favored by most Americans, and instead have crafted protections for manufacturers and dealers unlike any seen elsewhere in American law. There is a powerful story here about America's other public health pandemic, and those who profit from it.
I’d love to know exactly just how big the Trump base really is. Why, when it seems that they’re the minority, do they control all things?! Is the “base” really that big and powerful? And if so, why does the “base” of us more logically minded people (who seem to be in the Majority) not equal at least as much power? I understand much of the control is really about big businesses that have essentially taken control of the law making process, but maybe if reporters start to zoom out (get the larger picture) on “the base” we hear so much about, we’ll start seeing this threat to our democracy through a new lense. Maybe we’ll begin to see that it’s not hopeless and it’s actually a relatively small group of very loud noisemakers doing everything they can do keep themselves in power- even if it means blowing up our democracy.
It's not that big. About 29% of the country identify as Republicans and 90% of Republican support trump. So maybe 25% of the voting-eligible public? Maybe bump it up to 30% if you assume a small portion of folks who identify as independent are also part of the Trump base
So then why are they made out to be so powerful? Why do they get to call the shots? Is the media giving them way more power by continuing to focus on them? I appreciate all of the feedback. I’m just trying to make sense of how such a small fraction is (seemingly) calling the shots and actively working to tank our democracy.
They are loud, determined, and sometimes violent. The bulk of this group act out with no shame or restraint. Then, the ones I know personally (about 10) are "successful", civilized, and firm in their news sources' information--they don't "act out" and are busy with their lives, but not reading any extra sources.
Corporations backroll the CNP, Koch Network, Federalists and other groups to coordinate the message, but also to radicalize people to the corp position
The most pressing issue is the lack of accountability of power, public and private. They go their own sweet way, from Bezos space pranks to government trickery, doing things despite majority opposition, like the abortion ban which a majority oppose or oil pipelines across indigenous land or leaving our allies in Afghanistan to die at the hands of our enemies. Accountability has vanished with ruthless irresponsible government and excessive wealth and power in too few hands. We have a broken system controlled by too few corporate interests.
Thanks for asking. I agree with the importance of all the issues noted here, but Judd, you’re #1 at following the money. Someone else mentioned zero Republican votes on anything. Party line votes aren’t new, but the extremism of them is new. My mind is on the swing states, but also on any state where R congresspeople have voted against all things stimulus since the first bill this year, yet their states and people are benefiting thanks to the Ds and Biden. A chart with breakdown by state showing the governor’s party, the state legislature’s party, and the congresspeople’s party, whether they supported any stimulus, how much stimulus the state received, how much they spent, how they spent it, and what Rs from the state are taking and/or accepting credit. This could be a huge research undertaking, so parsing it might help. Over the weekend I saw a piece about DoE approval of Michigan’s plan & Wyoming’s plan for using “Return to School” roadmap funds. I also found news releases for Missouri, Maine, Idaho, NC, NV, MN, LA, AK, IL, CT, Northern Mariana, IN, AL, NJ, KY, ND, SC, NH, PA, NY, MT, HI and Arizona. Possibly this is a place to start. Thanks for considering.
Florida's governor and Education commissioner are acting like spoiled kids in the sandbox who don't get their way, threatening the health of schoolchildren and their communities.
The Florida Board of Education seems to be comprised of corporate hacks, appointed by the FL governor, with no apparent academic education or professional experience in public schools. Bet there is a strong connection between these corporations and DeSantis' campaign contributions.
fantastic work you do and such an avalanche of it! AMAZING.. thank you!!
right now I think it's reached the point for me at least that every other issue pales in comparison to increasing foreboding and feeling of inevitability and hopelessness about the very real probability that we are about to lose our democracy (such that it is at this point). I don't know if any other issue matters if that were to come to pass. That's what needs to be focused on from here on out, as far as I'm concerned - including, what if anything can still be done about it (desperate times call for desperate measures), what djt/maga one party rule might look like - how bad could it get? (are we talking about people being "rounded up" etc?), should people consider relocating abroad? Sorry to be such a Debby downer.. ugh 😩 Cheers, Jeff
It can always get worse BUT it can also get better! To me the point is not to get despondent but to be clear-eyed. One of the mistakes that brought us Trump was that so many people were unwilling to contemplate the fact that he could be president. But it was always a real possibility and we should have been taking it seriously from the get-go. I wrote about this in October 2015: https://archive.thinkprogress.org/it-has-been-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-donald-trump-s-campaign-since-july-a049f5a2ecb2/
not despondent - just trying to be clear-eyed.. the situation is increasingly untenable as far as I can see. When you have a significant majority - and a very vocal and demonstrative majority at that - of one of our two great parties effectively abandoning democracy if their party doesn't always come out on top in an election, we are in very very serious trouble. And I don't really see these folks changing their minds about things anytime soon.
I agree that following the money is both effective and informative. One thing I'm seeking and not finding within any of my news sources are suggestions on how we might affect meaningful change. Its not enough just to know things are bad, I'd love some advice on how to help make them unbad.
I'd like to see you hit the Big Pharma companies that are blocking passage of the BBB (by thwarting efforts to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices). I know you've talked about it, but an ongoing public accounting of how corrupt they are would be awesome.
I also subscribe to Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Craven, who provides way to participate in Democracy each day. I feel like I'm doing some, small thing that helps.
Check out ClimateVoice's new corporate scorecard rating 20 "pro-climate" companies (one of them is Pfizer) on their support of Build Back Better: https://gotimeforclimate.com
Jessica Craven does GREAT work distilling difficult content into effective TikTok videos and calls to action, Judd. So grateful to you BOTH for your work at the heartbeat of our democracy. Thank you.
What is being done to counteract the 200+ Republican-produced voter suppression bills around the country, particularly those that allow override of election results? Who besides Marc Elias group of attorneys are working on this? What else can be done?
I hear you. I volunteer to GOTV in every election, especially local ones, do phone banking, canvassing board, and write letters with Vote Forward. Even though all this bad stuff from Republicans is looking, we can’t give up doing what makes democracy work.
1) Corporate media, and not just Sinclair, but NBC/Comcast, Disney, etc. One way is to expose them on the antitrust front. ATT gets away with its sh*t in part because of its lobbying to tamp down antitrust enforcement. These other huge media conglomerates do the same thing.
2) Insurance carriers. As I sent you a pitch privately about you covering CareFirst's apparent routinized consumer fraud, I will add here a cursory investigation on my end deepens my suspicion that it's the industry norm to "accidentally" not be able to receive a benificiary's paperwork in time to cancel per the month requested, so the customer has to pay for an extra month they don't want.
This reminds me straight up of the bullshit I encountered with Wells Fargo less than a decade ago, where they had a loan in my name they "couldn't find" and I couldn't sell my house because of it -- it wasn't my loan, there was no actual number for it, and the paperwork I had to keep filing for THREE YEARS to clear my deed kept mysteriously "getting lost". I wasn't even paying the loan, but I still had a lien. I finally broke through only because I discovered I had gone to high school with a higher up at the company. Even with his help, it took me another 18 months to get the bogus loan dropped.
Two unethical hits that burn us all out at once: The system is designed to be corrupt so people feel like they have no choice but to be controlled by it; the employees know they are being asked to lie and harm the consumer but are not empowered to do anything about it, and might even lose their job if they try to truly help solve the customer's problem.
Idk about your particular case against Wells Fargo, but having spent much of my (short-lived omg it was boring) paid law career representing lenders, I can attest to the fact of my former clients’ disorganization, high turnover and outright loss of physical documents that turn up years later stapled to other completely unrelated documents. Sh*t really does happen, and the larger/more decentralized the lender/bank, the worse it seems to be.
Hi, Patricia. That is interesting and not surprising. But it's no excuse for ruining people's financial lives and capacity to live their lives the way they expect. I wasn't able to sell my home and move to the location where my new job was. I was damned lucky I had a new boss who was sympathetic and let me work remotely until it was sorted out. This was in 2013, pre-ZoomNation.
It wasn’t meant to excuse bad intentional behavior. Not at all. For sure lives have been upended by all manner of negligence, but let’s hear it for luck!
More discussing and analysis of the fact the country is now like Russia in that it in effect is run by oligarchs thanks to citizens united. The PACs and dark money have corrupted the entire process. Why run for a job like house rep or Senator that pays what, 150k, if it takes millions and millions to get elected. And how can anybody think an elected official isn't going to cow tow to those that have him the millions needed to get elected
I love the financial accountability but why is this information not being discussed more broadly or these people being held accountable. Is this simpler the corruption we tolerate in the US? Kristen Synema and Manchin come immediately to mind because finances are CLEARLY influencing their voting. It’s incredibly frustrating they aren’t being held to account more broadly. I mean this for all our legislators but they are top of kind. I currently live in Latin America and the only difference I see between US and Latin American corruption is better marketing. We just call it politics and lobbying.
I would love to see more on the national voting rights legislation, and how Democrats just don't seem to understand how this is the issue of our times. Certainly, they don't seem to talk very much about it.
LIKE many of the writers below, I am appalled at the wussy-ness of the Democrats and D party. They seem unwilling to do the necessary to get things done.
For example- if it’s unconstitutional for the US to default, why doesn’t Biden just call the debt limit —which can prevent the US from paying for bills it’s already incurred— unconstitutional and say that spending limits will be determined by Congress as always, but once the bills are incurred, the U.S. will pay them? Why not call BS on the whole ridiculous situation?
Why not get some help from a few intelligent, high profile business leaders and call out the Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce as being anti-business. Because they are, and this from a guy who made his living as a business person for 40+ years. Discrimination, rigged elections, and impoverishment of the workforce are not good for business. Time to call them out.
And on and on. I think the leadership is just too comfortable paying ad people and consultants and is unwilling to do the floss-your-teeeth kind of tedious but effective register and get-out-the-vote activities championed by Stacey Abrams.
And WAY too unwilling to call the R’s what they are: lying, seditionist, anti-middle class racists and misogynists. These aren’t made up nasty names. This is what they do. Tag it.
This only gets at part of your detailed post but there are businesses that have created an alternative to the Chamber and the Biz Roundtable: https://www.asbcouncil.org/
I believe economists' reports are not paying attention to how 700,000-plus deaths will be affecting our economy? Workers, medical personnel, educators, business owners have died; across the board we've lost people who drive our economy. So far, I have not read any economist talking about how that sudden loss, over 18 months and still counting, must be a drag on prosperity.
Excellent point...media has focused on current supply chain issues, but we're facing a healthcare/childcare/educational collapse due to the tsunami of deaths, long-term illnesses, and burnout resulting from the pandemic.
First off, great work! Please always take the high road when reporting; we don't need more polarizing editorialization. Consider reporting more on:
* The Next Civil War (it's already begun and only one side has shown up). The Right is already testing the message, "it was never about democracy." What exactly are they trying to build and why? Who's funding it? Don't they realize global economic stability derives from a stable US gov't? Or, because there's been zero accountability or proportionate response, is this just all theater?
* Transparency and accountability around companies' financial contributions. Track every dollar.
* Transparency and accountability around corruption and hypocrisy in our government. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
Thanks for your work, it is definitely making an impact.
A deep look at religion in politics is overdue.
When I was taking Native American Studies at Ft. Lewis College in ’91, an assignment was an essay on religion in politics. The premise of my paper was that there was no separation of church and state, that religion played a major role in the decisions our legislators made. It was based on a Reagan era poll that showed over 80% of legislators did just that, referred to their religious beliefs before crafting bills or voting.
This article from Pew - “Faith on the Hill” is based on the previous congress, so slightly different than today.
It shows the religious makeup of Congress, from several angles.
A lot of Democrats are non-religious, religion just doesn’t play a role in many of our lives, and that seems to be a trending thing. Dems have a more diverse set of religious persuasions than Republicans.
- “Over the last few decades, the proportion of the U.S. population that is white Christian has declined by nearly one-third. snip Since 2006, white evangelical Protestants have experienced the most precipitous drop in affiliation, shrinking from 23% of Americans in 2006 to 14% in 2020. That proportion has generally held steady since 2017” -
Tons of graphs and info on that site, take a peak, might be some surprises.
This has much of the “Christian” right upset, on the defensive, and offensive. They are pushing their religion on the rest of us (I’m in the unaffiliated camp.)
I try to limit what I read regarding politics, and I watch no television news—I’ve been down too many rabbit holes and been on too many email lists. Thank you to Judd for being concise, relevant, illuminating and factual. I see many comments asking for ideas, ways we can affect change—and have to say I appreciate this newsletter for not overstepping into the realm of ideology and opinion. This is precisely why I choose to read it.
Keep up your outstanding reporting Judd. And, yes, please make possible one-time donations. I can contribute $10 now and then as finances allow.
Thank you so much for your readership! I get requests for one-off donations from time to time but the best thing to do is just stay on the free list. If you really want to chip in you can subscribe to a $6/month plan and then immediately cancel at popular.info/account. Or keep it active for two months for $12, etc.
I began reading at the beginning of the pandemic, and was surprised at the thoroughness of your investigative reporting. You name names, and you don't take crap from anybody. It's good to know that Big Business can't threaten real journalism. Continued monitoring of companies who say one thing and do another is a definite interest of mine. I'd also like to know where all the rats from the Trump Administration scurried to and how many of them are getting the punishments they deserve.
Every morning I read you, Heather Cox Richardson and the Washington Post (local paper). PI and HCR are great foils -- she puts politics into a historical context and PI views politics through a financial frame. Both are extremely valuable lenses that enhance each other's view. I'd vote for sticking to what you do best: follow the money. Would second the requests to look more into finances and lobbying of Supreme Court justices and their spouses, to report on which companies and politicians are worthy of our money, and to keep climate change policies/actions on your radar. Thank you for all of your hard work.
First off, thank you for all you do Judd! I would like to hear more about the flow of dark money behind all branches of our government, regardless of party. In particular, I think the exposing the money flows behind the Supreme Court is critical to the solvency of our democracy, and understanding how that money is used to push forward certain candidates and quash voices that attempt to counter institutional partisans.
I find all of the topics you take on to be very valuable and informative but the one that really sent chills down my spine was Trump's reelection strategy. That is very frightening, indeed, and I fear that if he should make it back to the oval office he will refuse to leave, term limits be damned. This is something that needs to be closely monitored. I also appreciate your reporting on the toxic scourge of the internet aka Facebook.
I am so grateful for the the work you do and appreciate the light you shine on corporations saying one thing but doing quite the opposite behind closed doors. Thank you.
Climate Crisis hands down is THE STORY - everything else is a distraction. Please continue to focus in the duplicity of corporations and the billionaires in this area, as they are literally killing our planet, and all that lives on it, including us.
Good job. Keep it up. Thought the crime analysis enlightening. Am un-retiring to help capture utilize store sequester carbon. Will study carefully anything you come up with there. Environmental hypocrisy is rampant and dangerous. Mismanaged energy transition could (will) result in many lost jobs with much higher prices and political instability nearterm, or longterm mass human migration of climate refugees and mass extinctions. Good management of the energy transition will still result in some political collateral damage, lost traditional jobs, some new high tech jobs, and higher prices - but less political instability. Threading the needle requires transparency (or disclosure) of stakeholders' motivations - something at which you've demonstrated a knack. Hard data whether the carrot or the stick policies were demonstrably more successful moving USA up to the low bar of "best in class of all polluters" might influence the "church of climatology." Just thinkin' out loud.
Right now, I'm mostly concerned with voting rights, and the GOP's alternate reality with tfg. If GOP state legislatures can override the will of the people, well, there goes our democracy completely. So to me, that's the single most important focus, and we need to act on it immediately!
Thanks, Judd, for your excellent reporting and writing. I've been a subscriber for about two years now, and it's the most important newsletter I read. You and the NY Times. Thank you!!
The Democratic Secretaries of State Association is gearing up much more to support Dem candidates for SoS in 2022. In 2018, the Dem AGs Association had a national electoral campaign that elected a surprising number of Dem AGs, who, as we should all be thankful, challenged most if not all of the most evil things the T**** administration tried to do.
The AGs and Secs of State will be a battleground and bulwark to defend our elections henceforth. RepubliQs figured this out and are targeting Dems, and running Tr***ublicans. These are, IMHO, the most important downballot races in 2022, because it's about voting and elections and rule of law.
Watching these races develop, including keeping an eye on the money, seems right in your wheelhouse, Judd.
And let me join the chorus shouting THANK YOU for what you and your team are doing. (And those who haven't contributed to PopInfo yet, please do.)
Yes! Some journalists (such as Rachel Maddow) present detailed activites of the shenanigans that honest Democratic candidates have to face if they are to win.
Yes thank you Judd. My biggest concern is voting. Without federal laws the GQP will own the country, bye bye democracy. We may move to another country. Latin America most likely, and their governments are not great but ours will be worse. I’m from Arizona right now we’re voting for city council and ballot measures. By Mail. So we have One place to take our ballot, downtown Tucson. Pay to park, lots of traffic, etc. I’m taking my ballot downtown as I’m not sure th USPS will get it there in time.
Democrats are terrible at marketing/messaging. How hard is it to stay focused on a. Voting rights for all (focus less on race/gender, focus more age/seniors); b. Women's bodies under attack; c. BBB Infrastructure. They should be running ads showing people working, relate everything back to infrastructure, get it passed.
Agreed! I think more and more personal stories of individuals whose lives will be changed for the better would be more effective than acronyms and statistics/numbers. Those are numbing and impersonal.
I would like a close up look at the progress (or lack thereof) of legal proceedings against Donald Trump and The Trump Organization (civil and criminal). I was hoping something would come out of it that would derail his political ambitions.
I'm monitoring this and will provide some coverage when I think I have something to add. Trump is still the dominant figure on the right. It might be exhausting but we still have to pay attention.
I was wondering if you could possibly get just a small indication (leak?) from the DOJ that would let us know they don't intend to leave Trump and friends unaccountable for the crimes they have committed. For the sake of our mental health.
Like, when will we see his taxes which were finally subpoenaed in New York?
I agree. The lack of criminal charges against Trump, family, organization and his cronies is another substantive crack in the rule of law. What does this tell our children and their children. We were sickened for five years, we cried when Biden won, we opened our heart to hope again, but then, nada from Garland. Why?
+ this one too at the top of my list
This subject is at the top of my list. I just really became aware of Judd Legum and Population Information today. I will be subscribing today. I look forward to all of the great work that you do and finally getting answers to some extremely important issues.
Yes
Yes
I get more anxious every day that passes in which the Democrats fail to get their act together and pass the legislation needed to make this country more equitable for all. Letting McConnell stall them only plays into the hands of the Republican agenda to re-elect the dictator in Florida. The filibuster is not sancrosanct, nor written into the constitution. They need to get over it and get on with it. Republicans have not been wearing gloves for some time and the Democrats need to get in the ring and fight it out. My concern is, why the Democrats are taking so long to recognize this? We have seen the enemy and they are us.
I agree with you that there is nothing special about the filibuster but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere at the moment. Nevertheless, even a slimmed-down reconciliation bill could be monumental from a policy perspective and Democrats have a window between now and the end of the year to pass it. As I've documented, a lot of powerful interests are trying to kill the bill. We'll see what happens.
The Democrats need to railroad everything through. It’s made more difficult by lack of truth in the media. We’re already hanging off the cliff! The Dems need to throw some punches now.
Exactly my frustration too. I cannot fathom what benefit accrues to NOT eliminating the filibuster. It could have been done months ago. I do not see another option.
If the Republicans take full control of congress, the filibuster will be the first thing to go. Dems should do this preemptively before 2022 elections and at least do some good in the short term.
I prefer modifying the filibuster, rather than ending it.
Option 1 - new carve outs for “expanded access to voting” (but not restricting!), minimum wage increases (not decreases), climate and debt ceiling.
Option 2 - return to a “Speaking Filibuster”
I hit "like" but of course I don't like it at all...regarding the Republicans hypocrisy and the filibuster. Dems should have done it months ago. Not a time for timidity of any kind.
I couldn't have said it better. I share all of this frustration, along with a deep-seated fear for our democracy. The GOP has ceded any responsibility for good governance and now works only to enhance their own power, a drive that has been fueled by trump and company and which has encouraged deceit and corruption.
Democrats have traditionally managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory - due to infighting among themselves. It isn't clear to me that there is any answer to this. Manchin needs to be publically revealed by a prominent Democrat as the fraud that he is - coal mine owner twice over, and in the pocket of the oil and gas industries.
ALL of this is available here - in https://popular.info/p/the-manchin-industry - but it needs a prominent Democrat to bring it to the eye of the public, and put Manchin's seat at risk.
As others have commented - the filibuster should be staked through it's dirty heart and left out to rot. It allows a minority to stop decisions made by a majority. How that matches up with representative democracy is hard to fathom. It's time is past- make it go away now.
Yes, Judd's inquiry into the Manchin industry is thorough and brilliantly presented. I made a copy of it to read to a friend who has macular degeneration. However, Manchin is certainly not the only one who chooses sides based on the money to be gained from special interest lobbying gestures. Nor should people assume that racism is not a major factor in many decisions--and that is not dependent on which party the politician belongs to. And, finally, realize that Democrats may become the minority party in both houses. Even Joe Manchin said "if you want people with more progressive views than I , you must vote them in."
No point Susan in getting anxious about something you can do nothing about! Instead, spend your time calling reps and senators and tell them how you feel and how you want them to vote! It's not about Right and Left it's about the $$$$
Two additions would enhance your terrific work for me:
A section on who/what is combatting the issue you you explore. Somehow showing ways we can assist or act, so the frustration can be put to work.
A big feature on ideas to diminish the power of monied corporations.
This is a very common request and I'm thinking about how to address it. One simple thing is to spread the information. Communicating to the subject of the reporting and letting them know that you know the truth and spreading the word to other people. Powerful entities change when enough people know the truth that it's a problem for them.
Totally agree. I’ve written a couple of letters to companies that I use, but I’m not completely sure that they are going to the right person to make a difference.
find out who the CEO is and with a little digging on internet you may be able to find home address....drop them a line voicing your concerns. it may not result in any change but will certainly get their attention. just sending a note to corporate headquarters will probably end up in the shredder.
Check out ClimateVoice's new corporate scorecard rating 20 "pro-climate" companies on their support of Build Back Better: https://gotimeforclimate.com
Check out ClimateVoice's new corporate scorecard rating 20 "pro-climate" companies on their support of Build Back Better: https://gotimeforclimate.com
Yes please this Judd - some kind of tip / direction re. what to do with the energy and upset you spark with your wonderful newsletter - want to direct it in a way that is helpful!
Check out ClimateVoice's new corporate scorecard rating 20 "pro-climate" companies on their support of Build Back Better: https://gotimeforclimate.com
Check out ClimateVoice's new corporate scorecard rating 20 "pro-climate" companies on their support of Build Back Better: https://gotimeforclimate.com
US Code 2383; those who incite, assist, or engage in rebellion or insurrection...imprisoned up to ten years and be incapable of holding any office under the United States. Why are we seeing so few prison sentences or such lenient prosecution such as the 14 day prison sentence just handed out for the Jan 6th terrorists? When can we expect to see the inciters in Congress and Trump hauled up on charges such as for this code? If we don't see any real punishment for these traitors, they are just going to try again and if history is any guide, the attempt after the failed Beer Hall Putsch is not a pleasant experience for anyone.
Prosecutors like to win and those charges would be more difficult to prove for any individual defendant. We know that was the overall purpose of January 6 but was that what was motivating an individual person that broke a window? We can guess but that's not enough in criminal court.
Would it be worth delaying for the subpoenas of the higher ups and their communications to bear fruit? Seems like prosecution has to happen fast but it looks like there's more evidence out there.
Follow J6 Defendants outcomes, detailed Court proceeding summaries, and thoughtful analysis re where ‘Garland’ is headed by following these 2 Twitter accounts:
empty wheel
elie mystal……
and these authors provide a lotta other good stuff too.boot.
Yes. Also, Mother Jones magazine seems to want us all to think that Brett Kavanaugh is not an owned man. WTF? Go there, Judd.
I think two huge stories waiting to be told are
1, the SCOTUS's that are compromised (not just Kavanaugh)
2, the real source of the Mercer fortune
You mean, Russia?
You mean Mercer's money? Could be, but prob not just Russia
I just don't by the narrative of this autistic, genius recluse who then uses his fortune to create a network of right-wing orgs. Recluses aren't known for networking
Two thumbs up for Marcy Wheeler's empty wheel website & twitter
Long time follower of them, can agree.
Thank you, I’ll check out those Twitter accounts!
I’m also infuriated and frustrated that clearly written laws are not applied to these dangerous lunatics!
Yes. This.
Thank you for being such a trusted and valuable source of information, Judd. Through your reporting, we canceled a contract with AT&T (and all its previous iterations) of 20+ years. It felt really good to fill out that survey.
Any time you expose the hypocrisy of companies, I'm in. Who says publicly they support climate change legislation, but who works against it when they think no one is watching? Who says publicly they support voting rights legislation, but are funding politicians to not support and vote in favor of it? I realize one consumer alone is likely to not make a difference, but when a majority of us hit these companies where it hurts we can affect meaningful change.
Thank you Jen! You can count on a lot more of this coverage.
Check out ClimateVoice's new corporate scorecard rating 20 "pro-climate" companies on their support of Build Back Better: https://gotimeforclimate.com
I’d like to hear more of what’s happening with the voting rights bills as these are of utmost priority for our country.
I wish there was more of an update. There won't be a federal voting bill until the filibuster rules have changed. And there doesn't seem to be enough Democrats that support changing the filibuster rules to do it.
You might check out Marc Elias’ work on Democracy Docket. He elaborates at length on a regular basis, much like Judd.
Democracy Docket is good.
The Indivisible team do good updates on whichever legislation they are focused on at that moment.
I too am interested in this subject. I feel like time is ticking away while numerous states are setting up systems and individuals to steal the next presidential election. If we don’t have a federal bill to override this mess, we could easily lose our democracy.
I would like to hear more about the so-called “labor shortage”. Specifically, businesses/business owners that are complaining about the labor shortage, pushing for an end for unemployment benefits, while quietly raking in some of their best profits ever. It’s absolutely happening out there and popular information is a perfect avenue for exposing it.
I was actually thinking about this today. It's an important point. If employers paid more and treated their employees better, there might be less of a shortage.
I have a 26 yr old daughter, and was recently at a wedding for a 30 yr. old. They all "joke" there's no future for them with climate change. They all "joke" they should live for today because the future is bleak. (these are highly educated, talented young people.) It's not about just money anymore for the next generations - it's about quality of life, company culture, and really showing your business cares. I think too many businesses are old school and not quickly changing course. Why would a young adult work for a company that pollutes, doesn't give back, etc? I think this demo and their view of life is part of the reason for the shortage.
The real shortage is in wages. Owners of large companies are more than happy to pay fewer people and have their customers wait longer when their bottom line isn’t really shifting. But you will hear them talk about a “labor shortage” non-stop because it is convenient cover for the fact that they can simply get away with it as it stands, without substantially raising wages. A good idea for popular information might be to seek out companies that have made public statements about labor shortages, while seeing how much they’re paying out their shareholders dividends/exec bonuses/things like that. I think we will find that as usual, corps are talking about one thing while doing another.
I was reading in the paper today that people are quitting jobs at a fast clip. Us baby boomers are coming to the end of our work careers. (I personally quit my job at Walmart before 65 because of the pandemic and the difficulty of the work for my age.) I would like to see some statistics on the number of people quitting or being laid off compared to their ages. How close are we to inverting the greater number of people supporting Soc Sec to the greater number being the people that receive it. Nobody talks about that and I would think that will be a big issue. I also wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people in that age group or close to it are ready to make the next jump or transitions in their life. I also think a lot of people had to tighten their belt during the pandemic and learned that can live with less money and came to enjoy a lot less stress. It's almost like we have a perfect storm of issues coming together and there really is no one true thing. All in IMHO.
Seems like there’s also a turn to entrepreneurship, which IMHO isn’t a bad thing or even a bad indicator. Is it?
Interesting too that the UK just reported the biggest labor shortage in years.
Their situation is a bit different because of their self-inflicted brexit foolishness. In the US though, large companies are making massive profits while putting the burden on workers & consumers, while simultaneously crowing to the media about the “labor shortage” and that “people just don’t want to work when they can stay home on unemployment”, because they don’t want to have to pay a living wage.
That’s the bottom line. Pay a f**king living wage!
I've been thinking lately of all the older senators and representatives who benefited from the programs and policies of yore: 90% marginal tax rate, publicly funded and affordable higher education, and public housing and healthcare (looking at you on that last one, McConnel), but have then consistently voted to prevent younger generations from benefitting from the same. There must be a spreadsheet or list like this, but I can't find it. It smacks of, "we got ours, now we taking yours," and I wish it would be mentioned more in policy debates.
This is a good one, particularly health care. Senators and congresspeople should have access to the same health plans we do, at the same cost, and only for their term of office.
Yes!
And increases to Congressional salaries should be linked to increases in Minimum Wage
We need this on billboards! 😄
I love your work. The way you call out corporations for their hypocrisy and apply pressure on them is so important. My biggest fear now is that fair elections are threatened.
My fear is more the ever increasingly obvious voter suppression tactics rather than the elections' integrity. Just to be specific.
Voting rights for sure. The GOP is gathering steam on ways to take the votes no matter who actually wins in counties across the US. While I care about everything else, I’ve come to believe that nothing will matter if our voting rights aren’t protected.
Yea!
Need to know who to switch to after leaving ATT. Greater point who the good guys are as well as bad. And thank you for excellent work.
Credo Mobile is the only progressive phone company I know of. They’ve donated millions to progressive causes. I love this company ~ been with them ten years.
I’m switching from Verizon to Credo. Only they completely online, no stores. But that of course keeps their cost down. They are mad generous to progressive organizations, selected by their customers.
I'm looking into Credo. I love their mission and the fact that they've been acting and being progressive since 1985.
I agree with Queenbeehoney: CREDO Mobile is my phone company and has been for more than 10 years now. I love the company and recommend them to everyone I know. They have great customer service--and have helped me get my monthly phone bill to below $50. Last week, I switched my internet provider from AT&T to Earthlink, and told AT&T very clearly why I terminated them: they are bad corporate citizens.
I'll investigate this one, too. Thanks!
Loved your article on climate change and how companies and their execs can be so hypocritical. Anything more you can do on climate change and money flows is great.
Also like the idea in the comments below for a boycott list that could let us know by issue which companies to avoid and why. Can't avoid everyone (especially the big ones) but would be impactful to see it all laid out in one place.
Check out ClimateVoice's new corporate scorecard rating 20 "pro-climate" companies on their support of Build Back Better: https://gotimeforclimate.com
What's on my mind?
Merrick Garland, the DOJ, and the almost total inaction over this seemingly endless rolling coup.
MG and the DOJ currently seems like the only thing that might halt the trajectory of your country into complete and total fascism.
There are so many important things that hover on the fringes, but the only thing that might really turn this around is decisive action on the part of MG and the DOJ. I would love a bit of analysis on this. Is he stealthily conducting leak-proof investigations into Trump and the rolling coup? OR, is he just letting his country slide unchecked into full fascism?
Oh, and of course, an analysis of Sinema. Is there anything that can be done regarding her monstrous recalcitrance? I'm beginning to wonder if she needs a professional psychiatric evaluation. So much of her current behaviour is off the charts, beyond the psychological fracture that would naturally occur from throwing your base to the wolves for money. There's something really major going on with her.
I keep wondering if Garland is simply ineffectual, since he seems to be holding back. Judd’s analysis of DOJ & Garland’s MO would be welcome.
Here's a consideration:
Prosecuting a "man" adored by 60 million Americans....
I would recommend this NOT happen at the federal level...
Why not? He’s accused of federal crimes (along w the state ones)
Riots
Not sure you saw, but we have Pro-Trump riots, propaganda rallies/TV, “lone wolf” domestic terrorist attacks and vigilante stormtroopers already.
Time to lance the boil.
Yeah, could happen but could just lead to more arrests, and so on. I don’t recommend holding back while statutes of limitation expire, but that’s me.
Interview with Garland. Real prosecutions take time and staff. https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/political-scene/attorney-general-merrick-garland-interviewed-by-jane-mayer
If it were reversed & GOP were in charge - suspect every Dem would be locked up already. AG MG is loyal to GOP IMO. He needs to be fired.
Thank you so much for all you do, and particularly for your recent article clarifying that America doesn't have a problem with rising crime rates, we have a crisis of rising gun homicides. While the general media tends to focus on the shooter in these cases, I hope you'll investigate three major groups who profit from gun crime: firearms dealers, manufacturers and Congress. Irresponsible gun dealers—often white and affluent--funnel firearms into black and brown neighborhoods, where homicides are highest. Manufacturers knowingly supply these same irresponsible dealers, and also design and market weapons to avoid gun safety laws. These groups are protected by NRA-backed politicians who refuse to adopt the common-sense gun safety legislation favored by most Americans, and instead have crafted protections for manufacturers and dealers unlike any seen elsewhere in American law. There is a powerful story here about America's other public health pandemic, and those who profit from it.
I’d love to know exactly just how big the Trump base really is. Why, when it seems that they’re the minority, do they control all things?! Is the “base” really that big and powerful? And if so, why does the “base” of us more logically minded people (who seem to be in the Majority) not equal at least as much power? I understand much of the control is really about big businesses that have essentially taken control of the law making process, but maybe if reporters start to zoom out (get the larger picture) on “the base” we hear so much about, we’ll start seeing this threat to our democracy through a new lense. Maybe we’ll begin to see that it’s not hopeless and it’s actually a relatively small group of very loud noisemakers doing everything they can do keep themselves in power- even if it means blowing up our democracy.
It's not that big. About 29% of the country identify as Republicans and 90% of Republican support trump. So maybe 25% of the voting-eligible public? Maybe bump it up to 30% if you assume a small portion of folks who identify as independent are also part of the Trump base
So then why are they made out to be so powerful? Why do they get to call the shots? Is the media giving them way more power by continuing to focus on them? I appreciate all of the feedback. I’m just trying to make sense of how such a small fraction is (seemingly) calling the shots and actively working to tank our democracy.
They are loud, determined, and sometimes violent. The bulk of this group act out with no shame or restraint. Then, the ones I know personally (about 10) are "successful", civilized, and firm in their news sources' information--they don't "act out" and are busy with their lives, but not reading any extra sources.
Power goes to the organized. Corporations bankroll coordination of message and policy.
100%
Corporations backroll the CNP, Koch Network, Federalists and other groups to coordinate the message, but also to radicalize people to the corp position
Big corporations also bankroll the news media. IMHO
Judd, is this comment accurate? I would have thought the opposite was true. Just asking for clarification, not as criticism of your comment, Penny.
Those i come figures may well be correct, but we know indiv donors are not the bulk of GOP funding
I would be curious to find out if those figures have changed since 2016. Certainly the country & politics have!
The most pressing issue is the lack of accountability of power, public and private. They go their own sweet way, from Bezos space pranks to government trickery, doing things despite majority opposition, like the abortion ban which a majority oppose or oil pipelines across indigenous land or leaving our allies in Afghanistan to die at the hands of our enemies. Accountability has vanished with ruthless irresponsible government and excessive wealth and power in too few hands. We have a broken system controlled by too few corporate interests.
Thanks for asking. I agree with the importance of all the issues noted here, but Judd, you’re #1 at following the money. Someone else mentioned zero Republican votes on anything. Party line votes aren’t new, but the extremism of them is new. My mind is on the swing states, but also on any state where R congresspeople have voted against all things stimulus since the first bill this year, yet their states and people are benefiting thanks to the Ds and Biden. A chart with breakdown by state showing the governor’s party, the state legislature’s party, and the congresspeople’s party, whether they supported any stimulus, how much stimulus the state received, how much they spent, how they spent it, and what Rs from the state are taking and/or accepting credit. This could be a huge research undertaking, so parsing it might help. Over the weekend I saw a piece about DoE approval of Michigan’s plan & Wyoming’s plan for using “Return to School” roadmap funds. I also found news releases for Missouri, Maine, Idaho, NC, NV, MN, LA, AK, IL, CT, Northern Mariana, IN, AL, NJ, KY, ND, SC, NH, PA, NY, MT, HI and Arizona. Possibly this is a place to start. Thanks for considering.
Thank you for exposing the corporations that continue to back the GOP and their efforts to erode democracy.
Florida's governor and Education commissioner are acting like spoiled kids in the sandbox who don't get their way, threatening the health of schoolchildren and their communities.
The Florida Board of Education seems to be comprised of corporate hacks, appointed by the FL governor, with no apparent academic education or professional experience in public schools. Bet there is a strong connection between these corporations and DeSantis' campaign contributions.
What are all the (insidious) connections?
Have been working on a very long project related to this. I hope to have something to share soon.
Oooo. Got my popcorn ready!
You forgot to add Tx governor Greg Abbott to the list of brats.
fantastic work you do and such an avalanche of it! AMAZING.. thank you!!
right now I think it's reached the point for me at least that every other issue pales in comparison to increasing foreboding and feeling of inevitability and hopelessness about the very real probability that we are about to lose our democracy (such that it is at this point). I don't know if any other issue matters if that were to come to pass. That's what needs to be focused on from here on out, as far as I'm concerned - including, what if anything can still be done about it (desperate times call for desperate measures), what djt/maga one party rule might look like - how bad could it get? (are we talking about people being "rounded up" etc?), should people consider relocating abroad? Sorry to be such a Debby downer.. ugh 😩 Cheers, Jeff
It can always get worse BUT it can also get better! To me the point is not to get despondent but to be clear-eyed. One of the mistakes that brought us Trump was that so many people were unwilling to contemplate the fact that he could be president. But it was always a real possibility and we should have been taking it seriously from the get-go. I wrote about this in October 2015: https://archive.thinkprogress.org/it-has-been-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-donald-trump-s-campaign-since-july-a049f5a2ecb2/
not despondent - just trying to be clear-eyed.. the situation is increasingly untenable as far as I can see. When you have a significant majority - and a very vocal and demonstrative majority at that - of one of our two great parties effectively abandoning democracy if their party doesn't always come out on top in an election, we are in very very serious trouble. And I don't really see these folks changing their minds about things anytime soon.
Agree, we think about leaving country if DT returns
Agree and very afraid for our democracy.
I agree that following the money is both effective and informative. One thing I'm seeking and not finding within any of my news sources are suggestions on how we might affect meaningful change. Its not enough just to know things are bad, I'd love some advice on how to help make them unbad.
Agreed
Keep up the great work especially on AT&T the hypocrisy is staggering
Please stay on AT&T.
Count on it.
I'd like to see you hit the Big Pharma companies that are blocking passage of the BBB (by thwarting efforts to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices). I know you've talked about it, but an ongoing public accounting of how corrupt they are would be awesome.
I also subscribe to Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Craven, who provides way to participate in Democracy each day. I feel like I'm doing some, small thing that helps.
Aw thank you!
Check out ClimateVoice's new corporate scorecard rating 20 "pro-climate" companies (one of them is Pfizer) on their support of Build Back Better: https://gotimeforclimate.com
@Sarah Keller this new corporate scorecard is so well done! One click to tweet out at the CEOs of these wrongdoing corporations!
Jessica Craven does GREAT work distilling difficult content into effective TikTok videos and calls to action, Judd. So grateful to you BOTH for your work at the heartbeat of our democracy. Thank you.
Thanks, Patti!
What is being done to counteract the 200+ Republican-produced voter suppression bills around the country, particularly those that allow override of election results? Who besides Marc Elias group of attorneys are working on this? What else can be done?
Beyond filing lawsuits like Elias you need to get new people in the legislature who will protect voting rights. Lots of folks working on that.
I hear you. I volunteer to GOTV in every election, especially local ones, do phone banking, canvassing board, and write letters with Vote Forward. Even though all this bad stuff from Republicans is looking, we can’t give up doing what makes democracy work.
Two titans that need crashing:
1) Corporate media, and not just Sinclair, but NBC/Comcast, Disney, etc. One way is to expose them on the antitrust front. ATT gets away with its sh*t in part because of its lobbying to tamp down antitrust enforcement. These other huge media conglomerates do the same thing.
2) Insurance carriers. As I sent you a pitch privately about you covering CareFirst's apparent routinized consumer fraud, I will add here a cursory investigation on my end deepens my suspicion that it's the industry norm to "accidentally" not be able to receive a benificiary's paperwork in time to cancel per the month requested, so the customer has to pay for an extra month they don't want.
This reminds me straight up of the bullshit I encountered with Wells Fargo less than a decade ago, where they had a loan in my name they "couldn't find" and I couldn't sell my house because of it -- it wasn't my loan, there was no actual number for it, and the paperwork I had to keep filing for THREE YEARS to clear my deed kept mysteriously "getting lost". I wasn't even paying the loan, but I still had a lien. I finally broke through only because I discovered I had gone to high school with a higher up at the company. Even with his help, it took me another 18 months to get the bogus loan dropped.
Two unethical hits that burn us all out at once: The system is designed to be corrupt so people feel like they have no choice but to be controlled by it; the employees know they are being asked to lie and harm the consumer but are not empowered to do anything about it, and might even lose their job if they try to truly help solve the customer's problem.
Idk about your particular case against Wells Fargo, but having spent much of my (short-lived omg it was boring) paid law career representing lenders, I can attest to the fact of my former clients’ disorganization, high turnover and outright loss of physical documents that turn up years later stapled to other completely unrelated documents. Sh*t really does happen, and the larger/more decentralized the lender/bank, the worse it seems to be.
Hi, Patricia. That is interesting and not surprising. But it's no excuse for ruining people's financial lives and capacity to live their lives the way they expect. I wasn't able to sell my home and move to the location where my new job was. I was damned lucky I had a new boss who was sympathetic and let me work remotely until it was sorted out. This was in 2013, pre-ZoomNation.
It wasn’t meant to excuse bad intentional behavior. Not at all. For sure lives have been upended by all manner of negligence, but let’s hear it for luck!
More discussing and analysis of the fact the country is now like Russia in that it in effect is run by oligarchs thanks to citizens united. The PACs and dark money have corrupted the entire process. Why run for a job like house rep or Senator that pays what, 150k, if it takes millions and millions to get elected. And how can anybody think an elected official isn't going to cow tow to those that have him the millions needed to get elected
I love the financial accountability but why is this information not being discussed more broadly or these people being held accountable. Is this simpler the corruption we tolerate in the US? Kristen Synema and Manchin come immediately to mind because finances are CLEARLY influencing their voting. It’s incredibly frustrating they aren’t being held to account more broadly. I mean this for all our legislators but they are top of kind. I currently live in Latin America and the only difference I see between US and Latin American corruption is better marketing. We just call it politics and lobbying.
Yes, most of the corruption in the United States is legal corporation.
Yeah funny how that works. I grew up in the US believing “government corruption” only happened in Africa or Latin America.
I would love to see more on the national voting rights legislation, and how Democrats just don't seem to understand how this is the issue of our times. Certainly, they don't seem to talk very much about it.
I think some of them understand but it's not happening without filibuster reform and that seems to be a non-starter at the moment.
In that case, they'd best be prepared for permanent minority/Republican rule of the country.
I love this newsletter. Thank you. I am interested in:
—All of your work digging into corporations- good and bad. We do not get that information in other places.
—Voting rights. What will leaders/companies do to protect our rights?
—Facebook. What is happening to regulate this site of conspiracies and misinformation?
—Justice. When will people in power be held accountable for January 6? What companies continue to support the traitors like Ted Cruz?
Right I forgot FB. More of that, Judd. And thank you for leading the way on corporate accountability and other topics.
LIKE many of the writers below, I am appalled at the wussy-ness of the Democrats and D party. They seem unwilling to do the necessary to get things done.
For example- if it’s unconstitutional for the US to default, why doesn’t Biden just call the debt limit —which can prevent the US from paying for bills it’s already incurred— unconstitutional and say that spending limits will be determined by Congress as always, but once the bills are incurred, the U.S. will pay them? Why not call BS on the whole ridiculous situation?
Why not get some help from a few intelligent, high profile business leaders and call out the Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce as being anti-business. Because they are, and this from a guy who made his living as a business person for 40+ years. Discrimination, rigged elections, and impoverishment of the workforce are not good for business. Time to call them out.
And on and on. I think the leadership is just too comfortable paying ad people and consultants and is unwilling to do the floss-your-teeeth kind of tedious but effective register and get-out-the-vote activities championed by Stacey Abrams.
And WAY too unwilling to call the R’s what they are: lying, seditionist, anti-middle class racists and misogynists. These aren’t made up nasty names. This is what they do. Tag it.
This only gets at part of your detailed post but there are businesses that have created an alternative to the Chamber and the Biz Roundtable: https://www.asbcouncil.org/
Had no idea this existed. Check out the companies — to support.
Check out ClimateVoice's new corporate scorecard rating 20 "pro-climate" companies on their support of Build Back Better: https://gotimeforclimate.com
Good deal —will check them out
Excellent response.
Check out ClimateVoice's new corporate scorecard rating 20 "pro-climate" companies on their support of Build Back Better: https://gotimeforclimate.com
I believe economists' reports are not paying attention to how 700,000-plus deaths will be affecting our economy? Workers, medical personnel, educators, business owners have died; across the board we've lost people who drive our economy. So far, I have not read any economist talking about how that sudden loss, over 18 months and still counting, must be a drag on prosperity.
Excellent point...media has focused on current supply chain issues, but we're facing a healthcare/childcare/educational collapse due to the tsunami of deaths, long-term illnesses, and burnout resulting from the pandemic.
First off, great work! Please always take the high road when reporting; we don't need more polarizing editorialization. Consider reporting more on:
* The Next Civil War (it's already begun and only one side has shown up). The Right is already testing the message, "it was never about democracy." What exactly are they trying to build and why? Who's funding it? Don't they realize global economic stability derives from a stable US gov't? Or, because there's been zero accountability or proportionate response, is this just all theater?
* Transparency and accountability around companies' financial contributions. Track every dollar.
* Transparency and accountability around corruption and hypocrisy in our government. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
Thanks for your work, it is definitely making an impact.
A deep look at religion in politics is overdue.
When I was taking Native American Studies at Ft. Lewis College in ’91, an assignment was an essay on religion in politics. The premise of my paper was that there was no separation of church and state, that religion played a major role in the decisions our legislators made. It was based on a Reagan era poll that showed over 80% of legislators did just that, referred to their religious beliefs before crafting bills or voting.
This article from Pew - “Faith on the Hill” is based on the previous congress, so slightly different than today.
It shows the religious makeup of Congress, from several angles.
https://www.pewforum.org/2019/01/03/faith-on-the-hill-116/
A lot of Democrats are non-religious, religion just doesn’t play a role in many of our lives, and that seems to be a trending thing. Dems have a more diverse set of religious persuasions than Republicans.
- “Over the last few decades, the proportion of the U.S. population that is white Christian has declined by nearly one-third. snip Since 2006, white evangelical Protestants have experienced the most precipitous drop in affiliation, shrinking from 23% of Americans in 2006 to 14% in 2020. That proportion has generally held steady since 2017” -
from https://www.prri.org/research/2020-census-of-american-religion/
Tons of graphs and info on that site, take a peak, might be some surprises.
This has much of the “Christian” right upset, on the defensive, and offensive. They are pushing their religion on the rest of us (I’m in the unaffiliated camp.)
I try to limit what I read regarding politics, and I watch no television news—I’ve been down too many rabbit holes and been on too many email lists. Thank you to Judd for being concise, relevant, illuminating and factual. I see many comments asking for ideas, ways we can affect change—and have to say I appreciate this newsletter for not overstepping into the realm of ideology and opinion. This is precisely why I choose to read it.
Keep up your outstanding reporting Judd. And, yes, please make possible one-time donations. I can contribute $10 now and then as finances allow.
Thank you so much for your readership! I get requests for one-off donations from time to time but the best thing to do is just stay on the free list. If you really want to chip in you can subscribe to a $6/month plan and then immediately cancel at popular.info/account. Or keep it active for two months for $12, etc.
Investigate all the rogue Republicans and see if any of them or their companies benefit from the stimulus funds. Especially Mr. McConnell.
I began reading at the beginning of the pandemic, and was surprised at the thoroughness of your investigative reporting. You name names, and you don't take crap from anybody. It's good to know that Big Business can't threaten real journalism. Continued monitoring of companies who say one thing and do another is a definite interest of mine. I'd also like to know where all the rats from the Trump Administration scurried to and how many of them are getting the punishments they deserve.
Check out ClimateVoice's new corporate scorecard rating 20 "pro-climate" companies on their support of Build Back Better: https://gotimeforclimate.com
...well, one of them, Wilbur Ross, is almost drowning in his wealth--exposed in the Pandora Papers...
I'm interested in the Jan 6 committee and proceedings
Every morning I read you, Heather Cox Richardson and the Washington Post (local paper). PI and HCR are great foils -- she puts politics into a historical context and PI views politics through a financial frame. Both are extremely valuable lenses that enhance each other's view. I'd vote for sticking to what you do best: follow the money. Would second the requests to look more into finances and lobbying of Supreme Court justices and their spouses, to report on which companies and politicians are worthy of our money, and to keep climate change policies/actions on your radar. Thank you for all of your hard work.
Check out ClimateVoice's new corporate scorecard rating 20 "pro-climate" companies on their support of Build Back Better: https://gotimeforclimate.com
First off, thank you for all you do Judd! I would like to hear more about the flow of dark money behind all branches of our government, regardless of party. In particular, I think the exposing the money flows behind the Supreme Court is critical to the solvency of our democracy, and understanding how that money is used to push forward certain candidates and quash voices that attempt to counter institutional partisans.
This doesn't precisely answer your question but it does expose some financial conflicts of interest in the federal judiciary including SCOTUS by compiling data on investments and gifts. https://free.law/2021/09/28/announcing-federal-financial-disclosures
I find all of the topics you take on to be very valuable and informative but the one that really sent chills down my spine was Trump's reelection strategy. That is very frightening, indeed, and I fear that if he should make it back to the oval office he will refuse to leave, term limits be damned. This is something that needs to be closely monitored. I also appreciate your reporting on the toxic scourge of the internet aka Facebook.
Who bankrolled the 1/6 insurrection?
I am so grateful for the the work you do and appreciate the light you shine on corporations saying one thing but doing quite the opposite behind closed doors. Thank you.
Climate Crisis hands down is THE STORY - everything else is a distraction. Please continue to focus in the duplicity of corporations and the billionaires in this area, as they are literally killing our planet, and all that lives on it, including us.
Check out ClimateVoice's new corporate scorecard rating 20 "pro-climate" companies on their support of Build Back Better: https://gotimeforclimate.com
Good job. Keep it up. Thought the crime analysis enlightening. Am un-retiring to help capture utilize store sequester carbon. Will study carefully anything you come up with there. Environmental hypocrisy is rampant and dangerous. Mismanaged energy transition could (will) result in many lost jobs with much higher prices and political instability nearterm, or longterm mass human migration of climate refugees and mass extinctions. Good management of the energy transition will still result in some political collateral damage, lost traditional jobs, some new high tech jobs, and higher prices - but less political instability. Threading the needle requires transparency (or disclosure) of stakeholders' motivations - something at which you've demonstrated a knack. Hard data whether the carrot or the stick policies were demonstrably more successful moving USA up to the low bar of "best in class of all polluters" might influence the "church of climatology." Just thinkin' out loud.
1st of all let me say that I look forward to reading your articles every day
I would like to see progress on accountability for for Donald Trump, Matt Gaetz, Boebert, Hawley, MTG, and the others.
I would like to know why the process on bringing any type of Justice to these people is so slow.
Also I would like to know as a citizen of this country what can I do or can be done collectively to bring attention and action for accountability.
It's frustrating for me to know that we have a Democratic majority yet nothing seems to be happening in Congress as far as accountability.
I was hoping we would be further along than we are now especially since November 2022 isn't far away.
Right now, I'm mostly concerned with voting rights, and the GOP's alternate reality with tfg. If GOP state legislatures can override the will of the people, well, there goes our democracy completely. So to me, that's the single most important focus, and we need to act on it immediately!
Thanks, Judd, for your excellent reporting and writing. I've been a subscriber for about two years now, and it's the most important newsletter I read. You and the NY Times. Thank you!!
The Democratic Secretaries of State Association is gearing up much more to support Dem candidates for SoS in 2022. In 2018, the Dem AGs Association had a national electoral campaign that elected a surprising number of Dem AGs, who, as we should all be thankful, challenged most if not all of the most evil things the T**** administration tried to do.
The AGs and Secs of State will be a battleground and bulwark to defend our elections henceforth. RepubliQs figured this out and are targeting Dems, and running Tr***ublicans. These are, IMHO, the most important downballot races in 2022, because it's about voting and elections and rule of law.
Watching these races develop, including keeping an eye on the money, seems right in your wheelhouse, Judd.
And let me join the chorus shouting THANK YOU for what you and your team are doing. (And those who haven't contributed to PopInfo yet, please do.)
Yes! Some journalists (such as Rachel Maddow) present detailed activites of the shenanigans that honest Democratic candidates have to face if they are to win.
Yes thank you Judd. My biggest concern is voting. Without federal laws the GQP will own the country, bye bye democracy. We may move to another country. Latin America most likely, and their governments are not great but ours will be worse. I’m from Arizona right now we’re voting for city council and ballot measures. By Mail. So we have One place to take our ballot, downtown Tucson. Pay to park, lots of traffic, etc. I’m taking my ballot downtown as I’m not sure th USPS will get it there in time.
Keep up the good work
James Tucson, AZ
Democrats are terrible at marketing/messaging. How hard is it to stay focused on a. Voting rights for all (focus less on race/gender, focus more age/seniors); b. Women's bodies under attack; c. BBB Infrastructure. They should be running ads showing people working, relate everything back to infrastructure, get it passed.
Agreed! I think more and more personal stories of individuals whose lives will be changed for the better would be more effective than acronyms and statistics/numbers. Those are numbing and impersonal.