Migrant ‘No’ Help: the Home Office’s charity gatekeeper As the government pushes ahead with ever more draconian punishment for people fleeing war, tyranny and persecution, many of us feel compelled to act. While there are countless incredible people working at a grassroots level to support refugees and people seeking asylum, it’s also a field ripe for exploitation. Donating your hard-earned cash to certain migrant charities might not reach the people you’d hoped to help. Even more concerning, your donations might actually enforce the government’s hostile environment policies. This article looking at the charity Migrant Help, is the first in a…
Corruption
22 Government Watchdogs Ask Pelosi and Schumer to Act on Congressional Stock Ban
A coalition of government watchdog and advocacy groups sent a letter to Democratic leaders on Tuesday, urging them to take action to ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks, a move the organizations say is crucial to protecting democracy and preserving Congress’s legitimacy. The group of 22 organizations told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) in their letter that the Democrats must bring a stock ban to a vote before the November elections usher in a new Congress, and that the leaders must throw their support behind a ban in order to…
Pelosi’s Husband Dumped Up to $5M of Tech Stock Right Before Senate Passed CHIPS
Just before the Senate passed a major bill to subsidize computer chip manufacturers on Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-California) husband sold thousands of shares of Nvidia — a tech company that could stand to gain from the passage of the nearly $80 billion bill. Paul Pelosi — an extremely active stock trader who’s gained a following for his often-winning stock transactions — bought between $1 million and $5 million in Nvidia in June, as the Senate debated the bill. Then, on Tuesday, the same day that the “CHIPS-plus” bill cleared a key procedural vote, Paul Pelosi sold 25,000 shares…
Warren: “Today Would Be a Great Day” to Bind Supreme Court to Code of Ethics
As Democrats fumble to enact measures to rein in the far right Supreme Court in response to the justices overturning Roe v. Wade, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) is reiterating her call to finally bind Supreme Court justices to a code of ethics. Supreme Court justices are the only federal judges in the country who don’t have a binding code of ethics; while the justices theoretically follow ethics guidelines, they are not required by law to do so. “Today would be a great day to start making Supreme Court justices follow a basic code of ethics,” Warren said on Wednesday. “I’ve…
Millions in ‘dark money’ donations from the US going to Tory Gov’t
Influential right-wing UK think tanks with close access to ministers have received millions in ‘dark money’ donations from the US, openDemocracy can reveal. The TaxPayers’ Alliance, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Policy Exchange, the Adam Smith Institute and the Legatum Institute have raised $9m from American donors since 2012. Of this, at least $6m has been channelled to the UK, according to tax returns filed with US authorities – representing 11% of the think tanks’ total UK receipts, with the figure reaching 23% for the Adam Smith Institute. In that time, all five have steadily increased their connections in…
Judge Holds Trump in Contempt With Daily $10K Fine Over Financial Investigation
On Monday, a New York Supreme Court judge held Donald Trump in contempt of court for failing to comply with a subpoena from New York Attorney General Letitia James for financial records related to his business practices. The subpoena ordered Trump to turn over documents concerning personal statements about his company’s finances, documents regarding tax audits and information about insurance. The former president was supposed to comply with the order by March 31 — a deadline that had been agreed to by both parties — but refused to do so, claiming that he didn’t have the documents in question. Trump…
Ocasio-Cortez Warns That Allowing Congress to Trade Stock Erodes Democracy
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) pushed to pass a stock trading ban for lawmakers last week, warning that if such legislation isn’t passed, bad faith actors will take advantage of public mistrust in Congress over members’ ability to trade stocks in order to erode democracy. In a press conference calling for Congress to pass a ban on stock trading, Ocasio-Cortez said that the issue “isn’t just about actual impropriety, but … about the perception of impropriety.” One of the many consequences of corruption and insider trading within Congress, she pointed out, is that it undermines the public’s trust in the…