Corporations

News

Koch's AFP Complains about Gas Prices, but Koch Speculation Helps Fuel High Prices at the Pump

by Will Dooling — November 3, 2012 - 10:38am
  • Topics: Corporations, Democracy, Energy, Politics

    • At the Mt. View gas station in Wausau, Wisconsin last week, some motorists were able to secure a gallon of gas for $1.84, thanks to a subsidy from David Koch's Americans for Prosperity. These astroturf publicity stunts have taken place at gas stations around the country in recent weeks as part of AFP's effort to mobilize votes for Mitt Romney by drawing attention to an alleged rise in gas prices since President Barack Obama took office. But since most experts attribute the rise in gas prices to long term trends and crude oil commodity speculation, AFP's hijinks only underscore the role of Wall Street speculators -- including the Kochs themselves -- in jacking up critical commodity prices on average Americans.

    Press Release

    "Money Out, Voters In" a New Joint Effort to Protect Democracy Is Launched

    by PRW Staff — November 2, 2012 - 10:31am
  • Topics: Campaign Finance, Election 2012, Corporations, Democracy

    • Press Release: The Center for Media and Democracy is joining with more than fifty other organizations to address two critical threats to our democratic system: the distorting effect of money in U.S. elections and the wave of efforts to make it harder for Americans to vote. Under the banner "Money Out, Voters In" the organizations announced that they would be jointly working to mobilize after Election Day to challenge dark money in elections and restore Americans' voting rights.

    News

    "Bainport" Workers Protest Vulture Capitalism; Ask Romney to Stop Sensata from Outsourcing Their Jobs to China

    by Harriet Rowan — November 2, 2012 - 8:52am
  • Topics: Corporations, Labor

    • Late in the evening on Halloween about 100 people gather around the campfire in "Bainport," Illinois, marking the 50th day of the encampment. People gather close to warm up as they help each other put on hand-made vulture masks and prepare for an evening rally. Out of the dark comes a procession of Sensata workers, holding letters from the Wisconsin "Overpass Light Brigade" that spell out "Vulture in Chief." Leading the procession is a puppet of Mitt Romney flanked by two huge vultures. They walk past the campfire as their families and supporters join the march in their vulture masks, slowly crossing the road to the parking lot of the Sensata plant, to take a picture of their message in front of their soon-to-be-former place of employment.

    News

    OPINION: Who wins with Medicare Advantage?

    by Wendell Potter — November 1, 2012 - 12:06pm
  • Topics: Election 2012, Corporations, Health

    • The big five health insurance companies have begun reporting their third quarter 2012 earnings and so far, they are pleasing their shareholders with profits that are better than Wall Street expected, in large part because they are doing especially well in one key area: Medicare.

    Press Release

    CMD and Common Cause Prevail in Open Records Lawsuit Against ALEC Legislators in Wisconsin

    by PRW Staff — October 30, 2012 - 1:43pm
  • Topics: Corporations, Democracy, Politics
  • Projects: ALEC Exposed, Wisconsin Protests

    • Lawmakers Acknowledge That They Cannot Evade the Open Records Law by Shifting Official Correspondence to a Personal E-Mail Account

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 30, 2012
    CONTACT: Brendan Fischer, Brendan@prwatch.org; Nick Surgey, nsurgey@commoncause.org

    Five Wisconsin state legislators have agreed to turn over any correspondence and documents with or related to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and held on their personal email accounts; the action settles a lawsuit brought by the Center for Media and Democracy and Common Cause.

    Guest Contributor

    Meet the Network Hiding the Koch Money: "Donors Trust" and "Donors Capital Fund"

    by PRW Staff — October 29, 2012 - 8:00am
  • Topics: State Policy Network, Right Wing, Corporations

    • - Connor Gibson, Greenpeace

    Earlier this year internal documents from the Heartland Institute, a major hub of climate change denial and right-wing extremism, were publicly leaked. The documents exposed the Heartland Institute's funders and strategies for attacking climate science, and led to a mass exodus of Heartland's corporate funders.

    Press Release

    "Buying Influence," a Special Report Released; ALEC Corporate Slush Fund Pays for State Lawmakers' Junkets

    by Lisa Graves — October 26, 2012 - 12:15pm
  • Topics: Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporations, Democracy
  • Projects: ALEC Exposed

    • Internal records show ALEC corporations have spent an estimated $4 million to send legislators to posh resorts since 2006

    For Immediate Release: October 26, 2012
    Contact: Sara Jerving, Center for Media and Democracy, (608) 260-9713; Mary Boyle, Common Cause, (202) 736-5770

    Corporate backers of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) have funneled more than an estimated $4 million in gifts to state legislators for travel, hotel rooms, and meals at posh resorts since 2006, according to estimates based on internal ALEC records. The corporate lobby front group is already facing an Internal Revenue Service review of claims that it violated federal law by posing as a charity.

    News

    Big Oil and the U.S. Chamber Fight to Keep Foreign Bribery Flourishing

    by Sara Jerving — October 19, 2012 - 8:36am
  • Topics: Corporations, International

    • by Sara Jerving and Mary Bottari

    In a new lawsuit against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), big energy extractors are pushing for carte blanche in their interactions with foreign governments, making it harder to track whether their deals are padding the coffers of dictators, warlords, or crony capitalists. The United States Chamber of Commerce, American Petroleum Institute, the Independent Petroleum Association of America, and the National Foreign Trade Council filed a lawsuit on October 10, 2012 against a new SEC rule, which requires U.S. oil, mining and gas companies to formally disclose payments made to foreign governments as part of their annual SEC reporting.

    News

    On NFIB Conference Call, Romney Urges Employers to Tell Employees How to Vote, Just Like the Kochs

    by Brendan Fischer — October 18, 2012 - 9:36am
  • Topics: Election 2012, Corporations, Democracy, Politics
  • Projects: ALEC Exposed

    • GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney suggested to business owners they tell their employees how to vote on a June conference call organized by the National Federation for Independent Business (NFIB), an organization the Center for Media and Democracy has recently exposed as a partisan lobbying group advancing big business interests.

    News

    Koch Social Media Policy May Be Unlawful; Employers Still Have Broad Leeway to Limit Employee Speech

    by Brendan Fischer — October 16, 2012 - 8:41am
  • Topics: Election 2012, Corporations, Democracy, Politics
  • Projects: ALEC Exposed

    • The Koch Industries policy limiting employee speech on social media may be unlawful in light of recent decisions by the National Labor Relations Board, but employers still have broad leeway to impose their political views on workers and punish those who disagree.

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