Fight Over Obama’s Recess Appointments Puts Stranglehold on Key FinReg, Labor Nominees
As winter recess approaches, Senate Republicans have been holding up certain uncontroversial appointments as a bargaining chip to prevent President Obama from other appointments in recess.
Decoding the Payroll-Tax Cut: How Well Does It Work?
Extending the payroll-tax cut is the latest fight in Washington. But how much would it help the economy?
NY’s Tax Overhaul, Said to Raise Taxes on the Rich, Actually Doesn’t
We take a closer look at the tax overhaul passed today and fact-check the claim that it raises taxes on the rich while cutting them for the middle class.
FEC Deadlocks (Again) on Guidance for Big-Money Super PACs
Can an ad that's "fully coordinated" with a candidate count as uncoordinated spending by a supposedly independent group? The FEC commissioners bickered but couldn't collectively decide.
Why a Federal Judge Trashed the SEC’s Settlement With Citigroup
A federal judge ruled that the SEC’s proposed $285 million deal with Citigroup for allegedly misleading investors was “neither fair, nor reasonable, nor adequate, nor in the public interest.”
Uncoordinated Coordination: Six Reasons Limits on Super PACs Are Barely Limits at All
The Supreme Court made it legal for corporations and unions to spend unlimited money on elections so long as they don't 'coordinate' with candidates. So why does everyone seem to be coordinating?
Pfizer’s Latest Twist on ‘Pay for Delay'
Pfizer is adding yet another twist to its efforts to delay generic competitors. As The New York Times reports, the company seems to have struck a deal with certain pharmacy benefit managers — the middlemen in the pharmaceutical industry — to block generic versions of Lipitor.
How Complaints From a Single Doctor Caused the Gov’t to Take Down a Public Database
Documents give a behind-the-scenes look at why a government agency restricted public access to a medical-malpractice database.
FEC Data Show Big Jump in Spending by Super PACs and Outside Groups
More money is coming into U.S. politics, and much of it is flowing in through new and barely regulated groups.