Lobbying disclosure forms for the third quarter of 2011 are due tonight, and corporate America’s tort reform lobby has so far topped the list of the most profligate spenders. According to Politico:
More than two dozen companies, trade associations and lobby shops are reporting paying out more than $1 million on lobbying over the past three months. So far, the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform is topping that list, reporting shelling out nearly $4.2 million in July through August of this year. Registered lobbyists have until midnight tonight to file. Other top spenders thus far include defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. ($4.2 M), the United Services Automobile Association ($2.8 M), the aerospace company United Technologies Corp. ($2.7 M) and Prudential Financial ($2.6 M).
It’s unclear, however, why the Chamber even feels the need to spend all this money — since they already own an entire branch of the federal government. Often at the Chamber’s urging, the Supreme Court has empowered corporations to force consumers and workers into a privatized, corporate-owned arbitration system that overwhelmingly favors corporate parties. They have given corporations a magic key that will immunize them from class action lawsuits brought by their consumers. And they’ve given drug companies and other major corporations sweeping immunity from state law.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $86,000 in one-time donations and to add 1260 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy