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May 20, 2021
This week in money-in-politics
Lobbying fuels push for Russian pipeline as Biden weighs in
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The controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is getting a push from foreign governments and Washington lobbyists as President Joe Biden weighs the U.S. response to the project.
The Biden administration imposed sanctions Wednesday on thirteen vessels and four entities involved in construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. But the administration waived sanctions on Nord Stream AG and its chief executive due to “U.S. national interests,” Axios reported earlier this week. The decision to waive sanctions comes as the Biden administration seeks to rebuild ties with Germany and other European countries following Donald Trump’s presidency.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Wednesday the U.S. “will continue to oppose the completion of this project.” Biden’s State Department continues to insist that Nord Stream 2 “is a Russian geopolitical project that threatens European energy security and that of Ukraine and eastern flank NATO Allies and partners.” Blinken met with his Kremlin counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, Wednesday ahead of an expected summit between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming weeks.
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** Florida Democrats gear up to challenge Rubio for Senate seat
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The Florida Senate race is heating up as Democrats prepare an effort to unseat Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in hopes of gaining seats in the evenly-split Senate in 2022. Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) will announce her bid as early as next month, according to Politico. Demings, the first Black woman to serve as Orlando’s police chief, has held her House seat for two terms. Demings rose to prominence as a prosecutor in Trump’s first impeachment trial. She already has support from outside groups, including from The Collective PAC, a group dedicated to help Black candidates.
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** How ‘dark money’ is shaping redistricting in 2021
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How congressional districts are drawn can change political outcomes for a decade. But the redistricting process is opaque and open to the influence of a complicated network of “dark money” groups. Redistricting is the process of redrawing the maps that decide the makeup of congressional and state districts. In 42 states, it is controlled by elected state-level politicians. That means that in all but eight states, whichever party controls the state capitol will also have the final say over how congressional districts are drawn. This cycle, the stakes could not be higher.
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** Abortion rights advocates up their lobbying with Roe under threat
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The Supreme Court announced on Monday it will hear an abortion case that could dismantle abortion protections and work against increased lobbying efforts made by pro-abortion rights groups to codify language laid out in Roe v. Wade. Lobbying spending by pro-abortion rights groups spiked by 107 percent in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year. Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit providing and lobbying for reproductive health care, spent roughly $854,000 last year and are set to outpace that spending, already having spent around $242,000 in the first quarter of 2021.
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Introducing a new member of the OpenSecrets Team: Journalism Intern Julia Forrest
Julia is a rising junior at the University of Michigan’s Ford School pursuing a degree in Public Policy. Prior to joining CRP, she worked for the Michigan Daily, her student-run newspaper where she covered national, state, and city politics.
OpenSecrets in the News
See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:
* ** House Democrats and Republicans seek more than $20 billion in earmarks as once-maligned practice returns (The Washington Post) ([link removed])
Every House Democrat except one has submitted an earmark request. In total, they have sought funding for nearly $14 billion in projects, while just over half of the chamber’s Republicans have appealed for a combined $7 billion.
* ** Shareholders fight to rein in risk by demanding transparency into public companies’ political spending (MarketWatch) ([link removed])
In 2021 through mid-May, about 24% of disclosure resolutions concerning political spending and lobbying put before shareholders of U.S. companies won majority support, a far higher proportion than in the equivalent period of any year going back to 2014.
* ** Rise of a megadonor: Thiel makes a play for the Senate (Politico) ([link removed])
Peter Thiel, a tech billionaire and longtime Trump backer, has given a pair of $10 million donations to separate super PACs backing Republican candidates in 2022 Senate races—positioning himself to be a major player in GOP giving cirlces in years to come.
** The Washington Post ([link removed])
** Politico ([link removed])
** The Fulcrum ([link removed])
** ABC 15 - Arizona ([link removed])
** Fort Worth Weekly ([link removed])
** Al Jazeera ([link removed])
** Boston Business Journal ([link removed])
** Salon ([link removed])
** The Intercept ([link removed])
** Law360 ([link removed])
** Crain's New York Business ([link removed])
** BBC - Swahili ([link removed])
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4 star rating for 8 consecutive years
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