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The Big Story
Mon. Aug 22, 2022

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How a Secretive Billionaire Handed His Fortune to the Architect of the Right-Wing Takeover of the Courts <[link removed]> In the largest known political advocacy donation in U.S. history, industrialist Barre Seid funded a new group run by Federalist Society co-chair Leonard Leo, who guided Trump’s Supreme Court picks and helped end federal abortion rights. by Andrew Perez, The Lever, and Andy Kroll and Justin Elliott, ProPublica

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More Democracy Coverage

Republicans Turn Against the League of Women Voters <[link removed]> The league, long known for focusing on voter registration and other fundamentals, became more willing to speak boldly during the Trump era. Now, some on the right are portraying it as a tool of the radical left. by Megan O’Matz <[link removed]>

Right-Wing Think Tank Family Research Council Is Now a Church in Eyes of the IRS <[link removed]> The FRC, a staunch opponent of abortion and LGBTQ rights, joins a growing list of activist groups seeking church status, which allows organizations to shield themselves from financial scrutiny. by Andrea Suozzo <[link removed]>

A Government Official Helped Them Register. Now They’ve Been Charged With Voter Fraud. <[link removed]> Ten Florida men with felony convictions have been charged with voter fraud because prosecutors say they registered and voted illegally. Critics say the punishments are unfair. by Bianca Fortis <[link removed]>

The Hypnotherapist and Failed Politician Who Helped Fuel the Never-Ending Hunt for Election Fraud in Wisconsin <[link removed]> How obscure retiree Jay Stone played a crucial, if little-known, role in making Wisconsin a hotbed of conspiracy theories that Democrats stole the state’s 10 electoral votes from Donald Trump. by Megan O’Matz <[link removed]>

Building the “Big Lie”: Inside the Creation of Trump’s Stolen Election Myth <[link removed]> Internal emails and interviews with key participants reveal for the first time the extent to which leading advocates of the rigged election theory touted evidence they knew to be disproven, disputed or dismissed as dubious. by Doug Bock Clark, Alexandra Berzon and Kirsten Berg <[link removed]>

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She Didn’t Know She Still Owed Money to Her Utility. Then 25% of Her Paycheck Was Gone. <[link removed]> After the state’s largest utility sold consumer debt, thousands of Detroiters faced default judgments and garnished wages. The utility only reaped pennies on the dollar. by Sarah Alvarez, Outlier Media, and Emily Hopkins, ProPublica <[link removed]>

Inflation Reduction Act Will Require the IRS to Study Free Tax Filing Options <[link removed]> TurboTax maker Intuit has long blocked efforts to create free online tax filing for all, but this sweeping domestic policy bill provides $15 million to investigate how the IRS could implement such a program. by Justin Elliott and Paul Kiel <[link removed]>

How to Investigate Your Next New York Apartment Like a Reporter <[link removed]> A raccoon invasion. Human feces in the lobby. Flooding. Avoid these apartment nightmares by reading a ProPublica investigative reporter’s guide to backgrounding your next New York City rental. by Lisa Song <[link removed]>

He Was Accused of Sexual Assault, She of Using Drugs. The Military Dealt With Them Very Differently. <[link removed]> Comparing the cases of Pvt. Olivia Ochoa and Pfc. Christian Alvarado provides a striking example of Army commanders’ uneven use of pretrial confinement. by Ren Larson, Vianna Davila and Lexi Churchill <[link removed]>

Mothers Behind Book-Banning Campaign Claim Their First Amendment Rights Are Being Violated <[link removed]> The self-dubbed Mama Bears filed a federal lawsuit alleging that by not being allowed to read sexually explicit material aloud at school board meetings, they themselves are being censored. by Nicole Carr <[link removed]>

A Mom’s Campaign to Ban Library Books Divided a Texas Town — and Her Own Family <[link removed]> Weston Brown thought he had fully come to terms with his mother's anti-LGBTQ beliefs. Then he saw the video of her speaking at a school board meeting. “I couldn’t stay quiet about that.” by Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC News <[link removed]>

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