Media

Tuning in to the latest round of fiscal panic, you might think that Congress and the President have been doing exactly nothing about the deficit over the past few years. Of course, though, that is wrong: Major steps have already been taken to control government spending. According to a new analysis by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities:

One of the most visible signs of climate change was last summer’s prolonged extreme drought. Over eighty percent of the corn and soybean crops were impacted. Not surprisingly, we saw record food prices globally. Price increases due to drought are easy to understand given the reduction in crop supply that accompanies drought.

When we talk about leveling the playing field for energy solutions, we often talk about how fossil fuels receive the lion’s share of federal subsidies even though they continually post record profits. The renewable energy sector, in contrast, continually faces uncertainty over future funding.

We already know that a well-publicized corporate gift can put spit and shoeshine on a tarnished public image; a well-placed one can exert political leverage. But what about companies that use disaster relief as product placement? 

Hasbro Toys Inc., a company that just made #10 on the "Ranking of America’s Most Community-Minded Corporations," gave 10,000 of their products and $100,000 to the Red Cross for hurricane relief efforts.

Last week's election was historic for all sort of reasons: gay rights (and human decency) prevailed in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington; Romney's loss suggested that super PACs could not, in fact, buy the presidency; and President Obama will get the crucial chance to implement the Affordable Care Act.

The job of reforming Wall Street is far from finished. The most profitable investments for the big banks continue to be Washington lobbyists chipping away at reform and litigators challenging every major rule in court.

During the Presidential campaign, conservatives continued to falsely claim that oil and gas drilling had been restricted during the Obama Administration. In fact, as we pointed out, oil and gas production is at the highest level it’s been in decades.

WASHINGTON – A new analysis of data through Election Day from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and other sources by U.S. PIRG and Demos shows that just 61 large donors to Super PACs giving an average of $4.7 million each matched the $285.2 million in grassroots contributions from more than 1,425,500 small donors to the two major-party presidential candidates.

FULL ANALYSIS & INFOGRAPHICS HERE

NEW YORK -- Today, the Supreme Court of the United States announced that it will review the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a landmark law in the advancement of voting rights. 

In response to this decision, Vice President for Legal Strategies Brenda Wright released the following statement: