Maine joins National Popular Vote compact

https://lcnme.com/opinion/national-popular-vote-2/

Charlie Cooper

Leader Schumer carrying water for crypto interests

https://prospect.org/power/2024-04-16-schumer-carries-water-for-crypto/

Schumer wants to avoid more stringent regulation of the crypto industry. He is planning to put provisions into a bill that will avoid the Banking Committee chaired by Sherrod Brown, a proponent of strong regulation.

Charlie Cooper

Leonard Leo won't comply with Senate Democrats' subpoena in Supreme Court ethics probe - CBS News

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/leonard-leo-subpoena-supreme-court-senate-democrats-judiciary-committee/ 

Republicans accuse Democrats of partisanship for investigating gifts from billionaire Harlan Crow to justices Alito and Thomas. Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have issued a subpoena for Crow and also for Leonard Leo who runs a vast Network of dark money organizations involved with influencing the court system. Although the subpoena was authorized by the Democratic majority of the committee months ago, was only issued this Thursday, and Leo says he won't comply.

Charlie Cooper.

Group sues Maryland Board of Elections on voter roll maintenance

https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/politics-power/state-government/maryland-board-election-lawsuit-42TN7IZH7FDUZCWR5SBYPSJYNM/

Two recently-formed groups have filed a lawsuit in Maryland Courts claiming that "the [State] has lost control of the voting system." The groups appear to be part of a Trump-linked campaign to create doubt about election integrity. Maryland LLC, one of the groups filing the suit, was formed in January, 2024. The other group was founded by a South Carolina man. Joanne Antoine, Executive Director of Maryland Common Cause, said that Maryland's elections are a model for the nation.

Charlie Cooper with thanks to Ronda Cooperstein

Biden urged to take executive action on dark and foreign money in electins

https://www.newsweek.com/president-biden-if-democracy-ballot-act-now-protect-it-opinion-1887463

A coalition of national groups has asked Pres. Biden to issue 4 executive orders: 1) "establishing a White House Office of Democracy; 2) directing the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to determine the amount of foreign money spent in U.S. elections; 3) calling on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to require that public corporations disclose the full extent of their lobbying activities and expenditures; and 4) directing the DOJ, the Federal Election Commission (FEC), and other law enforcement agencies to vigorously employ the U.S. Department of the Treasury's new beneficial ownership database to investigate cases of corruption, conflicts of interest, and foreign money laundering impacting our elections."

While Biden has said that saving democracy is the primary thrust of his candidacy for a second term, he has not used the authority he has to reduce the influence of dark and foreign money.

Charlie Cooper

Baltimore County man gives big

https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/politics-power/local-government/jack-luetkemeyer-political-donations-sheila-dixon-QIKTT7N6YJHGFAC35SF3BTAIS4/

Local developer Jack Leutkemeyer gives big money in state and local races in Maryland. Most of that money goes toward the election of Democrats. In national politics, he favors Republicans, trying to help them take over the Senate. The article goes into detail about specific politicians that Leutkemeyer has supported or opposed (and sometimes supported and then opposed).

Charlie Cooper

When is election disinformation a crime?

https://theintercept.com/2024/04/04/memes-hillary-clinton-election-disinformation-voting/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=The%20Intercept%20Newsletter

Congress passed broadly-worded laws after the Civil War making it a crime to seek to deprive a person of their voting and civil rights. Right wing internet trolls are now being prosecuted under these laws, creating a controversy about when the vagueness of the laws violate the First Amendment freedom of speech. Douglass Mackey posted lies urging people to "vote by text" to avoid long lines and inconvenience and was convicted in federal court and sentenced to 7 months in prison. Some argue that the laws are too vague and that the federal Court of Appeals should overturn the conviction due to the failure of Congress to pass more specific laws criminalizing lies about the mechanics of voting.

Charlie Cooper

AIPAC money in 3rd District Congressional race

https://www.marylandmatters.org/2024/04/04/elfreth-foes-cry-foul-as-aipac-money-seeps-into-3rd-district-congressional-race/

AIPAC (under the name United Democracy Project) has spent $600,000 on behalf of State Sen. Sarah Elfreth who is running for the District 3 Congressional seat being vacated by John Sarbanes. Elfreth said she was not aware that she would be getting this support until the ads started running. Candidates Harry Dunn (a former Capitol Police officer who testified before the January 6 Committee), Juan Dominguez and John Morse held a press conference, calling "the United Democracy Project a beneficiary of 'MAGA money,' and said the group's decision to run an independent expenditure campaign on Elfreth's behalf is 'an insult to Congressman Sarbanes,' a leading congressional crusader against the influence of money in politics."

Charlie Cooper

Lawmakers trading in defense stocks

https://www.federaltimes.com/federal-oversight/congress/2024/04/01/lawmakers-still-benefitting-from-share-trading-in-defense-stocks/

Defense stocks showed double-digit gains over the past couple of years with Congress pouring in money and wars raging in Ukraine and Israel-Palestine. " A 2022 analysis by The New York Times found that 97 lawmakers or their families bought and sold stocks that directly intersect with their work on congressional committees."

Charlie Cooper