As Trump wages war on US cities, GOP-led states have swiftly passed an array of laws threatening their autonomy.
Republicans Pushed Hundreds of Bills This Year to Curtail Local Governments
By Joshua Davis | at
News
The Leo Network Behind Virginia’s Attorney General
By Donald Shaw | at
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has deep ties to Leonard Leo, the conservative activist who helped engineer the rightward shift of the Supreme Court, through a close friend and a consulting firm they co-founded.
Chevron Director Pumps $1 Million Into Pro-Cuomo Super PAC
By Matthew Cunningham-Cook | at
Oil industry heir John Hess, the longtime former CEO of Hess Corporation and current director at Chevron, is tied for the second largest donor to Fix the City, a super PAC backing former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s campaign for mayor of New York City.
State Farm Fiddles with Fossil Fuels While the World Burns
By Don Wiener | at
On August 15, insurance regulators in Illinois granted State Farm a 27% rate hike on homeowners policies, with premiums projected to climb by $475 a year for the average homeowner.
Led by Fox, Journalists Embed with DHS Amid Media Crackdown
By Matthew Cunningham-Cook | at
Major media outlets fail to question ICE and DHS on the reliability of its claims about deportation efforts
Republican AG Group Cuts Ties with Leonard Leo, Brings in $10.1 Million in First Half of 2025
By David Armiak | at
The Republican Attorneys General Association brought in $10.1 million in contributions in the first six months of 2025, its latest IRS filing examined by the Center for Media and Democracy shows. The haul is $1.3 million larger than what the pay-to-play group raised in the first half of 2023.
Federal Judge Orders DHS Officers in Los Angeles to Stop Violent Assaults on Journalists and Peaceful Protesters
By Matthew Cunningham-Cook and Arn Pearson | at
On Wednesday, a federal district court judge in Los Angeles issued a sweeping preliminary injunction barring Department of Homeland Security officers from “dispersing, threatening, or assaulting” journalists or legal observers, or using crowd control weapons on or shooting projectiles at anyone who doesn’t “pose a threat of imminent harm.”
DHS Says Making and Posting Videos of ICE Agents is “Violence”
By Matthew Cunningham-Cook | at
President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security claims that making and posting videos of ICE agents as they disappear tens of thousands of immigrants from America’s streets, workplaces, and courtrooms without due process is an act of “violence” to be dealt with accordingly.
Revenue for the State Policy Network and Its Affiliates Increased 77% in Three Years
By Kate Eaton | at
The right-wing State Policy Network and its affiliates have an overall combined revenue of $270 million, according to an analysis by the Center for Media and Democracy of the latest publicly available IRS filings. This marks a 77% increase since CMD last reported on SPN’s core finances in 2022.
Uihlein Attack Ads Get Ugly in Virginia Attorney General Race
By Don Wiener | at
An outside group funded by GOP billionaire and Christian Right activist Richard Uihlein is running radio attack ads to influence this year’s race for attorney general in Virginia.