Submitted by Bob Burton on
Leon Panetta, former Chief of Staff to the President Bill Clinton and Barack Obama's nominee to head the Central Intelligence Agency, earned over $1 million in 2008 as a corporate consultant and guest speaker.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
The usually-stellar Pacifica news show "Democracy Now!" is the latest in a long list of media outlets that have quoted or featured Greenpeace activist turned industry consultant
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
From PreserveRaptorJobs.comPreserveRaptorJobs.com is "a one-page site that urges visitors to write President Obama in support" of the F-22 Raptor, a $340 millio
"I want to make sure that we strengthen prohibitions against domestic covert propaganda campaigns aimed essentially at breaking down the Constitutional barriers between who controls policy and who makes war," stressed Representative Paul Hodes.
Submitted by Bob Burton on
J. Scott Trubey reports that documents, obtained under Georgia's freedom of information laws, revealed that Fleishman-Hillard (F-H) had been hired by Georgia Lottery to sell the concept of the state's first casino to legislators, business leaders and the public. Underground Atlanta, a shopping complex, was mentioned as a possible site for the introduction of a casino.
Submitted by Bob Burton on
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has appointed Todd Stern as special envoy on climate change.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"Three days after receiving $25 billion in federal bailout funds, Bank of America Corp. hosted a conference call w
Washington, D.C. lobbying scourge Richard B. "Rick" Berman is facing steadily increasing pushback these days, and some of it is coming from a surprising source -- his own son, musician David Berman.
Berman has long been the front man through which corporations have aggressively attacked their opponents without leaving fingerprints. Known to his own friends and enemies alike as "Dr. Evil," Berman has perfected the art of setting up non-profit "charitable" groups to advance corporate interests. The groups have deceptively helpful-sounding names, like "Guest Choice Network," the "Employment Policies Institute" or the "Center for Consumer Freedom," but really serve as well-funded attack dogs for the tobacco, alcohol, chain restaurant, tanning and other industries. The groups' non-profit status makes their funding hard to trace, which has permitted Berman to operate in the shadows for decades while pocketing millions from unpopular industries for his work thwarting public interest legislation.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"Our goal is straightforward," wrote the head of the Center for Energy and Economic Development, now called the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. "Persuade states that voluntary sequestration activities and technology investments are appropriate policies to address climate change concerns, while government mandatory controls are not." The 2004 memo (pdf), written to the head of Peabody Energy, also details the industry front group's efforts to "sow discord among the RGGI states," the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative by ten U.S. states. That was done via front group-sponsored research that concluded the RGGI states would face "negative economic consequences" for reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while having "an infinitesimal affect on global GHG concentrations." On the federal level, the memo boasts, "We activated the Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC) citizen army to call targeted U.S. Senators," in opposition to the McCain-Lieberman climate change bill.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
There was a method behind now-former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich's decision to skip most of his impeachment trial and go on the talk show circuit, writes PR Week. "PR pros know," the magazine wrote, "that Blagojevich's goal likely wasn't to retain his seat as governor, but to defend his reputation and prepare for his next objective.
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