Author Christopher Horner joined the Bloggers Briefing this week to discuss his new book, The Liberal War on Transparency, and how citizen journalists can use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to hold the government accountable. “You’ve got Issa oversight, and you’ve got you oversight—FOIA and state open records laws,” …
A California town spent tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds on miscellaneous office expenses and is attempting to bill the federal government for the costs, according to a federal watchdog’s report. In the wake of a damaging flood, the town of San Anselmo spent taxpayer funds ostensibly marked …
The biggest wind energy purchaser in the country may sever ties with the industry’s largest trade group in the wake of a bitter fight to sustain subsidies for wind energy producers that, the company says, benefit producers at the expense of utilities and electricity consumers. Xcel Energy, which had the …
A California pharmaceutical company that has received federal subsidies under the Obama Administration agreed to pay $11.4 million last week to settle allegations that it bribed medical professionals to prescribe and sell its drugs. The allegation was detailed in a civil complaint filed in federal court in March 2009. The …
At least a handful of powerful U.S. senators have taken a hard line on anti-tobacco policies while investing in companies that manufacture products designed to help people quit smoking, raising potential conflict of interest questions. According to a joint investigation by Scribe and the Washington Guardian, published Monday in the …
Heritage sat down with former Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich (R) earlier this month to discuss some of the issues he’s focused on since leaving the governor’s mansion in 2006, and his advice for conservative reforms going forward. Ehrlich addressed what has become his cause célèbre in recent years: the clemency …
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who has faced allegations of financial conflicts-of-interest, is slow-walking the extension of a key congressional panel charged with rooting out official wrongdoing. The Washington Examiner reports that Pelosi has not said when she will nominate members for the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE). Four …
The Los Angeles offshoot of the “Occupy” protest movement cost the city of more than $4 million, according to records produced by the City Administrative Officer. Documents obtained by the site MuckRock, embedded below, provide a detailed breakdown of the financial toll of the protests, which took place for about …
Federal requirements for monitoring jobs data associated with President Obama’s stimulus package are insufficient to ensure that that the information is accurate, according to a review of that data compiled by the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The IG released a report this week documenting widespread inaccuracies in …
