President Trump abruptly reversed U.S. sanctions on Chinese telecom giant ZTE just days after China agreed to provide $500 million in loans to an Indonesian theme park featuring Trump properties. ZTE had been banned from buying U.S. components after violating sanctions on Iran and North Korea. Trump …
Donald TrumpZTE CorporationChinaTrump OrganizationIndonesiacorruptionchinanational-securityemoluments-clausebribery
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen explicitly acknowledged in a May 10, 2018 NPR interview that the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policy would necessarily separate families, defending the practice as equivalent to standard law enforcement. Yet within weeks, Nielsen would …
Kirstjen NielsenJeff SessionsStephen MillerDonald TrumpDepartment of Homeland Securityfamily-separationhuman-rightschild-abuseimmigrationdisinformation
Ring launched its standalone Neighbors app on iOS and Android devices, marking its first major product release since Amazon’s acquisition two months earlier. The free app allows users to share photos and videos of alleged suspicious activity, creating a crowdsourced surveillance network …
RingAmazonringneighbors-appsurveillancecommunity-monitoringamazon+2 more
On May 4, 2018, Axon Enterprise acquired VieVu LLC, its primary competitor in the police body camera industry, for $7.1 million ($4.6 million cash and $2.5 million in stock) plus performance-based milestone payments of 141,000 additional shares. The acquisition eliminated meaningful competition in …
AxonVieVuSafariland GroupNYPDMiami-Dade Police+1 moreaxonvievubody-camerasmonopolysurveillance+2 more
Trump administration exempted Argentina from steel and aluminum tariffs in May 2018 while Trump Organization was seeking trademark approvals in Argentina. After securing two trademarks in November 2019, the administration abruptly reinstated tariffs on Argentina weeks later, citing dubious …
Donald TrumpTrump OrganizationArgentinatariffsconflict-of-interesttrump-organizationargentinaquid-pro-quo+1 more
On April 22, 2018, a Saudi-led coalition airstrike struck a wedding celebration in northern Yemen, killing 23 people including the bride and predominately women and children. The weapon used was identified as a GBU-12 Paveway II precision-guided bomb, manufactured jointly by Lockheed Martin and …
RaytheonLockheed MartinSaudi ArabiaMohammed bin Salmanraytheonyemen-warsaudi-arabiawar-crimescivilian-casualties+1 more
U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel issued a final order on April 10, 2018 concluding the Trump University litigation and authorizing distribution of the $25 million settlement to approximately 3,730 victims who would receive at least 90 percent of their money back. The finalization came more than a …
On April 6, 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a “zero tolerance” policy for unauthorized border crossings that was explicitly designed to separate children from their parents as a deterrent to asylum seekers and migrants. The policy marked a deliberate escalation from …
Jeff SessionsDonald TrumpStephen MillerDepartment of Homeland SecurityImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)family-separationhuman-rightschild-abuseimmigrationcrimes-against-humanity
T-Mobile executives spent over 95,000 at Trump International Hotel while seeking approval for their 6 billion merger with Sprint, with more than 52 overnight stays documented. The spending coincided with the merger review period when T-Mobile needed approval from Trump’s Justice Department and …
Video compilation reveals Sinclair forced anchors at dozens of local stations to read identical script warning about “fake news,” exposing synchronized propaganda operation
Fayette County, Georgia approved a $192,000 expenditure to become the first 911 system in the United States to deploy Carbyne’s IP-based emergency communication platform with comprehensive surveillance capabilities, marking a pivotal moment in the integration of foreign military intelligence …
Fayette County GeorgiaCarbyneEhud BarakLital LeshemJeffrey Epstein+3 morecarbynesurveillance-technologyisraeli-intelligenceunit-8200emergency-response-tech+8 more
President Trump fired Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin on March 28, 2018, after an Inspector General report found he improperly accepted tickets to Wimbledon tennis matches and allowed taxpayers to pay for his wife’s travel on an 11-day European trip in July 2017 costing at least …
David ShulkinVivieca Wright SimpsonMerle BariDonald Trumpcabinet corruptionethics violationsdavid shulkinvainspector general+1 more
Christopher Wylie reveals Cambridge Analytica harvested 87 million Facebook profiles without consent for political manipulation, triggering global privacy crisis
Christopher WylieCambridge AnalyticaFacebookAleksandr KoganSteve Bannon+1 morewhistleblowersocial-media-democratic-corruptiondigital-information-warfarewhig-template-digital-evolutionsystematic-cognitive-manipulation+10 more
Facebook suspends Cambridge Analytica and parent company SCL from its platform following explosive revelations by whistleblower Christopher Wylie about systematic data harvesting affecting 87 million users. The suspension comes only after The Guardian and New York Times publish comprehensive exposés …
FacebookCambridge AnalyticaSCL GroupChristopher WylieThe Guardian+4 morefacebook-suspensionchristopher-wylie-whistleblowerregulatory-failureelectoral-manipulation-exposedinstitutional-accountability+3 more
On March 15, 2018, iHeartMedia (formerly Clear Channel Communications) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, seeking to restructure more than $20 billion in outstanding debt accumulated from the disastrous 2008 leveraged buyout by Bain Capital and Thomas H. Lee Partners. The bankruptcy filing …
iHeartMediaClear Channel CommunicationsBain CapitalThomas H. Lee PartnersRush Limbaugh+1 moremedia-consolidationbankruptcyleveraged-buyoutprivate-equityconservative-media+3 more
President Donald Trump announces his nomination of Gina Haspel to serve as CIA Director, making her the first woman nominated for the position despite her direct involvement in the CIA’s torture program and destruction of interrogation videotapes. Haspel ran the CIA’s “Cat’s …
Gina HaspelDonald TrumpMike PompeoCIAJohn Kiriakoutortureciatrumpblack-sitesimpunity+2 more
Reyes Holdings, a Coca-Cola bottling giant owned by two major Republican donors, secured a tariff exemption for PET plastic resin with no public explanation, leaving industry insiders baffled. Records show the company had recently hired lobbyists with close White House ties, heightening suspicions …
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel sent a report to President Trump recommending disciplinary action against White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway for violating the Hatch Act during television interviews where she promoted Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore and attacked Democratic candidate Doug …
Facebook intensively lobbies the Irish government and Data Protection Commission in advance of GDPR implementation, successfully negotiating weaker enforcement and regulatory interpretation that allows continued surveillance practices. The lobbying campaign creates Ireland as a data protection …
FacebookIrish Data Protection CommissionEnda Kenny (Irish Taoiseach)Max SchremsEuropean Commissionfacebookgdprlobbyingregulatory-captureprivacy+3 more
Amazon announced its acquisition of Ring, a maker of smart doorbell cameras and home security systems, in a deal Reuters reported cost over $1 billion. The acquisition marked one of Amazon’s largest purchases and represented a major expansion into home surveillance infrastructure. Ring, …
AmazonJeff BezosJamie SiminoffRingamazonringsurveillanceacquisitiondoorbell-camera+2 more
Twenty Republican state attorneys general and governors, led by Texas, filed Texas v. Azar (later California v. Texas) in federal district court, arguing that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s zeroing of the individual mandate penalty rendered the entire Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. The …
Texas Attorney General Ken PaxtonJudge Reed O'Connor20 Republican State Attorneys GeneralCalifornia Attorney General Xavier BecerraU.S. Supreme Court+1 morehealthcareaca-sabotagelegal-challengesrepublican-attorneys-generalsupreme-court+2 more
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation filed its first charges against Russian government entities, indicting 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies for conducting a sophisticated social media disinformation campaign to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The …
Robert MuellerInternet Research AgencyYevgeny PrigozhinRussian Governmentmueller investigationrussia interferenceforeign interferencedisinformationsocial media manipulation+1 more
Trump-appointed Acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney effectively shuts down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s investigation into the Equifax data breach that exposed 147 million Americans to identity theft. After former Director Richard Cordray authorized a full-scale investigation in …
Mick MulvaneyConsumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)EquifaxDonald TrumpRichard Cordraycorruptionregulatory-capturecfpbtrump-administrationcorporate-impunity+2 more
The Federal Reserve Board imposes an unprecedented enforcement action against Wells Fargo, restricting the bank from growing beyond its total asset size as of December 31, 2017—approximately $1.95 trillion. The asset cap represents the most severe punishment the Fed has imposed on a major bank in …
Federal ReserveJanet YellenWells Fargo Boardbanking-regulationwells-fargofederal-reservecorporate-accountability
By 2018, comprehensive academic research from UC Berkeley, Harvard, and other institutions documented that YouTube’s recommendation algorithm systematically amplified conspiracy theories and misinformation over factual content—with some studies showing conspiracy videos received dramatically …
YouTubeGoogleUniversity of California Berkeley researchersHarvard ResearchersCounter Extremism Project+1 moreyoutubealgorithm-harmconspiracy-theoriesmisinformationacademic-research+3 more
The New York Times reported on January 25, 2018, that President Donald Trump had ordered White House Counsel Don McGahn in June 2017 to direct Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to remove Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and that McGahn had refused and threatened to resign rather than carry out …
Donald TrumpDon McGahnRod RosensteinRobert Muellerobstruction of justicemueller investigationwhite house counselpresidential abuse of powerdon mcgahn+1 more
On January 24, 2018, the Senate confirmed Alex Azar as Secretary of Health and Human Services by a vote of 55-43, installing as the nation’s top healthcare regulator a pharmaceutical executive who had overseen dramatic insulin price increases during his decade at Eli Lilly. As President of …
Alex AzarEli LillyDepartment of Health and Human ServicesRon WydenDonald Trumprevolving-doorregulatory-capturehealthcarepharmaceutical-industryinsulin-pricing+3 more
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court rules that the state’s 2011 congressional map violates the Pennsylvania Constitution’s guarantee that “elections shall be free and equal,” striking down one of the nation’s most extreme partisan gerrymanders. The court finds that …
Pennsylvania Supreme CourtLeague of Women VotersPennsylvania General Assemblygerrymanderingpennsylvaniastate-courtsvoting-rightsredmap
During a bipartisan meeting with senators in the Oval Office to discuss immigration, President Trump asked why the United States would want people from ‘shithole countries’ while being briefed on changes to the visa lottery system. Trump questioned why America would want immigrants from …
Donald TrumpDick DurbinU.N. Human Rights OfficeAfrican Unionracial-politicsimmigrationrepublican-partyxenophobiainstitutional-racism+2 more
Dan Elwell becomes acting FAA Administrator on January 7, 2018, when Michael Huerta’s five-year term ends, exemplifying the revolving door between aviation regulators and the industry they oversee. Elwell, who had served as Deputy Administrator since June 2017, brought extensive aviation …
Dan ElwellFederal Aviation AdministrationMichael HuertaTransportation Secretary Elaine ChaoBoeing Corporation+7 moreregulatory-capturefaa-leadershipboeing-737-maxrevolving-dooraviation-regulation+1 more
Amazon paid zero federal income tax for the second consecutive year despite nearly doubling its U.S. profits to $11.2 billion in 2018. Beyond avoiding all federal taxes, Amazon actually received a $129 million tax rebate from the federal government—yielding a negative 1% effective tax rate. This …
AmazonJeff BezosInstitute on Taxation and Economic Policytax-avoidancecorporate-welfarewealth-extractionbillionaire-impunity
Dutch regulatory filings revealed that in 2017, Google transferred $23 billion (€19.9 billion) through its Netherlands shell company to its Bermuda-based entity—one of the largest single-year tax avoidance maneuvers in corporate history, allowing Google to avoid approximately $4 billion in taxes on …
GoogleAlphabetSundar PichaiDutch authorities (disclosure)Bermuda shell companygoogletax-avoidancebermudaoffshoreshell-companies+2 more
On December 22, 2017, President Donald Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) into law, enacting the most sweeping tax reform package in 30 years and permanently slashing the corporate tax rate from 35% to a flat 21%—a 40% reduction representing the largest corporate tax cut in American …
Donald TrumpPaul RyanMitch McConnellKevin BradyOrrin Hatch+5 moretax-policytrump-administrationcorporate-corruptionwealth-transferdeficit-spending+5 more
On December 21, 2017, Secretary Betsy DeVos announced a radical departure from Obama administration policy by implementing an earnings-based formula for Corinthian Colleges debt relief that denied full forgiveness to fraud victims and calculated partial relief based on post-graduation earnings. …
Betsy DeVosDepartment of Educationstudent-debtregulatory-capturebetsy-devoscorinthian-colleges
Approximately 1,000 former Great Northern Paper workers in Millinocket and East Millinocket, Maine began receiving bankruptcy settlement checks representing ‘a small fraction’ of the pensions, vacation pay, and severance they spent decades earning at the once-dominant paper mills. …
Brookfield Asset ManagementCate Street CapitalGreat Northern Paper Companycorporate-lootingpension-theftbankruptcy-abuseworkers-rightsdeindustrialization+2 more
The FCC, led by Chairman Ajit Pai, votes 3-2 along party lines to repeal Obama-era net neutrality rules, marking a major victory for telecommunications industry interests over consumer protections. Pai, a former Verizon attorney appointed by Trump, argued the regulations represented government …
Ajit PaiDonald TrumpVerizon CommunicationsMignon ClyburnComcast+2 moreregulatory-capturefccnet-neutralityajit-paitelecommunications+2 more
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos systematically blocked debt relief for over 200,000 students defrauded by for-profit colleges, overruling internal Education Department career staff who had recommended full loan forgiveness. Internal memos from the department’s Borrower Defense Unit dated …
Betsy DeVosU.S. Department of EducationCorinthian CollegesITT Technical Instituteregulatory-capturepredatory-lendingeducationstudent-debtconsumer-protection+1 more
President Trump ordered an 85 percent reduction of Bears Ears National Monument from 1.35 million acres to 201,397 acres, the largest rollback of conservation protections in U.S. history. The proclamation split the monument into two noncontiguous units (Indian Creek and Shash Jáa), opening …
Donald TrumpRyan ZinkeBureau of Land ManagementNavajo NationHopi Tribe+3 moreinstitutional-captureextractive-industriesenvironmental-destructionindigenous-rightsregulatory-capture
CVS Health announced its $69 billion acquisition of health insurer Aetna (with debt, $77 billion total), marking the largest healthcare merger in U.S. history and accelerating vertical integration in pharmacy benefit management. Under the deal, Aetna shareholders would receive $145 in cash plus …
CVS HealthAetnaLarry MerloMark BertoliniDepartment of Justicehealthcarepbmpharmacyantitrustregulatory-capture+2 more
Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI regarding his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the presidential transition. Flynn became the first White House official and the highest-ranking Trump administration member …
Michael FlynnRobert MuellerSergey KislyakDonald TrumpTransition Teammueller investigationobstruction of justicerussia contactsguilty pleaflynn-kislyak+2 more
President Trump installed Mick Mulvaney, his Office of Management and Budget director, as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in a contested appointment that triggered a legal battle. As a congressman, Mulvaney had been a top recipient of payday lending campaign cash and once …
Mick MulvaneyDonald TrumpConsumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)regulatory-capturepredatory-lendingconsumer-protectioncorruptionpayday-lending+1 more
The Nebraska Public Service Commission votes 3-2 to approve TransCanada Corporation’s application for route approval for the Keystone XL Pipeline, clearing a major obstacle for the controversial tar sands oil pipeline after nearly a decade of fierce opposition from Nebraska landowners, …
Nebraska Public Service CommissionTransCanada CorporationBold NebraskaJane KleebDomina Law Group+1 moreeminent-domainenvironmentalregulatory-capturecorporate-corruptionproperty-rights+1 more
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed through the Paradise Papers investigation that U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur L. Ross Jr. maintained a stake in Navigator Holdings, a shipping firm that received millions of dollars annually from a Russian gas company whose …
Wilbur RossKirill ShamalovGennady TimchenkoVladimir Putincabinet corruptionethics violationswilbur rossrussiaparadise papers+1 more
Jared Kushner made an unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia in October 2017, staying up until 4 AM with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Days later, MBS launched mass arrests of 200+ Saudi royals and officials, seizing $100 billion in assets. MBS reportedly told confidants that Kushner was ‘in …
Jared KushnerMohammed bin SalmanSaudi ArabiaDonald TrumpJamal Khashoggiclassified-informationforeign-influencesaudi-arabiaintelligence-breachkhashoggi-murder
Special Counsel Robert Mueller unsealed the first indictments in his Russia investigation, charging former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his longtime business associate Rick Gates with 12 criminal counts. The charges include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder …
Paul ManafortRick GatesRobert Muellermueller investigationpaul manafortmoney launderingfara violationsukraine lobbying+1 more
On October 26, 2017, President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency—but the declaration provided no new funding and stopped short of the national emergency designation Trump had promised in August. The move was widely criticized as a hollow gesture that failed to match the …
Donald TrumpEric HarganDepartment of Health and Human Servicesopioid-crisishollow-gesturestrump-administrationpublic-healthunderfunding
George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, secretly pleaded guilty on October 5, 2017, to making false statements to FBI agents about his contacts with individuals connected to the Russian government. The guilty plea, which became public on …
George PapadopoulosJoseph MifsudRobert MuellerDonald Trumpmueller investigationrussia contactsguilty pleacampaign officialstrump pardons+1 more
Whitefish Energy, a Montana company with only two full-time employees from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s hometown, received a $300 million no-bid contract to restore Puerto Rico’s power grid after Hurricane Maria. The contract prohibited government auditing of costs while charging $462 …
ICE officials state in an October 2017 contracting document that McKinsey’s work has shown ‘quantifiable benefits,’ specifically citing ‘increased total removals and reductions in time to remove a detainee.’ This official acknowledgment reveals how McKinsey’s …
McKinsey & CompanyImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)Migrant detaineesmckinseyimmigration-enforcementconsulting-scandaldeportation-accelerationdue-process+2 more
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price resigned after revelations he spent
over $1 million in taxpayer funds on private jets and military aircraft for travel
that included personal business. Price took at least 26 private charter flights
costing over $400,000, often to places where he had …
Tom PriceDonald TrumpDepartment of Health and Human Servicescorruptionresignationmisuse-of-fundshealthcareinsider-trading+5 more