By 2010, Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund had emerged as the primary “dark money ATM” for climate denial funding, fundamentally transforming how fossil fuel interests concealed their opposition to climate regulation. From 2002 to 2011, these two donor-advised fund organizations …
Donors TrustDonors Capital FundKoch brothersKnowledge and Progress FundAmericans for Prosperity+2 moreclimate-denialdark-moneyregulatory-capturecorporate-corruptionlobbying+1 more
The Federal Communications Commission approves the Open Internet Order by a 3-2 party-line vote, establishing the first formal net neutrality regulations but with significant weaknesses that would prove legally vulnerable. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s order established three core rules: …
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)Julius GenachowskiComcast CorporationVerizon CommunicationsAT&Tnet-neutralityfcctelecommunicationsregulatory-capturederegulation
Jeffrey Siegel, an FDA staff member specializing in arthritis drug reviews, oversaw the 2010 approval of Genentech tocilizumab (Actemra) for arthritis treatment. Within months of the approval, Siegel left the FDA to join Genentech and its parent company Roche as director of the division that …
Following the 2010 Tea Party midterm elections that gave Republicans control of 26 state legislatures (gaining 675 state legislative seats), the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) holds its States and Nation Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., December 1-3, with the agenda focused on …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Scott FitzgeraldKoch brothersAmericans for ProsperityRepublican Partylabor-suppressionalecright-to-workunion-bustingstate-capture+3 more
Republicans achieve historic state legislative gains in the 2010 midterm elections, flipping a net 680 state legislative seats—breaking the previous record of 628 seats set by Democrats in the post-Watergate elections of 1974. The gains give Republicans control of redistricting in key states ahead …
Republican State Leadership CommitteeRepublican Partygerrymanderingelectoral-manipulationrepublican-partyredmapstate-legislatures
Bank of America announces a nationwide halt to foreclosures after revelations that employees signed thousands of foreclosure affidavits without reviewing the underlying documents, a practice dubbed “robo-signing.” The scandal exposes systematic fraud in the foreclosure process, with …
Bank of AmericaJPMorgan ChaseWells FargoGMAC MortgageOffice of the Comptroller of the Currency+1 moreforeclosure-fraudrobo-signinghousing-crisisregulatory-failurehousing
Tevfik Arif, Trump’s business partner in Trump SoHo, was arrested aboard the Savarona yacht in Turkey during a police raid that found “underage Eastern European girls” allegedly involved in a prostitution ring. The Kazakh “trio” of oligarchs - Alexander Mashkevich, …
Tevfik ArifAlexander MashkevichPatokh ShodievAlijan IbragimovTurkish policetevfik-ariftraffickingtrump-sohokazakhstan-oligarchssavarona-yacht+2 more
FBI agents executed coordinated early-morning raids on the homes and offices of anti-war and international solidarity activists in Minneapolis, Chicago, and other cities, seizing computers, phones, documents, and political materials. The raids targeted activists organizing against the Iraq and …
FBIDepartment of JusticeAnti-war activistsGrand juryfbi-abusesurveillanceprotest-suppressionfirst-amendmentpolitical-repression
Oracle Corporation filed a lawsuit against Google on August 13, 2010, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging copyright and patent infringement over Google’s use of Java application programming interfaces (APIs) and approximately 11,000 lines of Java source …
A Government Accountability Office investigation released on August 4, 2010, exposed systemic fraud and deceptive practices across the for-profit college industry, revealing that while these institutions enrolled only 10-12% of all higher education students, they received 25% of all federal …
Government Accountability Office (GAO)Tom Harkinfor-profit-collegesstudent-debtfraudregulatory-capture
President Barack Obama signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, establishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to regulate consumer financial products and protect Americans from predatory lending practices. The CFPB was the brainchild of Harvard Law …
Barack ObamaElizabeth WarrenRichard CordrayConsumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)consumer-protectionregulatory-capturepredatory-lendingfinancial-reformelizabeth warren+1 more
The Department of Justice charged 11 individuals on June 27, 2010, for acting as unregistered agents of the Russian Federation. Ten pleaded guilty on July 8, 2010, and were exchanged in a U.S.–Russia spy swap. The case, known as “Operation Ghost Stories,” involved covert communications …
Anna ChapmanU.S. Department of JusticeFBIrussian-spy-ringintelligence-operationsespionage
House passes Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act requiring disclosure of corporate political spending, but Republican leadership blocks Senate consideration to protect dark money donors
Chuck SchumerChris Van HollenMitch McConnellBarack ObamaHouse of Representatives+1 morelegislative-responsecampaign-finance-reformcorporate-disclosurepolitical-obstructiontransparency+2 more
On June 18, 2010, Vice President Joe Biden and Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag held a press conference announcing the success of fighting fraud in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) by the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board. Biden specifically …
Joe BidenPeter OrszagPalantir TechnologiesRecovery Accountability and Transparency Boardpalantirjoe-bidenstimulusfraud-detectiongovernment-endorsement
Under intense pressure from the Obama administration and Congress, BP agreed to establish a $20 billion independent claims fund to compensate victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The fund, administered by Kenneth Feinberg, represented an unprecedented corporate commitment to environmental …
BP (British Petroleum)Barack ObamaTony HaywardKenneth FeinbergGulf Coast Claims Facility+2 morecompensation-fundcorporate-accountabilityenvironmental-justicebp-deepwater-horizonobama-administration
In June 2010, Trump University changed its name to “The Trump Entrepreneur Initiative” following sustained pressure from the New York State Education Department, which had repeatedly warned since 2005 that the organization was illegally using the term “university” without …
Donald TrumpMichael SextonJoseph Freytrump universityfraudeducation fraudnew yorkregulatory evasion
U.S. Army Private First Class Bradley Manning (later Chelsea Manning) was arrested at Forward Operating Base Hammer in Iraq for allegedly leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks, including evidence of war crimes and civilian casualties. The arrest initiated what would …
Chelsea ManningWikiLeaksU.S. ArmyDepartment of Defensewhistleblower-prosecutionwikileaksiraq-warafghanistan-warwar-crimes
An enforcement branch chief in the SEC’s San Francisco office left the agency in May 2010 to become in-house counsel at Wells Fargo & Co. Less than two weeks after joining Wells Fargo, she filed six disclosure statements indicating she would be representing the bank in connection with …
Wells FargoSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)SEC San Francisco Officerevolving-doorwells-fargosecregulatory-captureenforcement+1 more
The European Commission, European Central Bank (ECB), and International Monetary Fund form a tripartite committee known as the ‘Troika’ and agree on a three-year €110 billion financial aid package for Greece in exchange for severe austerity measures outlined in a Memorandum of …
European CommissionEuropean Central BankInternational Monetary FundGeorge PapandreouAngela Merkelshock-doctrineimfausteritygreecetroika+3 more
The Better Business Bureau issued Trump University a D- rating in 2010, the lowest rating the enterprise received during its active operations. The rating resulted from multiple consumer complaints the BBB received documenting deceptive practices, high-pressure sales tactics, and unfulfilled …
Donald TrumpMichael Sextontrump universityfraudconsumer protectionbetter business bureaueducation fraud
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signs Senate Bill 1070, the broadest and strictest anti-illegal immigration law in the United States, making it a state misdemeanor for immigrants to be in Arizona without carrying required documents and requiring law enforcement officers to determine immigration status …
Russell PearceJan BrewerCorrections Corporation of AmericaAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)GEO Group+1 moreimmigration-policyalecprivate-prisonscorporate-captureracial-profiling+1 more
The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico marked the beginning of one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. The explosion killed 11 workers and caused a massive oil spill that would leak approximately 134 million gallons of oil over 87 days. The disaster …
BP (British Petroleum)Transocean LtdHalliburtonMinerals Management ServiceBarack Obama+2 moreenvironmental-disastercorporate-negligenceoil-industryregulatory-capturegulf-coast
On April 16, 2010, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Goldman Sachs and Vice President Fabrice Tourre with securities fraud related to ABACUS 2007-AC1, a synthetic collateralized debt obligation (CDO) tied to subprime residential mortgage-backed securities. The SEC alleged that Goldman …
Goldman SachsFabrice TourreJohn PaulsonSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)Department of Justice+2 morefinancial-crisissecurities-fraudregulatory-capturesynthetic-cdoaccountability-crisis
Investigation reveals major banks systematically falsified foreclosure documents through ‘robo-signing’, affecting 3.8 million homes. Employees at major lenders signed thousands of foreclosure affidavits without verifying information, creating a massive documentation fraud that …
Bank of AmericaJPMorgan ChaseWells FargoCitigroupGMACfinancial-crisisfraudforeclosure-abuseperjury
Former NSA senior executive Thomas Drake was indicted on ten felony counts, including five under the Espionage Act of 1917, marking the Obama administration’s aggressive prosecution of national security whistleblowers. Drake faced up to 35 years in prison for allegedly retaining classified …
Thomas DrakeNSAObama AdministrationDepartment of Justicewhistleblower-prosecutionespionage-actsurveillanceaccountabilitypress-freedom
On April 5, 2010, the FDA approved Purdue Pharma’s reformulated OxyContin designed to make it more difficult to crush, snort, or inject—14 years after the original drug’s launch and three years after the company’s guilty plea to criminal misbranding. Purdue ceased shipping the old …
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issues its decision in SpeechNow.org v. FEC, creating what become known as “super PACs” by allowing unlimited contributions to independent expenditure committees. Building directly on the Supreme Court’s Citizens United logic from just two months …
SpeechNow.orgFECD.C. Circuit Court of Appealssuper-pacscampaign-financeregulatory-captureunlimited-contributionsindependent-expenditures
President Obama signs the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, the most significant healthcare legislation since Medicare. While expanding coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, the law’s architecture reflects extensive industry lobbying, featuring an individual mandate …
Barack ObamaAmerica's Health Insurance PlansPharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of AmericaMax BaucusLiz Fowler+1 morehealthcareinsurance-industryregulatory-captureindividual-mandatelobbying
President Obama secretly authorizes the CIA to conduct “signature strikes”—drone attacks that target groups of people based on patterns of suspicious behavior rather than confirmed identification of specific individuals. This policy shift enables the CIA to strike gatherings of …
Barack ObamaJohn BrennanCIALeon Panettadronesobamasignature-strikesciatargeted-killing+2 more
Oracle Corporation completed its acquisition of Sun Microsystems on January 27, 2010, for approximately $7.4 billion ($9.50 per share in cash), gaining control of critical software infrastructure including the Java programming language, MySQL open-source database, and Sun’s hardware systems …
Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that corporations can spend unlimited amounts on elections through independent expenditures, enabling creation of Super PACs and dark money networks. The decision dramatically reshaped campaign finance, allowing corporations and unions to spend unlimited funds on independent …
Supreme CourtCitizens UnitedFederal Election Commission (FEC)Justice Anthony KennedyJustice John Paul Stevensdark-moneycampaign-financesupreme-courtcorporate-powerfirst-amendment+1 more
The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber’s operating costs reached approximately $150,000 per flight hour according to U.S. Department of Defense estimates, making it the most expensive military aircraft to operate in history and generating massive ongoing revenue for Northrop Grumman …
Northrop GrummanU.S. Air ForceDepartment of Defensemilitary-industrial complexdefense contractorscost overrunspentagon contractsstealth technology+1 more
Comprehensive organizational analysis reveals DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund as the central infrastructure for conservative dark money operations, earning designation as ‘Dark Money ATM of The Right.’ Founded in 1999 by Whitney Lynn Ball and Kimberly Dennis (both from Philanthropy …
DonorsTrustDonors Capital FundWhitney Lynn BallKimberly DennisLawson Bader+5 moreorganizational-profiledark-moneydonor-advised-fundanonymity-infrastructurekoch-network+4 more
Dr. Julie Gerberding, who served as CDC Director from 2002-2009, joined Merck as president of the company’s vaccine division shortly after leaving government service. This move sparked significant controversy because during her tenure at the CDC, Gerberding oversaw the agency’s …
Dr. Julie GerberdingCDCMerckGardasil vaccineregulatory-capturecdcpharmaceuticalsrevolving-doorvaccines+1 more
The University of Phoenix and its parent company Apollo Group agreed to pay $78.5 million on December 14, 2009, to resolve allegations that the nation’s largest for-profit university violated the False Claims Act by illegally paying recruiters based on the number of students they enrolled, …
University of PhoenixApollo GroupMary HendowJulie AlbertsonU.S. Department of Justice+1 morefor-profit-educationfraudfalse-claims-actstudent-loanswhistleblower+3 more
At a December 2009 meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)’s Public Safety and Elections Task Force, Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce sits behind closed doors with executives from Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and lobbyists from the for-profit bail industry …
ALECCorrections Corporation of America (CCA)Russell PearceJan BrewerGEO Group+2 morealecprivate-prisonprison-industrial-compleximmigrationarizona+4 more
On November 17, 2009, just weeks before the crucial Copenhagen Climate Summit, hackers breached servers at the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia, stealing thousands of emails and computer files spanning 13 years of climate research. The stolen materials were strategically …
Climate Research UnitUniversity of East AngliaPhil JonesMichael MannClimate denial blogosphereclimate-denialdisinformationcybercrimemedia-manipulationinformation-warfare
The United States Senate passed the Franken Amendment by a 68-30 vote on October 6, 2009, prohibiting defense contractors receiving more than $1 million in Department of Defense funds from requiring employees to resolve sexual assault, battery, or harassment claims through mandatory arbitration. The …
Al FrankenJamie Leigh JonesKBRHalliburtonSenate+1 moreaccountability-crisiscorporate-impunitysexual-assaultmandatory-arbitrationprivate-military+1 more
The 9/12 Taxpayer March on Washington represented a pivotal moment in conservative political organizing, mobilizing an estimated 60,000-75,000 protesters against the Obama administration policies. Meticulously organized by Koch-affiliated groups like FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity, the …
FreedomWorksAmericans for ProsperityDick ArmeyBrendan SteinhauserDavid Koch+5 moreastroturf-organizingcorporate-influencekoch-networkpolitical-mobilizationmass-demonstrations+2 more
Conservative activist James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles released heavily edited hidden camera videos purporting to show ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) employees advising them on tax evasion, human smuggling, and child prostitution. O’Keefe selectively edited …
James O'KeefeHannah GilesACORNvoter suppressiondisinformationrepublican partymedia manipulation
On July 24, 2009, the Obama administration announced Race to the Top (RttT), a $4.35 billion competitive grant program that would profoundly reshape American education policy by requiring states to adopt charter school expansion, test-based teacher evaluations, and Common Core standards as …
President Barack ObamaSecretary of Education Arne DuncanBill GatesGates FoundationDemocrats for Education Reform+1 moreeducationcharter-schoolsteacher-evaluationobama-administrationneoliberal-reform+1 more
ALEC’s Public Safety and Elections Task Force approved the “Voter ID Act” model legislation at its July 2009 Atlanta meeting, with final Board of Directors approval on August 27, 2009. The model bill was created in direct response to Barack Obama’s 2008 election victory and …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Hans von SpakovskyHeritage FoundationALEC Public Safety and Elections Task Forcealecvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationcorporate-influencestate-capture+2 more
On July 1, 2009, In-Q-Tel and Google Ventures simultaneously invested in Recorded Future, a startup founded by Christopher Ahlberg that specialized in using artificial intelligence to monitor the open web, dark web, and social media to predict future events. Each firm invested under $10 million in …
In-Q-TelGoogle VenturesRecorded FutureChristopher Ahlbergin-q-telciagooglesocial-media-surveillanceai-surveillance+2 more
After the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act (cap-and-trade climate bill) on June 26, 2009, the Koch brothers’ network immediately launched a massive campaign to kill the legislation in the Senate. Americans for Prosperity, whose top …
Koch brothersCharles KochDavid KochAmericans for ProsperityHeritage Foundation+4 moreclimate-denialregulatory-capturelobbyingenvironmentalcorporate-corruption+1 more
The Obama White House secretly negotiated an $80 billion deal with pharmaceutical industry lobbyists, abandoning the president’s campaign promise to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. White House officials Jim Messina and Rahm Emanuel met with PhRMA CEO Billy Tauzin, agreeing to maintain …
Four men from Newburgh, New York—James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams, and Laguerre Payen—were arrested in an FBI sting operation in which a paid government informant conceived the plot, provided all the means, and coerced economically desperate men into participating. A federal judge …
FBIShahed HussainJames CromitieDepartment of Justicefbi-abuseentrapmentinformantsterrorism-prosecutioncivil-liberties
Digital Sky Technologies, primarily funded by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, invested $200 million in Facebook in May 2009, acquiring a 1.96% equity stake at a $10 billion valuation. The investment, led by CEO Yuri Milner, was accompanied by an additional offer to purchase $100 million in common …
Alisher UsmanovYuri MilnerMark ZuckerbergDigital Sky Technologiesfacebook-russiarussian-investmentsocial-media-influence
President Barack Obama authorizes the Department of Justice to release four previously classified memos from the Office of Legal Counsel written between 2002 and 2005 that authorized CIA torture techniques including waterboarding, stress positions, sleep deprivation, and confinement in coffin-sized …
Barack ObamaEric HolderCIAJohn YooJay Bybee+2 moretortureciaobamaimpunitywar-crimes+2 more
The first coordinated nationwide Tax Day Tea Party protests take place across the United States, organized primarily by Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks. These protests, while presented as grassroots citizen uprisings, were strategically orchestrated by well-funded corporate advocacy groups …
Americans for ProsperityFreedomWorksDavid KochCharles KochBrendan Steinhauser+2 moreastroturf-organizingcorporate-influencekoch-networktax-protestspolitical-theater+2 more
Peter Thiel publishes “The Education of a Libertarian” in Cato Institute’s journal, declaring democracy incompatible with freedom, and advocating technological escape from political systems.
Peter ThielCato Institutepeter-thielanti-democracylibertarianismcato-institutepolitical-philosophy+2 more