The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City reversed its 2017 denial and approved Reserve Trust Company’s master account application in May 2018, approximately nine months after former Fed Governor Sarah Bloom Raskin allegedly contacted Kansas City Fed President Esther George. The approval raised …
Sarah Bloom RaskinReserve Trust CompanyFederal Reserve Bank of Kansas CityEsther GeorgePat Toomey+1 morefederal-reservecorruptionrevolving-doorsarah-bloom-raskinkansas-city-fed+3 more
Seattle’s City Council unanimously passed a “head tax” on large employers on May 14, 2018, taxing companies earning $20 million+ annually at $275 per full-time employee to fund affordable housing and homeless services. Amazon—with 45,000 Seattle employees and facing a $12 million …
AmazonJeff BezosWashington PostSeattle City CouncilJenny Durkanmedia-capturecorporate-welfaretax-avoidancelocal-politicseditorial-capture
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 …
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
Nikol Pashinyan is elected Prime Minister of Armenia after massive grassroots protests against systematic corruption force out the ruling Republican Party. The movement, characterized by nonviolent civil disobedience and broad social participation, represents a successful civil society victory over …
Nikol PashinyanArmenian Civil SocietyRepublican Party of ArmeniaMy Step Allianceresistancecivil-societyarmeniaanti-corruptionnonviolent-revolution+1 more
Nikol Pashinyan is elected Prime Minister of Armenia after a nonviolent, grassroots movement forced the resignation of incumbent Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan. The ‘Velvet Revolution’ represented a landmark peaceful democratic transition, with mass protests paralyzing the capital Yerevan …
On May 8, 2018, the Armenian Parliament voted 59-42 to confirm Nikol Pashinyan as Prime Minister, marking the successful conclusion of the Velvet Revolution. The peaceful, grassroots-driven movement removed the ruling Republican Party’s kleptocratic leadership through sustained non-violent …
Nikol PashinyanArmenian Civil SocietyRepublican Party of ArmeniaArmenian Parliamentdemocracy-movementanti-corruptiongrassroots-resistancedigital-activismparliamentary-transition+1 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, UAE government authorities install NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware on the phone of Hanan Elatr, wife of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, during her detention at Dubai International Airport. Forensic analysis by Citizen Lab and the University of Toronto reveals that after Elatr …
Hanan ElatrJamal KhashoggiUAE GovernmentNSO GroupCitizen Lab+1 morenso-grouppegasus-spywarejamal-khashoggiuaesaudi-arabia+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
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies for 10 hours before Congress, apologizing for data breaches and promising reforms while avoiding real accountability for platform’s role in election manipulation
Mark ZuckerbergUS CongressFacebookCambridge Analyticacongressional-testimonycambridge-analyticarussian-interferencezuckerbergfacebook-scandal+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 MillerDHSICEfamily-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 …
Operation Guardian Support mobilized over 4,000 National Guard troops from nine states for border support, operating under Title 32 authority while maintaining careful legal constraints against law enforcement activities.
National GuardBorder PatrolPentagonmilitary-deploymentborder-militarizationnational-guardimmigration-enforcement
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. After piloting the system from August through December 2017, Fayette County …
Fayette County GeorgiaCarbyneEhud BarakLital LeshemJeffrey Epsteincarbynesurveillance-technologyisraeli-intelligenceunit-8200emergency-response-tech+2 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
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 …
Academic study of over 7,000 tariff exemption requests finds firms with political connections to Trump, especially those donating to Trump or Republican causes, had significantly higher approval rates, while those linked to Democrats were more often denied. Internal government audits describe the …
Donald TrumpTrump AdministrationVeljko FotakHye Seung Grace LeeWilliam Megginson+1 moretariffscorruptioncrony-capitalismtrade-policypolitical-favoritism
Esteban Castano and Rahul Raina found TRM Labs in San Francisco, creating a blockchain intelligence platform designed to help government agencies, financial institutions, and cryptocurrency businesses detect and investigate crypto-related fraud and financial crime. The company enters a rapidly …
James Biden received $600,000 in loans from Americore Health, a financially distressed rural hospital operator, based on representations that his last name ‘Biden’ could ‘open doors’ and secure Middle East investments through political connections. On March 1, 2018, Americore …
James BidenJoe BidenAmericore HealthSara Bidenfamily-enrichmentconflict-of-interestfinancial-misconduct
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development spent $31,561 on custom-made dining room furniture for HUD Secretary Ben Carson’s office in late 2017, in apparent violation of federal law requiring Congressional approval for department head office redecoration costs exceeding $5,000. The …
Ben CarsonCandy CarsonHelen FosterCabinet CorruptionEthics ViolationsBen CarsonHUDMisuse of Funds+1 more
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
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
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
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
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
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
Rusal America, a subsidiary of Russian metals giant controlled by oligarch Oleg Deripaska (sanctioned for election interference), received aluminum tariff exemption from Commerce Department in July 2018. Warren’s congressional inquiry exposed the improper approval, forcing Commerce Department …
Donald TrumpElizabeth WarrenRussian oligarchTrump Administrationtariffsrussiasanctionscorruptionoligarchs
Peter Thiel’s complex intelligence role emerged in 2018, with documented Russian diplomatic attempts to recruit him. While he formally became an FBI informant with the codename “Philosopher” in 2021, his early interactions with Russian diplomats like Daniil Bisslinger were …
Peter ThielFBIVladimir PutinDaniil BisslingerJohnathan Buma+1 morefbi-informantrussian-recruitmentcounterintelligencethiel-networksilicon-valley-intelligence
Grayshift rapidly expands its federal law enforcement customer base, securing significant contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), along with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Secret …
Cook’s ‘charm offensive’ through multiple dinners and meetings with Trump 2018-2019 secured Apple exemptions from China tariffs on iPhones and core products. Cook dined at Trump Tower, Bedminster golf course, attended White House state dinner, gave Trump Mac Pro plant tour. Apple …
Donald TrumpTim CookApple Inc.tariffsfavoritismapplecorporate-influencecrony-capitalism
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
Systematic analysis of lobbying disclosure reports revealed that between 2019 and 2023, giant agribusinesses, food and agriculture industry associations, and special interest groups reported more than $523 million in federal lobby expenditures on disclosure reports listing “farm bill” as …
Glenn ThompsonDavid ScottHouse Agriculture CommitteeAmerican Farm Bureau FederationKoch Industriesregulatory-captureagriculturelobbyingcongressional-corruptioncorporate-subsidies
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 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
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
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
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 3-2 along party lines to repeal Obama-era net neutrality regulations, eliminating critical protections that prevented internet service providers (ISPs) from discriminating against web traffic. The decision, championed by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, shifts …
Ajit PaiMignon ClyburnFederal Communications CommissionVerizonComcast+2 moreregulatory-capturenet-neutralityfcctelecominternet-freedom+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