Federal prosecutors in the Middle District of Tennessee withdrew from a criminal investigation into U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, with a Department of Justice attorney from Washington’s Public Integrity Section set to continue the case. The investigation originated from an FBI seizure of Ogles’ …
Andy OglesU.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of TennesseeDepartment of JusticeJohn P. TaddeiRob McGuire+4 moreregulatory-capturecampaign-financecongressional-investigationtrump-administrationpolitical-manipulation
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed with ongoing financial interests in vaccine litigation, earning $856,559 in referral fees while controlling federal health policy. Despite resignation from consulting arrangements, he retains potential profit from Merck vaccine litigation, raising …
robert-f-kennedy-jrchildrens-health-defenseHHSNIHMerck+4 morerfk-jranti-vaccinehhsconflict-of-interestbiotech-investments+5 more
In 2024, the healthcare sector spent $743.9 million on federal lobbying—$10 million less than 2023’s $745 million but maintaining its position as the largest lobbying sector in the United States for the 26th consecutive year. Pharmaceutical and health products companies led healthcare spending …
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of AmericaAmerican Medical AssociationAmerican Hospital AssociationPharmaceutical Care Management AssociationHealth insurance industry+1 morelobbyinghealthcarepharmaceutical-industrysystematic-corruptionregulatory-capture+1 more
The SEC charged Cantor Fitzgerald $6.75 million for systematic disclosure violations in two SPAC transactions involving View, Inc. and Satellogic. The firm misled investors by claiming no substantive discussions with merger targets existed, despite already negotiating potential mergers. This …
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)Cantor FitzgeraldHoward LutnickView, Inc.Satellogicspac-frauddisclosure-violationssec-enforcementcantor-fitzgeraldhoward-lutnick+3 more
Anthropic achieved comprehensive FedRAMP High certification for Claude across multiple cloud platforms, enabling secure AI deployment across all three branches of the U.S. government. Through a groundbreaking $1 OneGov deal with the General Services Administration (GSA), Anthropic offers Claude AI …
AnthropicPalantirU.S. intelligence agenciesDefense agenciesFedRAMP+3 moreai-governancenational-securitysurveillance-techregulatory-captureclassified-systems+2 more
In November 2024, the cryptocurrency industry accelerated its self-regulatory efforts in response to intensifying global regulatory pressures. Following the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation and the Financial Stability Board’s global framework, crypto firms began …
Cryptocurrency Industry ConsortiumFinancial Stability BoardEuropean Securities and Markets AuthoritySecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)CFTCcryptoregulatory-capturefinancial-technologyself-regulationcompliance
Meta announced a groundbreaking policy shift, making its open-source Llama AI models available to US government agencies and defense contractors. Partnering with companies like Accenture, AWS, Anduril, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Oracle, Scale AI, and others, Meta opened its technology for national …
MetaMark ZuckerbergUS government agenciesLockheed MartinPalantir+8 moreai-governancemilitary-contractsopen-sourceregulatory-capturenational-security+1 more
On October 31, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report estimating that Medicare Advantage insurers received at least $7.5 billion in improper payments in 2023 from Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) that added diagnoses to inflate risk scores …
Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector GeneralCenters for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMedicare Advantage insurershealthcaremedicare-advantageinsurance-fraudsystematic-corruptionregulatory-capture
OpenAI formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. AI Safety Institute at NIST, establishing an unprecedented framework for pre-release AI model testing and safety evaluation. The agreement represents a strategic approach to industry self-regulation, allowing OpenAI to …
Sam AltmanOpenAIU.S. AI Safety InstituteNISTElizabeth Kelly+1 moreai-governanceregulatory-captureai-safetytech-oligarchygovernment-partnerships+1 more
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google illegally maintained monopolies in general search services and search text advertising, marking the most significant antitrust victory against a tech company since the Microsoft case in 1998. The ruling found that Google’s payments exceeding $26 …
Judge Amit MehtaDepartment of JusticeGoogleSundar PichaiAppleantitrustgooglemonopolyregulatory-capturetech-monopoly+3 more
DaVita Inc. agrees to pay $34,487,390 to resolve False Claims Act allegations involving three distinct kickback schemes: paying a competitor to induce referrals to DaVita Rx pharmacy subsidiary in exchange for acquiring European dialysis clinics and extending dialysis product purchases; providing …
DaVitaDennis KogodDepartment of JusticeDaVita Rxhealthcaredialysismedicare-fraudkickbackswhistleblower+2 more
Georgia State Election Board with Republican majority including Janelle King, Janice Johnston, and Rick Jeffares passed multiple illegal rules between July and September 2024 coordinated with Republican National Committee. Rules included hand-count ballot requirements, “reasonable …
Georgia State Election BoardJanelle KingJanice JohnstonRick JeffaresRepublican National Committee+1 moreelection-boardregulatory-captureelection-sabotagegeorgiaillegal-rules+2 more
The Federal Trade Commission released its interim staff report titled ‘Pharmacy Benefit Managers: The Powerful Middlemen Inflating Drug Costs and Squeezing Main Street Pharmacies,’ revealing alarming market concentration and anticompetitive practices. The report found that three PBMs—CVS …
Federal Trade CommissionLina KhanCVS CaremarkExpress ScriptsOptumRx+1 morehealthcarepbmpharmacyantitrustregulatory-capture+3 more
In a landmark 6-2 decision, the Supreme Court overruled the 40-year-old Chevron deference doctrine in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, fundamentally altering the balance of power between courts and federal agencies. The ruling requires courts to independently interpret ambiguous statutes rather …
Clarence ThomasSamuel AlitoChief Justice John RobertsSupreme CourtKoch Network+1 morejudicial-capturesupreme-courtchevron-deferenceregulatory-capturekoch-influence+2 more
On June 27, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked Purdue Pharma’s $6 billion bankruptcy settlement that would have granted the Sackler family—who extracted over $10 billion from Purdue while the company fueled the opioid epidemic—broad immunity from all current and future civil lawsuits. The …
U.S. Supreme CourtSackler FamilyPurdue PharmaDepartment of Justiceopioid-crisispharmaceutical-industrycorruptionregulatory-captureaccountability-failure+1 more
Comprehensive research reveals a systematic corruption pattern in Hurricane Katrina’s education system transformation. Academic studies and journalistic investigations document how disaster was strategically used to rapidly privatize New Orleans public schools. Before Katrina, the school …
Louisiana State LegislatureCharter School AdvocatesRight-Wing Think TanksNew Orleans School Boardsystematic-corruptioninstitutional-captureeducation-privatizationcharter-schoolsregulatory-capture
The Department of Justice, joined by 16 state attorneys general, filed a comprehensive antitrust lawsuit against Apple alleging the company illegally monopolizes smartphone markets through a systematic strategy of ecosystem lock-in, developer restrictions, and suppression of “super apps” …
Department of JusticeAppleTim Cook16 State Attorneys Generalantitrustappledojmonopolyregulatory-capture+4 more
Wyoming lawmakers pass House Bill 75, reducing the coal severance tax rate from 6.5% to 6%, marking the second consecutive tax cut for coal producers in two years. In 2022, the Legislature reduced the severance tax from 7% to 6.5%, together costing the state approximately $20 million in annual …
Wyoming LegislatureMark GordonBlack Hills EnergyPowder River Basin Coal Producerswyomingcoalfossil-fuelscorporate-welfareregulatory-capture+2 more
On February 27, 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Justice launched a major antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth Group, focusing on whether the company’s vertical integration strategy—particularly Optum’s acquisition of physician practices—creates …
Department of JusticeUnitedHealth GroupUnitedHealthcareOptumhealthcaremedicare-advantageantitrustvertical-integrationregulatory-capture+1 more
While no specific FTC investigation was definitively confirmed in 2024, xAI’s Grok AI faced increasing regulatory attention from multiple agencies. The AI chatbot encountered potential regulatory challenges related to content generation practices, data privacy, and AI safety, particularly in …
Elon MuskxAIFTCIrish Data Protection CommissionAI Regulatory Bodiesai-regulationtech-oversightconsumer-protectiondata-privacyregulatory-capture
A door plug blew out of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 MAX 9, at 16,000 feet during climb six minutes after takeoff from Portland, Oregon. The explosive decompression ripped the door plug from the fuselage, leaving a gaping hole in the aircraft. Miraculously, all 171 passengers and 6 crew …
Alaska AirlinesBoeingSpirit AeroSystemsFederal Aviation AdministrationNational Transportation Safety Board+1 moreboeing737-maxalaska-airlinesdoor-plugmanufacturing-defect+2 more
Binance Holdings Limited, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Bank Secrecy Act, failure to register as a money transmitting business, and violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in the largest corporate criminal penalty in …
Changpeng ZhaoBinanceDepartment of JusticeMerrick GarlandLisa Monaco+5 morecryptoregulatory-capturemoney-launderingfraudsanctions-violations+4 more
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists releases its Cyprus Confidential investigation exposing Wyoming as America’s premier secrecy jurisdiction, having overtaken Delaware for the most corporate registrations per capita. Analysis by corporate data firm OpenCorporates shows …
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)ConnectedSkyWyoming LegislatureOpenCorporatesTransparency Internationalwyomingtax-havenmoney-launderingllcshell-companies+5 more
A federal jury convicts Sam Bankman-Fried on all seven criminal counts including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering in what federal prosecutors describe as ‘one of the biggest financial frauds in American history.’ The conviction follows a …
Sam Bankman-FriedFTXAlameda ResearchU.S. Department of JusticeCaroline Ellison+1 morecorruptionfraudregulatory-capturetechcryptocurrency+3 more
The Federal Trade Commission, joined by 17 state attorneys general, filed a landmark antitrust lawsuit against Amazon alleging the company illegally maintains monopoly power in online retail through systematic anti-competitive practices. The complaint documents Amazon’s …
Federal Trade CommissionAmazonAndy Jassy17 State Attorneys Generalantitrustamazonftcmonopolyregulatory-capture+3 more
The Federal Trade Commission issues a policy statement declaring that improper patent listings in the FDA’s ‘Orange Book’ (Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations) constitute potential unfair methods of competition under Section 5 of the FTC Act or unlawful …
FTCAndrew N. FergusonFDAAmphastarMylan+2 moreintellectual-propertypharmaceutical-patentspatent-evergreeningorange-bookftc+3 more
A comprehensive analysis of 2023 reveals a significant decline in regulatory enforcement actions across multiple federal agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other regulatory bodies show a marked reduction in total enforcement actions, with a strategic pivot towards fewer but more …
In May 2023, Tennessee’s State Building Commission approved a three-year, $168 million contract renewal with CoreCivic to operate the South Central Correctional Facility, despite the private prison corporation’s documented record of inmate deaths, safety violations, and nearly $18 …
CoreCivicBill LeeTennessee Department of CorrectionTennessee State Building Commissionprivate-prisonscampaign-financegovernment-contractsregulatory-capturecorporate-corruption+1 more
In an emergency Sunday night intervention to prevent global financial contagion, the Swiss Federal Council exercises emergency powers to force UBS’s acquisition of Credit Suisse without shareholder approval, marking the collapse of one of 30 ‘globally systemically important banks’ …
Credit SuisseUBSFINMASwiss Federal CouncilSwiss National Bank+3 morebanking-collapseregulatory-capturetoo-big-to-failsystemic-riskfinma+2 more
California regulators close Silicon Valley Bank and appoint the FDIC as receiver after a catastrophic bank run, marking the third-largest bank failure in U.S. history and the largest since the 2008 financial crisis. SVB, the 16th largest U.S. bank with $212 billion in assets, collapses due to …
Silicon Valley BankGreg BeckerFDICFederal ReserveCalifornia DFPI+2 morebanking-collapseregulatory-capturederegulationdodd-franksystemic-risk+3 more
After mineral owners present evidence to the North Dakota Legislature that oil companies are deducting approximately $1 billion annually in royalty payments without adequate oversight or transparency, lawmakers reject bipartisan legislation requiring companies to provide electronic payment details …
North Dakota LegislatureBrad BekkedahlDon LongmuirRon NessXTO Energy+3 moreregulatory-capturecorporate-corruptionoil-industrylegislative-failuremineral-rights+2 more
On February 3, 2023, at 8:55 PM EST, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, with 38 cars derailing and 20 containing hazardous chemicals including vinyl chloride. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that a defective, overheated …
Norfolk Southern RailwayNational Transportation Safety BoardEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA)Trump AdministrationAmerican Association of Railroadsenvironmentalregulatory-capturecorporate-corruptionlobbyingchemical-disaster+1 more
January 6th Committee investigation found tech platforms systematically bent rules to avoid penalizing conservative content out of fear of political reprisals. Internal documents revealed Facebook maintained “white lists” exempting conservative accounts (Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., …
Twitter/XFacebook/MetaHouse January 6th CommitteeEric TrumpDonald Trump Jr.+2 moreplatform-captureconservative-biasregulatory-capturesocial-media-manipulationpolitical-favoritism+2 more
Sam Bankman-Fried is arrested in the Bahamas at the request of U.S. prosecutors and charged with eight criminal counts including wire fraud, securities fraud, commodities fraud, money laundering, and campaign finance law violations. The indictment alleges Bankman-Fried orchestrated a scheme to …
Sam Bankman-FriedFTXU.S. Department of JusticeSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)CFTC+1 morecorruptionfraudregulatory-capturetechcryptocurrency+3 more
U.S. District Judge Edward Davila sentences Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes to 135 months (11 years, 3 months) in federal prison plus three years supervised release for defrauding investors of over $140 million. Holmes is ordered to surrender on April 27, 2023 to begin serving her sentence. …
Elizabeth HolmesEdward DavilaU.S. Department of JusticeTheranosFDA+1 morecorruptionfraudregulatory-capturetechhealthcare+3 more
FTX cryptocurrency exchange, Alameda Research, and over 100 affiliated entities file for bankruptcy following the exposure of systematic fraud by founder Sam Bankman-Fried. The collapse was triggered on November 2 when CoinDesk revealed that Alameda Research—FTX’s affiliated trading firm owned …
Sam Bankman-FriedFTXAlameda ResearchChangpeng ZhaoBinance+2 morecorruptionfraudregulatory-capturetechcryptocurrency+3 more
By October 2022, Sinclair Broadcast Group owned or operated 294 television stations across the United States in 89 markets, reaching approximately 40% of American households and maintaining its position as the nation’s largest owner of local television stations. This unprecedented …
Sinclair Broadcast GroupFederal Communications Commission (FCC)David SmithLocal News Anchorssinclair-broadcastingmedia-consolidationpropagandalocal-news-capturemarket-dominance+3 more
A court in the British Virgin Islands ordered the liquidation of Three Arrows Capital (3AC), a Singapore-based cryptocurrency hedge fund that managed $10 billion in assets just months earlier, after the firm lost over $3 billion and defaulted on hundreds of millions in loans to crypto lenders. …
Three Arrows CapitalKyle DaviesSu ZhuMonetary Authority of SingaporeDubai Financial Services Authority+4 morecryptoregulatory-capturefraudhedge-fund-collapsesystemic-risk+3 more
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education under Secretary Miguel Cardona reached a landmark settlement in the class action lawsuit Sweet v. Cardona (originally filed as Sweet v. DeVos), agreeing to automatically cancel approximately $6 billion in federal student loans for roughly 200,000 …
U.S. District Court for Northern CaliforniaU.S. Department of EducationMiguel CardonaBetsy DeVosProject on Predatory Student Lending+1 morefor-profit-educationstudent-debt-cancellationborrower-defenseclass-action-settlementfraud-relief+1 more
The Federal Trade Commission unanimously voted to authorize a comprehensive investigation into pharmacy benefit manager business practices under Section 6(b) of the FTC Act, with all five commissioners voting in favor. The FTC issued compulsory orders to the six largest PBMs—CVS Caremark, Express …
Federal Trade CommissionLina KhanChuck GrassleyMaria CantwellCVS Caremark+2 morehealthcarepbmpharmacyantitrustregulatory-capture+2 more
Terraform Labs, led by Do Kwon, temporarily halted the Terra blockchain on May 13, 2022, after a catastrophic four-day collapse that wiped out nearly $45 billion in market capitalization and devastated hundreds of thousands of retail investors globally. LUNA, which traded at $119 in April and $87 on …
Do KwonTerraform LabsSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)CFTCPaul Engelmayer+2 morecryptoregulatory-capturefraudstablecoinsystemic-risk+4 more
TerraUSD (UST), the fourth-largest stablecoin with $18 billion market capitalization, began losing its dollar peg on May 7-9, 2022, triggering a catastrophic “death spiral” that would destroy $40 billion in value within days and crash the broader crypto market. The algorithmic …
Do KwonTerraform LabsSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)CFTCJanet Yellen+3 morecryptoregulatory-capturefraudstablecoinsystemic-risk+3 more
Comprehensive analysis of Biden administration’s 2022 financial disclosures reveals a complex landscape of potential conflicts of interest and efforts to mitigate them. The Office of Government Ethics certified financial reports showing high compliance, with 48 out of 56 White House assistants …
Biden AdministrationOffice of Government EthicsRegulatory AgenciesPolitical AppointeesAntony Blinken+3 moreregulatory-capturerevolving-doorpersonnelconflict-of-interestethics-disclosure+1 more
A federal jury convicts Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes on one count of conspiracy to commit investor fraud and three counts of wire fraud involving over $140 million in investments. The conviction follows a nearly four-month trial where prosecutors presented testimony from 29 witnesses …
Elizabeth HolmesTheranosU.S. Department of JusticeSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)FDAcorruptionfraudregulatory-capturetechhealthcare+3 more
In December 2021, researchers at Harvard Medical School published a landmark study in Annals of Internal Medicine demonstrating that hospitals acquired by private equity firms experienced significant increases in emergency department mortality—7 additional deaths per 10,000 visits (approximately 10% …
In November 2021, Pfizer reported annual profits of $21.98 billion on revenues of $81.29 billion for 2021, with COVID-19 vaccine sales of $36.7 billion accounting for 45% of total company revenue. The COVID-19 vaccine became one of the most financially successful pharmaceutical products in history, …
Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC), a special purpose acquisition company, announced its agreement to merge with Trump Media & Technology Group Corp (TMTG), bringing Trump’s Truth Social platform public. The announcement triggered massive trading volume and price volatility, with DWAC …
Donald TrumpDigital World Acquisition CorpTrump Media & Technology GroupSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)Bruce Garelick+1 morespac-fraudtruth-socialdwacregulatory-capturetrump-media+1 more
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission ordered Tether Holdings Limited to pay a $41 million civil penalty for making untrue and misleading statements about the reserves backing its USDT stablecoin, the world’s largest stablecoin with over $69 billion in circulation. The CFTC found that from …
Tether Holdings LimitedCFTCDawn StumpBitfinexSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)cryptoregulatory-capturefraudstablecoinsystemic-risk+3 more
Former FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, who led the agency during the Emergency Use Authorization of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines, took an executive-level position as Chief Medical Officer with Flagship Pioneering, the venture capital firm that launched Moderna. This transition occurred six …
Stephen HahnFlagship PioneeringModernaFood and Drug Administration (FDA)Noubar Afeyan+1 moreregulatory-capturepharmaceutical-industryrevolving-doorcovid-19fda
In September 2021, Boston Federal Reserve President Eric Rosengren resigned amid a trading scandal revealing he actively traded Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and mortgage-backed securities during 2020, while the Federal Reserve was simultaneously purchasing such assets. A 2024 watchdog …
Eric RosengrenFederal Reserve Bank of BostonRobert KaplanJerome Powellfederal-reservetrading-scandalconflict-of-interesteric-rosengrenboston-fed+3 more