About: Zaid Jilani
Bio: Zaid Jilani is a reporter for The Intercept. He is the former Communications and Outreach Coordinator for United Republic and the former Senior Reporter-Blogger for ThinkProgress. His work has also appeared in outlets including Salon and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2009 and moved shortly after to Washington to work to make America a more just and free place.
Georgia Voters Of Both Parties Revolt Against Corruption
Imagine if lobbyists could give virtually anything they wanted to lawmakers, ranging from a gift basket of cookies to a Mercedes Benz. This isn’t some dark fairy tale. In Georgia, it’s reality. Lobbyists can give virtually whatever gift they want to lawmakers. But in recent month, a rowdy coalition of tea partiers and progressives have
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Former Army Captain Says If Hospitals Behaved Like For-Profit Colleges, Execs Would Be In Jail
At a press conference Monday, Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA), flanked by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), unveiled a new report looking at the abuses against students by the for-profit college industry, which is largely subsidized by the taxpayer with few strings attached. In recent months, abuses against veterans in particular have come
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The Washington Post Won’t Tell Congress How Much Money Kaplan’s CEO Makes
Some Members of Congress are stepping up to increase oversight over the for-profit college industry, which is heavily subsidized by taxpayers but which continues to abuse our veterans and other students. As a part of this effort, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) sought to report about the salaries of top executives at these companies.
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John McCain Says He’s ‘Proud’ Of Ex-Lockheed Martin Lobbyist He Hired As Defense Staffer
Earlier this year, we reported that Northrop Grumman gave one of its lobbyists an effective $500,000 bonus when he joined the House Armed Services Committee to make defense policy. It now appears that this isn’t the only pay-out from the industry to a future staffer. Last week, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) noted that
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Utah State Senate President Falsely Claims His Legislature Doesn’t Follow ALEC’s ‘Line’
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a very powerful corporate front group that works with corporations to get bills passed in state legislatures — without the general public ever knowing that these bills are ALEC’s. It has worked to do everything from pass “Shoot First” laws to suppress votes to give special tax favors
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Chairman Of Georgia House Ethics Committee Shills For Lobbyist Gifts
You’d think that if there’s anyone who should be for curtailing the influence of lobbyists and other ethics reforms, its the chair of the ethics committee in the legislature, right? In Georgia, you’d be wrong. A trans-partisan coalition of tea partiers and progressives have been pushing for a cap of $100 on gifts that lawmakers
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Anti-Gun Control Groups Spent 17 Times As Much On Lobbying As Pro-Gun Control Groups Last Year
In the wake of the tragic shooting in Aurora, some have called for a renewed debate on gun control. While there is likely strong evidence on both sides of this debate, the curious thing is that one institution is not having any debate whatsoever: Congress. I ran the numbers to see what the various Big
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Is Big Pharma Using A Front Group To Exact Revenge On Cheap Drugs Advocate Denny Rehberg?
One of the biggest rip-offs the U.S. government enforces is a ban on cheap pharmaceutical drugs from Canada. Americans are barred from buying perfectly safe pharmaceutical drugs from Canada that can be 20 to 80 percent cheaper than American drugs. Conservative organizations like the Cato Institute and progressive lawmakers like former Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) have
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