James Baratta

SB 492 stops short of a Marshall Plan for fire survivors, but it averts the harms of Gavin Newsom’s now-collapsed wildfire utility bailout. The post California Wildfire Package Preserves Survivors...

At the end of the legislative session, the Democratic governor and presidential hopeful wants to cap liability for power companies that start deadly fires. The post Wildfire Survivors Push Back Ag...

If you’re a liberal activist or union member, the Trump administration wants to know everything about you. But if you’re a foreign oligarch laundering money, you can count on it looking the other ...

The $85 billion proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern would create the nation’s first transcontinental railroad. Workers, shippers, and even business rivals are against it. Th...

Amazon and Walmart are well equipped to detect deceptive claims about where products are made. Their own AI chatbots describe the choice not to act as a business decision. The post The Great ‘Made...

The Justice Department is dropping its subpoenas of New York Times journalists. The episode may make it impossible to extend the government’s warrantless spying program. The post Jay Clayton’s Sub...

President Trump’s overhaul of the federal student loan system is now underway. It seems to have inadvertently expedited a legal challenge to his alleged shadow repeal of a repayment plan establish...

Critics say Jay Clayton, fast-tracked to be confirmed as director of national intelligence, is poised to run point on election interference for President Trump. The post Clayton’s Trump Loyalty Be...

The dark money flowing into the Democratic primary pitting entrenched 15-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette against progressive insurgent Melat Kiros has helped energize Kiros’s campaign. The post ...

Flipping either one or both chambers of Congress could give Democrats enough leverage to force fair votes on privacy reform, but ending warrantless surveillance remains an uphill battle. The post ...

Both the firm and the utility company it’s trying to take private face potential maximum fines and a hard reset of the acquisition process for flouting New Mexico state law. The post Blackstone’s ...

President Trump is helping Dana White implant UFC in the cultural mainstream with a fight night at the White House. But MMA athletes say they’ve been shortchanged. The post Ultimate Fighting Beyon...

The government’s sweeping spying powers will remain in place for a year, regardless of who becomes director of national intelligence. Both sides are pretending that’s not the case. The post Pulte ...

The mother lode of utility buyouts just landed on Hoosiers’ doorstep. Regulators have no say over whether the deal goes through. The post Indiana’s Private Equity Power Play appeared first on The ...