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Checks & Imbalances: Pro-Choice Billionaires, Abortion-Themed Ads

Following

We continue looking at abortion’s impact on the midterm elections, as well as the latest district attorney who wants a crack at Donald Trump.


MacKenzie Scott, Michael Bloomberg Among The Biggest Billionaire Donors To Abortion-Rights Groups

“Though the nation’s wealthiest philanthropists have been giving to reproductive rights groups for decades, the cause constitutes a relatively small portion of overall philanthropic giving,” reports Rachel Sandler:

According to the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, $1.7 billion went to reproductive rights nonprofits from 2015 to 2019. That’s 2.2% of the $76 billion from foundations during that time period.

Even less money, $361 million, was earmarked specifically for abortion rights and services, as opposed to other forms of reproductive healthcare. Much of that funding comes from the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, the largest single donor supporting abortion rights in the U.S., according to the NCRP. Funded by investor Warren Buffett, the fourth-richest person in the U.S., and named after his late wife, the foundation keeps a low profile when it comes to its pro-choice giving. Its website doesn’t even mention reproductive healthcare and instead focuses on college scholarships to students in Nebraska. The foundation didn’t respond to requests for comment.

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In Case You Missed It


Abortion-Themed Political Ads Surged After Leaked Roe V. Wade Decision, Study Finds

“References to abortion in TV political advertising surged after Politico published a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion last week that would overturn Roe v. Wade, according to a report published Thursday by the Wesleyan Media Project,” reports Zachary Snowdon Smith:

The proportion of pro-Democratic House ads that mentioned abortion rose from 6.2% before May 3—when Politico published the draft—to 22% on and after that date, while the share of pro-Republican House ads that referenced abortion rose from 13.5% to 14.5% over the same period, according to the Wesleyan Media Project, which tracks political ads and is led by government and political science professors from Wesleyan University and other schools.

Continuing Irresolutions

Updates on Checks & Imbalances’ previous reporting

Trump-endorsed Rep. Alex Mooney won a Republican House primary in West Virginia on Tuesday, beating fellow incumbent Rep. David McKinley.

Documents released last October disclosed that the House Office of Congressional Ethics found “substantial reason to believe” Mooney may have used campaign money for personal expenses and failed to report more than $40,000 in expenditures. The House Committee on Ethics is set to announce any judgement by May 23.

*****

The Federal Election Commission has now referred five unpaid fines by Jan. 6 organizer Amy Kremer to the Treasury Department for collection, Rannt Media reported on Wednesday. The fines, which total $37,000 were for failing to file mandatory financial disclosures for a PAC Kramer is the treasurer for.


Trump’s D.C. Hotel Shutters After Sale Finalized

“The Trump International Hotel in Washington is now officially out of business after the Trump family on Wednesday completed its sale to a Miami investor group, which plans to reopen it as a Waldorf Astoria,” reported the New York Times.

Rather than being resolved, of course, many of the ethics concerns about the hotel have just migrated to Florida.


Tracking Trump

Forbes continues to update “Tracking Trump: A Rundown Of All The Lawsuits And Investigations Involving The Former President.” Among the latest developments: the Fulton County district attorney began selecting people to serve on a grand jury.

  • “Billionaire Venture Capitalist Josh Kushner Takes Out $23 Million Mortgage On Manhattan Penthouse He Bought From His Family” (Forbes)
  • “Donald Trump has found a new way to milk his ex-presidency — and test another — hitting the lucrative motivational speaking circuit with more fervor than any other active U.S. politician in history.” (Axios)
  • “Hedge fund billionaire Dan Loeb appears to be courting NYC Mayor Eric Adams over charter schools” (CNBC)
  • “Even Trump Can’t Make Sense of His Own Dark-Money Maze” (The Daily Beast)
  • “Trump’s Media Company Is Hiring Producers to Create MAGA-Friendly Television” (Rolling Stone)
  • “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's campaign had one last hurrah at Trump’s DC hotel just before it got sold” (Insider)
  • “Vice President Mike Pence to Campaign for [Georgia] Governor [Brian] Kemp on Eve of Primary” (Kemp for Governor)


Editor’s Picks

  • “Reed heads for the exits — and for K Street” (Politico)
  • “A Pot of U.N. Money. Risk-Taking Officials. A Sea of Questions.” (The New York Times)
  • “ConocoPhillips ramps up lobbying spending during fight over an $8 billion Alaskan oil project” (OpenSecrets)
  • “Congressman probing Commanders cancels fundraiser over ethics question” (Politico)
  • “Mysterious $1.7 million fuels Alabama governor’s campaign” (Al.com)
  • “Very cynical ads back Gavin Newsom, Rod Bonta in California primary” (SFGATE)
  • “After Elon: Inside Larry Ellison’s New G.O.P.” (Puck)
  • “More than 80 former Chuck Schumer staffers employed by Big Tech” (The New York Post)
  • “Democratic Lawmakers Call for Probe of Former Interior Secretary’s Role in Arizona Development Permit” (The Wall Street Journal)
  • “Bitter feuds and crypto ties: Inside one of the most expensive Democratic primaries” (NPR)
  • “Club for Growth Starts Ad Blitz for Kathy Barnette in Pennsylvania Senate Primary” (The New York Times)
  • “For Financial Help and Counsel, Hunter Biden Turns to Hollywood Lawyer” (The New York Times)
  • “House of Representatives to give free Peloton, $PTON, memberships to staff. Notably, many politicians own $PTON, including James Banks, Marie Newman, John Hickenlooper, and others. They are benefiting their stocks with tax dollars.” (Twitter/Unusual Whales)
  • “Major Donation to U.K. Conservative Party Was Flagged Over Russia Concerns” (The New York Times)


In Closing

Jasmine, I saw you peeping

As I pushed my foot down to the floor

I was going ‘round and ‘round

The hotel garage

Must have been touching close to 94

Oh, but I’m

Always crashing in the same car

– David Bowie, “Always Crashing in the Same Car”

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