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Government shutdown looms after Trump-backed bill fails; Environmental groups sue CA Air Resources Board over biogas credits; NY elected officials work to electrify municipal buildings; Need a mental health boost? Talking hot dog is here.

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President-elect Trump repeats his threats to jail Jan. 6th committee members, while also putting a stop-gap spending plan in jeopardy. A court removes Fani Willis from Trump's Georgia election interference case. The FAA restricts drones in New Jersey, and a Federal Reserve rate cut shakes markets.

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Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

Supremes Could Decide Sky's the Limit for Campaign Donations

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Wednesday, February 19, 2014   

WASHINGTON - Another major Supreme Court decision on campaign finance could come as early as next week.

In McCutcheon v. the Federal Elections Commission, Alabama businessman Shaun McCutcheon says his First Amendment rights are violated when he can't give $2,600 donations to as many parties and candidates for federal office as he pleases.

Groups working to get money out of politics hope the high court rules against him. Others, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and the libertarian Cato Institute, favor an end to all restrictions on political donations.

"I do not think the danger of protecting the voice of the 'little guy' is something the federal government, or any government, should be involved in," said Trevor Burrus, a research fellow with Cato's Center for Constitutional Studies. "It's not a First Amendment concern that there are people out there who speak louder than other people and have more influence."

Burrus added that all the time politicians have to devote to fundraising keeps them from doing their jobs. He said he'd like to see an end to all limits on donations to candidates, parties and political action committees.

Efficient as it might be for a very few donors to fund much larger portions of campaigns, Emma Boorboor, a democracy associate for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, said the current overall limit is "plenty" already - it's almost double the median family income.

"Absent this limit," she said, "one wealthy donor would be permitted to contribute more than $3.5 million to a single party's candidates and party committees in one election cycle."

Boorboor said support is building to keep limits in place - from labor, faith, environmental and other groups.

"All groups are seeing how the issue of big money in elections affects the issues they work on," she said. "So, the more that special interests and corporations are able to spend money to influence the outcome of elections, the harder it's going to be to make progress on the issues that people really care about."

These groups also would like to see the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision overturned. In that ruling, the court said corporations and unions are people, and money they spend on elections is a form of protected free speech.


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