The Hound | May 28

Hi there,

It’s Thursday. Sen. John Cornyn, one of the top Republicans in Congress, lost his runoff primary in Texas to Attorney General Ken Paxton — a staunch Trump ally. And lawmakers are demanding reforms to how ICE uses tear gas and pepper spray.

And massive amounts of money continue to flood U.S. elections, with ties to AIPAC, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and online gambling. These industries are concealing their influence from the public as much as possible, but are avoiding scrutiny.

Yet major outlets like The New York Times, CNN, The Washington Post, NBC News, and others too often treat elections as horse-race politics, focusing on polls, personalities, and campaign tactics while sidelining the enormous financial forces driving the campaigns themselves.

When billions in dark money and industry spending shape elections behind the scenes, failing to center that reality leaves voters without a clear understanding of who is trying to buy influence and why.

🖊️ Add your name to call on major news organizations to aggressively investigate and prominently cover the outside money flooding American elections—tracking who is spending, where the money comes from, and what those interests expect in return.

Democracy depends on transparency. The public deserves reporting that follows the money as relentlessly as it follows the candidates.

Read about this, and more, with today’s stories:

AIPAC, AI, Crypto, and Gambling Are Hiding Their Big Election Spends (The Intercept)

Texas Republicans nominate Ken Paxton for Senate seat, ousting incumbent John Cornyn (NPR)

Trumpworld Erupts in Fury as Coverage of His Health Takes Brutal Turn (The New Republic)

MAGA Hogs at the Government Trough (The American Prospect)

Hardline Conservative Wins Republican Primary for Texas Oil and Gas Regulator (Inside Climate News)

U.S. Lawmakers Demand Reforms to Immigration Officers’ Use of Tear Gas and Pepper Spray (ProPublica)

Until next time,

Harry from The Hound

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