Past Articles by Peter Overby
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Highly Charged IRS Case Pulls In Political Agendas NPR's Peter Overby reports on the Congressional testimony of IRS officials in response to the scandal over special scrutiny of tea party groups. Underneath all the politics, there's a policy question that hasn't been addressed. |
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Highly Charged IRS Case Pulls In Political Agendas NPR's Peter Overby reports on the Congressional testimony of IRS officials in response to the scandal over special scrutiny of tea party groups. Underneath all the politics, there's a policy question that hasn't been addressed. |
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Outgoing Acting IRS Director Grilled By House Lawmakers The House Ways and Means Committee became the first oversight panel in Congress to weigh in on the IRS tax-exempt group controversy on Friday morning. |
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Outgoing Acting IRS Director Grilled By House Lawmakers The House Ways and Means Committee became the first oversight panel in Congress to weigh in on the IRS tax-exempt group controversy on Friday morning. |
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Some Lawmakers Want Big-Budget Groups Included In IRS Debate   The Justice Department is investigating the IRS's flagging of grass-roots conservative groups that sought nonprofit status. But some lawmakers want the debate extended to look at the well-financed activities of existing 501(c)(4) groups that spent millions in the 2012 elections. |
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Some Lawmakers Want Big-Budget Groups Included In IRS Debate The Justice Department is investigating the IRS's flagging of grass-roots conservative groups that sought nonprofit status. But some lawmakers want the debate extended to look at the well-financed activities of existing 501(c)(4) groups that spent millions in the 2012 elections. |
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Some Lawmakers Want Big-Budget Groups Included In IRS Debate The Justice Department is investigating the IRS's flagging of grass-roots conservative groups that sought nonprofit status. But some lawmakers want the debate extended to look at the well-financed activities of existing 501(c)(4) groups that spent millions in the 2012 elections. |
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For Tax-Exempt Groups, How Much Politics Is Too Much? The IRS is under fire for directing additional scrutiny toward conservative groups seeking 501(c)(4) status. But the controversy reveals a question with no clear answer: Precisely what are so-called social welfare organizations allowed to do in electoral politics? |
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For Tax-Exempt Groups, How Much Politics Is Too Much? The IRS is under fire for directing additional scrutiny toward conservative groups seeking 501(c)(4) status. But the controversy reveals a question with no clear answer: Precisely what are so-called social welfare organizations allowed to do in electoral politics? |
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For Tax-Exempt Groups, How Much Politics Is Too Much? The IRS is under fire for directing additional scrutiny toward conservative groups seeking 501(c)(4) status. But the controversy reveals a question with no clear answer: Precisely what are so-called social welfare organizations allowed to do in electoral politics? |
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SEC Focus May Lead To 2012 Stock Act Being Amended The Securities and Exchange Commission is conducting an investigation in the hottest sector of Washington's influence industry: political intelligence. It's the business of collecting highly detailed information from Congress and the regulatory agencies, and using it to make money on Wall Street. |
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SEC Focus May Lead To 2012 Stock Act Being Amended The Securities and Exchange Commission is conducting an investigation in the hottest sector of Washington's influence industry: political intelligence. It's the business of collecting highly detailed information from Congress and the regulatory agencies, and using it to make money on Wall Street. |
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SEC Focus May Lead To 2012 Stock Act Being Amended The Securities and Exchange Commission is conducting an investigation in the hottest sector of Washington's influence industry: political intelligence. It's the business of collecting highly detailed information from Congress and the regulatory agencies, and using it to make money on Wall Street. |
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After Targeting Conservative Groups, IRS Apologizes On Friday, the IRS officer in charge of tax-exempt groups apologized for the agency's use of the terms "tea party" and "patriot" on paperwork as a reason for giving applicants additional scrutiny. Conservative groups say the admission validates their complaints from last year that they were being singled out by the Obama administration. |
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After Targeting Conservative Groups, IRS Apologizes On Friday, the IRS officer in charge of tax-exempt groups apologized for the agency's use of the terms "tea party" and "patriot" on paperwork as a reason for giving applicants additional scrutiny. Conservative groups say the admission validates their complaints from last year that they were being singled out by the Obama administration. |
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After Targeting Conservative Groups, IRS Apologizes On Friday, the IRS officer in charge of tax-exempt groups apologized for the agency's use of the terms "tea party" and "patriot" on paperwork as a reason for giving applicants additional scrutiny. Conservative groups say the admission validates their complaints from last year that they were being singled out by the Obama administration. |
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Why Lobbying Is Now Increasingly In The Shadows Reversing a trend that dates back to the 1990s, the lobbying industry is becoming more secretive. And campaign money now looms ever larger as a critical element in the persuasion business. |
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Why Lobbying Is Now Increasingly In The Shadows Reversing a trend that dates back to the 1990s, the lobbying industry is becoming more secretive. And campaign money now looms ever larger as a critical element in the persuasion business. |
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FEC: DOMA Limits Political Donations By Gay Married Couples Federal election law gives married couples some advantages in making political contributions. The Federal Election Commission this week tried to make those same breaks available to couples in same-sex marriages — but commissioners said they're thwarted by the federal Defense of Marriage Act. |
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FEC: DOMA Limits Political Donations By Gay Married Couples Federal election law gives married couples some advantages in making political contributions. The Federal Election Commission this week tried to make those same breaks available to couples in same-sex marriages — but commissioners said they're thwarted by the federal Defense of Marriage Act. |
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Bill Would Expand Disclosure Of Political Money Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Ron Wyden have sponsored a bill aimed at outing the wealthy donors, corporations and unions that financed some $300 million in secretly funded campaign ads last year. Initial reactions showed what the two senators are up against. |
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Bill Would Expand Disclosure Of Political Money Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Ron Wyden have sponsored a bill aimed at outing the wealthy donors, corporations and unions that financed some $300 million in secretly funded campaign ads last year. Initial reactions showed what the two senators are up against. |
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Remembering Bob Perry, Who Funded Political Attack Ads Bob Perry became a billionaire putting up houses in Texas. He spent millions of his wealth helping Republicans and pioneering new ways to inject big money into politics. Perry died Saturday at the age of 80. |
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Remembering Bob Perry, Who Funded Political Attack Ads Bob Perry became a billionaire putting up houses in Texas. He spent millions of his wealth helping Republicans and pioneering new ways to inject big money into politics. Perry died Saturday at the age of 80. |
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Thousands Petition SEC To Disclose Corporate Political Spending Nearly 500,000 people have petitioned the Securities and Exchange Commission to make publicly-traded corporations disclose their political spending. The question is: How much clout do 500,000 people actually have? |
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Senate Committee: Campaign Finance Laws Aren't Enforced Senators on a Judiciary subcommittee on Tuesday heard about the hundreds of millions of dollars spent in political campaigns last year from secret donors, and why federal agencies are nearly powerless to do anything about it. |
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NRA-Funded Plan Recommends Armed Staff Members In Schools Ever since the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., in December, the National Rifle Association has promised a plan for keeping schoolchildren safe. |
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IRS To 'Social Welfare' Groups: Show Me The Political Ad Money In a step toward fuller disclosure, the agency is asking more questions of the entities whose multimillion-dollar ad budgets helped clog the airwaves during election season. |
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IRS To 'Social Welfare' Groups: Show Me The Political Ad Money In a step toward fuller disclosure, the agency is asking more questions of the entities whose multimillion-dollar ad budgets helped clog the airwaves during election season. |
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Thieves Target Political Ad Consultants On New FCC Site The online government database was supposed to bring some transparency to the multimillion-dollar market in political TV ads, letting the public more easily see how much politicians and advocacy groups spend in major markets. But it also has inadvertently opened up some of those involved to fraud. |
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Thieves Target Political Ad Consultants On New FCC Site The online government database was supposed to bring some transparency to the multimillion-dollar market in political TV ads, letting the public more easily see how much politicians and advocacy groups spend in major markets. But it also has inadvertently opened up some of those involved to fraud. |
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Gay Lobbying On The Hill Has Short, Yet Strong History One argument used by conservatives in the Supreme Court cases is that gay Americans have become so politically powerful that they don't need special attention from the courts. Whether or not that's true, NPR's Peter Overby reports, it's clear that advocacy groups for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community have built a strong network of lobbyists and political activists in Washington. |
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Gay Lobbying On The Hill Has Short Yet Strong History One argument used by conservatives in the Supreme Court cases is that gay Americans have become so politically powerful that they don't need special attention from the courts. Whether or not that's true, it's clear that advocacy groups for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community have built a strong network of lobbyists and political activists in Washington. |
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For Some Conservatives, It's Homecoming Week Despite disappointment at the polls, attendance isn't expected to dip much at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference near the nation's capital. But there has been an uproar over who's invited to CPAC this year — and who's not. |
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For Some Conservatives, It's Homecoming Week Despite disappointment at the polls, attendance isn't expected to dip much at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference near the nation's capital. But there has been an uproar over who's invited to CPAC this year — and who's not. |
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After Tough 2012, Conservative Koch Brothers Regroup Conservative groups backed by wealthy industrialists David and Charles Koch spent millions but fared badly in the 2012 elections. Now they're assessing how they can get more for their money in 2014 and beyond. |
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After Tough 2012, Conservative Koch Brothers Regroup Conservative groups backed by wealthy industrialists David and Charles Koch spent millions but fared badly in the 2012 elections. Now they're assessing how they can get more for their money in 2014 and beyond. |
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Supreme Court Will Not Hear Campaign Finance Case On Corporate Donations The Supreme Court says it won't hear a case that would have let candidates solicit money from corporations. By doing so, the court is reaffirming one strict ban on corporate political money, after easing other limits in its controversial Citizens United ruling three years ago. |
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Supreme Court Will Not Hear Campaign Finance Case On Corporate Donations The Supreme Court says it won't hear a case that would have let candidates solicit money from corporations. By doing so, the court is reaffirming one strict ban on corporate political money, after easing other limits in its controversial Citizens United ruling three years ago. |
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Supreme Court Will Not Hear Campaign Finance Case On Corporate Donations The Supreme Court says it won't hear a case that would have let candidates solicit money from corporations. By doing so, the court is reaffirming one strict ban on corporate political money, after easing other limits in its controversial Citizens United ruling three years ago. |
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Liberal Watchdog Group: 'Fix The Debt' Movement More Astroturf Than Grassroots The Center for Media and Democracy says Fix the Debt — a key unit in philanthropist Pete Peterson's corps of organizations to battle the national debt — is a well-funded, pro-business enterprise. A Fix the Debt spokesman scoffs at the claim. |
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Liberal Watchdog Group: 'Fix The Debt' Movement More Astroturf Than Grassroots The Center for Media and Democracy says Fix the Debt — a key unit in philanthropist Pete Peterson's corps of organizations to battle the national debt — is a well-funded, pro-business enterprise. A Fix the Debt spokesman scoffs at the claim. |
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Supreme Court Takes Case That Could Puncture A Key Campaign Cash Limit Barely three years after the Supreme Court's landmark Citizens United ruling freed corporations and unions to spend wildly in elections, the justices decided to take up another campaign finance case — this one aimed at a limit on "hard money" that goes directly to candidates and party committees. |
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Supreme Court Takes Case That Could Puncture A Key Campaign Cash Limit Barely three years after the Supreme Court's landmark Citizens United ruling freed corporations and unions to spend wildly in elections, the justices decided to take up another campaign finance case — this one aimed at a limit on "hard money" that goes directly to candidates and party committees. |
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How New Jersey's High-Flying Sen. Menendez Ran Into Turbulence Robert Menendez was re-elected in a landslide and recently became chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee. But the Democratic senator has been hit with an ethics probe amid scrutiny over his ties to a wealthy Florida eye doctor and big political donor. |
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How New Jersey's High-Flying Sen. Menendez Ran Into Turbulence Robert Menendez was re-elected in a landslide and recently became chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee. But the Democratic senator has been hit with an ethics probe amid scrutiny over his ties to a wealthy Florida eye doctor and big political donor. |
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A Review Of 2012 Confirms A 'Pulverizing' Level Of Political Ads Money flooding in from outside groups contributed to 33 percent more political TV ads in 2012 than 2008. The ads pounded away at voters' eyeballs and ears in just a few targeted cities in battleground states. |
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A Review Of 2012 Confirms A 'Pulverizing' Level Of Political Ads Money flooding in from outside groups contributed to 33 percent more political TV ads in 2012 than 2008. The ads pounded away at voters' eyeballs and ears in just a few targeted cities in battleground states. |
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Obama's Record On Political Money One Of Ambivalence Tuesday's State of the Union address marks the third anniversary of President Obama public criticism of the Supreme Court for its Citizens United ruling. It's also just over one year since he reversed course and embraced a superPAC for his own reelection. The Obama record on political money is one of ambivalence and flip-flops. |
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Even Without Earmarks, Tax Breaks And Special Deals Fill Bills Congress likes to say it doesn't do earmarks anymore. And while that may be true, it's also a fact that targeted provisions are still useful in moving legislation — even critical legislation like the bill that pulled Washington back from the fiscal cliff last month. |
