Ethics Complaint Filed Against Senator Shelby
The Campaign for Accountability, a Washington-based non-profit watchdog group, filed an ethics complaint Thursday against 14 members of Congress, including Alabama Senator Richard Shelby. The complaint says Shelby and others accepted campaign contributions from the payday lending industry while supporting industry-backed legislation.
The complaint asks the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate whether Shelby violated congressional rules or criminal law. The Campaign for Accountability cites an amendment Shelby offered in 2010 and a vote he took in 2015 as evidence he intended to weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, something payday lenders wanted.
Daniel Stevens, executive director of the Campaign for Accountability, says Shelby received about $46,000 dollars from payday industry executives and PACs just a few weeks before the 2015 vote.
“They weren’t just giving it to Shelby because they like him,” says Stevens. “This industry contributes to Shelby’s campaign because they expect him to advocate for their priorities. In this case it seems to have worked.”
A spokeswoman for Shelby says he votes based on the substance of a policy and to suggest otherwise is ridiculous. She says the Senator has had long-standing concerns about the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he targeted U.S. political parties, memo says
The man accused of placing two pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of Jan. 6, 2021 told investigators someone needed to "speak up" for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen, prosecutors said Sunday.
Chinese military stages drills around Taiwan to warn ‘external forces’
The drills came after Beijing expressed anger at U.S. arms sales, and a statement by Japan's prime minister saying its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan.
Trump and Netanyahu to meet in Florida at a crucial moment for the Gaza ceasefire
President Trump could use the face-to-face at his Mar-a-Lago estate to look for ways to speed up the peace process, as Israel's leader has been accused of not pushing his side to move fast enough.
‘Bomb cyclone’ forecasted to bring heavy snow, blizzard conditions and dangerous travel
A 'bomb cyclone' is intensifying severe winter weather for millions of people across the U.S. The system is expected to knock out power and disrupt holiday travel.
Russia sends 3 Iranian satellites into orbit, report says
The report said that a Russian rocket sent the satellites on Sunday from a launchpad in eastern Russia.
Viral global TikToks: A twist on soccer, Tanzania’s Charlie Chaplin, hope in Gaza
TikToks are everywhere (well, except countries like Australia and India, where they've been banned.) We talk to the creators of some of the year's most popular reels from the Global South.
