NPR People: Peter Overby http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=2778302&ft=1&f=2778302 Peter Overby has been taking NPR listeners behind the scenes of American politics, where the money is raised and deals are made, since 1994. Copyright 2009 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.93 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500 http://media.npr.org/images/podcasts/thumbnail/npr_generic_image_75.jpg Peter Overby http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=2778302&ft=1&f=2778302 yes A Vote For Health Care, A Vote Against Gun Rights? President Obama's push to overhaul the nation's health care system has been sparking debate for months. But a new attack emerged Saturday — from a gun-rights group. The White House responded Tuesday to the claim that the proposed bill is bad for gun owners. It's another hot-button issue for Democrats to address as the bill moves forward. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120809045&ft=1&f=2778302 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120809045&ft=1&f=2778302 President Obama's push to overhaul the nation's health care system has been sparking debate for months. But a new attack emerged Saturday — from a gun-rights group. The White House responded Tuesday to the claim that the proposed bill is bad for gun owners. It's another hot-button issue for Democrats to address as the bill moves forward. 237 no President Obama's push to overhaul the nation's health care system has been sparking debate for months. But a new attack emerged Saturday — from a gun-rights group. The White House responded Tuesday to the claim that the proposed bill is bad for gun owners. It's another hot-button issue for Democrats to address as the bill moves forward.

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]]> U.S.-Cuba PAC Money May Have Changed Votes A group of Cuban Americans has had unusual success getting House members to change their positions and vote against closer ties with Cuba. New analysis shows some political contributions from the U.S.-Cuba Democracy Pac reached lawmakers within days of them switching their vote. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120562894&ft=1&f=2778302 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120562894&ft=1&f=2778302 A group of Cuban Americans has had unusual success getting House members to change their positions and vote against closer ties with Cuba. New analysis shows some political contributions from the U.S.-Cuba Democracy Pac reached lawmakers within days of them switching their vote. 204 no A group of Cuban Americans has had unusual success getting House members to change their positions and vote against closer ties with Cuba. New analysis shows some political contributions from the U.S.-Cuba Democracy Pac reached lawmakers within days of them switching their vote.

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]]> Catholic Bishops' Lobby A Force On The Hill Democrats recently came to terms with a lobbying force of unexpected influence in the health care debate: the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Though the group has nary a lobbyist on its payroll, it successfully pushed for an anti-abortion amendment to be added to the House health overhaul bill. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120399270&ft=1&f=2778302 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120399270&ft=1&f=2778302 Democrats recently came to terms with a lobbying force of unexpected influence in the health care debate: the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Though the group has nary a lobbyist on its payroll, it successfully pushed for an anti-abortion amendment to be added to the House health overhaul bill. 208 no Democrats recently came to terms with a lobbying force of unexpected influence in the health care debate: the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Though the group has nary a lobbyist on its payroll, it successfully pushed for an anti-abortion amendment to be added to the House health overhaul bill.

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]]> Could Big Donors Break Obama's Fundraising Record? The Obama presidential campaign rewrote the playbook for raising campaign cash in 2008. The Supreme Court may change it again before 2010: An upcoming decision could potentially curb the growing influence of small donors in favor of corporate America. Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:43:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120191096&ft=1&f=2778302 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120191096&ft=1&f=2778302 The Obama presidential campaign rewrote the playbook for raising campaign cash in 2008. The Supreme Court may change it again before 2010: An upcoming decision could potentially curb the growing influence of small donors in favor of corporate America. 238 no The Obama presidential campaign rewrote the playbook for raising campaign cash in 2008. The Supreme Court may change it again before 2010: An upcoming decision could potentially curb the growing influence of small donors in favor of corporate America.

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]]> Conflict Of Interest For AARP In Health Bill Debate? House Republicans are questioning whether the senior citizens lobby is putting its potential for profit ahead of its members' interests. It seems that whenever health care changes are debated, one party or the other seeks to undermine the organization's clout. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120069183&ft=1&f=2778302 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120069183&ft=1&f=2778302 House Republicans are questioning whether the senior citizens lobby is putting its potential for profit ahead of its members' interests. It seems that whenever health care changes are debated, one party or the other seeks to undermine the organization's clout. 267 no House Republicans are questioning whether the senior citizens lobby is putting its potential for profit ahead of its members' interests. It seems that whenever health care changes are debated, one party or the other seeks to undermine the organization's clout.

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]]> Republicans Worry About Losing N.Y. House Seat When President Obama picked Rep. John McHugh (R-NY) to be secretary of the Army, he set the stage for a fierce battle over McHugh's seat. The election is days away, and the Republican candidate is trailing. Some conservatives think she is too liberal, and are backing a third-party candidate. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114308730&ft=1&f=2778302 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114308730&ft=1&f=2778302 When President Obama picked Rep. John McHugh (R-NY) to be secretary of the Army, he set the stage for a fierce battle over McHugh's seat. The election is days away, and the Republican candidate is trailing. Some conservatives think she is too liberal, and are backing a third-party candidate. 248 no When President Obama picked Rep. John McHugh (R-NY) to be secretary of the Army, he set the stage for a fierce battle over McHugh's seat. The election is days away, and the Republican candidate is trailing. Some conservatives think she is too liberal, and are backing a third-party candidate.

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]]> Parties Funnel Funds To Va. Governor's Race President Obama goes to Virginia on Tuesday to stump for Democrat Creigh Deeds in the hard-fought governor's race. Less visibly, both national parties are shoveling money into Virginia, where state laws mandate disclosure but not contribution limits. But because of a loophole, money from the national parties can go unreported until after Election Day. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114181637&ft=1&f=2778302 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114181637&ft=1&f=2778302 President Obama goes to Virginia on Tuesday to stump for Democrat Creigh Deeds in the hard-fought governor's race. Less visibly, both national parties are shoveling money into Virginia, where state laws mandate disclosure but not contribution limits. But because of a loophole, money from the national parties can go unreported until after Election Day. 227 no President Obama goes to Virginia on Tuesday to stump for Democrat Creigh Deeds in the hard-fought governor's race. Less visibly, both national parties are shoveling money into Virginia, where state laws mandate disclosure but not contribution limits. But because of a loophole, money from the national parties can go unreported until after Election Day.

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]]> U.S. Chamber Disclosure Report No Hoax At a news conference Monday, a fake group announced that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reversed course to endorse climate change legislation, an issue that has divided its membership. Chamber officials interrupted the meeting to expose the hoax. But in an announcement that wasn't fake, the chamber disclosed a dramatic jump in its lobbying activity. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113957462&ft=1&f=2778302 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113957462&ft=1&f=2778302 At a news conference Monday, a fake group announced that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reversed course to endorse climate change legislation, an issue that has divided its membership. Chamber officials interrupted the meeting to expose the hoax. But in an announcement that wasn't fake, the chamber disclosed a dramatic jump in its lobbying activity. 232 no At a news conference Monday, a fake group announced that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reversed course to endorse climate change legislation, an issue that has divided its membership. Chamber officials interrupted the meeting to expose the hoax. But in an announcement that wasn't fake, the chamber disclosed a dramatic jump in its lobbying activity.

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]]> In Off-Year Fundraising, Democrats May Have Edge The buzz around Washington is that Republican fundraising is picking up momentum, while Democrats wonder what happened to their money mojo from the presidential campaign. But a closer look at the numbers tells a different story. Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113677756&ft=1&f=2778302 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113677756&ft=1&f=2778302 The buzz around Washington is that Republican fundraising is picking up momentum, while Democrats wonder what happened to their money mojo from the presidential campaign. But a closer look at the numbers tells a different story. 233 no The buzz around Washington is that Republican fundraising is picking up momentum, while Democrats wonder what happened to their money mojo from the presidential campaign. But a closer look at the numbers tells a different story.

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]]> With Little Clout, Natural Gas Lobby Strikes Out There is almost a century's worth of natural gas in shale rock formations all over the county, enough to make a significant change in the debate about America's energy future. But as Congress moves toward writing a new national energy policy, natural gas lobbyists have been mostly missing in action. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:01:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113138252&ft=1&f=2778302 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113138252&ft=1&f=2778302 There is almost a century's worth of natural gas in shale rock formations all over the county, enough to make a significant change in the debate about America's energy future. But as Congress moves toward writing a new national energy policy, natural gas lobbyists have been mostly missing in action. 467 no There is almost a century's worth of natural gas in shale rock formations all over the county, enough to make a significant change in the debate about America's energy future. But as Congress moves toward writing a new national energy policy, natural gas lobbyists have been mostly missing in action.

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]]> Who's Representing The Uninsured On Capitol Hill? Of the 100 congressional districts with the highest uninsured rates, 53 are represented either by Republicans — who are fighting Obama's attempt to overhaul health care — or by Blue Dogs — conservative Democrats who have slowed down and diluted overhaul proposals. Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:30:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113042528&ft=1&f=2778302 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113042528&ft=1&f=2778302 Of the 100 congressional districts with the highest uninsured rates, 53 are represented either by Republicans — who are fighting Obama's attempt to overhaul health care — or by Blue Dogs — conservative Democrats who have slowed down and diluted overhaul proposals. 267 no Of the 100 congressional districts with the highest uninsured rates, 53 are represented either by Republicans — who are fighting Obama's attempt to overhaul health care — or by Blue Dogs — conservative Democrats who have slowed down and diluted overhaul proposals.

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]]> ACLU: Holder Should 'Go Ahead And Prosecute' The Justice Department says it will conduct a "preliminary review" of possible criminal cases stemming from CIA interrogations of terrorism suspects. But the ACLU — which has waged a five-year legal battle pushing for such a probe — wants the DOJ to go farther. Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:05:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112196336&ft=1&f=2778302 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112196336&ft=1&f=2778302 The Justice Department says it will conduct a "preliminary review" of possible criminal cases stemming from CIA interrogations of terrorism suspects. But the ACLU — which has waged a five-year legal battle pushing for such a probe — wants the DOJ to go farther. 221 no The Justice Department says it will conduct a "preliminary review" of possible criminal cases stemming from CIA interrogations of terrorism suspects. But the ACLU — which has waged a five-year legal battle pushing for such a probe — wants the DOJ to go farther.

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]]> Jefferson Conviction Is Bittersweet For Justice Dept. The federal jury that found former Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson guilty of bribery and racketeering convicted him on 11 of 16 charges — a less-than-complete victory for a Justice Department that had video of Jefferson accepting bribes and photos of $90,000 found in his freezer. Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:36:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111605699&ft=1&f=2778302 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111605699&ft=1&f=2778302 The federal jury that found former Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson guilty of bribery and racketeering convicted him on 11 of 16 charges — a less-than-complete victory for a Justice Department that had video of Jefferson accepting bribes and photos of $90,000 found in his freezer. 221 no The federal jury that found former Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson guilty of bribery and racketeering convicted him on 11 of 16 charges — a less-than-complete victory for a Justice Department that had video of Jefferson accepting bribes and photos of $90,000 found in his freezer.

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]]> Former Congressman Jefferson Found Guilty Former Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson was found guilty Wednesday of taking bribes. A federal jury convicted the Democrat on 11 of 16 counts in a case in which agents found $90,000 in his freezer. Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:57:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111596275&ft=1&f=2778302 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111596275&ft=1&f=2778302 Former Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson was found guilty Wednesday of taking bribes. A federal jury convicted the Democrat on 11 of 16 counts in a case in which agents found $90,000 in his freezer. 201 no Former Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson was found guilty Wednesday of taking bribes. A federal jury convicted the Democrat on 11 of 16 counts in a case in which agents found $90,000 in his freezer.

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]]> Pushing One Agenda At White House, Others On Hill Many industry executives joined President Obama in May for a show of unity on cutting health care costs. But they are also spending millions of dollars to push their own agendas in Congress, as lawmakers wrestle with the details of a health care overhaul. Mon, 27 Jul 2009 05:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=110998462&ft=1&f=2778302 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=110998462&ft=1&f=2778302 Many industry executives joined President Obama in May for a show of unity on cutting health care costs. But they are also spending millions of dollars to push their own agendas in Congress, as lawmakers wrestle with the details of a health care overhaul. no Many industry executives joined President Obama in May for a show of unity on cutting health care costs. But they are also spending millions of dollars to push their own agendas in Congress, as lawmakers wrestle with the details of a health care overhaul.

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