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With Daniel Lippman
THE MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE TO SETTLE PPP CLAIM: Middle East Institute plans to settle a lawsuit alleging that the panel was granted a pandemic relief loan under the Paycheck Protection Program for which it was not eligible, according to court documents unsealed last week (h/t our Kyle Cheney). The Zionist Defense Center, a pro-Israel advocacy organization run through attorney David Abrams, filed a lawsuit against tam, or whistleblower, in December 2021 under the False Claims Act to challenge a $359,000 PPP loan MEI won before that. year.
— The files remained sealed for more than two years while the government considered intervening in the case. Last week, after all, the Justice Department filed a statement declaring its intention to do so, in a federal ruling in Washington. that the interested parties “have reached a provisional agreement” that is being finalized.
— Details of the deal have not yet been revealed. In its original lawsuit, TZAC sought a judgment for just over $1 million, a portion of which it would get by filing the lawsuit. Abrams declined to comment on the lawsuit, and an MEI spokesperson did. Respond to a request for comments in time for publication.
– The eligibility criteria for the PPP, which were created at the start of the pandemic to help small businesses stay afloat but have been plagued by fraud, were replaced in early 2021 to exclude lobbyists, political firms, and think tanks. By applying for her PPP loan in February of that year, MEI falsely rated she was eligible for the loan, which she canceled in October 2021, according to the lawsuit.
— MEI is not the only company suffering the consequences of the political ban on PPPs. In December, the public relations corporation MikeWorldWide, headed by Democratic fundraiser Michael Kempner, agreed to repay $2. 3 million in PPP loans that it could not access because of its prestige. as a registered foreign agent. The Institute for Policy Studies reached an agreement in June to pay more than $500,000 to settle a lawsuit also filed through TZAC, alleging fraudulent receipt of a PPP loan.
The involvement of the TZAC in the two lawsuits involving think tanks is attractive in light of the war in Gaza. The organization has traditionally questioned the tax-exempt prestige or federal investment of nonprofits and other organizations that have done charitable work with Palestinians, Doctors added. No Borders.
— TZAC briefly registered under FARA for work on behalf of an Israeli funded legal group submitting reports “regarding terrorist connection to financial services firms and prosecuting authorities” and investigating “various anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activity in or concerning the United States,” according to DOJ filings.
— The Institute for Policy Studies has long been critical of Israel, while in recent years the MEI has secured investment from the governments of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Libya, according to reports. With the exception of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, they still maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.
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HOUSE APPROPS AIDE DECAMPS FOR K STREET: Austin Agrella is heading to the private sector after close to a decade working on the Hill and executive branch, joining the Aquia Group as a principal. Agrella most recently worked for the House Appropriations Committee, serving as the oversight director and parliamentarian under Chair Kay Granger (R-Texas) and as a senior adviser to Granger.
— Prior to that, he held several positions similar to telecommunications and cybersecurity policy, on the House Subcommittee on Homeland Security Cybersecurity, as a special assistant to former President Donald Trump, at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and with former Rep. Will Hurd. (R-Texas), who has served on several committees focused on cybersecurity.
THE NEW FRONTIER: “A publicity crusade for the U. S. dairy industryThe U. S. Census Bureau in the 1990s posed the question, “Do you have milk?” — and has temporarily become part of the cultural zeitgeist. Now, industry teams that sell U. S. agricultural products are now in the U. S. “The U. S. Department of Agriculture and Human Services (US) seeks to reflect this phenomenon, social media platforms to attract a new generation of consumers,” our report via Marcia Brown and Hailey Fuchs.
— “Some of their latest ads show women marathoners boasting about chocolate milk’s recovery drink status on TikTok and cattle ranchers joyously sharing their land with rock climbers on Instagram. A young woman, dancing to pop tunes, appears shocked to hear that pork has mood-boosting powers.”
— “The new wave of social media is resurfacing long-standing considerations about the organizations that created it: Advocacy teams are run through government-appointed directors’ forums, funded through scores of millions of dollars in royalties imposed through the government on farmers, and overseen by officials at the U. S. Department of the Environment. Agriculture. “
— “Known as “discount programs,” they have been the subject of complaints about their accountability and effectiveness, as well as questions about the federal government’s role in selling meat, dairy and other agricultural products to consumers. »
— “Surveillance teams and some farmers say those systems boil down to government-funded lobbying teams that prioritize commercial agriculture and don’t actually help the small farmers who receive them. They also claim that the systems spread messages that go against the U. S. government’s nutrition and nutrition policies. environmental objectives.
— “Critics of the programs, which are legal through Congress, now see the upcoming Farm Bill, due later this year, as a way to curb the activities of those groups,” but proponents argue that “the taxes satisfy their blueprint to boost sales, study investment in the value of their food, and fight what they see as misinformation.
STRANGE COMPANIONS DEPARTMENT: “The Biden administration and the pharmaceutical industry are fighting over drug costs in Washington and in courts across the country. But on the foreign stage, they are united in an effort to save emerging countries of US companies’ proprietary data on vaccines and medicines when the next pandemic hits,” writes our Carmen Paun.
Negotiators vying for a global treaty to assess the global reaction to the emergence of a deadly new pathogen have rejected proposals to loosen patent protections, a move that could allow emerging countries to temporarily manufacture their own versions of vaccines and drugs.
— “For those countries and their advocates, it’s a striking stance — given what happened after Covid arrived: They shared data about new variants only to see the rich world hoard most of the vaccines.”
CONGRESS COMES TO THE DEFENSE OF AM RADIO: “A ragtag team of AM radio advocates, plus conservative media show hosts like Hugh Hewitt and federal emergency officials, are lobbying Congress to prevent automakers from abandoning the old new-vehicle medium,” Julie of the Wall Street Journal. Bykowicz and Ted Mann write.
— “Lawmakers say most automakers committed to the future of AM tuners in vehicles, so they should force them through the law to continue making cars with loose AM radio. . . Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Ed Markey (D-Mass. ) are leading the Senate’s efforts, and on the House side, President Mike Johnson (a former conservative radio host in Louisiana) and a progressive member of the “Team Representative,” Rashida Tlaib of Michigan is among the nearly 200 co-sponsors.
— Meanwhile, the National Broadcasters Association “has produced classified ads and briefed radio personalities on the issue, and more than 400,000 listeners have emailed, called or messaged their legislators on social media,” according to Curtis LeGeyt, its president. Hewitt, a radio host since 1990, said he talked about the bill on the air and discussed it on every occasion he attended, surprising others who had no idea AM radio in cars was disappearing.
— “Tiffany Moore, senior vice president of policy and industry affairs at the Consumer Technology Association, said automakers and technology defense teams told lawmakers that an AM radio requirement would be ‘inconsistent with the principles of a flexible marketplace. ‘”Rand Paul (R-Ky. ), in blocking passage of the Senate bill in December, pointed to the irony of Republicans like Cruz advocating for government mandates on personal businesses.
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— Julietta Lopez joins the Hispanic Federation as Vice President of Federal Affairs and Network Mobilization. In the past, she served as Director of Community and External Affairs for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Robert Blizzard has unveiled a strategic new public opinion research company, UpONE Insights. In the past, he was a co-owner and spouse of the polling company GOP Public Opinion Strategies.
Hunt Wasden is now a government affairs advisor at Allegiant Air. She most recently worked on the government affairs team at Austal USA.
— Hayley Edmonds joins Frontline Strategies as a virtual lead officer. In the past, she served as deputy director of operations for Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign.
— Aleis Stokes joins the City’s Securities Regulatory Council as Director of External Relations. In the past, she was Senior Vice President of Communications at Independent Community Bankers of America.
— Colleene Thomas joins Charm Industrial as Head of Agriculture and Forestry Policy. Thomas was formerly a senior outreach and coordination advisor in the ARPA-E office of the Ministry of Energy.
— Anne Flanagan is joining the Future of Privacy Forum as vice president for artificial intelligence. She’s a Meta and World Economic Forum alum.
— Eckert Seamans has named Eddie Raychaudhuri its COO. He was previously a practice group director at DLA Piper.
Dolan Victory Committee (Dolan for Ohio, Ohio Matters Leadership PAC, Ohio Republican Party State Central and Executive Committee, NRSC)
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