Friday, November 6, 2026

Ashley Balcerzak

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Ashley Balcerzak joined the federal politics team in 2017, her second stint at the Center for Public Integrity after covering state and local politics as an American University Fellow in 2015-2016. She previously wrote about federal money in politics and conflicts of interests for OpenSecrets Blog. Her favorite stories covered foreign lobbying, opaque LLC contributions and how special interests spend their money. She also worked with The Washington Post investigative team on its police shootings database, a project that won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in national reporting. She earned her undergraduate degree in journalism at Northwestern University and her master's at American University. Ashley's work can be found in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Slate, TIME, The Daily Beast and Huffington Post.

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The U.S. Capitol building lit at dusk, seen from the east.

Corporations gave $737 million to super PACs in 2026 midterms

Crypto, online betting and AI interests supplied 53% of the total, and the $737.3 million is 60% above the 2024 presidential cycle, Public Citizen found.
Aerial view of the five-sided Pentagon building and its surroundings.

Last Night’s “Blue Wave” Means Nothing if We Don’t Stop the NDAA

As taxpayers, we are funding our own endgame, but we don't have to.
A black minivan-style hearse parked beside a funeral home building.

Funeral prices rose 310% since 1986 as inflation rose 193%

The share of families going into debt for funerals rose from 14% in 2024 to 37% in 2025, according to Debt.com research the report cites.
Interior of the domed ceiling of the Montana State Capitol with painted panels.

Montana passes Initiative 194, barring corporate election spending

The AP called the measure Tuesday with a margin of about 115,000 votes; it takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, unless a court blocks it.
The exterior of the State Department headquarters in Washington.

Trump’s State Department Is Giving $1 Million to Controversial Group to Study Crimes Against...

The new award, the administration’s latest show of support for the Afrikaner cause, comes after it cut human rights funding to nations in crisis. One former diplomat called the move “offensive.