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Real Time Investigations

  1. Obama looks for campaign donations from Denver to Dublin By Lindsay Young May 14, 2012 3:42 p.m.

    The four fundraisers that President Obama’s campaign is holding tonight kick off a busy month of fundraising from Denver to Dublin (as in Ireland) and beyond. As of this morning, there are 23 upcoming Obama Victory Fund fundraisers on the Party Time books. (See all of Party Time’s Obama...  

  2. This Week’s Fundraisers: Obama times five, Christie stumps for Wilson, and a smoke-filled room By Breanna Edwards May 11, 2012 3:39 p.m.

    It’s another action-packed week Party Timers, with almost 30 events in the database. Here are the highlights: More Obama: Another busy week for the Obama Victory Fund as they oversee five fundraisers this week. On Monday, the president is expected to be in New York for a reception with...  

  3. This Week’s Fundraisers: Obama to the West Coast, Republicans to the Chesapeake Bay By Breanna Edwards May 7, 2012 7:10 p.m.

    The nation’s lawmakers have returned from their week of rest and with them, of course, the parties. Sunlight has almost 20 events lined up for you. Here are the highlights: More from the Obama Victory Fund: You Party Timers can pretty much expect to see Obama presidential fundraisers almost...  

  4. This Week’s Fundraisers: Parties with Obama and Romney, Derby in Kentucky, Jazz in New Orleans, Baseball in Chicago By Breanna Edwards Apr 27, 2012 11:55 a.m.

    After last week’s many frivolities, the nation’s lawmakers shall be taking a break as they head out of town for “Constituent and State Work Periods.” PartyTime only about seven events lined up for you. Here are the highlights: Partying with the Presidential Candidates: Both...  

  5. @nancyscola @geocommons Excellent map! @Hatchjt will be so proud!

    bill_allison Apr 25, 2012 12:04 p.m.
  6. This Week’s Fundraisers: Obama’s fundraising spree, golfing or fishing and more By Breanna Edwards Apr 20, 2012 3:22 p.m.

    Get ready for a busy week Party Timers! We’ve got about 30 events lined up for you this week. The highlights: No Stopping Obama: President Obama’s campaign continues its fundraising frenzy this week with three events. On Tuesday, partygoers will have the opportunity to mingle with the...  

  7. Obama’s campaign fundraiser sets Party Time record By Lindsay Young Apr 17, 2012 4:23 p.m.

    Attention Obama donors: Here’s a chance to completely max out your gifts to the president’s campaign all at once: Even we jaded chroniclers of campaign cash grabs are dazzled by the ask for becoming a Conference Chair at the Annual National Women’s Issues Conference in DC . It’s...  

  8. Obama for America’s Fundraising Charge By Lindsay Young Apr 17, 2012 4:23 p.m.

    President Obama’s fundraising schedule has kicked in to high gear with a busy dance card of events, including one that breaks records for Party Time. Even Michelle Obama and Vice President Biden are busy with fundraisers. On Tuesday, the vice president is headlining a fundraiser in...  

  9. This Week’s Fundraisers: Cheers to Ann Romney and tees for DeMint By Breanna Edwards Apr 13, 2012 4:51 p.m.

    Congress is coming back from spring break and so are the parties! Party Time’s most newsy get of the upcoming week is undoubtedly the invite to the birthday luncheon that “The” Donald Trump is hosting in New York for Ann Romney, the new poster child for stay-at-home moms....  

  10. Democratic super PACs partying together since last year By Breanna Edwards Apr 11, 2012 3:15 p.m.

    The decision by several major Democratic super PACs to join forces for fundraising, announced last month, apparently formalizes some long-standing collaboration.  PartyTime has gotten hold of an old invite which detailed the events for a briefing last October that brought together a number of top...  

  11. Busy fundraising Tuesday will yield Obama at least $2 million By Keenan Steiner Apr 9, 2012 4:51 p.m.

    President Obama will participate in four south Florida moneymakers on Tuesday, and the bounty could be well over $2 million. Previously, we had reported only two of the events, a campaign briefing for LGBT supporters and a reception with the president, both at a Hollywood, Fla. hotel. But...  

there's more

Super PAC spending crosses $100 million: Where did it all go?

By Keenan Steiner May 17, 2012 12:43 p.m.

Now that super PACs' spending in the 2012 election has just crossed the $100 million spending mark—more than twice the amount spent in independent campaign expenditures by all outside groups at this point in the 2008 election--Sunlight decided to reflect on what else voters might have gotten for all that money.

With $100 million, you could:

  • Pay the annual tuition for 2,207 students at most expensive undergraduate education in the country—Columbia University;
  • Snap up 632 median-priced single-family homes in metropolitan areas from the country's housing market;
  • Fill the tank of the most gas-guzzling SUV—a Chevrolet Suburban—more than 700,000 times, or
  • Send more than 5,000 infants through full-time child care in Washington, D.C.

Read all about it

Facebook in Washington: Baby steps of a giant

By Breanna Edwards May 17, 2012 11:12 a.m.

Facebook, which has set off a frenzy of market speculation with its plans go public as early as Friday,  isn't just raising its profile on Wall Street. As the social networking giant prepares for its initial stock offering, Sunlight decided to take a look at how Facebook is doing when it comes to political networking. Our finding: The company with the famously hoodied CEO is beginning to grow up, at least in the ways of Washington.

In the first quarter of this year, Facebook spent $650,000 lobbying Congress, according to a report filed with the Senate Office of Public Records, the most the company has ever recorded.

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JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon met with Treasury Secretary on Volcker in March

By Nancy Watzman May 16, 2012 2:34 p.m.

Newly published meeting logs from the Treasury Department show that Jamie Dimon, CEO of embattled JPMorgan & Chase, had a private audience with Secretary Timothy Geithner to discuss the Volcker rule and other issues on March 6.

The logs also show that JPMorgan executives attended two other meetings that same month. Volcker was also on the table at another Treasury session the same day, this one a larger meeting with Deputy Assistant Secretary Lance Auer that also included representatives with other groups such as Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs.

The day before, JPMorgan representatives were also present at another group meeting, this one to discuss the issue of securitization, with Auer, Assistant Secretary for Financial Markets Mary Miller, and Tim Bowler.

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Trying to track JPMorgan? Treasury Dodd-Frank meeting logs not up to date

By Nancy Watzman May 16, 2012 1:51 p.m.

Updated 4:22 p.m. The Treasury Department has now fixed the link to March meetings with outside groups concerning implementation of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law. A spokesman also just called to thank us for alerting the agency to the missed deadline.

Something curious happened after we contacted the Treasury Department press office Tuesday to inquire why it had missed the April deadline for releasing information about meetings with outside groups around implementation of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law--meetings that often include financial heavyweights such as JPMorgan Chase & Company.

We did not get a response -- neither to our initial query nor to a follow up call Wednesday; but, lo and behold, the web page where the information should be available now bears a note that says it was updated May 16. That would be hours after we made our call. Coincidence? Don't pop the champagne corks yet, however. At the time of this posting, the link to the most recent meetings does not work. Click there, and there's simply a message that says: "There are no items to show in this view of the "dfa3_12 list."

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