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Analysis | Trump's new home is proving to be a magnet for political spending – The Washington Post

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If you read a lot of articles about politics — which I do — you will begin to notice a familiar pattern in stories about candidates for Republican nominations: Many of them, at some point, mention Mar-a-Lago.

In the event that you’ve just returned from a multiyear intergalactic spaceflight, I will inform you that Mar-a-Lago is the Florida resort owned by former president Donald Trump. (Oh: Trump was president for a while, Madame Astronaut.) Once just another part of the expansive Trump Organization real estate portfolio, Mar-a-Lago is now Trump’s official home. And, conveniently for both Trump and the Trump Organization, it is also a venue at which prospective or established political entities can pay money to host events.

And that’s been happening a lot.

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When Trump was president, it was common for him, his staff, Republican candidates and officials and even government departments to spend money at Trump Organization properties. Supplicants saw visits to Trump properties as a way to build confidence with Trump, probably accurately. Even in the infamous call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in July 2019 that led to Trump’s first impeachment, Zelensky — hoping for a public blessing from the American president — pointed out that he’d stayed in a Trump hotel during a visit to New York. (Oh: Trump was also impeached twice.)

Data compiled by ProPublica shows that the Trump post-presidency hasn’t looked much different. Non-Trump and non-Republican National Committee political action committees are still spending nearly as much at Trump properties as they did in the 2019-2020 election cycle, but with a difference.

In the 2018 cycle, about 2 percent of spending was at Mar-a-Lago, with far more spending at places such as the Trump hotel in D.C., where incumbent Republicans could hold quick fundraisers. In the 2020 cycle, about 13 percent of non-Trump and non-RNC spending was at Mar-a-Lago. Since the 2020 election, though, more than $4 out of every $10 spent at Trump properties is spent at Mar-a-Lago — to the tune of $190,000.

And why not? If you want Trump’s endorsement, you go to his house. And then you rent out his house for your fundraiser. And maybe Trump shows up and pumps his fist and talks about voter fraud and everyone’s happy. It happens over and over again.

Here, I’ll show you. This is data from the Federal Election Commission. Spending by Trump’s campaign and PACs are in red; RNC spending is in gray. Those black circles? That’s other candidates and PACs spending money at Mar-a-Lago. Since the 2020 election, it’s been a blizzard.

There were a lot of reasons for Trump to move to Florida after serving as president, from legal pressure he faced in New York to simply following a well-established pattern for New York retirees. But, intentionally or not, it’s been a boon in another way, too. Still the GOP kingmaker, he was able to establish a system where people not only visited to seek out his endorsement but could put money in his pocket while doing so.

This will probably not surprise our returning astronaut.

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NDP caving to Poilievre on carbon price, has no idea how to fight climate change: PM

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OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.

Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.

On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.

Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.

Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.

British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Quebec consumer rights bill to regulate how merchants can ask for tips

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Quebec wants to curb excessive tipping.

Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.

That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.

The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.

And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.

Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Youri Chassin quits CAQ to sit as Independent, second member to leave this month

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Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.

He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.

In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.

Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.

He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.

Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.

He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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