Extreme Home Makeover–Corruption Editon

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Businesses have donated $700,000 to Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick to pay for the renovation of his Austin apartment. Craddick and his wife say they do not think it is right for the public to pay for the renovation, but how can it be “right” for Craddick to accept so much money from businesses?

$250,000 came from the AT&T Foundation alone, and another $250,000 came from billionaire investor Harold Simmons and his companies. The nearly 2,000-square foot apartment is the only apartment inside a state capitol in the United States. Craddick and his wife declined an interview with the Associated Press and declined to provide an apartment tour.

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Owned by no one—except you.

We just keep seeing it happen: Newsrooms owned by billionaires and corporations are spinning their own narratives, overwriting the truth, following only stories that keep them in the pocket of those with even more power.

Not here. We’re not owned by anyone. We’re not part of any cult that demands our allegiance to a bottom line. We’ve spoken up and spoken out while other newsrooms changed their stories—or cut them altogether—to keep the C suite happy.

Our mission is to find the truth and amplify it. That’s why we’re independent, nonprofit, and, crucially, funded by readers. The investigations on our website will always be free to read, watch, and listen to, but our newsroom is powered by readers who pitch in what they can so we can keep asking the hard questions.

Can you chip in today?

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