The Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) launched a new series of reports, "Fueling Washington," highlighting the big money going into support or defeat (but let's face it, mostly defeat) comprehensive energy reform in Congress this year.

The Indiana Gazzette has a story on an amendment to the financial regulatory reform legislation, currently being debated in the Senate, that would exempt auto dealers from oversight by the new consumer-watchdog agency that is a centerpiece of the bill. The auto dealers, armed with campaign cash and a team of powerful lobbyists, are pushing hard for the amendment. 

The Public Campaign Action Fund issued a press release today showing that the largest 13 health insurers and their trade association spent $2.7 million per month in the 3rd quarter lobbying to fight off health care reform.

The Wall Street Journal reports that after taking a brief respite while receiving government bail-outs, Wall Street is upping their campaign giving and lobbying efforts to fight off finance industry regulation efforts in Congress.

The National Journal has a story today showing the top 25 spenders in the health care debate, based on total lobbying expenses for the first half of 2009.

Public Campaign Action Fund issued part two of its report on efforts by the insurance industry to kill health care reform with huge amounts of campaign giving and lobbying expenditures.