If asked to name the No. 1 federal campaign donors to Republicans ahead of the midterms, it's possible that even veteran political observers would get it wrong: The correct answer is Dick and Liz Uihlein of Illinois, reports ProPublica. The Uihleins run the giant private company Uline, which supplies so many of the cardboard boxes and other paper goods that are part of our lives these days. (Just look for the "Uline" stamped on the bottom of the box.) The couple were modest donors about a decade ago, but things have changed a lot—they gave $319,000 to federal GOP causes in 2009-10, a figure that has jumped to $60 million in 2021-22. With state politics counted, they've given $121 million over the last two years.
"Few Americans know that a multibillion-dollar fortune made on those ubiquitous products is now fueling election deniers and other far-right candidates across the country," per the story, which traces the German-American family's conservative and financial roots back a few generations. The first big money, for example, came from owning the Schlitz brewery in Milwaukee in the 19th century. But cardboard has been a more recent cash cow: The company reported $18 million in income in 2002, but $712 million in 2018. Online shopping in the pandemic likely increased it even more. The story also details the strict rules in place for current company employees—women can't wear pants unless it's part of a pantsuit or it's Friday, for example—and how the power couple is setting up the business to remain privately run by the family for generations to come. (Read the full story.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
