Wal-Mart Extends Its Influence

• Wal-Mart Extends Its Influence to Washington [Washington Post]
  "Wal-Mart is willing to spread its money wherever it thinks it can buy protection for its poor business practices," said David Nassar, executive director of Wal-Mart Watch.
  

• Wal-Mart partners with opponents [United Press International]
  Wal-mart's quest to improve its image means partnering with opponents the U.S. firm ignored just a few years ago, The Washington Post reported. One example is Wal-mart's partnership with Conservation International, which has joined with Wal-mart to oppose deforestation in Brazil, the Post reported.
  

WAL-MART FORCED TO REVEAL TAX DOCUMENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA

• Wal-Mart Loses Bid To Seal Court Papers In State Tax Dispute [Wall Street Journal]
  A North Carolina state judge rejected an attempt by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to block public access to certain court documents in a tax dispute with state authorities. The retailer asked a state court in North Carolina last month to have some future filings in a prominent tax dispute case sealed from public view. The company's action followed a page-one article in The Wall Street Journal that detailed how Wal-Mart paid its outside auditor, Ernst & Young LLP, to design complex strategies to cut its state-tax bills.
  

• Wal-Mart loses court papers bid in tax dispute [Reuters]
  A North Carolina state judge rejected an attempt by Wal-Mart Stores Inc to block public access to certain court documents in a tax dispute with state authorities, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday in its online edition.
  

• Judge: Wal-Mart can't seal filings in multimillion-dollar NC case [Fayetteville Observer (NC)]
  Wal-Mart filed a lawsuit last year against the North Carolina Department of Revenue seeking an income tax refund of more than $30 million. The company said it was overcharged by the department, but state officials said Wal-Mart used tax shelters to obscure its true earnings in North Carolina.
  

A WAL-MART THANKSGIVING

What Do Wal-Mart's Employees Have to be Thankful For? [Huffington Post]
That do Wal-Mart's employees have to be thankful for this season? Perhaps not as much as they would like.