Nippon Steel spends whopping $1.3 million on lobbying amid merger threat

The Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel paid its primary lobbying firm $1.3 million during a dangerous period for its proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel over the summer. From July through September, Nippon Steel spent more on federal lobbying than the combined $1.1 million it spent during the previous seven months, a sign of how seriously the…