Daily News Roundup: New York Clamps Down on Giving to Politicians’ Nonprofits

NYC Ethics Law Limits Donations to Groups Tied to Elected Officials: Amid continuing controversy over a now-defunct nonprofit that raised millions to promote New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s agenda, the City Council passed legislation that strictly caps giving to similarly politically connected groups by people or entities doing business with the city, Bloomberg reports.

Bidders Jockey for Coffee With Ivanka Trump in Charity Auction: Offers topped $72,000 by Friday morning in the CharityBuzz competition to raise money for a foundation led by Ms. Trump’s brother, The New York Times writes. Ethics experts said the bidding for access to the soon-to-be first daughter is problematic as she is expected to have a role in her father’s administration.

Denver Suspends Law Viewed as Targeting Homeless: The move follows an uproar over a video of police enforcing a city ban on unauthorized camping by confiscating homeless people’s tents and blankets on a chilly day, reports The Wall Street Journal (subscription). Similar ordinances across the country have drawn criticism from antipoverty activists who say they criminalize homelessness.

Opinion: Philanthropy Can Cultivate a New ‘Benevolent Empire’: Writing in The Wall Street Journal (subscription), Karl Zinsmeister, a former policy adviser to President George W. Bush, hearkens back to 19th-century charitable and reform movements in calling for “energetic philanthropy” by nonprofits and community groups to curb societal ills and serve as an “antidote to toxic political unrest.”

Chinese Tech Mogul Turns to Full-Time Philanthropy: Tencent co-founder Charles Yidan Chen left the internet company in 2013 to support higher education, launching an endowed private university and a $7.8 million global prize for research in the field, writes The Wall Street Journal. Leaving business to focus fully on giving makes Mr. Chen a rarity in China even as the country’s tech elite increasingly embrace philanthropy.