The secretive Council for National Policy laid out its plans for influencing this year’s midterm elections, abolishing abortion rights, defunding the left, limiting China’s influence, and countering “wokeness” at its first meeting of 2022
Economy
Republican Group of State Financial Officers Takes on Woke Capitalism
Republican treasurers, auditors, and staff from 16 states are huddling together with corporate lobbyists and an array of right-wing groups for the State Financial Officers Foundation’s Annual Meeting in New Orleans this week to discuss strategies to combat “woke” policies, fake news, and China.
ALEC’s “Critical Energy Theory” Bills Moving in Four States
New ALEC and industry-backed bills that would blacklist banks that divest from fossil fuels have been introduced in Indiana, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and West Virginia so far this year.
ALEC’s New Push to Protect Corporations from Damage Claims
The American Legislative Exchange Council is promoting new model legislation designed to limit awards by juries in injury lawsuits.
Koch Crusade Against Medicaid Expansion Comes to South Dakota
Faced with strong public support for a Medicaid expansion ballot measure, Charles Koch’s Americans for Prosperity is backing an end-run to require a supermajority for passage and trying to change the debate to focus on taxes.
Bradley and Koch Cash Fuels Push to Eliminate Wisconsin Income Tax
With backing from a myriad of right-wing groups, the Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison released a “research report” last month on the need to eliminate the income tax in the state.
Fair Elections and U.S. Constitution Come Under Attack at ALEC Meeting
The American Legislative Exchange Council kicked off its annual policy summit today with a meeting of its secret working group on election suppression and gerrymandering strategies, and an “Academy” on right-wing plans to rewrite the U.S. Constitution.
Koch Spent Nearly $150 Million in 2020 to Extend His Influence and Promote His Agenda
The Charles Koch Foundation and Charles Koch Institute paid out $149.2 million in grants in 2020 to universities, right-wing policy, litigation, and advocacy groups, and other causes, the latest IRS filings obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy detail.
Koch Joins Solar Industry Association While Fighting Solar Expansion
Koch Industries, one of the nation’s largest carbon emitters, plans solar developments and joins a solar industry lobbying group, but it funds groups that continue their fight against residential and commercial solar.
“Dark Money ATM” Pumped Over $137 Million into Right-Wing Groups in 2020
Spurred by $158 million from one secret donor, DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund pumped a record amount of money into right-wing campaigns to remake the Supreme Court, spread election and climate disinformation, and support extremists last year.