Research Cited

A Powerful Conservative Coalition Is Fueling The State-Level Push To Hamper COVID-19 Restrictions

Source: Huffington Post | Published: 2/5/2021

But ALEC, as the organization is known, nevertheless began targeting governors’ pandemic powers as early as last summer, when it first drafted its model bill as then-President Donald Trump and other GOP lawmakers were fuming over pandemic-related restrictions… That month, ALEC also hosted a panel discussion on “outdated emergency management,” the Center for Media […]

Making a Martyr Out of a Murderer

Democracy, Economy, Wisconsin

Source: The Progressive | Published: 1/29/2021

They reportedly raked in thousands of dollars towards his legal defense fund using the web payment service DonorBox, which has been criticized in the past for providing services to hate groups. Donations apparently go into a trust controlled by Wendy Rittenhouse. DonorBox did not respond to multiple requests for comment. On the reinstated website, donations […]

Dear Reporters: Don’t Trust ‘Dr. Evil’

Democracy, Economy

Source: Brick House | Published: 1/29/2021

The Employment Policies Institute (EPI) has long been exposed, through a multitude of reports, as a front group headed by Richard Berman, a prolific corporate front group designer who has been nicknamed “Dr. Evil” for carrying water for toxic interests like tobacco, junk food, and Monsanto. According to SourceWatch, Berman and his front groups have […]

Billionaire conservative megadonor Charles Koch is backing a group behind a Supreme Court case seeking to keep charitable donations secret

Democracy, Koch

Source: Business Insider | Published: 1/25/2021

The case features a petition from a charitable nonprofit, the Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF), and amicus briefs from 22 other groups. AFPF and 15 of the amicus brief filers have received more than $35.3 million from Koch family foundations and two donor-advised funds known to be used by the Koch family since 2015, according […]

The E: Documentary explores effects of Agent Orange components persisting in rural Oregon

Climate, Environment

Source: Gazette-Times | Published: 1/21/2021

Van Strum wrote a book in 2014, “A Bitter Fog: Herbicides and Human Rights.” Her stacks of documents became a part of a trove of information known as “The Poison Papers,” an online resource of The Bioscience Resource Project and The Center for Media and Democracy.

The Capitol riot wasn’t a fringe ‘uprising’. It was enabled by very deep pockets

Democracy, Koch, Trump

Source: The Guardian | Published: 1/18/2021

Likewise, although Koch Industries is the single largest corporate donor to Republican representatives who pledged to try to overturn the election results, the next biggest contributors included defense companies like Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon, as well as tech (Amazon) and finance (Goldman Sachs) and insurance (AFLAC), according to the Center for Media and Democracy. And while Charles Koch […]

Oil Industry Reconsiders Donations to Election Deniers — But Has Its Own Big Lie

ALEC, Climate, Democracy, Environment, Koch

Source: The Intercept | Published: 1/16/2021

Also listed on the march’s website was Turning Point USA, which recently entered into a partnership with the Koch-backed American Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC, as the group is known, brings together lobbyists and lawmakers to promote industry friendly legislation at the state level. Turning Point and ALEC are working together to place right-wing students on […]

Doctor Who Joined Capital Attacks Leads a Far-Right Campaign Against COVID-19 Vaccine

Democracy, Trump

Source: The Intercept | Published: 1/14/2021

It’s clear that Gold still has deep ties to far-right groups that support Trump. She was one of 27 “extremely pro-Trump” doctors that Republican activist Nancy Schulze proposed to promote the message that it was appropriate to reopen the economy during the surging pandemic. Schulze is a member of the Council for National Policy, an organization […]

Chicago-Area Billionaire Gave Millions To ‘Patriots’ Group That Backed Pro-Trump Rally

Democracy, Trump

Source: WBEZ | Published: 1/12/2021

“The group lent its name to a rally that led to an insurrection,” said Don Wiener, a researcher with the left-leaning Center for Media and Democracy in Madison, Wis. “Donors bear some responsibility for the activity of the groups they fund.”

Democracy Organizations Call for Making Coup Donors Accountable

Democracy, Koch, Trump

Source: Nonprofit Quarterly | Published: 1/12/2021

Many are calling out right-wing politicians for aiding and abetting the coup attempt in the Capitol, but what about their donors? The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) has outlined in great detail how the Kochs’ PAC machinery has invested over $15 million on the political careers of all 13 US senators who initially publicly […]