CRC Media Hits in January 2020

Capital Research Center has had a busy month investigating influencers deeply and exposing their special interests widely. Thankfully for us here at the center, and for the general public and partners we hope benefit from our work, media outlets are continuing to take notice.

News outlets across the spectrum have used our original research as source material in their own stories, published our researchers’ op-eds on their research, and interviewed our experts on topics as diverse as labor law, dark money funding networks, and free speech—to name but a few.

Below is a list of media hits for January 2020. Please click through and enjoy the growing influence Capital Research Center is having on the world of public policy.

“The Democrats’ Favored Whipping Boys”
American Thinker, January 3, 2020

The evidence indicates that at the same time Democrats are publicly chastising the wealthy, behind the scenes, they give their richest donors a wink and a nod, along with whispered assurances of loyalty and favoritism, conditioned upon the amount of money donated.  As the saying goes, “Follow the money” . . . Michael Barone’s January 2017 article “Which Party Is the Party of the 1 Percent?” offered these research conclusions from a Capital Research Center (CRC) study.

“A Makeover for Capitalism”
Chronicle of Philanthropy, January 7, 2020

Grant makers face an uphill battle to get companies to care about more than financial returns.

“San Fran’s Newest ‘Communist’ D.A. Cleans House of Tough Prosecutors”
Washington Times, January 13, 2020

He’s the type of guy George Soros buys. Literally. “Soros Aims to Transform the Justice System by Funding D.A. Races,” Capital Research Center reported in December, explaining how the leftist philanthropist has contributed more than $17 million in district attorney races in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Arizona, New York and California since 2015.

“Big Builds: A Look Inside Arabella Advisors”
Inside Philanthropy, January 14, 2020

Beyond the day-to-day ebb and flow of charitable giving, several macro-trends are hard to dispute. First, widening wealth inequality has set the stage for an ongoing gusher of new giving during the coming decades. And second, philanthropy itself is getting more dynamic as donors seek greater sophistication, broader impact, and bolder engagement on public policy issues. At the same time, as we explored in a recent deep dive, critiques of big philanthropy are also gaining steam amid a growing debate over the ethics of extreme wealth.

“Pathfinder International Uses Your Tax Dollars to Fund Abortions in Africa”
LifeMatters, TV interview, January 23, 2020

“George Soros’ Efforts to Decimate Criminal Justice System Bearing Fruit”
Legal Insurrection, January 23, 2020

As we noted in 2018, leftist billionaire George Soros has been focusing his intricate web of foundations, super PACs, and assorted organizations on the nation’s District Attorney offices. Since that time, Capital Research Center has done amazing work in uncovering the extent of Soros’ involvement in transforming our criminal justice system from the bottom up.

“Green Activists Could Torpedo Trump’s Appeal to Pennsylvania ‘Reagan Democrats’” – Washington Examiner, January 23, 2020

What exactly is the William Penn Foundation, and what is it all about? Influence Watch, a project of the Capital Research Center in D.C., identifies the foundation as a major funder of “a variety of left-of-center and environmentalists projects, as well as local projects in the city of Philadelphia and surrounding areas.”

“Michael Moore: ‘Trump Doesn’t Give a S*** About His Own Kids or Grandkids!’”
Chicks on the Right, January 24, 2020

“What he has done his whole life is not just about Bernie,” Moore opined, asserting that Sanders “gains nothing from eliminating student debt” and “gets nothing out of stopping this climate emergency.” There’s “no greater moment, no more important moment to elect a person that will be relentless, relentless in making sure that this stops,” Moore said, referencing the hoax of man-made climate change, which is big business, according to the experts at Capital Research Center.

“Fact-Checking the Women’s March ‘Purge’ of Anti-Semitic Leaders”
Instapundit, January 25, 2020

DON’T BELIEVE CLAIMS WOMENS’ MARCH PURGED ITS ANTI-SEMITIC LEADERS: No, the anti-semites just served out their terms, according to Capital Research Center’s Ashley Rae Goldenberg.

“Left-leaning ‘Dark Money’ Network Poured Millions Into Michigan Elections”
Michigan Live, January 26, 2020

Simon Schuster, executive director for the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, said the documents offer a glimpse of the influence dark money groups can have on elections. Sixteen Thirty Fund isn’t required by the IRS to disclose its donors and is exempt from registering as a charity under Michigan law, creating an incomplete picture of where support for candidates and ballot initiatives are coming from.

“Margaret Sanger Is a Hero to the Left. Here’s Her History of Ugly Views”
The Daily Signal, January 27, 2020

Margaret Sanger, the women’s rights activist and founder of Planned Parenthood—the largest abortion provider in America—is a hero to the modern Left. And little wonder, given her outsized role in the founding and promotion of the modern abortion industry. But what few people realize is that Planned Parenthood is actually more extreme than its founder, at least when it comes to abortion. In fact, Sanger, as remarkable as it seems, looks positively tame next to the modern agenda.

Research Director Mike Watson’s Redistricting Report
Freedom & Prosperity Radio (Virginia Institute), January 27, 2020

“‘NO SAFE SPACES’ Is an Engrossing, Thoughtful, and Incisive New 95-Minute Theatrical Film…”
Philanthropy Roundtable, Winter 2020

[M]ixes gripping footage of campus attacks on free speech and intellectual diversity with brisk interviews about this troubling problem, conducted by hosts Dennis Prager and Adam Carolla. Their articulate guests include Dave Rubin, Alan Dershowitz, Shelby Steele, Cornel West, Jordan Peterson, Tim Allen, Van Jones, Bret Weinstein, Greg Lukianoff, and many others. A major grant for the film was provided by the Capital Research Center, which has produced its own series of pointed short videos about college radicalism today, under the leadership of Philanthropy Roundtable alum Scott Walter—author of a review essay on another topic in this issue of Philanthropy.

“Nations Rely on Builders of Virtuous Habits: Book Review of ‘The Irony of Modern Catholic History’”
Philanthropy Roundtable, Winter 2020

As pundits and politicians bemoan the weakening of civil society, George Weigel’s book can help us respond. The church is a pillar of civil society, and needs to be braced and maintained. Not just because it supports good works like adoption, hospital care, schooling for the poor, and so forth. But because the central teachings of the church—that humans have a meaningful place and high responsibilities within a loving universe—are an essential component of individual dignity and freedom.

Contributing editor Scott Walter is president of the Capital Research Center.