Media Hits

CRC Media Hits in April 2020


In April 2020, CRC scholars and researchers continued their excellent work of investigating influencers deeply and exposing their special interests widely. April was marked by op-eds and even more radio appearances. Despite the COVID-19 quarantine, CRC staff kept working remotely and  managed to keep the media hits coming, with organic news hits using our research at InfluenceWatch and citing our website on issues as diverse as vote by mail, politicization of the coronavirus crisis, and attempts to nationalize California’s destructive AB5 pro-union legislation through the PRO Act (H.R. 2474) passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.

CRC’s office remains closed until Washington, DC, reopens (initial reports say mid-May is possible). But until that time, we remain on the job. We’ll continue to produce excellent research on a daily basis and supply major news outlets and state and local legislators with what they need to know about how the major policy and political influencers are funded and how they relate and interlock.

Below is a non-exhaustive listing of our presence in the media in April:

 

Smart Girl Politics Podcast
Ricochet, Scott Walter, Guest, 4/1/2020

Teri’s guest on the latest Isolation Interview is Scott Walter, president of the Capital Research Center. CRC is an investigative watchdog think tank that follows the money — and guess what they find? The dark web of Democrat donors is spending gobs of cash to politicize the pandemic and, ultimately, take back the White House. Be sure to read Scott’s insightful piece here: https://spectator.org/democrats-began-politicizing-trumps-coronavirus-response-well-before-senate-gridlock/.

Prisoner Reentry and the Power of Private Charity
Philanthropy Daily, Robert Stilson, Op-Ed, 3/31/2020

Hope for Prisoners, a § 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has helped more than 3,000 former inmates during its decade of operation. It managed much of that success on a budget of less than $300,000. Government grants accounted for about one-third of its 2018 revenue of about $1.2 million. Funding also came from a variety of private foundations, including Milwaukee’s Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, to which Bradley Prize recipient Bob Woodson of The Woodson Center brought its attention. Faith-based organizations and congregations, as well as state and local law enforcement, are also important partners.

House Democrats Want to Nationalize California’s War on Gig Workers
Washington Examiner, Mike Watson, Op-ed, 4/7/2020

According to federal public health authorities, for at least the next month, “social distancing” rules will continue. And one of the few things making the civic-minded cabin fever tolerable is the availability of delivery services for groceries and restaurant food, often provided by independent contractors through so-called “gig” services such as Instacart, Uber Eats, and DoorDash. For workers and cooped-up citizens, the benefits of such services are obvious. Restaurant deliveries help keep restaurants afloat as states order them to close their dining rooms. Grocery deliveries allow those considered most at-risk from coronavirus infection, such as the elderly, to remain home, limiting their potential exposure to infection. And for workers able to take such risks, the ability to independently make money on the side could prove crucial to making rent, paying bills, and keeping what passes for “normal” life ongoing. After all, nearly 10 million people have applied for unemployment assistance in the last few weeks.

Putin, the U.S., and Energy
Shale Gas News, Jon Rodeback, Guest, 4/11/2020

CRC’s Jon Rodeback was interviewed by Bill desRosiers on Shale Gas News about Russia’s shadow war on U.S. shale energy. They discussed the Russia’s use of environmental groups as proxies in Russia’s campaign against U.S. shale production in order to protect Russia’s grip on the European natural gas market. Listen here at the 15:46 mark.

Buffett Is America’s Big Bucks Abortion Backer
National Right to Life News, Randall K. O’Bannon, Article, 4/9/2020

What that means is between one quarter to one fifth of Planned Parenthood’s contributions come from just three people! You can bet your bottom million dollars that billionaire financier Warren Buffett, a long-time abortion supporter, is one of them.

Forbes identifies Warren Buffett is one of the world’s wealthiest men, with a net worth of $76.8 billion as of April 9, 2020.  He heads Berkshire Hathaway, a multinational conglomerate holding company made up more than sixty companies, including Benjamin Moore, Fruit of the Loom, GEICO, Pampered Chef, and See’s Candies.

Google-Funded Niskanen Center Goes to Bat for Tech Giant Against Oracle
Breitbart, Allum Bokhari, Article, 4/24/2020

While it portrays itself as a free-market think tank, research from the Capital Research Center, which investigates left-wing foundations, has shown it receives hundreds of thousands of dollars from left-wing foundations like George Soros’ Open Society Fund and Pierre Omidyar’s Democracy Fund.

In response to Breitbart’s request for comment, a Niskanen Center spokeswoman highlighted that all of Niskanen’s funding is made public in disclosures, and that more information about the Captured Economy project can be found here.

Is ‘Faithful America’ the Voice of Christians? Who Are They?
CBN, Scott Walter, Guest, 5/1/2020

Scott Walter, the head of Influence Watch, which tracks the activity and funding of groups like Faithful America, describes them as, “Just another half-fake, left-wing nest of operatives. They get taken much more seriously than they deserve.”

In a video from Faithful America, activists are seen trying to get then-MSNBC host Chris Matthews to stop having Tony Perkins of Family Research Council on his program. Matthews accuses them of censorship.

More Speech, Not Less
American Greatness, Ashley Goldenberg, Op-ed, 4/18/2020

For people banned from tech platforms, the potential emergency resources these platforms provide are out of reach. Banned from Twitter? Reduced access to breaking news. Banned from Uber Eats? Good luck getting food while maintaining social distancing recommendations. Banned from PayPalVenmo, or GoFundMe? Sending, receiving, and raising money for emergencies becomes a lot harder. Banned from Facebook? Find another way to connect with loved ones during this difficult time. This is the reality for people whose political speech runs afoul of tech censors or who have been targeted by powerful groups for having the “wrong” political beliefs.

Capitalism Is Curing COVID-19, Government Is Making it Worse
Inside Sources, Jake Klein, Op-Ed, 4/30/2020

Where our government has stepped in to take positive action, they’ve often failed miserably. The federal coronavirus bill provided $25 million to keep the Kennedy Center operational, yet even with that massive amount they’ve laid off staff, leading lawmakers to try to claw back the subsidy.

In New York, the state government is experimenting with exactly what DeBlasio wanted: nationalizing the production of hand sanitizer. Gov. Andrew Cuomo claims they can produce it cheaper than private enterprise. How is that possible? Modern slave labor. They’re paying prisoners 16 cents an hour to produce the product.

The most successful government interventions to help in this crisis seem to have been getting out of the way.

California Wants to Nationalize California’s Gig War
OAN, Wall To Wall, Mike Watson, Guest, 3/14/2020

Democrats appear to be using the Coronavirus crisis as an opportunity to push their pro-union agenda by ramping up calls for gig workers to be classified as employees instead of independent contractors. On Wall to Wall, Greta discussed the Democrat attack on gig workers with Research Director for The Capital Research Center, Mike Watson.

Vote by Mail Ticket to Voter Fraud
Schilling Show, Hayden Ludwig, Guest, 4/8/2020

Tracy Beanz, founder and editor in chief of UncoverDC, discusses the current timeline narrative of COVID-19, the early flu season in 2019, and the 2019 World Military Games in Wuhan.

Investigative researcher for Capital Research Center, Hayden Ludwig explains the purpose of the Census, the President’s attempt to get the citizenship question, and more on dark money and the 2020 Census.

GOP Feels The Heat as Democrats, Dark Money Groups Aggressively Advance Vote-by-Mail Efforts
Breitbart, Hannah Bleau, 4/28/2020

Dark money groups have been working overtime to politicize the crisis, which has left millions of Americans out of work, struggling to make ends meet, and, in some cases, inspiring them to take to the streets in protest of what they say are draconian policies destroying their livelihoods.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) essentially showed her party’s hand after attempting to pack an early coronavirus relief package with a host of liberal pet projects, including ballot harvesting and universal vote-by-mail. Democrats, including all four far-left members of the “Squad,” now say the integrity of future elections rests on this universal vote-by-mail effort, pressing the movement under the guise of protecting American lives. Pelosi recently confirmed that a “chunk of money”  in the next relief measure will “enable us to protect the integrity of our elections, as well as enable the American people to vote-by-mail.” However, the effort to politicize the virus — and the work of dark money groups — has been underway for months.

In March, two Democrat-aligned Super PACs announced their intention of spending millions on negative ads criticizing President Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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