InfluenceWatch Podcast

The actions of Big Tech companies—most prominently Twitter and Facebook’s decision to ban then-President Donald Trump from their platforms—have led conservatives to consider invoking anti-trust powers of which they have long been skeptical to crack down on these companies’ power. Joining me today is a skeptic of that approach, Paul Steidler of the Lexington Institute, to discuss the case against an antitrust crackdown on tech companies. Episode Links: https://insidesources.com/time-for-conservatives-to-hit-restart-on-tech-legislation/ https://capitalresearch.org/article/be-careful-of-rush-for-tech-regulation/ Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ Follow our socials: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenter • Twitter: https://twitter.com/capitalresearch • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capitalresearchcenter • YouTube: https://bit.ly/CRCYouTube • Rumble: https://rumble.com/capitalresearch • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

Last year, we had author Stephen Soukup on the podcast to discuss his book The Dictatorship of Woke Capital: How Political Correctness Captured Big Business. In recent months, “woke capital” has taken a few major hits: heterodox billionaire Elon Musk has bid to purchase Twitter with a promise to expand free speech on the platform, Florida’s state government responded to an intervention in social policy by Disney by stripping it of a special local governance privilege, and Netflix all but told “woke” employees that if they didn’t like the company’s producing content they disagreed with, they could take a hike. We welcome Stephen back to discuss where woke capital is, where he sees it going, and whether this pushback is the start of a trend. Links: https://capitalresearch.org/article/influencewatch-159-standing-up-to-woke-capital/ https://www.amazon.com/Dictatorship-Woke-Capital-Political-Correctness/dp/1641771429 https://www.influencewatch.org/hub/esg-activism/ Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ Follow our socials: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenter • Twitter: https://twitter.com/capitalresearch • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capitalresearchcenter • YouTube: https://bit.ly/CRCYouTube • Rumble: https://rumble.com/capitalresearch • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

By fighting to keep schools closed—excuse me, open for virtual learning—for a full year in the jurisdictions in which they hold the most power, teachers unions sought to expand their power. Now public-school enrollments are tumbling and evidence is piling up that the school closures harmed students’ mental health and expanded the racial achievement gaps the unions claim to seek to close. Joining me to discuss the teachers unions’ attempts to spin their school closures and her organization’s efforts to counter their influence is Ashley Varner, vice president of communications and federal affairs for the Freedom Foundation. Links: https://www.freedomfoundation.com/education/afts-weingarten-personifies-unions-phony-agenda/ https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/05/organized-labor-is-a-dubious-ally-for-conservatives/ https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/09/los-angeless-largest-teachers-union-is-out-of-control/ https://reason.com/2021/08/30/la-teachers-union-cecily-myart-cruz-learning-loss/ https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/05/remote-learning-likely-widened-racial-economic-achievement-gap/ Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ Follow our socials: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenter • Twitter: https://twitter.com/capitalresearch • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capitalresearchcenter • YouTube: https://bit.ly/CRCYouTube • Rumble: https://rumble.com/capitalresearch • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

Hello I’m Michael Watson and this is the InfluenceWatch Podcast. In much of the country, the cops can take your stuff even if they aren’t able to convict you of a crime through a process known as civil asset forfeiture. This week’s guest, Scot Turner, executive director of the advocacy group Eternal Vigilance Action, tried to fix this when he was serving in the Georgia State Legislature; today he joins us to discuss asset forfeiture, how he tried to reform it, and the obstacles to protecting due process and the Fourth Amendment. Links: https://capitalresearch.org/article/civil-forfeiture-reform-part-1/ https://ij.org/report/policing-for-profit-3/?state=GA https://www.ajc.com/news/local/judge-racial-profiling-led-illegal-arrest-hawk-mike-scott/IsriPJ5L8xaRSisgEQ7XaJ/ Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ Follow our socials: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenter • Twitter: https://twitter.com/capitalresearch • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capitalresearchcenter • YouTube: https://bit.ly/CRCYouTube • Rumble: https://rumble.com/capitalresearch • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

It’s the biggest story of the week in Washington. Following a nearly unprecedented breach of the Supreme Court’s institutional security, Politico published a draft of a possible majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito that would overturn Roe v. Wade, returning questions of abortion regulation to the states. The leak of a draft opinion is unheard of; observers of and former clerks for the justices have largely wondered how it could have happened given the Court’s need for institutional confidentiality and the Justices’ routine affirmations of it. And if the final ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health looks like the leaked draft, the ramifications on public policy will be substantial. Joining me to discuss the leak and some implications of what we have seen are my colleagues Sarah Lee and Ken Braun. Links: Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-end-of-roe-will-be-good-for-america-supreme-court-draft-leak-decision-abortion-pro-life-choice-justices-alito-11651787057?mod=opinionleadpos8 The National Review: https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/05/chief-justice-roberts-must-find-the-leaker/ IW Profile for Demand Justice: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/demand-justice/ The National Review: https://www.nationalreview.com/2016/02/conservativism-achievements-obama-era/ The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-supreme-court-leak-on-roe-v-wade-samuel-alito-john-roberts-abortion-draft-opinion-11651605792?mod=hpopinpos_1 Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ Follow our socials: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenter • Twitter: https://twitter.com/capitalresearch • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capitalresearchcenter • YouTube: https://bit.ly/CRCYouTube • Rumble: https://rumble.com/capitalresearch • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

“Governing for Impact.” Behind that innocuous name is a powerful yet secretive interest group backed by liberal billionaire George Soros and his Open Society Foundations network that has already generated executive actions ordered into federal policy by the Biden administration. Joining me to discuss Governing for Impact and its…impact…is my colleague Parker Thayer, who uncovered the group’s existence. Links: Fox Article: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/secretive-soros-funded-group-works-behind-scenes-biden-admin-policy-documents IW Episode 115: https://capitalresearch.org/article/influencewatch-podcast-115-george-soros-in-his-own-words/ IW Profile: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/governing-for-impact/ Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ Follow our socials: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenter • Twitter: https://twitter.com/capitalresearch • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capitalresearchcenter • YouTube: https://bit.ly/CRCYouTube • Rumble: https://rumble.com/capitalresearch • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

Local news: It’s in decline, but people trust it more than national news by all accounts. And this creates an opening for big national organizations to get into the local news game to influence states and localities. One such big national organization is “States Newsroom,” a relatively recent spinoff from the Arabella Advisors network of liberal, dark-money-funded advocacy entities. Now, this national liberal institution has expanded almost as far as one can go while remaining in a U.S. state: Alaska. Joining me to discuss States Newsroom’s new project from the Last Frontier state is Suzanne Downing, a writer for Must Read Alaska. Just a reminder to our listeners that as a 501(c)(3), our mission is to investigate those working to influence the public policy process, not weigh in on election outcomes or support or oppose individual candidates. Links: Must Read Alaska: https://mustreadalaska.com/top-political-reporters-in-alaska-join-progressive-news-organization-thats-a-front-for-left-wing-propaganda/ States Newsroom IW Profile: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/the-newsroom/ Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ Follow our socials: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenter • Twitter: https://twitter.com/capitalresearch • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capitalresearchcenter • YouTube: https://bit.ly/CRCYouTube • Rumble: https://rumble.com/capitalresearch • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

This week, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the consumer price index measure of inflation had surged to 8.5 percent year-on-year. Accelerating inflation and surging gas prices have led numerous states to take action to ease the pain, but few have taken the unusual steps Illinois has to ensure the state’s political class gets the credit it thinks it deserves for it by requiring merchants to post notices or include on receipts statements that certain taxes have been suspended. Joining me to discuss Illinois’s recent tax actions and the state’s compulsory advertising for them is Adam Schuster, vice president of policy at the Illinois Policy Institute. Links: https://reason.com/2022/04/11/illinois-will-fine-gas-stations-that-dont-advertise-delayed-gas-tax-hike/ https://www.illinoispolicy.org/4-years-of-pritzker-leaves-average-illinois-family-paying-2165-more-in-taxes/ Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ Follow our socials: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenter • Twitter: https://twitter.com/capitalresearch • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capitalresearchcenter • YouTube: https://bit.ly/CRCYouTube • Rumble: https://rumble.com/capitalresearch • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ Follow our socials: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenter • Twitter: https://twitter.com/capitalresearch • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capitalresearchcenter • YouTube: https://bit.ly/CRCYouTube • Rumble: https://rumble.com/capitalresearch • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

We’ve discussed the Protecting the Right to Organize Act on the show before—it’s a laundry list of bad ideas pushed by Big Labor and its allies in Congress that would increase unions’ power to coerce workers into joining and paying dues and increase their power to disrupt national economic and social life. But for supporters of individual employee rights, there is now an alternative model of labor relations reform: The Employee Rights Act, recently re-introduced with an expanded vision of the modern workplace. Joining me to discuss the proposed legislation is Vinnie Vernuccio, president of the Institute for the American Worker. Links: ERA Background: https://i4aw.org/resources/employee-rights-act-backgrounder/ PRO Background: https://i4aw.org/resources/protecting-the-right-to-organize-act/ Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ Follow our socials: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenter • Twitter: https://twitter.com/capitalresearch • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capitalresearchcenter • YouTube: https://bit.ly/CRCYouTube • Rumble: https://rumble.com/capitalresearch • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch