InfluenceWatch Podcast

If you live in Virginia, buckle up—a new wave of absentee-ballot mailers is about to overwhelm mailboxes across the commonwealth, courtesy of the same professional activists who flooded the Old Dominion in 2020. A newly obtained memo reveals correspondence from a pair of left-wing nonprofits in Washington, DC—the Voter Participation Center (VPC) and Center for Voter Information (CVI)—detailing a plan to flood Virginia with 2 million mail-in ballot applications ahead of the November gubernatorial race. While COVID restrictions were the original justification for expanding mail-in ballots, there appears to be an effort to keep pervasive mail-in balloting as part of American elections for the foreseeable future. But is this a good thing? Listen to find out. "Watch Out, Virginia—Another Flood of Mail-In Ballot Mailers Headed Your Way" -- Hayden Ludwig: https://capitalresearch.org/article/watch-out-virginia-another-flood-of-mail-in-ballot-mailers-headed-your-way/ Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ • 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/account/content?type=all • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch Special Guest: Hayden Ludwig.

On his way out the door, disgraced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo left one final “present” for liberal ideologues: a parole referral for David Gilbert, serving 75 years to life for his role in the 1981 Brink’s armored car robbery that led to the deaths of two police officers and a Brink’s guard. Gilbert was a member of the Weather Underground, a New Left radical extremist group active in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Joining me to discuss Gilbert’s likely release, the history, and the continuing influence of the “Weathermen” is Ken Braun, who wrote the extensive InfluenceWatch profile on the extremist group. The Weather Underground: https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-weather-underground-lucky-terrorists-who-tried-to-live-like-john-brown/ The Weather Underground's Professorial Future: https://capitalresearch.org/article/several-weather-underground-bombers-became-professors/ Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ • 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/account/content?type=all • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

We’ve covered efforts to ensure that American elections are secure and that it’s easy to vote and hard to cheat, but Congressional Democrats are continuing their efforts to remove security provisions from election law and to give federal bureaucrats control of election administration. And while HR1/S1, legislation to override essentially all state-level election administration regulations, has stalled in the Senate, House Democrats just passed their Plan B: HR 4, the “John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act,” named for the late Democratic congressman and civil rights movement figure. Joining me to discuss the problems with the legislation and efforts to maintain election integrity provisions is Ken Blackwell, chairman of Council for National Policy Action and the Center for Election Integrity of the America First Policy Institute, who formerly served as Secretary of State of Ohio from 1999 until 2007. • 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/account/content?type=all • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

In an op-ed at National Review, CRC's Research Director Mike Watson raised serious questions about the agenda and ultimate goal of the ostensibly conservative group American Compass, led by Oren Cass, who is promoting a conservative embrace of unions while taking a great deal of money from lefty funders like the Hewlett Foundation and the Omidyar Network. The piece was in response to a Wall Street Journal op-ed penned by Cass back in September in which he argued that a reformed version of unionism is in line with Republican values. Mike expressed his skepticism, and Cass expressed his displeasure on social media (https://twitter.com/oren_cass/status/1427288802226327560). Mike and Sarah discuss what went down. Mike in NRO: Does American Compass Point Left? (https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/08/does-american-compass-point-left/) Cass at WSJ: America Needs a Conservative Labor Movement (https://www.wsj.com/articles/america-needs-a-conservative-labor-movement-11600379608) Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ • 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/account/content?type=all • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

We all know the First Amendment must be constantly defended, but many may be unaware of how much that's the case in places that purport to protect free speech and free expression: the university campus. Speech First, a nonprofit dedicated to aggressively standing up for students who fear punitive action if they speak up, has had several quiet wins over the last year as they pursue defending students in court. While the landscape tends to look bleak for free speech, there are groups and goings on behind the scenes that offer a beacon of hope. Speech First is one of those lights. CRC's Communications and External Relations Director is joined by Speech First's Executive Director Cherise Trump. Learn more about Speech First: https://speechfirst.org/our-team/ Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ • 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/account/content?type=all • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

We all want honest, free, and fair elections in which it is easy to vote and hard to cheat. In theory, at least; as state legislatures across the country consider legislation to restore normal legal processes for election administration after the emergency changes made in 2020, the federal Congress is still pondering HR1/S1, legislation to override essentially all state-level election administration regulations. Joining me to discuss where the legislative debates at the federal and state levels over election procedures stand is Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project. Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ • 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/account/content?type=all • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents have been forced to manage their children’s educations in a more hands-on manner thanks to school closures demanded by teachers unions. One of the consequences has been an increasing awareness of the influence of “critical race theory” in even elementary-level schooling. Joining me to discuss the campaign against critical race theory in education is Erika Sanzi, director of outreach for Parents Defending Education. • 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/account/content?type=all • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

CRC's Communications Director Sarah Lee interviews CRC's Research Director Mike Waston on the 4-part series he penned for Capital Research on Social Justice Unionism. Broadly defined, Social Justice Unionism is the embrace of social justice activistism on the part of both public- and private-sector unions even when the activism involved has very little to with the original mandate of labor unions. Mike tries to explain why this happens, what it says about unions usefulness in the modern era, and if conservatives who believe embracing unions is the way forward should rethink their theses (hint: they should). To read Mike's 4-part piece, visit: https://capitalresearch.org/article/social-justice-unionism-part-1/ Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ • 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/account/content?type=all • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

In this episode: Since last Sunday, Cubans have publicly demonstrated against the Communist regime that has inflicted tyranny on their homeland for over sixty years. Joining us to discuss the background behind the demonstrations and the prospects for a freer Cuba is John Suarez, the executive director of the Center for a Free Cuba. To learn more check out: https://www.cubacenter.org/ Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ • 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/account/content?type=all • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch

In this episode: Our regular podcast host, CRC’s Research Director Mike Watson, is on vacation so CRC's Director of Communications and External Relations Sarah Lee is filling in. We are thrilled to welcome a Alleigh Marre to talk about a subject that is everywhere in the news right now and one of great importance to parents and school children. Alleigh Marre leads the Free to Learn Coalition, a group that describes itself as a nonpartisan organization established to support parents, caregivers, and community organizations in their advocacy for quality K-12 education. Specifically, the coalition wants to make classrooms safe enough again that students are: Free to ask questions, Free to develop individual thoughts and opinions, Free to think critically of ideas and concepts and, Free to achieve. Subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ • 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/account/content?type=all • Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/capitalresearch