InfluenceWatch Podcast

Since 2018, Big Philanthropy has offered great praise for one particular politician without an office to hold: Stacey Abrams, the Georgia Democrat who claimed her 2018 loss in an election for governor was marred by improprieties. Her claims of supposed “voter suppression” brought millions from liberal foundations and mega-donors into the nonprofit voter registration group she founded, New Georgia Project, and directorships at prominent left-wing groups like the Center for American Progress and Marguerite Casey Foundation. But now Politico, the trade newspaper for D.C. political types, has released a long expose on poor management and financial practices at New Georgia Project when it was flush with cash following Abrams’s loss. Joining me to discuss these developments are my colleagues Parker Thayer and Sarah Lee.Links:Voting group founded by Abrams, once led by Warnock, faces financial scrutinyThe New Georgia ProblemREPORT: How Charities Secretly Help Win ElectionsInfluenceWatch: Stacey AbramsInfluenceWatch: New Georgia ProjectGeorge Soros’ Open Society Nixes $67 Million Proposal from National Latino Groups Leaving 2024 Funding Uncertain (Exclusive)Follow us on our Socials:Twitter: @capitalresearchInstagram: @capitalresearchcenterFacebook: www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenterYouTube: @capitalresearchcenter

Scott Walter, an expert in liberal journalism, joins the podcast to discuss the ‘Press Forward’ initiative by the MacArthur Foundation, aiming to align local news with a left-wing agenda. The discussion explores the challenges of permanent foundations, the power of leftist billionaires, funding liberal journalism and smearing Supreme Court justices, and the left's struggle to find an audience in America.

Since the horrific Hamas terrorist massacres in southern Israel in early October, American observers have been horrified by something that really should not be happening: Mass marches of left-wing students expressing solidarity with the “Palestinian cause,” if not the Hamas regime that perpetrated the attacks itself. But a close analysis of the ideological currents in academia should have warned us that something like what we have seen on campus would, in fact, come to pass. Joining me to discuss these developments are my colleague Sarah Lee and Jay P. Greene of the Heritage Foundation.Links: No One Should Be Surprised By The Depraved Radicalism On College CampusesFormer Campus Radicals Now Teach Your ChildrenHamas’s American Allies: Far-Left SupportersWhy Are Some Social Justice Unionists Backing the Palestinians?Paying for Hate on College CampusesFollow us on our Socials:Twitter: @capitalresearchInstagram: @capitalresearchcenterFacebook: www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenterYouTube: @capitalresearchcenter

Guest Robert Stilson discusses the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and their radical agenda, exploring their evolution, influence in academia, and affinity for authoritarian regimes. The podcast covers the growth of the DSA through supporting Bernie Sanders and the impact of Trump's and Ocasio-Cortez's elections. It also highlights the DSA's focus on defunding the police and their anti-Israel stance.

Ryan Mauro, an expert on terror funding and movements of terror cells, joins the podcast to discuss his articles on terror funding. Topics include the Biden administration's transfer to Iran, money behind pro-Palestinian protests, cut ties with payment processors, and the link between Samadoon and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The Arabella Advisors-managed network of liberal dark money groups is facing scrutiny, including a subpoena from the D.C. Attorney General and allegations of ties to a disgraced cryptocurrency trader's father. The podcast discusses Arabella's role in running payroll activities for left-wing nonprofits, its significant fundraising, and its intermediation between different organizations. It also explores the skepticism surrounding Arabella's alleged philanthropy and its connections to partisan actors. The discussion includes revelations about Sam Bankman Freed's dad and a lawsuit involving FTX. The podcast dives into the investigations and allegations against Arabella, including civil litigation and bankruptcy litigation. The conversation highlights concerns about hidden motives, the left's use of dark money, and efforts to reform the nonprofit sector.

The United Auto Workers union has called rolling strikes against the Detroit Three automakers—Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler) since mid-September. The labor action, and other strikes including the strikes that have struck Hollywood films and television, have rekindled debate over the proper role and powers of organized labor in the United States. Joining me to discuss these topics are my colleague Parker Thayer and Dominic Pino, the Thomas L. Rhodes Fellow at National Review Institute.Links: What to Make of American Compass’s “New Conservative Voter”Organized Labor Is Progressivism and Progressivism Is Organized LaborRepublicans: The UAW Will Never Love YouFollow us on our Socials: Twitter: @capitalresearchInstagram: @capitalresearchcenterFacebook: www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenterYouTube: @capitalresearchcenter

Hugo Krueger, a nuclear engineer, discusses the challenges faced by nuclear engineers, the geopolitical aspect of energy, and the impact of foundations on nuclear energy policies in different countries. The podcast also explores the legal battle over oil and gas exploration in South Africa, the influence of foundations on gun regulations, and the dynamics of the anti-nuclear movement in France.

Controversy over the name of the Washington football team and the influence of left-wing activists. Funding sources of Native American groups involved. The funding and tactics of the extinction rebellion movement. The debate between protecting the environment and eliminating humans. Motivations behind funding movements like defunding the police and the growing influence of public policy charities.

Those of us old enough to remember the panic over Y2K – a panic that was, as it turns out, mostly driven by fear of the unknown – see a certain resemblance between the year 2000 and today as artificial intelligence – popularly known as AI -- joins the party. Its emergence has been met with both excitement and trepidation. Will it make mundane tasks easier? Will it help our kids do better in school? Will large language models infect our discourse with bias? Are the graphics programs going to change art as we know it? Will Skynet become aware? And who will be funding, pushing, and regulating this next phase of tech innovation? In short, is AI something to fear or something to embrace, something to turn loose or take in hand? And how much should our always eager government get involved in its development and dispersion? Joining us today to discuss the coming AI revolution is Taylor Barkley, Director of Technology and Innovation at the Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University.Links:Taylor BarkleyWhich Way AI?Schumer pledges ‘supercharged’ path to AI regulation when Senate returns from recessRanking Member Cassidy Releases White Paper on Artificial IntelligenceFollow us on our Socials:Twitter: @capitalresearchInstagram: @capitalresearchcenterFacebook: www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenterYouTube: @capitalresearchcenter