InfluenceWatch Podcast

Capital Research Center
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InfluenceWatch Podcast

The podcast where we go beneath the surface to reveal the web of connected influence, money, and motivation driving the news, sourced primarily from our website InfluenceWatch.org, the Capital Research Center's online encyclopedia of the donors, non-profits, and influencers driving politics. You can watch the video version of the podcast at: http://bit.ly/2rnQygY Listen to all episodes of InfluenceWatch Podcast at Ricochet.com.

  1. Ep. 371: Gaming the Vote: The Truth About Ranked Choice Voting

    3D AGO

    Ep. 371: Gaming the Vote: The Truth About Ranked Choice Voting

    Ranked Choice Voting, or RCV, the process by which voters rank candidates by preference, has been in and out of the news for the last several years, as advocates and critics on both sides of the political aisle debate the merits and pitfalls of a system that many on the left – and increasingly some on the right – seem to think is the way elections should be handled. Most recently, NY City candidate for mayor Zohran Mamdani espoused RCV’s benefits prior to his defeat of former Gov Andrew Cuomo in the city’s Democratic mayoral primary. Some believe his win was helped by the RCV ranking system which had far left progressives calling for Mamdani supporters not to rank Cuomo before the election, while others think Cuomo could have done better in the primary had he just embraced the RCV system and used it to his advantage. To discuss the controversial voting system and what happened in NY is Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project.  New York Progressives Pin Hopes on ‘Don’t Rank Cuomo’ The Left-Wing Megadonors Pushing for Ranked Choice Voting Ranked-Choice Voting: How RCV Works Honest Elections

    29 min
  2. Ep. 370: China and the Left's Energy Lawfare

    JUL 1

    Ep. 370: China and the Left's Energy Lawfare

    Over the past several years, the public has become familiar with the concept of “lawfare,” the process of using the legal system to gain political ends regardless of the validity of the underlying case. Environmentalist groups have long been practitioners of aggressive lawfare, but who exactly is funding litigation challenging the ability of energy companies to make energy? The U.S. Senate suspects that the People’s Republic of China may be among them, and so CRC president Scott Walter was invited to testify on the funding of lawfare at a Judiciary Subcommittee hearing titled “Enter the Dragon—China and the Left’s Lawfare Against American Energy Dominance.” Scott joins us to discuss his testimony. Scott Walter’s Written Testimony to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee

    29 min
  3. Ep. 369: Suppressors, Second Amendment, and the Fight Against the NFA

    JUN 24

    Ep. 369: Suppressors, Second Amendment, and the Fight Against the NFA

    As Second Amendment policy returns to the national spotlight under a second Trump administration, one provision buried in a massive reconciliation bill could spell the beginning of the end for suppressor regulations under the National Firearms Act. The House version removes them from the tax scheme entirely, while the Senate version goes even further—potentially gutting the $200 tax on other NFA-regulated items.  Joining us is Knox Williams, president and executive director of the American Suppressor Association, to unpack what’s in the bill, what could derail it, and how his organization is fighting to end suppressor bans and taxes across the country. Also discussed: the Biden-era legacy of regulatory overreach, Trump’s executive order to review federal actions against 2A rights, and what gun control nonprofits like Giffords are doing to push back.  American Suppressor Association The National Firearms Act The Big Beautiful Bill House-Passed One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act Includes Removal of $200 Tax Stamp on Suppressors Big Beautiful Bill Now Includes SHORT Act, Hearing Protection

    20 min
  4. Ep. 368: Another Summer of Love

    JUN 17

    Ep. 368: Another Summer of Love

    Over the past week, Los Angeles has been rocked by demonstrations against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that have been punctuated by violent riots, with rioters throwing bricks at police vehicles and standing atop burned-out cars waving Mexican flags. But who is behind the demonstrators, as reports emerge of activists handing out brand-new face shields and the usual preprinted signs pop up among the demonstrators? Joining us to explore that question is Mia Cathell, an investigative reporter for the Washington Examiner. Who is funding the anti-ICE activists in LA? Trump’s Unapologetic Defense of the Rule of Law The L.A. Riots Prove the Left Has Learned Nothing No One Wants Another ‘Summer of Love,’ Right? Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)

    24 min
  5. Ep. 367: Explaining Basically Governmental Organizations to Congress

    JUN 10

    Ep. 367: Explaining Basically Governmental Organizations to Congress

    Regardless of his recent falling out with President Trump over the size of the “Big Beautiful Bill” tax and spending package or personal beefs, Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” team performed at least one extremely useful public service: They highlighted the extent to which the “nongovernmental organization” (NGO) sector is actually the “basically governmental organization” (BGO) sector, with millions of dollars in grants and contracts supporting weird projects and thinly (and sometimes not even thinly) disguised Everything Leftist activism. Our boss, CRC president Scott Walter, was invited to testify before the House Oversight Committee’s DOGE Subcommittee; he joins us to discuss his testimony. Scott Walter’s Oral Testimony to House DOGE Subcommittee American Center for International Labor Solidarity (Solidarity Center) Trump’s DOGE Will End But CRC’s Investigations Won’t

    28 min
  6. Ep. 366: Harvard and Tax Exemptions

    JUN 4

    Ep. 366: Harvard and Tax Exemptions

    The second Trump administration has conducted an aggressive campaign against Harvard University, targeting its use of racial considerations in admissions and hiring and its apparent lack of concern for the rights of its Jewish students. Among the proposals the administration is considering to retaliate against Harvard is taking away its charitable tax status; our guest today sees that not as an end, but merely the beginning of the debate, with a provocative argument that all charities should have certain tax advantages removed from the tax code. Joining us to discuss the possible effects of such a policy is National Review’s John Fund. https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/05/dont-stop-with-harvard/ https://committeetounleashprosperity.com/hotline/

    23 min
  7. Ep. 365: Bulwark Backstory

    MAY 27

    Ep. 365: Bulwark Backstory

    At one point, in the minds of its writers and supporters, perhaps The Bulwark really was about providing a “bulwark” for “conserving conservatism” in opposition to the right-populism of once and future President Donald Trump. But as our colleague Ken Braun recounts in his series on the evolution of the publication, The Bulwark has become little more than just another outlet regurgitating Democratic Party talking points. Ken joins us to discuss the past, present, and future of The Bulwark. The Bulwark: Birth of The Bulwark The Bulwark: From Nonprofit to Profits The Bulwark: Making a Business of Trump Derangement The Bulwark: Take Away Trump The DDT Network: A Rich Never Trump Machine Built to Last 12th Amendment 22nd Amendment

    24 min
  8. Ep. 364: Bullies Unite Here

    MAY 20

    Ep. 364: Bullies Unite Here

    In an era when fewer than six percent of private-sector workers are union members, it’s easy to forget how forceful Big Labor’s activists can be when they’re out rooting for dues and political power. Joining us to discuss how Unite Here has exercised its coercive power over working Americans is Patrick Semmens, vice president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. Influence Watch profile for "Unite Here" Influence Watch profile for "Culinary Workers Union, Local 226" The Reality of Union Bullying by UNITE HERE

    30 min
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About

The podcast where we go beneath the surface to reveal the web of connected influence, money, and motivation driving the news, sourced primarily from our website InfluenceWatch.org, the Capital Research Center's online encyclopedia of the donors, non-profits, and influencers driving politics. You can watch the video version of the podcast at: http://bit.ly/2rnQygY Listen to all episodes of InfluenceWatch Podcast at Ricochet.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Capital Research Center
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    371
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Capital Research Center
  • Show Website
    InfluenceWatch Podcast

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