Investigating Power
The Center for Media and Democracy, the American Constitution Society, and Common Cause will co-host an important webinar at 3:00 ET on Wednesday, October 22 on the latest developments in the disturbing escalation of violence by federal immigration agents against journalists, observers, and peaceful protesters — and what that means for a free press and our democracy.
The Center for Media and Democracy has released a new video documenting shocking violence by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents against journalists and observers at ICE immigration raids and anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles over the past few months.
Major media outlets fail to question ICE and DHS on the reliability of its claims about deportation efforts
On Wednesday, a federal district court judge in Los Angeles issued a sweeping preliminary injunction barring Department of Homeland Security officers from “dispersing, threatening, or assaulting” journalists or legal observers, or using crowd control weapons on or shooting projectiles at anyone who doesn’t “pose a threat of imminent harm.”
President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security claims that making and posting videos of ICE agents as they disappear tens of thousands of immigrants from America’s streets, workplaces, and courtrooms without due process is an act of “violence” to be dealt with accordingly.
In 2022, Stand Together Trust and Stand Together Chamber of Commerce contributed over $176 million to groups in Charles Koch’s “Stand Together” constellation of nonprofits as well as to higher education and right-wing policy, advocacy, litigation and media groups, the Center for Media and Democracy has found.
The Milwaukee-based Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and its “aligned” donor advised fund funneled a total of $86.4 million to right-wing litigation outlets, national and state policy groups, media outlets, youth groups, and higher education in 2022, according to an analysis of its most recent IRS filings obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy.
To hide their identities from public scrutiny, megadonors used the Koch political network’s favorite conduit, DonorsTrust, to funnel $134 million to groups promoting the Right’s culture wars and spreading climate misinformation, Trump’s big lie, and hate, as indicated in IRS filings obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy.
DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund, the favorite donor conduits of the Koch political network, distributed $123 million in grants in 2021 to right-wing advocacy groups, litigation centers, media outlets, climate deniers, extremists, pro-gun groups, and other tax-exempt organizations that make up America’s right-wing infrastructure, the latest tax filings from both groups detail.
A CMD report exposes the U.S.-based nonprofits most responsible for poisoning the discourse on climate change.