Charles Koch’s fleet of organizations spent a combined net total of $833 million in 2023 to influence public policy, elections, and certain charitable causes — marking its highest spending total to date.
Featured Investigations
Record $100M Spent on Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Raises Concerns Over Judicial Independence
The more than $100 million spent on this spring’s Supreme Court election in Wisconsin set a new national record for spending on a state judicial race. The figure almost doubles the previous record of $51 million, which donors poured into the Wisconsin Supreme Court race in 2023.
Heritage Uses Backdoor Access to Secretary of State to Shape Wyoming’s Laws
Heritage Action, the advocacy arm of the Washington, D.C.-based Heritage Foundation — the right-wing think tank behind Project 2025 — provided Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray with model legislation, detailed feedback, and line-by-line edits for a bill that limits foreign spending on campaigns for state ballot measures.
“Abolitionists” Push Legislation to Criminalize All Abortions as Homicide
Since 2017, state lawmakers have considered abortion abolition bills in at least 21 states. Often called “prenatal equal protection” acts, most were introduced after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and opened the door to this type of legislation, which had previously run counter to SCOTUS precedent on abortion.
Bells Ring Across the Country to Warn Against Attacks on Freedom
On April 18, houses of worship and individuals across the country rang bells to mark the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolution against tyranny and sound an alarm about growing threats to freedom in America today.
Koch’s Las Vegas Investment Is Now Fully Unionized
Despite his long history of union opposition, billionaire businessman Charles Koch recently learned that you can’t build hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas Strip without triggering union membership drives.
KIPP Charter Schools Conceal $52M in Unexplained Expenses
A Center for Media and Democracy review of KIPP’s fiscal year 2023 IRS filings reveals that its schools in the U.S. reported more than $52 million in unexplained spending under the category “all other expenses.”
Let Freedom Ring! Houses of Worship Across the Country Will Ring Their Bells for Freedom on April 18th
This April 18th, the Old North Church will ring its bells — the oldest in America — at 6 p.m. to commemorate the day the American people rose up against tyranny and began the long struggle for freedom, liberty, and justice for all that continues today.
Know Your Enemy: The Organizations Attacking Unions in the States
CMD has identified the top six organizations working at the state and local levels to dismantle labor regulations and the rights to organize and collectively bargain.
Mass Anti-Trump Protests Set for Saturday
This Saturday, April 5, hundreds of thousands of protesters across the country and the world are expected to take to the streets to express their outrage and disapproval of the Trump administration’s reckless disregard for the needs, values, safety, and wellbeing of average Americans, largely led by Elon Musk and his team of acolytes at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.