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Happy Wednesday! We’ve had a lot going on — apologies for the barrage of emails, but we have a lot to keep you updated on! Before getting to the usual roundup, here’s one thing we don’t want anyone in Madison to miss: Join us on Tuesday, October 15th at 7pm for a special screening of “Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism’s Unholy War on Democracy” at Madison’s historic Barrymore Theater! After the screening, we’ll be joined by historian and CMD board member Nancy MacLean for a short discussion. We are co-presenting this screening with the Progressive Magazine, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, and Community Shares of Wisconsin. It’s an event not to be missed — mark it on your calendars or RSVP to the Facebook event page to receive updates! On to the rest of the news! | |
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Here’s the Latest From CMD | |
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Bradley Foundation President Delivers Keynote at SFOF Energy Summit The president of the Bradley Foundation delivered the keynote address at the summit of the State Financial Officers Foundation, the organization of Republican state treasurers, auditors, and financial executives weaponized to fight “woke” capitalism. As CMD first reported, Bradley declared war against sustainable investing — or the consideration of environmental, social, and corporate governance factors (ESG) — in its 2023–2025 strategic plan. Read the full story here. | |
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Utility-Backed Candidates and Undemocratic Oversight Create Obstacles to Arizona’s Transition to Clean Energy A recent Arizona primary election sheds light on the entrenched power of the state’s utilities, with critics worried that more state representatives may work at the behest of the utilities instead of focusing on much-needed reforms to accelerate Arizona’s move towards renewable energy. Read the full story here. | |
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New CMD Report: Swing State Deniers Pose Threat to Democracy Last week, CMD has released a major new report highlighting the serious threat to the peaceful transition of power following this November’s national elections: more than 200 public and Republican Party officials in swing states who either deny the 2020 election results, have refused to certify previous elections, or spread disinformation about widespread voter fraud. Read the report on our website. | |
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CMD Blows the Whistle On Right-Wing Group American Majority CMD filed complaints with the Internal Revenue Service and the Minnesota attorney general’s office last week requesting investigations into improper partisan and electoral activity by a group called American Majority, a tax-exempt group that trains Republican candidates and party organizations on how to win elections — activities that nonprofits are explicitly prohibited from doing. Read the complaints on our website. | |
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Extreme Right Caucus Poised to Take Over Wyoming State House Far-right legislative obstructionists who are part of the State Freedom Caucus Network appear to be well on their way to taking over Wyoming’s state House next session. Read the full story here. | |
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Would Project 2025 Sound a Death Knell for DEI? In light of Trump’s mockery of Vice President Harris and the GOP’s attempts to discredit her as a DEI hire, it’s important to consider how Project 2025 seeks to eradicate DEI policies at all levels of government –– and what this would mean for Americans. This is the first article by one of our stellar research assistants, Ashley Green! Read the full story here. | |
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Latest Effort to Purge Wisconsin Voter Rolls Bankrolled by the Bradley Foundation and Tied to Insurrectionists This April, the Indiana-based Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), a right-wing litigation group, filed a lawsuit in Wisconsin to gain greater access to voter registrations in the state as part of its national campaign to purge voter rolls. PILF claims voter rolls need to be purged based on its false claims about widespread noncitizen voting, and has sparked criticism for publishing voter information online and has been sued for engaging in voter intimidation. Read the full story here. | |
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Our research has recently been cited by or featured in the following publications: - The Guardian: “Fears Mount That Election Deniers Could Disrupt Vote Count in US Swing States”
- Minnesota Post: “Watchdog Complaint Accuses Nonprofit of Illegal Political Contributions to Minnesota GOP Candidates”
- Alternet: “Analysis Reveals Trump Loyalists Have ‘Infiltrated’ Election Boards in Key States”
- CNN: “Climate Protesters Are Taking Action Against Big Oil. UK Courts Are Handing Them Prison Terms Akin to Rapists and Thieves”
- Isthmus: “Online: Setting the Stacked Court in Stone?"
- Common Dreams: “Analysis Shows Trump Loyalists Have ‘Infiltrated’ Election Boards in Key States”
- Civil Notion: “How to Stop the AG-onizing Resistance to US Climate Policy”
- Inequality.org: “Are You Ready for Some (Private Equity) Football!”
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That’s all for now! Hope you have a great rest of your week. Thank you for following our investigations and for your continued support! Team CMD | |
