grassrootbeer.bsky.social
Contract opposition researcher specialized in climate denial, fossil fuel lobbying, PR, front groups, and the Kochtopus. Blogs at Grassrootbeer Investigations: https://grassrootbeer.substack.com/p/grassrootbeer-investigations
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526 following
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If you don’t hear echoes of how top Nazis spoke to Hitler, you’re not paying attention.
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Hmmm
Fantastice Negrito for Primus
Gojira for Korn
Run the Jewels for Wu Tang
Beats Antique for Thievery Corporation (last night)
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I don't have a number for you but these are important references on that matter:
First Trump term:
theintercept.com/2018/02/25/k...
And now again:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
+ lobbying for a tax loophole Koch has exploited, relevant to my article:
popular.info/p/charles-ko...
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All the gory details are here. Thanks for reading!
www.exposedbycmd.org/2025/05/22/k...
#Koch #Politics #data #music #philanthropy #darkmoney #election #labor #unions #education #highered #climate #environment #billionaires #energy #florida #michigan #ohio #louisiana #westvirginia #indiana
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Meanwhile, Chase Koch is dancing on stage with Aloe Blacc on Good Morning America and taking photos with Killer Mike, earning favorable press.
The Koch nonprofits that predominantly focus on real charity (no overlap with their policy/politics) is 4.5% of their total spending.
4.5 / 100 is charity.
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What were they spending on?
*Millions to ideological university hubs, feeding into Koch's policy & political work.
*Attacks on labor unions
*Support for climate denier politicians
*Anti-abortion hate groups like the ADF
*Funneling public money from public schools to private charters
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#Koch nonprofit money becomes for-profit revenue:
Koch's "Stand Together Communications" was paid $345M in contracts by Koch nonprofits since 2018.
$107M of that was paid in 2023.
Most of these entities share the same office building in Arlington, VA.
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"net" = the total after accounting for $715 million Koch orgs spent between themselves.
So the gross spending total exceeded $1.5 billion in 2023. This is the figure you get if you simply total the expenses disclosed on IRS and FEC records.
Screenshot here with some of the nerdy data:
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I wish he’d stop working with the anti-union people though.
FIRE was set up by the Bradley Foundation, heavily funded by Koch, etc.
www.thefader.com/2023/12/08/r...
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It's worse to see Killer Mike doubling down with the Koch family. He's aware of the criticism:
www.thefader.com/2023/12/08/r...
Charles Koch worked for John Birch Society during the US Civil Rights movement, stole oil from the Osage tribe, etc...FFS.
Mike with Charles Koch's wife & son:
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For these reasons, it's super disappointing to see music celebrities--heroes of mine--like @tommorelloofficial.bsky.social and Killer Mike doing (paid?) gigs with the FIRE in recent years.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023...
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The Bradley Foundation helped establish the FIRE, the book notes. Charles Koch's foundations have given tens of millions of dollars as well:
prospect.org/education/co...
Until recently, it was just these fascistic donors behind most/all of the FIRE's budget.
www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?ti...
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Here's a piece by Kors in 1999, the year he founded the FIRE.
IMO, it has some classic white supremacist dog whistles about defending "Western Civilization" from "barbarians at the gates" aka "multiculturalists" ... as cited in the book:
phillysoc.org/kors-did-wes...
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FIRE was set up by Alan Kors, while he was affiliated with Charles Koch's Institute for Humane Studies.
As detailed in the book "Free Speech and Koch Money" by Ralph Wilson and Isaac Kamola:
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I’m not sure I could walk in those, let alone play 16th note triplets. 🤘
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I think that ship sailed a long time ago for most of the rest of the world.