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'Koch brothers' rebrand underway, still a conservative force

Brothers David, left, and Charles Koch have quietly launched a rebranding effort that may vanquish the "Koch brothers" moniker from American politics.  (Associated Press)

The conservative Koch brothers are no more — even if they remain a political powerhouse.
The Democrats' super villains for much of the last decade have quietly launched a rebranding effort that may vanquish the "Koch brothers" moniker from American politics. The catalyst came earlier in the year when ailing billionaire conservative David Koch stepped away from the family business, leaving older brother Charles as the undisputed leader of the Kochs' web of expanding political and policy organizations.
There were already few, if any, clearly identifiable links between the Kochs and their most active spinoff organizations such as Americans for Prosperity, Freedom Partners or the LIBRE Initiative. But in the days after the younger billionaire's retreat, company officials quickly began pushing journalists across the country to change references from "Koch brothers" in their coverage to "Koch network" or one of their less-recognizable entities.
Asked about the shift on Saturday, Koch's chief lieutenants explained that 82-year-old Charles Koch was always far more involved with their political efforts than his ailing brother. The elder Koch addressed the shift directly as he welcomed hundreds of donors to an invitation-only summit at a luxury resort in the Rocky Mountains.
"I am not getting weak in the knees. ... Truly I am not," Charles Koch said with a smile. He added: "We're just getting started."

"I am not getting weak in the knees. ... Truly I am not. We're just getting started."
- Charles Koch

Regardless of its name, the conservative network remains one of the nation's most influential political forces, a conservative powerhouse simultaneously playing the long- and short-game in a way that ensures it will remain a dominant force long after President Donald Trump is gone. And in sharp contrast to the Republican president who is eager to put his name on his accomplishments, the Kochs are happy to do it in the dark.
While much of the network operates out of sight, the Charles Koch Foundation announced Saturday that it would begin publicly posting all multiyear grant agreements with universities. Last year, the foundation gave $90 million for projects on 300 campuses.

The Charles Koch Foundation announced Saturday that it would begin publicly posting all multiyear grant agreements with universities. Last year, the foundation gave $90 million for projects on 300 campuses.

An estimated 500 Koch donors — each having committed at least $100,000 annually — gathered for the weekend "seminar" that featured a handful of elected officials and high-profile influencers. As is customary for the bi-annual meetings, guests were required to give up their cell phones during some presentations. And while The Associated Press joined a handful of media organizations allowed to witness some activities, photos and videos were strictly prohibited.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn, both Republican Senate candidates, led the list of elected officials on hand. Senate Republican whip John Cornyn of Texas, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin were also on the guest list.

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., was among the guests on hand Saturday at a Koch brothers seminar.

The money behind the Kochs' push to transform education, philanthropy, immigration, health care, tax laws, courts, government regulation, prisons and the economy has long been cloaked in secrecy.
Koch officials have vowed to spend between $300 million and $400 million to shape the 2018 midterm elections. But there's no way to verify how or where the money is spent because most of its organizations are registered as nonprofit groups, which aren't required to detail their donors like traditional political action committees.

Koch officials have vowed to spend between $300 million and $400 million to shape the 2018 midterm elections. But there's no way to verify how or where the money is spent.

While they have long been closely aligned with the Republican Party's far-right flank, they oppose the Trump administration's policies on spending, trade and immigration.
On Saturday, network leaders seized on Trump's push to apply billions of dollars in tariffs on America's top trading partners. The burgeoning trade war has sparked an outcry from business leaders across the nation, and in a new video Charles Koch lashes out at what he calls the "destructive" rise of "protectionism."
Koch official Brian Hooks warned that, on trade and immigration, "the divisiveness of this White House is causing long-term damage."
Democrats who invested extraordinary time and resources into attacking the Koch brothers in recent years concede that, in the era of Trump at least, the billionaire industrialists are no longer the left's No. 1 enemy.

Democrats who invested extraordinary time and resources into attacking the Koch brothers in recent years concede that, in the era of Trump at least, the billionaire industrialists are no longer the left's No. 1 enemy.

Adam Jentleson, who previously worked for former Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, said Koch's quiet rebranding effort represents "a small victory."
"Sen. Reid was always very clear that drawing the Koch brothers out of the shadows was a big part of his strategy," Jentleson said. "He thought people deserved to know who was behind the dark money. This seems like a recognition that they're uncomfortable being out front and are scurrying to get back in the shadows."

Rep. John Lewis hospitalized, under 'routine observation'

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., gestures as he nominates Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, July 26, 2016.  (Reuters)

Civil rights icon and U.S. Rep. John Lewis has been hospitalized for undisclosed reasons.
Citing a statement from Lewis' office, WSB-TV reports that the 78-year-old Georgia congressman was "resting comfortably" in a hospital Saturday night for "routine observation."
The statement says Lewis expects to be released Sunday.
Lewis, a Democrat, played a key role in the civil rights movement and marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965 in Selma, Alabama.
Lewis was expected at an Atlanta event Saturday evening but did not attend.

Sanctuary cities ruling a setback for Justice Department

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks in Concord, N.H., July 12, 2018.  (Associated Press)

The U.S. Justice Department may no longer withhold grants from Chicago as leverage against its policies of providing sanctuary to immigrants, a federal judge ruled Friday.
The city filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Jeff Sessions in August 2017 after the DOJ required Chicago and other sanctuary cities to provide 48 hours’ notice before releasing from custody immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
The Justice Department also sought access to jails by federal agents and the sharing of citizenship information.
U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber granted a permanent injunction against the three conditions and denied a Justice Department motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Sessions warned Chicago that it would be ineligible for federal public safety grants if it didn’t comply – a move the city maintained was overreach of legal authority and unconstitutional.

"Today’s opinion in favor of Chicago and against the Trump Justice Department marks a major win for all Chicagoans and a significant victory for public safety."
- Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel

“Today’s opinion in favor of Chicago and against the Trump Justice Department marks a major win for all Chicagoans and a significant victory for public safety," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Friday.
According to the court’s order, the limitation will remain in place until an appeals process will determine whether the injunction applies nationwide, the Sun-Times reported.
Arguments are scheduled for Sept. 6.

These American states are drowning in ‘irretrievable’ debt

California - 2016 Democratic Win

Illinois - 2016 Democratic Win

New Jersey - 2016 Democratic Win

New York - 2016 Democratic Win

Connecticut - 2016 Democratic Win

Get The Picture ??

Connecticut may be the richest state in the country, on a per capita basis, but it's racked up a sizable debt worth more than $53 billion – and it could be taxpayers who are forced to bail out the Constitution State, according to the former governor of Indiana.

“Someone’s going to the barbershop,” Mitch Daniels, a Republican, said during an interview with FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on Thursday. “The first will be the taxpayers, already beleaguered in some of these states.”

And Connecticut isn’t the only state struggling with a debt crisis: California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York are unable to make pension payments to retired government workers.

In Illinois, for instance, vendors wait months to be paid by a government that’s $30 billion in debt, and one whose bonds are just one notch above junk bond status, according to Daniels. New York’s more than $356 billion in debt; New Jersey more than $104 billion; and California more than $428 billion. “They’re just one of a number of states, including some of the biggest states, that are in deep water,” Daniels said. “I think it is irretrievable. Pensions is the core of it. It’s not the only fiscal recklessness that they have practiced, but in some of those cases, the bill are genuinely unpayable.”

Most likely, he said, the debt will fall on state taxpayers. He warned, however, that some of these states need to be cautious about raising already high taxes that would likely not come close to the debt they’ve already racked up.

“There may be a way in some states to have a reset of the pension obligations, although in some places, they’ve actually been constitutionally protected,” he said.

Muslim Brotherhood Cartoons

President Trump: U.S. is Economic Envy of World

Vice President Mike Pence looks on as President Donald Trump delivers remarks about the economy on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, July 27, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Trump recently praised the United States as the ‘economic envy of the entire world.’
In a White House briefing Friday, the president touted the fastest U.S. economic growth since 2014.
The president said the GDP reached 4.1-percent in the second quarter, adding, the U.S. is on track to the the highest annual growth rate in 13-years.
He also said 3.7 million new jobs have been added since the election, which is a number that was once “unthinkable.”
Additionally, President Trump said the trade deficit has dropped by more than $50 billion .
Finally, Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow praised the economic boom as long-lasting and sustainable.

US cuts carbon emissions more than foreign nations that criticize Trump environmental policies

In this June 20, 2018 file photo, President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Republican members of Congress on immigration in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

When President Trump announced his plan to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Accords in June 2017, the howling cries from left-wing environmentalists could be heard across the globe.
From Canada to China and throughout Europe, the world denounced the president’s decision as reckless and in contradiction to “settled science.” Without the Paris Climate Accords, they argued, Earth would soon find itself cascading off the global warming cliff.
One year later, Earth is still here, as you may have noticed.
And the U.S. economy – due in large part to the Trump administration’s commitment to deregulation and energy dominance – has continued to grow at breakneck speed. On Friday the federal government announced our nation’s gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 4.1 percent in the second quarter of this year – the highest growth rate in four years.
On top of this good news, despite the warnings of gloom and doom from President Trump’s opponents, America is now the world leader in cutting carbon dioxide emissions. Yes, you read that right.
According to a June report by BP – measuring global carbon dioxide emissions from the use of oil, gas and coal – the United States reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by 41.8 million tons from 2016 to 2017, marking the third consecutive year Americans’ carbon dioxide emissions fell.
The United States’ carbon dioxide reduction is more than double the next closest nation included in the study, Ukraine. And the U.S. reductions are part of a larger, decade-long trend. From 2006 to 2016, BP reports the United States slashed its carbon dioxide emissions by about 12 percent.
The recent drop in U.S. carbon dioxide emissions is the result of increased consumption of natural gas relative to other forms of energy production, renewable energy and a more efficient use of electricity.
In the wake of America’s declining carbon dioxide emissions, the dire warnings issued by global warming alarmists have proven to be yet another example of environmentalists’ fear-mongering.
One of those alarmists was Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who called President Trump’s decision to exit the Paris Accords a “devastating failure of historic proportions.”
After world leaders from countries big and small also harshly criticized President Trump for choosing not to make Americans beholden to the United Nations, the leaders spent the rest of 2017 presiding over countries that emitted millions of tons of additional carbon dioxide – illustrating clearly the utter worthlessness of the Paris Accords.
China, for example, increased its carbon dioxide emissions by 119 million tons from 2016 to 2017 – more than any other country in the world – despite its alleged commitment to the Paris Accords. Spain added more than 18.7 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. France’s carbon dioxide emissions increased by 5.5 million tons.
But it’s the Canadian government that might deserve the award for being the world’s biggest carbon dioxide hypocrite. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was critical of the Trump administration for its decision to leave the Paris Accords, saying in a statement that he was “deeply disappointed” by the “disheartening” decision.
“Canada is unwavering in our commitment to fight climate change and support clean economic growth,” Trudeau said. “Canadians know we need to take decisive and collective action to tackle the many harsh realities of our changing climate.”
So, after those bold words Canada cut its carbon dioxide emissions dramatically, right? Well, not exactly. In 2017 Canada emitted 17 million additional tons of carbon dioxide compared to its emissions in 2016.
Perhaps the reason Canada, China, France, Spain and dozens of other Paris signatories added carbon dioxide emissions – while at the same time chastising America for working toward energy independence – is because the leaders of those countries know what skeptics of global warming alarmism have known for decades: The world is much better off with affordable energy than it is trying to combat a problem many scientists say doesn’t exist.
Of course, Prime Minister Trudeau and the rest of the Paris cabal will never publicly admit it. It’s much easier to spend time in office boasting of their own virtue and lamenting the tragic individualism of the American way.
H. Sterling Burnett, Ph.D., is senior fellow for climate and environment issues at The Heartland Institute.
Justin Haskins (@JustinTHaskins) is executive editor and a research fellow at The Heartland Institute.