Robert Greenwald’s new film, “Koch Brothers Exposed: The 1% at Its Very Worst,” is yours with a minimum donation of $30 – or a monthly donation of $15 – to Truthout.
Charles and David Koch became national news about two years ago when a Jane Mayer exposé in the New Yorker revealed the billionaire brothers were funding “stealth attacks on the federal government,” especially the Obama administration. Since then, the evidence of the Kochs’ nefariously outsized influence on American politics has only grown: The echo chamber they fund spreads misinformation about Social Security, undermines labor rights, works to re-segregate public schools, and pushes voter ID initiatives that would deny voting rights to millions. The Kochs themselves undermine academic integrity by buying the right to appoint professors at universities. And residents of Crossett, Arkansas, are giving powerful testimony to links between a Koch chemical plant and the disproportionate number of cancer deaths in that community. Our new film, Koch Brothers Exposed, gives the dirty details on all of these stories.
But why, in the end, does it matter? Let’s say everything that we progressives say about these guys is true. Is there anything that can or should be done about two men participating in the political process?
Watch a trailer for the film.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
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With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy