Think Tanks
Think Tanks
Here's a look at documents from think tanks
Featured Stories
CRC News: Recent Capital Research Center & InfluenceWatch Media Citations
WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Capital Research Center issued the following news on March 25, 2026:* * *
CRC News: Recent Capital Research Center & InfluenceWatch media citations
Reporters looking to "follow the money" in public policy & politics keep turning to CRC and InfluenceWatch.
*
The Daily Caller--Chinese Communist Party Using Nonprofit Networks To Attack American Energy, Report Suggests
[Energy Foundation China] has a registered headquarters in San Francisco and one in Beijing registered with the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, according to Influence Watch.
EFC used to be ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Capital Research Center issued the following news on March 25, 2026: * * * CRC News: Recent Capital Research Center & InfluenceWatch media citations Reporters looking to "follow the money" in public policy & politics keep turning to CRC and InfluenceWatch. * The Daily Caller--Chinese Communist Party Using Nonprofit Networks To Attack American Energy, Report Suggests [Energy Foundation China] has a registered headquarters in San Francisco and one in Beijing registered with the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, according to Influence Watch. EFC used to bepart of the U.S. Energy Foundation (EF), which also funds LAF associated groups, until they split into two distinct organizations in 2019. EF and EFC still shared the same office in San Francisco after the split until 2022 and shared company personnel until at least 2024 with 6 EFC employees being compensated by EF up to July 24, according to the Pelican Institute.
* * *
Cleveland Plain Dealer--Sen. Moreno asks Senate witnesses to swear their think tanks don't take Mexican drug cartel money
Bier, whose Cato Institute is a libertarian-leaning think tank founded in 1977, responded flatly: "We haven't accepted any drug cartel money." Duke, whose Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is a progressive-leaning fiscal policy research organization, said: "I do not know of anything like that."
Moreno offered no proof to support his suggestion.
There is no publicly known evidence that either think tank has received money from Mexican drug cartels or affiliated organizations. Both organizations are established Washington policy institutions that publicly disclose their funding sources.
Influence Watch describes the Cato Institute as a libertarian think tank based in Washington, D.C, that gets money from both right of center organizations like the Charles Koch Foundation and left-of-center foundations and organizations including the Gilder Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, Google, and Facebook.
Influence Watch says the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities is a think tank that analyzes how federal budget issues affect low-income Americans, and says its funds come largely "from a wide array of high-profile left-of-center organizations."
The affidavit episode came at the end of a broader stretch of contentious questioning that drew a sharp objection from Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, the committee's top Democrat.
* * *
Washington Examiner-- Democrats on track to lose their dark money 'security blanket'
Some, however, argue that donors have a right to privacy that 501(c)(4)s serve to protect.
"Americans have a right to anonymous political giving, to a certain extent, especially when political violence is becoming all too common, so it's not surprising that anonymous contributions remain a big part of political money flows, or that they are trending towards Republicans for the first time in years," Capital Research Center investigative researcher Parker Thayer told the Washington Examiner. "This reversal of trends will probably rattle Democratic operatives that have long counted on their dominance in the 'dark money' world to mobilize voters and fund campaigns. It will probably feel rather like losing a treasured security blanket for them."
[. . .]
On the party side, the Republican National Committee began the year with $100 million more in the bank than the Democratic National Committee. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, commands a super PAC with $304 million in waiting, with no obvious Democratic equivalent. A New York Times analysis found that Republicans possess a $550 million edge over Democrats when accounting for all federal accounts held by the main party operations.
"Perhaps the Democratic donors' dark money machines are growing less powerful, or maybe dark money donors are pragmatically trying to draw closer to the party currently in power," Thayer said, qualifying his statement by saying that it's hard to know what the shift means at this point. "There are a lot of possible explanations, but they all revolve around the axiom that big money will be involved in politics as long as big government is involved in money, and to a like degree."
* * *
The Daily Caller-- Tax-Exempt Status Of Nonprofit Tied To Lefty Violence Under The Microscope
Founded in 2001 in San Francisco, California, [the Progress Unity Fund] bills itself as an anti-racist organization that was "established to help break down the barriers of divisiveness and discrimination that exist in the world, and replace them with a sense of solidarity." The nonprofit also financially supports organizations tied to pro-abortion activists and has overlapping membership with socialist activists, according to Influence Watch.
* * *
PJ Media--Federal Grant Money Flows to Race-Based Groups During Labor Department Chaos
Mike Watson, director of research at the Capital Research Center, warns that large federal agencies often have entrenched bureaucracies that continue long-standing policy agendas regardless of changes in political leadership. Watson argued that agencies without strong oversight tend to maintain spending patterns aligned with earlier administrations or ideological priorities rather than with new directives issued by any White House.
Watson's comments reflected a broader concern among some policymakers that federal agencies sometimes move more slowly than presidential administrations when shifting policy direction.
* * *
Robert Bryce (Substack)--More Oklo Insider Sales, TerraPower Gets Key Approval, & Rolls-Royce Keeps Rolling
Yesterday, the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of America's most strident anti-nuclear NGOs, announced it would support the restart of the Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Iowa. As ace reporter Ken Braun explained yesterday, the NRDC operates on an annual budget of more than $200 million, and with this announcement, it will be the "first anti-energy NGO to be removed from the InfluenceWatch list of nuclear power opponents." While this is positive news, I must point out that the NRDC was one of the main culprits behind the foolish, premature closure of the Indian Point nuclear plant in Buchanan, New York.
So now that NRDC is finally starting to accept rational thought about nuclear energy, when will its leaders apologize for the enormous damage they have done to our power grid? I am not holding my breath.
* * *
Kansas Informer--Kansas leftist groups score big in $1.8 million Soros-linked cash geyser for 2024
According to the Capital Research Center, Soros' network awarded over $153 million to the four main Arabella-managed nonprofits New Venture Fund, Sixteen Thirty Fund, Hopewell Fund, and Windward Fund. In 2023 alone, Soros' nonprofits sent over $43 million in 27 separate grants to Arabella-managed funds, including $10 million to the Hopewell Fund for a "Free Election Fund" and $10.9 million to the New Venture Fund.
* * *
The Heartlander--Leftist nonprofit hires noncitizen for get-out-the-vote effort in Kansas
According to InfluenceWatch.org, which closely monitors such things, "The Voter Network Foundation is a Kansas-based organization that focuses on voter turnout in underrepresented communities through outreach. Its donors include the New Venture Fund, a left-of-center nonprofit fund that is part of the Arabella Advisors network.
"The organization's leadership includes staff who worked for Democratic elected officials and for left-of-center advocacy groups."
[. . .]
InfluenceWatch describes the Mainstream Coalition, formed in 1993, as "a left-of-center lobbying and electoral advocacy organization [that] claims to promote public education, government transparency, LGBT interests, and reproductive health care in Kansas."
Despite its name, the Mainstream Coalition has consistently fought alongside liberal organizations against conservative legislative proposals such as banning sex-change treatments for minors as well as school choice, including educational savings accounts (ESAs) for families to send their children to the schools of their preference.
* * *
One America News--Florida Bar retracts 'erroneous' statement on probe into fmr Trump admin. prosecutor Lindsey Halligan: 'No such pending Bar investigation'
Although the [Campaign for Accountability] claims that it's a "nonpartisan watchdog group that uses research and litigation to expose public misconduct," the group only targets conservative and Republican figures, officials and organizations in its investigations and complaints. Additionally, sources like InfluenceWatch describe it as a liberal group that is often aligned with Democrat operatives on its board, and that it frequently pursues ethics probes against Republicans.
* * *
Townhall--Here Are the Radical Leftist Judges Who Said Trump Cannot End TPS for 350,000 Haitians
Garcia was also supported by the Alliance for Justice (AFJ), which has an anti-Trump agenda, according to InfluenceWatch, which wrote, "AFJ opposes President Donald Trump and blames his Supreme Court nominees for ruling against AFJ's left-of-center policy initiatives. It has criticized President Trump for appointing conservative justices, and AFJ has campaigned for "packing" the Supreme Court by adding additional justices to "dilute" conservative influence over the Court."
* * *
Liberty Nation News--Getting Foreign Money Out of State Ballot Initiative Campaigns
The Fairness Project "is a labor union-backed advocacy organization that finances and supports state ballot initiative campaigns to promote left-of-center policies such as government-mandated comprehensive paid family and medical leave, Medicaid expansion, and minimum wage increases," watchdog website Influence Watch details in its dossier on the group.
[. . .]
"In November 2025, the state of Nebraska sued several nonprofit organizations over allegations they illegally spent over $10 million in foreign contributions whilst supporting state ballot initiatives between 2022 and 2024," Influence Watch reports. "The nonprofit groups in question included the Wyss Foundation, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, the Berger Action Fund, the New Venture Fund, the Hopewell Fund and the Fairness Project."
Funny how the Big Money so often has dirt all over it.
"According to Nebraska State Attorney General Mike Hilgers, the organizations in question violated a 2022 state law barring foreign nationals from funding state ballot campaigns and initiatives," Influence Watch chronicles. "Hilgers also alleged that Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss had previously sent donations to be passed through the nonprofits for the purpose of funding several local ballot initiatives."
* * *
The Daily Mail--Gavin Newsom's wife and her firm pocketed $3.7M from her 'gender stereotypes' charity, unearthed IRS filings reveal...days after her sanctimonious rant at the press
'This isn't the first time Siebel Newsom's gender justice-focused nonprofit has made news concerning its financial data,' said Sarah Lee, spokesperson for conservative charity watchdog the Capital Research Center.
* * *
National Taxpayers Union Foundation--California Can't Afford a Wealth Tax
NTU's Andrew Wilford was a guest on the InfluenceWatch podcast and NTU promoted it on their blog.
* * *
Original text here: https://capitalresearch.org/article/crc-news-recent-capital-research-center-influencewatch-media-citations/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Jamestown Foundation Posts Commentary: Iran Conflict Disrupts Central Asian Trade Routes
WASHINGTON, March 25 -- The Jamestown Foundation posted the following commentary on March 24, 2026, by Syed Fazl-e-Haider, contributing analyst at the South Asia desk of Wikistrat, in its Eurasia Daily Monitor:* * *
Iran Conflict Disrupts Central Asian Trade Routes
Executive Summary:
* Central Asian states have maintained neutrality while calling for de-escalation of the conflict in and around Iran. The conflict is indirectly impacting Central Asia, causing regional instability and economic uncertainty.
* The conflict has disrupted vital trade and transit routes linking Central Asia to global ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, March 25 -- The Jamestown Foundation posted the following commentary on March 24, 2026, by Syed Fazl-e-Haider, contributing analyst at the South Asia desk of Wikistrat, in its Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Iran Conflict Disrupts Central Asian Trade Routes Executive Summary: * Central Asian states have maintained neutrality while calling for de-escalation of the conflict in and around Iran. The conflict is indirectly impacting Central Asia, causing regional instability and economic uncertainty. * The conflict has disrupted vital trade and transit routes linking Central Asia to globalmarkets via Iran, causing shortages and logistical delays while testing Central Asia's resilience to energy price increases.
* Escalation in the Persian Gulf, including threats to the Strait of Hormuz, has increased the importance of routes such as the Middle Corridor, which bypasses both Russia and Iran. This shift may reshape regional logistics, requiring major infrastructure investment.
On March 2, Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry released an official statement about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East following U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran that began on February 28. Spokesperson Yerlan Zhettybayev said:
We express regret over the strikes against civilian facilities of Arab states that are not participating in the war against Iran, and with which Kazakhstan consistently develops friendly relations and comprehensive cooperation ... We call on all parties involved to exercise maximum restraint and responsibility in order to prevent further escalation of violence in the region (The Astana Times, March 2).
Central Asian states have largely maintained neutrality in official statements on the conflict, going out of their way to avoid outwardly criticizing any party, including Iran and the Gulf states. Conflict in and around Iran poses indirect economic, security, and geopolitical risks to Central Asia, which as a whole is advocating for de-escalation (The Times of Central Asia, March 4).
Central Asia has begun to feel the ripple effects of conflict in the Persian Gulf. Iran's retaliation to ongoing U.S.-Israeli aerial attacks and the killing of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has included strikes on U.S. bases across the Persian Gulf, drone and missile strikes on Israel, and choking off commercial use of the Strait of Hormuz (Special Eurasia, March 8).
Central Asia is a landlocked region that was historically dependent on Soviet-era transport networks passing through Russia to the north. The region has spent 30 years developing connectivity networks to the south and west, which have become more widely used since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine heightened the need for routes bypassing Russia. These routes offer Central Asian countries the shortest overland access to ports in Iran, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean (The Times of Central Asia, March 5).
Conflict in the Middle East has disrupted trade routes and key transit corridors across Central Asia. Iran links rail networks of Central Asia to Turkiye, the Gulf states, and Europe. Iranian ports also serve as gateways to the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf for Central Asia (The Times of Central Asia, March 2). In Turkmenistan, areas along the Iranian border have seen trade disruptions with Iran. These areas largely depend on Iran for food and household items. Shortages of these items in the market, due to delays or cancellations of Iranian shipments, have raised the prices of commodities that come from Iran to Turkmenistan. Ashgabat also faces uncertainty regarding oil, industrial goods, and construction materials from Iran. Similarly, Uzbekistan may face shortages of goods imported from Iran via Turkmenistan, particularly dairy products (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, March 4).
The conflict in the Middle East has forced Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to cancel flights that transit through Iranian airspace. Air Astana, Kazakhstan's largest airline, has suspended flights between Almaty and Medina, Dubai, and Doha due to the escalating conflict. Flights from Uzbekistan to Dubai, Medina, and Jeddah have also been delayed or cancelled outright (Aze.Media, March 2).
Railway lines in Central Asia form a key part of a broader network of transit routes that move commodities from the region to global markets via Iran. For example, the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway line moves goods from Central Asia to Iranian ports and onward to global markets. Rail routes from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan also run through Iran, providing overland links to maritime trade (The Times of Central Asia, March 5). Before the outbreak of the conflict, some observers saw transit through Iran as shorter and safer for Central Asian goods than the Russian route. Qasim Bekmumhammad, a political analyst on Central Asian affairs, said:
Iran is a transportation route, a transit route for goods in accessing free waters for the countries of Central Asia. At the same time, it was considered one of the shortest and safest routes, which is of paramount importance for Central Asia in the context of the Afghan crisis, as well as the Russian route (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, March 4).
The conflict in Iran exposes the constraints on landlocked Central Asia in international trade. The region depends on overland southern, northern, and western access routes to connect it to global markets (The Times of Central Asia, March 5). Conflict in the Middle East has blocked southern transit corridors for Central Asia, and brought the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR or Middle Corridor), which links the People's Republic of China, Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Turkiye with European markets, into the spotlight since the route bypasses Iran and Russia. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane, also enhances the importance of the TITR (The Caspian Post, March 10). Bulent Aksoy, head of the Turkic World Research Center in Ankara, said, "The Middle Corridor boasts advantages over its northern and southern counterparts, especially due to reducing around 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) off the journey, which also slashes transport time and freight costs" (Daily Sabah, March 6).
The conflict in Iran will test Central Asia's ability to cope with the skyrocketing oil and gas prices. Prolonged conflict in the Middle East could cause a major shift in regional logistics. In that scenario, the Middle Corridor could become the top option for regional trade, which, in turn, would require significant investment in Caspian Sea infrastructure (Special Eurasia, March 8).
* * *
Syed Fazl-e-Haider is a contributing analyst at the South Asia desk of Wikistrat.
* * *
Original text here: https://jamestown.org/iran-conflict-disrupts-central-asian-trade-routes/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Ifo Institute: Birthright Citizenship Reduces Crime Among Adolescents From Migrant Backgrounds
MUNICH, Germany, March 25 (TNSxrep) -- ifo Institute issued the following news release on March 24, 2026:* * *
Birthright Citizenship Reduces Crime Among Adolescents from Migrant Backgrounds
Acquiring German citizenship by birth lowers crime among adolescents from migrant backgrounds. This is shown by a new study by the ifo Institute and the University of Passau on the reform of citizenship law in 2000. "Adolescents from the second and third generations of immigrants, who have held German citizenship since birth, were recorded by the police as suspects around 70 percent less often than comparable ... Show Full Article MUNICH, Germany, March 25 (TNSxrep) -- ifo Institute issued the following news release on March 24, 2026: * * * Birthright Citizenship Reduces Crime Among Adolescents from Migrant Backgrounds Acquiring German citizenship by birth lowers crime among adolescents from migrant backgrounds. This is shown by a new study by the ifo Institute and the University of Passau on the reform of citizenship law in 2000. "Adolescents from the second and third generations of immigrants, who have held German citizenship since birth, were recorded by the police as suspects around 70 percent less often than comparableadolescents previously without a German passport," says ifo researcher Helmut Rainer. The decline in juvenile crime can be attributed primarily to fewer property and drug-related offenses.
The study examines the impact of the reform of German citizenship law in 2000. The study is based on police crime statistics from the German federal states of Baden-Wurttemberg and Hesse, as well as Berlin. Since 2000, children born in Germany to foreign parents have automatically been granted German citizenship at birth under the principle of birthplace, provided that at least one parent has had their habitual residence in Germany for eight years and holds a residence permit. Prior to 2000, only children with at least one German parent acquired citizenship at birth.
"Preventive measures to tackle juvenile crime, such as granting citizenship by birth, can shape identity formation, strengthen social trust, and improve opportunities for education, employment, and political participation," says ifo researcher Leander Andres. Studies show that the introduction of citizenship by birth has led to an improvement in the school performance of children from migrant backgrounds. Better access to education and employment opportunities reduces the likelihood of young people turning to crime.
* * *
Original text here: ifo.de/en/detail-suche?size=n_10_n&filters%5B0%5D%5Bfield%5D=bundle.keyword&filters%5B0%5D%5Bvalues%5D%5B0%5D=pressemitteilung&filters%5B1%5D%5Bfield%5D=bundle.keyword&filters%5B1%5D%5Bvalues%5D%5B0%5D=pressemitteilung&filters%5B2%5D%5Bfield%5D=bundle.keyword&filters%5B2%5D%5Bvalues%5D%5B0%5D=pressemitteilung&filters%5B3%5D%5Bfield%5D=bundle.keyword&filters%5B3%5D%5Bvalues%5D%5B0%5D=pressemitteilung&sort-field=_score&sort-direction=desc
[Category: ThinkTank]
Hudson Institute Issues Commentary to Australian Financial Review: How Trump's War on Iran Will Affect China's Taiwan Calculations
WASHINGTON, March 25 -- Hudson Institute, a research organization that says it promotes leadership for a secure, free and prosperous future, issued the following commentary on March 24, 2026, by senior fellow John Lee to the Australian Financial Review:* * *
How Trump's War on Iran Will Affect China's Taiwan Calculations
Regardless of what happens in the Middle East, Xi Jinping will be more uncomfortable with the state of the world-and this is good for deterrence.
*
What does war in the Middle East mean for the credibility and effectiveness of US-led deterrence of China in Asia? The rule ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, March 25 -- Hudson Institute, a research organization that says it promotes leadership for a secure, free and prosperous future, issued the following commentary on March 24, 2026, by senior fellow John Lee to the Australian Financial Review: * * * How Trump's War on Iran Will Affect China's Taiwan Calculations Regardless of what happens in the Middle East, Xi Jinping will be more uncomfortable with the state of the world-and this is good for deterrence. * What does war in the Middle East mean for the credibility and effectiveness of US-led deterrence of China in Asia? The ruleof thumb is that the more the US is caught up in problems in other parts of the world, the less focused it is on Asia and deterring China.
There is a seductive logic to this argument. American reserves of hard power are finite. The more it is deployed in one part of the world, the less it can be used somewhere else. And the less US hard power available in Asia, the poorer its ability to deter China.
Such reasoning is not wrong, but it is inadequate. Donald Trump's war against Iran is about Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missile program, and not part of a 4-D chess game to outflank China. Even so, US-led deterrence has been strengthened due to events and developments over the past few weeks.
To be sure, war is very much a matter of reserves of weapons, supply chains and logistics. In the immediate term, the US military will be stretched if it is needed in Asia.
Operation Epic Fury is the most intensive air campaign in the opening days of a war in history. Estimates are that the US used over 5000 munitions in the first four days and over 11,000 in the first 16 days. This includes more than 300 Tomahawk cruise missiles in the opening days of the war ,when the Pentagon had planned to buy just 57 new ones in the current fiscal year.
It is even more serious when it comes to expensive Patriot and THAAD (terminal high altitude area defence) interceptors. America used an estimated 140 and 150 of these interceptors respectively in the first few days of the war. Only 39 interceptors are slated for delivery in 2027. Stocks are a closely guarded secret, but the Trump administration has plans to raise production of Tomahawks from 60 to 1000 a year and Patriot interceptors from 600 to 2000. These are only plans and are as yet unfunded by Congress.
None of this means Xi Jinping is licking his lips in anticipation of a quick and successful campaign across the Taiwan Strait. For a start, his recent purges of senior military figures, including general Zhang Youxia - who was the most senior military officer in the People's Liberation Army and the vice chairman of the all-powerful Central Military Commission - creates a short-term but debilitating gap in the leadership ranks of those who would direct any military campaign. That a high proportion of purges have occurred in the Rocket Force, which is the part of the PLA that was set up to lead military actions against Taiwan, is also revealing.
Moreover, just as we do not know the PLA's true readiness, capabilities, and resources, China does not know how degraded the US stockpiles for a Taiwan contingency really are. Besides, rather than just a dispassionate calculation about what skill and resources each side can bring to the fight, deterrence is an inexact guessing game.
In the absence of verifiable information, some answers are nevertheless clear. Iran was never a genuine ally but was a significant Chinese strategic asset. That is no more. Iranian power is severely diminished and will be for some time. It is no longer the feared great power in the Middle East that it was only a few weeks ago.
More importantly, when thinking about any forceful seizure of Taiwan, the initial Chinese calculation is whether it can land forces in Taiwan without suffering unacceptable losses and whether Taiwan can be brought to its knees in a matter of weeks. Beijing does not really know the answer, which brings us to the next key question.
Does the US have the stomach for a fight? If it does, then any use of force against Taiwan is likely to be a disaster for all involved, especially China. And a foreign policy disaster might well be an existential threat to the ruling Communist Party and Xi himself. This is the ultimate reason for Chinese hesitation.
Most critically, it becomes not just a calculation about the balance of power in north-east Asia but an assessment of the balance of resolve between the two great powers, and in practice, a guessing game about Trump's nerve and psychological willingness to escalate. I doubt Xi holds much stock in the TACO (Trump always chickens out) claim. The Iranians certainly do not.
Is Trump more likely to respond with force than his predecessors Joe Biden and Barack Obama? Is he more likely to use force when the adversary appears vulnerable, and he sees an opportunity for a big strategic pay-off? The answers are clearly yes.
The obvious caveat is that taking on Iran is not the same as taking on Russia (which he seems reluctant to do), let alone China. And Trump clearly admires the daring and risk-taking of Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel, even if he has not yet shown an eagerness to support more cautious allies - which he needs to bring on board in Asia.
But all things considered, and regardless of what happens in Iran, Xi will be more uncomfortable and dissatisfied with the state of the world than he was not so long ago. This is good for deterrence.
Read in The Australian Financial Review (https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/how-trump-s-war-on-iran-will-affect-china-s-taiwan-calculations-20260323-p5rny3).
* * *
At A Glance:
John Lee is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.hudson.org/national-security-defense/how-trumps-war-iran-will-affect-chinas-taiwan-calculations-john-lee
[Category: ThinkTank]
Goldwater Sues UCLA for Hiding Records of Radical Activists
PHOENIX, Arizona, March 25 [Category: ThinkTank] -- The Goldwater Institute posted the following news:* * *
Goldwater Sues UCLA for Hiding Records of Radical Activists
*
For nearly a decade, UCLA has been bringing radicals to campus through its " Activist-in-Residence " program, a taxpayer-funded initiative aimed at "turn[ing] the university inside out." Those activists have a right to their radical ideas-including one who called homelessness a " white man's scam " and derided Israel as a " kolonizer " guilty of "genocide." But UCLA is not entitled to hide records from the public about what ... Show Full Article PHOENIX, Arizona, March 25 [Category: ThinkTank] -- The Goldwater Institute posted the following news: * * * Goldwater Sues UCLA for Hiding Records of Radical Activists * For nearly a decade, UCLA has been bringing radicals to campus through its " Activist-in-Residence " program, a taxpayer-funded initiative aimed at "turn[ing] the university inside out." Those activists have a right to their radical ideas-including one who called homelessness a " white man's scam " and derided Israel as a " kolonizer " guilty of "genocide." But UCLA is not entitled to hide records from the public about whatthose radicals are teaching or how much they are being paid with taxpayer dollars.
That's why the Goldwater Institute-represented by attorney Bradley Benbrook, a member of Goldwater's pro bono American Freedom Network- filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against UCLA. For more than four months, the university has refused to turn over any records related to the teaching materials and compensation of Lisa "Tiny" Gray-Garcia, one of its activists-in-residence and a self-described "poverty scholar" and "revolutionary journalist."
The lawsuit seeks to enforce the public's right to inspect government records under the California Public Records Act and the California Constitution, which guarantee broad access to information about how public institutions operate.
"Under California law, taxpayer-funded institutions like UCLA cannot withhold public records like the ones Goldwater has requested, even if those records include embarrassing or controversial information that the institutions would prefer to keep hidden," Benbrook said. "UCLA proudly advertises on its website that it pays 'Activists-in-Residence' like Ms. Gray-Garcia to engage in the type of 'poverty scholarship' and 'revolutionary journalism' she pursues, yet it has refused to produce the basic documents Goldwater has requested about her work for UCLA and the financial support UCLA provides. We brought this case to ask the court to order UCLA to follow the law and turn over the records."
Gray-Garcia-who describes herself as "a formerly unhoused, incarcerated poverty scholar, revolutionary journalist [and] lecturer"-is one of more than 25 activists participating in UCLA's Activist-in-Residence program. The program brings in self-described revolutionaries to teach students and develop "power-shifting" social programs.
In one video linked to her program profile, California's Pacific Palisades is described as "Stolen Land" that's being "Occupied" by "hoarders," and homelessness is characterized as "a white man's scam." The UCLA lecturer has also made several social media posts condemning Israel and Zionism-claiming that Palestinians have been incarcerated in their homeland since "the Occupation of Israel," and called Israel a "kolonizer" and a perpetrator of "genocide."
To better understand what students are learning from residents in this program and how much taxpayers are paying for their salaries, the Goldwater Institute submitted a public records request in October seeking Gray-Garcia's contract with UCLA, her compensation, course syllabi and materials, university emails discussing topics such as Israel and Gaza, and all materials provided to activists-in-residence during the program's 2024 orientation.
UCLA has failed to produce a single record in a timely manner as required under the California Public Records Act.
Goldwater explained in a Nov. 14 letter to UCLA that its request is limited and specific, and many of the responsive records-such as Gray-Garcia's contract with the university and her compensation-should be easy to locate and produce. Despite acknowledging the request, never disputing that the records sought were public, and repeatedly promising production dates-in January, then February, then March-the university continues to delay.
Goldwater's complaint asks the California Superior Court to order UCLA to produce the requested records and comply with state transparency laws.
"Taxpayers have a right to know what is being taught and how much a university is paying for it," said Stacy Skankey, Litigation Director of the Goldwater Institute's American Freedom Network. "UCLA should have responded quickly to our basic records request about Lisa Gray-Garcia's work with the school. Unfortunately, they simply refuse to follow the law. Now it's time for the court to step in and force UCLA to shine a light on what the public is paying for."
Universities often delay producing records in hopes that requesters will simply give up, but California law does not allow agencies to obstruct access to public information.
The Goldwater Institute will continue to fight for transparency and accountability from public institutions so citizens can see how their tax dollars are being used. Through the American Freedom Network, Goldwater and its partners stand ready to push back against unlawful secrecy and delay tactics in every state.
Read the Goldwater Institute's lawsuit against UCLA here.
***
Original text here: https://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/goldwater-sues-ucla-for-hiding-records-of-radical-activists/
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: Metro Transit Should Be Put in Charge of Suburban Bus Services
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minnesota, March 25 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on March 24, 2026, by economist John Phelan:* * *
Metro Transit should be put in charge of suburban bus services
A couple of weeks ago, I submitted testimony to the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee in support of HF 4111. Below is an edited version of my remarks.
The problem
The Met Council's February report "High-Subsidy Transit Route Analysis" found that, on weekdays, urban bus rapid ... Show Full Article GOLDEN VALLEY, Minnesota, March 25 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on March 24, 2026, by economist John Phelan: * * * Metro Transit should be put in charge of suburban bus services A couple of weeks ago, I submitted testimony to the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee in support of HF 4111. Below is an edited version of my remarks. The problem The Met Council's February report "High-Subsidy Transit Route Analysis" found that, on weekdays, urban bus rapidtransit (BRT) routes require subsidies of between $5.32 to $7.09 per passenger per ride, the Orange and Red lines require subsidies of $13.26 to $18.00, and that "Core Local Bus" routes rely on subsidies that can range anywhere from $7.04 to $23.07.
These numbers pale in comparison with most of the south metro suburban bus services run by the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA). Here, per-passenger subsidies can climb as high as $200 per passenger per ride. Of MVTA's 48 suburban bus routes, about 17 to 20 fall into the "high subsidy" category, with subsidies in the high double-digits -- around $50 or more. Six MVTA corridors exceed per-passenger subsidies of $90 and MVTA -- which accounts for 2.6% of Total Transit Ridership -- accounts for two-thirds of all high subsidy routes which swallow 30% of their entire budget.
Those numbers reflect day-to-day operating costs, not the cost of capital construction or new train cars or buses.
The solution
The high subsidy routes should, quite simply, be terminated. While it is true that this will leave some areas unserved, this problem is not likely to be large given the high subsidies required to provide the service and the low usage that indicates.
In addition, this bill would fold the four "Opt-Out" providers -- Maple Grove Transit, Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA), Plymouth Metro Link, and South West Transit -- into a single regional system operated by Metro Transit. These agencies were created in the 1980s because suburban communities were paying local property taxes into the regional bus system and wanted a voice on how their local taxes were being invested in service. That changed in 2001, when the Legislature eliminated the transit operating property tax and replaced it with state general fund support and Motor Vehicle Sales Tax (MVST) revenue. Since 2002, all providers -- Metro Transit and the opt-outs -- have drawn from the same state funding pool, so there is no need to maintain five separate administrative structures when four deliver only 4.5% of the rides and one -- Metro Transit -- the other 95.5%.
Eliminating high-subsidy routes could yield some $23 million in annual savings from operating costs alone.
Ending the current "Opt-Out" model would enable us to deploy resources more efficiently and recognize economies of scale. Combined, the collective administrative overhead of the four is 52% of their budgets. This can be eliminated.
In the name of more efficient, economical transit, we support this bill.
* * *
John Phelan is an Economist at the Center of the American Experiment.
john.phelan@americanexperiment.org
* * *
Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/metro-transit-should-be-put-in-charge-of-suburban-bus-services/
[Category: ThinkTank]
CSIS Issues Commentary: Fortifying the Guatemala-Taiwan Partnership for Development
WASHINGTON, March 25 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following commentary on March 24, 2026, by Director Ryan C. Berg and associate fellow Henry Ziemer, both of the Americas Program:* * *
Fortifying the Guatemala-Taiwan Partnership for Development
Introduction
Guatemala, with a population of nearly 19 million people in the heart of Central America, is the most important country in the world that maintains official diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. As the United States pivots its focus to the Western Hemisphere, and with it a strategy of warding off Chinese ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, March 25 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following commentary on March 24, 2026, by Director Ryan C. Berg and associate fellow Henry Ziemer, both of the Americas Program: * * * Fortifying the Guatemala-Taiwan Partnership for Development Introduction Guatemala, with a population of nearly 19 million people in the heart of Central America, is the most important country in the world that maintains official diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. As the United States pivots its focus to the Western Hemisphere, and with it a strategy of warding off Chineseinfluence close to the U.S. homeland, countries such as Guatemala will assume an even greater level of importance in U.S. strategy. While the United States' pivot to the Western Hemisphere has been welcomed by many countries in the region as long overdue, the geopolitical environment remains challenging. Some tools of assistance, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), have been curtailed; fortunately for Guatemala, a majority of USAID's remaining foreign assistance funding for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is spent in the country.
Nevertheless, despite strong economic growth, Guatemala has tremendous development needs, and the country's continued relations with Taiwan could be a function of how well Guatemala's aid partners, along with Taiwan, assist the country in meeting those development needs. In this context, the CSIS Americas Program recently spent a week on field research in Guatemala, conducting semi-structured interviews with dozens of experts, private sector participants, members of civil society, and embassy stakeholders. These insights gleaned from on-the-ground engagement in Guatemala inform the analysis and recommendations in this commentary.
Guatemala's Development Challenges
Guatemala's economy is the largest in Central America, and the country boasts a robust and dynamic private sector. Its real GDP grew by nearly 4 percent in 2025, higher than both neighboring El Salvador and Mexico. However, the country's economy faces a number of structural growth headwinds, most notably with respect to physical infrastructure. Despite having Atlantic and Pacific ports, trans-isthmian trade is bottlenecked by the Interoceanic Highway (CA-9), which for most of its length is limited to just two lanes. A lack of maintenance and expansion of this thoroughfare means traffic moves from coast to coast at the sluggish pace of an average of 15 kilometers an hour in some places. The ports themselves are currently being assessed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for potential expansion, which would allow Guatemala to bolster its export potential, as well as cut down on the waiting times for ships to dock, which currently average at around 90 days.
Just 56 percent of Guatemalans live in urban areas, compared to a regional average of around 81 percent for LAC as a whole. Nevertheless, the search for economic opportunities could bring a wave of internal migration to cities in the coming decade. Already, Guatemala City is experiencing the consequences of increased urbanization, resulting in high levels of traffic congestion as well as exacerbating issues related to crime and extortion. Smaller regional cities such as Quetzaltenango, Coban, and Puerto Barrios could be poised to grow quickly as well, further stressing local transportation and residential infrastructure.
Energy generation is another challenge that impedes the country's competitiveness in more advanced manufacturing and higher rungs of the value chain. Interviews with both Guatemalan and Taiwanese private sector representatives revealed power costs to be an impediment to Guatemala's ability to attract investment through industrial parks. Currently, this means Guatemalan manufacturing remains limited to more basic rungs of the value chain, such as final assembly of finished parts imported from elsewhere. With more stable and cost-effective baseload power generation, Guatemala could begin to move into direct manufacturing of certain components. Taiwan could be of assistance here, as the country looks to climb the ladder of semiconductors and microelectronics. These technologies will take time, but Guatemala seeks to position itself for future investments in assembly, testing, and packaging, which could bear fruit over the medium-term.
At the international level, despite continuing to receive a sizable portion of the remaining U.S. development assistance, the United States has not engaged as closely with Guatemala as the country had hoped. President Bernardo Arevalo has thus far managed to avoid diplomatic clashes with the Trump administration, but he has not received the type of praise reserved for leaders such as El Salvador's Nayib Bukele or Argentina's Javier Milei. Guatemala's absence from the March 7 "Shield of the Americas" Summit was taken by some as an indication that, while not on bad terms with the United States, Guatemala was missing out on opportunities for closer collaboration. However, Guatemala was 1 of the 18 Western Hemisphere governments to join the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, suggesting a pathway may remain to increased collaboration in the security domain.
Finally, despite a lack of diplomatic recognition, the People's Republic of China (PRC) is still making inroads in Guatemala. Interviewees identified the China-Guatemala Chamber of Cooperation and Commerce as providing a foothold for PRC commercial influence, and China's exports to Guatemala have more than doubled from $2.4 billion in 2019 to $5 billion in 2024. As with other countries in LAC, Chinese electric vehicles and consumer technologies have flooded into Guatemala as the PRC continues to search for new markets. Thus far, the Arevalo administration has given no public reasons to believe a diplomatic switch is in the offing, but China could seize upon presidential elections in 2027 to try its hand at flipping another ally of Taiwan.
Taiwan's Development Assistance
One of the most valuable tools at Taiwan's disposal for preserving its relationship with Guatemala is development cooperation. Taiwan and Guatemala have decades of experience working together in this sector on projects ranging from job training and agricultural security to larger-scale infrastructure investments. Indeed, today, Taiwan's cooperation with Guatemala continues to straddle both traditional development initiatives and infrastructure, such as supporting the Inter-American Development Bank's project to widen the CA-9 highway to four lanes.
Taiwan has also carved out important areas of comparative advantage for its development assistance, especially in healthcare and agriculture. In the health sector, Taiwan has again coupled investment in hard infrastructure with skills-based training and human capital development initiatives. In 2023, then-President Tsai Ing-wen inaugurated a $22 million hospital project that Taiwan helped develop in Chimaltenango. Most recently, Taiwan's assistance aims to expand Guatemala's maternal and neonatal care initiatives, including the training of doctors and nurses, as well as transferring technologies like ultrasound machines to improve access to care, especially for rural communities. The CSIS Americas team interviewed Guatemalan health professionals working in and managing the health sector.
Another area where Taiwan has also been able to leverage its technological advantages to great effect is in agriculture. Taiwan's climate shares similar features with Guatemala's, making the former able to share agricultural practices and even some types of fruits, vegetables, and other raw materials, such as bamboo, with the latter. Furthermore, Taiwan has worked with organizations such as the International Regional Organization for Plant and Animal Health (known by its Spanish acronym OIRSA) to combine satellite imaging, drones, and trained canine units to scan for Fusarium wilt, otherwise known as Panama disease, in banana crops. Bananas represent Guatemala's single largest export, valued at over $1.5 billion in 2024, but the disease's spread throughout the Western Hemisphere is raising major concerns over the industry's future trajectory--and potentially devastating future losses. Taiwan's ability to facilitate the transfer of advanced technologies and geospatial intelligence obtained by its Formosat-8 constellation has proven vital for monitoring banana crops more expeditiously than any human team could. The CSIS Americas team was able to interview authorities from OIRSA about this cooperation and visited a site just outside Guatemala City, where more information on the agricultural sector and cooperation on bamboo transformation is conducted.
Also unique to Taiwan's approach to development assistance is its government-to-government nature. Whereas many other international organizations, from USAID to the European Union, have pursued localization strategies emphasizing coordination with civil society and nongovernmental organizations to implement programs in-country, Taiwan primarily works with the government of Guatemala directly to identify key projects and lines of effort. This has both advantages and drawbacks for Taiwan-Guatemala development cooperation. Direct government-to-government development cooperation means Taipei can be responsive to immediate needs and identify complementarities with existing Guatemalan social assistance programs. It also guarantees high-level visibility into Taiwan's capacities and current projects. However, multiple interviewees stressed rapid turnover in government, both at the presidential level, but also of ministers and vice ministers, as an obstacle to long-term project implementation, as new appointees often seek to make their mark by readjusting priorities, putting their own stamp on, or launching new initiatives which may bear little resemblance to what their predecessors had emphasized.
Policy Recommendations
Guatemala and Taiwan have a strong foundation to build upon, but tighter cooperation is necessary to meet the former's development and infrastructure needs, while staving off China's increasingly bold efforts to isolate the latter diplomatically. Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) should play a leading role in these efforts, but many will require enlisting other elements of the Taiwanese government and identifying new ways to work with Taiwan's international allies.
Innovative Solutions for Information Sharing
As the researchers discovered on the trip, Taiwan's diplomatic status can present challenges to engaging with potential development partners and like-minded nations within Guatemala, for fear of upsetting relations with China. The researchers met with representatives from the European Union, Canadian, and Spanish missions in Guatemala. All three expressed a lack of insight into Taiwan's development strategy in Guatemala, and a lack of awareness as to Taiwan's current projects and future projects.
Innovative engagement may be one way to solve the lack of formal coordination. A group of nations calling themselves the G13, comprised mostly of European, Asian, and American development partners, already exists to coordinate development assistance and hold periodic informational meetings. If Taiwan is unable to attend these meetings due to diplomatic sensitivities of some of the partners, one of the most frequent participants should assume the role of "friend of Taiwan" by serving as an informal representative of TaiwanICDF at these meetings. Such a role would ensure a modicum of coordination is possible between TaiwanICDF and other nations' development agencies, and also ensure that the G13 can avoid duplication of efforts with Taiwan.
Taiwan's Healthcare Advantage
In Guatemala, the healthcare system is under-resourced and under considerable strain, especially in rural areas. The researchers discovered that Taiwan is one of the few development partners making efforts in Guatemala's public health and health strengthening space. This includes strengthening the current system and building facilities in rural areas. Many other partners in the G13 have abandoned their efforts in this space. Taiwan has a long history of successful health strengthening efforts in other formal allies as well, most notably its successful digitization initiatives in Paraguay. A global leader in technology and medical systems, Taiwan is leading digitization efforts in Paraguay. Almost 90 percent of the country's health records are online, with an increasing number of patient interactions taking place online as well. The partnership is now in Phase Two. In Guatemala, interviewees mentioned similar efforts at digitization could combat waste, fraud, and abuse in the healthcare system and speed patient care.
Development to Complement Private Sector Trade
The researchers heard myriad stories about the need to increase bilateral trade between Guatemala and Taiwan. The two maintain a free trade agreement, but business chambers and associations relayed that commercial exchange has not increased dramatically between Guatemala and Taiwan. Sometimes, trade shows and delegations fail to produce tangible investment outcomes. TaiwanICDF should consider development projects that enhance the private sector's ability to increase trade flows and deliver more formal sector employment in Guatemala.
For instance, Guatemala's shrimp industry hopes to backfill some of that lost by Honduras upon switching official diplomatic recognition to China. Given that Honduras once sent about 40 percent of its shrimp exports to Taiwan, valued at over $100 million, there is room for Guatemala to grow these exports. However, particularities about Taiwan's shrimp market, local cuisine, and taste require Guatemala's shrimp industry to make adjustments before larger export volumes can occur. TaiwanICDF could invest in targeted training programs specifically aimed at facilitating greater bilateral trade between Guatemala and Taiwan.
Beyond tailored training programs, TaiwanICDF should consider bringing the private sector into some of its projects to achieve scale unachievable by TaiwanICDF alone. Some examples include the building of an industrial park outside Guatemala City and potential assistance with water desalination programs, which could feed water into tech industries known to be water-intensive. Getting these elements right would unlock Guatemala's ability to play a role in the assembly of solar panels or semiconductors under the government's new program called La Ruta del Chip ("the route of the chip").
Vocational Training Sponsored by TaiwanICDF
CSIS Americas Program researchers spoke to Guatemalan beneficiaries of educational exchanges with Taiwan. Many spoke highly of their experiences and the skills they gained. What was clear, however, was that the educational exchanges were typically university programs, not focused on vocational training. Another means to foment more trade between Guatemala and Taiwan would involve TaiwanICDF sponsoring vocational education exchanges. For example, researchers learned of plans by the Taiwan Electronics Manufacturing Association to nearshore some elements of electronics supply chains to Central America, and the Invest Guatemala program is a preferred partner of Taiwan's Central American Trade Office. However, this initiative would require vocational training on the use of certain types of manufacturing equipment. Another project encompassed plans to build a metallurgy hub for screws, components, nuts, and bolts on larger manufactured items. Taiwan is prepared to donate old machines used to cast molds and dyes no longer in use on the island, and no longer cost-competitive. These industries require specialist training before supply chains can move to Guatemala.
Partners for Infrastructure
The most common theme throughout the week of field research in Guatemala was the country's feeble and insufficient infrastructure. Too few ports to service the country's import and export goals, congested and half-built roads, and a main airport in need of upgrades. Given China's narrative regarding large infrastructure projects, it is important that TaiwanICDF be seen as playing a role in meeting Guatemala's considerable infrastructure needs. While this may be beyond TaiwanICDF's financial purview alone, the agency should seek to partner with organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank or the Central American Bank of Economic Integration, to which it is a main donor, to increase infrastructure partnerships. In addition, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation should consider a role in these efforts, given that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers already has an agreement in place to perform feasibility studies for Guatemala's port expansion plans.
Improving development cooperation between Guatemala and Taiwan is not just a matter of delivering better outcomes for the Guatemalan people; it is a geopolitical priority for Taipei to retain one of its most vital allies. For the United States as well, building a stronger trilateral partnership between Taipei, Washington, and Guatemala City will be crucial for achieving a more stable, secure, and prosperous Western Hemisphere.
* * *
Ryan C. Berg is director of the Americas Program and head of the Future of Venezuela Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Henry Ziemer is an associate fellow with the Americas Program at CSIS.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.csis.org/analysis/fortifying-guatemala-taiwan-partnership-development
[Category: ThinkTank]