Plus, 61 years ago this President learned about CO2’s impact ...
From the Editor's Desk
Oil is supposedly the main justification for President Trump’s Venezuela power grab, so one of the key questions that keeps surfacing is: Who stands to benefit most from developing that oil supply?
One obvious answer: Gulf Coast oil refiners poised to process the South American nation’s thick, sludgy crude. Citgo, which MAGA oil billionaire Paul Singer recently purchased, could benefit significantly. As Geoff Dembicki revealed this week, Paul Singer funded the think tank behind a Venezuela expert who repeatedly appeared on Fox News.
National security expert Rebeccah Heinrichs, a fellow at the Hudson Institute, spoke favorably of American aggression and pressure on the Maduro government in the lead-up and aftermath of the U.S.’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
To find out how much the oil billionaire’s foundation donated to the Hudson Institute and more about the right-wing connections Geoff uncovered, dive into the full story.
Meanwhile, in the UK, the misinformation machine continues spinning. Tory energy chief Claire Coutinho endorsed two new anti-climate reports this week that science experts and government agencies rejected. Unsurprising? The reports’ creators have ties to fossil fuels and climate deniers. Read more from Adam Barnett.
From the archives: More than 60 years ago this week, a sitting U.S. President first learned about the link between carbon dioxide and climate change in a memo DeSmog uncovered. Dive into the history of this moment with Rebecca John to understand what a federal task force told Lyndon B. Johnson in January 1965.
Read more and see the documents yourself.
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Thanks as always,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director
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Image: President Trump Delivers Remarks to the Venezuelan American Community in 2019. Credit: Official White House Photo
‘Utterly Shameless’: Tory Energy Chief Backs ‘Nonsense’ Anti-Net Zero Reports
— By Adam Barnett (6 min. read) —
The people behind the reports are tied to the fossil fuel industry and climate science denial groups.
A Fox News Venezuela Expert Is Backed by MAGA Oil Billionaire Paul Singer
— By Geoff Dembicki (4 min. read) —
Singer’s foundation gave $100,000 to the expert’s think tank, the Hudson Institute, according to 2024 tax records.
Danielle Smith Working With Trump Official Who Wants to Annex Greenland
— By Mary Stuart (4 min. read) —
The Alberta premier belongs to a U.S. group called the Governors Coalition for Energy Security that’s led by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, Trump’s envoy to Greenland.
FROM THE DESMOG ARCHIVES (2024)
Revealed: A U.S. President Was First Informed of CO2’s Impact 59 Years Ago This Month
— Rebecca John ( 8 min. read) —
A 1965 memo to Lyndon Baines Johnson discloses the link between CO2 emissions and climate change — showing federal climate action could have started decades sooner.
Nigel Farage Accepted £10,000 Gifts from Petrostate
—By Sam Bright (3 min. read) —
The leader of Reform, a pro-oil party, received lavish hospitality from Abu Dhabi.
From the Climate Disinformation Database: Hudson Institute
The Hudson Institute is a 501(c)(3) organization that describes itself as “An independent research organization promoting new ideas for the advancement of global security, prosperity and freedom.” It was founded in 1961 by strategist Herman Kahn and his colleagues at the Rand Corporation. Founded at the height of the Cold War, the Institute started with a focus on defense, nuclear power, and strategy. Since 9/11, the institute has changed focus to terrorism and has strongly advocated for the Iraq War. Past Hudson Institute scholars have contended that global cooling should be more feared than global warming, and that increased CO2 will increase crop yields.
Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database, Ad & PR Database, and Koch Network Database.
