floor to make this case about this web of denial, which is at the core of what has been blocking this senate from taking the actions necessary to deploy the technologies, to create the jobs which can save the planet by deploying these technologies all across the planet. so i thank the senator from rhode island once again. just incredibly great, historic leadership. and i yield back the balance of my time. mr. whitehouse: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. whitehouse: mr. president, it is an honor for me to follow senator markey who has battled so long and so effectively in this struggle against such odds, and i think we both feel that the tide has turned, things are going our way, but we have to

hurry because nature is unforgiving. the pope said god forgives, mankind forgives sometimes, but nature never forgives. you slap her and she will slap you back. we have given nature one hell of a slap with climate change. when i was here yesterday, i wal and i was pointing out that the web of denial has to mislead to be effective. that's what it is. it's a tool to mislead. and i pointed out what a koch brothers operative described as its goal when this whole web was being developed. this is the quote. it would be necessary to use ambiguous and misleading names, obscure the true agenda, and conceal the means of control. well, if you're looking for ambiguous and misleading names that can obscure the true agenda

and conceal the means of control, one tactic would be to exploit our founding fathers, to seize their names and use them to lend authority and gravitas to the deception, in the same way that using the names of lord akton, the famous historian or george c. marshall, the hero of world war ii, accomplished that task. in this case, the names are franklin, madison and jefferson, and they are joined by the philosopher john locke. let's start with the so-called franklin center for government and public integrity, which has a nice little silhouette of ben franklin on its logo. it was established in 2009, and it says that it -- quote -- supports and trains investigative journalists to advance transparency, accountability and fiscal responsibility in local government and to spotlight free

market pro-liberty solutions to difficult policy challenges. well, according to desmog blog, the franklin center was launched and funded by a conservative think tank that encouraged grassroots activism, which is the now-defunct sam adams alliance. oh, no. another bogus organization exploiting the name of yet another founding father. there is a little pattern here. jeff nesbit, who i spoke about yesterday, wrote in his book "poison tea" how big oil and big tobacco invented the tea party and captured the g.o.p. this about the franklin center. at the start of 2008, the franklin center for government and public integrity had a budget of zero dollars. its legal home was a taffy shop in madora, north dakota. by 2009, the franklin center's budget had jumped to

$2.4 million, according to i.r.s. tax records. that, jeff nesbit, wrote, is a spectacular leap for a nonprofit, especially in madora, north dakota. it was almost as if, he continued, someone wished to utilize the charter concept of the franklin center, developing individual but interlinked new centers across the united states that would all promote the same messages for other purposes, and therefore infused it with a mountain of funding and network support. let's dig into the franklin center's connections to groups and funders in this web of denial. according to desmog blog, the franklin center's director of donor development comes out of the charles g. koch foundation. wow. and its senior vice president in charge of strategic initiatives comes out of the koch brothers

americans for prosperity. the founding board member who set it up helped run, oh, americans for prosperity in north dakota. according to media matters for america, the franklin center's coalitions coordinator and its chief of staff also came out of, oh, americans for prosperity. not surprisingly, the pew research center's project for excellence in journalism ranked the franklin center watchdog.org group as -- quote -- highly ideological. it is clear they have a bias at the franklin center to so doubt regarding human-caused climate change. no surprise considering where their staff and money comes from. here's the stuff they say. in 2015, a vice president for research and resident scholar at the john locke foundation -- more on them shortly -- wrote in the franklin center affiliated

cearl journal, and i quote, global warming is not about data points so much as it has been -- quote -- a trick pulled by global warming alarmists over the last decade. there's a responsible view. in 2014, a staff reporter for the franklin center's watchdog.org wrote i continue to contend that climate change is a meaningless phrase because the climate obviously changes. but it's useful for political activism. in 2011, it's out with the hawaii reporter wrote hard-nosed physical evidence of man made global warming has yet to be provided by the promoters of warming, even after a phenomenal $80 billion have been spent in the attempt to do so. the niemen foundation for journalism at harvard has looked at the franklin center and calls it at the forefront of an effort to blur the distinction between state house reporting and political advocacy. a former reuters chief

whitehouse correspondent describes the franklin center state watchdog.org sites as -- quote -- delivering political propaganda dressed up as journalism. and let's follow its money. the franklin center's top donor in 2011 is reported by the nonprofit media matters for america and the center for public integrity was, guess what, the right wing's dark money a.t.m. donors trust set up by who? oh, right. the koch brothers. over $6 million or roughly 95% of the franklin center's revenue that year came through this organization whose sole purpose is to hide the identity of the real donors. that's why it exists. according to data collected by the conservative transparency project, between 2009 and 2014, the franklin center received over $31 million from donors trust and its related donors

capital fund. we don't know who the hidden donors are because that's why they set up the donors trust thing, but a clue who they might be comes from the reported donors, like the right-wing lindy and harry bradley foundation, founded according to the center for media and democracy source watch by, close, one of the original charter members of the far right-wing john birch society. another birch society board member was fred koch, the father of charles and david koch. dr. brulle's research indicates that the bradley foundation between 2003-2010 gave almost $30 million to these organizations that he tracks in this web of denial, $30 million. then there is dunn's foundation for the advancement of right thinking, a florida-based grant-making foundation that drn shows between 2003-2010 gave

$13.7 million into this web of denial organizations. then there is the freedom trust which according to center for media democracy source watch has also funded americans for prosperity, guess what, the koch group, the american enterprise institute, alec, the front group, the heartland institute, those classics who compared climate change to the unabomber, climate change believers to the unabomber, and the state policy network. dr. brulle's research again indicates that they gave $21.7 million to this web of denial groups that he tracks. and another donor, of course, to the franklin institute is the charles g. koch charitable foundation. that one's self-explanatory. so if you look at what's going on at the franklin center, you see koch people, koch money and

koch buddies. then there is the so-called james madison institute. a libertarian think tank with a long history of trying to undermine climate science and renewable energy policy. yale's professor justin farrell lists the james madison institute among the organizations he tracks contributing to the polarization of climate change debate. the heartland institute, yes, that wonderful unabomber group, a senior fellow for environmental policy, is on the james madison institute's research advisory council. i mean, it is such a web of connections. according to research by the american bridge project, the madison institute received over $1.4 million in direct donations from koch affiliateed groups. between 2003 and 2013, they received funding from the john

templeton foundation, which -- quote -- tries to encourage the integration of religious beliefs and free market principles into the classroom. according to center for media and democracy source watch. mother jones reported in 2011 that charles koch recognized the templeton foundation for having donated over $1 million to koch-related causes, and dr. brulle's research shows that templeton gave more than $20 million to this web of denial organization he tracks. dunn's foundation for the advancement of right thinking turns up again. franklin, now madison. the same foundation that gave $13.7 million to these countermovement organizations also gave to the madison one. and of course again, the lynde and harry bradley foundation, gave to the franklin center, gives to the madison center to the siewn of almost $20 million

into the climate web. the james madison institute is also a member of the state policy network. the state policy network, according to the center for media and democracy source watch, is a $83 million right-wing empire -- end quote, that has received money from a koch family foundation and of course the identity scrubbing donors trust and donors capital, which, by the way, are the big green diamond here at the center of this web. according to desmog blog's examination of the madison institute, it opposed the waxman-markey cap-and-trade legislation, and in 2009 issued a plea to policymakers in florida, the state that is going fastest under water because of sea level rise, to stop any action on climate change following the so-called climate gate scandal. well, six thorough investigations looked at so-called climategate and proved there was no scandal at all, but it would appear that the institute neither rescinded its

plea nor set the record straight. this institute actively fights renewable energy policies in florida, an institute report cowritten by a senior fellow at the heartland institute. again, the connection, madison institute, the heartland institute, heartland institute to the billboard that compared climate scientists to the unabomber. opposed a proposed solar constitutional amendment. well, they weren't alone. according to news reports, florida's power companies were contributing big money to a political committee fighting that solar amendment, including over a million dollars from florida power and light, a million dollars from duke energy, over $800,000 from tampa electric company, and $640,000 from gulf power. well, guess what? the president and c.e.o. of gulf power was then on the board of, oh, the james madison institute. then we move on to john locke

who gives us a two-fer. first there is the locke institute. it's named for the philosopher john locke who with montiscour are the would major philosophical influences of the founding fathers. it's listed as contributing to the polarization of climate change debate and -- quote -- overtly producing and promoting skepticism and doubt about scientific consensus on climate change. the institute has been involved in defending the tobacco industry, and it has on its academic advisory council a political scientist from the global warming policy foundation, a high-profile u.k. climate denier group. but there's also a john locke known daition which describes itself as an independent no nonprofit think tank that would work for the future of north carolina. it is one of the blue dots here

on professor brulle's denial web diagram. dr. farrell, too, has the foundation on his list of climate change denier and countermovement organizations. yes, it's a member of the koch-funded state policy network, of course, and it's funded significantly by a north carolina billionaire by the name of art pope who according to indy week is and i quote -- one of the most trusted members of the kochs' elite circle. he has been a regular inviteee to the kochs' secretive semi annual gathering of the major right wing donors and activists, end quote, and he is a -- quote -- valuable junior partner in many key koch operations. the foundation center database shows between 2003 and to 13, the john locke foundation received over $21 million from the john william pope foundation which is named after art pope's

father. and over $60,000 from the charles koch foundation. it gets so cozy between everyone here. according to a 2014 "washington post" profile of art pope, he has poured over $30 million through his family's foundation into the koch front group americans for prosperity all of whose members you remember went over to the franklin institute. professor brulle has put the john william pope foundation at over $20 million of total foundation funding to this climate change denial web. dr. brulle cites the john locke foundation as having received 3% of the total income distributed within the climate change countermovement between 2003 and 2010. an article in facing south calls the john locke foundation and i quote, one of the most outspoken

voices of climate denial in north carolina claiming that global warm sg a pseudo scientific fraud -- warming is a pseudo scientific fraud, end quote. according to research done by greenpeace the foundation stated in a 2005 policy brief that i quote, a greenhouse gas reduction policy would have only costs and no benefits. in 2005 the foundation released a public policy statement titled "global warming policy: north carolina should do nothi nothing." whose author wrote similar climate denial pieces in the franklin center affiliated carolina journal. it's hard to keep track of all these crisscrossing. in 2007 the foundation released a policy report titled "a north carolina citizens guide to global warming" whose author according to facing south was a visiting scholar at the -- yes -- koch-backed american enterprise institute. that report falsely declared that consensus on climate change

does not exist and declared -- quote -- the greatest threat we face from climate change is the danger of rushing into foolish and costly policies driven by ill-founded climate change hysteria. art pope figures and jane mayer's book "dark money" as a -- quote -- charter member and a long-time friend and allied who shared charles koch's passion for free market philosophy. mayer writes that pope was a regular at the kochs' secret planning summits and -- quote -- served on the board of the kochs' main public advocacy group -- wait for it -- americans for prosperity. as he had on its predecessor citizens for a sound economy. mayorer adds pope's role in his home state of north carolina was in many respects a state-sized version of the kochs' role nationally. other locke foundation funders

identified by conservative transparency project between 1995 and 2014 include the surrel tree dom trust which according to center for medium democracy source watch has also funded american for prosperity and the american enterprise institute and alec which we've talked about and sponsors the state policy network and of course we can't go without the heartland institute with their wonderful unabomber billboard. dr. brulle's research indicates that the surrel trust gave over $20 million to these groups between 2003 and 2010. donors capital fund, this big spider at the center of the web here is a donor to the john locke foundation, and, yes, of course the charles g. koch charitable foundation. and the john locke foundation is a member of the state policy network that -- quote -- $83

million right wing empire funded by a koch family foundation and the identity launderers donors trust and donors capital which brings us to the so-called thomas jefferson institute for public policy. by the way, it's fair to say that yet again when we move from franklin to madison, these foundations end up showing koch people, koch money, and koch buddies. the thomas jefferson institute is a public policy foundation and, yes, another member of the state policy network, the $83 million right-wing empire. by the way the center for media and democracy's endippest investigation -- indepth investigation of the policy network shows how the members and think tanks are all interconnected to alec and to the koch brothers but that's for another speech. according to desomething blog many of the jefferson institute studies are authored by an

operative of the heritage foundation, the group that senator franklin spoke about earlier this evening, and the energy and environmental legal institute, two groups that are both on this web. the thomas jefferson institute prominently displays a statue of jefferson on its web page and claims to be a nonpartisan supporter of, i quote here, environmental stewardship. but the institute is an outspoken critic of the president's clean power plan and renewable sources of energy and actively sows doubt about climate science and the institute is right here on professor brulle's web of climate change countermovement organizations. according to data compiled by the conservative transparency project, between 1998 and 2014, the jefferson institute received funding from the following

entities in the denial web. first, of course, the identity laundering donors trust and donors capital fund. then the lynde and bradley foundation which also supported the franklin center and also supported the madison institute and links to the koch brothers through the far right-wing john birch society. remember they were at almost $30 million into climate denial organizations in those years between 2003 and 2010 and the william e simon foundation whose current president is also a senior fellow at the right-wing manhattan institute, a member of the grant advisory committee of the surrel freedom trust and a past member of the board of oversears of the hoover institute. quite a web indeed. the jeffer sonl institute's director -- jefferson institute's director was quoted

as saying, when it comes to global warming i'm a skeptic because the conclusions of the apparent warming stand on the shoulders of incredibly uncertain data and models. tell that to noaa and nasa and every single one of our national labs and see how far you get. tell that to your home state university and see how far you get. in 2008 he wrote about climate change for the jefferson journal, a commentary form of the jefferson institute, that and i quote, greenhouse gas reduction goals are both unachievable and irrelevant, and assured there will be no climate catastrophe due to co2 because either the science is wrong or we will use geo engineering, end quote. in 2011 he wrote two pieces for the jefferson journal opposing wind power contending that -- you're not going to believe this

but here is the quote -- wind is not affordable and it is not clean and that wind power -- quote -- has no sensible place in a 21st century civilization, end quote. tell that to our friend senator grassley whose state gets a third of its power from wind energy. franklin, jefferson, madison, locke, these are great names put on the front of very shady koch-funded front groups in the web of denial. and the organizations share several common features. first they all promulgate what by any reasonable scientific standard is preposterous nonsense and masqueraded as

science and independent opinion. second, they all get massive funding from fossil fuel interests and line up always obediently with those interests. third, they interlock. the interlocking is almost too complicated to track in staff, in board members, in funding sources, but it all traces back to fossil fuel money. and of course they all mask themselves behind the names of great men from history who would recoil to discover their names and reputations being put to such discredible use. who needs to hide behind names like that? i submit, mr. president, it's people who are up to no good and don't want to be caught out for who they really are. let me conclude by thanking the

many senators who have participated in this effort to put a little bit of a spotlight into a very phony web of ken nile owe web of denial that's operating actively in our democracy to distort and disturb its proper operation and to sabotage america's ability to respond in a responsible way to the climate crisis. they include our leader, harry reid, ben cardin, chris coons, tim kaine, elizabeth warren, chuck schumer, tom udall, jeff merkley, barbara boxer, dick durbin, brian schatz, al franken, martin heinrich, my senior senator jack reed, jeanne shaheen, gary peters, ed markey and i'm honored to participate in this effort with them. with that i will yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stands adjourned till 9:30 a.m. stands adjourned till 9:30 a.m.

>> the recommendation to you that you are not going to prosecute in the manner. >> i made the decision some time

ago that i would accept the recommendation of that team and was awaiting that recommendation. when i received it there is no basis not to accept it. i reiterate my pride and faith in the. >> i appreciate your faith in them. the concern is in regard to your sworn oath to uphold the united states constitution and the laws there under, including 18 usc section 93ff and 18 usc section 1924. and to conclude that no prosecution would take place without examining and drawing conclusions regarding the questions i've just asked, does does not seem to be a responsible way to uphold your constitutionally sworn oath. >> before next week's republican national convention, this weekend, c-span city c-span city tour along with our charter communication cable partner will explore the history and literary life of cleveland, ohio. a book to be, we'll talk with arthur john grabowski as he explores transportation shaped the city's

identity. then. then we'll visit the cleveland public library and explore its hughes collection relating to the poet, playwright and social activists while he lived in cleveland. >> it was a central that he developed his love of writing was introduced to the work of carl sandberg and walt whitman through his teacher, ms. weimer. he also composed a kind of famous with who susanna jones was read. >> on american history tv will visit the cleveland history center and take power the power politics exhibit with curia raider highlighting items in the collection relating to the ohio presidential election in cleveland's past medical conventions. we will then tour the crawford aviation museum with curator transportation, derek moore. we'll hear why cleveland was

like the motor city before detroit. >> the key location of cleveland we are on lake erie which is one of the great lakes, great shipping routes. routes. we also had the railroad in the area so there was a lot of railroad shipping routes that could be taken. we had the steel industry here which is very important in the automobile industry to have the still uni-. there is also a lot of lumber in the area. it all came together. >> this we can watch c-span cities to her to cleveland, saturday noon eastern on c-span twos book tv. sunday afternoon at two on american history tv, on c-span three. the c-span, on c-span three. the c-span city store, working with our cable affiliates and visiting cities across the country. >> c-span's voices from the road, recently are cities where unit stopped in cleveland, ohio dispute voters what the next president needs to address.

>> there a lot of good things established by the obama air, some things are not good. seems we have a health plan in place that we do not need to destroy but we do need to tweak it. we need to make it better. but we have something in place to work with. we haven't had that for the last four presidencies. what obama has established, let's build on that and make it stronger. >> i'm interested in a presidential candidate that shows concern for issues of higher education. the cost of tuition has rice at a rate of five times that of inflation. that forces students students like me to take out extensive student loans. my current student loan hasn't interest rate of 6.48 percent. i can can get a card over 1%. i'm interested in a president that is willing to mitigate that. and expressed concern concern for millennial's like me in similar situations. >> regardless of who it is the biggest issue right now this country is the polarization, the

united states of america is not serving anybody's interest and it is said by the opinionated, blogosphere's, the rants on the internet that we are being divided. we do not come together does not matter who is president, we're just going to get more and more, nothing is black-and-white, no issue is so extreme as we are being told that it cannot be solved. it has to be so by coming together coppermine. whatever you think of the other side, if your going so far to the extreme it is not went to hell. so the next president needs to unite a lot more than is being portrayed in the campaign right now. the division of our country is the single biggest enemy that we face right now. >> voices from the road, on c-span.