Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives have been political and partisan from their inception, but with some 30 states pushing legislation to curb these efforts, there are signs that corporate enthusiasm for ESG is starting to wane. According to a recent survey (pdf), most corporate social impact teams—a term that overlaps with ESG and DEI…

During the discussion in which BlackRock CEO Larry Fink told his audience that his firm was “forcing behaviors” on companies whose shares it held, he also divulged a key lever of the progressive movement to control corporations: proxy voting. Fink told attendees at a 2017 New York Times conference that as an index fund manager,…

After intense clashes, the House passes the annual National Defense Authorization Act budget. Included are amendments that reverse the Biden administration’s social policies in the Pentagon. The Biden administration announces a plan to cancel nearly $40 billion in student debt for hundreds of thousands of borrowers. How does that work, and how likely is it to…

Commentary Back in March, people shopping at Target began noticing a new line of clothing on full display on mannequins at the front of the store—LGBT clothes, clothes from a Satanic brand, and merchandise with Satanic messaging. These included clothes for small children and onesies for babies. Also included were “tuck-friendly” clothing for males who…

The House Financial Service Committee Housing and Insurance Subcommittee holds a hearing on “How Mandates Like ESG Distort Markets and Drive Up Costs for Insurance and Housing” at 9:00 a.m. ET on July 14. Witnesses Jerry Theodorou, Director of the Finance, Insurance and Trade Policy Program, R Street Institute Alicia Huey, Chairman, National Association of Home Builders…

The House Financial Service Committee Housing and Insurance Subcommittee holds a hearing on “How Mandates Like ESG Distort Markets and Drive Up Costs for Insurance and Housing” at 9:00 a.m. ET on July 14. Witnesses Jerry Theodorou, Director of the Finance, Insurance and Trade Policy Program, R Street Institute Alicia Huey, Chairman, National Association of Home Builders…

A new study from Yale says that Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices could push polluters to emit more greenhouse gases. But their solution? To implement even more ESG measures. Kevin Stocklin, producer of “The Shadow State,” joins us to talk about how the ESG movement was never really designed to help the environment, and the…

A new poll by UK banking giant HSBC has found a rising number of managers are reconsidering how they integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues into their investment strategies. The findings come from the London-based lender’s survey of 310 professionals across the globe in roles related to ESG decision-making. The poll was conducted May 31–June 24, 2023….

A trade group representing some 14,000 small and large manufacturers has issued a scorching criticism of recent regulatory moves tightening environmental, social, and governance (ESG) rules while calling on Congress to fight the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) “regulatory onslaught.” As the House Financial Services Committee prepares to conduct a series of hearings on ESG…

House Republicans have called on the heads of companies including BlackRock and Vanguard to hand over an array of documents detailing how they developed their decarbonization and net zero emissions targets while warning that their efforts to combat climate change could violate U.S. antitrust law. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) sent…