Hundreds Protest Koch Bros. Retreat

Hundreds of environmentalists, union members, and other liberal activists marched outside a retreat held by Charles and David Koch for politicians, political strategists, and other elite power players. The two brothers, who jointly own Koch Industries, the second-largest privately owned company in the U.S., are known for funding a web of conservative organizations that fight corporate and environmental regulations. The Koch brothers are well-known Tea Party boosters, and spent $1 million on a failed ballot initiative to stop California's laws to curb greenhouse gases. The protesters, who numbered around a thousand, held a panel on the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which allowed corporations to donate unlimited sums directly to political candidates. "We cannot have democracy unless everyone has a voice," one demonstrator said, adding that people like the Koch brothers are "drowning us out."