From Media Lies to Mass Mobilization: Why the Real Movement Starts in Chicago on July 12

By Mary (MJ) Johnson

If you’ve ever found yourself yelling at the TV, muttering about the same five stories playing on a loop, or wondering why it feels like every outlet is reading off the same script—well, you’re not crazy. Just really paying attention.

Turns out, about 90% of what we read, watch, or scroll through is owned by just six mega-corporations. That’s not a conspiracy theory. That’s just...Tuesday in the United States. And when six corporate giants (with names like Disney, Comcast, and Amazon) own the channels through which we receive our "news," you can bet they’re not prioritizing the voices of working families—or any message that challenges the globalist corporations.

The issue isn’t just bad news coverage. It’s structural control. Six companies—Disney, Comcast, Amazon, Sony, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount—dominate nearly everything you see, hear, and read. This gives the illusion of variety, while crafting one safe-for-corporate narrative that almost never includes voices like yours, mine, or the people you could have met at our May 24th workshop in the Los Angeles area, home of Hollywood which is the entertainment capital of the world as well as headquarters for many mixed media companies.

This is what CPI is standing up against. The media lies aren’t just misdirection—they’re obstacles to mass mobilization, to people finding one another, to building something better. And CPI isn’t about burning it all down. It’s about rebuilding—with real ideas, rational economic planning, and public control over the things that affect our lives: banks, natural resources, infrastructure, and jobs.

But here’s the good news: people are waking up. And the real momentum? It’s not coming from cable news. It’s coming from places like Los Angeles, Chicago, and local workshops where people are meeting, learning, and singing together (yes—literally singing).

The May 24th Spark: Ideas, Inspiration, and Folk Music

If you weren’t at the May 24th CPI Workshop in Los Angeles, you missed something special. I’m not just talking about the great food (though yes, there was something for everyone). I’m talking about a room full of diverse, curious, creative, and passionate people getting real information—information that cuts through the media fog.

The workshop brought together a unique group of innovators and organizers committed to creating an anti-monopoly mass movement. 

Dan ‘Nowman’ Niswander, a longtime organizer in L.A., helped set the tone—bringing his community-building magic to the space with warmth and vision. People were “getting info they’d never heard before—not in schools, not in the news.” Folks were taking notes. They were moved. They were inspired. They were singing along to the verses of "This Land is Your Land" that Woody Guthrie was told not to sing in public. (Yes, those verses. And yes, we sang them.)

CPI founder Caleb Maupin led thoughtful discussions that challenged economic myths from both the left and the right. Topics included why unregulated markets don’t lead to growth, why austerity fails working families, and why the CPI’s Four-Point Plan is not just theoretical—it’s do-able.

The May 24th workshop was proof that people are hungry for truth, optimism, and a concrete path forward. The mainstream media won’t show you this movement—but it’s growing. In song. In study. In strategy. In every real conversation happening between working people ready to lead.  The guests at the workshop got a sample of what the core members are seeing more and more in our outreach all around the city.  A real hunger for Truth, not blatant lies and dystopian provocations of hopelessness. Economic development not degrowth. Transition to something better, not economic collapse and no solutions. 

CPI around the U.S. and around the world is already leading the way. 

As Ismael said, “The history of economic models and their trajectory throughout time was very insightful to understand the causes and effects of today’s economic model of globalism/imperialism.  The proposed alternatives and ways to get there (in Caleb’s presentation) that aren’t ‘burn it down/tear it down’ or unregulated economic policies was very optimistic and gives hope of a better world in America.”

Steven said, "We are promoting and are completely oriented in optimism, hope for the future, faith in our ability and development of our ideas to make real change and to advance this country into the future. We’re in a great position to do that."

The Real Movement Starts in Chicago on July 12

That’s why the upcoming July 12 conference in Chicago matters so much.

We’ve got the momentum. Now we need the movement.

This all-day event, hosted by the Center for Political Innovation, will be a powerful gathering of people who want peace, progress, and prosperity for working families. Expect big speakers like Garland Nixon and Scott Ritter, artistic performances, real community energy—and plenty of food (again, something for everyone).

More importantly, it’s a chance to organize. To unify. To build something rooted in the American tradition of progress and innovation—not the hollow consumerism and profit-obsessed system we’ve been sold.

The theme says it all:

“Working Families First! Defeat the Deep State! For a New World of Peace and Innovation!”

We’re not here to tear things down. We’re here to build. To create. To bring together people from every background who are tired of being talked down to and ready to do something about it.

See You in Chicago?

So come to Chicago on July 12. Come learn. Come connect. Come organize.

The movement is real. And it’s just getting started.

Do You Want to Make a Difference?

Join CPI for free and be part of building the future we know is possible. Whether you’re ready to roll up your sleeves, plug into a growing network, or just curious about what a government of action really looks like—we’ve got space for you.

And if you’re trying to make sense of why our economy seems to punish progress, you need to read “AI Is Not the Problem” by our founder, Caleb Maupin. It’s short, sharp, and unlike anything you’ve seen on a bookstore shelf. Spoiler alert: it’s not the robots. It’s the system.

“AI Is Not the Problem” shows how we can take control of innovation—not fear it—and use it to serve working people, not replace them.