Celebrity-backed climate change finance company is bankrupt after Democrat-linked co-founder arrested for $145M fraud scheme



A climate change finance company that was backed by big name celebrities has filed for bankruptcy. The bankruptcy follows the arrest of the company's co-founder for allegedly attempting to defraud investors of $145 million.

Aspiration Inc., now known as CTN Holdings Inc., is a company that originally started as a sustainability focused financial services firm.

Ibrahim Ameen AlHusseini – also a prolific donor to Democrat causes who served on Aspiration's board of directors — allegedly participated in the scheme to defraud investors.

Aspiration is a self-described "climate-friendly banking alternative that's good for your wallet and the planet."

"When it comes to climate change, your money is power," the Aspiration website reads. "You can feel good knowing that your deposits will not fund fossil fuel exploration or production. By moving money to Aspiration, you’re giving the climate a fighting chance."

Aspiration was reportedly backed by notable celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Drake, Robert Downey Jr., Orlando Bloom, Cindy Crawford, and billionaire Steve Ballmer.

The climate change banking company – which reached a peak valuation of $2.3 billion in 2021 – shifted to selling carbon credits to other businesses in 2023, which Forbes described as a "strange pivot."

Aspiration then brokered carbon credit deals with major corporations such as Microsoft, Meta Platforms, and Ballmer's Los Angeles Clippers.

Aspiration was founded in 2013 by Andrei Cherny and Joe Sanberg – both heavily linked to the Democratic Party.

At age 21, Cherny became a speechwriter for former President Bill Clinton. Cherny is a former chair of the Arizona Democratic Party.

He previously lost the Democratic primary in Arizona for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 to Kyrsten Sinema. The Democrat also lost in 2024 when running in Arizona's 1st Congressional District election.

Meanwhile, Sanberg is a progressive anti-poverty advocate and a Democratic donor.

On March 3, 2025, the U.S. Attorney's Office of California's Central District announced that Sanberg had been arrested on a federal criminal complaint accusing him of conspiring to defraud two investor funds of at least $145 million.

Sanberg’s alleged co-conspirator, Ibrahim Ameen AlHusseini, pleaded guilty to wire fraud for falsifying documents and information to assist Sanberg.

Ibrahim Ameen AlHusseini – also a prolific donor to Democrat causes who served on Aspiration's board of directors — allegedly participated in the scheme to defraud investors.

"According to the complaint against Sanberg and AlHusseini’s plea agreement, Sanberg obtained $145 million in loans secured by AlHusseini, who Sanberg knew did not have sufficient financial assets to cover those loans if Sanberg defaulted," the statement read. "Sanberg hid this fact from investors, then defaulted on the loans, which resulted in at least a $145 million in losses."

Sanberg allegedly negotiated multimillion-dollar loans by pledging Aspiration stock as collateral.

Prosecutors said of AlHusseini, "At Sanberg’s direction, the defendant made untrue statements. Defendant and Sanberg knew that the falsified statements inflated the value of the assets in defendant’s accounts by tens of millions of dollars."

The U.S. Attorney's Office of California's Central District said Sanberg defaulted on a $145 million loan in November 2022 and again in the spring of 2023.

Sanberg has pleaded not guilty.

Sanberg’s lawyer, Marc Mukasey, stated, “Mr. Sanberg has pleaded not guilty to the charges. We will buckle down and defend him with vigor and zeal.”

If convicted, Sanberg faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.

Forbes reported, "The charges against Sanberg relate only to his personal conduct; CTN isn’t implicated, according to a court filing."

In a filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware, chief restructuring officer Miles Staglik said he doesn’t believe the accusations implicate CTN in any criminal activity. However, investors affiliated with Sanberg reportedly stopped providing funding to CTN in February 2025.

Staglik admitted that the criminal case has hurt the company's ability to raise capital to operate. CTN had trouble finding sufficient funding to keep the business afloat, according to bankruptcy filings.

Staglik "emphasized that current management and employees were unaware of the alleged misconduct and that the business itself is a victim," according to the Wall Street Journal.

Sanberg no longer holds any positions at CTN Holdings and is no longer involved in its operations.

On March 30, 2025, Aspiration, which had been rebranded as CTN Holdings, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware. The company reportedly has approximately $170 million in debt.

Bloomberg reported, "CTN’s largest unsecured creditor is the National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Clippers and Kia Forum, which are both owned by Steven Ballmer. Aspiration’s backers included Ballmer, whose Clippers and Kia Forum hold roughly $40 million in unsecured claims for 'contracted carbon credits' and 'carbon credit value,' according to the bankruptcy petition."

Ballmer is a "major funder of progressive-left groups," according to Influence Watch.

In addition to the potentially damning Sanberg allegations, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have reportedly been investigating Aspiration over its claims of "planting 35 million trees, raising questions about the validity of its environmental impact," according to Forbes.

ProPublica reported in 2021: "Aspiration’s signature marketing claim — about its tree-planting program — turns out to be overblown upon closer examination."

Cherny said in August 2021, "In the past year, the Aspiration community has planted over 35 million trees."

According to ProPublica, "The footnote for one of Aspiration’s two main tree programs presents a different picture than Cherny did: 'The advertised number of trees planted is the cumulative total of to-be planted trees ...' In other words, that 35 million figure included millions of trees that had not actually yet been planted."

The outlet also pointed out that Aspiration boasts that it has "5 million passionate members."

ProPublica noted, "But the fine print in an investor presentation prepared by the company explains that a 'member' is defined as anyone who has ever signed the terms and conditions in preparation for opening an Aspiration account — even if that person never actually opened the account or deposited a penny in it. Aspiration’s actual tally of active customer accounts was 592,148 as of June. That includes all checking, savings, credit card and investment accounts."

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8 MILES of Amazon rainforest DESTROYED so elites can attend 2025 climate summit



Every year a group of global elites gather at the COP30 United Nations Climate Change Conference to discuss the impending doom our world faces if drastic measures aren’t taken to address the climate crisis. And every year, the normies scream hypocrisy because these elites fly to their exclusive summit in their private jets, while condemning commercial airlines as a climate sin. “Carbon footprints” don’t apply if you’re rich and powerful, apparently.

This year, however, their hypocrisy doubled when it was discovered that eight miles of rainforest in Brazil is being cleared to build a four-lane highway called Avenida Liberdade (Liberty Avenue) in time for the summit, which will take place in November 2025 in Belém, Brazil, a city smack in the middle of the country’s Amazon region.

Tens of thousands of acres of trees have already been cut down following the greenlighting of the project, which has been stalled for over a decade by environmentalists. That is, until more important “environmentalists” needed a road.

It’s almost humorous when you think about it.

Stu Burguiere, BlazeTV host of “Stu Does America,” certainly thinks so, which is why he brought comedian and BlazeTV host of “Normal World” Dave Landau onto the show to discuss the incredibly ironic situation.

“As you know, our greatest existential threat [is global warming]. The only way to solve it is with, you know, electric cars and solar panels, unless Elon Musk makes them because then they're evil,” says Stu.

“We also know the only way to stop it is these big climate summits they have around the world where all the people who say climate change is bad fly into a city … and then they all talk to each other because it's not obviously possible to talk to each other across long, large expanses,” he continues, displaying an image of the recent forest clearing.

“They're like, ‘I've never seen that [animal] before,’ and they're like, ‘yeah, it's the last one of them; anyway, shoot it, we have to lay some road,’” Dave jokes.

“I mean, in some ways, it helps their cause, right? Because then they could say … ‘just since we arrived, there's been three species that have gone extinct,'” laughs Stu.

“It's so hypocritical, and it's always on such a funny level,” says Dave.

To hear more of their conversation, watch the clip above.

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LGBTQ fire chief: DEI and leadership failures fuel LA’s wildfire disaster



The wildfires in California have devastated and left thousands of Americans homeless — and people aren’t sure whom, or what, to blame.

“It’s not just a natural disaster,” Stu Burguiere of “Stu Does America” says. “A natural disaster is a real thing, and you have to deal with it sometimes, and it can be really, really, ugly, but it’s also kind of been strange incompetence and strange priorities by the state of California and local officials.”

James Woods, who has been displaced by the catastrophic fires, puts some blame on those authorities himself.

“Our new fire chief,” Woods began in a recent interview with Fox News, “She took over and she put on her bio that her priority, ‘My highest priority is inclusion, diversity, and equity. That is my priority.’”

“And somebody forgot to fill all the reservoirs, I guess, with water, because when I was getting smoke alarms there was a fire truck parked in front of my house but they couldn’t pump any water because there was none because they didn’t put them in the reservoirs,” he continued.


“Now, DEI is of course very important when you’re fighting fires. I only want my house and a fire that happens to be engulfing my home to be put out by someone from Mongolia. That’s just my personal stand, it’s very, very important to me,” Burguiere jokes in response.

“I think most people though are the opposite. Most people don’t care what color the person is who’s putting out a fire. They just want the fire to be put out,” he continues, “they want water to be available to the fire department. Seems like a pretty good idea, but diversity, equity, and inclusion is really important.”

Just a few years ago, the California fire chief was praised for her three-year strategic plan to increase diversity.

“People ask me, ‘What number are you looking for?’ I said, ‘I’m not looking for a number. It’s never enough,’” the fire chief said in a 2022 interview before she was praised by the interviewer for being a “proud member of the LGBTQ community.”

“Wow,” Stu comments. “Thank God, we’ve got a woman who likes chicks at the head of our fire department because that’s the important feature that you need. It really, really matters who she wants to go to bed with when you’re talking about, ‘Can you put a fire out?’”

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How the EU Could FORCE Americans to Follow ESG Rules
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How the EU Could FORCE Americans to Follow ESG Rules

Watch: Physical confrontation ensues after climate change protesters storm stage at gala honoring Sen. Lisa Murkowski



There was a physical confrontation when climate change protesters stormed the stage at a gala honoring Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Murkowski was giving a speech at the Bryce Harlow Foundation’s awards ceremony on Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Suddenly, about a dozen climate change activists stormed the stage. The climate change protesters were fought off by people on the stage. The protesters are seen on video tumbling off the stage. Murkowski is seen slowly walking away as the physical confrontation ensues.

The protesters are part of a climate crisis alarmist group called Climate Defiance.

Climate Defiance declared on social media, "We just shut down a gala honoring U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski. Murkowski is a murderer. She incinerates us to enrich her cronies. As Chevron's top lobbyist gave her an award, we stepped in and stopped the ceremony. Respect us or expect us."

The group added, "Murkowski brands herself as a moderate but in truth she is an ecocidal pyromaniac. She fought tooth and nail to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to big oil. Is nothing sacred?”

Murkowski finished her speech after the protesters were removed from the event.

The video of the climate crisis activists storming the stage has been viewed more than 4 million times.

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The D.C.-based climate change organization declares: "We do not do petitions. We do direct action. If people in power will not save us we will save ourselves. There is no choice."

The group believes that "conventional tactics will not suffice."

Climate Defiance has a mission of ending fossil fuel extraction on federal lands, deploying "disruptive direct action to compel politicians," and standing in solidarity with "sister-struggles for racial and economic justice."

Climate Defiance protesters have disrupted events involving Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

The Biden administration rewarded the antagonist group by inviting them to the White House to meet with President Joe Biden's senior clean energy czar John Podesta in December.

Climate Defiance said of the meeting, "Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today. We appreciate your willingness to heed our deeply-held concerns. Echoing the voices of millions of Americans, we write to you in the eleventh hour of the greatest threat that humanity has ever faced: planetary and societal collapse due to the continued burning of fossil fuels."

Climate protesters tumble off stage during scuffle at Senator Lisa Murkowski’s event in Washington youtube.com

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BBC host tries to shame Guyana president about climate change and gets utterly STEAMROLLED



Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali didn’t hesitate to shut down BBC journalist Stephen Sackur when he attempted to bait the head of state into climate change apologetics.

“Over the next decade, two decades, it is expected that there will be $150 billion worth of oil and gas extracted off your coast,” Sackur began. “That means, according to many experts, more than two billion tons of carbon emissions will come from your seabed from those reserves and be released into the atmosphere. I don’t know if you, as a head of state, went to the …”

But Ali interjected before he could finish.

“Let me stop you right there,” he fired back. “Do you know that Guyana has [had] a forest forever that is the size of England and Scotland combined – a forest that stores 19.5 gigatons of carbon, a forest that we have kept alive?”

“Does that give you the right to release all of this carbon?” Sackur asked.

“Does that give you the right to lecture us on climate change?” Ali said, finger pointed directly at the interviewer. “I’m going to lecture you on climate change because we have kept this forest alive that stores 19.5 gigatons of carbon that you enjoy, that the world enjoys, that you don't pay us for, that you don't value.”

“Guess what: We have the lowest deforestation rate in the world. And guess what: Even with our greatest exploration of the oil and gas resource we have now, we will still be net zero,” he continued.

“This is the hypocrisy that exists in the world. The world in the last 50 years has lost 65% of all its biodiversity; we have kept our biodiversity. Are you valuing it? Are you ready to pay for it? When is the developed world going to pay for it? … Or are you in the pockets of those who have damaged the environment … of those who destroyed the environment through the Industrial Revolution and are now lecturing us?”

Pat Gray relishes Ali’s tirade.

“He just beat the crap out of [Sackur],” he says. “What do you suggest we do for energy in Guyana? Are we going to switch our economy to solar and wind here in a developing nation? Is that what you want, Mr. BBC broadcaster – you want our people to starve? ... What do you want here from the third world?”

“That guy was awesome – spitting fire,” adds Keith Malinak.

To hear President Ali make mincemeat of yet another climate apologist, watch the clip below.


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The Guardian asks people to share how the 'climate crisis' has impacted their relationships



The Guardian is inviting people to detail how the "climate crisis" has impacted their relationships.

"As the climate crisis increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events like floods, heatwaves and storms in Europe, it is also having an emotional impact on people," the outlet claimed. "We would like to hear how climate change has affected your relationships – with romantic partners, family or friends."

"Perhaps the stress of fleeing extreme weather events like wildfires or floods has impacted your budget and put strains on your relationships. Or perhaps different ideas about carbon footprints and child-rearing have caused tension in your relationships," the outlet suggested.

The climate alarmism-promoting outlet provided a form on which people can describe how their relationships have supposedly been impacted.

Over on X, one response to the Guardian read, "My wife of 35 years joins me in uproarious laughter when we envision these young mental lemmings experiencing an event like the Blizzard of 1978. We hug, kiss, and thank God we are rational adults who know giving more power and money to a government will not change the weather."

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"My wife and I agreed to buy a hybrid SUV last year. (Sorry I don't have anything more dramatic to report.)," another account wrote.

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The Biden administration and Democrats have been beating the climate alarmism drum. The president has referred to the supposed "climate crisis" as "the existential threat of our time."

Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island has claimed in a tweet, "Republicans blame inflation on Joe Biden, but in fact it’s Republicans’ fossil-fuel-funded climate denial that is driving this key inflation measure. Insurance is skyrocketing because climate disasters are worse and more unpredictable."

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Scientists now say you should eat snakes to 'save the planet' from climate change



For more than a decade, people have been told to eat bugs to combat climate change. The hot new food source to reportedly reduce one's carbon footprint is snakes, according to scientists.

New research advocates for humans to increase consumption of snakes as a food alternative to reduce greenhouse gases.

Research published in Scientific Reports last week noted that "python farming appears to offer tangible benefits for sustainability and food systems resilience."

The authors of the study claim that python farming "can not only complement existing livestock systems, but may offer better returns in terms of production efficiencies."

“This is an alternative livestock system that needs to be taken seriously," said the paper's lead author – Dr. Daniel Natusch. "We’re not necessarily saying everyone should stop eating beef and turn to pythons, but there needs to be a conversation about them having a more prominent place in the agricultural mix."

"Climate change, disease, and diminishing natural resources are all ramping up pressure on conventional livestock and plant crops, with dire effects on many people in low-income countries already suffering acute protein deficiency," said Natusch – an honorary research fellow in Macquarie’s School of Natural Sciences.

Natusch added, "No other livestock species studied to date possesses the same credentials or rates of production as pythons."

The research found that pythons that fasted for up to 4.2 months only lost an average of 0.004% of their body mass per day, but "resumed rapid growth as soon as feeding recommenced."

The researchers argued that since pythons can go months without foo, they offer worthwhile "food security" in a world with "global food insecurity."

The scientists pointed out that pythons on farms most commonly eat wild-caught rodents and "waste protein from agri-food supply chains (e.g., pork, chicken, fish)." The paper added that python farms control rodent populations, which is also beneficial to humans.

“Livestock fed on plant protein sourced from a crop monoculture where a natural habitat once stood… is far less sustainable than capturing rodent pests or using waste protein to feed pythons," Natusch added.

The paper's lead author noted that pythons rapidly grew to "slaughter weight" within their first year. He also stated that pythons produce far fewer greenhouse gases than traditional livestock.

New Scientist pointed out, "A key thing missing from the study’s comparison is the fact that as carnivores, snakes are eating animals that ate plants, whereas other farm animals eat mostly plants. If the total mass of plant material required per kilogram of carcass was compared, snakes might not look nearly so efficient."

Natusch rebutted that pythons on farms are fed rodents and waste meat, so it is not about efficiency since the snakes are consuming unwanted food sources that would generally be unutilized.

Natusch even contends that python farming is more sustainable than many plant-based foods.

"For the vegans out there, in my experience, there would likely be more animals suffering from sowing crops into the soil each year than are killed to feed a python," he declared.

Natusch contends that snake tastes like chicken, explaining, "If prepared well, it’s great."

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Radical climate change activists hurl soup at Mona Lisa painting in Louvre, critics demand police 'lock them up'



Radical climate change activists hurled soup at the Mona Lisa painting inside the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday.

Video shows the moment that two women approach the Mona Lisa painting and then douse Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece with soup.

The women reportedly shouted, "What’s the most important thing? Art, or right to a healthy and sustainable food?"

Louvre employees were seen on video placing black panels in front of the Italian Renaissance masterpiece and asking visitors to evacuate the room.

No damage was done to the classic piece of art since it rests behind bulletproof glass.

"Two activists from the environmental movement ‘Riposte Alimentaire’ sprayed pumpkin soup on the armored glass protecting the Mona Lisa, this Sunday, January 28, 2024, around 10 a.m. (4 a.m. ET)," the Louvre Museum said in a statement. "The Louvre’s security staff immediately intervened."

Paris police said two individuals were arrested following the incident.

The radical environmental group Riposte Alimentaire – which roughly translates to "Food Response" – took credit for the soup attack on the Mona Lisa painting and demanded "the integration of food into the general social security system."

The climate change group said on the X social media platform, "Our agricultural and food system also has extremely worrying environmental consequences."

"This violence weighing on our food and on those who allow it has clear causes: the agri-food industry increased its margins to 48% last year, and its excessive profits are estimated to be responsible for two-thirds of inflation," the ecological group claimed. "Agriculture is responsible for 21% of national greenhouse gas emissions and contributes greatly to the deterioration of our biodiversity and the impoverishment of soils, due to the massive use of inputs."

The group identified the women as 24-year-old Sasha and 63-year-old Marie-Juliette.

The Mona Lisa is arguably one of the most famous and iconic paintings in the world – drawing millions of visitors every year. Leonardo da Vinci created the artwork between 1503 and 1506.

Numerous online commentators were outraged at the attempted vandalism of the iconic painting and called on authorities to throw the book at the radical climate change activists.

The Libs of TikTok account: "Climate activists threw soup at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum today. Employees responded by holding up curtains to block visitors from seeing. These climate t*rr*rists need to be arrested and given long prison sentences. This needs to stop."

Journalist Tom Fitton: "Left-wing terrorists (or, as media calls them, "climate activists") attack the "Mona Lisa." Another reminder the Left are enemies of history, memory, and beauty.

Women's sports activist Riley Gaines: "Ah, yes. Defacing the Mona Lisa with soup will immediately make everyone stop burning & developing fossil fuels. Great idea Lock them up."

The Culture Critic account: "Soup being thrown at the Mona Lisa by climate zealots. Security just sits idly and watches. Once again, the sad truth is that this is being ALLOWED to happen by the gallery. This has happened enough times now for there to be a rapid response protocol – yet nothing ever stops them. These institutions are no longer fit to be custodians of these masterpieces."

Journalist Rita Panahi: "How are these climate cultists getting so close to masterpieces armed with paint, soup, hammers, etc? This time they’ve attacked the Mona Lisa. Jail."

Writer Andrew Doyle: "Environmental activists at the Louvre have sprayed the Mona Lisa with soup. It’s no coincidence that those who are disgusted by humanity wish to desecrate its greatest achievements."

The @Amuse account: "Destroying the Mona Lisa will have no impact on the global average temperature."

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Moment protesters throw soup at Mona Lisa painting in Paris www.youtube.com

COP28 blames colonial powers and white supremacy for climate crisis



The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai was about as serious as any sane person would think: not serious at all.

One of the panelists used her moment in the spotlight to blame white supremacy and the patriarchy for the ongoing “climate crisis” around the world.

“We cannot continue business as usual. We cannot continue this extractive economy. Our call to action for gender justice, racial justice, upholding indigenous rights, rights of nature, calling for just transition, and immediately phasing out fossil fuels is an ongoing agenda,” she began.

“It’s an urgent call for our very survival,” she continued.

“False solutions, white supremacy, colonization, and patriarchy have no place in any climate action plan.”

Pat Gray and Keith Malinak call this obscene performance what it actually is.

“The climate change hoax has now been lumped in with white supremacy, environmental justice, gender justice stuff,” Malinak explains.

Another panelist at the conference took her turn in the spotlight to repeat similar talking points.

“I can tell you that 100% of this is a product of colonization. It is a product of the fossil fuel companies in our territory that are virtually killing us. It is genocide,” she tells the audience.

“Wow, is that bad stuff,” Gray comments.

“That’s ugliness right there.”


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