Selects: What are think tanks all about?

# Summary

Josh and Chuck dive deep into the world of think tanks, exploring how these organizations have evolved from independent research institutions into what many critics now call "unregistered lobbyist organizations." Starting with Plato's Academy as possibly the world's first think tank, they trace the modern history through influential institutions like Brookings and RAND Corporation, revealing how think tanks went from serving the public good to increasingly serving corporate and partisan interests. The episode exposes the troubling shift where wealthy donors and corporations now heavily influence research agendas, and organizations like Brookings have started accepting massive corporate donations in exchange for lending credibility to specific projects—essentially functioning as lobbyists while maintaining tax-exempt status.