The accts signal a potential tactical shift in how #China aims to #influence American #politics, w/more of a willingness to target specific candidates & parties, including Biden.
Malcolm Nance looks at how quickly the slimy fingers of conspiracy-theory propagandists got ahold of the Moscow terrorist attack story and now the Baltimore bridge destruction, and turned them into bizarre sagas involving Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Ukraine, and gay Jews.
"The Insanity that has been unleashed on America. It’s not funny. Oh, between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, the damage being done to the American psyche is incredible. When simple, horrific acts, we can all agree, are disgusting and should be opposed, are turning into conspiracies so crazy Hollywood wouldn’t touch them, we have a problem."
"With six people missing and presumed dead after a container ship toppled an interstate bridge and shut down Baltimore harbor, far-right grifters and opportunists seized on the accident to advance various racist, xenophobic, and conspiratorial agendas, as TPM’s Nicole Lafond notes."
"Some Twitter conspiracy theorists began suggesting something nefarious overnight, with many latching onto the baseless and far-fetched notion that Israel was behind the attack, in retaliation for the passage of a United Nations ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Others argued Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies in the U.S. had something to do with the crash."
"The right’s smorgasbord of vaguely explicatory gabble is obviously intended to try to turn the horrific bridge collapse to partisan advantage. Republicans oppose diversity inclusion programs; they oppose anything associated with Biden; they oppose covid public health measures; and they oppose most all immigration. So they try to link the bridge collapse to these partisan talking points…."
Mother Jones on the right's meltdown re: the Baltimore bridge:
The culprits they're blaming are "the border," COVID-19 "lockdowns," cyber-attacks, "DEI" (in right-wing parlance it just means "hiring nonwhites for literally any jobs"), and President Biden's infrastructure bill, which GOP Rep. Nancy Mace blamed with a straight face for investing in climate change initiatives and not enough on...bridge repair.
Jesus H. Rabbit-Fucking Christ, my fellow Tennesseans elect the absolute STUPIDEST motherfuckers to our legislature.
Our state Senate has just passed a bill to outlaw "chemtrails." Yes, really. For the love of all that's good in the world, please start voting for smarter people!
In August 2022, Rebecca Vance, her younger sister Christine and her son, 13-year-old Talon, went to live off grid on a mountain in a Colorado winter. The tale has a tragic end, but journalist Ted Conover wanted to understand how the family got there. In this long read for @outside, he discovered a heartbreaking story of conspiracy theories, fear, and profound naivety. Story may be paywalled and contains some distressing details.
Help, I've fallen down a conspiracy theory hole and the comments are fucking FASCINATING.
The discussion:
if the US and Russia share a border, why does it take 19 hours to fly from Alaska to Moscow?? What are they hiding???
Some of the comments:
One day I looked at the back of the globe and my mind didn’t feel right
It's strange how the flight is still 9+ hours no matter which airline you take
Sooo where does that put australia & New Zealand, Papuan New Guinea?? Ive have suspected all is closer then we are told!
cause every time you change time zones you go into a new dimension and you have to adjust to it . just a theory
anybody else think it's strange that airports use...flight manifests??? them naming it a manifest infers they're manifesting or 'creating' falsehoods...
You just clicked something in my brain😫 How are we SO programed?????
the US and Russia DO share a small maritime border, that's about 55 minutes "drive" to cross
** it's a maritime border, so you can't really "drive" across it
"And just as it would to Q and his Anons, the temptations of secret knowledge that had hooked Newton proved irresistible to the masses."
For Harper's, Frederick Kaufman profiles Jacob Angeli-Chansley, the infamous "QAnon Shaman"—but what comes out is a fascinating read about how science has always loved the occult.
#Republican Donald #Trump has launched his general election campaign not merely rewriting the #history of the #Jan6, 2021, Capitol attack [#insurrection], but positioning the #violent siege & its failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election as a cornerstone of his bid to return to the #WhiteHouse.
At a wknd rally in #Ohio, his first as the presumed #GOP presidential nom, #Trump stood onstage, his hand raised in salute to the brim of his red #MAGA hat, as a recorded chorus of prisoners [#criminals] in #jail for their roles in the #Jan6 attack sang the national anthem.
An announcer asked the crowd to please rise “for the horribly & unfairly treated January 6th hostages.” And people did, & sang along.
#StefanieLambert, a #Michigan lawyer who has championed dubious claims of election fraud, was arrested Mon afternoon because of a bench warrant, acc/to a spox for the #USMarshals Service.
Meanwhile, #StefanieLambert has also been representing businessman #PatrickByrne, fmr CEO of #Overstock, in a #defamation lawsuit brought by #Dominion Voting Systems. There was a hearing in Byrne's case in federal court in DC, at 3PM Mon. Lambert attended the hearing despite the warrant.
After the hearing concluded, all lawyers & observers, except for Lambert, exited the meeting room & #USMarshals entered.
One reporter asked the #USMarshals later to comment on whether an #arrest was made of #StefanieLambert, & they declined to answer the question. The hearing room's doors, at that point, were locked.
Later Mon evening, Mike Dito, a public information officer for the U.S. Marshals Service, confirmed Lambert had been #arrested.
An account using the name & photo of #Michigan#BarryCounty Sheriff lawbreaker & [#ConspiracyTheorist] #DarLeaf released >2,100 pages of emails from employees of Dominion; the company says Leaf improperly accessed internal msgs via breach of a #CourtOrder.
On Friday, attorneys for #Dominion filed an emergency motion in federal #court in Washington, DC, arguing in favor of a judge disqualifying Lambert from providing #legal help in the #defamation case, contending she had improperly shared w/ #DarLeaf confidential records, provided under a #ProtectiveOrder through document #discovery in the #lawsuit.
"Dominion seeks the court's immediate assistance in addressing a flagrant & ongoing breach of this court's order that has already, & will continue to, irreparably harm Dominion, including, but not limited to, jeopardizing the physical safety of #Dominion employees," lawyers for the company wrote in their Fri motion.
That motion was focused on a smaller batch of #Dominion records, ~48 pgs of emails, that were included w/an affidavit written by #DarLeaf that #StefanieLambert filed on Mar 8 in her own #criminal case that's pending in Oakland County.
Dominion's attys said on Mar 9, someone left a vm, accusing Dominion of "breaking our elections" & stating that "America should just f---ing hang all you motherf------.”
“From social media calls to lynch Dominion personnel to a man #armed w/a #rifle who came to their offices, Dominion's employees have directly suffered the consequences of the lies spread by #PatrickByrne & his fellow defendants," #Dominion's lawyers wrote. "They now fear further threats due to conduct of his counsel done at his direction."
#Dominion's lawyers said the documents #StefanieLambert released showed no evidence of criminal activity.
"Best Dominion can tell, Byrne & Lambert's #xenophobic conclusion is that any email from non-U.S.-based Dominion personnel is conclusive evidence of criminal activity," the attorneys' emergency motion said.