The “Plandemic” Conspiracy Theorist Is Coming to a TV Near You
Michael Siluk/Education Images/Getty For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.Update, July 25, 4pm ET: Sinclair says it will “delay” the broadcast of America This Week featuring Judy Mikovits. The discredited researcher behind “Plandemic”—a viral video that falsely suggests the coronavirus is “activated” by face masks, amid other bizarre…
Trump Campaign Smears American Protesters With Photo From Ukraine
For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.President Donald Trump is trying to boost his reelection chances by highlighting his efforts to use federal officers to crack down on what he claims is lawlessness in US cities. This week, his campaign ran a Facebook ad that showed protesters attacking…
How Real Conspiracies Inspired False Rumors About Flooding Black Communities With Fireworks
An amateur fireworks display in Brooklyn from June.Stephanie Keith/Getty For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.John Williams had just finished his fourth novel and was trying to figure out how to sell it. His 1967 book, The Man Who Cried I Am, focused on a CIA plot to stave…
Reddit Finally Banned The_Donald. That Won’t Stop the Hate It Unleashed.
Seb Daly/Web Summit via Getty Images For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.Over the last several years, it’s become increasingly apparent that social media isn’t a universal good. In that time technology companies have, through algorithms that prioritize polarization and absolutely no foresight, repeatedly helped give a home…
Alt-Right Trolls Are Trying to Sabotage Black Lives Matter Chatrooms
Protesters in Minneapolis chant while facing riot police.AP Image For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.As mass protests against police brutality and racial injustice continue across the country, 4chan, a notorious alt-right troll hub online, is trying to meddle in protesters’ online operations. On Sunday night, users of…
Inside the Bizarre Misinformation Campaign About a Hoax Blackout in DC
Demonstrators in Washington, DC on Sunday.Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.In the late hours of Sunday and early Monday morning, as Washington, DC, was in the throes of massive protests and police used teargas, rubber bullets, and what appeared to be flashbangs…