“Obamagate” Is Trump’s Latest Lie to Smear Joe Biden
Michael Flynn arrives at US District Court for sentencing on Dec. 18, 2018.Alex Edelman/CNP via ZUMA Wire For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.The Trump White House has released a list of officials in President Barack Obama’s administration who “may have received” access to National Security Agency reports…
How an “Old Hippie” Got Accused of Astroturfing the Right-Wing Campaign to Reopen the Economy
An anti-shutdown protest in Harrisburg, Pa.AP Photo/Matt Rourke For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.I caught up with Michael Murphy late on Sunday from his home in Jacksonville, Florida, but it wasn’t easy: he hadn’t been able to answer his phone for 24 hours. “I had to turn…
Another Day, Another Meme to Debunk: Vaccines for the Bovine Coronavirus Will Not Cure COVID-19
During any big news event, Facebook becomes even more of a pit of toxic disinformation than it is on a relatively normal day. That said, there is one particular meme that I saw pop up a few times recently and I can’t stop thinking about it. (Some context about my feed: I am from rural…
Iran’s Supreme Leader Just Declined US Coronavirus Help Because of a Conspiracy Theory
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamanei speaks during his meeting with students in Tehran, Iran on October 18, 2017.Photo by Iranian Leader’s Press Office – Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Iran’s supreme leader declined US aid in fighting the coronavirus, citing a baseless conspiracy about the American government intentionally creating the virus. “I do not know how real…
How QAnon Fueled a Hoax About Oprah Being Arrested
Photo by Tom Cooper/Getty Images Seemingly out of nowhere on Tuesday night, an outlandish hoax about Oprah Winfrey getting arrested and Tom Hanks’ coronavirus diagnosis went massively viral only to be debunked by Winfrey herself—all in the period of time when many Americans were asleep. “Just got a phone call that my name is trending.…
The Feds Are Going After Bogus Coronavirus Products. Should Alex Jones Be Worried?
Jose Luis Magana/AP As concern over the coronavirus continues to grip the world, misinformation is spreading almost as quickly as the epidemic itself. And some companies are trying to turn that misinformation into profit. Case in point: The US Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission sent letters last week to companies warning…