Why the Right-Wing Conspiracy Theory About Taylor Swift Is Good for American Democracy
Mother Jones illustration; RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post/Getty; Andrew Thomas/NurPhoto/AP Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.You probably have noticed all the recent hubbub about Taylor Swift, because we all notice all the hubbub about Taylor Swift. But this spate of hate, though ludicrous, casts a…
A “Political Stunt”: House Republicans Move Forward With Impeachment of DHS Secretary Mayorkas
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.Alex Brandon/AP Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.House Republicans have taken another step toward their unprecedented efforts to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who they blame for a migrant crisis at the US-Mexico border. On Tuesday, the Homeland Security Committee…
It’s Time the Word “Oligarch” Lost Its Russian Veneer
Mother Jones; Getty; Unsplash Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.Back in 2011, the New Yorker published a Charles Barsotti cartoon that I, as a scholar of wealth power in liberal democracies, found brilliant: A rotund executive in a business suit is saying to his C-suite…
Shocker: Fossil Fuel Industry Knew of Profound Climate Risks In the 1950s
An artistic depiction of the Keeling Curve, which shows atmospheric CO2 concentrations over time.Swen Pförtner/AP This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The fossil fuel industry funded some of the world’s most foundational climate science as early as 1954, newly unearthed documents have shown, including the…
Anti-Vax Influencer Stew Peters Has a New Fixation: “The Jews”
/Stew Peters Network Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.In October, I wrote about how bounty-hunter-turned-far-right-livestreamer Stew Peters was using the conflict in Gaza as an excuse to indulge in flagrantly antisemitic rhetoric. Back then, Peters mostly used coded language, ranting about “Zionists” and the…
Martha’s Vineyard Is Being Gutted by Skyrocketing Housing Costs. Yes, You Should Care.
Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.The afternoon of July 4, 2023, in Edgartown, Massachusetts—one of the six towns that make up the island of Martha’s Vineyard—was muggy and threatening rain. Near the top of Main Street, the participants of the local parade mustered, eying…