conspiracy theories

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Report: Vet Accused in FBI Attack Has QAnon Links

Ervin Bolling, a Trump supporter, spoke of wanting to join militia, according to nonprofit

(Newser) - The Navy veteran accused of ramming the gate of the FBI field office in Atlanta on Monday is a supporter of former President Trump who promoted conspiracy theories related to QAnon and the 2020 presidential election on social media, according to a report. Ervin Lee Bolling, facing a state charge...

Taylor Swift's Far-Right Critics Float Epic Conspiracy Theory
Taylor Swift's Far-Right Critics
Float Epic Conspiracy Theory
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 3, 2024 4:30 PM CST

Taylor Swift's Far-Right Critics Float Epic Conspiracy Theory

In some versions, the Super Bowl featuring her boyfriend will be rigged to help Democrats

(Newser) - Make no mistake: President Biden would love to get an endorsement from Taylor Swift, as he did in 2020. In fact, his team views that as the "biggest and most influential endorsement" to be had in the coming election, the New York Times reports. That may play some small...

Support for Political Violence in America Is Kind of Shocking

Poll finds 23% of Americans believe it could be necessary 'to save our country'

(Newser) - Nearly one in four Americans support political violence in a new national survey that pollsters say is likely to indicate a "challenging election season." Some 75% of Americans surveyed by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution—including 84% of Democrats, 77% of Republicans, and 73%...

RFK Jr. Accused of Antisemitic Remarks on COVID
RFK Jr. Denies Antisemitism
in New COVID Remarks
the rundown
Jul 16, 2023 8:20 AM CDT

RFK Jr. Denies Antisemitism in New COVID Remarks

Candidate takes flak after 'New York Post' reports on his comments at a dinner

(Newser) - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. finds himself in more political controversy this weekend, accused of bigotry over comments he made while discussing the COVID-19 virus at a dinner in New York City this week. The New York Post published videotape of the dinner. Coverage:
  • What he said: "COVID-19. There is
...

Hashtag 'Died Suddenly' Is Up 740% in 2 Months

Vaccine skeptics keep falsely blaming deaths on COVID shots

(Newser) - Results from 6-year-old Anastasia Weaver’s autopsy may take weeks. But online anti-vaccine activists needed only hours after her funeral this week to baselessly blame the COVID-19 vaccine, per the AP . A prolific Twitter account posted Anastasia’s name and smiling dance portrait in a tweet with a syringe emoji....

School Debunks Senate Candidate's 'Furries' Claim

Don Bolduc in New Hampshire repeats hoax about students using litter boxes

(Newser) - Again with the litter boxes . GOP Senate candidate Don Bolduc in New Hampshire was captured on audio telling supporters that too-lenient schools were allowing students who identify as cats to lick themselves and each other and use litter boxes instead of bathrooms. "I wish I was making it up,...

Newsmax Bans Lara Logan After Wild Immigration Theory

Ex-'60 Minutes' reporter said Satan allows for open borders

(Newser) - Former CBS News correspondent Lara Logan has some out-there ideas on immigration—so out there that she's now banned from the right-wing Newsmax network for airing them. The offending interview took place Wednesday with Eric Bolling, who apparently got the first scoop Logan had on the "global cabal"...

Someone Tried to Kill Argentina's VP. Many Don't Believe It

Conspiracy theories abound amid probe into assassination attempt on Cristina Fernandez

(Newser) - At least three people have been arrested over the assassination attempt against Argentina Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner earlier this month, and the investigation is ongoing, but some now think that probe may be a wild goose chase of sorts. As the New York Times frames it: "A...

They Claimed 'New World Order' on COVID; Judge Hit Them Hard

Anti-vaxxers fueled by conspiracy theories must pay Aussie federal, state gov'ts $150K in legal fees

(Newser) - Every Australian state except for one, as well as one territory and the nation's federal government, is set to recoup tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees after a federal judge ruled against an anti-vaxxer group, saying the members had failed to prove their claims that COVID mandates...

On Top of Avian Flu, Farmers Deal With Conspiracy Theories

As with COVID-19, misinformation spreads online

(Newser) - Brad Moline, a fourth-generation Iowa turkey farmer, saw this happen before. In 2015, a virulent avian flu outbreak nearly wiped out his flock. Barns once filled with chattering birds were suddenly silent. Employees were anguished by having to kill sickened animals. The family business, started in 1924, was at serious...

QAnon Believer Texted Wife Day He Allegedly Killed Kids

Wife said Matthew Coleman grew 'significantly more paranoid' before murders: affidavit

(Newser) - California surfing instructor Matthew Coleman, accused of stabbing his two young children to death with a spearfishing gun on the belief that they had "serpent DNA," grew more and more paranoid as he went down the QAnon rabbit hole, court documents allege. Wife Abby Coleman told investigators that...

Neb. Lawmaker Apologizes for Believing 'Ugly Rumor'

State Sen. Bruce Bostelman believed claim schools were putting out litter boxes for 'furry' students

(Newser) - School custodians probably wouldn't want to add "empty litter boxes" to their daily to-do list, and luckily they don't have to—because students using litter boxes in school is not an actual thing. One Nebraska lawmaker is finally acknowledging that, and offering a public apology, after spreading...

Butterfly Sanctuary Shuts Down Over QAnon Conspiracy Theory

Harassment, threats at Texas' National Butterfly Center led to sanctuary's 'difficult decision'

(Newser) - For most, the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, is a gathering place for nature lovers. For a group of QAnon conspiracy theorists, it's a site rife with human trafficking—a debunked suspicion that has led to so much harassment and threats that the sanctuary has now announced it'...

Tech Firm Mogul's Antisemitic Email: 'Jews Are Behind This'

Entrata's Dave Bateman resigns from board after tying Jewish people to vaccine conspiracy theory

(Newser) - "I write this email knowing that many of you will think I'm crazy after reading it." That's how Utah tech entrepreneur and GOP fundraiser Dave Bateman started off his message to state leaders and members of the tech industry on Tuesday, suggesting he had at least...

As Q Fades Away, QAnon Carries On
QAnon Carries On
With New Leaders
Dec 30, 2021 12:03 AM CST

QAnon Carries On With New Leaders

Analysts see the movement as becoming stronger as it decentralizes

(Newser) - It's been more than a year since QAnon received any direction from Q, the otherwise nameless online account whose conspiracy theories the movement was built on. But QAnon appears undeterred, the New York Times reports, evolving rather than fading away like its leader. It's so far survived Q'...

France's First Lady Preps Lawsuit: I Was Not Born Male

Brigitte Macron readies to file complaint over conspiracy theory that she's transgender

(Newser) - The name Jean-Michel Trogneux has been floating around in social media circles for months, and France's first lady isn't happy about it. That's because conspiracy theorists are claiming that's Brigitte Macron's birth name, and that she was born male, prompting the 68-year-old wife of Emmanuel...

He Knows Birds Are Real. His Movement Says They Aren't

Birds Aren't Real founder Peter McIndoe on the 'safe space' he's created for Gen Z

(Newser) - Have you ever seen a baby pigeon? No? It's probably because birds aren't real but rather government drones used to spy on you and steal your information. That's according to the Birds Aren't Real movement, and a movement it is: hundreds of thousands of young people...

SEC Complaints of Facebook Whistleblower Revealed

In her claim, Frances Haugen cites document that says platform removes only 2% of hate speech

(Newser) - 60 Minutes is sharing details of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen's complaints to the Securities and Exchange Commission, including her claim that the social network stoked political division by steering conservative-leaning users toward conspiracy theories. One of at least eight complaints, titled "Facebook misled investors and the public...

Flutist Who Shared Conspiracy Theories Is Out of a Job

Baltimore Symphony fires Emily Skala

(Newser) - A flutist who courted controversy with online posts about everything from COVID to the 2020 election results is out of a job in Baltimore. The city's orchestra this week fired principal flutist Emily Skala, reports the Baltimore Sun . The move comes about six months after the orchestra publicly rebuked...

GOP Official Mocked COVID. 5 Days Later, He Was Dead

45-year-old Scott Apley was a Dickinson City Council member in Texas

(Newser) - A 45-year-old Texas GOP official who openly mocked face masks, quarantining , and the coronavirus vaccine has died of COVID. Per a GoFundMe campaign, Dickinson City Council and State Republican Executive Committee member Scott Apley died early Wednesday. He'd been hospitalized in Galveston since Sunday after being admitted with "...

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