br00t4c (@br00t4c@mastodon.social)

528K Posts, 3.18K Following, 3.05K Followers · More machine than man at this point. 24/7/365 stream of news and vitriol from a mostly leftist/progressive perspective. News feed is algorithmic. Commentary is me. I *try* to answer in a timely manner...

Conspiracy theories and disinformation mar UK local election

Claims circulated online that London would be turned into a "net zero prison" with the introduction of "climate lockdowns".

A Theory About Conspiracy Theories

Perhaps the first conspiracy in human history took place around the 22nd February 44BC. The hidden plan was to assassinate Julius Caesar. It all but began

American Support for Conspiracy Theories and Armed Rebellion Isn’t New, We Just Didn’t Believe It Before the Capitol Insurrection

Americans had to confront a new reality when an angry mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021: Some of their fellow citizens were in the grips of a

How Conspiracy Theories in the US Became More Personal, More Cruel and More Mainstream After the Sandy Hook Shootings

Conspiracy theories are powerful forces in the U.S. They have damaged public health amid a global pandemic, shaken faith in the democratic process and

Conspiracy Theories and Tragedy in Douma, Syria

On April 7, 2018, two Syrian Air Force Mi-8 Helicopters were spotted departing from Dumayr airbase towards the besieged Damascus suburb of Douma, which was in the final days of a years-long conflict between the Assad regime and various rebel...

Arizona’s Criticized Election Review Nears End, but Copycats Are Just Getting Started

The inquiry into the 2020 vote, derided as a badly flawed partisan exercise, has already spawned imitators in other states.

‘We’re Going to Take Over the World’

One of the many legacies of Sept. 11 was a new era of conspiratorial thinking. This is a look at the online film that crystallized it.

How a Viral Video Bent Reality

Twenty years after 9/11, “Loose Change,” a landmark film for conspiracy theorists, still casts a shadow over our information landscape.

Opinion | From ‘Ku Kluxism’ to Trumpism

Many of the Klan’s tactics are still being used to preserve white supremacy and subjugate racial, ethnic and religious minorities in United States. 

G.O.P. Election Reviews Create a New Kind of Security Threat

As Republicans continue to challenge the 2020 results, voting equipment is being compromised when partisan insiders and unvetted operatives gain access.

Spike Lee Removes Conspiracists From HBO 9/11 Series After Criticism

The filmmaker edited his documentary after critics said it provided a platform for discredited theories purporting that the towers had been secretly blown up.

Spike Lee Re-Edits HBO Sept. 11 Series That Features Conspiracists

An episode of the eight-hour documentary series has drawn criticism for giving a platform to people who have long peddled debunked claims about what caused the towers to collapse.

Rejecting Covid Inquiry, China Peddles Conspiracy Theories Blaming the U.S.

A new wave of disinformation follows President Biden’s order for the United States to investigate the origin of the pandemic, including the possibility of a lab leak in Wuhan.

Rejecting Covid Inquiry, China Peddles Conspiracy Theories Blaming the U.S.

A new wave of disinformation follows President Biden’s order for the United States to investigate the origin of the pandemic, including the possibility of a lab leak in Wuhan.

Opinion | The Trump Clown Car Has a Smashup in Arizona

The misbegotten Republican recount of Arizona’s 2020 election results is an object lesson about the embarrassing damage to democracy by a sore loser.

Man says he killed his kids over QAnon conspiracy theories and "serpent DNA," fearing they'd become "monsters"

Santa Barbara surfing school owner told the FBI he took them to Mexico, believing they'd become monsters, and shot them in their chests with a spear gun, authorities say.

California dad killed his kids over QAnon and 'serpent DNA' conspiracy theories, feds allege

Authorities say Matthew Taylor Coleman confessed to murdering his two young children in Mexico and told investigators he thought they would "grow into monsters."

Surf Instructor Killed His Children and Claimed QAnon Made Him Do It, F.B.I. Says

Matthew Taylor Coleman, 40, of Santa Barbara, Calif., abducted his 2-year-old son and 10-month-old daughter and took them to Mexico, the authorities said.