Morning Briefing: Study Identifies Connected Narratives of COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories
Study finds social media post amplifying COVID-19 related conspiracy theories that 'highlighted malicious purposes and secretive actions of supposed bad actors behind the crisis.'
Morning Briefing: According to an analysis of COVID-19 conspiracy theories that examined nearly 400,000 social media posts, “researchers identified commonalities in five of the most popular conspiracy theories: those related to Bill Gates, 5G Networks, vaccinations, QAnon and Agenda 21.”
Shawna Bentz, the mother of U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, is promoting the conspiracy theory that “the NFL is covering up that fact that Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin actually died after collapsing during a game earlier this month and that a body double was used last week when cameras showed him cheering on his team from a suite.”
Nick Fuentes, the antisemitic White Nationalist influencer, reinstatement on Twitter ending “with Elon Musk’s social media site re-suspending the account less than a day after permitting his return.”
A U.S. District Court jury “found four members of the far-right militia group the Oath Keepers guilty of seditious conspiracy and other charges related to the January 6 breach of the US Capitol.”
Caleb Berry, a former member of the Oath Keepers, was reportedly key to the conviction, as Berry “testified that he heard the Oath Keepers hatch an explicit plan to enter the Capitol and stop the certification of Joe Biden's presidential victory.”
Must Reads
James Risen writes that “Right-wing violence seems to have increased since the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. In fact, Peña’s arrest came just weeks after the two leading members of a 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were finally sentenced, and follows the October attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as the August armed attack on the FBI’s Cincinnati office by a pro-Trump extremist angered by the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago in connection with Trump’s classified documents case. What makes Peña’s case significant — and clarifying — is that the defeated candidate himself may have engaged directly in the violence. In other recent cases, Republicans have sought to dismiss acts of violence by claiming that there was no proof the criminals involved were motivated by their pro-Trump, Republican ideology.” [The Intercept]
Amy Gardner and Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff report that “after Peña’s arrest, Republican leaders condemned the attacks, which included a spray of bullets into a 10-year-old’s bedroom, and acknowledged that the former candidate’s criminal history should have been a red flag. There was far less apparent interest in a reckoning over Peña’s beliefs in widespread voter fraud, a false theory pushed relentlessly by former president Donald Trump and his supporters. The attacks may have been heinous, top Republicans insisted, but the party’s embrace of election denialism was not the core problem.” [The Washington Post]
Gabe Ortiz writes that “officials are just beginning their probe into the campaign donations. But clearly a big question now is whether the thousands of dollars in campaign donations were the result of illegal drug sales—like the fentanyl found in Trujillo’s vehicle. It would not be a shock if so, considering how often Republicans attack others for the very shit they do themselves. It would also come as Republicans have falsely tried to pin fentanyl distribution on immigrants, which is most certainly not the case. Government data clearly demonstrates that it’s overwhelmingly U.S. citizens who have been caught smuggling this drug. Note how quiet Republicans are on Peña, too. If the political parties had been reversed, not only would this be a top story pushed by Republicans, they’d be using it as an excuse to say we have to get even crueler at the border.” [Daily Kos]
This Week in Extremism: Constitutional Sheriffs
Discussion with on her reporting on the far right “constitutional sheriffs” movement. Join the discussion on Twitter Spaces on Friday, January 27th at 12:00pm EST (11:00am CST / 9:00am PST)
Radical Reports Book Club: Jesus and John Wayne
Discussion on Twitter Spaces: Jesus and John Wayne: Chapters 6 — 10 (Tuesday, January 31th at 12:00pm EST)*
*This Twitter Space has been rescheduled.
What to expect from Radical Reports: Morning Briefing provides a daily round-up of reporting on the Radical Right; Extremist Links offers a weekly round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and militia movements; Narratives of the Right delivers weekly analysis of the current narratives in far right online spaces and promoted by right-wing media; and Research Desk provides monthly highlights research and analysis from academia on the Radical Right.