How Conspiracy Theories Became More Personal, More Cruel And More Mainstream After The Sandy Hook Shootings

<p class=”is-style-sans-serif”><em>This article is part of&nbsp;<a href=”https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe”>TPM Cafe</a>, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It first appeared at&nbsp;<a href=”https://theconversation.com/how-conspiracy-theories-in-the-us-became-more-personal-more-cruel-and-more-mainstream-after-the-sandy-hook-shootings-172015″>The Conversation</a>.</em></p> <p>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 <a href=”https://abcnews.go.com/US/qanon-emerges-recurring-theme-criminal-cases-tied-us/story?id=75347445″>helped spark</a> a violent assault on the U.S. Capitol in January 2021.</p> <p>These conspiracy theories are part of a dangerous misinformation crisis that has been building for years in the U.S.</p> <p>American politics has long had a <a href=”https://harpers.org/archive/1964/11/the-paranoid-style-in-american-politics/”>paranoid streak</a>, and belief in conspiracy…

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Biden slams Supreme Court’s moves on Texas abortion law, urges Congress to codify Roe v. Wade

President Biden on Friday said he is “very concerned” that the U.S. Supreme Court let a Texas abortion law remain in effect pending legal challenges. He said that leaving in place the law, known as SB 8, which bans abortions after six months of pregnancy and lawsuits against people who … The Washington Times stories: White House

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Just Go Away, Brian Williams

Brian Williams, dismissed as “NBC Nightly News” anchor in 2015 for serial embellishment and lying, has decided to walk away from his MSNBC show “The 11th Hour.” CNN’s Brian Stelter, from a competing network, previewed the last show: “There’s no word on what the Thursday finale will entail, but here’s hoping for a sendoff befitting his position.” Williams should be sent off with a lump of coal. Stelter wasn’t quite as bad as one of his favorite Sunday-show guests, journalism professor and former Baltimore Sun reporter David Zurawik. “I have…

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WH defends OSHA vaccinate-or-test mandate after Senate disapproval vote

The White House on Thursday defended a heavily litigated regulation that would force workers at large companies to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or tested for the virus and said President Biden will veto a disapproval resolution if it makes it to his desk. The Senate voted 52-48 late Wednesday to … The Washington Times stories: White House

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Pause Before You Give Congress Credit for Trying to Stop Slave Labor in China

American corporate and political leaders are more eager than ever to burnish their do-gooder credentials. Companies are taking stands on social issues more than ever before. Politicians also want to make sure the voters know they are socially just. It’s no surprise, therefore, that each house of Congress has passed a bill to stop the importation of goods made with Chinese slave labor. What’s more interesting is just how much top American companies and our political leaders have done to slow down the process and weaken the protections. It’s a…

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