While much of the focus of the investigations into January 6th’s domestic terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol has centered on followers of the internet conspiracy theory QAnon, details are emerging about the potential involvement of the Oath Keepers, a right-wing militia, in the recent insurrection. This development comes following …
Read More »The Best Podcasts of 2020
Like so many other parts of our lives, podcasts were different this year. For people suddenly working remotely, there were no more commutes. Instead, podcasts soundtracked evenings making dinner, weekends doing chores, long walks to stretch our legs, or drives to clear our heads. For those still working outside of …
Read More »'Pastel QAnon' Is Infiltrating the Natural Parenting Community
Yolande Norris-Clark gazes placidly into the camera, speaking in her best ASMR voice, honey-colored bangs lying flat against her forehead as if stuck there by glue. She is, she says, with her five youngest children (she has eight) in the jungles of Costa Rica, where she’s recently relocated from her …
Read More »Inside the Weed Legalization Bill the House of Representatives Just Passed
UPDATE: The House of Representatives passed the MORE Act on Friday by a vote of 228-164. The vote fell largely along party lines, with 6 Democrats voting against the bill and 5 Republicans voting for it. The chamber’s lone Libertarian member, Rep. Justin Amash, voted for it. “I’m so proud …
Read More »TikTok Stars Are Being Turned Into Deepfake Porn Without Their Consent
Last summer, a pornographic video of a prominent TikTok creator started going viral on social media. A screengrab of the video on TikTok made its way to the Instagram account @tiktokroom, along with a comment from the creator whose face was posted in the video. “It’s a deepfake but still, …
Read More »Inside One Lawyer's Quest to End Solitary Confinement
In 2008, Matthew Coyte, an attorney with a tiny private practice in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was approached by a potential client. Stephen Slevin had spent nearly two years in solitary confinement in Doña Ana County Detention Center, where he developed fungal infections and bedsores, removed his own aching tooth, suffered …
Read More »Former Model Accuses President Trump of Sexual Assault
A former model has accused President Trump of sexually assaulting her at the U.S. Open in 1997, when she was 24 years old. Amy Dorris told theGuardian that the President approached her outside the bathroom of his VIP box at the tennis tournament. He then allegedly tried to kiss and …
Read More »Wellness Influencers Are Calling Out QAnon Conspiracy Theorists for Spreading Lies
A few months ago, Shannon Algeo, a yoga and meditation teacher in Los Angeles, was on Facebook perusing his feed when he saw a post from an acquaintance and colleague in the area. “These are my beliefs. Let the unfriending commence,” the intro of the post read. The poster went …
Read More »How 'Cuties' Is Fueling the Far Right's Obsession With Pedophilia
No foreign film in recent memory has attracted quite as much scrutiny as Netflix‘s Cuties. Directed by French-Senegalese filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré, Cuties, which was a hit when it premiered at Sundance last year, tells the story of an 11-year-old girl, Amy, who strays from her strict conservative and religious Muslim …
Read More »How Surfing Saved Me
Growing up in Manhattan, I never gave surfing more than a glancing thought. I liked the beach, but I wasn’t much of an athlete and I figured you had to be insane to want to ride those heaving behemoths they showed on Wide World of Sports. And, besides, as a …
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