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☆ Inside Infowars' crumbling empire: Ex-Staffers reveal the 'volatile' and 'unhinged' atmosphere working for conspiracy theorist Alex Jones
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Tom Porter | Ashley Collman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

One afternoon in the spring of 2017 Alex Jones furiously lunged at his video producer. According to Jacobson, Jones had to be restrained by another Infowars staffer lest he actually hurt him. Alex Jones did not respond to Insider's request for comment. Owens also said he felt guilty about his complicity in promoting the Sandy Hook conspiracy theories during his time working there. "People hearing the words Sandy Hook, they automatically think Alex Jones," she added.

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☆ Elon Musk pulled Twitter from the EU's anti-disinformation agreement and continues to troll with alt-right memes and dogwhistles. It could be a sign he'll close the site to Europe completely.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

European Commissioner Thierry Breton said Twitter pulled out of the EU's disinformation agreement. The law, which establishes requirements for monitoring and flagging disinformation, would make the now voluntary agreement mandatory for large social media sites. "Twitter leaves EU voluntary Code of Practice against disinformation. Politico reported Breton had previously warned Musk that Twitter could be banned from the EU if it fails to abide by the rules. While Musk has withdrawn Twitter from the EU disinformation agreement, he continues to troll by posting content that skirts the lines of potentially being flagged under the DSA and another EU content policy regarding hate speech.

May 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate is expected to vote Thursday on whether to confirm President Joe Biden's nominee to a federal appeals court a day after Senator Joe Manchin became the first one of Biden's fellow Democrats to vote against one of his judicial picks. Her confirmation faced a new obstacle on Wednesday night when Manchin, a moderate Democrat, broke ranks to oppose advancing her nomination. Her nomination advanced Wednesday on a 50-48 vote after two Republican senators did not participate, teeing it up for final consideration by the full Senate. If Manchin again opposes Abudu during the final vote on her confirmation, Vice President Kamala Harris could be called in to break a tie. That court flipped to a majority of Republican-appointed judges under then-President Donald Trump, who picked six of the 11 active judges.

☆ A retired Georgia couple is fighting back against a railroad company that wants to take land their family has owned for generations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A retired Georgia couple is battling a railroad company that wants their land. The couple is part of a group fighting Sandersville Railroad's plan to use the eminent domain process. The Institute for Justice has accused the railroad company of abusing eminent-domain power. Blaine and Marvin Smith own separate parcels of land, both of which Sandersville's push for eminent domain would impact. Institute for JusticeBen Tarbutton III, a representative for Sandersville Railroad, said the company disagreed "with the assertions made by the Institute for Justice."

WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) - A social media influencer who once had 58,000 Twitter followers was convicted by a federal jury of election interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential race over a voter suppression scheme, the Justice Department said late on Friday. Douglass Mackey, also known as “Ricky Vaughn,” was convicted of the charge of conspiracy against rights stemming from his scheme to deprive individuals of their constitutional right to vote, the Justice Department said in a statement. In 2016, Mackey, 33, established an audience on Twitter with 58,000 followers. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization, Vaughn has in the past openly supported hate groups. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington, Editing by Franklin PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ What is Atomwaffen? The small neo-Nazi group uses violence to try and bring about societal collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russell is a founding member of Atomwaffen, which uses violence to try and bring about societal collapse. Russell is named by the FBI complaint as the founder of Atomwaffen Division, a terroristic neo-Nazi group known for its far-right ideals and obsession with violence. "It's an incredibly dangerous group," Schubiner told Insider. Even at the height of the organization's relevance, extremism researchers estimated there were only 30 to 80 active members, according to The New York Times. "But certainly as we've seen," she added, "some of the people in the group have not stopped engaging in violence."

☆ Florida legislators want to give DeSantis another $10 million to keep shipping migrants across the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ron DeSantis $10 million to transport migrants across the US. DeSantis previously used a state program to fly asylum seekers from Texas to Martha's Vineyard in September. Ron DeSantis' program to transport migrants to so-called "sanctuary cities" across the country. The proposal, Senate bill 6-B, would create a new "Unauthorized Alien Transport Program" and provide $10 million to transport migrants. Two identical bills were introduced this month in the state Senate and House by State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R) and State Rep. John Snyder (R).

Companies Exelon Corp FollowWASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - The FBI arrested two people, including a neo-Nazi leader, before they could attack Baltimore's power grid, officials said on Monday. The suspects, Brandon Russell and Sarah Clendaniel, were taken into custody last week, officials said in a briefing on Monday. The FBI said the plot was racially motivated but did not provide details. Russel provided instruction and location information for the planned attack while Clendaniel felt the plot "will lay this city to waste," Sobocinski told reporters. Baltimore Gas and Electric, a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (EXC.O), which owns the targeted substations, said there was no damage to any of its equipment or outages.

☆ Anti-LGBTQ+ protests are at an all-time high. A Proud Boys war on drag is a big reason why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Once a week on average in 2022, Proud Boys joined or led anti-LGBTQ+ protests held across the US. Proud Boys joined in seven anti-LGBTQ+ protests in September, 10 in October and 6 in November. In December, they protested at 13 anti-LGBTQ+ protests, more than in any other month last year, ACLED data shows. And the group's anti-LGBTQ+ push is continuing, said Kaufman, who tracks the Proud Boys' estimated 119 chapters in 46 states. Proud Boys are turning up these days at nearly half of all anti-LGBTQ+ activity across the country, she told Insider.

☆ At meetings, Proud Boys sing 'Proud of Your Boy,' a weepy ode to mom from Broadway's 'Aladdin,' documents show
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Laura Italiano | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Proud Boys are urged to sing a Broadway show tune at meetings, a new court document reveals. The song is "Proud of Your Boy," a weepy ode to making mom proud by the title character in "Aladdin." The anthem is 'Proud of Your Boy," an emotional ode to winning mom's approval from the hit musical, "Aladdin." "Do the 'Proud Boys' know their anthem was written by a gay Jew?" The Southern Poverty Law Center, which calls the Proud Boys a violent, right-wing hate group, has also noted that the song "Proud of Your Boy" inspired the group's name.

☆ After Indiana Univ. stabbing, Asian American students say they haven’t received enough support from school
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Since the incident, a sense of shock has rippled through the school’s Asian community. The students say that conversations around the incident have been active among the Asian Americans on campus. Karen Cheng, a senior at the university and the president of the school’s Asian American Association, noted a similar sense of fear. As an Asian American woman, she said, public safety concerns predate the tragedy. But the community is also flanked by some areas with white supremacist activity, something many Asian American students are aware of, Cheng said.

☆ The Proud Boys jury hasn't even been seated yet, and the defense already says it's biased
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Proud Boys sedition-trial jury will be picked Monday, out of a pre-vetted pool of DC residents. The defense teams plan to make one last-ditch venue-change motion immediately after the jurors are seated, according to a person familiar with their strategy. "It's not surprising that these potential jurors knew something about the Proud Boys and January 6th, particularly since they live in DC," Suter told Insider. Those views included "preconceived beliefs that the Proud Boys are a 'dangerous armed group,' a 'hate filled group,' 'racists,' and other clearly biased views followed by assertions that they nonetheless can be fair." Defense lawyers are very likely spending the weekend pouring over any public records on the 45 or so prospects in the pool, Suter said.

☆ George Santos accused of flashing white-power symbol during House speaker vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. George Santos has been accused of flashing a white-power symbol on the House floor on Thursday. Santos appeared to flash an OK symbol while casting a vote for Kevin McCarthy as speaker. The then-incoming lawmaker, who was sworn in on Saturday, was pictured making the gesture as he cast a vote for Kevin McCarthy in the tenth round of votes for House speaker. Santos used his right hand to cast his vote for McCarthy while making a sideways "OK" gesture with his left hand, which was positioned across his body. Many took to social media to condemn Santos and speculate on whether he had deliberately flashed the hand gesture.

☆ Proud Boys tried to get a sedition case tossed because too many of their potential defense witnesses would plead the Fifth. A judge said no.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jury selection in the DC seditious-conspiracy trial of five Proud Boys leaders wrapped Friday. Two potential Proud Boys defense witnesses were also "intimidated" into silence when the federal government threatened prosecution, one of the four, Ethan Nordean, had argued. The Proud Boys are considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center; the Anti-Defamation League calls them a violent, right-wing extremist group. These and other extremism watchdog groups say misogynistic, Islamaphobic, transphobic, and anti-immigration rhetoric is common among Proud Boys members. "Tarrio suggests that the Court should infer nefarious activity simply from the number of potential defense witnesses who have claimed privilege," the judge also wrote.

The exact contours of the Democrats' majority is in flux after Senator Kyrsten Sinema switched her party affiliation from Democrat to independent. But either she caucuses with Democrats and gives the party a 51-49 majority or she does not, leaving Democrats with a 50-49 edge. But in a 50-50 Senate where Democrats and Republicans had an even number of seats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, several civil rights lawyers and nominees supported by progressive advocates stalled with deadlocked votes. And in a 50-50 Senate, occasionally Vice President Kamala Harris was needed to cast a tie-breaking vote. Assuming they are renominated, their path to confirmation could be smoothed, as the Judiciary Committee under Durbin's leadership will now have a majority of Democrats.

☆ The Oath Keepers promised to defend liberty — and ended up trying to overthrow American democracy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Oath Keepers were founded in 2009, pledging to stand up to tyranny. The Oath Keepers, to be sure, are not to be confused with a charming but a little bit problematic ex. A look at the list of 10 orders the Oath Keepers insisted its members — cops and soldiers — would not carry out reveals as much. Thanks to the magic of the Internet Archive, however, we can see just how they were received on the Oath Keepers' website at the time. But there is, in my take, nothing different about the underlying threat that Oath Keepers posed from day one."

☆ Rep. Zoe Lofgren crashed Proud Boy Enrique Tarrio's January 6 deposition to ask why he called her the C-word on Telegram
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Rep. Zoe Lofgren interrupted the Proud Boys' Enrique Tarrio's Capitol-riot deposition. "I see that Ms. Lofgren has come onto video," a committee lawyer whose name is redacted is recorded as saying. "I just don't understand why that's just such a big deal," Tarrio's lawyer said, dismissing Telegram as "just kind of a really nasty Irish bar scene." Tarrio told committee members: "I took it to be, like, 'Hey, the election's coming up. The Proud Boys seditious-conspiracy trial follows the November seditious-conspiracy conviction of the Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and is expected to last about six weeks.

The bill already passed the Senate and now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature. “In removing Taney’s bust, I’m not asking that we would hold Taney to today’s moral standards,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on Wednesday while advocating for the statue’s removal. Figures like Taney belong in history textbooks and classroom discussions, not in marbled bronze on public display of honor.”A similar effort in 2020 that passed the House aimed to remove Taney’s bust from the Capitol along with monuments honoring Confederates. That bill, however, was eventually stalled by Senate Republicans who argued that states should decide which statues they’d like to display in the Capitol. A statue of Taney was previously removed in 2017 from the grounds of the Maryland State House.

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene says that if she planned Jan. 6 the rioters 'would've been armed' and would have won
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said that if she organized Jan. 6, the protesters "would've been armed." Though denying involvement, Greene has been sympathetic to the rioters and defended them. And next thing you know, I organized the whole thing, along with Steve Bannon here. And I will tell you something, if Steve Bannon and I had organized that, we would have won. She has also repeatedly defended the rioters, visiting a group of rioters imprisoned in Washington, DC, whom she described as "political prisoners."

Jewish and anti-hate organizations are urging social media influencers and tech platforms to stop hosting interviews with Ye, the rapper and artist formerly known as Kanye West, as he’s continued to make antisemitic statements and criticize Jewish people in his recent public appearances. Ross, a popular Twitch streamer with 7 million followers, is Jewish and said that he was going to “stand up for the Jews” in the interview. On Dec. 5, political streamer Hasan Piker said in a Twitch stream that he may participate in the interview. Rez said that even if Ross planned to challenge Ye, she would be concerned that the interview would stoke antisemitic violence. Ross has been silent on the topic of the Ye interview since the call with Fuentes was published.

☆ Immigrant advocates challenge constitutionality of DeSantis' migrant flights
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Colbi Edmonds | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Ron DeSantis on Thursday over his flights of migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, in September. Venezuelan migrants gather at the Vineyard Haven ferry terminal in Marthas Vineyard, Mass. Carlin Stiehl / The Boston Globe via Getty Images fileThis is only the most recent lawsuit filed against DeSantis over the flights. DeSantis' immigration move escalated a tactic first used by Texas Gov. “Obviously, it’s sad that Martha’s Vineyard people deported them the next day, DeSantis said of the migrants he sent to Massachusetts in September.

☆ Live updates: Suspect in Colorado Springs LGBTQ club shooting charged with 5 counts of first-degree murder
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( David K. Li | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Kahlan-Rosenblatt.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Colorado Springs, a mostly conservative city of about half a million people, sits about 70 miles south from the more progressive Denver. Poet James Davis "proudly named [the book] after a gay bar in Colorado Springs," according to his website. In the poem entitled "Club Q," Davis describes the emotion and the feeling of finally belonging in a place. “Club Q is in shock, and in deep mourning, with the family and friends who had loved ones senselessly taken from them. Mother identifies son as Club Q shooting victim: 'It's just a nightmare’ Nov. 21, 2022 00:54 Aston, a transgender man who worked at Club Q as a bartender, was one of the five people killed at the venue on Saturday.

☆ NAACP chief slammed Elon Musk's 'garbage poll' and called for advertisers to pause Twitter spending after Trump reinstated
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The president of the NAACP slammed Elon Musk's decision to reinstate Donald Trump to Twitter. Twitter CEO Elon Musk reinstated Trump on the platform on Saturday, ending after 22 months of what started as a permanent suspension. On Saturday, Musk posted a poll asking the site's users, 52% of whom chose "yes" to the question "Reinstate former President Donald Trump." In a series of tweets over the weekend, NAACP President Derrick Johnson blasted Musk for using a "garbage poll" to gauge public sentiment on the decision. Meanwhile, Donald Trump said on Saturday that he sees no reason to rejoin Twitter, Reuters reported.

☆ A Maryland Republican who lost his race by 300K votes says he won't concede
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Maryland Republican said he won't concede election despite trailing by more than 300,000 votes. Peroutka alleged "odd and suspicious" election activity but provided no specifics. Maryland state board of elections said it has seen no sign of suspicious incidents. In the Maryland attorney general race he campaigned on issues of gun rights, protection of the elderly and the "pre-born," border security, and opposing health mandates, per his website. There have been a wealth of independent fact checks, lawsuits, and election investigations, none of which have succeeded in uncovering evidence of widespread election fraud in the 2020 election.

The U.S. congressional elections posed a fresh test for social media companies, which for years have struggled to balance free expression against amplifying potentially harmful commentary. Voices on the right sought on social media on Tuesday to falsely blame Democrats for voting glitches reported in some places. Common Cause also noted a "big slowdown" in Twitter's response time since Friday, when layoffs gutted many of the company's teams responsible for elevating credible information. Before Tuesday, both Musk and Twitter's head of safety and integrity Yoel Roth tweeted that the company would uphold and enforce its election integrity policies through the midterms. The falsehoods appeared to originate on messaging app Telegram before spreading to more mainstream social media services, according to Common Cause.

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