Major social platforms have been cracking down on the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol
Perspective
How a Florida ‘dealmaker’ turns conservative outrage into cash
An investigation linking a network of right-wing sites to a digital marketing venture illuminates the financial motives behind the spread of hyperpartisan, low-quality news.
Angus King shows the way politicians should be
As I watched Jon Wertheim’s Jan. 10 interview of Maine’s junior Sen. Angus King on the iconic CBS television program “60 Minutes,” I felt my pulse and respiration rate slow and a sense of serenity come over me. That’s how you’re supposed to feel after a yoga session, not after listening to a politician speak. […]
Is there an ‘antifa threat’ in the United States, as Donald Trump claims?
The antifa movement gained momentum in the United States following the election of Donald Trump. However, its members do not constitute a threat in the sense of the American president.
Who are the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6?
Ostensibly protesting an election they may have thought was stolen, their actions fed a larger set of goals that American militants are seizing upon to take more extreme action.
Why ‘free speech’ needs a new definition in the age of the internet and Trump tweets
Freedom of speech emerged as a concept after the invention of the printing press, and that’s worth revisiting in the context of social media and Trump’s presidency.
Presidential pardons and the case from Maine that once besmirched the process
President Donald Trump’s recent pardoning marathon has shed new light on an often overlooked sphere of presidential authority. As one of the few powers which the White House can exercise without either Congressional or — so far at least — judicial — oversight it’s worth taking a look at how some of our other presidents […]
1969 ruling that tossed out conviction of Klan leader may shield Trump from riot charges
The case, in which the ACLU represented Ohio Klan leader Clarence Brandenburg, set a high bar for criminal prosecutions of inflammatory speech.
We can bring COVID-19 under control but not the collective madness that plagues us
We Americans like to celebrate our technological prowess and organizational skill, so how could we have fallen so far behind the curve in responding to what was basically a technological and organizational challenge?
US Capitol protesters, egged on by Trump, are part of a long history of white supremacists hearing politicians’ words as encouragement
The protests that ended in the storming of the US Capitol included members of white supremacy groups, the latest example of such groups being encouraged by politicians to challenge government.