The Media's Lab Leak Debacle Shows Why Banning 'Misinformation' Is a Terrible Idea
How a debate about COVID-19's origins exposed a dangerous hubris
Conspiracy Theories
Why Did It Take Stanford So Long To Recognize This Satirical Flyer As Protected Speech?
The university investigated a law school student for mocking the Federalist Society, putting his diploma on hold until yesterday.
Why Would Republicans Want a Credible, Nonpartisan Investigation of the Capitol Riot?
From Mitch McConnell's perspective, an independent commission can only mean trouble.
Is This a COVID-19 'Smoking Gun,' or Is it a Damp Squib?
Suspicions about a lab leak will continue so long as Chinese officials keep acting like they have something to hide.
Trump Is Right That Liz Cheney Was a 'Poor Leader' for a Party Dedicated to Indulging His Fantasies and Whims
By stripping her of her leadership position, House Republicans proved her point.
Liz Cheney's Expected Ouster Shows the GOP Stands for Nothing but One Man's Whims
The main qualification of Cheney's likely replacement as chair of the House Republican Conference is her willingness to indulge Donald Trump's election fantasy.
Eldridge Cleaver: The Mormon Years
Friday A/V Club: A former Black Panther's winding path
Sidney Powell Says She's Not Guilty of Defamation Because 'No Reasonable Person' Would Have Believed Her 'Outlandish' Election Conspiracy Theory
The former Trump campaign lawyer insists her allegations about systematic voting fraud were not "statements of fact."
Why We (Still) Shouldn't Censor Misinformation
It strains credulity to believe random tweets can lead otherwise normal people to drive across the country and stage an insurrection.
HBO Takes a Deep Dive into the Wild Corners of QAnon
Documentary series Q: Into the Storm delves into the Trump-era conspiracy.
Debris Represents the Crumbling Leftovers of X-Files Rip-offs
Oh look, two mismatched government agents investigating alien technology.
After Voting to Acquit Trump, Mitch McConnell Explains Why He Was Guilty
The Senate minority leader's triangulation does not bode well for the GOP's ability to stand for something other than a personality cult.
GOP Congressman Peter Meijer on Why He Voted To Impeach Trump
The 33-year-old lawmaker, who occupies Justin Amash's old seat, on how his party needs to reclaim the mantle of limited government, capitalism, and individualism.
Leaving Aside Trump's Role in Provoking the Capitol Riot, His Reaction to It Was Enough To Justify Impeachment
He betrayed his oath and duties as president by hesitating to intervene and refusing to unambiguously condemn the violence.
Trump's Impeachment Lawyers Try To Deconstruct the Link Between What He Said and What His Followers Did
No amount of parsing can obscure his responsibility for the deadly attack on the Capitol.
Trump's Dubious First Amendment Defense Against Impeachment
He is on firmer ground in arguing that the Senate does not have the authority to try a former president, although that issue is highly contested.
A $2.7 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Says Fox Hosts Recklessly Implicated Smartmatic in a Conspiracy To Steal the Election
Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, and Jeanine Pirro persistently promoted the wild claims of Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell.
'School Shootings Are Absolutely Real,' and '9/11 Absolutely Happened,' Says Marjorie Taylor Greene
Under fire for endorsing wacky conspiracy theories, the Georgia representative blames the internet.
In a Year of Wild Conspiracy Theories, Super Bowl Sex Trafficking Is a Classic
Plus: A reminder that censorship backfires, Wyoming city considers ban on "performance prostitution," and more...
No, Biden Can't Save Us With a 'Reality Czar.' Also, WTF?
It's peak season for terrible ideas from journalists, academics, and politicians about how to combat disinformation and extremism.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Presents Republicans With a Sadly Familiar Choice Between Blind Loyalty to Trump and a Basic Respect for Reality
The Georgia representative has embraced nearly every crazy conspiracy theory that is popular on the right.
Trump's Lawyers Say He Can't Be Impeached for Trying to Subvert the Election Because He Was Just Expressing an Opinion
They also argue that the Senate has no authority to try a former president.
Treating Lin Wood's Wild Conspiracy Theories As a Psychiatric Symptom Invites Him to Play Free Speech Martyr
The State Bar of Georgia is demanding that the pro-Trump lawyer undergo a mental health evaluation.
Surely Rudy Giuliani's 'Conclusive Proof' of Machine-Based Election Fraud Will Save Him From Dominion's $1.3 Billion Defamation Lawsuit
The company says Donald Trump's leading lawyer perpetrated "a viral disinformation campaign" based on "demonstrably false" charges.
Neutron Gun Reloaded
Gerry Reith's raw, paranoid, apocalyptic fables were shot through with distrust for just about every institution around.
Saying Trump 'Provoked' the Capitol Riot With 'Lies,' Mitch McConnell Tries To Distance His Party From a Dangerous Demagogue
The Senate minority leader sees a grave political risk in failing to repudiate the former president.
An Abject Apology Highlights the Legal Exposure for Promoters of Trump's Election Fraud Fantasies
American Thinker says its claims about Dominion Voting Systems were "completely false."
There's Still No Evidence Antifa Was Significantly Involved in the Capitol Riots
Trump supporters did this, and everyone knows it.
Trump's Belated Message of Peace and Unity Makes You Wonder Where This President Has Been the Last Four Years
Something like Wednesday evening's soothing remarks could have made a real difference on the day of the Capitol riot.
5 Profiles in Courage and Cowardice in a Trump-Dominated GOP
Here is how Mitch McConnell, Mike Pence, Liz Cheney, Ted Cruz, and Josh Hawley responded to the president's election delusions.
Prosecuting Trump for Incitement Would Set a Dangerous Precedent
Unlike the cancellation of Josh Hawley’s book, such criminal charges pose a real threat to freedom of speech.
Did Trump Engage in 'Insurrection or Rebellion' Against the Constitution?
The impeachment article against the president cites a little-discussed section of the 14th Amendment.
Sidney Powell's Loony Election Claims, Which Gave Birth to the Deadly Capitol Invasion, May Finally Cost Her
Dominion Voting Systems, the focus of the former Trump campaign lawyer's conspiracy theory, is seeking $1.3 billion from her for defamation.
Sedition Charges Are Almost Always a Terrible Idea
Laws against sedition have historically been used by insecure officials to punish critics.
Trump's Lawyers Surrender in Georgia Despite Giuliani's 'Conclusive Proof' of Election Fraud
Trump attorney Kurt Hilbert claimed he had reached settlement agreements with state officials, which was news to them.
Did Trump Commit a Crime When He Riled Up His Supporters Before They Rioted?
Under federal law, incitement to riot does not include "advocacy of ideas" or "expression of belief" unless it endorses violence, which Trump did not do.
Ted Cruz's Legally Groundless Challenge to Biden's Electoral Votes Was a Disgrace That Should Follow Him Forever
Cruz plunged into the constitutional abyss while Rand Paul stepped back, refusing to sacrifice democracy and the rule of law.
No, Antifa Wasn't Behind the Capitol Riot
The people who smashed windows and stormed the building were sincere pro-Trump protesters.
Here Is What the President Told Pro-Trump Rioters Before They Stormed the Capitol
Trump said the "Save America March" would be peaceful, but his apocalyptic rhetoric had predictable consequences.
Today Mike Pence May Find That All His Temporizing and Obfuscation About the Election Sacrificed His Integrity for Nothing
The vice president can no longer avoid acknowledging Joe Biden's victory.
As Key Georgia Senate Election Looms, Republicans Are Making It Difficult To Root for Divided Government
The ideal (if unlikely) outcome might be a split decision.
Trump's Conversation With Georgia Election Officials Shows His Conviction That He Won Is Impervious to Evidence
The president seems completely sincere, and he surrounds himself with advisers who reinforce his self-flattering fantasy.
Ted Cruz Plans To Restore Confidence in the Election System by Lending Credence to the Wild Fraud Claims of a 'Pathological Liar'
To alleviate "deep distrust of our democratic processes," the Texas senator is leading a doomed challenge to Joe Biden's electoral votes.
Pro-Trump Lawyer Tries To Implicate Chief Justice John Roberts in Murder and Pedophilia
Lin Wood's bizarre charges give you a sense of the advisers Trump is consulting as he continues to insist that he won the presidential election.
Josh Hawley Is Not Doing His Party or 'Election Integrity' Any Favors by Supporting Challenges to Biden's Electoral Votes
The Missouri senator does not explicitly endorse Trump's loony conspiracy theory, but he can't escape its taint.
Trump Blames Everyone but Himself for His Defeat
Maybe voters were repelled by the very traits he has been vividly displaying since the election.
