Morning Briefing: Right-Wing Propaganda 'Masquerading as Legitimate Community Newspapers'
Dozens of purportedly local newspapers published by Local Government Information Services are 'pushing right wing views while masquerading as legitimate community newspapers.'
Morning Briefing: There are dozens of purportedly local newspapers published by Local Government Information Services, and the publications reportedly have “no regular publishing schedule but turn up as election time nears, attacking Democrats and pushing right wing views while masquerading as legitimate community newspapers.”
The Lewis Country Store, which has connections to far right extremists groups including White Supremacists so-called active clubs, will reportedly “will soon be purchased by Nashville-based Tri Star Energy.”
Kalen D'Almeida and Braden Joel Ellis, staffers with the right-wing organization Turning Point USA, who are accused of harassing professor at Arizona State University reportedly “pleaded not guilty via court documents filed with University Lakes Justice Court.”
In Newburyport, Massachusetts, every member of the city council and the mayor reportedly “discovered antisemitic postcards in their mailboxes at their homes over the weekend,” and the city council has been targeted by White Supremacist groups multiple times in recent months.
Christian Ziegler, the chair of the Florida Republican Party and husband of the Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, is currently under investigation for rape allegations and now local law enforcement is reportedly also “probing whether he committed the crime of video voyeurism.”
Tennessee State Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) has introduced House Bill 1605, which would “would ban the display of any flags other than those of the United States and the state of Tennessee from public schools and public charter schools,” and the Bulso has said that bill targets flags that are intended to “simply to indoctrinate students with regards to a particular political point of view.”
Must Reads
Nick Riccardi writes that former President Donald Trump is “running for the White House again and has been dominating the Republican primary as the first votes approach. He has called for pardoning those prosecuted for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, continues to insist falsely that the 2020 election was ‘stolen’ and says he will use the federal government to seek revenge on his political enemies. Trump has used increasingly authoritarian rhetoric as he campaigns for the GOP nomination. If he wins, allies have been planning to seed the government with loyalists so the bureaucracy doesn’t hinder Trump’s more controversial plans the way it did during his first term. It’s gotten to the point that Trump was recently asked by conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt whether he planned to be a dictator: ‘Not at all,’ Trump responded. ‘No, I’m gonna rule as somebody that’s very popular with the people.’ The 2024 election could cause all sorts of conflict, including scenarios that have notably not materialized despite widespread concern since 2020: violence at the polls, overly aggressive partisan poll watchers or breakdowns in the ballot count.” [Associated Press]
John Geyman writes that “the word fascism is a relatively new term that has joined the political discussion in the United States as the 2024 election campaigns heat up. As an ultra-nationalist, anti-democratic, far-right movement, it is being driven by Donald Trump, the former president, now the leading Republican presidential candidate running on an anti-government fascist platform. This article brings a brief historical and current perspective to what now seriously threatens democracy in this country. The population of the U.S. has been steadily diversifying to the point that we are now a multicultural and multiracial society. The total white population has shrunk for the first time in its history. The U.S. is projected to become ‘minority white’ at 49.7% by 2045. Increasing corruption of our political system has been a major factor in leading us to rising oligarchy and authoritarianism in this country. The Citizens Unitedruling in 2010 unleashed an unlimited amount of money into election campaigns from billionaires as they turned their wealth into political power. Since then, billionaire contributions have increased sharply whereby the ultra-wealthy buy access to legislators and influence over tax policies in each election.” [Common Dreams]
Sasha Abramsky writes that “even more so these days than during Trump’s 2017–21 presidency, there is a paranoid word-salad quality to his missives. The language is so stream-of-consciousness, the associations so arbitrary and at times surreal, that, were the words less toxic, one could almost see an aspiring Beat poet struggling to shine through. Picture Trump in a drum circle, a bandanna tied around his head, chanting, ‘Dictatorship, Om mani padme hum. Revenge, Om mani padme hum. Loser, Om mani padme hum,’ while the fragrant, mystical aroma of spent AK-47 cartridges wafts over the gathering. Slice and dice Trump’s language any which way you choose to, and there’s nothing remotely presidential about his tone. It’s the kind of inane political bombast, a mix of boast and threat, that would be rejected in a high school student government election. As we enter the presidential election year, the sheer volume of bilge coming out of this man’s mouth, the language about immigrants poisoning the country’s blood and domestic political opponents being vermin, sounds like the ravings of a madman.” [The Nation]
What to expect from Radical Reports: Morning Briefing provides a daily round-up of reporting on the Radical Right; Extremist Links offers a weekly round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and militia movements; Narratives of the Right delivers weekly analysis of the current narratives in far right online spaces and promoted by right-wing media; and Research Desk provides monthly highlights research and analysis from academia on the Radical Right.