Tag: theories
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Extremists inspired by conspiracy theories pose major threat to 2024 elections, U.S. intelligence warns
U.S. intelligence agencies have identified domestic extremists with grievances rooted in election-related conspiracy theories, including beliefs in widespread voter fraud and animosity toward perceived political opponents, as the most likely threat of violence in the coming election. In a Joint Intelligence Bulletin that was not distributed publicly but was reviewed by NBC News, agents from…
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FEMA conspiracy theories date back to the 1980s
In the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton, an outlandish conspiracy theory about the Federal Emergency Management Agency that has percolated for decades started to reappear online. Now, the government agency is making one of its strongest pushes against the claim to date. In a new section of its hurricane rumor response page published Wednesday,…
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Elon Musk’s X boosts election conspiracy theories with AI trends
Elon Musk’s social media app X is supercharging the spread of voter-fraud conspiracy theories with the help of artificial intelligence, boosting unfounded claims including two personal smears against Vice President Kamala Harris. The dubious content is spreading in the app’s “explore” section, which says it uses Musk’s AI software, named Grok, to aggregate trending social…
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Hurricane aid conspiracy theories threaten crowdfunding efforts
In the days and weeks after hurricanes Helene and Milton slammed the Southeast, communities are looking to crowdfund for repairs as conspiracy theories dog efforts to rebuild. Since the storms hit, the Biden administration has sought to counter false accusations that it is diverting federal relief funds to immigrants, a claim advanced by some Republican…
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False conspiracy theories about Hurricane Milton spread despite outcry from officials
Baseless conspiracy theories about weather modification and false claims about disaster relief efforts have continued to spread on X in recent days, with misinformation about Hurricane Milton adding to a mountain of false rumors about Hurricane Helene and its aftermath. The spread has sparked a push from local and federal officials, along with some politicians,…