Matt Pike overcame long odds to find success in metal bands Sleep and High on Fire. But his deepening obsession with conspiracy theories has created a dissonant riff.
A new survey from the polling firm PRRI breaks down conspiracy theory acceptance by religious group, level of education, and sources of news and information, among other things.
Renee Ekwoge says false and misleading videos on YouTube have changed her dad. What was once a strong, loving relationship has been corrupted, she says, by conspiratorial YouTube videos.
The conspiracy theorist Alex Jones sells dietary supplements through Amazon despite being banned from other platforms. Amazon receives a cut of the profits.
With disinformation spreading on an unprecedented scale, experts in cult deprogramming are turning their focus to those who have fallen down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories.
While false conspiracies aren't new, experts say their reach is spreading – accelerated by social media, encouraged by former President Trump, and weaponized in a way that is unprecedented.
In response to the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, more than 100 evangelical leaders have published a statement calling on other church heads to speak out against Christian nationalism in their ranks.
Some evangelical circles have incubated and spread conspiracy theories for years. It's part of a movement among called Christian nationalism that researchers call a threat to American democracy.
Evangelicals, says Ed Stetzer of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, should start to reckon with their own behaviors and actions that may have helped fuel the insurrection at the Capitol.
The social media giant says it will not allow tweets containing "unsubstantiated rumors, disputed claims" or promotion of "out of context information" about the vaccine.
A change in weather conditions is being seen as a needed assist for nearly 30,000 fire personnel battling blazes. Authorities are also attempting to debunk online rumors about the cause of the fires.
Unsubstantiated claims drawing links between the pandemic and the communications technology are troubling British telecom authorities. At least three fires have been reported amid these rumors.
"People don't know what's going on here. Now they will," the engineer allegedly told a California Highway Patrol officer who apprehended him immediately after the incident.
Author Anna Merlan's recitations are chilling, as are her warnings that fringe beliefs tend to go mainstream — and how their rise is seen against a resurgence in nationalism and white supremacy.
An attorney for Imran Awan said his client, who worked for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and others, was the subject of "political persecution," fueled by conservative media sites and President Trump.
Trump repeated the unproven claim to congressional leaders on Monday, and his press secretary on Tuesday affirmed "the president does believe that." There is still no proof of widespread fraud.
Alex Jones, whose radio show is carried by more than 160 stations, has also said the Sept. 11 attacks were an inside job and the mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school never happened.
There's no evidence to support it, but the conspiracy theory that President Franklin Roosevelt knew beforehand about Pearl Harbor refuses to die, to the consternation of World War II historians.
