On January 2, 1994, seven-year-old Andrew Giuliani stood before all of New York with his right hand raised and proudly took the oath of office. At the he was merely mimicking the words of his father, Rudy Giuliani, as he was sworn in as New York’s mayor for the first time, but the child appeared so committed to the bit that he went on to repeatedly recite a line in his father’s inaugural address––even waving his arms around and pumping his fist to drive points home. “It should be so and it will be so!” Andrew exclaimed before the crowd, as his father hammered on about once again making New...…On January 2, 1994, seven-year-old Andrew Giuliani stood before all of New York with his right hand raised and proudly took the oath of office. At the he was merely mimicking the words of his father, Rudy Giuliani, as he was sworn in as New York’s mayor for the first time, but the child appeared so committed to the bit that he went on to repeatedly recite a line in his father’s inaugural address––even waving his arms around and pumping his fist to drive points home. “It should be so and it will be so!” Andrew exclaimed before the crowd, as his father hammered on about once again making New...WW…

Following Donald Trump’s departure from the White House and his removal from Twitter, he lost the ability to instantly inject misinformation into the news cycle. In light of this, one high-profile Republican has thoughtfully taken up the mantle. In recent weeks Senator Ron Johnson has waded into increasingly conspiratorial waters, going so far as to push crackpot theories that Trump himself no longer mentions—such as the claim that hydroxychloroquine is a viable treatment for COVID-19, as well as a theory of climate change so asinine that it rivals Trump’s position that the phenomenon is a...…Following Donald Trump’s departure from the White House and his removal from Twitter, he lost the ability to instantly inject misinformation into the news cycle. In light of this, one high-profile Republican has thoughtfully taken up the mantle. In recent weeks Senator Ron Johnson has waded into increasingly conspiratorial waters, going so far as to push crackpot theories that Trump himself no longer mentions—such as the claim that hydroxychloroquine is a viable treatment for COVID-19, as well as a theory of climate change so asinine that it rivals Trump’s position that the phenomenon is a...WW…

If the meteoric rise of the Lincoln Project—a collection of longtime Republican operatives who branded themselves Never-Trumpers—seemed to happen overnight, the organization’s downfall has been just as dramatic. In the course of a week, damning report after damning report has come out about the group: that cofounder John Weaver allegedly more than 20 young men (allegations he acknowledged in an ); that it more than $50 million of the roughly $90 million it raised into firms with ties to its members; that senior members of the independent legal team hired by the Lincoln Project to perform a...…If the meteoric rise of the Lincoln Project—a collection of longtime Republican operatives who branded themselves Never-Trumpers—seemed to happen overnight, the organization’s downfall has been just as dramatic. In the course of a week, damning report after damning report has come out about the group: that cofounder John Weaver allegedly more than 20 young men (allegations he acknowledged in an ); that it more than $50 million of the roughly $90 million it raised into firms with ties to its members; that senior members of the independent legal team hired by the Lincoln Project to perform a...WW…

A White House official tried to quash a story about his relationship with a reporter by issuing threats and using derogatory language to another reporter pursuing it, according to two sources familiar with the incident. In a sympathetic Monday, People revealed that White House Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo is dating Axios political reporter Alexi McCammond, who covered the Joe Biden campaign. But behind the scenes, Ducklo had previously lashed out at Politico reporter Tara Palmeri, who was reporting the story, exhibiting behavior that led to tense meetings between the Washington news...…A White House official tried to quash a story about his relationship with a reporter by issuing threats and using derogatory language to another reporter pursuing it, according to two sources familiar with the incident. In a sympathetic Monday, People revealed that White House Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo is dating Axios political reporter Alexi McCammond, who covered the Joe Biden campaign. But behind the scenes, Ducklo had previously lashed out at Politico reporter Tara Palmeri, who was reporting the story, exhibiting behavior that led to tense meetings between the Washington news...WW…

On Chris Hayes’s Thursday night, the MSNBC host spoke with Chris Stirewalt, a recently fired Fox News political editor who played a key role in the fateful decision to rightfully call Arizona for Joe Biden before any other network. It was an appearance that would’ve seemed unthinkable just a few weeks ago. But after being let go by Fox News last week, as part of what network insiders to the Daily Beast as an “ideological purge” and a “blood bath,” Stirewalt penned an for the Los Angeles Times published Thursday morning, writing that after he “defended the call for Biden in the Arizona...…On Chris Hayes’s Thursday night, the MSNBC host spoke with Chris Stirewalt, a recently fired Fox News political editor who played a key role in the fateful decision to rightfully call Arizona for Joe Biden before any other network. It was an appearance that would’ve seemed unthinkable just a few weeks ago. But after being let go by Fox News last week, as part of what network insiders to the Daily Beast as an “ideological purge” and a “blood bath,” Stirewalt penned an for the Los Angeles Times published Thursday morning, writing that after he “defended the call for Biden in the Arizona...WW…

The third season of Netflix’s futuristic techno-dystopian drama Black Mirror opens with a warning against the all-consuming allure of social clout. In a peer-to-peer scoring system, citizens’ lives are dictated by a fluctuating ranking based on the good and bad interactions that they have with others—a sort of Yelp-review model, but for people to give other people 1-to-5-star ratings. These scores, logged and on display via a social networking app, are as connected to your identity as a driver’s license or Social Security number. Except that they also determine how friends, employers, and...…The third season of Netflix’s futuristic techno-dystopian drama Black Mirror opens with a warning against the all-consuming allure of social clout. In a peer-to-peer scoring system, citizens’ lives are dictated by a fluctuating ranking based on the good and bad interactions that they have with others—a sort of Yelp-review model, but for people to give other people 1-to-5-star ratings. These scores, logged and on display via a social networking app, are as connected to your identity as a driver’s license or Social Security number. Except that they also determine how friends, employers, and...WW…

Despite the recent surge in COVID-19 infections across the U.S., this week the pro-Trump youth organization Turning Point USA with its annual end-of-year conference, which brings thousands of students to West Palm Beach. Unsurprisingly, the coronavirus edition of TPUSA’s Student Action Summit was more chaotic and more grotesque than ever before. The function kicked off with an unforced error, as a large group of mostly mask-less right-wing youth activists found themselves on the outside looking into Palm Beach Convention Center, a situation they protested by huddling dangerously close...…Despite the recent surge in COVID-19 infections across the U.S., this week the pro-Trump youth organization Turning Point USA with its annual end-of-year conference, which brings thousands of students to West Palm Beach. Unsurprisingly, the coronavirus edition of TPUSA’s Student Action Summit was more chaotic and more grotesque than ever before. The function kicked off with an unforced error, as a large group of mostly mask-less right-wing youth activists found themselves on the outside looking into Palm Beach Convention Center, a situation they protested by huddling dangerously close...WW…

The once peripheral right-wing network Newsmax, which enjoyed a post–Election Day boost in ratings and notoriety after carrying Donald Trump’s “stolen election” delusions further than Fox News was willing to, now appears to be giving up on the conspiracy theories that led to its 15 minutes in the president’s spotlight. “As a result of the Electoral College vote Joe Biden is the president-elect and will be referred to as such on Newsmax,” a network spokesperson The Hill on Tuesday. Newsmax is still trying to have it both ways, as the spokesperson added, “We also recognize President Trump...…The once peripheral right-wing network Newsmax, which enjoyed a post–Election Day boost in ratings and notoriety after carrying Donald Trump’s “stolen election” delusions further than Fox News was willing to, now appears to be giving up on the conspiracy theories that led to its 15 minutes in the president’s spotlight. “As a result of the Electoral College vote Joe Biden is the president-elect and will be referred to as such on Newsmax,” a network spokesperson The Hill on Tuesday. Newsmax is still trying to have it both ways, as the spokesperson added, “We also recognize President Trump...WW…

Early in Donald Trump’s refusal to accept defeat, as he unleashed a social media deluge of “stolen election” lies and conspiracy theories, Facebook reportedly enacted a series of algorithmic adjustments to combat the spread of misinformation specific to the 2020 race. While its not unheard of for the losing side to cry foul play, the aftermath of Joe Biden’s victory has featured unprecedented levels of conspiratorial denialism. This explosion is surely tied to Trump broadcasting conspiracy theories the second they pop into his brain, using Twitter and Facebook to instantly rile up his...…Early in Donald Trump’s refusal to accept defeat, as he unleashed a social media deluge of “stolen election” lies and conspiracy theories, Facebook reportedly enacted a series of algorithmic adjustments to combat the spread of misinformation specific to the 2020 race. While its not unheard of for the losing side to cry foul play, the aftermath of Joe Biden’s victory has featured unprecedented levels of conspiratorial denialism. This explosion is surely tied to Trump broadcasting conspiracy theories the second they pop into his brain, using Twitter and Facebook to instantly rile up his...WW…

Who among us hasn’t signed up for a free trial intending to cancel before being charged, only to face the financial consequences of forgetting about it for weeks? What if these inattentive spenders, slowly bleeding money, never knew they had subscribed in the first place? This, in effect, was Donald Trump’s strategy to rack up massive fundraising numbers in 2020, according to a New York Times published last weekend. And if the dollar amounts are any gauge, it worked pretty damn well. (In response, a Twitter-less Trump calling the Times story “highly partisan” and “completely misleading,”...…Who among us hasn’t signed up for a free trial intending to cancel before being charged, only to face the financial consequences of forgetting about it for weeks? What if these inattentive spenders, slowly bleeding money, never knew they had subscribed in the first place? This, in effect, was Donald Trump’s strategy to rack up massive fundraising numbers in 2020, according to a New York Times published last weekend. And if the dollar amounts are any gauge, it worked pretty damn well. (In response, a Twitter-less Trump calling the Times story “highly partisan” and “completely misleading,”...WW…