This year, Blobfest will be online because of the pandemic. It’s a great event and I encourage you to support it.
Here’s where you can get merchandise such as posters and shirts and also the schedule.
Conspiracy theories spread on Facebook
On Facebook, social media users spread a conspiracy theory that the protests over the police killing of George Floyd were meant to "start a race war to impose further lockdown restrictions" https://t.co/yF26HBk6ED
— CNET (@CNET) June 28, 2020
As some Americans grew tired of stay-at-home orders, Facebook groups began cropping up demanding state officials reopen the economy. Many of these groups are increasingly becoming hotbeds of conspiracy theories and misinformation, according to researchers https://t.co/ky2cVhwGpS
— CNN (@CNN) June 20, 2020
Deadly conspiracy theories brought to you by Facebook. Zuckerberg makes billions fanning the flames of these diseased theories that damage American democracy and will kill senior citizens. https://t.co/Jeqp8SU38g
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) June 25, 2020
It is pretty amazing how a genuine Facebook hoax (“making people wear a mask violates federal law”) has become a mainstream conspiracy theory among white women https://t.co/YQA5M1C6To
— Bernie Bonds (@BernieBonds) June 27, 2020
More on the Russian bounty story
The White House has denied that Trump and Pence were briefed but I think that’s just another lie. If it’s true, that shows a real failure in Trump’s intelligence structure. Notice that Trump has not denied the substance of the story – Russia paid for deaths of American soldiers. Its appalling that he spoke at West Point while he is allowing Russia to pay for our soldiers to get killed.
Also notice that Trump has done nothing about it. He is Putin’s puppet. I wish we knew why. Sad!
Analysis: Here are the events that preceded the intelligence community's conclusion about the bounties, and what Trump has said about Russia since then https://t.co/T0LtaoGKhI
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 29, 2020
long pattern
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) June 28, 2020
as Mueller reported, Russia helped, Trump campaign welcomed it and didn’t report to FBI
Mueller didn’t exonerate Trump
he laid out extensive evidence of obstruction of justice
partisans’ refusal to accept/acknowledge those facts don’t make them any less true https://t.co/IXMnzPEL6o
This is a fascinating statement by @realDonaldTrump. No one is saying Russians attacked US troops. The multiple press reports state Russia paid bounties for militants to kill US troops. Did @POTUS intentionally misdescribe what Russia did in order to deny it?#SundayThoughts https://t.co/cMSDs5Y0O8
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 28, 2020
Stop it. Trump was briefed. He may not have paid attention to it or read the PDB he was given but he was briefed. He did nothing while Putin put a bounty on our American Troops. Note, this White House has not denied the underlying intelligence. #putinspet https://t.co/sr98scobkx
— Michael Steele (@MichaelSteele) June 28, 2020
New: @barbarastarrcnn reports there were some efforts at protecting US forces in Afghanistan because of the intelligence re Russian bounties.
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) June 28, 2020
If the threat was serious enough to increase force protection, why wouldn’t the president be briefed?
Trump denies being briefed by US Intel that Russian intelligence officers with GRU recently offered money to Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan as rewards if they killed US or UK troops there.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) June 28, 2020
Of note: zero condemnation for Putin, Russia, GRU below.
Will US respond? https://t.co/QH8aJ2h1j9
This x1000 https://t.co/VPKhAsPAvC
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) June 28, 2020
The president is pushing to invite Russia back into the G8. It was expelled for annexing Crimea. It still controls Crimea. https://t.co/pkMeKxLOCn
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) June 28, 2020
Hi. It’s the President’s Daily Brief guy.
— David Priess (@DavidPriess) June 28, 2020
Let’s look at the logic and the implications of the claim that neither Trump nor Pence were briefed on the intelligence assessment that Russia offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill US/coalition troops in Afghanistan.
1/10 https://t.co/Laafqaocg3
"Not briefed on the exactly the stuff that the NYT says was briefed" means
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) June 28, 2020
The NYT said the waiter offered vanilla ice cream
"We did not say that vanilla ice cream was available."
Was any ice cream on the menu you offered?
"no comment"
Did the president eat it?
"no comment" https://t.co/9VTGv95unh
1. This asserts a *briefing* never occurred.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) June 28, 2020
-But was the information known to the President and VP? Anyone in DC knows the difference between these two things.
2. Who *did* know?
3. I see no reason to take DNI's word on anything. https://t.co/gCsELHKM9U
Yep on all of this. There’s also the credibility problem — having denied so many things later confirmed, often by POTUS himself. (Including one involving McEnany less than a week ago on testing.) https://t.co/CvhjMBPXTi
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) June 28, 2020
The explanation is either irresponsibility or a lie. Neither is good. https://t.co/3vC3xdJTpr
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) June 28, 2020
I don't get how this isn't at the top of every news website, on the front page of every newspaper, and the lead of every news broadcast. https://t.co/xjTWZlHfEn
— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) June 27, 2020
.@PressSec says neither Trump nor Pence were briefed on US intelligence that a Russian intelligence unit offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to attack coalition forces.
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) June 27, 2020
But she doesn't deny the validity of the US intel itself, as first reported by the NYT pic.twitter.com/E0Ju499Gcs
Yesterday the @nytimes reported, and Wash Post & WSJ confirmed, the explosive story that (1) Russia paid bounties for militants to kill US troops in Afghanistan & (2)@realDonaldTrump knew but did nothing.
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 27, 2020
I note @POTUS has not denied the allegations. He’s focused on TV ratings. https://t.co/es3SSak7sg
What’s coming next: “We have put bounties on people’s heads too. The U.S. is not so innocent.”
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) June 27, 2020
He’ll NEVER stand up to Putin. https://t.co/gysOTUi37W
This strikes me as a very good question. Either he already knew, in which case he’s lying, or his reaction to a story about bounties on American soldiers is a quick 18 . https://t.co/fbGYFiwAHw
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) June 27, 2020
Watch @JoeNBC's message to #MAGA @realDonaldTrump supporters 👇
— Democratic Coalition (@TheDemCoalition) June 29, 2020
"Think about this – you're being told that they notified the British government, but they didn't even tell the President of the United States. Now, I just ask: How stupid do they think you are?"#PutinsGOP pic.twitter.com/HuigJm7mlh
Trump tweets video with “white power”
He took it down but didn’t disown the “white power” sentiment. He’s a racist.
The WH press secretary is saying Pres Trump tweeted out a video of Trump supporters chanting “white power” because those supporters are often “demonized.”
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) June 29, 2020
Note: Shouting white power is unequivocally racist and something that would lead to someone being rightly demonized. https://t.co/SI89NI7nEx
Why you shouldn't believe Trump missed a guy chanting 'white power' in the video he sharedhttps://t.co/woZ6sEhdqv pic.twitter.com/JEIbrKnT8r
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) June 28, 2020
Stories that note Trump deleted his tweet really should note that it was up for hours after being called out. What took so long to delete? If you accidentally posted something like that, and it was quickly brought to your attention, how long would it take you to remove? Hours?
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) June 28, 2020
He didn’t get briefed on the bounties. He didn’t hear the white power statement. Nobody told him about the virus before February. He takes “no responsibility at all.”
— W Foster (@pittsburghtx) June 28, 2020
White House says Trump did not hear the “white power” shout near the beginning of the video he retweeted: "President Trump is a big fan of The Villages. He did not hear the one statement made on the video. What he did see was tremendous enthusiasm from his many supporters."
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) June 28, 2020
Trump promotes video of a supporter saying "white power" https://t.co/x57TsW6NmR
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 28, 2020
Anyone interviewing a Trump administration official—especially anyone giving them live air time—should insist that they respond to this Tweet, and should refuse to continue the interview unless they do.
— Josh Chafetz (@joshchafetz) June 28, 2020
“No comment, let’s move on [to my talking points]” should not be an option. https://t.co/G1dR0VoSOw
Politicizing masks is hurting everyone
More people are getting sick and dying because of right wing extremists who object to masks. Trump is being a poor role model. Everyone should wear a mask when they are not at home. It’s not hard.
The IHME model projects that 33,000 fewer Americans would die over the next 14 weeks if everyone wore a mask, so that should give you a sense. https://t.co/IiCC1cZqpM
— Joshua Holland 🔥 (@JoshuaHol) June 25, 2020
Over the last 2 weeks, cases have risen by 84% in states that don't require wearing masks in public. In states where mask wearing is mandatory, cases have fallen by 25%. https://t.co/VJkKe7yEQ3 pic.twitter.com/2iXgg3ZwZ8
— John Duchneskie (@jduchneskie) June 24, 2020
Perspective: Making men feel manly in masks is, unfortunately, a public-health challenge of our time https://t.co/GErqrSnkMq
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 27, 2020
Masks are to protect other people, not you.
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) June 26, 2020
This isn’t hard. https://t.co/oqbrwt5BIm
If the decision to wear a mask is about “personal freedom,” why do these people get *so angry* at someone’s free choice to wear one? https://t.co/YKD5WXxm0k
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) June 26, 2020
Fox News is all in with Trump's propaganda campaign to make coronavirus disappear. A remarkable roundup of nonstop Fox depravity from @MattGertz:https://t.co/JY9hus3tJX
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) June 26, 2020
Historians are going to be really puzzled trying to understand how the US let the Coronavirus get out of control because GOP governors and public health officials wanted to avoid hurting Donald Trump's feelings and because Americans refused to wear masks to "own the libs."
— Garrett M. Graff (@vermontgmg) June 26, 2020
— Midwin Charles (@MidwinCharles) June 26, 2020
It should be a simple concept – covering your face for the common good – but… pic.twitter.com/aK9I61hdCp
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 26, 2020
My col: Wear a mask. No excuses. U.S is losing lives, jobs & sports, too, 'cause millions are bad teammates. Drunk on politics or party hearty? Anti-science or selfish? Doesn't cut it. We have 16 TIMES the new cases as Europe. Take 1 for the team -America. https://t.co/Mq0FTT98Wr
— Thomas Boswell (@ThomasBoswellWP) June 25, 2020
This is how it all ends. https://t.co/0t0OrU46fQ
— Midwin Charles (@MidwinCharles) June 24, 2020
Floridians angrily claiming masks are the work of the devil because “they want to throw God’s wonderful breathing system out the door.” pic.twitter.com/5pDzU8ncwY
— John Aravosis 🇺🇸🇬🇷🏳️🌈 (@aravosis) June 24, 2020
A great project for data folks is to start monitoring masking policies in US. We are seeing the same phenomenon –state by state, ratcheting up — in masking as we did with closures. Tonight, both St. Petersburg and Hillsborough County (Tampa) went from recommended to required. https://t.co/fhrsRQpkIh
— Juliette Kayyem (@juliettekayyem) June 23, 2020
While politicians spar over the topic and opponents have staged protests against wearing masks, a growing number of scientific studies support the idea that masks are a critical tool in curbing the spread of the coronavirus. https://t.co/pxYNvyBvuP
— NPR (@NPR) June 21, 2020
When I hear people say “it’s a free country, do what you want” when it comes to mask wearing, it makes me insane.
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) June 20, 2020
You do NOT have the right to infringe on others’ rights.
Wearing a mask isn’t about you getting sick. It’s about protecting the most vulnerable among us.
The new surge in COVID-19 cases
Do people fully appreciate the economic implications of the new Covid-19 surge? And how it interacts with policy? It's pretty grim 1/
— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) June 27, 2020
.@Chrislhayes on surge in U.S. coronavirus cases: “We could have found our way to some form of normal life. But our leaders did not do what was necessary to get there. So, we are stuck — back with the same horrible choice we had 14 weeks ago.” https://t.co/QNAaSOMBWm
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 27, 2020
#BREAKING: Florida reports 9,585 new coronavirus cases, setting a daily record during statewide surge https://t.co/MXbfn3TRhC
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) June 27, 2020
Live updates: As coronavirus cases surge, Texas governor says he let bars reopen too early https://t.co/dhdq48SO1e
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 27, 2020
Federal courts in Houston, Galveston close amid surge in COVID-19 cases https://t.co/4OuXdngIoA
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) June 27, 2020
U.S. coronavirus cases surge by more than 45,000 as states roll back reopenings https://t.co/vCHZxgQH5S
— Abdullah Al-Sharabi, MD (@Dr_Sharabi) June 27, 2020
Florida counties fight coronavirus surge by closing beaches, mailing out masks. https://t.co/M58ecA82Kw
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 27, 2020
The initial surge in NY and vicinity reflected a combination of bad luck and policy mistakes. What's going on now is pure bad policy; Sunbelt politicians did this to their constituents pic.twitter.com/yVOJ7uB6II
— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) June 27, 2020
For everyone claiming that protests caused the #COVID19 surge, here’s the case curve in D.C., site of some of the biggest protests.
— Chris Lu (@ChrisLu44) June 26, 2020
Meanwhile, Tom Cotton thinks D.C. isn’t responsible enough to be a state. So let’s check in on Arkansas. pic.twitter.com/whea4v4KrI
“What went wrong? The simple answer is states started to relax the restrictions and reopen their economies — giving employers, employees, and their patrons a chance to go back out into the world and interact, fueling new cases.” https://t.co/Z3GNAnXQU5
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 27, 2020
"It didn't have to happen this way," Rep. Veasey says about Texas' surge in coronavirus cases. "We have some of the leading epidemiologists and allergists and infectious disease experts in the state of Texas … and [Gov. Abbott] absolutely ignored all of their warnings." pic.twitter.com/vw7KMRzQl1
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 27, 2020
As coronavirus cases surge to a record, the Trump administration's top doctor says some places likely opened up too early https://t.co/4OFygcxP0Q
— Business Insider (@BusinessInsider) June 27, 2020
Texas reported nearly 6,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, a single-day record for the state.
— NPR (@NPR) June 27, 2020
The Texas Medical Center warned that intensive care units are near capacity — and have the potential to be overwhelmed.https://t.co/HpvstRwLuS
For a White House in denial, the events of last few days have made it impossible to fully ignore the fact that the pandemic Trump insisted was winding down has done just the opposite. @shearm @maggieNYT https://t.co/PPSFVWUrND
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) June 27, 2020
It turns out ignoring a pandemic is not the best way to stop it. https://t.co/Y5Kz8nwp9s
— Molly Jong-Fast🏡 (@MollyJongFast) June 29, 2020
Some advertisers are boycotting Facebook because it allows hate and lies to be posted
Good for them. Facebook should be ashamed of their policies.
“The advertiser boycott of Facebook took a toll on the social media giant, but it may have caused more damage to the company’s reputation than to its bottom line.” https://t.co/NBVKYrDg8T
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) August 2, 2020
Inspiring to see so many companies standing up to Facebook to demand it stop spreading racism and hate.
— Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) June 24, 2020
Who's next?!@benandjerrys @MagnoliaPics @eddiebauer @patagonia @REI @thenorthface@Arcteryx @dashlane@Upwork @360i #StopHateForProfit https://t.co/0e2jJKzOJU
Facebook's advertiser boycott is getting even bigger.
— Open Culture (@openculture) June 27, 2020
Coca-Cola, Hershey, Honda and 120 companies have joined the boycott, urging Facebook to stop knowingly allowing political misinformation and hate speech on its platform.https://t.co/NQX1XTYQWy
Very cynical take: ad budgets are shrinking already during the pandemic. Why not get some applause for it? https://t.co/jrbgYKiTJ9
— Casey Newton (@CaseyNewton) June 26, 2020
Coca-Cola has announced a 30-day pause on social media advertising as more and more companies join in a Facebook boycott over what many see as lax policing of hate speech on the platformhttps://t.co/Q1wXel7x3X
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) June 27, 2020
"Verizon is pulling its advertising from Facebook"
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) June 26, 2020
https://t.co/sySINHQjnf
More than 90 brands are halting advertising on Facebook in July in a campaign to force the company to crack down on harmful content.
— NPR (@NPR) June 27, 2020
Unilever is going further by doing so "through the end of the year" and extending its boycott to Twitter.
https://t.co/PdoOwXnN7f
These are the companies that spend the most $ on Facebook ads.
— Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) June 26, 2020
Will you join the boycott and tell Facebook to stop spreading racism and hate?!@ProcterGamble@Walmart@Microsoft@Target@amazon@HomeDepot@Diageo_News@nytimes@dominos@BestBuy#StopHateForProfit
An advertising boycott against Facebook has hurt the company's stock and raised pressure on Mark Zuckerberg https://t.co/VO26ty8c1Z
— Bloomberg (@business) June 27, 2020
Brands including Upwork, Patagonia, REI and The North Face will stop buying ads on Facebook and Instagram as part of the #StopHateforProfit campaign https://t.co/Z8igLXWgjM
— POLITICO (@politico) June 22, 2020
Verizon, Unilever, REI, The North Face, Honda and Coca-Cola are among the growing list of companies saying they'll join an advertising boycott on Facebook https://t.co/ntef18Z75g
— CNN (@CNN) June 27, 2020
Facebook boycott grows—which companies are stopping advertising, and why https://t.co/wamNipju0Y
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) June 26, 2020
The FTC is trying to strip boycotts of their power as a tool of resistance. They’re twisting antitrust laws to target the organizers behind ad boycotts against sites like X.
— Social Media Lab (@socialmedialab.ca) 2025-06-10T11:09:47.393Z
The Pizzagate conspiracy theory is back
I can’t imagine how anyone could believe this nonsense. The right wing will never stop attacking Hillary Clinton.
TikTok teens have become obsessed with Pizzagate, with the conspiracy theory racking up nearly 70 million views on the app. https://t.co/GlPwPrLoFb
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) June 22, 2020
NEW: How PizzaGate Returned. New audiences and a dangerous daisy-chain of social media giving it new life. The harms are real: death threats into Comet on the rise: w/ @sheeraf https://t.co/uVoCYF5sTm
— CeciliaKang (@ceciliakang) June 27, 2020
Looks like the @nytimes ripped off my TikTok Pizzagate story a week later, then buried a tiny credit to @thedailybeast on the 23rd (!) paragraph https://t.co/GlPwPrLoFb https://t.co/QhaaL91EgZ
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) June 27, 2020
Well-reported deep dive on the ugly legacy of Pizzagate and the real, law-abiding citizens that it dogged.https://t.co/GEL8TaSeyP
— Dan Lamothe (@DanLamothe) February 16, 2021
Tom Cotton’s terrible behavior when he blocked Obama nominee Cassandra Butts
This is back in the news because of Cotton’s opposition to DC statehood. We should never forget what a terrible racist person he is.
Tom Cotton once told Cassandra Butts that he was blocking her nomination to be an ambassador because he knew she was Obama’s friend, and knew it would hurt Obama.
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) June 25, 2020
She spent 835 days waiting, and then died of leukemia.
That’s who @TomCottonAR is. https://t.co/HgGWT9grOI
Tom Cotton is shamelessly racist in his belief that mostly white states have more right to statehood than more diverse populations like Washington DC.
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) June 25, 2020
He wears that racism like a badge of pride.
No need, @Cererean, to be so crass. Ms Butts died suddenly in 2016 after a brief illness. Obama chose her in 2014 for the ambassadorship. It appears neither Obama nor Ms Butts was aware at the time that she was terminally ill.https://t.co/YMcrV8UtL2
— Colleen Kennealy (@colleenkennealy) June 25, 2020
Miss her a lot. But this headline bothered me then and now. Nothing, certainly not that Senator, crushed Cassandra Butts. Was honored to serve w her at USUN. As were we all. https://t.co/acWUUAnDMQ
— Sarah Mendelson (@SarahMendelson) June 26, 2020
Ah yes, @TomCottonAR has been entirely consistent when it comes to denouncing prominent political bullies over the last few years.
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) February 25, 2021
Also, remember when, just to spite Obama, you held up Cassandra Butts's nomination to be an ambassador for so long that she died? https://t.co/WJ4dWUqtg8 pic.twitter.com/Q27TpSLOB4
Phony conspiracy theory about Black Lives Matter
This is why Facebook is dangerous. They let this happen.
Facebook’s @nick_clegg tells @brianstelter that fact-checked content like this is “massively downgraded” in news feed. Then why on Earth was this lie the #3 post on Facebook on Friday? https://t.co/5008R4E6ZL
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) June 28, 2020
