Dr. Valerio Alfonso Bruno argues that far-right leaders have shown a disdain for experts and the wider role of science, despite the worsening COVID-19 global pandemic. They argue that the far-right strategy towards experts is often based on (a) silencing and (b) discrediting. They argue that the downplaying of expertise by the far-right has worrying… Continue reading “The Right’s War On Science & Experts Escalates Amid COVID-19”
Given the current heightened atmosphere in the United States, it is hard not to be suspicious of the recent deaths by hanging of two African American men in California. On the morning of June 10, 2020, the body of a young black man, Robert Fuller, was found hanging from a tree in a park opposite… Continue reading “Two Deaths Raise the Specter of Lynching in California”
We know that problem cops are tough to fire. The reason—their unions. That has to change. Now. As an expert on the radical right over the last 25 years, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time defending American police departments against claims that they were riddled with members of the Klan and other white supremacist… Continue reading “NO BARGAIN: Why Don’t Bad Cops Get Fired? The Power of Police Unions”
Operation Paperclip has fueled neo-Nazi conspiracy theories regarding the CIA, espionage, and government smokescreens for decades. Operation Paperclip is the historical inspiration behind Hunters, a television series on Amazon Prime, depicting a ragtag band of Nazi hunters operating in New York in 1977, who discover that hundreds of Nazi war criminals are conspiring to establish… Continue reading “False flags, paperclips, and super spies: the secret Nazi origins of the CIA”
History shows that Americans, when asked to put political and economic differences aside to fight a common enemy, haven’t always succeeded. Dr. Jerome Adams, the surgeon general of the United States, made an announcement on March 23 warning Americans of the mounting death rate likely to occur over the next few weeks as COVID-19 spreads… Continue reading “Will COVID-19 Be Another Pearl Harbor Moment for America?”
Calls to sacrifice lives for the economy. Funding protests that endanger public health. The radical right is highlighting their “pro-life” hypocrisy. The so-called “anti-lockdown” protests around the USA have brought together a motley of groups and interests, from Proud Boys to pro-gun enthusiasts and Trump supporters. But the extremist element is the most consistently flamboyant and loud in exposing… Continue reading “Nihilism And Hypocrisy Is The GOP’s COVID-19 Response”
President Trump, GOP governors, and members of his base who are pushing to reopen too soon while Dr. Fauci warns of “needless suffering and death.” In an interview on Fox News (“ Tucker Carlson Tonight”) back on March 23, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick expressed his willingness to give up his life in exchange for… Continue reading “Right-Wing Push For Premature Reopenings Will Prolong Pandemic”
Throughout ideological contradictions and changing perception of events on the ground, the Oath Keepers’ messaging remained consistent around one key element: the existence of a deep-state plot against US President Trump. By mid-April 2020, protests against government-imposed lockdowns began springing up across the United States. At their center was a pronounced distrust of the government… Continue reading “ANTI-GOVERNMENT IDEOLOGY IN THE TIMES OF COVID-19”
In late March 2020, rumours started circulating that the United States was looking for candidate groups to proscribe as part of their efforts against the radical right. In early April, the US finally designated the Russian Imperial Movement, a white supremacy group based in Russia, and its leadership as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT). But… Continue reading “How proscription can help in the fight against the radical right”
“Five, 10 years from now—different party. You’re going to have a worker’s party.” These words, uttered by Donald Trump in the May of 2016, might at first appear prophetic given the current bout of protests that have taken off throughout the US. In these protests, the star-spangled banner is strewn across various cityscapes as largely… Continue reading “Contesting Class in the Lockdown Protests”