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another got xian aFTER RAPE?

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BOOST SHILLENBERGER

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convicted 11 26

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AN 11 26

Russell Brand is preparing to serve 10 and a half years in prison after being found guilty in a London court of various sex crimes. But before the sentence, the actor spent time with President Donald Trump’s administration official, Mehmet Oz, at a September MAHA Action conference, where he made light about the charges.

He was reportedly almost late, as Oz said during his introductory remarks that Brand was “hugging the secretary for agriculture.” The actor replied, “She initiated that contact, I should make clear, doctor!” Both Oz and Brand laughed at the joke. Brand has reportedly been friendly with Oz, MAHA-maven RFK Jr. and other Trump health officials for several years.

According to The Independent’s Holly Baxter, Brand’s own words, in addition to his alignment with Trump, caught up to him. Baxter notes that Brand has a history of joking about the allegations against him, despite the mounting criticism during his public trial. Brand’s decision to double down on the jokes, especially in a time when the public is calling for accountability from those in power, did not help him. In fact, Baxter asserts that his jokes have largely been viewed as creepy and obviously offensive to women. She writes that Brand, and other MAGA supporters like him, made a bizarre misstep in their treatment of women, noting that women make up the majority of the population at 51% and are more likely to be registered as voters in the U.S.

Baxter notes that Brand has been vocal about substance use as much as he has been about his sexual activity, preferences, and desires. Many of his bold statements have gone largely ignored until now. Baxter writes that Brand used his admission of drug and alcohol addiction to play down his sexual activity, seemingly using it as an excuse. But as she asserts, “when someone loudly talks about how much of a malevolent creep they are, they’re not one of the good ones after all — they’re just a malevolent creep.” Baxter also notes that there’s a pattern happening with Trump and his affiliates, one that should be paid attention to. She highlights that those associated with Trump are seeing major public downfalls and ongoing criticism. Baxter writes boldly, “MAGA is flailing; Brand is going to prison; JD Vance is trying to distance himself from a war he defended for two years; and Marco Rubio is telling the public that the war was the right thing to do, even if they don’t like it.”

Brand’s conviction on sex crime charges marks a dramatic fall for the comedian. *BBC* reports the British entertainer, who built a career on stand-up comedy, has faced mounting scrutiny over allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse. His transformation from mainstream celebrity to an outspoken figure embraced by far-right audiences and online conspiracy circles drew further backlash.

Per *The New York Times,* during the legal proceedings, Brand has vehemently denied the allegations, insisting that his sexual relationships were consensual and rejecting claims that he had committed any criminal wrongdoing. He previously addressed the accusations in a video posted to social media, describing them as a “litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks” and maintaining that he had never engaged in nonconsensual activity. Despite his repeated denials, the jury ultimately found him guilty on four counts.

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The former star, whom a British judge sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison on Monday, became an anti-establishment flag-bearer through conspiracy-minded commentary.

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MMA

MAHA Summit entrenches a divide between administration-aligned advocates and popular influencers

Some grassroots activists and popular influencers were notably absent from the event headlined by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and JD Vance

Written by Alyssa Tirrell

Published 10/02/26

What does this week’s MAHA Summit tell us about the state of the movement?

Earlier this week, the MAHA Center hosted the second annual MAHA Summit, described by the organizers as a convention of “senior health leaders across technology, business, and government working to make Americans healthier.” The summit's apparent cooperation with industry figures and the Trump administration seemed to drive further an existing wedge within the MAHA coalition, putting administration-aligned advocates at odds with some grassroots activists and popular influencers. As one activist put it, “I don’t recognize this version of MAHA.”

The MAHA Center — the nonprofit arm of a triad of organizations, including MAHA Action and the MAHA PAC, all tied to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — describes MAHA as “a nationwide movement focused on reversing the chronic disease epidemic in America through advocacy, grassroots activism, and policy reform.”

Nonetheless, several prominent grassroots advocates and MAHA influencers were absent from the lineup — including Turning Point USA’s Alex Clark, Moms Across America’s Zen Honeycutt, and Kelly Ryerson, known online as Glyphosate Girl. Instead, the panels primarily featured Trump administration officials and industry representatives — from health tech, insurance, and agriculture — many of whom delivered sales or policy pitches.

In recent months, elected Republicans have faced backlash from MAHA advocates for apparently siding with industry interests on priorities like glyphosate and agricultural legislation. An invitation to participate in the summit could have been an olive branch to MAHA influencers — but if they received invites, it appears those influencers declined.

A panel on reform at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services did feature podcaster Russell Brand as a moderator — a bizarre choice, not least because Brand has faced charges for numerous counts of rape and sexual assault. In his introductory remarks, Chief Executive Officer of MAHA Holdings Alex Hardy told the audience, “You'll hear from Russell Brand and Dr. [Mehmat] Oz. One's a heart surgeon, and one's a heart throb. We'll let you decide which is which.”

Some issues of recent MAHA activism featured lightly if at all during the panels. There were no dedicated panels for vaccine reform, glyphosate, and data centers — all of which have propelled MAHA advocacy in recent months and some of which would require a brush with industries that were represented among the summit’s speakers.

AI innovation was particularly emphasized throughout the summit, but the MAHA backlash against data centers was only mentioned in passing, when CMS Deputy Administrator Dan Brillman said, “The 58% that don’t use it, hate it. They hate data centers. We need more people using AI to better their health.” At the end of the event, RFK Jr. further promoted AI, telling the audience that it could “free us from medical tyranny” of experts.

Kelly Ryerson and Alex Clark also suggested that the MAHA Summit was not geared toward the women who made the movement a major political force. Ahead of the event, Ryerson told the Washington Examiner, “The MAHA Summit lineup does not reflect the issues that birthed the original MAHA movement and drove voters, especially women, to show up and vote for this coalition,” adding, “I don’t recognize this version of MAHA.” Similarly, NBC reported that Clark did not attend the summit. “Where are the original women who started the movement?” Clark asked.

Of the nearly 60 speakers who featured on the agenda, only 7 were women — one of whom was RFK Jr.’s wife Cheryl Hines, who appeared for just 5 minutes to announce future MAHA events.

Women have played a critical role in the movement — the introductory remarks of the event even paid lip service to “MAHA moms.” So it’s notable that the women of MAHA were largely excluded or chose not to participate in the summit. Their absence suggests that the MAHA coalition is now facing a familiar political question: Is compromise with prevailing power players a sign that the movement is succeeding or failing?

Is the summit just the tip of the iceberg?

The MAHA Summit highlighted an existing fracture in the foundation of the MAHA coalition. In recent months, MAHA Action and popular influencers have taken opposing lines on at least two issues related to the Trump administration.

One such example followed from the EPA announcement this past May that it would drop limits on some PFAS in drinking water. Ryerson, Clark, and MAHA activist Alexandra Muñoz expressed frustration with the move, while MAHA Action praised EPA efforts.

Before the rule was announced, Clark and Muñoz urged the EPA to change course. Clark wrote, “Don't weaken PFAS regulation!!!” and Muñoz posted, “Don't allow more PFAS in our drinking water!!!!”

In response to the change, Clark again expressed her frustration with the move, writing, “We are running one of the largest uncontrolled chemical experiments in human history from an alleged ‘MAHA EPA.’”

Ryerson seemed to agree with Clark and Muñoz, writing, “Yesterday, as predicted, the EPA announced they will be removing limits on certain PFAS in tap water.” Her post also included a quote she had given to The New York Times, strongly advising the EPA “not to move forward on deregulating PFAS if they want to win the November midterms.”

According to the New York Times, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin “sought to counter that anger by appearing Monday with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary who spearheaded the MAHA movement, and announcing nearly $1 billion to help states address the contaminants in drinking water.”

MAHA Action backed Zeldin's spin, praising the administration's move. The account wrote, “The EPA is putting $1 billion toward cleaning PFAS from America’s drinking water. After decades of contamination, communities are finally getting help to confront the ‘forever chemicals’ poisoning their water.”

In a separate joint post with MAHA Action President Tony Lyons, MAHA Action wrote that Zeldin and the EPA were “declaring war on forever chemicals.”

A similar dynamic ensued following the announcement of Heidi Overton's nomination for FDA commissioner late last month. Again MAHA Action fell in line with the administration, while Clark, Ryerson, and Muñoz criticized the move.

MAHA Action and Lyons, along with the account MAHA Mommas, praised Overton's nomination, writing, “Secretary Kennedy has given his full endorsement of President Trump’s pick for the next FDA Commissioner, Dr. Heidi Overton.” The post added, “Kennedy is making clear that under Overton, the FDA will answer to science and the American people, not the status quo.”

Clark pushed back, writing, “This is who wrote the glyphosate executive order by the way,” seemingly referring to a February executive order aimed at boosting glyphosate production. Clark’s post was shared by Muñoz. (White House officials disputed the claim that Overton wrote the order, saying it was authored by Trump’s national security advisory team.)

Ryerson again seemed to agree with Clark and Muñoz, writing of the nomination, “Very sad day for MAHA."

The divide hasn’t escaped Lyons, it seems. Earlier this fall, he discussed the MAHA coalition’s role in driving GOP midterm results with Rumble’s Flyover Conservative, saying, “I think the strategy has to be to look at the coalition that worked in the fall of 2024, where we got a few million people to switch parties and to recognize that, like I said before, the party that they thought represented them really didn't.”

Lyons added, “On the more activist side of the MAHA movement — activists are never happy, they're not meant to be happy, the idea for activism is that you can always do better.”

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MAHA advocates are rallying against GOP “traitors” who passed the farm bill

09/17/26

MAHA influencer: Trump's executive order on glyphosate was a “slap in the face to MAHA” that “might cost the midterms for the Republican Party”

04/28/26

Backlash from MAHA influencers and right-leaning podcasters over glyphosate is loud, but they still stop short of breaking with Trump

03/30/26

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no lnx yahoo

The Baltimore Sun

MAHA Summit urges emphasis on early detection, preventive action in healthcare

Jonathan M. Pitts, Baltimore Sun

Tue, September 29, 2026

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MAHA Summit urges emphasis on early detection, preventive action in healthcare

WASHINGTON — Alex Hardy spent seven years battling chronic sinus disease, undergoing five surgeries and taking 10 rounds of antibiotics. But the experience that ultimately drew him into the Make America Healthy Again movement, he told a Washington conference Tuesday, was what happened when he stopped looking to conventional medicine for an answer.

Hardy, CEO of MAHA Holdings, quit his technology job, moved to Costa Rica and changed his diet and lifestyle. Within three months, he said, his health dramatically improved.

"That experience radicalized me," Hardy told hundreds of attendees at the second annual MAHA Summit at the Waldorf Astoria hotel Tuesday. "I shouldn't have had to leave our country to get healthy."

Hardy's story offered a personal distillation of the philosophy underlying the daylong conference — that an American healthcare system built largely around treating illness after it develops should put far more emphasis on preventing chronic disease through nutrition, lifestyle and environmental changes.

The gathering brought some of the nation's most powerful health officials together with scientists, doctors, technology executives, food industry leaders, wellness entrepreneurs and athletes to explore topics ranging from the food Americans eat and the cost of healthcare to cancer detection, artificial intelligence, psychedelic medicine and environmental health.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin were among the senior administration officials who took part. Vice President JD Vance and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. closed the program with what organizers called a "fireside chat" that began at 5 p.m.

The theme Hardy cited ran through many of the 17 panel discussions held on a stage in the Waldorf ballroom, where three giant video screens loomed behind participants, flashing titles such as "Psychedelic Medicine: The Next Frontier" and "Democratizing Care," to name two of the sessions. Images of sun-splashed mountains and healthy food played across the screens between sessions, interspersed with panels displaying the logos of Anthropic, Noom, UnitedHealth Group and other companies represented by the roster of speakers.

Josh Ofman, CEO of biotechnology company GRAIL, described one manifestation of that shift during a panel on early cancer detection. The company's flagship product, Galleri, is a blood test designed to detect signals associated with more than 50 types of cancer by analyzing patterns in DNA fragments circulating in the bloodstream.

"If you think about healthcare today and what's possible that wasn't just a few years ago, clearly we have to make a transition from a 'break-it-and-fix-it' system to one of prediction and early detection," Ofman said. "An enormous transition has to take place."

Speakers repeatedly addressed what they described as a need to break free of traditional systems of healthcare that cost too much — and diminish Americans' quality of life — by taking action only when an illness has taken hold and becomes evident, then treating it as a discrete crisis, when, in their view, finding ways of detecting illness and making less catastrophic adjustments ahead of time is a more affordable, less traumatic approach.

One element of the problem is access, said Wyatt Decker, UnitedHealth Group's chief physician for value-based care and innovation, who joined a morning discussion on how insurance systems can bring the costs of care down.

Decker said his company is pushing for innovations that would allow patients to get health-promoting care before the crises hit — a rarity in the current system.

"Chronic diseases account for 90% of [healthcare] expenses, and people haven't been able to get access to care when it's not a crisis," Decker said. "And that creates a system that is not only extremely expensive but that also creates a terrible experience."

UnitedHealth Group, he said, has been developing and sharing with patients the kind of data that will allow them a wider array of clinics and forms of treatment, some more expensive and some less, depending on the individual's health situation — a freedom that can be better tailored to individual needs and save money.

"There's no correlation between the cost of healthcare and the quality you're getting," he said. "One thing we're doing is saying, 'We'll use data and analytics to help members navigate their healthcare. If they want to go to a higher-cost environment, they can."

Such a change, he said, can save Americans up to 45% on their total cost of care.

Several panels explored how AI can contribute to creating greater choice, more patient freedom, and simply granting ordinary Americans more capacity to understand what ails them and what can be done about it.

The unconventional grouping in one afternoon panel captured an element many MAHA supporters advocate — a reaching-out across established silos and categories — when the British comedian Russell Brand moderated a discussion on how governmental departments can be reformed to serve patients better.

The panel included Dr. Mehmet Oz, an administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which under Oz has proposed expanding accountable value-based care, in which providers have financial incentives tied to patient outcomes and total costs rather than simply being paid for each service they perform.

Oz promoted advancing a culture in which all Americans are cared for from the beginning of life into old age and in which telehealth and changes in the insurance industry might ensure the same level of care for those in both rural and urban America and praised Congress for passing legislation that he said provided $50 billion for rural healthcare.

That, he said, was a sign of a MAHA-influenced system becoming more unified across regions and more fully democratized.

Brand brought levity to the proceedings and, after standing on the floor among attendees for a "group photo" led a chant of "Say MAHA!"

The audience roared, setting the tone for a conference that grew more energized later in the afternoon when Kennedy and Vance took the stage to sum up the day's events.

Dozens of media members flooded into the ballroom before the pair took their seats, and it didn't take long for Vance to add to the upbeat mood.

"I must be at the wrong summit. I thought we were going to be talking about weight loss and acid, not AI," Vance said, to laughter, in reference to the GLP1 drugs discussed at some of the day's panels and a morning discussion about the experimental use of psychedelics in treating PTSD and depression.

Then the pair turned to some of the day's core themes — the potential dangers of AI, the problem of widespread fraud in the Medicare system, and the need to keep the MAHA movement going long after the Trump administration ends.

Kennedy finished by thanking Vance and Trump, his boss, for the administration's support in advancing MAHA and waved to an upbeat departing crowd.

Have a news tip? Contact Jonathan M. Pitts at jonpitts@baltsun.com.

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AN 8 25

For many years, Florida was considered a volatile swing state that, depending on the candidate, could go either Democrat or Republican in statewide races. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama both carried Florida twice, and in the state's 2018 gubernatorial race, Democratic former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum just barely lost to Republican now-Gov. Ron DeSantis.

But since then, Florida has taken a deep-red turn. DeSantis ran as a far-right culture warrior in 2022 and was reelected by 19 percent; Donald Trump carried Florida by roughly 14 percent in 2024. And Florida has become a bastion of MAGA politics, from DeSantis to conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer to Sen. Rick Scott to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi (Florida's former state attorney general) to Trump himself.

In an article published by The Guardian on August 6, journalist Oliver Laughland describes a 400-mile journey across Florida —where he took a close look at the state's MAGA machine.

READ MORE: 'Living in a fantasy world': Critics pounce as Trump interview goes off-the-rails

Laughland describes a Turning Point USA event at the Tampa Convention Center, where, in July, a who's-who of MAGA — including British comedian Russell Brand — could be found and "conspiracy theories, grievance politics and Christian nationalism" were on full display.

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"Ahead of me, Russell Brand sits on a white sofa, broadcasting live on the conservative video-streaming service Rumble," Laughland explains. "His guest is the 'alt-right' influencer Jack Posobiec. To the left, along an alleyway lined with small broadcast booths, is the longtime Donald Trump adviser and self-proclaimed 'dirty trickster' Roger Stone, who is holding court on a podcast. To the rear, on a large metal scaffold, is Steve Bannon’s 'War Room' channel, busy cutting between live footage of a small protest outside the event and adverts for various Trump-aligned products….. In the arena next to the mezzanine, a conveyor belt of MAGA superstars walk out to deliver keynote speeches, accompanied by spitting-flame cannon, pounding dubstep, spinning lasers and strobe lights."

Laughland continues, "Brand delivers a bizarre diatribe — part standup comedy, part evangelical sermon — about his newfound conversion to Christianity in a word salad of alliteration and non sequiturs…. He is immediately followed by Tom Homan, Trump’s loudmouth border czar."

But that Turning Point USA event in Tampa was only one of the MAGA-related things Laughland observed in Florida. Four hours south of Tampa, he notes, is the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center. And Palm Beach is home to Trump's Mar-a-Lago, home to countless MAGA events.

READ MORE: 'Open civil war': Retired federal judge calls Trump a 'tyrant' and MAGA 'anti-rule of law'

"My colleague Tom Silverstone and I came here as the first stop on a journey across…. Florida," Laughland notes. "Once the quintessential swing state, it is now solidly Republican — and home to some of the president's vast sources of personal wealth, including his beach club, Mar-a-Lago. It is also one of the hubs of his mass‑deportation program."

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MMA

July 21, 2025, edition of Stay Free with Russell Brand, streamed on Rumble

RUSSELL BRAND (HOST): It feels like you're saying to a degree — [UNINTELLIGIBLE] I don't even understand this. I can always feel his aura. But that Trump isn’t governing in the way that his mandate — Trump’s not governing in the way that he was elected to govern, whether that’s the, you know, Epstein list, whether that’s the ongoing wars, whether it’s the migrant crisis in spite of his successes at the borders. So aren’t we then starting to, and I recognize that the revelations around Barack Obama and that stuff is exciting, but we all kind of knew that anyway, and maybe it could be regarded as something of a distraction.

…

Even after the election of Trump part 2.0, which seemed like a significant, almost seismic event in American politics. The arrival of Tulsi Gabbard, Bobby Kennedy, all of this stuff. And I know we’re less than a year in. It seems like, maybe, you know, we’re still talking about the same stuff. Foreign aid that’s risible. Foreign aid that’s supporting wars. Relationship with Israel or Jordan — pick a country, pick an enemy, pick an ideological opposition. Waste. B.S. We’re talking about the same things. Media corruption. The same things are happening.

…

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): What’s happening right now is the Republican Party — and they didn’t want to, they more were dragged kicking and screaming into supporting Donald Trump. And now — but they’ve all come in and whether they really truly believe or not, they’re all wearing their MAGA hats and pretending to cheerlead behind him.

But here’s, here’s the warning for the Republican Party. If you can’t — you can’t go out and talk about deep state actors that committed treason and election fraud and rich, powerful, elite cabals if you’re not gonna hold these people accountable. The base is past it. They — That has been red meat that’s been dangled out for years now. I mean, since 2017, we’ve been hearing about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice and Samantha Powers and all these people — James Comey, you know, Brennan, like all these people. But yet if there’s never any accountability, the base is like, “tell me why I should care.” And that’s actually where it’s coming. That’s how, I mean, it’s a dangerous situation to continue to say “these are the bad guys” and then never hold them accountable. But the Republican Party doesn’t realize where they are in the big picture of things. They have an opportunity to actually correct the wrongs and actually to turn the ship around and get the right course going for America, actually care about the American people, turn your policies back to America first. Stop spending so much damn money.

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Russell Brand calls Trump an “American prophet” who “America needed”

:{01/21/25

  1. ### Russell Brand's show on Rumble uncritically platforms right-wing figures and conspiracy theories

:{05/01/23

  1. ### VIDEO: Russell Brand and the Conspiracy Grift

01/29/24

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mma

Half of the top 10 online shows spread misinformation or false narratives about Hurricane Helene in 2024

The videos have 5.7 million combined views on YouTube and Rumble

Special ProgramsClimate & Energy

Written by Ilana Berger

Published 06/26/25

Media Matters found that popular online shows also pushed right-wing misinformation about hurricane recovery efforts after reviewing episodes from the 10 programs with the largest followings (based on a previous Media Matters study) that were streamed or uploaded in the two weeks between September 27, 2024, when Hurricane Helene made landfall, and October 11, 2024. These shows continue to stream as this year's extreme weather season progresses.

For this study, we reviewed all 62 original long-form audio and video content streamed or published by the top 10 online shows in the two weeks between September 27, 2024, when the storm made landfall, and October 11, 2024, for discussion about hurricanes, particularly Helene or Milton (which made landfall in Florida on October 9, 2024), as well as related government response and recovery efforts. While Helene was the focus of the study, our scope did include incidental mentions of Milton because of its timing.

We found that 5 of the top online shows adopted right-wing media talking points and misinformation about Hurricane Helene: The Joe Rogan Experience, The Ben Shapiro Show, The Charlie Kirk Show, Stay Free with Russell Brand,and Candace. (The top shows we reviewed that did not contain relevant hurricane misinformation during this period were: The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast, This Past Weekend with Theo Von, What Now? with Trevor Noah, Full Send Podcast, and The Dr. Phil Podcast.)

Nearly one-third of the episodes these programs posted during the study period — 15 of 48 in total, or 31% — spread misinformation or amplified misleading narratives during the two-week period following Hurricane Helene. As reported in our previous study, these five shows had a combined reach of 121 million total subscribers across streaming platforms (YouTube, Spotify, Rumble, Twitch, and Kick) and social media platforms that are used to amplify and promote these shows (Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok): The Joe Rogan Experience (39.9 million), The Ben Shapiro Show (25 million), Stay Free with Russell Brand (22.5 million), The Charlie Kirk Show(18.6 million), and Candace (15 million).

According to Kirk, the fact that “all the outskirts of western North Carolina are some of the reddest parts of the country” proved that “the more conservative that you are, like East Palestine, the more Trump you are, your federal government just doesn't care about you.” Kirk later claimed that “Democrats don’t care — they hope that everyone there is disenfranchised” because “this could flip North Carolina, by the way, to a blue state. Maybe that’s why they’re doing this.”

“They wonder why Trump is so popular,” Kirk said. “They wonder why our movement is ascendant. This is an elementary breakdown of why government exists. Government exists first and foremost to serve its citizens.”

Ben Shapiro spoke with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump on October 8, 2024, who proceeded to attack the Biden administration’s disaster relief efforts and tout his own campaign.

“I'm leading in all of the swing states,” Trump said. “The incompetence of what they're doing with the hurricane and we have another coming. I mean I think Ron's going to do a very good job and maybe save them but they're not going to do anything, they're just incompetent.”

Shapiro also used the storm to attack Harris’ campaign, claiming that Trump’s presence “on the ground in Valdosta, Georgia, … was making Kamala and Joe very upset, so they had to stage some photo ops” in order “to pretend that she actually does something for a living, and then she ran away.”

On Candace, host Candace Owens read from a viewer’s email asking, “Have you heard anything about people committing suicide in the hurricane-struck areas that Kamala and Biden have completely neglected? She is evil and it starts from her hidden roots.”

Owens responded by claiming she had received other “emails from people that are in the military saying that they were supposed to go around and help in the hurricane — now they’re being sent overseas to the Middle East.”

“That’s your tax dollars at work,” she told her audience. “Americans are suffering — nothing. Sorry, feel the hurricane, the flood. We’ve got to go defend the borders and the people of foreign nations.” Owens concluded that “our politicians have completely sold us out. They lie to us about everything.”

By leaving out important context about how the government appropriates funding for disaster relief and the process for states to receive federal aid, these programs deceptively painted a vivid picture of government leaders who were deprioritizing America and could not be trusted.

Discussions on top online shows largely mimicked the misinformation being pushed by the right, repeating inaccurate claims about the hurricane’s cause and jumping to extreme and unsupported conclusions about recovery efforts.

Fact: Federal assistance includes substantial aid beyond the initial $750 payment

As the federal response began to unfold following the storm, Fox News amplified false claims that hurricane victims were eligible for only $750 in aid for all damages. In reality, this amount was just the beginning of available assistance.

The White House confirmed at the time that emergency aid “can include a one-time $750 payment to help with essential items like food, water, baby formula and other emergency supplies. After registering for disaster assistance, individuals may also qualify to receive disaster-related financial assistance to repair storm-related damage to homes and replace personal property, as well as assistance to find a temporary place to stay.” But online shows spread the same misinformation:

Fact: FEMA’s disaster relief program is separate from its immigrant assistance programs

On the campaign trail last October, Trump said, “The Harris-Biden administration says they don’t have any money” for hurricane relief. “They spent it all on illegal migrants,” he claimed. “They stole the FEMA money just like they stole it from a bank, so they could give it to their illegal immigrants that they want to have vote for them.”

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson categorically denied the accusation that the money was spent on “illegal migrants” instead of hurricane victims. “These claims are completely false,” they said, clarifying that the Shelter and Services Program, which provides assistance to migrants, “is a completely separate, appropriated grant program that was authorized and funded by Congress and is not associated in any way with FEMA's disaster-related authorities or funding streams.” But the same misinformation was repeated online by The Charlie Kirk Show.

Fact: There is no evidence to suggest that disaster aid was distributed based on race

In 2022, a clip of Vice President Kamala Harris discussing Florida relief efforts in response to Hurricane Ian caught the attention of right-wing media and GOP figures, who accused her of planning to allocate resources based on race. The clip was from an interview with actress Priyanka Chopra, who asked the vice president about relief efforts and what the Biden administration was doing to combat climate change, specifically given that people in the poorest countries are most affected by the climate crisis.

Harris responded that “we have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity, understanding that we fight for equality, but we also need to fight for equity; understanding that not everyone starts out at the same place. And if we want people to be in an equal place, sometimes we have to take into account those disparities and do that work.” At the time, The Associated Press assessed the claim that Harris planned to distribute aid based on race as “false” — but it still reappeared during top online shows’ coverage of Hurricane Helene.

Fact: Hurricane relief funding requires congressional approval and is separate from foreign aid spending

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, right-wing media complained about the Biden administration’s pledge to give $157 million to Lebanon, incorrectly claiming that the foreign humanitarian aid was being taken from funds that would otherwise be used for domestic disaster relief. Fox News host Sean Hannity misleadingly suggested foreign aid is competing for funding with disaster relief. Top online shows spread similar misinformation in the storm’s aftermath, suggesting the federal response was tied to military assistance for Ukraine.

The Department of Homeland Security, which houses FEMA, does not directly fund Ukraine’s military like the Department of Defense does, though it does provide some relief for Ukrainian nationals who come to the U.S. The aid package that was passed by Congress in 2024 had been vetted for months before the hurricane occurred, and passed with bipartisan support. American military aid for Ukraine, which has largely come in the form of weapons and equipment, has faced criticism from the right and the left. Defense funding is unrelated to disaster relief, however, and no government programs were cut to pay for the aid to Ukraine.

At the end of May, FEMA “denied North Carolina's request for the agency to match 100% of the state funds for Helene cleanup.” On June 10, Trump announced plans for states to “wean off of” FEMA aid and “bring it down to the state level” after the 2025 hurricane season, which started at the beginning of the month. Just a few days later, the head of FEMA’s crucial National Coordination Response Center resigned.

Not only has the Trump administration further weakened emergency response mechanisms that top online hosts and right-wing media previously complained about, it has set the stage for more misinformation to interfere with relief efforts over the next few months.

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MMA

Right-wing media use Iberian Peninsula power outage to justify Trump's energy agenda

Power outages happen under many circumstances, but this one became a fixation of conservatives attempting an attack on renewable energy technology

Special ProgramsClimate & Energy

Written by Ilana Berger

Published 05/13/25 MMA

Europe has long drawn criticism from the right in the U.S. and abroad for its ambitious net-zero goals. Spain, for example, is a global leader in renewable energy and aims to source 81% of its energy from renewable sources by the end of this decade.

In the U.S., opponents of renewable energy claimed the power outage exposed the irreconcilable shortcomings of wind, solar, and storage batteries and used it to validate President Donald Trump’s hostility toward these technologies and his “drill baby drill” energy agenda of oil and gas expansion. But power outages have also long impacted fossil fuel energy grids, and renewable energy has proved resilient in the face of past extreme weather.

Additionally, the centralized nature of most traditional energy grids, where energy flows from the grid to customers and provides a consistent energy frequency, doesn’t take advantage of the strengths of renewable energy. Institutions like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (which President Donald Trump recently targeted with layoffs) are researching technology called grid-forming inverters that can prevent power outages in renewable energy systems, and similar projects are being constructed around the world. Bloomberg, [4/30/25; Reuters, 5/6/25; IEEE Spectrum, 4/13/24; S&P Global, 5/5/25; Reuters, 5/5/25; Colorado Public Radio, 5/5/25]}:

4/28/25; Substack, 4/28/25]}:

The Daily Mail, [4/29/25; Twitter/X, 4/21/25]

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rww

05/09/2025

by

Kyle Mantyla

an 4 25

It’s always been like this: Al Capone wintered in Miami Beach; Richard Nixon escaped to his Key Biscayne compound so he could hang out with his mob-affiliated pal Bebe Rebozo; Charles Ponzimade a name for himself for selling Florida swampland — impossible to build on— to unsuspecting Yankees.

More recently, another shady real-estate type, found liable for sexually assaulting journalist E. Jean Carroll and accused of sexual abuse (and worse) by dozens more women, bought a Palm Beach estate and now claims Florida as his home.

So, it’s hardly surprising “influencers” Andrew and Tristan Tate, British-American brothers facing charges of human trafficking and rape in Romania, flew to Florida the minute their travel restrictions were lifted last month — possibly because Trump’s special envoy pressured the Romanian government.

The Tates have fans in TrumpWorld, including lawyer Alina Habba (on the losing side of the E. Jean Carroll case) and Donald Trump Jr., who called their detention “absolute insanity.”

Elon Musk, too: He says Andrew Tate, a former kickboxer who believes women exist only to serve men, should be U.K. prime minister.

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But in a rare moment of good sense, Gov. Ron DeSantis bucked TrumpWorld and told those stars of the manosphere they’re “not welcome” in Florida.

Moreover, the state attorney general is investigating certain accusations, including claims they lured a Florida woman to Romania and tried to coerce herinto sex work.

Andrew Tate responded by taunting DeSantis on X: “Your wife will never win governor unless you arrest me, @GovRonDeSantis,” calling the governor a “communist” and declaring, “When Americans who are unfairly imprisoned abroad return home you betray them. You better nail me now.”

At least none of our institutions of higher learning have invited the Tates to speak on campus.

Yet.

Socratic dialog

You might keep an eye on New College, though.

Our once-renowned honors school has not exactly covered itself in glory over the past few years, what with dumping top-tier faculty, tanking in the rankings, admitting low-scoring jocks, mismanaging funds, and grossly over-paying its under-achieving president, but inviting British “comedian” Russell Brandto appear its “Socratic Stage Series” adds insult to injury.

Brand was supposed to be “in conversation” with NCF president Richard Corcoran on April 12.

New College announced the Brand appearance in February. On April 4, the British Crown Prosecution Service charged himwith one count of rape, one count of indecent assault, one count of oral rape, and two counts of sexual assault.

In a press release, New College defended bringing in Brand, wrapping itself in the flag of free speech: “After thoughtful consideration, we have decided to move forward with Russell Brand’s scheduled appearance,” citing the institution’s responsibility “to ensure a space where ideas — especially those that invite dialogue such as the topic of cancel culture and free speech, can be explored with respect, critical thought, and intellectual integrity.”

Not quite 48 hours later, New College thought better of it, announcing this “important and possibly never more relevant” conversation would be rescheduled at a later date.

NCF blamed problems with the venue (problems which apparently didn’t exist a few days ago) and those pesky journalists: “the current media climateis a distraction from the deeper purpose of the event to explore free speech.”

Brand has a court date in London on May 2.

Magic amulet

Now, you might be wondering exactly what qualifies Brand to be a guest lecturer for a public college in Florida.

He’s best known as host of a “Big Brother” spinoff called “Big Brother’s Big Mouth,” as the star of several films, including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” often-fired radio host, and general provocateur.

He used to be a progressive (of sorts), praising Barack Obama, meeting with the Dalai Lama, and saying rude things about George W. Bush, but has lately become a conspiracy theorist who, in 2024, took to selling a $250 “magic amulet” which supposedly keeps you safe from “all sorts of evil energies.”

Right.

There’s this thing we do in higher ed called “research.” You’d think a few minutes perusal of Russell Brand’s baby talk-titled memoir, “My Booky Wook” with gleeful accounts of spitting in a woman’s face and furiously smashing a sex worker’s phone because it kept ringing while they were in flagrante (a service “for which,” says Brand, “I’d paid a lot of money”) might suggest perhaps he’s not someone likely to enrich the culture.

None of this proves Brand is a rapist, but it’s pretty clear he’s a misogynist jerk.

Brand insists that while he was once epically promiscuous, all his liaisons were “consensual,” even the ones with teenagers.

Besides, he says, he has now been washed clean by the Holy Spirit, baptized last year in the River Thames by adventure reality TV star Bear Grylls.

Criminal investigation

Well, the Lord may have forgiven him, but the justice system doesn’t work like that: In addition to charges in the U.K., Brand faces a U.S. civil suit and possible criminal investigation into allegations that he exposed himself and assaulted a woman on the set of the film “Arthur.”

The question remains: Why is New College spending taxpayer money on this guy?

Other “Socratic” speakers are (mostly) defensible: Steven Donziger, who famously sued Chevron over oil operations in Ecuador which wreaked monstrous environmental damage. (The oil company accused him of misconduct in the case; he spent three years in home detention for refusing to turn over his phone and trial records; Amnesty International fruitlessly urged former President Joe Biden to issue a pardon.)

Also scheduled for appearances at New College are Judith Butler, the distinguished gender theorist, and Stanley Fish, lawyer and literary scholar, disliked by both the right and the left.

There is also, as you’d expect, a bunch of conservatives ranging from the intellectually respectable — Mollie Hemingway, editor of “The Federalist” — to the anti-vax doctor Scott Atlas.

But casting Russell Brand as some free speech hero is flat out stupid.

Milton intervention

It’s not the first time NCF has embarrassed itself. In 2024 the college invited white supremacist “eugenicon” Steve Sailer, who says Black men are in thrall to a “primal African cult of fertility,” to “debate” Black historian Dr. Marvin Dunn.

As if you can argue “both sides” on racism. There are not two sides — unless you think the KKK makes a lot of good points.

When Hurricane Milton forced the cancellation of what promised to be a particularly unlovely spectacle, you could almost believe in the wrath of God.

Despite MAGA hissy fit-pitching and anti-DEI squawking over “censorship” and “indoctrination” on campus, conservative ideas are not suppressed or censored.

FSU recently hosted economist and Reagan acolyte Glenn Loury; the University of Florida’s Hamilton Center has showcased Republican pollsters and American Enterprise Institute luminaries.

This is as it should be.

But there’s a difference between a university fostering honest discussion of academic freedom, ideology, and prejudice, and promoting a man who could soon be convicted of sexual assault.

Scrubbing the record

Florida’s Republican junta has convinced itself higher education turns innocent students into tree-hugging transgender Marxists who read nothing but books on critical race theory.

Terrified they’ll be penalized financially and every other way, colleges and universities have busied themselves scrubbing websites of incendiary words such as “women,” “Black,” “institutional” and “trauma.”

FSU has deleted and “archived” its posts on high-achieving students before 2023, claiming, in fluent bureaucratic nonsense-speak, they did it to get rid of “outdated information to enhance user experience and ensuring our webpages load quickly and efficiently on all devices.”

In case you’re not buying that one, they’re also calling it “routine maintenance.”

A cynical person might think this is really about obscuring official praise of students who might be queer or working in currently disfavored fields of study.

A cynical person might also wonder if state government wants to use higher education to return us to an imagined past when white Christian men were in charge of everything and everything was absolutely great, especially for white Christian men.

One of the governor’s picks for the Board of Trustees at University of West Florida, an institution he calls “a left-wing college,” wanted to take us back to the 1950s.

Scott Yenor, an academic nonentity at Boise State in Idaho, thinks only “non-Jewish white men” should be in leadership positions.

He says “independent women” are “medicated, meddlesome and quarrelsome” and proclaims, “If we want a great nation, we should be preparing young women to become mothers,” not have successful careers, certainly not in the manly fields of science, medicine, and the law.

Even some of Florida’s loudest and proudest reactionaries objected to Yenor’s weird ideas about women and obvious antisemitism.

Sen. Randy Fine, the state’s only Jewish Republican legislator (until he was elected to Congress on April 1) raised the alarm.

Back to Idaho

Indeed, Yenor is so out there that several hundred citizens, including students, alumni, former trustees, and donors, held a town hall in Pensacola — deep red Pensacola — urging the Florida Senate to reject his nomination.

Former Republican legislators, business leaders, donors, local officials, and members of the Jewish community expressed dismay. UWF President Emerita Judy Bense urged people to tell the governor “this is wrong.”

The amazing thing is, they won. Yenor, who had not yet been confirmed by the Senate, withdrew from consideration.

Sen. Don Gaetz, father of the egregious Matt, celebrated Yenor’s decision: “Gentlemen don’t go where no one wants them.”

Unacquainted with what gentlemen do, the governor is throwing a tantrum, blaming Fine, whom he describes as “repellent,” snarling, “Let’s just consider the source. I mean, that same senator called me antisemitic,” and accusing others of distorting Yenor’s record, “trying to dredge up statements” he calls “flimsy.”

Booting Yenor back to Idaho is a small victory for UWF and the basic decency we should expect from Florida’s state institutions.

“Rescheduling” Brand is, too, although New College is probably beyond redemption: Opening the campus to white supremacists and accused rapists does not demonstrate a commitment to vigorous examination of social norms and political pieties, or a bold assertion of free speech.

It’s evidence of decay.

NCF is now an educational ruin, lovely buildings perched on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, intellectually and morally empty.

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.

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an 4 25

On Friday, April 4, British comedian/actor Russell Brand was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault by the UK Metropolitan Police. Brand, despite these charges, continues to proclaim his devotion to Christianity. And he is still bonding with the MAGA movement in the United States.

In a biting article published on April 5, Salon's Amanda Marcotte argues that the MAGA movement and far-right evangelicals are oblivious to the "disturbing" allegations Brand is facing.

"A collaboration between The Times, The Sunday Times, and Channel 4, conducted over years, produced exhaustively documented allegations of rape and other sexual abuses," Marcotte explains. "They spoke with hundreds of sources, including four accusers. They collected medical records, texts, e-mails, and internal documents from employers, all showing a pattern of alleged sexual abuse that is often frightening in its violence. The report came out in September 2023."

READ MORE: 'Get-rich-quick': Analysis exposes 'overlap between prosperity gospel adherents and Trump’s fan base'

Marcotte continues, "Shortly thereafter, Brand was kicked off YouTube. He then swiftly joined the MAGA-affiliated Rumble network. In the next few months, he moved to the U.S. and got baptized, fully rebranding himself as a right-wing Christian influencer. This timeline doesn't seem to have given Brand's new MAGA audience a single moment's doubt that he might have ulterior motives. On the contrary, his fans encouraged the conspiracy theory that paints him as a political prisoner and the charges as 'a political prosecution,' as Charlie Kirk complained."

Brand, according to Marcotte, underscores the dangers of "MAGA Christianity" and shows "the willingness, in the era of Donald Trump, of right-wing Christians to scrape the absolute bottom of the barrel."

"Christianity emphasizes redemption, making it an attractive framework for a celebrity needing to rehab a bad image," Marcotte observes. "In theory, however, there is supposed to be repentance before redemption. But this is the era of Trumpian Christianity, so skipping the part where you say you're sorry is optional."

Marcotte adds, "After all, Trump is treated not just as a fellow Christian, but something closer to a savior figure by the Religious Right…. Being a bully is admired in the MAGA movement. In MAGA Christianity, actual repentance would be dismissed as 'woke.' No wonder it was the perfect landing spot for Russell Brand."

READ MORE:How Trump’s economic policies imperil the 'far-right parties' he claims to support

*Read Politico's full article at this link.

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11 24 BB

Former comedian Russell Brand ended up selling "magical amulets" for "EMF protection"[

Manosphere influencers and Rumble streamers respond to Kamala Harris’ presidential candidacy by claiming it's a coup and the 2024 election will be rigged

08/02/24

manosphere influencers and Rumble streamers are laying the groundwork to challenge the legitimacy of the 2024 election by pushing election misinformation around Vice President Kamala Harris.

On their podcasts and social media feeds, these streamers and influencers from the so-called “manosphere” have joined right-wing media in attacking the likely Democratic presidential nominee with sexist smears and racist remarks. These influencers have also promoted conspiratorial beliefs, calling her candidacy a “coup” and claiming that the upcoming election will be “rigged” in her favor.

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Over the past decade, Russell Brand has gone from left-wing comedian to right-wing darling — a shift that highlights the powerful economic incentives for conspiracy theorists online.

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When The Guardian named Brand one of the “Heroes of 2014,” the article described him as “the best thing that has happened to the left in years.” Now, Brand hosts a show called Stay Free, where he uncritically platforms right-wing figures and baseless conspiracy theories. This “grift drift” toward right-wing content reflects how conspiratorial thinking is often financially rewarded online.

In 2022, after having a video removed from YouTube for spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine, he announced his move to Rumble, an extreme video-sharing platform overrun with dangerous conspiracy theories, antisemitic and Islamophobic content, and explicit calls for violence.

The chart above shows Brand’s YouTube channel exploding in popularity around the end of 2020, when he began posting conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and vaccines. Brand responded to the success of these videos by posting more and more reactionary content, often promoting the “Great Reset” conspiracy theory.

This increased attention also brought Brand new economic opportunities. Along with promotion for subscriptions to his Locals community, Brand’s viewers are bombarded with advertisements for everything from stickers to greens powders to precious metals.

After airing segments fearmongering about an impending World War III or the global elite’s plans to control viewers' lives, Brand sells them products that sometimes seem meant to assuage the anxieties he’s just stoked. In one advertisement, Brand says, “Is it me or does the future feel more unsecure and uncertain,” citing “wars, pandemics, lies,” before proceeding to sell his audience gold as a key “to secure your hard-earned nest egg.”

Brand’s evolution highlights how right-wing and conspiratorial content is often made profitable for online creators, thanks in large part to platforms like Rumble that help serve that content to millions of impressionable and lucrative customers.

mma 1 24

  1. ### Russell Brand's show on Rumble uncritically platforms right-wing figures and conspiracy theories

05/01/23

  1. ### Russell Brand attempts to evade YouTube content moderation by telling viewers to follow him to Rumble to hear about “vaccine side effect stuff”

03/21/23

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Following news that a session at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting would be focused on the World Health Organization’s preparations for a potential epidemic of a currently unknown pathogen dubbed “Disease X,” right-wing media figures pushed conspiracy theories about a supposed plan to kill off “excess population” and fearmongered over the possibility of another pandemic and lockdowns. Some sought to capitalize on the fear by selling “medical emergency kits” that contain an unproven COVID-19 treatment.

because they “want less people.” Schlapp stated: “I think they must know something, and I’m not going to discount the fact that probably Disease X is a thing and could happen, and some people — as evil and dastardly as it sounds — thinks killing millions of people actually could be good for the rest of us who survive.” Additionally, host Chris Plante said that at the meeting, “globalists at Davos ... might not be preparing for imaginary situations, but rather assembling their next global power grab.” Newsmax, *Chris Plante The Right Squad*, [1/17/23; CNN, 12/16/23]

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