GoKawiil
Tech News
Maricopa County, Arizona has repeatedly become the origin point for election conspiracy theories, from the 2020 'Sharpiegate' claims to unfounded allegations of ballot tampering. A new report traces how tactics first used to challenge election results there have since spread to other parts of the country.
With roughly two weeks left before the midterms, election-denial activists are reviving unproven claims that Maricopa County, Arizona, election processes are corrupt. The renewed scrutiny follows President Trump calling the county 'dishonest,' an FBI seizure in March of audit-related hard drives, and a viral video from the group We the People USA Alliance showing county employees working late at a ballot tabulation center.
WIRED found that several employees from the America First Policy Institute, a think tank closely tied to the Trump administration, have been placed inside the Census Bureau with access to sensitive population data. Two of them co-authored an anonymous August report claiming thousands of noncitizens voted in 2020, a study WIRED says relies on flawed methodology. The same group appears to be a larger team almost entirely composed of AFPI-linked staff detailed to the bureau.
Months before the September 11 attacks, radio host Milton William 'Bill' Cooper misrepresented a CNN report about an interview with al Qaeda figures, falsely claiming the US government had advance knowledge of an imminent attack from Osama bin Laden himself. In reality, the interview was conducted by MBC correspondent Baker Atyani with al Qaeda military chief Mohammed Atif, not bin Laden. Cooper's broadcast planted early seeds of doubt about government transparency that later blossomed into the sprawling 9/11 Truth conspiracy movement.
One year after Turning Point USA cofounder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot, unfounded theories about his death remain widespread on social media, amplified by influencers such as Candace Owens. Claims range from an exploding-microphone theory to allegations that accused shooter Tyler Robinson was merely a scapegoat acting on behalf of others, including Israel.
After Dolly Parton's death from cancer at age 80, right-wing commentators and online conspiracy theorists began circulating unsubstantiated claims that her Covid-19 vaccination caused a 'turbo cancer.' Parton's family confirmed she died following a brief illness related to cancer, with no connection to vaccination cited. The singer had publicly supported vaccine research, donating $1 million in 2020 and receiving her shot on camera in 2021.