Latest news with #AmericanRight
Washington Post
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Trump finds himself on the wrong side of a conspiracy theory
One of the common misunderstandings about President Donald Trump is that he created the culture of conspiracy and surreality in which the American right is now immersed. He didn't. He simply leveraged it. This isn't to say Trump hasn't generated or amplified any conspiracy theories. He obviously has. It is simply meant to note that he emerged as a political figure a decade ago from an existing culture in which such claims were common currency. The central advantage Trump possessed in the 2016 Republican presidential primary was that he was willing to agree with false theories in a way that the established politicians against whom he was running were not. His most identifiable issue, immigration, was and is rooted in false claims about foreign powers shipping criminals to the U.S. where they are subverting traditional America. It's conspiracies all the way down.
The Guardian
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
What if Jesus was a vlogger? The AI Bible stories flooding social media
Jesus walks through an emerald field holding a selfie stick. The first chords of Billie Eilish's Birds of a Feather rise like a prayer. 'OK besties so apparently I'm the chosen one, like full-blown save humanity arc,' he cheeses. 'Love that for me.' Jesus flicks his Jonathan Van Ness locks behind his ears. The scene switches. He's still holding the selfie stick but now he's strolling through a dusty town. 'So I just told the squad I have to die and Peter literally tried to gaslight me. Like babes, don't be dramatic. This is the prophecy.' Another cut. Jesus at a candlelit banquet. 'Hey chat, so we're halfway through dinner. Judas couldn't even make eye contact.' He shakes his head and looks back to the camera with a knowing smirk. 'He's so fake!' This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. On first glance, this genre of video – the reimagination of Bible stories through the Americanised lens of fuckboy vlog culture – feels like bizarre, sacrilegious gobbledegook. Unless you want to intellectualise it as the congregation of 2025's holy trinity: AI, influencer culture and rising conservatism. Up to you. Are these videos a sign of the times? Are they symptomatic of the American right? Are they brainwashing me towards Christianity? Why is their biblical drip kind of horny? Why can't I stop watching them? Why is my brain leaking out of my ear?!? My first indoctrination to these Bible vlogs happened while I was lying in bed. I was slack-jawed from a scrolling session of biblical proportions when the algorithm parted and Joseph of Nazareth hit my screen. 'Peep the fit! Ancient drip on lock y'all. Market haul hitting different today. Figs stay juicy, no cap.' I sat up slightly, wiping the drool from my mouth. Further drivel is not often the antidote to brain rot, and yet … I was Daniel in the lion's den. I was Jonah inside the whale. I was mixing metaphors. My commitment to scrolling had delivered me to salvation. This article includes content provided by TikTok. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. In the days of yore I flirted with religion. I knelt in church with my grandparents when they were in town, attended scripture, chilled at youth group to socialise with my friends and boys at large. There was a brief dalliance with Hillsong (I was 13 and needed Friday night plans). I decided it was all a bit much when: a) a girl in front of me started shaking and screaming that her parents were 'captured by the devil'; and b) I peeked behind a curtain in the church and saw a bunch of teenagers fingering each other. My views on both fingering and religion have now changed. The current extent of my spiritual practice is saying stuff such as 'Jesus take the wheel!' or 'Oh my God!' and taking pictures of ecclesiastical iconography while travelling in Catholic countries to then later post on Instagram. And yet every night of the week I find myself flicking past outfit inspo and restaurant recommendations so I can sink my teeth into an AI-generated vibe check from the last supper. So I can tuck into a vlog of a Trojan horse unboxing. Or perhaps even a vox pop from Easter Monday. And then a series of street reactions to David killing Goliath. Really cool stuff. This article includes content provided by TikTok. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. I recently went to confession with a friend, admitting my fanaticism. I was preaching to the converted; she, too, had bitten into the apple of AI Bible stories. Jesus, she said, was kind of the first influencer. Mary and Joseph were giving toxic vlog parents. And if Judas was around now he'd totally be uploading 40-minute-uncut-no-makeup YouTube screeds – or at least a finely crafted notes app apology. Momentarily, I consider the environmental cost. How many litres of water did it take for me to witness Mary dabbing? How many finite resources were burned so an AI Jesus could make a joke about dropping the water to wine tutorial? How many years did we take off the planet so – wait! Shh. The next video is starting. Adam sits in a podcast booth, noise-cancelling headphones on, a mic in front of him, sporting a top constructed of a flimsy conga line of leaves. 'So God makes me. Right? Boom. First man, no parents, no nothing. I'm like … 'Ooh … I'm literally about to be everyone's daddy!'' My eyes glaze over, my mouth falls open and I bring my hands to prayer. They part and I clash them together, again and again, demonic. Another one! Another one! Another one!
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Hands Off!' Louisiana joins nationwide rally against Trump policies
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS)— Protesters across the country, including in Shreveport rallied to demand that President Trump and Elon Musk leave essential policies, such as healthcare, important data, jobs, and vital services, alone. On Saturday, April 5th, Shreveport, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles joined the movement to 'Demand: Hands Off!' with a direct response to what organizers call an 'ongoing power grab' by the President Trump and billionare Musk. Protesters say they are seizing control over essential parts of the country, such as healthcare, important data, jobs and vital services. Trump's mass deportation costs US billions 'We are for the people, and I'm here with the people. And I'm ready to stand against the commander in chief, DOGE, and anybody else who wants to take our rights away because it's not right, and we as people of the United States of America have to come together collectively To defend ourselves. To fight for not only my rights, my kids rights, fellow veterans rights, and American Right' says Veteran and AFGE 2525 President, Chantelle Jones. Amongst the peaceful protesters, lining Caddo Parish Courthouse, was Shreveport Attorney, Pat Gilley. 'I'm trying to keep our Constitution alive, our democracy alive, and I'm so terrified that it's going to be gone before I'm dead. So I'm gonna be out here and I don't care what kind of weather I'm gonna be out here. I'm gonna remind people if you want that democracy, you gotta fight for that democracy,' says the 2023 Caddo Sheriff candidate, Gilley. Trump administration plans to cut 80,000 employees from Veterans Affairs The organizers of Hands Off 2025 say, 'they want to strip America for parts—shuttering Social Security offices, firing essential workers, eliminating consumer protections, and gutting Medicaid—all to bankroll their billionaire tax scam.' Hands Off 2025 says they are fighting for their communities including veterans, kids, seniors, farmers, immigrants, transgender people and they are not stopping with today's movement. President Trump executive order to cut 280M acres of national forests According to the organizers, a core principle behind all Hands Off! events is a commitment to nonviolent action. They say, 'this is just the begining with plans to continue pushing back against what they call 'the destruction of our democracy.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
