Stories Are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind by Annalee Newitz, 2024
In Stories Are Weapons, best-selling author Annalee Newitz traces the way disinformation, propaganda, and violent threats―the essential tool kit for psychological warfare―have evolved from military weapons deployed against foreign adversaries into tools in domestic culture wars.
#Disney secured enough shareholder votes to defeat a challenge against its board mounted by #NelsonPeltz's hedge fund #Trian Fund Mgmt.
Enough votes were cast as of Tues night to put Disney's board of dirs safely ahead of Trian's 2 challengers, that included #Peltz & fmr Disney CFO Jay Rasulo, per sources.
#NelsonPeltz is the billionaire & #GOP#megadonor who on the day the #Jan6#insurrection, disavowed #Trump, calling it a “disgrace” & apologized for voting for Trump.
But earlier this month, #Peltz had breakfast w/Trump & other billionaires — including hotelier #SteveWynn, #ElonMusk, & fmr Marvel chair #IsaacPerlmutter — at Peltz’s “luxurious oceanfront mansion” in #Florida. Peltz then told the FT that he would “probably” vote for Trump in 2024.
The #settlement declares that actions taken by the fmr Reedy Creek special taxing district (#RCID) days before it was taken over by #DeSantis appointees would be “null & void.” That included a long-lasting development agreement that would have greatly limited what the new board could do.
The #Florida State Board of #Education, which was sued along w/ the Department of Education, is required to send the agreement to every school district under the settlement terms.
Ben Bradford looks at how, despite claims to the contrary, the new right and the old right are the same old critter. What's continuous in Republican politics for decades is the desire to "organize discontent" by inflaming rage among voters with an endless supply of manufactured culture-war grievances.
Dangle new imaginary threats in front of them and keep them enraged, and they'll keep voting GOP, regardless of the economic harm to themselves.
"The state of affairs among MAGA Media diehards as it sits today is remarkable. A subset of America actually purports to boycott Disney, the world's preeminent entertainment company; Bud Light, once America's most popular beer; Target, the quintessential brick-and-mortar shopping destination; Pfizer, the pharmaceutical company that produced life-saving Covid-19 vaccines;"
"Major League Baseball, the nation's favorite pastime; and now Taylor Swift, a generational icon and one of the most successful musical artists of all time. …
'They’ve built out this alternate universe and reality of grievance and it feels like instead of using it to wage an effective culture war, they’re fully lost in it and can’t see that they’ve chosen as their primary enemy the person with the literal highest approval rating in American life right now.'"
The classified documents case will make use of a recording which indicates that #Trump had a highly sensitive document which he knew was NOT declassified.
The chain of evidence looks strong and while there is much news media spinning, a court of law is more rigorous environment where focus on fact is primary
#PeteButtigieg shows the way for #Election2024. Americans have to decide whether they want government that gets things done or #CultureWars and the attendant hatred directed at the #LGBTQ or other minority communities.
The #HardRight look to start #CultureWars on major legislation wherever possible. Clearly an indication that they want a national #abortion ban and to ostracize the #queer community
The war on #Libraries by “conservatives” is just another front stoked up against the #LGBTQ community at the behest of those exploiting #CultureWars for political gain.
In truth the #GOP which has been fully co-opted by #Trumpism has nothing to offer on making lives better for #Americans beyond cultivating rage and fear directed at smaller less powerful groups. It is classic #RightWing behavior from the 1930s
I continue to be an admirer of #PeteButtigieg and his razor sharp analysis of the political times we live in
Here he reminds us that the #GOP has no answers for many of the pressing issues Americans face. Rather than coming up with new proposals about how to move the country forward, that would require thinking, the #RepublicanParty has put all its eggs in the #CultureWars basket, doubling down on hate for minorities, immigrants and the #LGBTQ community #USPolitics