A man cries as he watches fellow Afghans get wounded after Taliban fighters use guns fire, whips, sticks and sharp objects to maintain crowd control over thousands of Afghans who continue to wait outside the Kabul Airport for a way out, on airport road in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)
Unraveling viral disinformation and explaining where it came from, the harm it's causing, and what we should do about it.
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Watkins is among the leading proponents of baseless conspiracy theories about widespread electoral fraud in Maricopa County, and has helped push the narrative that the sham recount report—due to be handed to the State Senate on Friday—will somehow trigger a domino effect of audits in other states, and ultimately lead to the reinstatement of former President Donald Trump.And so, for the past few months, Watkins and other QAnon believers—who see the audit in Maricopa County as the only thing that matters—have labeled every single major national and international incident a “false flag.”And as with every other QAnon conspiracy, believers have been seeing “evidence” everywhere.
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QAnon believers are so convinced that the entire world revolves around them that they are willing to claim every single major global event is somehow connected to their belief that Trump is waging a secret war against the “deep state” to unmask a group of elite trafficking children around the world.The devastating explosion in Beirut that killed hundreds last year? A cover-up designed to protect Hillary Clinton. The container ship getting stuck in the Suez Canal earlier this year and disrupting the entire global supply chain? Also a cover-up to protect those trafficking children. A series of tragic suicides among police officers who attended the Capitol riots? A cover-up. And QAnon’s obsession with the Maricopa County audit will continue until the report is released.The Arizona Senate’s audit liaison office told VICE News Tuesday that the final report from Cyber Ninjas, the Florida-based company with no election audit experience running the recount, will be presented to Senate President Karen Fann on Friday. Fann did not respond to VICE News’ request for comment about how long it will take for the Senate to review the document before making it public.