Latest GOP 2024 hopeful DeSantis 'blazing a trail' on book bans in Republican-controlled states
As he vies for the Republican presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is touting a series of measures he has pushed that have led to an upswing in banned or restricted books โ not just in Florida schools but in an increasing number of other conservative states.
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Ex-Trump spokeswoman Sanders running for Arkansas governor
FILE - In this Monday, March 11, 2019, file photo, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders speaks during a news briefing at the White House, in Washington. Former White House spokeswoman Sanders is running for Arkansas governor, a source told The Associated Press, late Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. โ Sarah Sanders, Donald Trump's former chief spokeswoman, announced she's running for Arkansas governor at a time other Republicans are distancing themselves from the former president facing an impeachment charge that he incited the deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol. Arkansas Republican Gov. During Sandersโ nearly two-year tenure at the White House, daily televised briefings led by the press secretary ended after Sanders repeatedly sparred with reporters who aggressively questioned her.
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Maddow beneficiary of scramble for attention by authors
NEW YORK โ It's high season for books that pick apart Donald Trump's presidency, and Rachel Maddow is a big beneficiary. With less than two months before the election, authors are elbowing each other for space on the best-seller lists. Conservative authors have also sought attention for new books during the political season. That was the case with Schmidt's book. Maddow gave more attention to Schmidt's discussion about why Trump's personal and business dealings with Russia have not been investigated.
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Trump dodges question on QAnon conspiracy theory
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Friday twice ignored a question about whether he supports QAnon, a convoluted, right-wing, pro-Trump conspiracy theory. A reporter asked the president about the theory at a White House briefing Friday after Trump tweeted his congratulations to a QAnon-supporting candidate. So absolutely, I did congratulate her, Trump said, sidestepping the question and ignoring a follow-up before moving on to another reporter. Trump has retweeted QAnon-promoting accounts, and shirts and hats with QAnon symbols and slogans are not uncommon at his rallies. Green still faces a Democrat in November, but the GOP primary was considered the real contest in a district Trump won handily in 2016.
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'QAnon' conspiracy theory creeps into mainstream politics
The 51-year-old woman believed the president had traced the shape of the letter โQโ with his fingers as a covert signal to followers of QAnon, a right-wing, pro-Trump conspiracy theory. University of California, Davis history professor Kathryn Olmsted, author of a book called โReal Enemies: Conspiracy Theories and American Democracy, World War I to 9/11,โ said it's unclear whether QAnon has attracted more believers than other conspiracy theories that have intersected with U.S. politics. โWhat's different now is that there are people in power who are spreading this conspiracy theory,โ she said, adding that Trump's conspiracy-minded rhetoric seems to fire up part of his base. Travis View, a conspiracy theory researcher who co-hosts The QAnon Anonymous Podcast and has written about QAnon for the Washington Post under his pseudonym, said the sense of community forged by QAnon believers has helped it endure beyond the life span of other conspiracy theories. Pizzagate and other far-right conspiracy theories have faded, but experts see no end in sight to QAnon's popularity.