The Macrons v Candace Owens: lawsuit marks new phase in battle against conspiracy theories

False claim that Brigitte Macron was born a man has roots in pandemic-era France as distrust of politicians peaked

When the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife, Brigitte, took the rare step this week of filing a US defamation lawsuit against the rightwing podcaster Candace Owens, it marked a new phase in a legal battle on both sides of the Atlantic against the false claim that Brigitte Macron is a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux.

The Macrons’ US lawsuit attacked what it called the “verifiably false and devastating lies” being repeated online by Owens that Brigitte Macron, 72, was born a man. The lawsuit said evidence clearly disproved this “grotesque narrative”, which had become “a campaign of global humiliation” and “relentless bullying on a worldwide scale”.

Conspiracy

July 25, 2025 epstein, maga

How the Epstein case is tearing apart Maga’s conspiracy wing

How the Epstein case is tearing apart Maga’s conspiracy wing BBC

RFK Jr to remove preservative thimerosal from all US vaccines

Conspiracy

July 23, 2025 antivax, cdc, rfk jr

RFK Jr to remove preservative thimerosal from all US vaccines

Anti-vaccine campaigns have targeted thimerosal for decades despite no evidence of ingredient causing harm

Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, will formally require vaccine makers to remove thimerosal from vaccines.

The ingredient has been the target of anti-vaccine campaigns and misinformation for decades. Arguments against the preservative culminated in June, when a key federal vaccine advisory panel, remade with Kennedy’s ideological allies, recommended against the preservative.

Emanuel, Brigitte Macron sue Candace Owens for claiming French first lady was born a man who groomed her allegedly gay husband

Conspiracy

July 23, 2025 cia, mkultra, moon landing

Emanuel, Brigitte Macron sue Candace Owens for claiming French first lady was born a man who groomed her allegedly gay husband

Attorneys for the plaintiffs alleged that Owens pushed fictions that Mrs. Macron “was born a man” and “stole another person’s identity.” …

Conspiracy

July 21, 2025

Debunked: the far-right conspiracy theories fuelled by Texas floods – video explainer

Disasters and tragedies have long been a source of conspiracy theories. But when devastating flash floods hit Texas over the Fourth of July weekend, far-right conspiracies over cloud seeding and weather manipulation spread within a matter of hours. The floods killed at least 135 people, including children who were staying at an all-girl summer camp along the Guadalupe River. Extremism reporter Ben Makuch explains more behind these conspiracy theories, while Guardian US environment reporter Oliver Milman tells us what really happened

Conspiracy

July 21, 2025 epstein, maga

The Epstein Effect

The Epstein Effect Columbia Journalism Review

Conspiracy

July 20, 2025 covid19, epstein, moon landing, qanon

From Watergate to Covid, here’s why so many of us vanish down conspiracy rabbit holes

From Watergate to Covid, here’s why so many of us vanish down conspiracy rabbit holes The Observer

Barabak: Here’s why Jeffrey Epstein’s tangled web is conspiratorial catnip

Conspiracy

July 20, 2025 cia, deep state, epstein, maga, pizzagate

Barabak: Here’s why Jeffrey Epstein’s tangled web is conspiratorial catnip

Combining an ancient trope with modern cynicism, the sex-trafficking scandal has ingredients that keep it fresh long after other conspiracies faded. President Trump used it for political gain.

Conspiracy

July 19, 2025 covid19, epstein, moon landing, nasa, qanon

From Covid to Epstein, here’s why so many of us vanish down conspiracy rabbit holes

When someone falls into a conspiracy rabbit hole, it is because that instinct towards pattern recognition gets hijacked. Sometimes, there is an active effort to promote this phenomenon. In QAnon, a …

Conspiracy

July 18, 2025 antivax, qanon

More people believing conspiracy theories could threaten democracy and public health

EXCLUSIVE: Conspiracy theories have grown traction on both sides of the Atlantic in recent years, fuelled by social media agitators and politicians, but why? And what dangers does it pose?

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