#Coronavirus Conspiracies

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Judd Legum at Popular Information:

In a wild presidential election featuring dozens of criminal felony charges, fallacious claims about election fraud, and sexist invective, it's easy to forget a fundamental truth: The real impact of the election will be expressed through changes to federal law and policy. 

[...] There is one policy area where Trump has been much clearer. At his Madison Square Garden rally on October 27, Trump said he would put RFK Jr. in charge of the nation's health policy. "I’m going to let him go wild on health, I’m going to let him go wild on the food, I’m going to let him go wild on medicines," Trump told the crowd. At an online event the following day, RFK Jr. said that Trump had promised him "control" of all federal public health agencies. What are RFK Jr.'s plans once he controls federal public health policy? On Saturday, RFK Jr. posted on X that he would "advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water" on the first day of Trump's presidency. 

According to the CDC, fluoridated drinking water in the United States is "one of the ten greatest public health achievements in the United States."  Specifically, "[d]rinking fluoridated water keeps the teeth strong and reduces tooth decay by approximately 25% in children and adults." Fluoridation of community water supplies is "recommended by nearly all public health, medical, and dental organizations including the American Dental Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, US Public Health Service, and World Health Organization." According to the American Dental Association, "every $1 invested in water fluoridation saves $38 in dental treatment costs." While the federal government is not directly involved in fluoridating water, there are many ways for the federal government to influence state and local policy.

Community water fluoridation has been criticized by cranks and conspiracy theorists since the 1950s when some claimed it was part of a plot by Communists to brainwash the American public. Others falsely claim that the practice was started by the Nazis as a method to poison and pacify Jews. In his post, RFK Jr. incorrectly describes fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral, as "industrial waste." Fluoride can be a byproduct of the production of aluminum and certain fertilizers, and conspiracy theorists have claimed that water fluoridation was pushed by corporations looking to offload their excess fluoride.  [...]

The Trump campaign, notably, chose not to contradict RFK Jr.'s claims about the Trump administration's plans for fluoridation. “While President Trump has received a variety of policy ideas, he is focused on Tuesday’s election,” Trump adviser Danielle Alvarez told the Associated Press.  Fluoride is not the only issue where RFK Jr.'s views deviate from public health experts. RFK Jr. has also falsely linked childhood vaccines — which have saved millions of lives — to autism and chronic diseases, claimed that COVID-19 was engineered to spare Ashkenazi Jewish and Chinese people, and claimed that 5G technology "damages human DNA [and] causes cancer." 

[...]

The truth about Project 2025

Dozens of people appointed or nominated to positions in the first Trump administration and transition created a policy blueprint called Project 2025 under the auspices of the Heritage Foundation. Project 2025, which spans 922 pages, calls for withdrawing approval for the abortion pill, banning pornography, slashing corporate taxes, abolishing the Department of Education, replacing thousands of experienced federal workers with political appointees, imposing a "biblically based… definition of marriage and families," and placing the Justice Department and other independent agencies under the direct control of the president. Trump has sought to distance himself from the document, saying he "has no idea who is behind it." Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts, however, told the Financial Times that he is "personally close" with Trump and talks to him "often."

Putting a conspiracist crank like RFK Jr. in office is a bad bad idea.

See Also:

MMFA: Fox vouched for RFK Jr.’s health views. Now that bill may come due.

[awesometeennews]

More Than 13 Million People Have Watched The New Viral Hamilton Parody That Pokes Fun At The US Face Mask Debate

More Than 13 Million People Have Watched The New Viral Hamilton Parody That Pokes Fun At The US Face Mask Debate

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Parodies are an inevitable result of all things popular (or ridicule-worthy). Once something viral comes out, of course there’s going to be discussions, memes, and parodies done on the topic. And there are also rare occasions when parodies mash up several things, like what the Holderness Family recently did.

The Holderness Family, a music, parodies, and vlogs YouTube channel hosted by a…

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Eric Hananoki at MMFA:

Trump running mate and Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) has reportedly been preparing for his upcoming vice presidential debate with Monica Crowley, a right-wing commentator and Trump campaign surrogate who also contributed to the Project 2025 transition plan for the next Republican administration. Crowley has attacked Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), Vance's debate opponent, with incendiary rhetoric, including claiming that he views “chaos, death, and destruction as necessary tools to advance the revolution” and arguing that his ideology is the same as “what Nazi Germany did with the Jews.” Crowley, who worked in the Trump administration as an assistant Treasury secretary, has a long history of extreme rhetoric. (Media Matters also documented her extreme commentaries on abortion.) This year alone, she has continued to push a number of conspiracy theories and toxic remarks. They include: 

Crowley: Tim Walz is “a fully committed Marxist” who views “chaos, death, and destruction as necessary tools to advance the revolution”; Walz’s ideology is “what Nazi Germany did with the Jews.” 

Crowley claimed that there is a sprawling “deep state” that has been trying to destroy Donald Trump through COVID-19 (“released on purpose”), “rigged” elections, and the recent attempt on his life.

Crowley has repeatedly suggested that the deep state has tried to assassinate Trump.

Crowley claimed Haitian migrants “have a completely alien culture, do not speak the language, don't abide by our rules, are not assimilating in any way. … Yes, they're eating the cats and the dogs.” 

Crowley claimed that Democrats are trying “to flood the country with illegal immigrants in order to collapse the system, get a permanent Democrat voting majority.”

Crowley portrayed mass shootings as a way that the deep state is trying “to distract you.” 

Crowley: “I've been trying to come up with different scenarios that they can spring on us, including possibly expiring Joe Biden.”

Crowley: The “regime” needs “the chaos. That's why they set up false flag operations. That's why they do all of this January 6 frame-up.” 

Crowley has already alleged that Pennsylvania is stealing the 2024 election. 

Right-wing pundit and JD Vance debate prep assistant Monica Crowley has promulgated extreme conspiracies, particularly those related to elections and COVID.

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Lydia O'Connor at HuffPost:

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who was the lead adviser for the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, threw cold water on GOP accusations he masterminded a cover-up of the virus’ origins.

Fauci called the claims “absolutely false and simply preposterous” during a heated appearance before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic on Monday, saying Republicans misrepresented emails between himself and other scientists about the possibility the virus was leaked from a lab. “It is inconceivable that anyone who reads this email could conclude that I was trying to cover up the possibility of a laboratory leak,” Fauci, who served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly 40 years before retiring in 2022, testified. “We spend our whole life trying to determine the causes of infectious diseases, and stop them to protect the American people,” he continued. The panel’s Republicans have not produced any evidence Fauci orchestrated a lab leak coverup, but they continue to emphasize that the nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance received funding from Fauci’s agency to conduct virus research in Wuhan, China ― where COVID-19 was first identified. They also narrowed in on a senior official working under Fauci who deleted messages and may have evaded federal records-keeping laws while emailing with EcoHealth Alliance officials.

Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke in front of House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing today, and Fauci grilled the Republicans good.

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Jack Winstanley, Noah Dowe, and Chloe Simon at MMFA:

Lara Trump, after receiving an endorsement from former president and her father-in-law Donald Trump, became co-chair of the Republican National Convention in early March, and since then, the committee has restructured and laid off 60 people to give the Trump campaign its full material support. In the last few years, Lara Trump has used her podcast The Right View and various right-wing media appearances to propagate a wide range of conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and COVID-19. She has also pushed bigoted rhetoric about trans people and migrants, as well as other marginalized communities. 

Previously, Lara Trump had been a Fox News contributor, and she currently hosts her own podcast, The Right View. Trump had also hosted a weekly video series for her father-in-law’s 2016 presidential campaign, where she praised his accomplishments and qualifications. [Los Angeles Times, 12/3/22; Business Wire, 1/8/24; BuzzFeed News, 8/1/17]

Newly-minted RNC co-chair Lara Trump has had a long history of spewing out far-right conspiracy theories, including election denialism, anti-LGBTQ+ extremism, and COVID conspiracies, on her The Right View show and other media appearances across the right-wing media apparatus.

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Abbie Richards at MMFA:

Over the past decade, Russell Brand has gone from left-wing comedian to right-wing darling — a shift that highlights the powerful economic incentives for conspiracy theorists online. When The Guardian named Brand one of the “Heroes of 2014,” the article described him as “the best thing that has happened to the left in years.” Now, Brand hosts a show called Stay Free, where he uncritically platforms right-wing figures and baseless conspiracy theories. This “grift drift” toward right-wing content reflects how conspiratorial thinking is often financially rewarded online.

The chart above shows Brand’s YouTube channel exploding in popularity around the end of 2020, when he began posting conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and vaccines. Brand responded to the success of these videos by posting more and more reactionary content, often promoting the “Great Reset” conspiracy theory. This increased attention also brought Brand new economic opportunities. Along with promotion for subscriptions to his Locals community, Brand’s viewers are bombarded with advertisements for everything from stickers to greens powders to precious metals.

Media Matters for America explores how Russell Brand became a darling of the right-wing media despite his previous history of left-wing views.

Brand's YouTube channel focused on left-wing themes in the 2010s, with a detour to self-help in the later 2010s; however, when 2020 came about in the middle of the COVID pandemic, his content started shifted more towards the conspiracist far-right sewer (especially on COVID-related topics and the paranoid "Great Reset" conspiracies) and that later led him to prioritize Rumble over YouTube. That shift has paid dividends for Brand, as he has gotten more views and money in the right-wing grifter space than he ever did as a left-wing pundit.

Tulsi Gabbard, Joe Rogan, Jimmy Dore, Glenn Greenwald, and The Young Turks (to an extent) follow this route as well.

Video:

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Evan Urquhart at Assigned Media:

A former resident at Texas Children’s Hospital, Eithan Haim is under federal investigation in Texas for releasing the private medical records of transgender youth to a conservative think tank. Ethan Haim is currently doing the rounds of conservative media and raising funds after leaking records of youth treated in Houston’s Texas Children’s Hospital to activist Chris Rufo of the Manhattan Institute. The documents contained no evidence of any illegal or unethical conduct by TCH staff. Long before Texas banned gender-affirming care for youth last June, providers of healthcare for trans youth were already under pressure to stop offering this care. Several of the highest-quality multidisciplinary programs in Texas buckled under pressure, shuttering clinics and leaving families and patients in need of treatment high and dry. One such program, at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, announced it was ending services in March of 2022. However, a few doctors are alleged to have continued seeing a handful of patients with gender dysphoria after the announcement that such treatment would cease. That’s what was alleged by far-right activist Chris Rufo in May, when he released medical records purporting to show that a few patients had continued to receive puberty blocking implants, most replacing a pre-existing implant the child already had, after the cutoff date.

The leak was not widely noticed outside the far-right media swamp, although Assigned Media covered it at the time. We reported that Rufo’s City Journal had released an interview with the person who supplied the records, and quoted a passage where he had to go outside and cry because he sensed a “demonic presence” at his workplace due to trans youth being treated there.

Federal law protects patient records from being accessed, misused, and publicized. Merely redacting patient names is not, contrary to misinformation being widely circulated by the right-wing press, sufficient to allow any hospital staff member to release any patient record they’d like for any reason. Concerns were therefore raised over the circumstances of the Manhattan Institute leak, with Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee releasing a statement calling for an investigation by TCH, and for information concerning a potential legal breach to be passed on to Federal enforcement agencies.

[...] Haim describes himself as a resident who was completing his training at TCH. A Daily Wire story on the federal charges whose headline whines “The Feds Are Trying To Ruin His Life” includes the detail that Haim accessed the records of youth diagnosed with gender dysphoria through Epic, which stored “clinic and operating room schedules” at TCH, and released those records to Rufo. According to his fundraising page, which we’ve chosen not to link to, Haim says he’s under criminal investigation by the federal government for “a case involving ‘medical records.’” In an on-camera interview with Haim, Rufo falsely referrs to TCH as having a “child sex change program” and accuses doctors who inserted reversible puberty blocking implants as “cutting up kids.” This is a reference to the implantation of fully reversible puberty blocker releasing devices which halt the release of sex hormones for a period of months.

When asked by Rufo to describe how he came to the “first inkling that something was wrong,” Haim described conservative media reports denigrating programs for trans youth at Vanderbilt and Boston Children’s Hospital, rather than anything he observed himself. The Daily Wire story is more specific, describing Haim as crediting that outlet’s misleading, inflammatory coverage of Vanderbilt hospital with radicalizing him against gender-affirming care. Haim’s fringe beliefs on gender-affirming care are far from the only he holds. In his interview with Rufo, he links mainstream support for gender-affirming care to precautions to fight COVID-19, claiming that both COVID-19 precautions and gender-affirming care are “ideological” rather than evidence-based. He harshly criticizes Dr. Anthony Fauci as “someone I wouldn’t let take care of my goldfish” and decries as “censorship” the attitude that people who questioned mainstream COVID-19 recommendations (which included things like social distancing, masks, and vaccinations) were harming public health.

Under investigation for HIPAA violations for releasing records to City Journal, the "news" outlet affiliated with right-wing Manhattan Institute, former Texas Children's Hospital resident Dr. Eithan Haim was interviewed by anti-LGBTQ+ extremist Christopher Rufo.

During Haim's interview with Rufo, he pushed anti-trans attacks on gender-affirming care and trafficked in anti-COVID mitigations conspiracies.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Madison Czopek and Katie Sanders at PolitiFact:

As pundits and politicos spar over whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign will factor into the outcome of the 2024 election, one thing is clear: Kennedy’s political following is built on a movement that seeks to legitimize conspiracy theories. His claims decrying vaccines have roiled scientists and medical experts and stoked anger over whether his work harms children. He has made suggestions about the cause of COVID-19 that he acknowledges sound racist and antisemitic. Bolstered by his famous name and family’s legacy, his campaign of conspiracy theories has gained an electoral and financial foothold. He is running as an independent — having abandoned his pursuit of the Democratic Party nomination — and raised more than $15 million. A political action committee pledged to spend between $10 million and $15 million to get his name on the ballot in 10 states.  Even though he spent the past two decades as a prominent leader of the anti-vaccine movement, Kennedy rejects a blanket "anti-vax" label that he told Fox News in July makes him "look crazy, like a conspiracy theorist." But Kennedy draws bogus conclusions from scientific work. He employs "circumstantial evidence" as if it is proof. In TV, podcast and political appearances for his campaign in 2023, Kennedy steadfastly maintained:

Vaccines cause autism.

No childhood vaccines "have ever been tested in a safety study pre-licensing."

There is "tremendous circumstantial evidence" that psychiatric drugs cause mass shootings, and the National Institutes of Health refuses to research the link out of deference to pharmaceutical companies.

Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were discredited as COVID-19 treatments so COVID-19 vaccines could be granted emergency use authorization, a win for Big Pharma. 

Exposure to the pesticide atrazine contributes to gender dysphoria in children.

COVID-19 is "targeted to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese."

For Kennedy, the conspiracies aren’t limited to public health. He claims "members of the CIA" were involved in the assassination of his uncle, John F. Kennedy. He doesn’t "believe that (Sirhan) Sirhan’s bullets ever hit my father," Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, D-N.Y. He insists the 2004 presidential election was stolen from Democratic candidate John Kerry.

PolitiFact names Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s conspiracy theory-fueled Presidential campaign its Lie Of The Year for 2023. Kennedy initially ran as a Democrat, then later switched to an Independent run.

RFK Jr. has long used his platform to spew out anti-vaccine extremism, and when COVID hit, he amplified and pushed COVID-related conspiracies.

Read the full article at PolitiFact.

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Alex Kaplan at MMFA:

Users on Reddit’s “r/conspiracy” forum have repeatedly and openly posted content spreading COVID-19 and anti-vaccine health misinformation, despite the platform prohibiting harmful “health misinformation” and previously taking action against other subreddits that have spread dangerous medical misinformation. A Media Matters review of r/conspiracy since 2021 found a pattern of health misinformation and attacks on vaccines and masks in the subreddit, such as falsely claiming they have caused harm and are linked to multiple ailments, directly urging other users to not get vaccinated, and even recommending unproven treatments for coronavirus in lieu of vaccines.

The r/Conspiracy subreddit on Reddit, despite site rules prohibiting medical misinformation, is a haven for COVID conspiracism and anti-vaxxer extremism.

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Reed McMaster at MMFA:

Fox Corp.’s OutKick is a hotbed for misinformation regarding COVID-19. OutKick’s founder Clay Travis and hosts Tomi Lahren and Charly Arnolt regularly platform false claims about vaccines, attacks on masking, and conspiracy theories about the illness. OutKick was briefly banned from YouTube over the summer which Lahren said was because of the right-wing outlet's vaccine claims, but it continues to push such misinformation.

Right-wing sports outfit OutKick and their hosts and guests continue to traffic in anti-COVID vaccine extremism and other COVID conspiracist talking points.

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Sarah D. Wire at Los Angeles Times:

Between rows of portable toilets, a line of strangers waited be baptized in an aluminum horse trough. One by one, they emerged from water heated all day by the Nevada sun, united in purpose as new soldiers for Donald Trump. Nearby, Christian rock blared from a large tent where pastors standing before the main stage prayed and laid hands on attendees of the ReAwaken America Tour, a far-right religious roadshow now in its third year. Helmed by retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn — a supporter of the former president and a key figure in efforts to overturn the 2020 election — and Clay Clark, an Oklahoma entrepreneur and podcaster, the whirlwind event melds the MAGA movement, election denial, QAnon conspiracy theories and doomsday prophecy. The two-day church revival held in August just outside Las Vegas featured nearly 70 speakers who preached that vaccines are poisonous and will bring about the end of the world, that a cabal of global leaders is engaged in child sex trafficking and that the 2020 election was stolen.

Through it all was an apocalyptic drumbeat that the country will be destroyed if Trump doesn't become president again. God wants him to win in 2024, speakers proclaimed to their audience, and as Christians they have been called upon to ensure he does. "We know the one in charge up above, and I can tell you that I believe that he has his hand now on Donald Trump, that no weapon formed against him shall prosper," Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, told the crowd. "God is a part of this race. I'm telling you guys this. I feel it deep down inside." Thousands have attended ReAwaken America on its dozens of stops across the country. Clark began the tour in 2021 to protest COVID-19 public health restrictions, and with Flynn’s help it has gained a reputation for promoting Christian nationalist beliefs alongside right-wing conspiracy theories. On Friday, the tour is scheduled to stop for the second time this year at the Trump National Doral resort in Miami, and Clark hinted that the former president may appear. In December, the tour heads to Tulare in the Central Valley, hometown of former California Rep. Devin Nunes, a Trump supporter who now serves as chief executive of his media company.

Over the last year, the tour has become increasingly focused on reelecting Trump. In North Las Vegas, several speakers referred to him as the "rightful president." Self-described prophets spoke of Trump as God's "anointed one," and presenters told the crowd that his reelection is necessary to save the country from evil. “Just as Jesus Christ our heavenly father saved me, I am absolutely convinced that he will deliver Donald Trump and save this nation in our greatest moment of peril,” former Trump political advisor Roger Stone told the crowd. Rhetoric on the tour can veer toward the violent, invoking deliverance and final judgment. A crowd wearing red "Make America Great Again" caps and clothing emblazoned with the American flag roared with laughter when far-right radio personality Stew Peters called for the deaths of President Biden's son Hunter and retired White House chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci.

“Let's be clear. Accountability is God's job. But it's not solely God's job. No, it's our job too,” Peters said. “When [Fauci] is convicted after a short and fast but thorough trial, he will hang up from a length of thick rope until he is dead. … When [Hunter Biden] is convicted … he will get … death!” Association with such an event would once have been career-ending in politics. But the tour features a who's who of Trump’s inner circle, a demonstration of how valuable Trump-world views the support of the far right in the 2024 election. In addition to Stone and Lara Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and his partner, Kimberly Guilfoyle, spoke at the North Las Vegas conference. So did Trump lawyer Alina Habba and former Defense Department staffer Kash Patel, who sits on the board of the Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates the internet platform Truth Social. In his keynote speech, Trump Jr. issued a dire warning about the election, telling the audience that they had to get involved to counter opposition from mainstream conservatives. "If we don't wake up and we don't reset, it will also be the beginning of the end of everything that we know," he said.

[...] ReAwaken America allows attendees to get up close to the far-right personalities they have come to trust. Selfie lines extended the length of the tent after speeches by Flynn, Stone and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who has poured millions of dollars into efforts to advance discredited assertions of fraud in the 2020 election. As each speaker was introduced, screams of joy could be heard hundreds of feet away from the main stage. Less-known speakers and right-wing media personalities spent time mingling in the crowd, giving hugs and signing hats. Ian Smith, who gained attention for refusing to close his New Jersey gym during the pandemic lockdown, received pats on the back after leaving the stage. Seth Keshel, a former Army captain who travels the country claiming that election fraud is rampant, listened to many of the other speakers from the audience before and after his speech on getting involved in local elections. Micki Witthoeft, the mother of rioter Ashli Babbitt of California, who was killed by police inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was repeatedly stopped by attendees as she wound her way through the crowd. She was there to raise funds for Jan. 6 insurrection defendants.

The Los Angeles Times takes a deep dive on the ReAwaken America Tour co-founded by Michael Flynn and Clay Clark that is home to far-right propaganda, such as Trump worshipping, QAnon conspiracism, COVID denialism, election denialism, End Times prophecy, and Christian Nationalism.

Read the full article at Los Angeles Times.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Clark Kauffman at Iowa Capital Dispatch:

An Iowa physician who has been critical of mask mandates and the COVID-19 vaccine is now suing a Missouri hospital over its staff-vaccination requirements. Dr. Mollie James of Chariton is suing Mercy ACO Clinical Services, Mercy Health and Mercy Health East Communities in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County, Missouri. Her lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for religious discrimination and retaliation.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, James has gained national attention in some conservative circles for her promotion of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine in treating the virus, and for her public condemnations of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Biden administration and much of the medical establishment in general. Her license is in good standing with the Iowa Board of Medicine, with no records of any public disciplinary action. However, in a July 2023 post to X, the successor to Twitter, James wrote, without elaboration: “18 months of a sham board investigation before I was cleared. No accusation of wrongdoing — just holding the threat over my head to silence me. For helping patients who were very sick and hospitalized with covid.” That same month, she posted, “After 18 long months… Marked safe from Medical board investigations today.” In an August 2023 posting to X, James announced she was suing the Missouri hospital where she worked in 2021 before the facility began requiring COVID-19 vaccinations of the staff, writing, “Guess who’s getting sued?!? My former employer — Mercy St. Louis fired me after 5 years of employment from my virtual ICU job (rounding from home!) — because they refused to acknowledge my religious exemption. It’s time for Christians to fight for our religious beliefs.”

In her lawsuit, James describes herself as “a believer in Jesus Christ and a member of the Roman Catholic Church” who has “treated nearly 4,000 COVID-19 patients, and supervised the supervision of nearly 2,500 more.” The lawsuit alleges that in July 2021, Mercy St. Louis mandated that all employees receive a COVID-19 vaccination, although exceptions were made based on medical and religious reasons. According to the lawsuit, James applied for a religious exemption and wrote on the application that “healing power is from God alone” and she “takes direction and guidance treatments from Him and Him alone.” She also indicated she was “guided by God” to decline the vaccine. James’ application for an exemption was denied and in August 2021, rather than be fired, she opted to resign, the lawsuit states. [...]

James has practiced medicine since 2013. She trained at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines and the University of Minnesota, then launched reBalance Functional Medicine in Des Moines in 2016, and then relocated to St. Louis. In the early days of the pandemic, she worked periodically in the intensive care unit of a New York City hospital, traveling there monthly while also working in Missouri. After she refused to comply with the vaccine mandates at Mercy St. Louis and lost her job, James filed for bankruptcy and established The James Clinic in Chariton where, she says online, “doctors are doctors again.” James has not responded to messages from Iowa Capital Dispatch, but she has spoken publicly about her medical philosophy on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, talk radio and conservative podcasts.

James’ social media posts contradict federal advice on COVID

In past posts to Twitter and other social media, James has called face masks silly, ineffective “face diapers,” called Fauci “evil,” and said of ivermectin, the so-called horse dewormer used by some to treat COVID-19, “There’s no medicine that’s safer on the planet.” Much of what she says about COVID-19 contradicts the federal government’s advice on mitigation and treatment, a fact she readily acknowledges. “I tell my patients not to get vax with natural immunity,” she tweeted. “I’ve had several tell me they understand but are pressured. Seriously, this is NOT something you need to die for!” The CDC has emphasized the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, saying reports of adverse events such as allergic reactions, myocarditis or pericarditis are rare and the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the risks. One of her websites – which once bore the domain name IvermectinCan.com — stated that The James Clinic is a membership-based “concierge practice” for Iowans who are “ready to take their health back.”

"Dr." Mollie James-- a right-wing COVID conspiracist, ivermectin shill, anti-masker, and anti-vaxxer kook-- is suing Mercy Health over refusal to be granted an religious exemption from getting the COVID vaccine due to the hospital's then-impending vaccine mandate in 2021.

James has since founded the James Clinic, with two locations: One in Chariton, Iowa and one in Ellisville, Missouri.

See Also:

Riverfront Times: Doctor Sues Mercy for Denying Religious Exemption for COVID-19 Vaccine

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Sophie Lawton at MMFA:

Since former President Donald Trump made a video claiming that “they want to restart the COVID hysteria so they can justify more lockdowns,” right-wing media have been claiming that Democrats are manufacturing a rise in concern about COVID-19 in order to manipulate the 2024 presidential election. COVID-19 hospitalizations, deaths, and wastewater samples tested with the virus are all on the rise in the U.S.

Right-wing media figures and GOP politicians push the deranged conspiracy theory that the Democrats want to "restart the COVID hysteria" (aka reinstate COVID mitigation measures) in order to "rig" the 2024 elections.

Right now, there is no trend towards reinstating the COVID mandates on a widespread basis like back in the 2020-2021 days.

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Eva Surovell at The Messenger:

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused Democratic politicians of wanting to bring back pandemic-era lockdowns and mandates, declaring that "we will not comply." "To every COVID tyrant who wants to take away our freedom, hear these words — we will not comply," the former president said in a post by his campaign on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Trump, who posted a flurry of videos and comments on Truth Social on Wednesday evening, also decried lockdowns and promised to defund any school, college, airline or public transportation system that imposes a mask or vaccine mandate. Schools across the country closed due to COVID-19 during the former president's term in office. Trump resisted vaccine and mask mandates, though he eventually endorsed mask-wearing. Though a new COVID-19 variant named Eris quickly became the dominant coronavirus subvariant in the U.S., World Health Organization officials say it poses a low risk to global public health.

Donald Trump went on an unhinged conspiratorial rant baselessly suggesting that the Democratic Party wants to revive the pre-COVID vaccine era of COVID lockdown policies.

He continued to push the lie that the 2020 election was "rigged", and falsely insinuated that the 2024 election could be "rigged" again.

He issued his unhinged "we will not comply" message encouraging his cult followers to defy COVID mitigation measures such as mask mandates and vaccine mandates should they ever be reinstated.

Mr. Trump, the beginning of the COVID pandemic happened on YOUR watch, and so were the "lockdowns", capacity restrictions, and mask mandates (set by local and state governments of both parties). You let COVID spread on your watch as "President".

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Matt Gertz at MMFA:

Tucker Carlson may be gone from Fox News, but his former colleagues are still carrying on his war against the COVID-19 vaccines that have prevented millions of American deaths since they became widely available in 2021.  Fox’s propagandists responded to President Joe Biden’s Friday call for new funding for an updated vaccine booster that will be recommended for all Americans when it becomes available this fall by warning that COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous and ineffective. Some even directly exhorted their viewers — generally seniors who are most vulnerable from COVID-19 — not to take the new booster.

“There's another shot that he's going to recommend all Americans take?” Jesse Watters, Carlson’s 8 p.m. replacement, asked Monday on Fox’s panel show, The Five. “This is another huge scam and no one is going to go along with another shot, especially if it's mandated.” Several pharmaceutical companies are currently developing updated COVID-19 vaccines that are expected to provide increased protection from Eris, the variant currently dominant in the United States.  With COVID-19 cases on the upswing, Biden said Friday that he plans to ask Congress “for additional funding for a new vaccine” he would “tentatively” recommend “that everybody get.” The updated vaccine is expected in mid-September, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during her Monday briefing.

Fox hosts responded with ridicule and fury. Notably, several suggested that because the initial vaccines provided limited protection from infection from newer variants (even as they continued to provide strong protection from death or serious illness), people should be skeptical of the effectiveness of an updated shot specifically targeted to current strains. That’s a recipe for Fox’s viewers to once again put their health in danger by declining the shots. [...] Fox could have responded to the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines, which were developed under then-President Donald Trump and are remarkably effective in preventing serious COVID-19 cases (with rare side effects), by urging viewers to get the shots. But the network instead ran a multiyear campaign against the vaccines while relentlessly hyping ineffective drugs popular among right-wing influencers. Any moral responsibility its hosts felt for their audience was apparently overrun by their reflexive opposition to Biden and their recognition that antivax commentary was “great for ratings.”  These attacks on the vaccination campaign had deadly consequences. Polls routinely show the network’s viewers were less likely to say they were, or planned to get, vaccinated than people who get their news from other sources. One recent study found that “excess mortality was significantly higher for Republican voters than Democratic voters after COVID-19 vaccines were available to all adults, but not before."

Fox "News" cannot quit their dangerous anti-vaxxer extremist propaganda campaign, as some of its hosts, guests, and contributors push the myth that the COVID vaccine is "dangerous" and "ineffective" in response to President Biden's announcement of seeking funding for a new COVID vaccine booster to protect from the Eris (EG.5) variant.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Noah Dowe at MMFA:

The United States has seen a late summer surge in cases and hospitalizations from COVID-19 as public health officials track the emergence of three new variants. In reaction, right-wing media are stoking their audience’s outrage by claiming “full COVID-19 lockdowns,” including “mask tyranny” and a “vax scheme,” will be implemented as part of a nefarious plot to steal the 2024 election from Donald Trump.  This allegation — which has been pushed by a number of right-wing figures and even a Republican senator — can seemingly be traced directly back to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his Infowars broadcast. 

On August 18, Jones claimed that “COVID protocols,” including “new lockdowns,” would be put into place in the coming months. Jones said the U.S. would be a “hellhole” by December and alleged Democrats would use the opportunity to rig the 2024 presidential election, citing debunked conspiracy theories about mail-in ballots. [Infowars, The Alex Jones Show, 8/18/23; Media Matters, 8/21/20]

Jones continued to push COVID vaccine conspiracies, announcing on August 21 that the vaccine would be sprayed on the population by drones. Jones argued this was part of a plot to “make you take the vaccine whether you like it or not.” [Infowars, The Alex Jones Show, 8/21/23]

Jones appeared on Trump ally Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast to claim the supposed new lockdowns are part of a “war” against the American people. Jones hedged his argument in this interview, claiming that if these predicted lockdowns did not come to fruition it would be because “we stopped it.” Bannon praised Jones for the conspiracy theory, remarking that the media had the COVID-19 narrative “locked and loaded.” [Real America’s Voice, War Room, 8/21/23]

On Louder with Crowder, Jones called the COVID surge “perfect timing” for interference with the 2024 election. Despite his apparent confidence that “they know exactly what they’re doing,” Jones backtracked, telling host Steven Crowder, “I’m not saying it’s even going to happen.” [Louder with Crowder, 8/23/23] 

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) shared a meme featuring the Infowars article on Elon Musk’s X.com platform (formerly Twitter). Lee, a regular proponent of conspiracy theories who once advertised the debunked election fraud documentary 2000 Mules, commented, “Over my lifeless body,” in response to the Infowars article on lockdowns, which was shared by an account promoting conspiracy theorist Stew Peters’ anti-vaccine documentary Died Suddenly. [Twitter/X, 8/19/23; The New York Times, 8/23/22; Media Matters, 3/10/23]

Right-wing media outlets and GOP politicians are scaremongering about new COVID "lockdowns", and it stemmed from InfoWars and Alex Jones. These folks can't quit their whining about COVID mitigations that are mostly in the rearview mirror.