Latest news with #LindellTV
Gizmodo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Gizmodo
Conspiracy Theorists Blame Covid-19 Vaccines for Joe Biden's Cancer
News broke over the weekend that President Joe Biden has prostate cancer, kicking off the kind of polarized public reaction that unfolds when this sort of thing happens to a high-profile political figure. There were the Democrats who sent an outpouring of condolences and the Republicans who made crude jokes. But there was also a third reaction that's become standard whenever a prominent person gets a bad health diagnosis in the post-covid era: Vaxxed? Shortly after news broke that the 82-year-old former president had cancer, social media lit up with conspiracy theorists insisting his illness had something to do with the covid-19 vaccine. In fact, people seemed fixed on one term which has spread widely among the scientific and medically illiterate. They kept saying Biden must have 'turbo cancer.' Some on social media speculated that perhaps Biden had cancer that went undetected while he was serving as president until Jan. 2025. But Kristi Leigh, a reporter for the far-right news outlet LindellTV, which is owned by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, thought it was a brilliant point when one of her guests brought up the idea that perhaps Biden's cancer diagnosis wasn't being hidden while he was in office after all. Maybe Biden just had 'turbo cancer.' 'Many of us are quick to assume Biden's cancer diagnosis was hidden—and rightfully so—since the administration covered up his mental health decline. BUT WHAT IF IT WASN'T?' Leigh wrote on X. 'What if this is a turbo cancer related to his 'rolling up the sleeve' in the White House?' It should be noted that the guest on Leigh's show who made this supposedly intelligent point about turbo cancer was Ben Tapper, a chiropractor from Nebraska who was churning out anti-vaccine propaganda in 2021, according to the Guardian. Chiropractors have been some of the most vocal anti-vaccine advocates in the country since the covid-19 pandemic started in 2020. Peter A. McCullough, a former cardiologist who promoted unproven treatments like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine at the height of the pandemic, posted a video to Instagram claiming that Biden's cancer was 'turbo cancer.' 'It meets all the definitional criteria for turbo cancer… cancer on overdrive,' McCullough said in the video. McCullough was sued by Baylor University Medical Center in 2021 for claiming an affiliation with the institution while spreading misinformation about covid-19. Others on social media platforms like Facebook were some of the earliest to post about the conspiracy theory after Biden's cancer diagnosis was announced. 'Joe Biden has been diagnosed with turbo cancer. Exit stage left Joe…' one Facebook user wrote, adding the hashtag #SafeAndEffective in an effort to tie his cancer to the covid-19 vaccine. What's turbo cancer? It's just a name that's popped up on social media for a fast-progressing cancer but isn't something recognized by medical science. Biden's cancer reportedly has a Gleason score of 9, which is a grading system for prostate cancer. A score of 6 is low grade and 10 is high-grade cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic. But turbo cancer isn't a real thing, despite what conspiracy theorists on social media claim. As the AFP notes in its own fact-check of the absurd claims being made on social media right now, an aggressive form of cancer can develop quickly and routine screenings can sometimes miss cancer. But there's no evidence that covid-19 vaccines cause cancer. None of that will stop people from claiming that vaccines are unsafe, especially now that antivaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is in charge of agencies like the CDC and FDA as head of the Department of Health and Human Services. News broke Tuesday that the FDA plans to limit access to the covid-19 vaccine to people over the age of 65 and those with underlying health conditions. FDA Commissioner Martin Makary and FDA vaccine head Vinay Prasad, both prominent figures in the 'Make America Healthy Again' movement, have argued that covid vaccines aren't worth the risk. And with this change, it will probably become much harder for the average adult who wants a covid shot each year to get one, as health insurance companies become less likely to cover them for healthy adults.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
John Oliver Cringes At 4 Words Trump Won't Stop Saying: ‘Pretty Humiliating'
'Last Week Tonight' host John Oliver on Sunday slammed the increasingly sycophantic tone of questions being directed at Donald Trump during his press briefings. The president is 'managing to get the sycophantic questions he prefers,' Oliver said during a deep dive into Trump's attacks on critical media and attempts to reshape coverage of his presidency 'And even if you haven't noticed that, he definitely has,' Oliver added. Oliver aired a montage of Trump repeatedly responding to over-the-top, praising questions with the same four words: 'I love this guy.' The trend, Oliver said, is 'pretty humiliating.' But it's no accident, he continued, with far-right news outlets and influencers being increasingly turned to at White House press events, citing a Media Matters investigation which found that four out of the five reporters most frequently called on by Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, are from right-wing outlets. One particularly eyebrow-raising question came from Cara Castronuova of Lindell TV — an online outlet bankrolled by MyPillow CEO and loyal Trump supporter Mike Lindell, said Oliver. 'Will you guys also consider releasing the president's fitness plan?' Castronuova asked. 'He actually looks healthier than ever before, healthier than he did eight years ago and I'm sure everybody in this room could agree. Is he working out with Bobby Kennedy? And is he eating less McDonald's?' 'That is an actual question a White House reporter asked,' Oliver said. 'And everything about that is unsettling.' Watch from the 8:45-minute point here: Lara Trump Likens Donald Trump To 'Demonized' Dog Breed Biden's Powerful 2017 Message Of 'Hope' To Meghan McCain Resurfaces After Cancer News 'Big Donald Is Watching You': MSNBC Host Mocks Gigantic Banner Of Trump
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
John Oliver Cringes At 4 Words Trump Won't Stop Saying: ‘Pretty Humiliating'
'Last Week Tonight' host John Oliver on Sunday slammed the increasingly sycophantic tone of questions being directed at Donald Trump during his press briefings. The president is 'managing to get the sycophantic questions he prefers,' Oliver said during a deep dive into Trump's attacks on critical media and attempts to reshape coverage of his presidency 'And even if you haven't noticed that, he definitely has,' Oliver added. Oliver aired a montage of Trump repeatedly responding to over-the-top, praising questions with the same four words: 'I love this guy.' The trend, Oliver said, is 'pretty humiliating.' But it's no accident, he continued, with far-right news outlets and influencers being increasingly turned to at White House press events, citing a Media Matters investigation which found that four out of the five reporters most frequently called on by Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, are from right-wing outlets. One particularly eyebrow-raising question came from Cara Castronuova of Lindell TV — an online outlet bankrolled by MyPillow CEO and loyal Trump supporter Mike Lindell, said Oliver. 'Will you guys also consider releasing the president's fitness plan?' Castronuova asked. 'He actually looks healthier than ever before, healthier than he did eight years ago and I'm sure everybody in this room could agree. Is he working out with Bobby Kennedy? And is he eating less McDonald's?' 'That is an actual question a White House reporter asked,' Oliver said. 'And everything about that is unsettling.' Watch from the 8:45-minute point here: Lara Trump Likens Donald Trump To 'Demonized' Dog Breed Biden's Powerful 2017 Message Of 'Hope' To Meghan McCain Resurfaces After Cancer News 'Big Donald Is Watching You': MSNBC Host Mocks Gigantic Banner Of Trump
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sheet show: MyPillow pitchman Mike Lindell's Trumpified ‘news venture'
Millions of votes were stolen in the presidential election – only in the 2020 one, the 2024 one was fine. Freedom is under attack! DEI judges are going after Americans! President Trump is keeping his promises. Freedom is making a comeback! Bed sheets, any size, any color, are available for $25 a set if you use the promo code L77, offer is for a limited time only. Welcome to LindellTV, a strange mashup of a rightwing conspiracy theory news channel and bedroom-focused shopping platform. LindellTV is one of several pro-Trump media outlets that was granted highly prized White House press credentials earlier this year – a move the government said would boost democracy, but which so far seems to have only boosted 'make America great again' propaganda. Related: Trump's Truth Social posts make no sense – what do they say about his mentality? Founded by Mike Lindell, a pillow company CEO turned election fraud obsessive, LindellTV features fawning coverage of Trump and his allies, mixed in with conspiracy theories about voting machines – an issue which has already seen Lindell sued for millions of dollars. The channel isn't carried by any actual television network, and its production values are comically poor, but that hasn't stopped LindellTV working its way into the highest arena of US journalism. Access to the White House briefing room, where the press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, holds daily briefings for the world's media, is highly coveted, and eyebrows were raised when the likes of LindellTV and Steve Bannon's podcast were invited in. Only about 60 journalists can fit in the room, where they get a chance to ask tough questions of the government, an opportunity to hold the White House to account on behalf of the US and the world. LindellTV reporters rarely take that chance. 'Will you guys also consider releasing the president's fitness plan?' Cara Castronuova asked Leavitt in April, after the White House said it would share results from Trump's annual medical exam. 'He actually looks healthier than ever before, healthier than he looked eight years ago, and I'm sure everybody in this room can agree. Is he working out with Bobby Kennedy, and is he eating less McDonald's?' The addition of friendly media outlets like LindellTV has helped take the edge off what has been a traditionally adversarial relationship between journalists and the White House press secretary. But it has also denied a seat at the table for people who might ask questions not about the remarkable health of the 78-year-old, 224lb president. Instead, LindellTV's daily content features hourlong shows from obscure rightwing podcasters, each lining up to tell the viewers – no data is available on how many people actually watch the network – what a superb job the Trump administration is doing. The flagship show is hosted by Lindell himself, a Minnesota-born, moustachioed businessman whose MyPillow business enjoyed relative success before being dropped by almost all high street retailers after Lindell descended into election conspiracy chaos. Lindell broadcasts his litany of conspiracy theories from what appears to be his home, but sometimes he does a walkabout, as was the case on Thursday, when he co-hosted The Mike Lindell Show from outside the White House. Most of his theories relate to judges 'going after' him over his sustained and untrue claims that the 2020 election was stolen. A segment on Thursday afternoon, nominally on 'election integrity', featured Lindell speaking into the camera for almost an hour, flanked by two women from LindellTV, each holding a microphone in front of their boss and each looking very bored. Atypically for a broadcaster, Lindell was on a phone call while speaking to the camera, and at one point put the caller on speaker so he could also address the viewers. The sound was muffled, and Lindell eventually hung up the phone – 'I'll call you later,' Lindell said – before throwing to a woman called Vanessa in the LindellTV studio. Vanessa wasn't listening. 'Are you there?' Lindell said. Vanessa snapped to attention. Lindell talked at her for three minutes, before asking that the channel's producers show a photo on screen of him talking to the press. LindellTV duly flashed to a blurry photo of Lindell speaking to a row of cameras. Lindell paused, and Vanessa finally got the chance to say something. 'The people are depending on you,' she told Lindell. Vanessa, with Lindell still on screen, asked her production team to play a clip of Trump speaking about Lindell at a rally. The viewers heard a panicked producer saying they didn't have that footage, a message Vanessa relayed to viewers, before Lindell took charge, imploring people to buy his pillows and bedsheets. 'They're $25 a set,' Lindell said. 'Any size, any color, while they last,' he added. The network then showed the MyPillow website, as Lindell told the production team to scroll down to the particular product he wanted people to buy. 'We have over 250 products!' Lindell told the viewers. One of the reporters then joined in to tout the benefits of MyPillow 'dream sheets'. 'Most comfortable, best, softest sheets of my life,' she said. It was an unusual segment for a news network, and got stranger when one of the reporters then went on to urge people to buy Lindell's book. 'You will not ever have a dull moment,' the reporter said. 'And praise Jesus for bringing you through this whole journey.' This shopping channel oeuvre is interspersed with a difficult-to-follow list of Lindell's grievances. Earlier this week, above a chyron that read 'DEI judge is going after Mike!!!!', Lindell continued his four-year crusade to, in his words, restore election integrity. 'The United States has the worst, everybody, elections on planet Earth. There's nobody worse than us. You can find communist countries – nobody has worse elections than the United States,' Lindell said. The channel then cut to an advert for MyPillow, of course, but also invited viewers to claim $20,000 in silver from a website called When the Guardian tried to access the website, Google Chrome denied access, warning that it 'might be trying to steal your information'. It was a neat metaphor for a channel that is built on chaos and slip-ups and dodgy facts and figures, a channel that despite those flaws, has been granted much sought-after access to the Trump administration.
The Guardian
04-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Sheet show: MyPillow pitchman Mike Lindell's Trumpified ‘news venture'
Millions of votes were stolen in the presidential election – only in the 2020 one, the 2024 one was fine. Freedom is under attack! DEI judges are going after Americans! President Trump is keeping his promises. Freedom is making a comeback! Bed sheets, any size, any color, are available for $25 a set if you use the promo code L77, offer is for a limited time only. Welcome to LindellTV, a strange mashup of a rightwing conspiracy theory news channel and bedroom-focused shopping platform. LindellTV is one of several pro-Trump media outlets that was granted highly prized White House press credentials earlier this year – a move the government said would boost democracy, but which so far seems to have only boosted 'make America great again' propaganda. Founded by Mike Lindell, a pillow company CEO turned election fraud obsessive, LindellTV features fawning coverage of Trump and his allies, mixed in with conspiracy theories about voting machines – an issue which has already seen Lindell sued for millions of dollars. The channel isn't carried by any actual television network, and its production values are comically poor, but that hasn't stopped LindellTV working its way into the highest arena of US journalism. Access to the White House briefing room, where the press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, holds daily briefings for the world's media, is highly coveted, and eyebrows were raised when the likes of LindellTV and Steve Bannon's podcast were invited in. Only about 60 journalists can fit in the room, where they get a chance to ask tough questions of the government, an opportunity to hold the White House to account on behalf of the US and the world. LindellTV reporters rarely take that chance. 'Will you guys also consider releasing the president's fitness plan?' Cara Castronuova asked Leavitt in April, after the White House said it would share results from Trump's annual medical exam. 'He actually looks healthier than ever before, healthier than he looked eight years ago, and I'm sure everybody in this room can agree. Is he working out with Bobby Kennedy, and is he eating less McDonald's?' The addition of friendly media outlets like LindellTV has helped take the edge off what has been a traditionally adversarial relationship between journalists and the White House press secretary. But it has also denied a seat at the table for people who might ask questions not about the remarkable health of the 78-year-old, 224lb president. Instead, LindellTV's daily content features hourlong shows from obscure rightwing podcasters, each lining up to tell the viewers – no data is available on how many people actually watch the network – what a superb job the Trump administration is doing. The flagship show is hosted by Lindell himself, a Minnesota-born, moustachioed businessman whose MyPillow business enjoyed relative success before being dropped by almost all high street retailers after Lindell descended into election conspiracy chaos. Lindell broadcasts his litany of conspiracy theories from what appears to be his home, but sometimes he does a walkabout, as was the case on Thursday, when he co-hosted The Mike Lindell Show from outside the White House. Most of his theories relate to judges 'going after' him over his sustained and untrue claims that the 2020 election was stolen. A segment on Thursday afternoon, nominally on 'election integrity', featured Lindell speaking into the camera for almost an hour, flanked by two women from LindellTV, each holding a microphone in front of their boss and each looking very bored. Atypically for a broadcaster, Lindell was on a phone call while speaking to the camera, and at one point put the caller on speaker so he could also address the viewers. The sound was muffled, and Lindell eventually hung up the phone – 'I'll call you later,' Lindell said – before throwing to a woman called Vanessa in the LindellTV studio. Vanessa wasn't listening. 'Are you there?' Lindell said. Vanessa snapped to attention. Lindell talked at her for three minutes, before asking that the channel's producers show a photo on screen of him talking to the press. LindellTV duly flashed to a blurry photo of Lindell speaking to a row of cameras. Lindell paused, and Vanessa finally got the chance to say something. 'The people are depending on you,' she told Lindell. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion Vanessa, with Lindell still on screen, asked her production team to play a clip of Trump speaking about Lindell at a rally. The viewers heard a panicked producer saying they didn't have that footage, a message Vanessa relayed to viewers, before Lindell took charge, imploring people to buy his pillows and bedsheets. 'They're $25 a set,' Lindell said. 'Any size, any color, while they last,' he added. The network then showed the MyPillow website, as Lindell told the production team to scroll down to the particular product he wanted people to buy. 'We have over 250 products!' Lindell told the viewers. One of the reporters then joined in to tout the benefits of MyPillow 'dream sheets'. 'Most comfortable, best, softest sheets of my life,' she said. It was an unusual segment for a news network, and got stranger when one of the reporters then went on to urge people to buy Lindell's book. 'You will not ever have a dull moment,' the reporter said. 'And praise Jesus for bringing you through this whole journey.' This shopping channel oeuvre is interspersed with a difficult-to-follow list of Lindell's grievances. Earlier this week, above a chyron that read 'DEI judge is going after Mike!!!!', Lindell continued his four-year crusade to, in his words, restore election integrity. 'The United States has the worst, everybody, elections on planet Earth. There's nobody worse than us. You can find communist countries – nobody has worse elections than the United States,' Lindell said. The channel then cut to an advert for MyPillow, of course, but also invited viewers to claim $20,000 in silver from a website called When the Guardian tried to access the website, Google Chrome denied access, warning that it 'might be trying to steal your information'. It was a neat metaphor for a channel that is built on chaos and slip-ups and dodgy facts and figures, a channel that despite those flaws, has been granted much sought-after access to the Trump administration.
