Latest news with #Paranoia
Washington Post
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
How a shadowy conspiracy turned MAGA against Trump and Bondi
'Paranoia strikes deep in the heartland,' songwriter Paul Simon observed, and President Donald Trump's nutters at the Justice Department are feeling the brunt of it. As civilians, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel (along with Patel's deputy, Dan Bongino) cheerfully stoked conspiracy theories surrounding the death of the wealthy sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. According to the lurid narrative, Epstein threatened to expose famous guests at his supposed sex parties, who arranged to have him killed in prison to protect their secrets. Now that they're in office, Trump's appointees have found zero evidence to support these stories. Their announcement to that effect — 'no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals' — has infuriated their former fans: provocateur Laura Loomer of the tinfoil-hat brigade called for Bondi's resignation. Conspiracist thinking is hardly exclusive to Americans, but we're highly prone to it, and the tools of modern communication spread dark fantasies like pandemic viruses. The floodwaters of Texas had scarcely receded before stories of shadowy forces manipulating rain clouds began to circulate. No factual fabric is too threadbare to support a robust conspiracy theory. People believed a D.C. pizza parlor had a basement filled with kidnapped children — though it didn't have a basement, period. People believed the government was staging fake school massacres as a pretext to confiscate guns — though guns are freely sold at the nearest Walmart. People believed a pillow salesman possessed data showing that the 2020 election was stolen. But it doesn't help the credibility of weary debunkers when the government is shown to have lied about inconvenient facts. Turns out there really was a conspiracy of silence inside the Biden White House to cover up the president's age-related decline. And elements of the George W. Bush administration really did ignore doubts about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, their stated reason for the 2003 invasion. As for Area 51 and the government's supposed cache of space alien technology, the Wall Street Journal recently reported that this conspiracy theory is largely of the military's own making. An internal Air Force investigation found that authorities spread rumors and concocted tales of alien activity — sometimes to cover up top-secret experiments, sometimes just to freak out new recruits. Journal reporters Joel Schectman and Aruna Viswanatha learned what was left out of the investigation's published report concerning 'the foundational myths about UFOs': The Pentagon itself sometimes deliberately fanned the flames, in what amounted to the U.S. government targeting its own citizens with disinformation. 'At the same time,' the pair continued, 'the very nature of Pentagon operations — an opaque bureaucracy that kept secret programs embedded within secret programs, cloaked in cover stories — created fertile ground for the myths to spread.' Meanwhile, the CIA has tacitly confessed to lying for more than 60 years about its involvement in a group of anti-Castro students that had multiple contacts with Lee Harvey Oswald in the period leading up to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. As part of a document release ordered by Trump, the agency turned loose the confirmation that 'Howard' — the shadowy figure behind the student group — was in fact George Joannides, a Miami-based agent. The document vindicated work by the tireless Kennedy murder investigator Jefferson Morley, whom I count as a friend though we disagree fundamentally on this mother of all conspiracy theories. Purely by coincidence, the nugget came to light as I was rereading Don DeLillo's powerful 1988 novel 'Libra,' which oozes paranoia through a fictional portrait of Oswald. Joannides would have fit nicely into DeLillo's book, which blends real and imagined characters into an atmosphere as stifling as the summer of 1963 in Miami, New Orleans and Dallas, where the story is largely set. The novelist's art — and DeLillo is an artist of the first order — is the creation of non-realities that seem entirely real. In this case, the art doubles on itself, because 'Libra' is fiction about a fiction. In one brilliant passage, the author paints an imaginary picture of a real person, former FBI agent Guy Banister, engaged in an imaginary reverie over a conspiracy theory inside the larger conspiracy theory. Dizzy yet? Chinese troops were supposedly massing in secret in Mexico's Baja peninsula for an invasion of California. 'He wanted to believe it was true,' DeLillo writes. 'He did believe it was true. But he also knew it wasn't. … The thing that mattered was the rapture of the fear of believing. It confirmed everything. It justified everything.' Trump's conspiracy mongers at Justice are in trouble with their former supporters because they have dared to disrupt the rapture of the fear of believing. The Epstein conspiracists — like all who prefer a tangled and menacing web to the bland truth — want to believe and do believe, even when they know, deep down, it's just a story. They like stories, the scarier the better.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Who is Jordan Clarkson's girlfriend Maggie Lindemann? This basketball-meets-pop-punk pairing is a hit
Image credit: Maggie Lindemann/Instagram If you think singer Taylor Swift and footballer Travis Kelce make the ultimate music-sports power couple, then you should know about Jordan Clarkson and his girlfriend, Maggie Lindemann. Clarkson recently moved from the Utah Jazz to the New York Knicks for the new season. The number 00 shooting guard is known not just for his scoring ability off the bench, but also for his bold fashion sense and painted nails. When he's not making long-range shots, he loves spending time with his girlfriend, American singer-songwriter Maggie Lindemann. Interestingly, Lindemann seems to share Clarkson's distinctive style and zest for life. Jordan Clarkson and Maggie Lindemann: A power couple made for each other "Every day is Valentine's Day" for this couple — at least, that's what Maggie Lindemann wrote for Jordan Clarkson in February last year. She posted a romantic message on Instagram, featuring a video of Clarkson dancing to a love song and singing along. It was accompanied by a picture of the two together. A year earlier, she had wished him a happy birthday with a series of candid pictures and videos, writing: "Happy birthday my heart & soul, my favorite day. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo I love you so much. 4L & after." Who is Maggie Lindemann? Maggie Lindemann began her music career by posting videos on social media, eventually breaking through with her 2016 single Pretty Girl. Unlike Taylor Swift, Lindemann leans more toward alternative metal and punk music. She faced numerous rejections before finally releasing her debut EP Paranoia in 2021, followed by her debut album Suckerpunch in 2022. Her latest single, Hostage, was part of the same album and released last year. When it comes to social media following, Lindemann has 6.2 million followers on Instagram, while Clarkson has 2 million. The two even have each other's names tattooed — Lindemann has his name on her wrist, and Clarkson has hers on his hand, among several other tattoos on his upper body. Image credit: Maggie Lindemann/Instagram But Lindemann isn't the only woman who holds a special place in Clarkson's heart — he is also a devoted father to his daughter, often sharing joyful moments with her on Instagram. Also Read: Jordan Clarkson signs $3.6M deal with New York Knicks after the Utah Jazz buyout However, the couple hasn't posted about each other in over six months, leaving fans wondering if they're still together. There has been no confirmation of a breakup, and their old posts featuring one another remain visible. Here's hoping we spot them together courtside at a Lakers game this coming season. Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!
TimesLIVE
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
James Paterson & James O. Born, Anna Stuart, Helena Echlin
Paranoia: A Michael Bennet Thriller *** James Patterson & James O Born Century The talent with which New York cop Michael Bennet juggles his career and huge family (10 adopted kids) with a new baby on the way is again put to the test in his latest. But at least he is flanked in this murder case by an intriguing former army vet who has joined the NYPD and proves to be a solid sidekick. Contemporary themes, such as corruption inside the police force and immigration into the US are tackled sensitively, while his mass of kids give glimpses into 21st century preoccupations, such as a reality TV cooking competition. Patterson is great at creating likable characters and, in a few strokes, condemning others such as the TV chef. An easy read, Paranoia will satisfy Bennet fans. — Claire Keeton The Midwife of Auschwitz **** Anna Stuart Sphere November 1939, Lodz, Poland. Ester, a young Jewish woman, is getting married to the love of her life, Filip. Jackboots fill the synagogue as Nazi officers storm in. September 1942, Ester is working as a nurse in the ghetto hospital when the Nazis come for the sick and drag them off. Soon they come for Ester's mother, Ruth, saying they are taking people who can no longer work. Distraught, Ester runs after her mother and before she knows it, she is thrown into the cattle car. She's shocked to see Ana there, a Catholic Pole arrested on suspicion of resistance to the Nazis. Ana gives Ester strength, especially after Ruth dies in the night. They arrive at Auschwitz-Birkenau, are pushed into a queue and when they reach the front Ana tells the SS doctor she is a midwife and Ester her assistant. They are assigned to their hut — a squalid place crammed with about 100 women in various stages of pregnancy. Ana notices a woman is about to give birth and she and Ester deliver a tiny baby girl. Klara, a smirking German guard, snatches the baby from its mother's arms and dunks it into a bucket of water till it is motionless, then tosses the little corpse outside. Ana and Ester will spend more than three years in the camp of horrors, birthing more than 3,000 babies — some will survive, especially the blonde ones, who are taken to childless German families to bring up. This beautifully written novel does not spare the reader any details of the madness, cruelty and absolute brutality experienced in Auschwitz. — Gabriella Bekes Clever Little Thing **** Helena Echlin Headline Echlin's new offering delivers chills in spades as a new contribution to 'mom noir' — a subgenre where domestic and psychological suspense centres on the dark, messy realities of motherhood. This eerie story centres on Charlotte, a mother who was raised by a clinically depressed and distant mother who wants desperately to do better for her daughter Stella — a complex little character who is highly intelligent and showing signs of autism at age eight. As she battles to handle Stella's emotional outbursts, rigid eating habits and difficulties with social interactions, Charlotte struggles with parenting, a newly discovered pregnancy and a largely absent husband. This intensifies when their nanny Blanka suddenly quits her job and soon after is found dead. To top it all, the disappearance of Blanka triggers disturbing new behaviours in Stella, who takes to mirroring Blanka's personality, becoming docile and agreeable. Despite having been raised vegetarian, Stella develops new cravings for Blanka's favourite Armenian meat stew. Charlotte battles to make sense of what is real and what is interpretation and where maternal instinct and mental health collide. — Gill Gifford
Indian Express
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Poet Hemant Divate to return state award as protest against imposition of Hindi in schools
Hemant Divate, a poet who has received a state award for his poetry collection, has announced that he is returning the award in protest against the imposition of Hindi as the third language in classes 1 to 5, in Marathi and English medium schools in Maharashtra. Divate was awarded by the government of Maharashtra in the year 2021 with Kavi Keshavsut Puraskar (award) for his book Paranoia, a collection of his poems. He made the announcement of his decision to return the award via his social media where he posted, 'As a protest against the decision to impose Hindi as the third language, I am returning the Maharashtra State Government's award, including the cash prize, that I received for my poetry collection Paranoia.' Divate said, 'It is completely unnecessary to teach Hindi formally in schools at this young age. At this stage, children are just beginning to learn Marathi, and learning Hindi simultaneously—given the similarities between the two languages—can create confusion. Instead, the government could consider introducing subjects focused on skills, value education, and personality development, which would be more beneficial for young learners.' Months after retracting its decision to make Hindi mandatory in Classes 1 to 5, the Maharashtra school education department issued a revised order, removing the word 'mandatory' as promised. However, restrictive conditions on language options have sparked fresh controversy, with many calling it a renewed push for Hindi by the state government.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pusha T Not a Fan of Drake's UMG Lawsuit: ‘It Just Kind of Cheapens the Art'
As you might have predicted, Pusha T isn't the biggest fan of Drake's UMG lawsuit. While sitting down with GQ alongside his brother Malice to promote their upcoming Clipse reunion album Let God Sort Em Out, Push brought up the lawsuit when discussing a Kendrick Lamar feature that almost didn't make the album. More from Billboard Joe Jonas Reflects on Infamous 'South Park' Episode: 'I Was the Only Brother That Loved It' Peter Murphy Cancels 2025 Tour Dates Due To Ongoing 'Health Issues' Ye Says He 'Dreams' of Apologizing to Jay-Z 'They wanted me to ask Kendrick to censor his verse, which of course I was never doing,' he said of Def Jam's parent company UMG. 'And then they wanted me to take the record off. And so, after a month of not doing it, Steve Gawley, the lawyer over there was like, 'We'll, just drop the Clipse.'' They got their wish, as both the group and Push himself were dropped from the label, according to GQ. He then added that he went through similar pushback over his unreleased verses on Rick Ross' 'Maybach Music VI' and Pop's Smoke's posthumously released track 'Paranoia' after the release of 'Story of Adidon.' 'If [Drake's] adamant to have a lawsuit,' he said, 'it's only because he knows all the things that they did to suppress everything that was happening around 'Adidon' and the verses and the records and things that were happening back then. I don't rate him no more. The suing thing is bigger than some rap sh–. I just don't rate you. Damn, it's like it just kind of cheapens the art of it once we gotta have real questions about suing and litigation. Like, what? For this?' However, he feels no need to reignite his beef with Drake anytime soon. 'I think after everything that had been done, I don't think there was ever anything subliminal to be said ever again in life,' he said of his longstanding feud with the Toronto rapper. 'Not only just musically, like bro, I actually was in Canada. I actually had a show and made it home. So, I can't pay attention to none of that. I did the dance for real, not to come back and tiptoe around anything.' Push added that he would only engage again if he felt like it. Elsewhere in the interview, Push addressed his current standing with Ye (formerly Kanye West), saying he doesn't view his former collaborator as 'a man.' Ye recently tweeted over the weekend that he misses his friendship with the Virginia rapper. The Clipse released 'Ace Trumpets,' the lead single from their first album since 2009, last week. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
