motherjones--2020-09-23--The Terrifying Story of How QAnon Infiltrated Moms’ Groups

When Kristen Alden moved to Thousand Oaks , California , two years ago , she joined the local moms ’ Facebook group , Moms of Conejo Valley .
She figured it ’ d be a good place to find out about activities for her seven-year-old , and she looked forward to unloading some old clothes , books , and toys to younger kids in the neighborhood .
Every once in a while , someone would post something that Alden , an attorney , disagreed with—in particular , she began to notice that a few moms had a habit of sharing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough that she just rolled her eyes and ignored it .
But then , when the pandemic began , the tone of the posts suddenly changed .
The antivax moms became louder , and there seemed to be more of them .
They began posting rants about how masks mandates and social distancing rules were “ tyrannical , ” and violated Americans ’ civil liberties .
Some of them claimed that the coronavirus vaccine would contain tracking microchips made by Bill Gates , a notion popularized by a viral video called Plandemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Alden remembers that when dozens of members of the groups posted the video , she and a few others politely noted in the comments that Plandemic ’ s wild claims—for example , that the virus was created in a lab and that it ’ s “ activated ” by masks—had been thoroughly debunked by a range of medical professionals and fact-checking sites like Snopes .
It had “ absolutely no effect whatsoever , ” she recalled , “ because , they would just come back with , ‘ Well , they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on it .
Snopes is owned by [ liberal philanthropist and conspiracy theory target ] George Soros.
’ ” Alden , whose name has been changed to protect her privacy , became more alarmed as she watched the group appear to rally around the blatant coronavirus misinformation earlier in the summer .
Then , after a few weeks of this , some strange hashtags appeared at the end of the conspiracy-minded posts : # savethechildren , # pizzagate , # wayfairgate .
All of these , she discovered , were key themes for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theory called QAnon , which alleged that a cabal of elites—especially Democratic politicians and supporters—trafficked children , sexually abused them , and drank their blood .
But all was not lost , because Trump would soon stop them with the biggest sting operation in history .
Ever more bizarre plot twists gained currency .
Some had been circulating for a few years already : “ # Pizzagate ” referred to the idea that the child sex ring was operating out of a Washington , DC , pizza restaurant—this theory emboldened an armed man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liberate the supposed victims .
More recently , “ # Wayfairgate ” alleged that the internet home furnishings company was a part of the trafficking , too .
As the anxiety around the pandemic heightened , Alden watched in horror as these bizarre ideas moved from the fringe to the mainstream of the moms ’ group .
“ There ’ s always going to be some people who have some have some kind of out-there views , ” she told me .
“ But when you see a post about how Wayfair is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and there ’ s already 30 or 40 people liking it , it ’ s just like , wow.
” The intrusion of paranoid ideology that Alden observed in her moms ’ group is part of a broader pattern that has appeared in online parenting communities since the pandemic began .
Moderators in several different parts of the country , who were in charge of groups ranging in size from roughly 10,000 to 40,000 mothers , told me about a dramatic uptick in posts that refer to outlandish plots by the government , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizens .
Moderators—who are responsible for removing posts that violate groups ’ policies around misinformation—are finding themselves scrambling to keep up with the influx .
Katy Strang , who moderates a moms ’ group in Camarillo County , California , told me that before March , she only occasionally had to remove a post .
These days , she removes 30-50 posts every week .
“ It has been infuriating—the amount of misinformation , conspiracies , ” she told me .
Anne Green , who moderates an online moms ’ group in Collier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same problem , and she often finds it difficult to determine which posts cross a line .
“ I believe in open discussion , and I value all of my members ’ voices , ” said Green , whose name has also been changed .
“ But for some people , this is their only source of information .
I feel such a responsibility.
” For that reason , the moderators I talked to stay up late at night combing through the day ’ s posts—sometimes hundreds—to remove misinformation .
For a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be working .
But despite their best efforts , the conspiracy thinking only seems to be gaining strength .
Now , the moderators report , conspiracy-minded members have figured out a workaround : When their posts are removed by a moderator , they simply post it again in the comments on another post .
“ Sneakily , people are commenting on random posts about like , who ’ s a good dentist to go see , ” says Strang .
“ It ’ s crazy.
” But there ’ s a broader problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physician and expert on health misinformation .
Conspiracies , Yasmin says , thrive in the absence of clear and consistent guidance from leaders .
As the pandemic wears on , the Trump administration continues to contradict itself , sending mixed messaging on testing , schools , masks , and social distancing—not to mention the possible vaccine .
Parents are left to their own devices , relying on incomplete information to keep their families safe .
“ We are in a state of heightened anxiety and fear , and we ’ re looking for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happening in the world , ” Yasmin said .
“ Charlatans are plugging those knowledge gaps .
They ’ re saying completely false things with a sense of authority.
” Strang , the Camarillo moms ’ group moderator , sees that dynamic play out every day as she sifts through the moms ’ group feed , trying to root out the most paranoid posts .
“ I get it , we ’ re stuck at home with our kids , it ’ s hard , we ’ re all losing our minds , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me .
I ’ m there too .
But I think some people are beginning to believe that thoughts equate to fact.
” QAnon didn ’ t start out targeting parents ’ groups .
Its true origins are murky—some have suggested that the theory was amplified by Russian operatives to further destabilize American democracy .
It gained popularity beginning a few years ago , first in the right-wing fringe , then it made its way through the evangelical Christian community and into some libertarian enclaves .
So sprawling is the QAnon universe that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prey on the specific fears of subgroups .
In the case of parents , of course , that ’ s kids .
No matter where they lived or how large their community was , all the moderators I talked to had the same experience .
It all started when lockdown began back in March with a trickle of odd posts .
First , came the questions about social distancing measures , then pseudoscientific “ research ” about how masks make coronavirus worse and social distancing can weaken the immune system were shared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after that , the trickle of memes became a torrent .
Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were part of the “ deep state , ” for instance , and the government was using mask orders to force citizens into complicity through “ trauma bonding ” ( a psychological phenomenon similar to Stockholm Syndrome wherein victims feel dependent on their abusers ) .
As the spring wore on , the # saveourchildren QAnon hashtag gained momentum , and some members used moms ’ groups to organize in-person rallies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was rampant pedophilia .
Some of the moderators I talked to had the impression that many moms who shared these ideas didn ’ t know that they were part of a broader conspiracy theory .
“ It just seemed like the floodgates opened , ” said Green , of the Collier County , Florida , group .
All of a sudden , the members of her group had gone from obsessing about their kids ’ lunches to sharing QAnon memes about child trafficking .
In many cases , the posts originated in smaller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who share the same worldview .
Where Kristen Alden lives , in the politically mixed community of Conejo Valley , a group called Conservative Moms of Conejo Valley is the source of many posts .
In Florida , there ’ s a group called Un-masked Home Schoolers of Collier .
The spread of misinformation isn ’ t restricted to local parenting groups—it ’ s also flourishing in holistic child-rearing and natural birth communities .
On his Facebook page , Dr. Bob Sears , an attachment parenting guru and vaccine critic with 97,000 followers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines .
Based in Southern California , he has invited his local followers to attend “ freedom rallies ” protesting mandatory masks and social distancing measures .
In his podcast , “ The Vaccine Conversation , ” he promotes the discredited coronavirus treatment of hydroxychloroquine and celebrates citizens who are “ pushing back against state government ” on mask mandates and business closures .
While Sears doesn ’ t explicitly mention any of the more far-fetched QAnon ideas , his followers do in the comments .
“ It will take the entire world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the World Health Org , the CDC and the FDA , collectively known as the ‘ # medicalmafia , ’ reads one comment on a post criticizing the idea of a mandatory COVID vaccine .
In response to a post in which Dr. Sears praises the CDC for calling for schools to reopen , one commenter speculates that the CDC is “ planning some 5G rollouts in/near schools which will help fuel their ‘ second wave ’ narrative.
” Some have gone further .
Take the Instagram account Informed Mothers , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Our society isn ’ t chronically ill + pharmaceutically dependent by accident .
It ’ s time to take a stand.
” The group used to share anti-vaccine memes and promote herbal medicine and other alternative remedies , but starting last spring , the mix included coronavirus-hoax memes .
Today , the account vacillates between innocuous “ hippie mom ” jokes ( “ Hippie dippie mommas teaching their kiddos the alphabet like ‘ A is for apple cider vinegar ” keep it going ” ) and QAnon memes .
“ Nothing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” reads an August 13 post .
A July 10 post reads , “ Pizzagate isn ’ t looking so crazy now , huh ?
” Yolande Norris-Clark is the cofounder of the Free Birth Society , a Canadian group that was established to train women to give birth at home without professional assistance .
Clark , who has more than 25,000 followers on Instagram , mostly used to share photos of her eight children and memes about the virtues of childbirth without medical interventions .
But lately , her account has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mask is a religious icon : devotion , piety , propriety , obedience , ” she posted on April 11 .
“ It ’ s a literal muzzle ; a symbolic scold ’ s bridle.
” On her Youtube channel , with a serene smile and a lilting cadence she imparts insights from QAnon ideology .
In a video she posted on August 1 titled “ Bringer of Light—Fear , Surveillance & Revolution , ” she describes coronavirus as a government hoax and alludes to a revolt .
“ More and more people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she warns .
The idea of awakening to the truth is a running theme in the recent social media postings of Dr. Christiane Northrup , a board certified OB/Gyn author of the influential 1994 book holistic women ’ s health book Women ’ s Bodies , Women ’ s Wisdom .
She describes herself as “ a visionary pioneer and a leading authority in the field of women ’ s health and wellness , which includes the unity of mind , body , emotions , and spirit.
” An advocate of unmedicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she has 108,000 followers on Twitter and more than 500,000 on Facebook .
In her writing and posts , she blends conventional medical advice with alternative and new age practices like herbal medicine and reiki .
But since the pandemic began , her posts have become darker , featuring coronavirus conspiracy theories nearly every day .
Beginning in March , she has been sharing QAnon videos and memes , often with the “ savethechildren ” hashtag .
In the spring , she railed against contact tracing , masks , and vaccine development @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loss and childbirth-caused incontinence are a series of videos called the “ Great Awakening , ” in which she refers to the idea that the government ’ s nefarious scheming will soon be revealed .
“ Those of us who know what ’ s going on are going to be all hands on deck , ” [ 1 ] she says in a September 12 video .
“ You and I know—we see things that others don ’ t see.
” In a September 17 video , she praises the video Plandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ posts are more extreme , sometimes with racist overtones .
On September 4 , for instance , she shared a World News Daily article titled : “ Appalling : Airline bans U.S. flag on face masks , but is apparently fine with ‘ Black Lives Matter ” —a reference to the QAnon-adjacent idea that Black Lives Matter peaceful protest groups are actually plants by the “ deep state ” to sow chaos and violence in American cities .
Derek Beres , a freelance journalist who hosts the podcast Conspirituality , about conspiracy thinking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an episode to Northrup .
“ She ’ s been very influential—women , mothers , have really appreciated her advocacy around the idea that you know best for your own kid , that doctors are just trying to make money off you and your family , ” he told me .
He explained how this fits with Northrup ’ s recent slide into the QAnon trope of rampant child sex trafficking .
“ You imagine your child being stolen or molested , ” he said , “ and that ’ s just hitting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my colleague Ali Breland noted this in his 2019 piece “ Why Are Right-Wing Conspiracies so Obsessed With Pedophilia ?
” He wrote , “ Conspiracies centering on the vulnerability of children are neither new nor distinctly American.
” This is just the latest iteration .
Then there ’ s the holistic nutrition group Nourishing Our Children , whose Facebook page has nearly 84,000 followers .
A project of a 21-year-old popular holistic nutrition advocacy group called the Weston A .
Price Foundation , Nourishing Our Children says its mission is to “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our children , ” and it promotes diets for babies and kids that are heavy on high-fat foods that come from animals—think red meat , lard , and butter .
The group advocates against vaccines and in favor of the consumption of raw milk ( which is illegal in many states because it can harbor dangerous bacteria ) .
In the past few months , the Weston A .
Price Foundation and Nourishing Our Children have promoted ideas that go far beyond quirky diet advice into the territory of health disinformation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mask mandates and social distancing measures , and they rail against the idea of a coronavirus vaccine .
Once more , the transition from garden-variety health disinformation to QAnon conspiracies seems inevitable .
An August 10 , post on Nourishing Our Children reads , “ Spread the word .
# savethechildren in the comments of this post , please !
” On August 14 , Nourishing Our Children invited followers of its Facebook page to join a book group to discuss a book called The Contagion Myth .
Written by Weston A .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ naturopathic doctor named Thomas S. Cowan , who is currently under probation for gross negligence in the treatment of a patient .
The book puts forth the theory that not only is the coronavirus not contagious , but that the symptoms of the disease are actually caused by 5G cell phone networks , part of the government ’ s master plan to track citizens .
It also argues that “ masks , social distancing and vaccines do no good and can only make the situation worse.
” In the comments on Nourishing Our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they see as unwholesome additives in children ’ s food and far-out theories of government control .
In a comment on the post about the book group , one follower expressed skepticism about the notion that 5G networks are to blame for coronavirus .
Another disagreed and pointed out , “ WHO , funded by China , also has vested interest in one of the biggest 5G makers , Huawawei .
So this is similar to McDonald ’ s telling you that vegetable oil is not going to make you sick.
” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longstanding fixation on purity of food seems to have primed them for other paranoid ideology .
That holistic parenting and birth groups are venturing into extremism doesn ’ t surprise Timothy Caulfield , a professor of law at University of Alberta ’ s School of Public Health , and the research director of its Health Law Institute .
Caulfield , who studies health misinformation and is the author of the book Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything ?
notes that many parents might find a single point that rings true in their message @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been medicalized inappropriately in the past , that it has been a problem , and yes , women ’ s health needs have been ignored , and women haven ’ t been listened to , ” Caulfield said .
These groups use those perfectly legitimate complaints to defend their belief in dangerous practices such as having a baby without any professional guidance , skipping vaccines , and feeding children unpasteurized milk .
And Caulfield notes that these hardliners have little tolerance for other points of view : “ It ’ s like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are a problem , then you agree with the entire package of our perspective .
And if you disagree , then you ’ re the enemy.
’ They ’ re very good at doing that.
” It ’ s alarming enough that these especially toxic conspiracy ideas are spreading in online parenting communities , but now those groups are beginning to organize face-to-face events , as well .
Several of the moderators told me that moms had used the Facebook groups to plan anti-mask rallies .
Strang , the Camarillo group moderator , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Halloween trick-or-treating , some parents said they would pass out candy anyway in protest .
Green , the Collier County , Florida , moderator , said that when moms in her group planned a Black Lives Matter vigil in the wake of the George Floyd killing , other moms showed up to counter-protest .
Another time , when moms in her group planned a “ Save the Children ” rally , she agonized over what to do : She supported the idea of raising awareness of child trafficking , but some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ideas like # wayfairgate .
“ What was I supposed to do ?
” she said .
“ It would have looked like I wasn ’ t in favor of ending human trafficking.
” She ended up leaving the post up but turning off the comments .
( The rally did end up happening , but Green doesn ’ t know how many people showed up , since she didn ’ t attend . )
Nourishing Our Children regularly urges its Facebook followers to attend the Weston A .
Price Foundation ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sessions targeted at parents , including “ Homeopathy for Children ” and “ Vaccine Fraud.
” It also includes a session about the group ’ s belief that coronavirus isn ’ t contagious , and another about the dangers of 5G cellphone networks .
Originally , the event was supposed to take place in Portland , Oregon , but because of the coronavirus , the city has temporarily banned large gatherings .
The conference is now scheduled to take place at a Sheraton hotel in Atlanta .
“ This hotel won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep distances , ” the group explains on its events page .
On Facebook , about 800 people have already RSVP ’ d for the conference—some of whom may be nurses who will earn continuing education credits for attending .
The group says that these credits are accepted by the credentialing body of the Maryland Nurses Association .
( The Maryland Nurses Association didn ’ t respond to my request for comment . )
A spokeswoman for Marriott , the hotel chain that owns the Sheraton brand , said that the company “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North America , to wear a face covering ” and that “ we have engaged the franchise manager of the hotel to address this.
” As of publication of this piece , Weston A .
Price Foundation was still advertising its mask-free conference .
The prospect of actual virus cases coming out of online communities ’ live organizing rattles public-health experts .
When I told Caulfield , the health law and misinformation expert , about the Weston A.
Price ’ s maskless conference plans , he was audibly shocked .
“ Really ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s incredible.
” Over the summer , Kristen Alden , the mother in Thousand Oaks , California , left her Facebook moms ’ group .
The conspiracy posts were weighing on her , and she didn ’ t need the extra stress they caused .
Still , she struggled to make the decision to quit .
“ I realized that it ’ s a form of denial to leave the group because it ’ s not like they don ’ t exist anymore , ” she said .
“ Those are still women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grocery store , but I don ’ t need the detailed reminder.
” The moderators I talked to all said they knew of many mothers who had quit the groups , like Alden , because they felt alienated among people who had once served as a supportive community .
Strang , the moderator of the Camarillo group , says she feels deep sadness when she thinks of the mothers who come to the group assuming they will find a safe place—and are met with conspiracy theories instead .
“ These groups are such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said .
“ So it ’ s just sad when people try to take them over advancing their bizarre agendas.
” But it can be difficult to figure out how to change the minds of people who are convinced that they are correct .
In a recent advice piece about conspiracy theories spreading through online parenting communities , The New York Times suggested , “ If it ’ s someone you don ’ t know personally , respond with facts.
” That ’ s a start , but Yasmin , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , believes that approach might not be enough .
“ More and more I ’ m seeing that misinformation and disinformation are packaged with political information—vaccines and masks are anti-freedom , anti-American , ” she says .
“ You don ’ t counter that by citing studies .
These are tied into beliefs about freedom and what it means to be American.
” In other instances , the misinformation is packaged in a way that ’ s meant to tug at parents ’ heartstrings —say a story about a child who died after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to combat misinformation , Yasmin says , pro-science groups will have to beat the purveyors at their own game , finding effective ways to reach fellow parents .
One idea that some vaccine advocacy groups are already trying out : sharing stories of children who died of vaccine-preventable diseases .
“ Compelling and well-told stories on parenting sites—those can really connect with parents , ” she says .
“ They offer an emotional connection that ’ s very hard to counteract with facts.
” Moderators are trying hard to dial back the misinformation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the groups were founded to provide : maternal bonding , information about community activities , and advice-sharing on parenting .
The onslaught of paranoia can be utterly exhausting , and the conspiracy theorists are relentless , especially the way they recombine in private groups .
After I reached out to Un-masked Home Schoolers of Collier for comment on this piece , a member sent me this post : Still , the moderators keep doing their jobs because they believe the groups are important .
“ Some days it ’ s like why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Strang .
On the especially late nights , when she ’ s reviewing the day ’ s mountain of posts , she reminds herself that for many moms , the group is a lifeline .
“ I ’ ve had people come to me and say it saved their lives—if it wasn ’ t for this group , they would have literally jumped off a bridge , but they found support , ” she said .
“ That ’ s the reason I keep doing it .
”

When Kristen Alden moved to Thousand Oaks, California, two years ago, she joined the local moms’ Facebook group, Moms of Conejo Valley. She figured it’d be a good place to find out about activities for her 7-year-old, and she looked forward to unloading some old clothes, books, and toys to younger kids in the neighborhood. Every once in a while, someone would post something that Alden, an attorney, disagreed with—in particular, she began to notice that a few moms had a habit of sharing anti-vaccine memes. But it was infrequent enough that she just rolled her eyes and ignored it.
But then, when the pandemic began, the tone of the posts suddenly changed. The anti-vax moms became louder, and there seemed to be more of them. They began posting rants about how masks mandates and social distancing rules were “tyrannical,” and violated Americans’ civil liberties. Some of them claimed that the coronavirus vaccine would contain tracking microchips made by Bill Gates, a notion popularized by a viral video called Plandemic, released May 4, 2020 on YouTube.
Alden remembers that when dozens of members of the groups posted the video, she and a few others politely noted in the comments that Plandemic’s wild claims—for example, that the virus was created in a lab and that it’s “activated” by masks—had been thoroughly debunked by a range of medical professionals and fact-checking sites like Snopes. It had “absolutely no effect whatsoever,” she recalled, “because, they would just come back with, ‘Well, they’re, they’re all in on it. Snopes is owned by [liberal philanthropist and conspiracy theory target] George Soros.’”
Alden, whose name has been changed to protect her privacy, became more alarmed as she watched the group appear to rally around the blatant coronavirus misinformation earlier in the summer. Then, after a few weeks of this, some strange hashtags appeared at the end of the conspiracy-minded posts: #savethechildren, #pizzagate, #wayfairgate. All of these, she discovered, were key themes for a wildly outlandish and increasingly popular conspiracy theory called QAnon, which alleged that a cabal of elites—especially Democratic politicians and supporters—trafficked children, sexually abused them, and drank their blood. But all was not lost, because Trump would soon stop them with the biggest sting operation in history.
Ever more bizarre plot twists gained currency. Some had been circulating for a few years already: “#Pizzagate” referred to the idea that the child sex ring was operating out of a Washington, DC, pizza restaurant—this theory emboldened an armed man to show up there in 2016 to liberate the supposed victims. More recently, “#Wayfairgate” alleged that the internet home furnishings company was a part of the trafficking, too. As the anxiety around the pandemic heightened, Alden watched in horror as these bizarre ideas moved from the fringe to the mainstream of the moms’ group. “There’s always going to be some people who have some kind of out-there views,” she told me. “But when you see a post about how Wayfair is trafficking kids through throw pillow purchases, and there’s already 30 or 40 people liking it, it’s just like, wow.”
“When you see a post about how Wayfair is trafficking kids through throw pillow purchases, and there’s already 30 or 40 people liking it, it’s just like, wow.”
The intrusion of paranoid ideology that Alden observed in her moms’ group is part of a broader pattern that has appeared in online parenting communities since the pandemic began. Moderators in several different parts of the country, who were in charge of groups ranging in size from roughly 10,000 to 40,000 mothers, told me about a dramatic uptick in posts that refer to outlandish plots by the government, celebrities, and even scientists to control citizens. Moderators—who are responsible for removing posts that violate groups’ policies around misinformation—are finding themselves scrambling to keep up with the influx. Katy Strang, who moderates a moms’ group in Camarillo, California, told me that before March, she only occasionally had to remove a post. These days, she removes 30 to 50 posts every week. “It has been infuriating—the amount of misinformation, conspiracies,” she told me. Anne Green, who moderates an online moms’ group in Collier County, Florida, said she faces the same problem, and she often finds it difficult to determine which posts cross a line. “I believe in open discussion, and I value all of my members’ voices,” said Green, whose name has also been changed. “But for some people, this is their only source of information. I feel such a responsibility.”
For that reason, the moderators I talked to stay up late at night combing through the day’s posts—sometimes hundreds—to remove misinformation. For a while, the whack-a-mole strategy seemed to be working. Facebook says it’s taking steps to combat this misinformation, too: A spokesperson told me the company is “working with external experts on ways to disrupt activity designed to evade our enforcement—including how to address content related to Save the Children shared as part of QAnon while protecting the important work of child safety organizations.” But despite everyone’s best efforts, the conspiracy thinking only seems to be gaining strength. Now, the moderators report, conspiracy-minded members have figured out a workaround: When their posts are removed by a moderator, they simply post it again in the comments on another post. “Sneakily, people are commenting on random posts about like, who’s a good dentist to go see,” says Strang. “It’s crazy.”
But there’s a broader problem, says Seema Yasmin, a Stanford physician and expert on health misinformation. Conspiracies, Yasmin says, thrive in the absence of clear and consistent guidance from leaders. As the pandemic wears on, the Trump administration continues to contradict itself, sending mixed messaging on testing, schools, masks, and social distancing—not to mention the possible vaccine. Parents are left to their own devices, relying on incomplete information to keep their families safe. “We are in a state of heightened anxiety and fear, and we’re looking for a way to understand what’s happening in the world,” Yasmin said. “Charlatans are plugging those knowledge gaps. They’re saying completely false things with a sense of authority.”
Strang, the Camarillo moms’ group moderator, sees that dynamic play out every day as she sifts through the moms’ group feed, trying to root out the most paranoid posts. “I get it, we’re stuck at home with our kids, it’s hard, we’re all losing our minds,” she told me. “Trust me. I’m there too. But I think some people are beginning to believe that thoughts equate to fact.”
QAnon didn’t start out targeting parents’ groups. Its true origins are murky—some have suggested that the theory was amplified by Russian operatives to further destabilize American democracy. It gained popularity beginning a few years ago, first in the right-wing fringe, then it made its way through the evangelical Christian community and into some libertarian enclaves. So sprawling is the QAnon universe that it seems to be able to adapt to prey on the specific fears of subgroups. In the case of parents, of course, that’s kids.
No matter where they lived or how large their community was, all the moderators I talked to had the same experience. It all started when lockdown began back in March with a trickle of odd posts. First, came the questions about social distancing measures, then pseudoscientific “research” about how masks make coronavirus worse and social distancing can weaken the immune system were shared. In May, Plandemic appeared and after that, the trickle of memes became a torrent. Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were part of the “deep state,” for instance, and the government was using mask orders to force citizens into complicity through “trauma bonding” (a psychological phenomenon similar to Stockholm Syndrome wherein victims feel dependent on their abusers). As the spring wore on, the #saveourchildren QAnon hashtag gained momentum, and some members used moms’ groups to organize in-person rallies against child trafficking and what they believed was rampant pedophilia. Some of the moderators I talked to had the impression that many moms who shared these ideas didn’t know that they were part of a broader conspiracy theory.
“It just seemed like the floodgates opened,” said Green, of the Collier County, Florida, group. All of a sudden, the members of her group had gone from obsessing about their kids’ lunches to sharing QAnon memes about child trafficking. In many cases, the posts originated in smaller, private Facebook groups composed of people who share the same worldview. Where Kristen Alden lives, in the politically mixed community of Conejo Valley, a group called Conservative Moms of Conejo Valley is the source of many posts. In Florida, there’s a group called Un-masked Home Schoolers of Collier.
All of a sudden, the members of her group had gone from obsessing about their kids’ lunches to sharing QAnon memes about child trafficking
The spread of misinformation isn’t restricted to local parenting groups—it’s also flourishing in holistic child-rearing and natural birth communities. On his Facebook page, Dr. Bob Sears, an attachment parenting guru and vaccine critic with 97,000 followers, rails against school closures and COVID vaccines. Based in Southern California, he has invited his local followers to attend “freedom rallies” protesting mandatory masks and social distancing measures. In his podcast, “The Vaccine Conversation,” he promotes the discredited coronavirus treatment of hydroxychloroquine and celebrates citizens who are “pushing back against state government” on mask mandates and business closures.
While Sears doesn’t explicitly mention any of the more far-fetched QAnon ideas, his followers do in the comments. “It will take the entire world to stop the corruption of Bill Gates, the World Health Org, the CDC and the FDA, collectively known as the ‘#medicalmafia,’ reads one comment on a post criticizing the idea of a mandatory COVID vaccine. In response to a post in which Dr. Sears praises the CDC for calling for schools to reopen, one commenter speculates that the CDC is “planning some 5G rollouts in/near schools which will help fuel their ‘second wave’ narrative.”
Some have gone further. Take the Instagram account Informed Mothers, which has 39,000 followers and the tagline, “Our society isn’t chronically ill + pharmaceutically dependent by accident. It’s time to take a stand.” The group used to share anti-vaccine memes and promote herbal medicine and other alternative remedies, but starting last spring, the mix included coronavirus-hoax memes. Today, the account vacillates between innocuous “hippie mom” jokes (“Hippie dippie mommas teaching their kiddos the alphabet like ‘A is for apple cider vinegar” keep it going”) and QAnon memes. “Nothing to see here…just mainstream media protecting pedophiles again,” reads an August 13 post. A July 10 post reads, “Pizzagate isn’t looking so crazy now, huh?”
Yolande Norris-Clark is the cofounder of the Free Birth Society, a Canadian group that was established to train women to give birth at home without professional assistance. Clark, who has more than 25,000 followers on Instagram, mostly used to share photos of her eight children and memes about the virtues of childbirth without medical interventions. But lately, her account has a distinctly different flavor. “The mask is a religious icon: devotion, piety, propriety, obedience,” she posted on April 11. “It’s a literal muzzle; a symbolic scold’s bridle.” On her Youtube channel, with a serene smile and a lilting cadence she imparts insights from QAnon ideology. In a video she posted on August 1 titled “Bringer of Light—Fear, Surveillance & Revolution,” she describes coronavirus as a government hoax and alludes to a revolt. “More and more people really are starting to wake up,” she warns.
The idea of awakening to the truth is a running theme in the recent social media postings of Dr. Christiane Northrup, a board certified OB/Gyn author of the influential 1994 book holistic women’s health book Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom. She describes herself as “a visionary pioneer and a leading authority in the field of women’s health and wellness, which includes the unity of mind, body, emotions, and spirit.” An advocate of unmedicated childbirth and a critic of childhood vaccines, she has 108,000 followers on Twitter and more than 500,000 on Facebook. In her writing and posts, she blends conventional medical advice with alternative and new age practices like herbal medicine and reiki. But since the pandemic began, her posts have become darker, featuring coronavirus conspiracy theories nearly every day. Beginning in March, she has been sharing QAnon videos and memes, often with the “savethechildren” hashtag.
In the spring, she railed against contact tracing, masks, and vaccine development. Nestled among Facebook posts about weight loss and childbirth-caused incontinence are a series of videos called the “Great Awakening,” in which she refers to the idea that the government’s nefarious scheming will soon be revealed. “Those of us who know what’s going on are going to be all hands on deck,”[1] she says in a September 12 video. “You and I know—we see things that others don’t see.” In a September 17 video, she praises the video Plandemic.[2] On Twitter, her posts are more extreme, sometimes with racist overtones. On September 4, for instance, she shared a World News Daily article titled: “Appalling: Airline bans U.S. flag on face masks, but is apparently fine with ‘Black Lives Matter”—a reference to the QAnon-adjacent idea that Black Lives Matter peaceful protest groups are actually plants by the “deep state” to sow chaos and violence in American cities.
Derek Beres, a freelance journalist who hosts the podcast Conspirituality, about conspiracy thinking in the new-age community, recently devoted an episode to Northrup. “She’s been very influential—women, mothers, have really appreciated her advocacy around the idea that you know best for your own kid, that doctors are just trying to make money off you and your family,” he told me. He explained how this fits with Northrup’s recent slide into the QAnon trope of rampant child sex trafficking. “You imagine your child being stolen or molested,” he said, “and that’s just hitting the same fear button.” Indeed, my colleague Ali Breland noted this in his 2019 piece “Why Are Right-Wing Conspiracies so Obsessed With Pedophilia?” He wrote, “Conspiracies centering on the vulnerability of children are neither new nor distinctly American.” This is just the latest iteration.
Then there’s the holistic nutrition group Nourishing Our Children, whose Facebook page has nearly 84,000 followers. A project of a 21-year-old popular holistic nutrition advocacy group called the Weston A. Price Foundation, Nourishing Our Children says its mission is to “address the dramatic deterioration in the health of our children,” and it promotes diets for babies and kids that are heavy on high-fat foods that come from animals—think red meat, lard, and butter. The group advocates against vaccines and in favor of the consumption of raw milk (which is illegal in many states because it can harbor dangerous bacteria).
In the past few months, the Weston A. Price Foundation and Nourishing Our Children have promoted ideas that go far beyond quirky diet advice into the territory of health disinformation, especially around COVID-19. The groups oppose mask mandates and social distancing measures, and they rail against the idea of a coronavirus vaccine. Once more, the transition from garden-variety health disinformation to QAnon conspiracies seems inevitable. An August 10, post on Nourishing Our Children reads, “Spread the word. #savethechildren in the comments of this post, please!”
On August 14, Nourishing Our Children invited followers of its Facebook page to join a book group to discuss a book called The Contagion Myth. Written by Weston A. Price Foundation president Sally Morell and a naturopathic doctor named Thomas S. Cowan, who is currently under probation for gross negligence in the treatment of a patient. The book puts forth the theory that not only is the coronavirus not contagious, but that the symptoms of the disease are actually caused by 5G cell phone networks, part of the government’s master plan to track citizens. It also argues that “masks, social distancing and vaccines do no good and can only make the situation worse.”
In the comments on Nourishing Our Children, readers draw comparisons between what they see as unwholesome additives in children’s food and far-out theories of government control. In a comment on the post about the book group, one follower expressed skepticism about the notion that 5G networks are to blame for coronavirus. Another disagreed and pointed out, “WHO, funded by China, also has vested interest in one of the biggest 5G makers, Huawawei. So this is similar to McDonald’s telling you that vegetable oil is not going to make you sick.” In a way, the group’s longstanding fixation on purity of food seems to have primed them for other paranoid ideology.
“It’s like, ‘If you agree these things are a problem, then you agree with the entire package of our perspective. And if you disagree, then you’re the enemy.’ They’re very good at doing that.”
That holistic parenting and birth groups are venturing into extremism doesn’t surprise Timothy Caulfield, a professor of law at University of Alberta’s School of Public Health, and the research director of its Health Law Institute. Caulfield, who studies health misinformation and is the author of the book Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything? notes that many parents might find a single point that rings true in their message. “Yes, pregnancy and birth have been medicalized inappropriately in the past, that it has been a problem, and yes, women’s health needs have been ignored, and women haven’t been listened to,” Caulfield said. These groups use those perfectly legitimate complaints to defend their belief in dangerous practices such as having a baby without any professional guidance, skipping vaccines, and feeding children unpasteurized milk. And Caulfield notes that these hardliners have little tolerance for other points of view: “It’s like, ‘If you agree these things are a problem, then you agree with the entire package of our perspective. And if you disagree, then you’re the enemy.’ They’re very good at doing that.”
It’s alarming enough that these especially toxic conspiracy ideas are spreading in online parenting communities, but now those groups are beginning to organize face-to-face events, as well. Several of the moderators told me that moms had used the Facebook groups to plan anti-mask rallies. Strang, the Camarillo group moderator, said that when community leaders warned against Halloween trick-or-treating, some parents said they would pass out candy anyway in protest. Green, the Collier County, Florida, moderator, said that when moms in her group planned a Black Lives Matter vigil in the wake of the George Floyd killing, other moms showed up to counter-protest. Another time, when moms in her group planned a “Save the Children” rally, she agonized over what to do: She supported the idea of raising awareness of child trafficking, but some of the members planned carry signs promoting discredited QAnon ideas like #wayfairgate. “What was I supposed to do?” she said. “It would have looked like I wasn’t in favor of ending human trafficking.” She ended up leaving the post up but turning off the comments. (The rally did end up happening, but Green doesn’t know how many people showed up, since she didn’t attend.)
Nourishing Our Children regularly urges its Facebook followers to attend the Weston A. Price Foundation’s annual conference. The agenda includes several sessions targeted at parents, including “Homeopathy for Children” and “Vaccine Fraud.” It also includes a session about the group’s belief that coronavirus isn’t contagious, and another about the dangers of 5G cellphone networks. Originally, the event was supposed to take place in Portland, Oregon, but because of the coronavirus, the city has temporarily banned large gatherings.
The conference is now scheduled to take place at a Sheraton hotel in Atlanta. “This hotel won’t require our group to wear masks or keep distances,” the group explains on its events page. On Facebook, about 800 people have already RSVP’d for the conference—some of whom may be nurses who will earn continuing education credits for attending. The group says that these credits are accepted by the credentialing body of the Maryland Nurses Association. (The Maryland Nurses Association didn’t respond to my request for comment.) A spokeswoman for Marriott, the hotel chain that owns the Sheraton brand, said that the company “requires everyone, at all hotels across North America, to wear a face covering” and that “we have engaged the franchise manager of the hotel to address this.” As of publication of this piece, Weston A. Price Foundation was still advertising its mask-free conference.
The prospect of actual virus cases coming out of online communities’ live organizing rattles public-health experts. When I told Caulfield, the health law and misinformation expert, about the Weston A. Price’s maskless conference plans, he was audibly shocked. “Really?” he said. “That’s incredible.”
Over the summer, Kristen Alden, the mother in Thousand Oaks, California, left her Facebook moms’ group. The conspiracy posts were weighing on her, and she didn’t need the extra stress they caused. Still, she struggled to make the decision to quit. “I realized that it’s a form of denial to leave the group because it’s not like they don’t exist anymore,” she said. “Those are still women who are next to me at the grocery store, but I don’t need the detailed reminder.”
The moderators I talked to all said they knew of many mothers who had quit the groups, like Alden, because they felt alienated among people who had once served as a supportive community. Strang, the moderator of the Camarillo group, says she feels deep sadness when she thinks of the mothers who come to the group assuming they will find a safe place—and are met with conspiracy theories instead. “These groups are such a support system for so many people,” she said. “So it’s just sad when people try to take them over advancing their bizarre agendas.”
But it can be difficult to figure out how to change the minds of people who are convinced that they are correct. In a recent advice piece about conspiracy theories spreading through online parenting communities, The New York Times suggested, “If it’s someone you don’t know personally, respond with facts.” That’s a start, but Yasmin, the Stanford physician and health misinformation expert, believes that approach might not be enough. “More and more I’m seeing that misinformation and disinformation are packaged with political information—vaccines and masks are anti-freedom, anti-American,” she says. “You don’t counter that by citing studies. These are tied into beliefs about freedom and what it means to be American.” In other instances, the misinformation is packaged in a way that’s meant to tug at parents’ heartstrings —say a story about a child who died after receiving a routine vaccination. In order to combat misinformation, Yasmin says, pro-science groups will have to beat the purveyors at their own game, finding effective ways to reach fellow parents. One idea that some vaccine advocacy groups are already trying out: sharing stories of children who died of vaccine-preventable diseases. “Compelling and well-told stories on parenting sites—those can really connect with parents,” she says. “They offer an emotional connection that’s very hard to counteract with facts.”
Moderators are trying hard to dial back the misinformation and instead promote the kinds of things that the groups were founded to provide: maternal bonding, information about community activities, and advice-sharing on parenting. The onslaught of paranoia can be utterly exhausting, and the conspiracy theorists are relentless, especially the way they recombine in private groups. After I reached out to Un-masked Home Schoolers of Collier for comment on this piece, a member sent me this post:
Still, the moderators keep doing their jobs because they believe the groups are important. “Some days it’s like why, why do we do this?” said Strang. On the especially late nights, when she’s reviewing the day’s mountain of posts, she reminds herself that for many moms, the group is a lifeline. “I’ve had people come to me and say it saved their lives—if it wasn’t for this group, they would have literally jumped off a bridge, but they found support,” she said. “That’s the reason I keep doing it.”
This story has been updated.


motherjones--2020-09-23--Chad Wolf Finally Had a Nomination Hearing—10 Months Too Late

Chad Wolf , the acting Homeland Security secretary who has presided over a slew of controversies this year , struck a defiant pose at his long-anticipated nomination hearing before a Senate committee Wednesday morning , calling news reports about DHS contracts heading to his wife ’ s company “ fabricated ” and a whistleblower ’ s allegation that he and other agency leaders squashed intelligence memos detailing Russian attacks on the upcoming election “ patently false.
” Since Wolf assumed his post in November , DHS has sent camo-wearing agents to face off against anti-racist protesters in Portland , faced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Georgia immigration detention center , and been accused of withholding the release of an intelligence report warning of foreign plots against Joe Biden .
He came under additional fire last month when the Government Accountability Office determined that Wolf was appointed acting secretary as a result of an “ invalid order of succession.
” ( DHS , which encompasses US Customs and Border Protection , US Immigration and Customs Enforcement , US Citizenship and Immigration Services , the Federal Emergency Management Agency , and the Transportation Security Administration , hasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left the job in April 2019 . )
Here are some additional highlights from Wolf ’ s relatively brief hearing : • On allegations Wolf modified intelligence reports : Michigan Democrat Gary Peters questioned Wolf on why the department withheld information from a July intelligence report warning of Russian misinformation plots against the Biden campaign .
Wolf denied that his actions to delay the release of the report were politically motivated and said he simply didn ’ t think the report was up to his standards—he held it back from the public until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” in September .
“ Does it normally take close to two months for you to bring a two-page report up to the quality standards that you think are necessary ?
” Peters asked .
“ No , it doesn ’ t , ” Wolf said , pointing to leadership changes in that office that may have caused delays .
Peters then noted it was “ curious that the report was only issued after news broke about it.
” • On contracts given to wife ’ s firm : Hours before the hearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than $ 6 million in contracts to a consulting firm where Wolf ’ s wife is an executive .
Wolf told the committee that he had “ just found out about it last night when the media inquiry came in , ” and that he had no role in procurement of DHS contracts .
• On whistleblower allegations of forced hysterectomies in ICE custody : Wolf said the DHS Office of Inspector General already has “ individuals at the facility in Georgia ” and he “ look forward to that investigation.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into question , saying that some of the “ most dramatic allegations ” are just allegations .
“ But if there is a kernel of truth to any of that , you can guarantee that I will hold those responsible accountable.
” • On white supremacists : Peters asked Wolf to confirm that the department believes white supremacist violence to be the “ most deadly threat facing our nation today ” domestically .
Wolf said that “ racially and ethnically motivated individuals and certainly white supremacist extremist , from a lethality standpoint , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ are certainly the most persistent and lethal threat when we talk about domestic violence extremist.
” • On family separation : Sen. Jacky Rosen ( D-Nev. ) read a 2017 memo written by Wolf to Nielsen in which he outlined ideas for “ what she can do right away ” at the US-Mexico border .
Family separation was the second item on the list .
As Nielsen ’ s chief of staff , Rosen said , Wolf suggested that the agency separate parents from their children at the border and reclassify the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them into custody separately .
“ But those children were not actually unaccompanied , were they , Mr. Wolf ?
They were part of a family unit.
” Wolf said “ unaccompanied ” was a legal term and then deflected .
• On speedy deportations without due process : Sen. Kyrsten Sinema ( D-Ariz. ) asked Wolf to explain why migrants who are placed in two expedited-deportation programs are not able to access legal counsel or connect with any legal-representation services .
Wolf pushed back , saying the agency “ makes sure ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ their due-process rights.
” But as Sinema pointed out , the agency is rushing migrants through their initial asylum screenings and quickly deporting them : Out of more than 2,000 people in one of the programs , only 13 had legal representation , and only 18 of over 2,700 cases in another speedy deportation program had a legal representation .
“ So there ’ s clearly a lot of work that we have yet to do here , ” Sinema said .
The Democratic pushback against Wolf ’ s confirmation has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for example , called Wolf “ an awful choice.
” The Congressional Hispanic Caucus sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Ron Johnson , the Senate committee chairman , on Tuesday to note their “ firm opposition ” to his nomination , arguing Wolf ’ s tenure “ proves he is unfit to serve ” as DHS secretary .
“ His record shows a consistent failure to effectively manage the agency , a pattern of issuing inaccurate or misleading statement , and enacting some of the most disturbing immigration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rep. Bennie Thomson ( D-Miss . )
, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee , also sent a letter to Johnson ahead of the hearing , expressing opposition to Wolf ’ s nomination .
“ I want to share my serious concerns regarding Mr. Wolf ’ s repeated failure to comply with Constitutional mandated oversight during this tenure ” and “ urge you in the strongest possible terms to oppose his nomination .
”

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Chad Wolf, the acting Homeland Security secretary who has presided over a slew of controversies this year, struck a defiant pose at his long-anticipated nomination hearing before a Senate committee Wednesday morning, calling news reports about DHS contracts heading to his wife’s company “fabricated” and a whistleblower’s allegation that he and other agency leaders squashed intelligence memos detailing Russian attacks on the upcoming election “patently false.”
Since Wolf assumed his post in November, DHS has sent camo-wearing agents to face off against anti-racist protesters in Portland, faced allegations of forcing hysterectomies on women in a Georgia immigration detention center, and been accused of withholding the release of an intelligence report warning of foreign plots against Joe Biden. He came under additional fire last month when the Government Accountability Office determined that Wolf was appointed acting secretary as a result of an “invalid order of succession.” (DHS, which encompasses US Customs and Border Protection, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Transportation Security Administration, hasn’t had a confirmed leader since Kirstjen Nielsen left the job in April 2019.)
Here are some additional highlights from Wolf’s relatively brief hearing:
On allegations Wolf modified intelligence reports: Michigan Democrat Gary Peters questioned Wolf on why the department withheld information from a July intelligence report warning of Russian misinformation plots against the Biden campaign. Wolf denied that his actions to delay the release of the report were politically motivated and said he simply didn’t think the report was up to his standards—he held it back from the public until the “quality” was “improved” in September. “Does it normally take close to two months for you to bring a two-page report up to the quality standards that you think are necessary?” Peters asked. “No, it doesn’t,” Wolf said, pointing to leadership changes in that office that may have caused delays. Peters then noted it was “curious that the report was only issued after news broke about it.”
Michigan Democrat Gary Peters questioned Wolf on why the department withheld information from a July intelligence report warning of Russian misinformation plots against the Biden campaign. Wolf denied that his actions to delay the release of the report were politically motivated and said he simply didn’t think the report was up to his standards—he held it back from the public until the “quality” was “improved” in September. “Does it normally take close to two months for you to bring a two-page report up to the quality standards that you think are necessary?” Peters asked. “No, it doesn’t,” Wolf said, pointing to leadership changes in that office that may have caused delays. Peters then noted it was “curious that the report was only issued after news broke about it.” On contracts given to wife’s firm : Hours before the hearing, NBC News reported that DHS gave more than $6 million in contracts to a consulting firm where Wolf’s wife is an executive. Wolf told the committee that he had “just found out about it last night when the media inquiry came in,” and that he had no role in procurement of DHS contracts.
: Hours before the hearing, NBC News reported that DHS gave more than $6 million in contracts to a consulting firm where Wolf’s wife is an executive. Wolf told the committee that he had “just found out about it last night when the media inquiry came in,” and that he had no role in procurement of DHS contracts. On whistleblower allegations of forced hysterectomies in ICE custody: Wolf said the DHS Office of Inspector General already has “individuals at the facility in Georgia” and he “look forward to that investigation.” He called the whistleblower’s claims into question, saying that some of the “most dramatic allegations” are just allegations. “But if there is a kernel of truth to any of that, you can guarantee that I will hold those responsible accountable.”
Wolf said the DHS Office of Inspector General already has “individuals at the facility in Georgia” and he “look forward to that investigation.” He called the whistleblower’s claims into question, saying that some of the “most dramatic allegations” are just allegations. “But if there is a kernel of truth to any of that, you can guarantee that I will hold those responsible accountable.” On white supremacists: Peters asked Wolf to confirm that the department believes white supremacist violence to be the “most deadly threat facing our nation today” domestically. Wolf said that “racially and ethnically motivated individuals and certainly white supremacist extremist, from a lethality standpoint,” especially in 2018 and 2019, “are certainly the most persistent and lethal threat when we talk about domestic violence extremist.”
Peters asked Wolf to confirm that the department believes white supremacist violence to be the “most deadly threat facing our nation today” domestically. Wolf said that “racially and ethnically motivated individuals and certainly white supremacist extremist, from a lethality standpoint,” especially in 2018 and 2019, “are certainly the most persistent and lethal threat when we talk about domestic violence extremist.” On family separation: Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) read a 2017 memo written by Wolf to Nielsen in which he outlined ideas for “what she can do right away” at the US-Mexico border. Family separation was the second item on the list. As Nielsen’s chief of staff, Rosen said, Wolf suggested that the agency separate parents from their children at the border and reclassify the kids as unaccompanied minors when they took them into custody separately. “But those children were not actually unaccompanied, were they, Mr. Wolf? They were part of a family unit.” Wolf said “unaccompanied” was a legal term and then deflected.
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) read a 2017 memo written by Wolf to Nielsen in which he outlined ideas for “what she can do right away” at the US-Mexico border. Family separation was the second item on the list. As Nielsen’s chief of staff, Rosen said, Wolf suggested that the agency separate parents from their children at the border and reclassify the kids as unaccompanied minors when they took them into custody separately. “But those children were not actually unaccompanied, were they, Mr. Wolf? They were part of a family unit.” Wolf said “unaccompanied” was a legal term and then deflected. On speedy deportations without due process: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) asked Wolf to explain why migrants who are placed in two expedited-deportation programs are not able to access legal counsel or connect with any legal-representation services. Wolf pushed back, saying the agency “makes sure” they have access to counsel and have “their due-process rights.” But as Sinema pointed out, the agency is rushing migrants through their initial asylum screenings and quickly deporting them: Out of more than 2,000 people in one of the programs, only 13 had legal representation, and only 18 of over 2,700 cases in another speedy deportation program had a legal representation. “So there’s clearly a lot of work that we have yet to do here,” Sinema said.
The Democratic pushback against Wolf’s confirmation has been intense. New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, for example, called Wolf “an awful choice.” The Congressional Hispanic Caucus sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Ron Johnson, the Senate committee chairman, on Tuesday to note their “firm opposition” to his nomination, arguing Wolf’s tenure “proves he is unfit to serve” as DHS secretary. “His record shows a consistent failure to effectively manage the agency, a pattern of issuing inaccurate or misleading statement, and enacting some of the most disturbing immigration polices in our countries history.”
And Rep. Bennie Thomson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, also sent a letter to Johnson ahead of the hearing, expressing opposition to Wolf’s nomination. “I want to share my serious concerns regarding Mr. Wolf’s repeated failure to comply with Constitutional mandated oversight during this tenure” and “urge you in the strongest possible terms to oppose his nomination.”


motherjones--2020-09-23--Mike Pompeo Brought His Backward View of Human Rights to the UN. Europe Wasn’t Buying It.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged foreign leaders to “ secure unalienable rights ” in a United Nations speech on Wednesday , which laid the “ crisis ” in international human rights at the feet of longtime American adversaries and multilateral bodies like the UN .
“ Authoritarian governments , from China to Iran to Venezuela , are depriving our fellow human beings of their basic rights , ” he said .
“ Meanwhile , many multinational organizations have lost their way , focusing on partisan policy preferences while failing to defend fundamental rights.
” Pompeo ’ s speech , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the United States during the UN General Assembly , was marketed as a celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , the foundational document for decades of human rights policy .
Instead , Pompeo promoted his own narrowly-defined idea of human rights , which was formalized last month in a report from a controversial State Department advisory body .
Known as the Commission on Unalienable Rights , the group was stocked with critics of contraception , same-sex marriage , and abortion , including Pompeo ’ s former boss .
In its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month , the commission elevated some rights like religious freedom as “ unalienable , ” while dismissing abortion and same-sex marriages as “ divisive social and political controversies.
” Since the publication of the report , Pompeo has wasted no time promoting it on the world stage .
Last week , the US delegation to the UN office in Geneva staged a virtual event with two commission leaders to “ explain ” the report .
Ahead of Pompeo ’ s speech on Wednesday , State Department officials solicited support from the European Union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once that met with a tepid response , “ rebranded their outreach efforts ” around the Universal Declaration for Human Rights , ” the New York Times reported .
That recruitment method still failed to get any major European allies to sign a joint statement , released by the State Department , promoting the view that individual countries should “ recognize the many differences in our cultural , political , legal , religious , and other traditions , yet reaffirm fundamental freedoms and rights for all.
” Traditional US allies such as Great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canada did not sign the document , but countries with notoriously poor human rights records like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates did .
“ You can tell a US priority initiative on human rights is wildly off-track when it attracts support from Uzbekistan , Saudi Arabia , and the Democratic Republic of Congo , but not Sweden , Norway , France , or the UK , ” Rob Berschinski , senior vice president for policy at Human Rights First , told me .
For as much as Pompeo wants to batter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s his own flexible definition of human rights that is most attractive to authoritarian leaders .
In his speech , Pompeo said the commission ’ s report should “ serve as an inspiration to other nations and people all across the world , ” adding , “ they should turn to their traditions and rededicate themselves to their moral , philosophical , and religious resources to reaffirm the rights that are inherent in all persons.
” This idea—that countries can use their own cultural norms as a bulwark against the global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governments in Beijing and Tehran want to hear , ” Berschinski said .
“ They will no doubt use this message to ignore calls to stop abusing their citizens .
”

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged foreign leaders to “secure unalienable rights” in a United Nations speech on Wednesday, which laid the “crisis” in international human rights at the feet of longtime American adversaries and multilateral bodies like the UN. “Authoritarian governments, from China to Iran to Venezuela, are depriving our fellow human beings of their basic rights,” he said. “Meanwhile, many multinational organizations have lost their way, focusing on partisan policy preferences while failing to defend fundamental rights.”
Pompeo’s speech, which was part of an event hosted by the United States during the UN General Assembly, was marketed as a celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the foundational document for decades of human rights policy. Instead, Pompeo promoted his own narrowly-defined idea of human rights, which was formalized last month in a report from a controversial State Department advisory body. Known as the Commission on Unalienable Rights, the group was stocked with critics of contraception, same-sex marriage, and abortion, including Pompeo’s former boss. In its final report, which was released last month, the commission elevated some rights like religious freedom as “unalienable,” while dismissing abortion and same-sex marriages as “divisive social and political controversies.”
Since the publication of the report, Pompeo has wasted no time promoting it on the world stage. Last week, the US delegation to the UN office in Geneva staged a virtual event with two commission leaders to “explain” the report. Ahead of Pompeo’s speech on Wednesday, State Department officials solicited support from the European Union for its human rights commission, but once that met with a tepid response, “rebranded their outreach efforts” around the Universal Declaration for Human Rights,” the New York Times reported. That recruitment method still failed to get any major European allies to sign a joint statement, released by the State Department, promoting the view that individual countries should “recognize the many differences in our cultural, political, legal, religious, and other traditions, yet reaffirm fundamental freedoms and rights for all.” Traditional US allies such as Great Britain, France, Germany, and Canada did not sign the document, but countries with notoriously poor human rights records like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates did.
“You can tell a US priority initiative on human rights is wildly off-track when it attracts support from Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, but not Sweden, Norway, France, or the UK,” Rob Berschinski, senior vice president for policy at Human Rights First, told me.
For as much as Pompeo wants to batter US adversaries like China and Venezuela, it’s his own flexible definition of human rights that is most attractive to authoritarian leaders. In his speech, Pompeo said the commission’s report should “serve as an inspiration to other nations and people all across the world,” adding, “they should turn to their traditions and rededicate themselves to their moral, philosophical, and religious resources to reaffirm the rights that are inherent in all persons.” This idea—that countries can use their own cultural norms as a bulwark against the global human rights consensus—is “exactly what the governments in Beijing and Tehran want to hear,” Berschinski said. “They will no doubt use this message to ignore calls to stop abusing their citizens.”


motherjones--2020-09-23--Judge Orders Eric Trump to Sit for Interview With New York Attorney General’s Office

A New York state judge ordered Eric Trump to sit for a deposition with New York Attorney General Letitia James ’ office by October 7 as part of her ongoing investigation into whether Donald Trump and the Trump Organization committed tax or bank fraud by misrepresenting company finances when applying for loans and filing taxes .
The investigation also focuses on whether Donald Trump paid taxes on more than $ 100 million in forgiven debt connected to the development of Trump ’ s Chicago hotel and tower .
The scrutiny of this loan came after Mother Jones reported last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s personal financial disclosure may be evidence of tax fraud .
Worth $ 50 million or more ( financial disclosures list assets and liabilities in ranges ) , this loan is held by a Trump-controlled entity called Chicago Unit Acquisition .
In other words , Trump claims to owe this debt to himself .
The Trump Organization has largely refused to discuss loan , but Donald Trump did once address the matter in an interview with the New York Times , saying it was a debt he had repurchased from a lender @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Chicago project : the first , through Deutsche Bank , was eventually refinanced through the German financial firm ’ s private banking division .
The second loan , initially for $ 120 million , was issued by private equity firm Fortress .
Mother Jones confirmed that Trump did not repurchase that loan—he paid the lender $ 48 million and the remainder of the debt was forgiven .
Whether Trump bought the loan or settled it is an important distinction : When a loan is forgiven , the borrower owes a hefty tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buys it , the borrower can defer that tax liability at least temporarily .
James ’ office confirmed the loan was forgiven and subpoenaed the Trump Organization for records to prove that it had indeed properly reported the $ 100 million in forgiven debt as income—and paid the appropriate taxes .
After being subpoenaed in May , Eric Trump had agreed to be interviewed under oath by James ’ office , but he abruptly backed out of the interview and had not agreed to a new date .
Last month , James filed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that her office had sent a number of subpoenas to the Trump Organization which had stopped cooperating after initially complying .
Last week , Eric Trump ’ s attorneys submitted a court filing stating that Trump would be happy to testify—though he recently said otherwise in a FOX News radio interview—but not until after the election .
Engoron rejected that argument on Wednesday , saying Trump ’ s attorneys had failed to offer any support for that argument and ordering the Trump Organization to comply with the New York AG ’ s requests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unpersuasive , Mr. Trump cites no authority in support of his request and in any event neither petitioner nor court is bound by timelines of the national election , ” he said .

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A New York state judge ordered Eric Trump to sit for a deposition with New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office by October 7 as part of her ongoing investigation into whether Donald Trump and the Trump Organization committed tax or bank fraud by misrepresenting company finances when applying for loans and filing taxes.
The investigation also focuses on whether Donald Trump paid taxes on more than $100 million in forgiven debt connected to the development of Trump’s Chicago hotel and tower. The scrutiny of this loan came after Mother Jones reported last year that a mysterious debt listed on Trump’s personal financial disclosure may be evidence of tax fraud. Worth $50 million or more (financial disclosures list assets and liabilities in ranges), this loan is held by a Trump-controlled entity called Chicago Unit Acquisition. In other words, Trump claims to owe this debt to himself. The Trump Organization has largely refused to discuss loan, but Donald Trump did once address the matter in an interview with the New York Times, saying it was a debt he had repurchased from a lender. Trump had two loans connected to the Chicago project: the first, through Deutsche Bank, was eventually refinanced through the German financial firm’s private banking division. The second loan, initially for $120 million, was issued by private equity firm Fortress. Mother Jones confirmed that Trump did not repurchase that loan—he paid the lender $48 million and the remainder of the debt was forgiven. Whether Trump bought the loan or settled it is an important distinction: When a loan is forgiven, the borrower owes a hefty tax bill, but if he or she buys it, the borrower can defer that tax liability at least temporarily. James’ office confirmed the loan was forgiven and subpoenaed the Trump Organization for records to prove that it had indeed properly reported the $100 million in forgiven debt as income—and paid the appropriate taxes.
After being subpoenaed in May, Eric Trump had agreed to be interviewed under oath by James’ office, but he abruptly backed out of the interview and had not agreed to a new date. Last month, James filed a request with Judge Arthur Engoron complaining that her office had sent a number of subpoenas to the Trump Organization which had stopped cooperating after initially complying.
Last week, Eric Trump’s attorneys submitted a court filing stating that Trump would be happy to testify—though he recently said otherwise in a FOX News radio interview—but not until after the election. Engoron rejected that argument on Wednesday, saying Trump’s attorneys had failed to offer any support for that argument and ordering the Trump Organization to comply with the New York AG’s requests.
“This court finds that application unpersuasive, Mr. Trump cites no authority in support of his request and in any event neither petitioner nor court is bound by timelines of the national election,” he said.


motherjones--2020-09-23--Kodak Inquiry Doesn’t Solve the Mystery of the $100 Million Donation to a Little-Known Synagogue

In August , Kodak and the Trump administration ran into a scandal , when word leaked that the once-mighty film giant was in contention for a massive and unprecedented $ 765 million federal loan ( to manufacture ingredients for prescription drugs ) and its stock price soared , giving rise to speculation about insider shenanigans .
Last week , Kodak released the results of a review conducted by the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld that concluded Kodak and its top brass “ did not violate the securities regulations or other relevant laws , engage in a breach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Kodak ’ s internal policies and procedures.
” House Democrats questioned the finding and why the Trump administration—via a little-known federal agency headed by a former roommate of Jared Kushner—would consider handing such a loan to Kodak .
Moreover , the report failed to fully explain a curious aspect of the controversy : a gargantuan transfer of stock by board member ( and billionaire ) George Karfunkel to an Orthodox Jewish congregation in Brooklyn called Chemdas Yisroel that had practically no public profile but that he controlled as its president and chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gump ’ s investigation of the Karfunkel transaction seemed somewhat cursory , with the report suggesting the law firm didn ’ t do much more than ask Karfunkel about it .
One House Democrat , who has tried to gather information on Karfunkel ’ s transfer of Kodak stock , noted recently that this move still “ raises many questions.
” Mother Jones was the first media outlet to report that Karfunkel ’ s stock gift to Chemdas Yisroel was highly unusual .
According to the Akin Gump report , the value of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ congregation—during a day of wild trading triggered by news of the loan ( when Kodak insiders were not allowed to buy or sell stock ) —was $ 99.6 million .
( It possibly was as high as $ 180 million . )
As Rep. Josh Gottheimer ( D-NJ ) has pointed out , “ This would be the single largest charitable gift to a religious institution in history.
” And the handoff of this stock , which was worth about $ 6.4 million two days earlier , would have earned Karfunkel a whopping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this maneuver was that Congregation Chemdas Yisroel barely seemed to exist .
It was incorporated in Delaware in December 2018 and registered as a New York charity in October 2019 .
Yet other than its corporate records , there were virtually no other signs of its operations .
It looked as if Karfunkel , exploiting the surge in Kodak ’ s stock price , had moved $ 100 million in stock from his personal portfolio to a do-nothing ( or do-little ) religious entity ( which , as such , does not file @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expenditures ) that he himself was in charge of—and that Karfunkel would reap a massive tax benefit for doing so .
The Akin Gump report does not answer basic questions about this deal .
The review notes , “ Karfunkel explained in his interview [ with Akin Gump attorneys ] that he founded Chemdas a few years ago , and it distributes over $ 10 million per year in charitable donations through the organization .
Karfunkel explained in his interview that there are 45-50 full-time students at a Chemdas funded religious school in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three times a day .
Chemdas has a rabbi and the congregation is open to the public.
” But Chemdas Yisroel only registered with the New York State Attorney General ’ s charities bureau in October 2019 .
It is unclear whether it has been functioning for a “ few years.
” The congregation lists its address at 1441 53rd Street in Brooklyn , which is the home of another synagogue , Congregation Tiferes Shulem D ’ Nadvorna , which was registered in 1989 with the Internal Revenue Service as a charitable organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was added to the front of this building noting it was also the home of Chemdas Yisroel , according to one Nadvorna congregant , who asked not to be identified .
He says he has seen no activity there related to any congregation other than Nadvorna .
Reached by phone this week , the rabbi who leads Congregation Nadvorna , Shloime Leifer , told me that he is “ very connected ” with Chemdas Yisroel .
But he refused to explain the connection or discuss this other congregation .
He asked if I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t have time for this .
The reporters are for Biden , not for Trump.
” He then hung up .
The Nadvorna congregant says that Leifer has warned attendees of his synagogue not to talk to reporters about Chemdas Yisroel .
The Akin Gump report does not identify the rabbi for Chemdas Yisroel .
And the law firm points out that its attorneys “ did not have access to the records of the charity and were unable to interview any of its officers or directors , with the exception @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Karfunkel , a board member of Kodak , is both the president and chief financial officer of Chemdas Yisroel .
Yet he did not share any Chemdas Yisroel documents with Akin Gump to back up his account ?
And he did not make his fellow officers at Chemdas Yisroel available for interviews with Akin Gump ?
The Akin Gump report ’ s section on Karfunkel ’ s gift is mainly predicated on his word .
The law firm says so explicitly : “ Based on the information provided by Karfunkel during his interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charitable gift of Kodak shares…violated the federal securities laws.
” The report continues : “ Akin Gump ’ s conclusion on this issue is premised on the following .
First , under existing regulations , a bona fide gift of shares does not constitute a sale of securities for insider trading purposes… Second , as a factual matter Karfunkel has represented that : ( 1 ) the gift of shares was bona fide and not in return for anything of value ; and ( 2 ) the charity has not sold any of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heavily on these two facts , which we assume to be accurate based on Karfunkel ’ s representations to Akin Gump.
” This is hardly fierce investigating .
The law firm obtained no records .
It did not independently determine what happened to the shares after Karfunkel gave them to the congregation .
It apparently spoke to no one else connected to the management of Chemdas Yisroel , even though the congregation ’ s two officers other than Karfunkel are identified in public records .
And because of all this Akin Gump could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Karfunkel ’ s transfer was a legitimate gift to a legitimate charity : “ Akin Gump ’ s ability to fully investigate the bona fides of the gift or the charity that received it was limited because we did not have access to the records of the charity and were unable to interview any of its officers or directors , with the exception of Karfunkel.
” The lawyers hired by Kodak also did not examine what tax benefits Karfunkel might have gained from this transfer , noting the “ potential tax implications of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the scope of Akin Gump ’ s investigation.
” But they stated that though Kodak ’ s policies “ did not clearly prohibit Karfunkel from making the gift…the circumstances of the gift raise significant concerns from a corporate governance perspective.
” So after all the law firm ’ s work , the Chemdas Yisroel mystery remains .
Karfunkel did not respond to a list of questions Mother Jones emailed him .
Nor did Akin Gump .
A spokesperson for the law firm says , “ The firm has no comment about the report.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ report as “ a thorough independent review ” and noted , “ It is clear from the review ’ s findings that we need to take action to strengthen our practices , policies , and procedures.
” But the investigation of Karfunkel ’ s donation may not be over .
Gottheimer , along with and Rep. Jimmy Panetta ( D-Calif. ) , has attempted to do some of his own digging .
On August 24 , the two House members sent a letter to Chemdas Yisroel , using the address of Abraham Roth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charity and who is listed as its director , asking several basic questions : Who is the rabbi of Chemdas Yisroel and how can he be contacted ?
How many staff members are at the congregation ?
How many members does it have ?
Who are the executive officers of the congregation ?
What business holdings and interests do they have ?
What happened to the Kodak shares ?
Their letter noted that Karfunkel ’ s donation made Chemdas Yisroel “ one of the largest holders of Kodak stock ” and that because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ substantial infusion of taxpayer dollars to begin the production of crucial pharmaceutical products in the interest of public health and national security , it is vital that Members of Congress have transparency into those owners of the company with substantial ownership stakes.
” On Monday , Gottheimer tweeted that he and Panetta had yet to receive any response from Karfunkel ’ s Chemdas Yisroel : “ We haven ’ t heard zip .
”

In August, Kodak and the Trump administration ran into a scandal, when word leaked that the once-mighty film giant was in contention for a massive and unprecedented $765 million federal loan (to manufacture ingredients for prescription drugs) and its stock price soared, giving rise to speculation about insider shenanigans. Last week, Kodak released the results of a review conducted by the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld that concluded Kodak and its top brass “did not violate the securities regulations or other relevant laws, engage in a breach of fiduciary duty, or violate any of Kodak’s internal policies and procedures.” House Democrats questioned the finding and why the Trump administration—via a little-known federal agency headed by a former roommate of Jared Kushner—would consider handing such a loan to Kodak. Moreover, the report failed to fully explain a curious aspect of the controversy: a gargantuan transfer of stock by board member (and billionaire) George Karfunkel to an Orthodox Jewish congregation in Brooklyn called Chemdas Yisroel that had practically no public profile but that he controlled as its president and chief financial officer.
In fact, Akin Gump’s investigation of the Karfunkel transaction seemed somewhat cursory, with the report suggesting the law firm didn’t do much more than ask Karfunkel about it. One House Democrat, who has tried to gather information on Karfunkel’s transfer of Kodak stock, noted recently that this move still “raises many questions.”
Mother Jones was the first media outlet to report that Karfunkel’s stock gift to Chemdas Yisroel was highly unusual. According to the Akin Gump report, the value of the stock that Karfunkel donated to the congregation—during a day of wild trading triggered by news of the loan (when Kodak insiders were not allowed to buy or sell stock)—was $99.6 million. (It possibly was as high as $180 million.) As Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) has pointed out, “This would be the single largest charitable gift to a religious institution in history.” And the handoff of this stock, which was worth about $6.4 million two days earlier, would have earned Karfunkel a whopping tax deduction.
What was unusual about this maneuver was that Congregation Chemdas Yisroel barely seemed to exist. It was incorporated in Delaware in December 2018 and registered as a New York charity in October 2019. Yet other than its corporate records, there were virtually no other signs of its operations. It looked as if Karfunkel, exploiting the surge in Kodak’s stock price, had moved $100 million in stock from his personal portfolio to a do-nothing (or do-little) religious entity (which, as such, does not file tax records publicly revealing its income or expenditures) that he himself was in charge of—and that Karfunkel would reap a massive tax benefit for doing so.
The Akin Gump report does not answer basic questions about this deal.
The review notes, “Karfunkel explained in his interview [with Akin Gump attorneys] that he founded Chemdas a few years ago, and it distributes over $10 million per year in charitable donations through the organization. Karfunkel explained in his interview that there are 45-50 full-time students at a Chemdas funded religious school in Brooklyn, and that there are classes three times a day. Chemdas has a rabbi and the congregation is open to the public.” But Chemdas Yisroel only registered with the New York State Attorney General’s charities bureau in October 2019. It is unclear whether it has been functioning for a “few years.”
The congregation lists its address at 1441 53rd Street in Brooklyn, which is the home of another synagogue, Congregation Tiferes Shulem D’Nadvorna, which was registered in 1989 with the Internal Revenue Service as a charitable organization. Several weeks ago, a plaque was added to the front of this building noting it was also the home of Chemdas Yisroel, according to one Nadvorna congregant, who asked not to be identified. He says he has seen no activity there related to any congregation other than Nadvorna.
Reached by phone this week, the rabbi who leads Congregation Nadvorna, Shloime Leifer, told me that he is “very connected” with Chemdas Yisroel. But he refused to explain the connection or discuss this other congregation. He asked if I am Jewish and then said, “I don’t have time for this. The reporters are for Biden, not for Trump.” He then hung up. The Nadvorna congregant says that Leifer has warned attendees of his synagogue not to talk to reporters about Chemdas Yisroel.
The Akin Gump report does not identify the rabbi for Chemdas Yisroel. And the law firm points out that its attorneys “did not have access to the records of the charity and were unable to interview any of its officers or directors, with the exception of Karfunkel.” Wait a moment. Karfunkel, a board member of Kodak, is both the president and chief financial officer of Chemdas Yisroel. Yet he did not share any Chemdas Yisroel documents with Akin Gump to back up his account? And he did not make his fellow officers at Chemdas Yisroel available for interviews with Akin Gump?
The Akin Gump report’s section on Karfunkel’s gift is mainly predicated on his word. The law firm says so explicitly: “Based on the information provided by Karfunkel during his interview, it does not appear that his charitable gift of Kodak shares…violated the federal securities laws.” The report continues: “Akin Gump’s conclusion on this issue is premised on the following. First, under existing regulations, a bona fide gift of shares does not constitute a sale of securities for insider trading purposes… Second, as a factual matter Karfunkel has represented that: (1) the gift of shares was bona fide and not in return for anything of value; and (2) the charity has not sold any of the gifted shares. Our conclusions rely heavily on these two facts, which we assume to be accurate based on Karfunkel’s representations to Akin Gump.”
This is hardly fierce investigating. The law firm obtained no records. It did not independently determine what happened to the shares after Karfunkel gave them to the congregation. It apparently spoke to no one else connected to the management of Chemdas Yisroel, even though the congregation’s two officers other than Karfunkel are identified in public records. And because of all this Akin Gump could not reach a firm conclusion on whether Karfunkel’s transfer was a legitimate gift to a legitimate charity: “Akin Gump’s ability to fully investigate the bona fides of the gift or the charity that received it was limited because we did not have access to the records of the charity and were unable to interview any of its officers or directors, with the exception of Karfunkel.”
The lawyers hired by Kodak also did not examine what tax benefits Karfunkel might have gained from this transfer, noting the “potential tax implications of Karfunkel’s gift are outside of the scope of Akin Gump’s investigation.” But they stated that though Kodak’s policies “did not clearly prohibit Karfunkel from making the gift…the circumstances of the gift raise significant concerns from a corporate governance perspective.”
So after all the law firm’s work, the Chemdas Yisroel mystery remains.
Karfunkel did not respond to a list of questions Mother Jones emailed him. Nor did Akin Gump. A spokesperson for the law firm says, “The firm has no comment about the report.” Kodak CEO Jim Continenza hailed the report as “a thorough independent review” and noted, “It is clear from the review’s findings that we need to take action to strengthen our practices, policies, and procedures.”
But the investigation of Karfunkel’s donation may not be over. Gottheimer, along with and Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), has attempted to do some of his own digging. On August 24, the two House members sent a letter to Chemdas Yisroel, using the address of Abraham Roth, the accountant who set up the charity and who is listed as its director, asking several basic questions: Who is the rabbi of Chemdas Yisroel and how can he be contacted? How many staff members are at the congregation? How many members does it have? Who are the executive officers of the congregation? What business holdings and interests do they have? What happened to the Kodak shares?
Their letter noted that Karfunkel’s donation made Chemdas Yisroel “one of the largest holders of Kodak stock” and that because Kodak “may be eligible for a substantial infusion of taxpayer dollars to begin the production of crucial pharmaceutical products in the interest of public health and national security, it is vital that Members of Congress have transparency into those owners of the company with substantial ownership stakes.”
On Monday, Gottheimer tweeted that he and Panetta had yet to receive any response from Karfunkel’s Chemdas Yisroel: “We haven’t heard zip.”


motherjones--2020-09-23--Trump Gleefully Praises Violence Against Journalists as a “Beautiful Sight”

President Trump built on his record of praising and promoting violence against the media on Tuesday , relishing the scene of a reporter getting thrown like “ a little bag of popcorn ” as a “ beautiful sight.
” “ They threw him aside like he was a little bag of popcorn , ” Trump told supporters at a rally in Pennsylvania .
“ But I mean honestly , when you watch the crap that we ’ ve all had to take so long…when you see it , it ’ s actually a beautiful sight.
” While the comments drew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump who appeared most pleased while recounting scenes of journalists in physical pain during encounters with law enforcement officials .
That sense of satisfaction shined through on Tuesday when the president disparagingly mimicked an “ idiot reporter ” from CNN—though apparently in reference to Ali Velshi of MSNBC—who “ got hit in the knee with a canister of tear gas ” while covering the protests in Minneapolis in May .
Trump also mocked Velshi—who was hit by a rubber bullet , not tear gas—at a rally in Minnesota on Sunday , where he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment .
The remarks , of course , are familiar territory for a president who has long celebrated violence against members of the media .
In 2018 , he praised Rep. Greg Gianforte , the Montana congressman how is now running for governor , who is best known for body-slamming a Guardian campaign reporter who asked him about Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act .
“ Any guy that can do a body-slam , he is my kind of guy , ” Trump told supporters at a Missoula rally .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that aired during a pro-Trump political gathering at his Florida resort .
It depicted the president murdering journalists in a gleeful shooting spree .

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President Trump built on his record of praising and promoting violence against the media on Tuesday, relishing the scene of a reporter getting thrown like “a little bag of popcorn” as a “beautiful sight.”
“They threw him aside like he was a little bag of popcorn,” Trump told supporters at a rally in Pennsylvania. “But I mean honestly, when you watch the crap that we’ve all had to take so long…when you see it, it’s actually a beautiful sight.”
While the comments drew laughs from the crowd, it was Trump who appeared most pleased while recounting scenes of journalists in physical pain during encounters with law enforcement officials.
That sense of satisfaction shined through on Tuesday when the president disparagingly mimicked an “idiot reporter” from CNN—though apparently in reference to Ali Velshi of MSNBC—who “got hit in the knee with a canister of tear gas” while covering the protests in Minneapolis in May. Trump also mocked Velshi—who was hit by a rubber bullet, not tear gas—at a rally in Minnesota on Sunday, where he called the injury a “beautiful” moment.
The remarks, of course, are familiar territory for a president who has long celebrated violence against members of the media. In 2018, he praised Rep. Greg Gianforte, the Montana congressman how is now running for governor, who is best known for body-slamming a Guardian campaign reporter who asked him about Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. “Any guy that can do a body-slam, he is my kind of guy,” Trump told supporters at a Missoula rally. He also refused to condemn a gory video that aired during a pro-Trump political gathering at his Florida resort. It depicted the president murdering journalists in a gleeful shooting spree.