Notices by Amanda Marcotte (amandamarcotte@mastodon.sdf.org)

The bodies weren't even cold before MAGA spun up a conspiracy theory, deflecting blame for the Minnesota shooting and saying no, it was actually Democrats who did it. To themselves.

It makes no logical sense. But it does encourage more MAGA violence.

https://www.salon.com/2025/06/16/conspiracy-theories-about-minnesota-shooter-arent-just-deflection-theyre/

Why read past headlines: You, extremely online, already know that MAGA is blaming Tim Walz for the shooting, even though he was on the list of targets.

I add analysis and explain how this isn't just deflection, but incitement to more violence.

https://www.salon.com/2025/06/16/conspiracy-theories-about-minnesota-shooter-arent-just-deflection-theyre/

Gavin Newsom didn't choose this fight, but now that he's in it, he's relearning an important lesson: fighting MAGA is a good look.

More Democrats should pay attention.

https://www.salon.com/2025/06/13/gavin-newsom-rediscovers-fighting-maga-is-popular/

The press continues to credulously report that Elon Musk is "leaving" the White House.

The first rule of writing about Musk: His words are meaningless.

There are 20 years of Musk's broken promises. Be skeptical, folks.

https://www.salon.com/2025/05/30/elon-musk-claims-hes-leaving--no-one-should-believe-him/

There was a lot of mockery of Kristi Noem for not knowing what "habeas corpus" means. But I was struck by how little she seemed to give a shit.

That's because Noem is part of a tradition that really emerged with Sarah Palin: The proud MAGA bimbo.

https://www.salon.com/2025/05/23/kristi-noems-proud-maga-bimbo-act-builds-on-the-legacy-of-sarah-palin/

Gov. Abbott supports a bill in Texas that is being hyped as a "furries" bill.

When you read it, it's a draconian ban on a common form of children's play: dressing up.

But really, the goal here is to stoke anti-LGBTQ hysteria.

https://www.salon.com/2025/05/12/texas-wants-to-ban-kids-from-playing-dress-up-yes-really/

I wrote about the "Jesus glow" trend on TikTok, and how it perfectly encapsulates the narcissism and moral emptiness of conservative Christianity online.

Literally, the argument for faith is "it'll make you hotter."

https://www.salon.com/2025/05/05/tiktoks-jesus-glow-trend-exposes-the-emptiness-of-social-media-religion/

MAGA media is obsessed with a high school killing in Texas, where one boy stabbed another.

They're making it about race in the grossest way. It's tearing the community apart.

But they don't care. They need to distract from Trump's failures.

https://www.salon.com/2025/04/25/why-maga-media-is-fixated-on-a-texas-teen-case/

Harvard figured out what everyone else in power needs to understand: Complicity with Trump will not save you.

Standing up isn't just the right thing to do. It's the smart thing to do. He will renege on any "deal" you make and come after you anyway.

https://www.salon.com/2025/04/16/harvard-back-against-trump-institutional-resistance-finally-rises-up--and-sets-a-new-model/

RFK's pledge to find "what caused the autism epidemic" in a few short months is a transparent lie, to cover a preordained conclusion.

But digging deeper, it gets much worse: it's about justifying a downright sadistic assault on children's health.

https://www.salon.com/2025/04/14/rfks-pledge-to-discover-the-cause-of-autism-isnt-just-a-ploy--its-a-on-childrens-health/

Both Elon Musk and Christian nationalists call empathy "toxic," "suicidal," and even "satanic."

But what they're really worried about is that empathy is *feminine*.

And in MAGA, a woman is the worst thing a person can be. An analysis.

https://www.salon.com/2025/04/11/magas-on-empathy-exposes-misogynist-fears/

Several male commentators have expressed confusion over why Mike Johnson was mad about the bill allowing new parents to vote remotely.

The answer is simple.

He is a sincere misogynist who does not want women in power. Most Republicans agree. Analysis.

https://www.salon.com/2025/04/03/mike-johnson-melts-down-after-proxy-vote-failure-exposes-magas-pro-family-lie/

Not happy about it, but I called it: the Wisconsin guy whose wife got scooped by ICE on their honeymoon still doesn't regret voting for Trump.

MAGA is a cult and what we know is the worse it gets, the more cult members double down.

https://www.salon.com/2025/03/21/i-dont-regret-the-vote-why-most-stand-by-him-even-as-he-ruins-their-lives/

Musk doesn't seem worried that he and Trump threaten social and economic collapse. On the contrary, it appears that's his goal.

Musk swims in a tech-fascist ideology that believes democracy should be replaced by billionaire dictators — like himself.
https://www.salon.com/2025/03/17/the-dystopian-freedom-cities-dream-fueling-elon-musks-destruction/

MAGA leaders are trying to sell Trump's trade war — and any subsequent inflation and job loss — to the base with talk of "sacrifice."

Their lies sound exactly like the crap prosperity preachers peddle.

This is not a coincidence.

https://www.salon.com/2025/03/14/you-must-sacrifice-maga-excuses-for-trade-echo-prosperity-preachers/

Some Cabinet secretaries resist Musk, but RFK is letting DOGE run rampant.

The reason isn't mysterious: Kennedy sees DOGE as his best opportunity to destroy American health care swiftly.

His plan to make America "healthy": Let disease run rampant.

https://www.salon.com/2025/03/11/rfk-jr-gives-elon-musks-doge-free-rein-to-raid-the-health-agency/

Hegseth's "DEI" purge at Defense is so broad that photos of the Enola Gay got flagged.

That tidbit is funny. The larger story is grotesque, including Hegseth ending the policy barring racial segregation in the workplace.

https://www.salon.com/2025/03/10/enola-gay-will-henceforth-be-known-as-enola-straight-pete-hegseths-dei-paranoia-knows-no-limits/

Trump pretended he was "moderate" on abortion and supports "exceptions" for "rape, incest, and the life of the mother."

This week, he backed states that ban abortion for women who show up at E.R. in crisis, needing an abortion to survive.

https://www.salon.com/2025/03/07/quietly-props-up-the-strictest-abortion-ban-in-the-country/

Why read past headlines: You, extremely online, saw the "not fit to have a job" claim about veterans.

I offer larger context, including why Trump would want to hurt the people who voted for him. Narcissists often lash out most at people who love them.

https://www.salon.com/2025/03/06/not-fit-to-have-a-job-victim-veterans-workers-for-his-on-the-economy/

It's looking very much like Trump is deliberately tanking the economy to punish Americans for not worshipping him as much as he desires.

Like the two-bit abuser he is, Trump's excuse is to blame the victims — a group that includes most Americans.

https://www.salon.com/2025/03/06/not-fit-to-have-a-job-victim-veterans-workers-for-his-on-the-economy/