Molly Olmstead

that's delightful!

The Prison Where Trump Thinks He Can Send Anyone He Wants Became Famous for a Bizarre Reason For people who make videos about extreme places, the CECOT pitch was irresistible.

Before the U.S. started shipping immigrants off to the terrifying Salvadoran mega-prison CECOT, YouTubers were touring it, trying on shackles and marveling at the security. Millions of people were introduced to CECOT this way—as a cool innovation in crime-fighting. slate.com/life/2025/04...

Religion aside: If Hegseth is pushed out, it'll be a blow to the growing power of conservative Calvinist "theobros."

Hegseth attends a church in the small denomination co-founded by Doug Wilson, arguably the spiritual leader of theobros. religionnews.com/2024/05/31/t...

Pope Francis Changed a Lot About the Church. One Thing Cannot Be Reversed. The Vatican will never be the same.

When writing this obit, I kept asking which parts of Pope Francis' legacy could be undone. Experts all said that policies could be rolled back but that Francis had changed things more fundamentally—the Latin American pope was the first to make the church truly global. slate.com/life/2025/04...

‘Pizzagate’ gunman fatally shot by police outside Charlotte in traffic stop Kannapolis police said Edgar Maddison Welch pointed a gun at officers on Saturday, two of whom then fired at him.

A bloody end for Pizzagate gunman Edgar Maddison Welch, who shot up Comet Ping Pong in 2016. Police say they shot him at a traffic stop over the weekend after he pulled a gun. www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

Some in the far-right internet are cheering Meta rolling back its fact-checking program & its content moderation, claiming Mark Zuckerberg "kissed the ring & bowed to Donald Trump" & was "bending the knee in our direction," along with being amazed it was "this easy" to get these changes announced.

In a Twitter/X Space last week, Brian Gamble — a board member of Michael Flynn's organization America's Future & a former CIO of Flynn & Patrick Byrne's organization The America Project — said that "it is going to take blood in the streets" in order to stop the supposed "Islamification" of the UK.

Pete Hegseth and His ‘Battle Cry’ for a New Christian Crusade The veteran picked to lead the Defense Department has praised the brutal religious military campaigns of the past and has called for a Christian approach to governing.

Let’s talk about a different aspect of Pete Hegseth: His views on religion and the military, and how the two intertwine.

We have been reviewing his extensive writings and connections. Here is a closer look at some of what we’ve found.

1/11

www.nytimes.com/2024/12/05/u...

Looking to talk to some folks about religion and seed oils for a story.

I hate to crosspost, but masks are coming off and Fundamentalist Twitter is realizing that some folks who think America should be run as a Christian nation also have other thoughts that may or may not be almost verbatim Hitler quotes.

People for the American Way has drawn connections between Trump's AG pick and the dominionist New Apostolic Reformation. Also note that Lance Wallnau, prominent NAR leader, boasted in October about his interview with Linda McMahon (education secretary pick). www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwat...

Magazine cover of Hannah Neeleman of Ballerina Farm

The conservative women’s magazine Evie has released their new cover featuring Ballerina Farm.

Evie has peddled health conspiracy theories & disinfo, patriarchal relationships, and anti-LGBTQ views under an aesthetic guise.

It’s time to stop saying that tradwives aren’t political.

I Just Listened to Steve Bannon’s Show for a Week. What’s Coming Is Clear. He's gloating. But he's also sounding a warning.

As I wrote this, people kept asking if Bannon is actually still relevant, since the Trump fallout. I really think so—he has sway over the MAGA types in Congress, and his allies (the kind of people he says "I love you" to on the show) are staffing up the next administration slate.com/news-and-pol...