Ben Shultz

Michael Shellenberger appears to be preparing another piece falsely claiming that a conference of researchers studying disinformation is tantamount to a shadowy cabal of censorship. Spoiler alert: conferences, in fact, are the definition of free speech. My response to his questions is below.

Truer words have never been spoken by anyone in the White House...

Fascists lose in Brazil, Serbia, and Hungary. Rising protests in Albania, France, and other European countries against billionaires and corruption. Very encouraging...

Turnout in Brazil was 81 percent today, up from 79 percent in the 2022 election.

The fact that she admitted this in public... I pray for her poor daughter.

Lula really had to defeat a whole family tree of fascists and he did it

Following the playbook, don’t expect Bolsonaro to go away quietly

“You can’t con people, at least not for long. You can create excitement, you can do wonderful promotion and get all kinds of press, and you can throw in a little hyperbole. But if you don’t deliver the goods, people will eventually catch on.” - Donald Trump, The Art of the Deal

Google cuts down thousands of trees to build a data center in #Finland, and the wolves had to find a new place to find food...in the surrounding villages. Big Tech needs to be strictly regulated because it acts like cancer if we don't. futurism.com/future-socie...

The Republican chairman of the FCC warns broadcast licensees about airing news reports of what he deems to be "fake polls" ahead of the midterms. Carr is stretching specific regulations far beyond their legal definitions and the FCC can't mandate how a broadcaster contextualizes a poll.

Day 14. Deep concern: still out of stock. A new delivery is expected after the next reflection process.

Not my country nor my fight, but as a relieved outside observer allow me to extend a hearty "go fuck yourselves" to the Albertan separatists nonetheless www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

Canada's province of Alberta has rejected a plan to hold a binding independence referendum, results show, a setback for separatists backed by allies of US President Donald Trump u.afp.com/SCah

Despite the Trump administration's best efforts, Alberta votes not to break up Canada

⚡️ Ukraine brings home 23 children from Russian occupation. Among the children returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory is 9-year-old Stefan, who was forced to undergo military training at a school under Russian occupation, according to Bring Kids Back UA. kyivindependent.com/ukraine-brin...

Ohh hey it’s “the left is plotting a Color Revolution” time again — right on schedule w/this election rumor that recurs year after year. This time it’s brought to you by govt-paid midwit DataRepublican. The “XYZ is plotting a Color Revolution” trope plays well. It goes viral every time.

Worth noting this, in light of Meta's temporary ban on the 'No Kings' Instagram account

The president of Brazil has won a court case against Meta, after accusing them of restricting his posts and algorithmically favoring his opponent, Flavio Bolsonaro www.nbcnews.com/world/south-...

The right is spending the day complaining that Abdul El-Sayed was "rude" and "a bully" to Tommy the Republican Operative at his town hall, which is hilarious given how they had nothing to say about a woman getting beaten up at a Trump rally as the president cheered on.

Our latest work from @agoradigital.bsky.social scanned the names of all 720 MEPs on 200 websites that host, produce or distribute deepfake pornography. The results are stark. 1-in-6 women MEPs are depicted in or associated with non-consensual deepfake pornography. This epidemic must end. More ⬇️

Only half a Scaramucci!

WHO: Saudi Arabia reported eight laboratory-confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including one death. MERS is a zoonotic viral respiratory disease, dromedary camels serve as the primary animal reservoir and 2 cases reported direct contact with camels

A fraction of a Scaramucci... www.nytimes.com/2026/10/16/u...

"Two days later, Hegseth told the podcaster Jack Posobiec (known for his promotion of the Pizzagate pedophile conspiracy theory) that Hasan’s execution would be public." The decision making processes of Trump 2.0. www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

As if things weren’t bad enough, Russian media is reporting that Kash Patel has arrived in Moscow. And a reminder he was paid by a Russian agent to participate in a documentary to spew disinformation and attack US agencies

Ich war letzte Woche bei der #disinfo2026 in Vilnius, als Sponsoren auf US-Druck abgesprungen sind. Dort habe ich auch eine IStGH-Richterin getroffen, die seit über einem Jahr unter US-Sanktionen lebt. Sie ist ausgesperrt aus der digitalen Welt. sound.orf.at/podcast/oe1/...

NEW: Among the Truth Social posts we found shared by incoming White House press secretary Katie Zacharia were a seemingly pro-Putin post claiming he was fighting a “cabal” in Ukraine, and another implying Joan Rivers was killed for saying Michelle Obama had a penis. www.cnn.com/2026/10/12/p...

To those implying that Kremlin-controlled social media bot/troll farms became silent after Ukraine hit a Yandex data center, posting this CloudFare chart ( radar.cloudflare.com/bots/as13238 ): Hate to disappoint you all ⤵️

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, a day when we Americans should give thanks for our Canadian allies.

If there’s evidence of fraud or other financial crimes, let’s see it. But trying to denaturalize and deport a sitting member of Congress over mistakes a parent allegedly made on immigration forms when she was a child is immoral and reprehensible. We can’t stand for it.

"What Trump is doing now is next level. He’s not just attacking Somali residents. Rather, he’s calling for Minnesotans to attack them as well. And of course, it’s all based on absolute lies." — @snipy.bsky.social

This is what collaboration looks like. Trump is trying to denaturalize & deport political opponent, claiming irregularities with political asylum claim of her dead father from 31 years ago, and NYT legitimizes all of that by claiming only issues is that it violates norms in timing of investigation.

I was pleased to share my thoughts on #Disinfo2026 with CBC Radio's "The House" yesterday. The way the White House is acting—silencing researchers, aggression towards Greenland and even Alberta's referendum—reeks badly of Putin's activities in many parts of the world. www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

Cloudflare Data Explorer shows the amount of russian bot traffic has dropped to 49% after Ukraine struck a yandex data center.

With Israel’s election two weeks away, Lesley Stahl travels to the West Bank, where militant Israeli settlers have carried out violent attacks against the Palestinians, often with impunity. The Israeli government is showing an unwillingness to crack down on the violence. Tonight on 60 Minutes.

Enable free press ❌ Harass civil society ✅ https://t.co/F3BusL213j https://t.co/2TyXI2wkNL Source : https://x.com/FrenchResponse/status/2107509182748598627

Like Putin, Trump has launched his own war of aggression.

In Trumpworld, everything has a price tag An ambassador allegedly wanted cash wired straight to her AmEx, $TRUMP holders bid for dinner w/ the president & Wall Street can pay to see his posts before you do The full price list, in this week's @contrariannews.org publisher's note 👇 -TN

Little Marco also had a plan

Update?

Say it as it is: the USA is a Foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) threat. We need to acknowledge, adapt and push back.

The EU’s foreign office, the European External Action Service (EEAS), was supporting #DISINFO2026, a counter-disinformation conference in Vilnius on 7-8 October. The Trump administration was bothered by panels that referred to the U.S. as a disinformation threat.

Spoke to @cbcradiocanada.bsky.social about the withdrawal of 🇨🇦🇱🇹🇪🇺 from #Disinfo2026. Referencing my panel's description, we no longer need to discuss "growing evidence" the US is a FIMI actor. Its intimidation and bullying of 🇨🇦🇱🇹🇪🇺 speaks for itself. The US is indeed a FIMI actor. 🫶 to @disinfo.eu!

NEW: Footage from Thursdays shooting shows an ICE agent in a construction vest brandishing a rifle. His name is Brenden Cuni. Federal judges have found multiple arrests involving Cuni unlawful. He has been accused of repeatedly Tasing a handcuffed man and tackling a pregnant woman in Minneapolis.

✨Thank you to everybody who joined us at #Disinfo2026! Over the past two days, we've shared inspiring conversations, insightful panels, and though-provoking presentations. Our whole team is already looking forward to continuing the conversation, and to seeing you at #Disinfo2027! 🤗

Elites are pathetic, contemptible cowards, part batrillion.

The EU diplomatic service pulled its backing from a disinformation conference after US pressure, angering MEPs and NGOs who say it undermines the bloc's own defence of civil society. #EuropeNews