In today's #vatnik soup I'll be introducing a comedian-turned-propagandist and conspiracy theorist, Jimmy Dore. He's the host of The Jimmy Dore Show, a comedic talk show but without any comedy.
1/11
Between 2009 and 2019 Dore was affiliated with the Young Turks and appeared on their show Aggressive Progressives. Later Ana Kasparian accused Dore of sexual harassment, alleging that Jimmy had made several sexually inappropriate comments about her
looks.
2/11
In Jul, 2020, Dore accused Biden of hosting a "black black face affair with a bunch of rich white people". Biden of course didn't have anything to do with the video, but this didn't stop Dore from sharing it along with the story. The video has been since removed by YouTube.
3/11
His Twitter mostly consist of COVID-19 conspiracy theories, bashing of Biden, "debunking" of "Russiagate" and of course bullshit from the Grayzone bloggers, whom he's had as guests at his show several times.
4/11
Dore pushed the conspiracy theories on the murder of Seth Rich, and insisted that there's "probably something more to this story" even after the source of this theory was debunked. Actually, he STILL thinks that he cracked the case.
5/11
In 2017, Jimmy has also argued that the chemical weapons attack in Khan Sheikhun was a false flag operation orchestrated by the opposition of al-Assad. He's also denied al-Assad's regime's involvement in the Douma chemical weapons attacks.
6/11
Bellingcat later confirmed that Dore had received 2500 USD from a pro-Assad lobby group. He also featured an "independent journalist" Eva Bartlett in a segment about Syria.
7/11
In a good vatnik fashion, Jimmy also takes things out of context: in 2018, he quoted Jim Mattis out of context as saying that he didn't have evidence of sarin use in Syria. Mattis also said that the al-Assad regiment had been caught using sarin several times during the ...
8/11
... Obama administration and the one after. Dore has denied the influence of Russia's interference during the 2016 US elections, and he was a staunch critic of the Special Counsel investigation on the matter.
9/11
He's also called Bucha massacre (this one he called "false flag bullshit") and Mariupol hospital bombing as false flag operations against Russia. As is tradition, he has not made any judgements on Russia's atrocities in Ukraine.
10/11
Jimmy will be attending the vatnik gathering also known as "Rage Against the War Machine", where Russia apologists will condemn the West's and NATO's support for Ukraine. During the event, Russia and the genocide its committing in Ukraine won't be condemned in any way.
In today’s Vatnik Soup REBREW, I’ll reintroduce an American political commentator and pro-Kremlin propagandist, Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson). He’s best known for his promotion of crazy conspiracy theories and for his support of authoritarian regimes around the world.
1/24
Tucker’s career spans decades, but he’s also been very active in recent years, so a lot has happened since our previous soup on him, which can be found here:
Once described as “the most powerful conservative in America”, Tucker has now fully transformed into a grifting conspiracy theorist and propagandist willing to work for whoever pays him the most. It’s unclear whether Tucker truly believes his endless conspiracy theories or…
3/24
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll cover the agenda-setting and flood of disinformation that spread on X and other platforms right after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. It’s far from the first or last time a tragedy has been weaponized for political purposes.
1/18
Every major political event, especially those involving violence, attracts massive attention. In the immediate aftermath, reliable information is scarce, making it highly vulnerable to both coordinated and improvised disinformation campaigns.
2/18
As I’ve mentioned in my previous soups and lectures, in disinformation campaigns, being first with a narrative is crucial, as people often remember the first version best — psychology studies show it sets the mental schema, and later updates rarely overwrite it.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce American social media personality David Freeman, AKA Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman). He’s best known for spreading political disinformation on X and shamelessly sucking up to Trump, Putin, and other authoritarian leaders.
1/22
David is a textbook example of someone profiting from MAGA grievance politics. He uses extreme, provocative language to farm engagement on X and never hesitates to flatter anyone who might give him more exposure — or money.
2/22
But David wasn’t always like this. At some point, in his mid-40s, he even tried a real job: he trained to become a cop. He spent three years with the Metro Transit PD, but after that he either got fired or quit, and never looked back.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Russian-Estonian businessman, Oleg Ossinovski. He is best-known for his deep ties to Russian rail and energy networks, shady cross-border dealings, and for channeling his wealth into Estonian politics.
1/14
Oleg made his fortune via Spacecom Trans & Skinest Rail, both deeply tied to Russia’s rail system. Most of this is through Globaltrans Investments PLC, a Cyprus-based firm with 62% held via Spacecom and tens of millions in yearly profits.
2/14
Ossinovski’s Russian-linked ventures made him Estonia’s richest man in 2014, with an estimated fortune of ~€300M. His business empire stretched across railways, oil via Alexela shares, and Russian bitumen imports from Help-Oil, a supplier to the Defense Ministry.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Swiss/French writer, Alain Bonnet, aka Alain Soral (@officielsoral). He’s best known for his rabid antisemitism and for his pathetic support for all the worst authoritarian regimes from Russia to North Korea.
1/22
Alain’s childhood was problematic, as his father has been characterized as a “narcissistic pervert” who beat his children and did jail time for fraud. Alain himself has said he was “programmed to be a monster.” Born Alain Bonnet, he took the stage name of his sister,…
2/22
… actress Agnès Soral. She wasn’t too happy about this, commenting “How would you like to be called Agnès Hitler?”. Like many grifters, he became a pick-up/seduction artist writer, à la late Gonzalo Lira, writing books and even making a B-movie, “Confessions d’un dragueur”.
3/22