Trial begins in Florida for activists accused of helping Russia sow political division, chaos
apnews.com
Trial has begun in Florida for four activists accused of illegally acting as Russian agents to help the Kremlin sow political discord and interfere in U.S. elections.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Trial began Tuesday in Florida for four activists accused of illegally acting as Russian agents to help the Kremlin sow political discord and interfere in U.S. elections.

All four are or were affiliated with the African People’s Socialist Party and Uhuru Movement, which has locations in St. Petersburg, Florida, and St. Louis. Among those charged is Omali Yeshitela, the 82-year-old chairman of the U.S.-based organization focused on Black empowerment and the effort to obtain reparations for slavery and what it considers the past genocide of Africans.

    • jimmydoreisalefty@lemmy.worldOP
      19·
      3 months ago

      IMO:

      Thanks for another owner-class media article.

      unwitting right-wing American influencers

      “Far-right” and “Far-left” American influencers.

      I wonder which journalists in MSM get propped up by the owner-class; it seems many like to follow the status quo, whether they are “left” or “right” leaning.

      Federal officials have accused Russia of using unwitting right-wing American influencers in its quest to spread Kremlin propaganda ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

      Tenet was founded in 2022 by Lauren Chen, a conservative Canadian YouTuber, and her husband, Liam Donovan, whose X profile describes him as president of Tenet Media. Chen hosts a show on Glenn Beck’s BlazeTV and is a contributor to right-wing activist group Turning Point USA. She wrote opinion pieces for RT in 2021 and 2022.

      What sets the RT operation apart from many other interference efforts is that it appeared to reach a real audience, thanks to the recognizable names attached.

      After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, many American cable distributors dropped RT’s U.S channel, RT America, from their lineups, and it eventually shut down production. The video scheme allowed RT to covertly reach American audiences without a presence on the airwaves, the indictment alleged.

      “There was no influence exerted over me in that way. There’s no change in my perspective or the nature of my content,” said Matt Christiansen, another Tenet Media contributor, in a livestream on Wednesday evening. “How am I unwittingly duped into saying someone else’s words when I wrote every one of them?”

      • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
        4·
        3 months ago

        If you’re just gonna dismiss every media outlet because you don’t like the words they use, read the indictment. Tim pool and Dave rubin and friends are literally russian mouthpieces no matter who says it.

        • jimmydoreisalefty@lemmy.worldOP
          14·
          3 months ago

          Edit: added sentences below quote

          If you’re just gonna dismiss every media outlet

          I am not dismissing it, I am just pointing it who funds and controls them.

          Billionaires and corporations continue to buy up media.

          Tim pool and Dave rubin and friends are literally russian mouthpieces no matter who says it.

          They say this about the “far left” and the “far right”, I am critical of these talking points.

          • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
            3·
            3 months ago

            Yeah, they accuse them because they spew russian talking points all the time. This is different because they discovered that the company that pays them was actually founded by 2 RT employees. Literally. Actually. Russian. State. Funded.

            • jimmydoreisalefty@lemmy.worldOP
              14·
              3 months ago

              All four are or were affiliated with the African People’s Socialist Party and Uhuru Movement, which has locations in St. Petersburg, Florida, and St. Louis.

              The defense attorneys, however, said despite their connections to the Russian organization, the actions taken by the African People’s Socialist Party and Uhuru Movement were aligned precisely with what they have advocated for more than 50 years. Yeshitela founded the organization in 1972 as a Black empowerment group opposed to vestiges of colonialism around the world.

              IMO: These are just more status quo fascists pushing for censorship of dissent, using another excuse to limit our first amendment rights.