Inside the 9/11 Conspiracy That Started It All

Fifteen years ago, three young men created a 9/11-conspiracy-theory film that laid the groundwork for our culture of outrageous misinformation. If you have trouble reading this message, view it in a browser.       A Comprehensive History of 'Loose Change'—and the Seeds It Planted in Our Politics   Once relegated to the fringes of American society, conspiracy theories have achieved mainstream traction under the Trump administration, and Greene's assured seat in Congress marks an inflection point—the moment when the most absurd of these conspiracy theories infiltrated the highest ranks of the U.S. federal government. To truly understand how we've arrived at this place, we need to go back 15 years and revisit Loose Change, the first time a fringe Internet conspiracy theory percolated to the highest echelons of our cultural and political institutions. Released on April 13, 2005, by Dylan Avery, a 21-year-old amateur filmmaker, Loose Change was a "documentary" that posited a radical thesis: What if September 11th—the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil, the tragedy that precipitated the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, costing the world trillions of dollars in military spending and tens of thousands of innocent deaths—was not the work of 19 jihadi terrorists? What if the American government knew about the attacks ahead of time and allowed them to occur or, even worse, helped execute them? John McDermott set out to speak to everyone involved in the film, and what he learned was that Loose Change was more than a batshit conspiracy theory catalyst—it laid the groundwork for our modern culture of outrageous misinformation. Read More           Bob Woodward's Book Also Contains an Update on the Russian Ratf*cking of Florida   Rightly, most of the attention devoted to Bob Woodward's upcoming book has focused on the president*'s murderous fecklessness regarding the pandemic. That's the revelation that has touched so many people's lives so deeply. But buried in all the surrounding hype are some other items worth studying. Here's Charles P. Pierce on the many different kinds of sicknesses running amok in this country—and the Patient Zero for every one of them that's as easily identified as it has been for almost four years now. Read More           The Best Things to Buy From Away's First-Ever Sale   If you're interested in buying some democratically priced luggage that comes with all the sexy accoutrements you'd typically expect from its luxury counterparts, Away's product still speaks for itself and its value proposition is a tough one to beat. Head on over to the brand's site to shop the sale now and then make the call for yourself. But here, we've curated the 11 best items worth a look. Read More           24 Jean Jackets to Buy Now and Wear Always   In short, the denim jacket is an American icon every man should have (at least one of) in his closet. From the immovable force that is Levi's Trucker Jacket to high-end offerings from brands like RRL, the jean jacket is a garment that will never fail you. In the fall, it's your first foray into outerwear, just as the temperature starts to fall. On those extra-cold winter days, layering under an oversized wool jawn isn't discouraged on our end. And when spring first starts to break, but not without a little chill, it's an old friend to catch up with. This is all to say that the denim jacket is evergreen and eternal, and even if you already have one, this list of our favorites to buy right now might spark warranted interest in adding to your collection. Read More           Netflix Is Quietly Creating a Post-Marvel Era of Bold Comic Book Stories   The end of a comic book TV era arrived in June of last year, when the final season of Jessica Jones debuted on Netflix. For years, the streaming platform had carved out its corner of the Marvel world with a chain of largely critically acclaimed TV shows based on the comic publisher's properties. But Jessica Jones had been cancelled months before its third and final season debuted. Also cancelled was The Punisher, and in months prior, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist had all met the same fate. But Netflix hasn't stopped releasing comic adaptations since its Marvel era came to an end. If you're not a comic fan or a serious Netflix watcher, though, the comic book roots of some could be easy to miss, as few of the subsequent releases have had Marvel-level name recognition prior to their TV debuts. Here, Gabrielle Bruney takes you inside the streaming service's modern revival of the genre. Read More           We Live On Another Planet Now   We are past the point of disbelief, writes California native Shannon Stirone. We are now in a new world. Climate change evokes different things to different people, but the essence of it is that we have set into motion changes that are turning what we knew Earth to be, into a new planet. A woman Stirone heard on the phone Wednesday morning was pacing back and forth in front of a cafe. Stirone watched as ash gently fell onto her top-knotted red hair. She kept saying: "It's like I am living on another planet. I can't breathe anymore, I hate this." They say: "I can't believe." Orange turns to yellow turns to pink. It's raining ash again. Soon we will call it, simply, "weather." And that is the new reality. It's not like we're living on another planet, we are living on another planet. The planet we were born into no longer exists. We have known this for some time, but now we have the skies to prove it. Here, Stirone reports from a California that looks straight out of science fiction. Except it isn't, and it hasn't been for quite some time. Read More         Read More on Esquire.com       Follow Us     Unsubscribe  Privacy Notice   esquire.com ©2020 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019