Free Republic

Misinformation is a key global threat, but Democrats and Republicans disagree about how to address the problem. In particular, Democrats and Republicans diverge sharply on removing misinformation from social media.Only three weeks after the Biden administration announced the Disinformation Governance Board in April 2022, the effort to develop best practices for countering disinformation was halted because of Republican concerns about its mission. Why do Democrats and Republicans have such different attitudes about content moderation?My colleagues Jennifer Pan and Margaret E. Roberts and I found in a study published in the journal Science Advances that Democrats and Republicans not only disagree...

Ex-Sex Pistol John Lydon went by Johnny Rotten during the 1970s golden age of punk and famously gave angry, snarled voice to the era’s anti-monarchist sentiment with the band’s scabrous musical indictment “God Save the Queen.” Times — and Johnny — have changed. Today Lydon released a short and very sweet statement to honor Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday. “Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth II,” Lydon wrote on his website and in a tweet. “Send her victorious.” He accompanied the message with a classic Cecil Beaton portrait of the Queen, sans the safety pin piercing that became an iconic...

The Queen and the Royal family have always held the unwavering attention of Americans unused to the pomp and ceremony of the centuries-old institution. And Her Majesty cemented her place in the hearts of a grieving United States by famously ordering the Star Spangled Banner be played outside Buckingham Palace just two days after 9/11 in a touching tribute to America. ... Ten days after the attacks, the Queen released an emotional messaged to New Yorkers, saying: 'You come together today in St Thomas church in New York united in sorrow by the terrible events of last week. 'Each and...

Former Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones is currently promoting Pistol, the new FX series following the story of his former punk band. However, in two recent interviews, the guitarist has revealed that he doesn’t listen to his old music much these days. He would much sooner find himself listening to Steely Dan than any 1970s punk rock. The topic first came up in an interview with The Telegraph last week. “I never really listen to the Pistols’ music anymore,” Jones admitted. “I’m xxxx tired of it, to be honest with you. I’d rather listen to Steely Dan.” It will come...

It's inevitable that, sooner or later, some pivotal moment in your life – a cultural or political event that changed what you did or thought – will become history. In that moment you realize not just that (a lot of) time has passed, but that your memory of that moment is wholly subjective, and open to interpretation – or misinterpretation. In my young life, that moment was punk rock, and I was naïve enough to believe for years that it was a wholly subcultural event, and hardly likely one day to become a six-part miniseries streamed by Disney. (If I...

"I applaud her for that, and that's a fantastic achievement," the Sex Pistols frontman added of the upcoming Platinum JubileeJohn Lydon has said in a new interview that, ahead of the Platinum Jubilee, he is “actually really, really proud of the Queen for surviving and doing so well”. The Sex Pistols frontman was speaking ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which will be celebrated in the UK from June 2-5 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne. To mark the occasion, Lydon’s former band are reissuing their classic anti-monarchy single ‘God Save The Queen’. Speaking to Piers...

Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon, perhaps better known as “Johnny Rotten,” says President Donald Trump has “broken the Washington criminality that has caused problems for all of us.” “I met him once. I know, what an offensive fella. But he went into politics as the complete individual. That’s what we want,” said Lydon in a recent interview with Fox News. “I don’t like politicians really, generally speaking, not many of them at all. I don’t trust of them. He broke that system, that Washington criminality that’s caused the problems for all of us in the first place.” Lydon also defended...

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FULL TITLE: Anarchy in the USA: Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten sports a Make America Great Again t-shirt as he puffs on a cigarette before a gig in New Orleans Former Sex Pistols frontman has been causing anarchy in the USA after he was caught sporting a Make America Great Again T-shirt as he puffed on a cigarette. John Lyden, best known for his alter ego Johnny Rotten, was snapped as he leaned out of a window at New Orleans' Civic Theatre where his band Public Image Ltd were due to play. But the punk legend appeared to have left his...

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice have announced that they are preparing to launch a new tour of hit show "Jesus Christ, Superstar." The musical started on Broadway in 1971 and is now being re-launched with an all-star cast featuring JC Chasez, Michelle Williams, and Brandon Boyd. The new production stars Brandon Boyd as "Judas Iscariot," JC Chasez as "Pontius Pilate" and Michelle Williams as "Mary Magdalene." Ben Forster, a relative newcomer to the U.S., takes on the daunting role of "Jesus Christ." The musical offers a unique interpretation of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, with Judas Iscariot,...

Former Sex Pistol John Lydon says those now celebrating Margaret Thatcher’s death are “loathsome”. John, famously known as Johnny Rotten when he was the singer in Punk icons The Sex Pistols back in the 1970s as Maggie was rising to power, added: “I’m not going to dance on her grave.” He also said: “I was her enemy in her life, but I will not be her enemy in her death.” …

  Well-wisher ... John Lydon famously railed against the monarchy in Sex Pistols anthem God Save The Queen By SEAN HAMILTON AS snarling punk idol Johnny Rotten, singer John Lydon famously railed against the monarchy in The Sex Pistols' Seventies anthem God Save The Queen. So you might not expect him to join well-wishers queuing to congratulate Prince William and Kate. Here he tells SEAN HAMILTON why he wishes them well. WHEN I heard William had popped the question to Kate, I had a nice cup of tea for them. Later on, I might even put some bucks fizz...

Punk singer John Lydon, better known by his Sex Pistols moniker Johnny Rotten, urged fans at a Public Image Ltd., concert in Brooklyn last night to spit on Sarah Palin and what he called "Tea Party chimpanzees."The group was playing the finale of their first U.S. tour in almost twenty years at the Music Hall of Williamsburg when Lydon was spat on by a fan reliving the early days of punk when spitting on the band was (briefly) considered a sign of support.According to Spinner, Lydon became angry when a lunger landed on his cheek. A few songs after threatening...

"...John Joseph Lydon, founder member of the iconic 1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, the group that laid down a new template for rebellious youth when they pogoed onto the music scene in 1977 with their anti-royalist song God Save the Queen and their best-selling album 'Never Mind the Bollocks', is just as much the master of the raucous rant as ever he was. ...At seven, Lydon developed meningitis and lapsed into a coma for several months. When he finally came round, he suffered complete memory loss. The effect of the trauma has been lifelong. It brought home, at an...

Last Update: Saturday, July 12, 2003. 9:40am (AEST) Never mind the WMDs: here's the Sex Pistols British punk band the Sex Pistols want to bring their particular brand of anarchy to Iraq, vowing to play a live concert in Baghdad with the message that democracy has its pitfalls. In an interview posted on the MTV music channel website, Pistols' front man John Lydon, who was known as Johnny Rotten during the punk heyday, said the reformed band hoped to set up the concert for sometime early next year. "I am definite about it," Lydon said. "The red tape is lining...