Hi John,

Millions are still struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, with dozens dead, thousands missing, and countless others left without power or access to roads and resources.

One of the states hardest hit by the storm was Georgia. And, in true fashion, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has a conspiracy theory to explain it—she claims Democrats can control the weather and caused the hurricane.

Yes, really.

From Jewish space lasers to QAnon, Marjorie Taylor Greene has never been a stranger to outlandish conspiracy theories. We’ll explain more in a moment, but if you support COURIER’s efforts to combat misinformation at the source, can you chip in $17 today?

As with many right-wing conspiracy theories, the lies about Helene started with Donald Trump. In the days following the storm, Trump falsely accused Democrats of withholding aid from Republicans affected by the disaster. He also spread lies about the federal government’s rescue response in key swing states like North Carolina and Georgia.

Things only got stranger from there. 

TikTok videos theorized that Helene was engineered to pave the way for lithium mining, and these outlandish claims received hundreds of thousands of views. AI-generated videos even showed Donald Trump wading through floodwaters to assist in the relief efforts—despite being completely fake, they’ve racked up millions of views.

These lies have now reached Marjorie Taylor Greene, who claims Democrats created the hurricane to somehow influence the election.

It’s easy to dismiss MTG as a fringe figure, but the truth is she’s one of the most influential voices on the right. Her power comes not despite her belief in these wild conspiracies, but because of it. Her MAGA supporters are drawn to the same lies and misinformation she is.

Trump sets the stage, and figures like Greene ignite the flames that are destroying our democracy.

The good news is that we can fight back by doing what COURIER does best: publishing trustworthy local news where the public is most likely to encounter misinformation—on social media and in their email inboxes.

We strengthen our democracy with facts and the truth.

To continue this critical work, we need your support. Can you chip in $17 now to help us combat misinformation and keep the truth alive?

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Thank you,
COURIER