Critical State: A Conspiracy Theory Makes its White House Debut
If you read just one thing this week … read about Trump's bizarre descent into the "white genocide" hoax.
At The New Republic, Greg Sargent covered the tense Oval Office meeting between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and President Donald Trump. Trump presented what he claimed was evidence of a “white genocide” against South African farmers. However, fact-checkers quickly debunked his claims. Trump held up a Reuters image showing body bags, insisting they contained murdered white farmers — but the footage was actually from the Democratic Republic of Congo, depicting victims of a rebel attack.
Trump also misrepresented a video of white crosses along a highway, calling them burial sites for slain farmers. In reality, the crosses were part of a symbolic protest against farm killings in 2020. While farm murders do occur in South Africa, official statistics show they represent less than 1% of the country’s annual homicides.
Ramaphosa pushed back, stating that crime affects all racial groups, not just white farmers. Trump’s claims have fueled far-right conspiracy theories, despite repeated debunking by experts. The white genocide conspiracy theory in South Africa has been circulating in far-right circles for years. It falsely claims that white farmers are being systematically targeted for murder.
Despite South Africa’s high crime rate, official statistics show that farm murders account for less than 1% of total homicides, with most victims being Black South Africans. The theory often misrepresents land reform policies, falsely suggesting that the government is forcibly seizing white-owned farms.
If You Read One More Thing: SCOTUS Declines Apache Plea for Sacred Land Protection
At the Arizona Mirror, Shondiin Silversmith reported on the US Supreme Court’s decision not to take up a case challenging a copper mining project at Oak Flat, a sacred site for the Western Apache in Arizona. The decision allows a land transfer to proceed, clearing the way for Resolution Copper, a joint venture between Rio Tinto and BHP, to begin mining operations.
Oak Flat has been protected for over a century due to its religious and cultural significance to the Apache. Apache Stronghold, a nonprofit representing tribal members, argued the transfer violates religious freedom laws.
The 2014 land swap deal, included in a defense bill, authorized the transfer of 2,422 acres to Resolution Copper. The mining process will create a two-mile-wide crater, permanently destroying the sacred site.
Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissented, calling the decision a “grave mistake.” Gorsuch, who has long ruled on the side of Indigenous causes, wrote that “the government has long protected both [Oak Flat] and the Apaches’ access to it …. No more. Now, the government and a mining conglomerate want to turn Oak Flat into a massive hole in the ground.”
The ruling marks a major setback for Indigenous rights advocates, who vow to continue fighting to protect Oak Flat. Wendsler Nosie Sr. of Apache Stronghold said, “Nothing will deter us from protecting Oak Flat from destruction.”
What Hegseth Gets Wrong
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At Politico, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas E. Ricks contended that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “war-fighting” approach to Pentagon leadership is strategically flawed.
Hegseth has championed a “warfighting” approach, emphasizing lethality and combat readiness. Military experts argue that focusing solely on fighting.
Ricks argued the best way to win wars is by training allies, equipping them, and conducting joint maneuvers rather than rushing into direct combat. He cites World War II, when the US prevailed by supplying weapons and resources rather than sacrificing troops.
Hegseth’s push to downsize military command centers has also drawn criticism, with experts warning that staff officers are crucial for planning and intelligence operations.
Deep Dive: The Year in Hate
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) released its 2024 Year in Hate & Extremism report, documenting 1,371 hate and antigovernment extremist groups operating across the United States, an overall decline of 5% since 2023. The report highlights how these groups have infiltrated politics, influencing local, state, and national policies while targeting marginalized communities through intimidation, disinformation, and violence.
Hard-right groups have used state legislatures and school boards to push book bans, eliminate DEI initiatives, and threaten election workers. White Christian nationalism is on the rise, fueled by false claims of Christian persecution and white genocide. Male supremacist groups have expanded their influence, using social media and podcasts to radicalize young men, the report claimed.
Militia movements, many of which were historically antigovernment, have reorganized, lobbying for official recognition while training in paramilitary tactics. Far-right conspiracy theories continue to spread, with extremists using Telegram and other online platforms to recruit members, according to the report.
The 2024 Hate Map, included in the report, provides a state-by-state breakdown of extremist organizations, helping communities track and counteract their presence. SPLC President Margaret Huang emphasized the need for collective action, stating, “We cannot surrender to fear. It is up to all of us to organize against the forces of hate and tyranny.”
Out of the states, Alabama saw a 25% increase in hate and antigovernment extremist groups, making it one of the most active, according to the report. Alabama has historically been a hotbed for extremist activity, with groups pushing anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, and white nationalist ideologies.
However, the neo-Confederate ideology declined from its high of 121 groups to only four active groups in 2024. Male supremacists are on the rise. The SPLC documented seven new male supremacist groups, bringing the total to 16, though experts believe this is an underestimate.
The SPLC warns that hate groups are becoming more mainstream, embedding their ideology into government policies and public discourse. While the number of hate groups has declined, experts attribute this to their growing influence in politics, rather than a reduction in extremist activity.
“In 2024, many hate and antigovernment groups attacked bedrock anti-discrimination efforts by railing against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, or DEI,” according to the SPLC’s Intelligence Project’s Interim Director, Rachel Carrol Rivas. “Some actors used threats of violence, creating chaos that opened the door for political strongmen and authoritarian measures.”
Show Us the Receipts
At Inkstick, Taylor Barnes interviewed Mike Schroer, a former Raytheon engineer who weighed in on Trump's Golden Dome missile defense plan. The initiative, pitched as a $175 billion shield against incoming missiles, echoes Reagan’s Star Wars program but faces technical and financial hurdles. Trump claims the system will be “very close to 100% effective”, but experts remain skeptical. Congressional Republicans have earmarked $25 billion for the project, with major defense contractors like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and SpaceX expected to play key roles.
Inkstick also published the latest Adults in a Room column, examining US military action against the Houthis. The US recently ended a 30-day military campaign against Yemen’s Houthi armed group, concluding with a ceasefire. Dubbed Operation Rough Rider, the campaign aimed to halt Houthi attacks on US naval and commercial vessels. President Trump declared victory, though the ceasefire largely restored the pre-campaign status quo.
At The World, Gerry Hadden reported on Spain’s new Evictions Express law, which is designed to fast-track the removal of squatters within 15 days. The law, which took effect in April 2025, relies on an overburdened court system, leading to months-long delays. Rising housing prices have exacerbated the issue, pushing more people into squatting. Some landlords resort to paying squatters to leave, while others avoid renting altogether due to fears of tenants who stop paying rent but can’t be evicted under the new law. The situation has sparked heated debates over housing policy, with concerns about foreign investors driving up rental costs.
Inkstick Call for Pitches
Inkstick is calling on reporters and writers who may have ideas that align with our editorial mandate to submit pitches. Our nonprofit newsroom focuses on the human impact of global security, the defense industry, and war. We’re especially interested in reported features out of the United States. Email editors Patrick Strickland and Allyn Gaestel at pstrickland (at) inkstickmedia (dot) com and agaestel (at) inkstickmedia (dot) com.
Critical State is written by Inkstick Media in collaboration with The World.
The World is a weekday public radio show and podcast on global issues, news, and insights from PRX and GBH.
With an online magazine and podcast featuring a diversity of expert voices, Inkstick Media is “foreign policy for the rest of us.”
Critical State is made possible in part by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.