Looks like this as of 3:40 p.m. EST Nov. 12 2018.

Something’s up in right-wing-noise-machineland. And beyond. See all the updates.

With the addition of Jill Stein and my familiarity with horseshoe strategy, I’m inclined to think now that the Twitter silences are somehow related to Mueller investigating these people’s Putin connections. Horseshoe strategy, named after horseshoe theory (see Wikipedia entry), is supporting the most extreme ends of both sides so as to polarize, sow division and defeat the centre, which is why Putin was working to support the campaigns of Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein as well as Trump (according to a Mueller indictment), plus funding and even creating out of thin air some far-left groups.

Also a tweet-thread by Dirk Schwenk (see bottom update) has me mostly convinced that these Twitter silences are the result of a court order. It would explain why they started on the same two days and also why they are so specific, e.g. Fox can’t tweet but can still broadcast. Read his thread for more plausible thoughts.

Dirty Rubles author Greg Olear tweeted this on Saturday:

x 1/ Two nights ago, Rupert Murdoch called on Mitch McConnell, after hours. Since then, two Fox News-related Twitter accounts have not tweeted. Ã¢ÂÂ Greg Olear (@gregolear) November 11, 2018

x An empty Capitol, but Mitch McConnell is receiving visitors. Rupert Murdoch in this case. pic.twitter.com/TPcTmykuJs Ã¢ÂÂ Nicholas Fandos (@npfandos) November 8, 2018

(HT MTmofo for the second tweet.)

Wikileaks also has gone dark. I just checked and they last tweeted Nov. 8. To be fair, sometimes they take two or three-day breaks.

Finally, Matt Drudge deleted every tweet, though of course I can’t tell when, and hasn’t tweeted since.

x Holy Shitballs: Matt Drudge deleted his entire twitter account. Shows 596,000 followers and zero tweets. https://t.co/g5IHm49ZrY Thanks @karmakid1_diane for the heads up! Ã¢ÂÂ Dirk Schwenk (@DirkSchwenk) November 12, 2018

Though it’s futile to do so to hide your Twitter activity:

x Dear Provokatsiya Russian-Link Promoting Doucheknuckle: THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ARCHIVED THIS IN 2017. NO ESCAPE. ENJOY YOUR FARA CHARGES! Ã°ÂÂ¤Â£Ã°ÂÂÂÃ°ÂÂÂÃ°ÂÂÂ pic.twitter.com/9nez6H5Emk Ã¢ÂÂ Eric Garland (@ericgarland) November 12, 2018

I can’t imagine this isn’t somehow related, however indirectly, to the Dems retaking the House, due to the timing. Perhaps Mueller has let more information out to relevant people about upcoming indictments, now that his pre-election 60 days of silence is over. Perhaps the noise machine fears House investigations that will actually have teeth.

Needless to say there is much speculation. People on Twitter are thinking Fox might have, at long last, decided to jettison Trump in the hope of saving their own reputation, because they have an idea of what’s coming down the pipes. Also that the Republicans might be planning same, for the same reason, and to either force him to resign or impeach him quick during the lame duck session, then Pence as well if he also gets nailed by Mueller, so that Paul Ryan will be president rather than Nancy Pelosi—or whomever the Dems choose; popular-vote President Hillary Clinton, anyone?—since Dems would get to choose if Trump and Pence were both forced out of office after the Dems officially take over. [Update Nov 13 12:57 pm EST: several commenters have disagreed with Twitter sources and convinced me that this is highly unlikely. Alas.]

Parts of Twitter are even thinking Fox and the GOP might be co-ordinating this, and that’s why that secret conversation between Murdoch and McConnell.

Please note I am fully aware this is all speculation. It may all be completely wrong. What’s going on may be, and most likely is, something we can’t anticipate as we simply don’t have enough information.

But one thing I feel I can report absolutely for sure, which is why I am writing this diary at all: something is up, and because it’s silencing some of the most noxious mouthpieces, it’s bad for the bad guys.

Just the fact that said mouthpieces have not been spewing lies into the public discourse like factory chimneys spewing toxic smoke into the air we breathe for a few days is good news.

But bad for the bad guys generally means good for us, the USA and the world.

Anyone else feeling the course of history shift subtly under our feet, from signs you’re seeing?