Today on Spanning the State Kristin Brey and Brian Noonan discuss the importance of endorsements and admonishments in newspapers. They share their thoughts on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel new editorial commenting on Elon Musk’s troublesome political group that is manufacturing a disinformation campaign against Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate Susan Crawford. Also, today is National Laugh Day. Kristin and Brian lighten the rainy day with some of their best jokes and share stats on what laughter does for the health along with the other benefits of laughing. Then Assistant Professor of Public Affairs and Expert on Violence Against Women, Mariel Barnes joins Kristin and Brian to discuss the “Manosphere”. Barnes explains new research on online ecosystem dubbed as the “Manosphere” consisting of men between the ages of 18 and 29 hold a major influence in national politics. Barnes shares when this group started popping up, how content creators are profiting off of this group, how it’s manifesting offline and the implications it has on society.