Good morning. Welcome to Axios today. We've made it to Wednesday. It's August 5th. I'm

Nila Boodoo and here's how we're making you smarter today. How the virus has

set back decades of progress on the gender wage gap.

Plus speaking of paychecks has the extra unemployment benefit run out completely?

We'll bring you the latest on the stalled stimulus package.

First though, the pandemic

level spread of conspiracy theories is today's one big thing. Events in

real life this year have created an online world where conspiracy theories are easy to spread and grow.

One example of this is QAnon.

It was once a far-right fringe conspiracy theory that pushes the idea that the deep state is trying to take down President Trump.

Maybe, like me, you have a vague sense of what Q-Anon is, but here's what we know about it.

It started back in 2017 with cryptic messages showing up on internet forums

proposing this deep state theory.

The messages were always signed by Q, who claims without ever offering evidence to be a Trump administration

official with high-level clearance.

Now this theory has moved away from the corners of the internet and into our political

discourse.

Stefkeit is a politics reporter for Axios and she's been delving deep into these conspiracy

theories.

Q and non has really grown and expanded this year in particular.

It's now become an umbrella that includes lots of other conspiracy theories.

And now it's also including things around coronavirus and election

...