Dear Guys Who Got Arrested for Throwing Water on NYPD Cops
Susie Day | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-19
You hosed Harlem. You bedewed Brownsville. You wetted Woodhaven. News media report that you've sprayed or doused water — yes,vile, menacingly wet water — on police officers in incidents all over New York City. No one knows where you will strike next. You: young, smirking, and — need we add — black. Shown on social media brazenly enjoying yourselves…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/19/dear-guys-who-got-arrested-for-throwing-water-on-nypd-cops/
Supreme Nihilism: the El Paso Shooter's Manifesto
John O'Kane | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-19
Mick Mulvaney staunchly defended President Trump after the shootings in Ohio and Texas, claiming he was horrified by the actions but had said nothing that could be construed as provoking them. Trump did come out strongly two days later against hate groups and "white supremacy," a little late for many who contend these shootings demonstrate his inflammatory rhetoric was at least partially to blame for the incidents. Hopefully this will be a real change from his irresponsibly-quick tweets that often lead to reversals and clumsy apologies for misguided claims and send many of his supporters ducking for cover; or his…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/19/supreme-nihilism-the-el-paso-shooters-manifesto/
Government criticised for spending £10m on Brexit advertising campaign
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-08-19
Ministers have been criticised for spending more than £10m over eight months on an advertising campaign to help people and businesses prepare for Brexit. | Figures released to the PA news agency under Freedom of Information laws showed the government spent £10,842,063 on their Prepare For EU Exit adverts between November 2018 and July this year. | The cabinet office spent £2.7m on print, £2.4m on radio, £1.2m on TV and more than £1 million on social media advertising, and a further £3m on other platforms, according to the data. | The figures also revealed that the page ad…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2019/08/19/government-criticised-for-spending-10m-on-brexit-advertising-campaign/
Selected Articles: The Crisis in Hong Kong
Global Research News | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-19
Our objective at Global Research is to recruit one thousand committed "volunteers" among our more than 50,000 Newsletter subscribers to support the distribution of Global Research articles (email lists, social media, crossposts). | Do not send us money. Under Plan A…
globalresearch.ca/selected-articles-understanding-crisis-hong-kong/5686729
How Washington Is Meddling in the Affairs of Hong Kong
| globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-18
While there has been growing coverage of the unrest in Hong Kong, there has been minimal coverage of what may lie behind the pro-democracy protests. Even Donald Trump has entered the fray with this tweet which clearly condemns China's actions …
globalresearch.ca/washington-meddling-affairs-hong-kong/5686605
'Racism Witch Hunt!' Trump rips into NYT leak scandal, calling it 'evil propaganda machine'
rt.com | 2019-08-18
US president Donald Trump ramped up his attacks on the "failing New York Times" on Sunday, accusing the paper of engaging in a "Racism Witch Hunt" following leaked comments from the news outlet's executive editor. | "The failing New York Times, in one of the most devastating portrayals of bad journalism in history, got caught by a leaker that they are shifting from the Phony Russian Collusion Narrative (the Mueller Report & his testimony were a total disaster), to a Racism Witch Hunt," the president said on Twitter. |…
rt.com/usa/466771-trump-new-york-times-leak/
The AMA Gets Out of the Way of #MedicareForAll
Tim Wilkins | commondreams.org | 2019-08-18
Nurses, doctors, and medical students demonstrated outside the annual meeting of the American Medical Association in Chicago on June 8, 2019, demanding the group "get out of the way" of the fight for Medicare for All. (Photo: National Nurses United/Twitter) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/ama_medicare_for_all.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/18/ama-gets-out-way-medicareforall?cd-origin=rss
'Racism Witch Hunt!' Trump rips into NYT leak scandal, calling it 'evil propaganda machine'
rt.com | 2019-08-18
US president Donald Trump ramped up his attacks on the "failing New York Times" on Sunday, accusing the paper of engaging in a "Racism Witch Hunt" following leaked comments from the news outlet's executive editor. | "The failing New York Times, in one of the most devastating portrayals of bad journalism in history, got caught by a leaker that they are shifting from the Phony Russian Collusion Narrative (the Mueller Report & his testimony were a total disaster), to a Racism Witch Hunt," the president said on Twitter. |…
rt.com/usa/466771-trump-new-york-times-leak/
#MyPalestinianSitty Goes Viral as Twitter Users Join Rashida Tlaib in Showing Love for Their Grandmothers
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-18
"I am overcome with emotions realizing how we are finally humanizing one of the world's most dehumanized peoples," tweeted Rep. Ilhan Omar | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/rashida_tlaib_6.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/18/mypalestiniansitty-goes-viral-twitter-users-join-rashida-tlaib-showing-love-their?cd-origin=rss
#mypalestiniansitty Honors Palestinian Grandmoms, Rejects Trump
teleSUR -EF | telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-17
Twitter is alight with #mypalestinesitty, a hashtag being used by thousands to pay homage to their Palestinian grandmothers after United States President Trump insulted U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib–and her 90-year-old grandmother, Muftia Tlaib, who lives in the West Bank. | RELATED: | Israel Confirms Banning Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib from Visiting Palestine Over BDS Support | Muftia Tlaib responded to Trump on Saturday–"may God damn y…
telesurenglish.net/news/mypalestiniansitty-Honors-Palestinian-Grandmoms-Rejects-Trump-20190817-0013.html
Corrections Officer Who Struck Rhode Island ICE Protesters With Pickup Truck Resigns
Ashoka Mukpo | commondreams.org | 2019-08-17
"In a Twitter post, Never Again Action described Woodworth's resignation as a 'first step' but called for Wyatt to be shut down and for people detained there to be released," Mukpo wrote. (Photo: Never Again Action/Twitter Screengrab) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/ice_truck.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/17/corrections-officer-who-struck-rhode-island-ice-protesters-pickup-truck-resigns?cd-origin=rss
Tulsi Gabbard lists political correctness among threats to American values
rt.com | 2019-08-17
Widespread efforts to silence speech deemed to be offensive threaten US constitutional rights, Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard says. Her latest campaign ad takes aim at the hot-button issue of political correctness. | In a new campaign video posted on Twitter, Gabbard lists political correctness alongside things like overly powerful IT corporations and government overreach. All three infringe on Americans' personal rights, she says. | Big tech, overreaching government, political correctness — our constitutional rights are under attack. As president, I'll protect your rights to free speech, c…
rt.com/usa/466729-gabbard-political-correctness-american-values/
Tulsi Gabbard lists political correctness among threats to American values
rt.com | 2019-08-17
Widespread efforts to silence speech deemed to be offensive threaten US constitutional rights, Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard says. Her latest campaign ad takes aim at the hot-button issue of political correctness. | In a new campaign video posted on Twitter, Gabbard lists political correctness alongside things like overly powerful IT corporations and government overreach. All three infringe on Americans' personal rights, she says. | Big tech, overreaching government, political correctness — our constitutional rights are under attack. As president, I'll protect your rights to free speech, c…
rt.com/usa/466729-gabbard-political-correctness-american-values/
How do the Western powers use social networks for their own political goals?
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-08-17
A recent story by the Washington Post revealed that Facebook's algorithms had censored the United States' Declaration of Independence, flagging it for alleged "hate speech".
uwidata.com/4912-how-do-the-western-powers-use-social-networks-for-their-own-political-goals/
MP tweets plan for no deal Brexit regardless of a no confidence vote in Johnson government
Tom Coburg | thecanary.co | 2019-08-17
Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat has outlined a plan by which the UK government, led by Boris Johnson, could ensure a no deal Brexit. Moreover, if the plan went ahead, it would mean that a vote of no confidence in the government would be curtailed. | The plan: | Tugendhat, who is the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, outlined the plan via Twitter: | What odds would you give on: | 1 UK exits EU by 24 Aug — in time for G7 or before Parliament returns. Art 50 passed so nothing to stop unilateral withdrawal. | 2 General Election straight after to get majority. | 3 Answer Irish border Q with NI only re…
thecanary.co/opinion/2019/08/17/mp-tweets-plan-for-no-deal-brexit-regardless-of-a-no-confidence-vote-in-johnson-government/
The British government is covertly funding Muslim media as part of its counter terror strategy
Afroze Fatima Zaidi | thecanary.co | 2019-08-17
A report published by Middle East Eye on 15 August revealed that a media outlet for young Muslims is in fact "a covert British government counterterrorism programme": | 'Woke' news platform aimed at young Muslims is actually a secret British government counterterrorism programme pic.twitter.com/gvtTAH6x2x | — Middle East Eye (@MiddleE…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/08/17/the-british-government-is-covertly-funding-muslim-media-as-part-of-its-counter-terror-strategy/
Trump Tweets, Then Netanyahu Bans Reps. Ilhan Omar & Rashida Tlaib From Israel
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-16
Jim Zogby and Phyllis Bennis discuss the Trump-Netanyahu dynamic, the diminishing power of AIPAC, and the political battle against Rep. Omar and Rep. Tlaib…
therealnews.com/stories/trump-tweets-then-netanyahu-bans-reps-ilhan-omar-rashida-tlaib-from-israel
Marjorie Taylor Greene: How an Outspoken MAGA Fan Built a Following in a World of Extremists
Hatewatch Staff | splcenter.org | 2019-08-16
Originally a MAGA supporter but now an emerging MAGA star, Marjorie Taylor Greene has deftly leveraged social media and confrontations in public to increase her visibility. Now she's entering politics as a GOP candidate for Georgia's 6th Congressional District.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/08/16/marjorie-taylor-greene-how-outspoken-maga-fan-built-following-world-extremists
Twitter censors come for Scaramucci over 'fat shaming' Trump
rt.com | 2019-08-16
Anthony Scaramucci, onetime supporter turned vocal critic of US President Donald Trump, got locked out of Twitter for what the platform said was "abusive behavior," after calling the president fat. | "The Mooch" reached out to media outlets on Friday, complaining that his Twitter account was on lockdown after he called Trump "the fattest President since William Howard Taft." | . @Scaramucci says Twitter has temporarily suspended his account. "I think it is related to 'fat shaming' President Trump," the president's former communications director s…
rt.com/usa/466677-scaramucci-twitter-ban-trump/
Trauma Counselors Were Pressured to Divulge Confidential Information About Facebook Moderators, Internal Letter Claims
Sam Biddle | theintercept.com | 2019-08-16
Nearly 1,500 miles from the Menlo Park headquarters of Facebook, at a company outpost in Austin, Texas, moderators toil around the clock to screen and scrub some the most gruesome, hateful, and heinous posts that make their way onto the social network and its photo-sharing subsidiary, Instagram. They are required to view as many as 800 pieces of disturbing content in a single shift, and routinely turn to on-site counselors to help cope with the procession of stomach-turning images, videos, and text. But some members of this invisible army have complained, in a statement widely circulated within Facebook, that the…
theintercept.com/2019/08/16/facebook-moderators-mental-health-accenture/
What Is Israel Trying to Hide? Reps. Tlaib & Omar Blocked from Taking Official Trip to West Bank
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-16
Israel sparked outrage Thursday when it banned two freshman Democratic congresswomen of color — Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota — from entering the country. Following outcry from Democratic leaders and Palestinians, Israel granted permission for Tlaib to enter the country on "humanitarian" grounds to visit her family in the West Bank — though Tlaib said Friday she will not visit her family under such conditions. Israel originally denied entrance to Tlaib and Omar after President Donald Trump tweeted, "It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep.Tl…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/16/ilhan_omar_rashida_tlaib_israel_trump
Jonathan Weisman's Judgment Has Been Lapsing for a Long While Now
Jim Naureckas | fair.org | 2019-08-14
The New York Times announced yesterday (The Wrap, 8/13/19) that it had demoted deputy Washington editor Jonathan Weisman for "recent serious lapses in judgment." These included a since-deleted tweet from last month that asserted that politicians of color don't really count as coming from their regions: | Saying @RashidaTlaib (D-Detroi…
fair.org/home/jonathan-weismans-judgment-has-been-lapsing-for-a-long-while-now/
How Voice of America Persian Became a Trump Administration PR Machine
Jordan Michael Smith | theintercept.com | 2019-08-13
As an Iranian American journalist covering the Iran-U.S. relationship, Negar Mortazavi is accustomed to receiving vitriol on social media. Still, she found it unusual when she saw on Twitter that someone had called her a "treasonous criminal" and "a spy and an enemy of the people." The tweets got darker: "If the U.S. had laws of the Middle Ages like Iran, this mouthpiece of the corrupt regime would have been executed," one read, in Farsi. | What made the tweets unusua…
theintercept.com/2019/08/13/trump-voa-persian/
Facebook Settlement Breaks a Record, But Not the Cycle of Exploitation
Amos Toh | progressive.org | 2019-08-09
For years, Facebook engaged in a pattern of deceptive conduct that misled users about how their data was being handled. Now, despite a $5 billion fine imposed by the U.S. government, it promises to do little to guarantee a change in behavior.
progressive.org/dispatches/facebook-settlement-breaks-a-record-but-not-the-cycle-of-exploitation-toh-190809/
Documents Reveal Monsanto Surveilled Journalists, Activists & Even Musician Neil Young
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-09
Explosive new documents reveal the U.S. agribusiness giant Monsanto ran a "fusion center" to surveil and discredit journalists and activists who criticized or wrote damning reports about Monsanto, as well as legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young, who released an album in 2015 called "The Monsanto Years." Monsanto monitored Young's Twitter activity and even analyzed the lyrics of his album. The fusion center also surveilled journalist Carey Gillam, who has done extensive research and writing about Monsanto and its popular pesticide Roundup, which has been linked to cancer. The corporation also targeted the nonpro…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/9/monsanto_fusion_center_surveillance_of_critics
El Paso Shooting Suspect May Have Authored Manifesto Containing White Nationalist Talking Points
Brett Barrouquere and Hatewatch Staff | splcenter.org | 2019-08-03
The suspect in a shooting that left 20 people dead at an El Paso Walmart may have posted and liked anti-immigrant leaning remarks on what appears to be his Twitter account.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/08/03/el-paso-shooting-suspect-may-have-authored-manifesto-containing-white-nationalist-talking
Facebook Dismantles Saudi-Linked Network of Fake Accounts
Middle East Eye | theantimedia.com | 2019-08-01
More than 350 profiles and pages linked to the Saudi government with some 1.4 million followers were taken down by Facebook on Thursday.