(2019-08-15). Face of privilege Ben Shapiro slammed for calling poverty a 'you problem'. rt.com 
Right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro has been eviscerated online, after a tone-deaf attack on Americans forced to take a second job to make ends meet. He called poverty a "you problem" as the country faces a possible recession.
(2019-08-14). Big election business: Democratic candidates, even critical of Facebook, pour millions into platform. rt.com 
Though many Democrats have decried the role of social media giant Facebook in spreading 'fake news' during the 2016 presidential election, the party's new debate rules are driving candidates to shovel millions into the platform.
(2019-08-14). Facebook had human contractors 'reviewing' users' Messenger voice chats. rt.com 
Facebook says it has stopped feeding users' audio chats to human reviewers for transcription, similar to what other Big Tech were recently caught doing. Facebook's contractors were reportedly kept in the dark about their job.
(2019-08-14). 'Crazy inverted yield curve': Trump launches blistering attack on Fed chief Powell. rt.com 
Reacting to the stock market slide, US President Donald Trump has turned his Twitter guns on "clueless" Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell, blaming his refusal to cut interest rates for the "crazy" inverted yield curve of bonds.
(2019-08-14). Jackie Chan Vows to Defend China Flag amid Hong Kong Protests. telesurenglish.net Martial arts star Jackie Chan, a Hong Kong native, has vowed to defend China's national flag against opposition protesters. His recent declaration on social media site Weibo, and during a TV interview on Tuesday, has become a trending topic on social media in the mainland. | RELATED: | Hong Kong: US Flags-Wielding Protesters Occupy Airport, Assault Chinese Journalist | Jackie Chan says he spoke out due to an incident in early August, whereby Hong Kong protest…
(2019-08-14). Kashmir Could Become the New Palestine. truthdig.com On August 5, India's Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill in the Indian Parliament. The bill divides the Indian State into two parts: the Union Territory of Ladakh and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. | The Legislative Assembly in the state has been suspended. Its elected officials have been placed under house arrest. The press has been gagged, protests have been violently disbanded, and social media has been shut down. | A bill in parliament suggests the normal function of democracy; the actual situation on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir is undemocratic. | T.K. R…
(2019-08-14). Asda workers are facing the sack unless they 'sign a punishing new contract'. thecanary.co A campaign by workers and the GMB union is fighting back for Asda workers who are facing the sack in "12 weeks' time unless they sign a punishing new contract". | So far, over 10,000 people have signed a petition supporting the workers. And people are tweeting to say they stand with staff by using the hashtag #AsdaRespectYourWorkers. | New contracts: | The new contracts will mean that Asda staff lose some of the benefits they currently receive. In some cases, this inclu…
(2019-08-14). Jonathan Weisman's Judgment Has Been Lapsing for a Long While Now. fair.org 
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…
(2019-08-14). New Ukip leader claims media is controlled by 'traitor class' over Brexit. thecanary.co Ukip's new leader has claimed the press is being controlled by a "traitor class" which is "conspiring with foreign powers" against Brexit. | Richard Braine, who took the helm of the Eurosceptic party last week, said there was an "EU federalist class" controlling the media, as he lashed out at the "bias" in Brexit reporting. | Speaking at a press conference in Westminster, Mr Braine cited the change of editor at the Daily Mail and appointment of former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg at Facebook. | "In the last three years we have seen a concerted effort in the media — we've seen Geordie Greig installed at…
(2019-08-14). The new Paddington coin is a tragic insult to all child refugees. thecanary.co 
The royal mint has launched a series of new 50p pieces featuring Paddington Bear. These commemorate a much-loved fictional character. But they should also shine a bright light on our government's shocking treatment of child refugees and asylum seekers. | "Famous fictional refugee": | Michael Bond's stories, about an orphan bear from "deepest dark…
(2019-08-13). Anthony Scaramucci breaks with Trump in days-long Twitter battle. rt.com 
Anthony 'the Mooch' Scaramucci has become the latest ally of US President Donald Trump to renounce him publicly. The surprise move from one of his top supporters has predictably thrust him into the media spotlight.
(2019-08-13). 'Debate me!' Ocasio-Cortez wades into Barstool Sports feud with unions. rt.com 
A comic dispute between labor unions advocates and satirical Barstool Sports head Dave Portnoy vowing to 'crush' them took a serious turn when AFL-CIO and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got involved.
(2019-08-13). The government is making an obscene profit from the hostile environment. thecanary.co An investigation by the Times has revealed that the Home Office is making a massive profit from the hostile environment. According to its figures, the Home Office made £500m in 2018, with profits rising 91% in the last five years. | The Times tweeted graphs showing how the government is raking money in: | Profit from the hostile envi…
(2019-08-13). How Voice of America Persian Became a Trump Administration PR Machine. theintercept.com 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…
(2019-08-13). Venezuelan Opposition Journalist Served as Spy for US, UK Gov't. telesurenglish.net Ambassador of Venezuela to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, revealed evidence in a series of tweets Sunday and Monday, proving that well-known opposition 'journalist' Nelson Bocaranda has served as a "local agent" of the United States and United Kingdom governments since the 1980s. | RELATED: | US Admits Violating Venezuela Airspace | "In Venezuela, there are accomplices who lend themselves to surrender their homeland to traffickers of war and colonization. For years they have presented themselves…
(2019-08-13). The DWP is back in hot water after the UN slams its 'total surveillance'. thecanary.co The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been slammed by the UN over its surveillance of benefit claimants. Philip Alston, the UN's special rapporteur warned that the department is not just spying on those it suspects of fraudulent claims: It's not. It will soon affect everyone and leave the society much worse off. Everyone needs to pay attention and insist on decent li…
(2019-08-13). Toni Morrison: The remarkable life of a remarkable woman. greenleft.org.au 
African-American novelist Toni Morrison — winner of the Pulitzer Prize (1988), the Nobel Prize for Literature (1993), and many other awards — died on August 5 at the age 88. Following the announcement, Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the civil rights organisation NAACP, remarked: "Rest in power to #ToniMorrison, one of the most prolific writers of our time." | "It is with profound sadness we share that, following a short illness, our adored mother and grandmother, Toni Morrison, passed away peacefully last night surrounded…
(2019-08-13). Showing Size and Diversity of Sanders' Grassroots Army, #MyBernieStory Goes Viral on Social Media. commondreams.org "Our campaign motto is Not Me, Us, and that is directly reflected in this incredible show of support from working people across America. It's these grassroots volunteers who will ensure Bernie Sanders wins the primary and defeats Donald Trump." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bernie_sanders_2.png …
(2019-08-12). Really? McFaul 'plants US flag' in Twitter to claim it as free speech sanctuary. rt.com 
Michael McFaul says he can say whatever he wants on Twitter because it's an American platform. Yeah, the very same Twitter that 'shadowbans,' silences alternative media, and hosts fake Russian bots that meddle in US elections.
(2019-08-12). The Tories' policing plan is bad enough. Their latest immigration one is utterly ludicrous. thecanary.co The Tory government's new plans for policing and prisons came unstuck before they'd even got off the ground. Because a thinktank chaired by Iain Duncan Smith is already calling for changes to immigration rules from home s…
(2019-08-09). Facebook Settlement Breaks a Record, But Not the Cycle of Exploitation. progressive.org 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.
(2019-08-09). Documents Reveal Monsanto Surveilled Journalists, Activists & Even Musician Neil Young. democracynow.org 
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…
(2019-08-07). These 7 Prominent Conservatives Have Nothing in Common With White Supremacists, Nothing at All. theintercept.com 
A man wears a MAGA hat during the Western Conservative Summit in Denver on July 12, 2019. | cool kid's philosopher" — took to Twitter to berate those who dare draw any kind of line between President Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and U.S. conservatives on the one hand and white nationalist terrorists on the other. | So, we now have two separate NYT columnists arguing that all conservatives are basically violent white supremacists, but slightly more subtle. Let me put this gently: f*** yourselves.
(2019-08-07). UN Afghan Mission 'outraged' by deadly Taliban attack in Kabul, as hardline group threatens election violence. un.org The UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed outrage at a Taliban attack in Kabul, that led to "scores" of civilians casualties on Wednesday. In a Tweet, the Mission said that such "indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks in heavily populated civilian areas must stop".
(2019-08-07). Líder de FRSO critica masacre en masa racista en El Paso. fightbacknews.org Washington DC – "La Organización Socialista del Camino a la Libertad (FRSO) condena enérgicamente el asesinato en masa realizado en El Paso", dijo Masao Suzuki, presidente de la Comisión de Nacionalidades Conjuntas de FRSO. Sobre el tirador dijo: "Con una cuenta de Twitter gustando el hashtag BuildtheWall y una foto de armas que deletrean a Trump, está claro que la motivación para este crimen de supremacía blanca está determinada por los ataques racistas de Trump". | El 3 de agosto, un hombre armado que apoya a Trump llevó a cabo una masacre de al menos 20 personas en El Paso, Texas, que justificó en una declarac…
(2019-08-03). El Paso Shooting Suspect May Have Authored Manifesto Containing White Nationalist Talking Points. splcenter.org 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.
(2019-08-01). Facebook Dismantles Saudi-Linked Network of Fake Accounts. theantimedia.com More than 350 profiles and pages linked to the Saudi government with some 1.4 million followers were taken down by Facebook on Thursday.
(2019-07-29). Texas sheriff who stars on reality show fails to publicly address sexist images posted on Facebook by one of his top officers. splcenter.org Stories about law enforcement officers disciplined for posting offensive images or words on Facebook are increasingly popping up in the news.