Daily Archives: August 23, 2019

2019-08-23: News Headlines

RT (2019-08-23). Free speech v free enterprise? Lawsuit over big tech censorship strikes at core of American values. rt.com A looming court battle over social media censorship challenges America's dual devotion to free speech and free enterprise, an analyst told RT, arguing that popular platforms like Facebook have essentially become public utilities. | The DC Court of Appeals has agreed to hear the merits of a lawsuit brought against Apple, Facebook, Google, and Twitter by conservative commentator Laura Loomer, who accused the big tech giants of conspiring to silence her political views. Loomer has been banned from several major internet platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Medium, and PayPal. | The case has sparked…

Pete Tucker (2019-08-23). WaPo Complicit in Corruption of DC Council's Corporate 'Concierge'. fair.org After years of hiding in plain sight, Jack Evans' ethical problems are suddenly a story (WJLA, 3/5/19). | When the FBI came knocking on DC Councilmember Jack Evans' door in June, it set off an earthquake in local politics and business. | Over his 28 years on the DC Council, Evans has served as " concierge" for the elite, steering gobs of public money to stadiums, arenas and luxury condos. Along the way, it wasn't just developers and banks that profited; so did Evans. | Ev…

RT (2019-08-23). David Koch, billionaire conservative & one of the world's richest people, dies at 79. rt.com US billionaire businessman and key Republican Party donor David Koch has died at the age of 79. | Koch stepped down from the family business, Koch Industries, last year amid health problems. His death has been confirmed by his older brother Charles. | "It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my brother David," says Charles Koch in statement.— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) August 23, 2019 | David was listed by Forbes…

RT (2019-08-23). 'Who is our bigger enemy?': Trump lashes out, compares Fed chairman Powell to Chinese President Xi. rt.com President Donald Trump has lashed out at the Federal Reserve chairman, after Jay Powell refused to cut interest rates to Trump's liking, a move that would have given the president ammunition to escalate his trade war with China. | "As usual, the Fed did NOTHING!" Trump tweeted on Friday, after Powell announced that he would "sustain the expansion" of the US economy, but not by slashing interest rates by a whole percentage point, as Trump has repeatedly called for. Instead, Powell is likely to lower rates by around a quarter of a percentage point, from their current level of 2.25 percent. | Also on rt.com

teleSUR, TR (2019-08-23). Youtube Bans 210 Pro-Beijing Channels Posting About Hong Kong. telesurenglish.net YouTube's parent company, Google, announced Thursday that they had disabled 210 channels engaged in posting pro-Beijing content related to Hong Kong's protests. | By doing so, Google joins Facebook and Twitter, which also informed Monday that hundreds of thousands of accounts were deleted from their platforms for similar reasons. Twitter published a statement in which first line they imply that state-backed information was some sort of a crime. | According to Twitter's version this accounts were…

Santa Cruz News Network (2019-08-23). Community Members Report Encounters with Paid Recall Canvassers. indybay.org Increasingly, community members in Santa Cruz are reporting on social media enocunters with people they claim are being paid to gether signatures for the petition to recall Progressive Santa Cruz City Councilmembers Drew Glover and Chris Krohn. Keith McHenry, the co-founder of Food Not Bombs, described yesterday an encounter he had with a person who was paid to collect signatures for the recall petitions. "A poor guy outside Trader Joes told me he was paid $6 per signature and that the people who hired him said the money came from local people," McHenry said. In his latest column, Bruce Bratton writes: "It can't…

Miriam Deprez (2019-08-23). Israel's Online Occupation of Palestine. progressive.org How a Facebook post can land you in prison.

Dr. Debra Greene (2019-08-23). Giant 5G Drones in Hawaii Skies? Pushback Is Growing… globalresearch.ca As we approach the 5G Crisis: Awareness & Accountability online summit, Dr. Debra Greene uncovers a crazy development in Hawaii, in her 4-min video above, or on YouTube here. Sign the petition to help stop the 5G drone development …

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-08-23). After Handing Rich $1.5 Trillion Tax Cut, Trump Reportedly Considering Slashing Medicare and Social Security as 'Second-Term Project'. commondreams.org "Mr. Trump, you are not going to have a second term," tweeted Sen. Bernie Sanders in response to the president's reported plan | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_medicare_social_security.jpg

RT (2019-08-22). NYT editor's tweets mocking Jews, Indians amid newspaper's 'anti-racist' drive. rt.com A politics editor at the New York Times faces charges of anti-Semitism and bigotry after a series of old insensitive tweets surfaced online. This comes after a similar scandal with its Washington editor and leaked editorial tapes. | Breitbart News uncovered the tweets in an investigation published on Thursday, detailing a litany of offensive and racially-charged remarks from senior staff editor Tom Wright-Piersanti, who has worked at the Gray Lady for a little over five year…

Staff (2019-08-22). Trump Tweets About Disloyal Jews, Then Tweets He's "King of Israel" therealnews.com Haggai Matar, editor of #972 Magazine discusses Netanyahu's Trump-inspired Omar and Tlaib ban, Trump's bizarre retweets, and its effect on Jews and the U.S. election…

susan_p (2019-08-22). 'International emergency' as fires devastate Brazil's rainforest. greenleft.org.au environment Jake JohnsonIssue 1234 Brazil Amazon forest fires climate changeThe hashtag #PrayForAmazonia went viral…

RT (2019-08-21). Rick Perry, politician responsible for US nukes, falls for embarrassing Instagram hoax. rt.com The US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry showed his age and social media naivety by reposting a hoax that supposedly stops Instagram from making its users' public posts… public. | The former governor of Texas, who's currently responsible for America's nuclear arsenal, shared…

Jan Oberg (2019-08-21). OMG Trump Cancels Denmark! dissidentvoice.org This morning the Danes could wake up to a Twitter message from US President Trump that he was anyhow not going to Denmark on September 2-3 — in spite of the fact that it had been confirmed and that, formally at least, he had been invited by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II herself. Here is …

Staff (2019-08-21). Rep Ayanna Pressley on Israel's Ban: "Bigoted, Short-Sighted and Cruel" therealnews.com These are the words tweeted by Rep. Ayanna Pressley in response to the Israeli decision to ban the entry of Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib. The story has a striking resemblance to South Africa and Rhodesia blocking the entry of African American Democratic Representative Charles C. Diggs Junior in January 1972…

Fight Back (2019-08-21). Representatives Omar and Tlaib speak out against being banned from Palestine. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – On August 19, Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) held a press conference in the State Capitol in Saint Paul to a packed room, with an overflow of 100 people, on the human cost of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and travel restrictions. | On August 16, the Israeli government denied the representatives visas to visit Palestine. Their visas previously had been approved, but after a tweet by Donald Trump denouncing Omar and Tlaib's visit, the approval was revoked. Congresswoman Stacy Plaskett, delegate to House for the Virgin Islands, was to join them on th…

Emily Apple (2019-08-21). In one tweet, Jeremy Corbyn shows exactly why he's the leader the world needs. thecanary.co As The Canary reported, a coup is currently underway in Turkey against democratically elected mayors in three predominately Kurdish cities. But while there's been a deafening silence from the Conservative Party over the actions of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoƒüan, Jeremy Corbyn has spoken out: | The arrest of political leaders and act…

RT (2019-08-20). Emergency & music fests prepared in rural Nevada one month out from 'Storm Area 51'. rt.com With the 'Storm Area 51' event just weeks away, a rural county in Nevada is preparing for the worst. Ahead of the Facebook-organized plot to "see them aliens," the county has already declared a state of emergency. | Officials in Lincoln County, Nevada have agreed to pre-sign an emergency declaration in preparation for the now notorious event, scheduled for late September, which could draw a horde of visitors — the Facebook event page has already amassed hundreds of thousa…

RT (2019-08-20). Russia, Racism… Recession? Trump says Democrats hope for economic bust to hurt him in 2020. rt.com US President Donald Trump is accusing Democrats and the media of trying to bring about a recession in order to hurt his 2020 re-election. His critics reply that they're only stating the facts… just like they did with Russiagate? | "The word recession is inappropriate… We're very far from a recession," Trump said on Tuesday, adding that his critics would "love to see" an economic downturn. Earlier, he tweeted a video clip of Fox Business host Lou Dobbs blaming "radical Democrats" for the recession talk. | pic.twitter.com/WyGbgUGEhJ— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTr…

RT (2019-08-20). 'Run, hide, or fight': Louisiana State University warns of 'armed intruder' in a tweet. rt.com The Louisiana State University's campus was temporarily placed on lockdown after a report of a gunman on its grounds. The university responded with a warning, telling its students in a tweet to "run, hide or fight." | The university first warned about an armed intruder on Tuesday afternoon, and soon followed up its initial tweet with advice to "Run: Exit the area and move away from danger. Hide: If escape is not possible, find a safe area to hide. Fight: This is an absolute last resort." | Run: Exit the area and move away from danger. | Hide: If escape is not possible, find a safe area to hide. | Fight: This i…

Mohamed Elmaazi (2019-08-20). Twitter's new policy on 'state-controlled news media' should concern us all. thecanary.co Twitter has announced an update to its advertisement policy which may reflect yet another assault on free speech by social media giants. On 19 August, Twitter declared that: Going forward, we will not accept advertising from state-controlled news media entities. | While this may not see…

Emily Apple (2019-08-20). The racist chicken boxes are getting a make-over and it's total genius. thecanary.co As The Canary previously reported, the home office's latest attempt to tackle knife crime through chicken boxes was lambasted for "racial profiling". | Chicken stores are replacing their usual packaging with special boxes. Bearing the hashtag #knifefree, the boxes also feature "real life stories to show people how they can go…

Rick Sterling (2019-08-20). NPR Mocks Cancer Survivor in Drumbeat of Syria Propaganda. dissidentvoice.org Asma al-Assad, First Lady of Syria (from released Syrian Presidency Facebook page) It may be a new low in propaganda. National Public Radio (NPR) used the news that Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad had overcome breast cancer to mock her and continue the information war against Syria. They interviewed a Human Rights Watch staffer named …

The Canary (2019-08-20). Key questions about Boris Johnson's Brexit letter to Donald Tusk. thecanary.co With Brexit due on October 31, Boris Johnson has set out in writing his demands for changes to the UK's divorce deal from the European Union.— What has the Prime Minister said?In his letter to European Council president Donald Tusk, Johnson confirmed his aim of removing the backstop — the contingency plan to keep a soft border with Ireland in all circumstances — from the legally binding Withdrawal Agreement. | I have written to @eucopresident about key aspects of the UK's…

Staff (2019-08-20). Headlines for August 20, 2019. democracynow.org NYPD Fires Daniel Pantaleo 5 Years After He Killed Eric Garner, Planned Parenthood Rejects Federal Funds over Trump "Gag Rule" on Abortion Referrals, Fears of Renewed Arms Race as U.S. Tests Ground Missile and Questions Remain over Russian Blast, Sudan: Omar al-Bashir Heads to Court Days After Signing of Transitional Deal, Salvadoran Rape Survivor Cleared After Prior Conviction for Killing Stillborn, Twitter & Facebook Remove China-Linked Accounts over Hong Kong Protest Misinformation, Elizabeth Warren Apologizes to Indigenous Groups at Iowa Native American Forum, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Asks Federal Court to H…

Ed Sykes (2019-08-20). Jo Swinson probably wishes she hadn't posted that latest lie about Jeremy Corbyn. thecanary.co On 20 August, Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson lied about Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn ( again). But people were quick to call her out. And now, she probably wishes she hadn't bothered. | "Fake news": | Swinson tweeted: | Jeremy Corbyn didn't fight to remain in 2016, and he won't fight for remain now. He wants to deliver a Labour Brexit, becau…

Ryan Gallagher (2019-08-19). Twitter Helped Chinese Government Promote Disinformation on Repression of Uighurs. theintercept.com Twitter helped to promote Chinese government propaganda and disinformation about the country's controversial internment camps in the Xinjiang region, a review of the company's advertising records reveals. | The social media company today announced a policy change that would bar such promotion following an inquiry from The Intercept and an earlier controversy over similar propaganda related to demonstrations in Hong Kong. | In Xinjiang, a western province in China, the United Nations has estimated that 1 milli…

unitedEditor (2019-08-17). How do the Western powers use social networks for their own political goals? uwidata.com 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".

Hatewatch Staff (2019-08-16). Marjorie Taylor Greene: How an Outspoken MAGA Fan Built a Following in a World of Extremists. splcenter.org 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.

Sam Biddle (2019-08-16). Trauma Counselors Were Pressured to Divulge Confidential Information About Facebook Moderators, Internal Letter Claims. theintercept.com 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…

Staff (2019-08-16). What Is Israel Trying to Hide? Reps. Tlaib & Omar Blocked from Taking Official Trip to West Bank. democracynow.org 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…

Staff (2019-08-15). Headlines for August 15, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Administration Moves to Seize Iranian Tanker Held in Gibraltar, Chinese Paramilitaries Mass on Hong Kong Border as Pro-Democracy Protests Continue, Dow Jones Plunges 800 Points on Fears of Looming Recession, Study Finds CEO Pay Increased 1,000% Since 1978 While Wages Stagnated, Facebook Hired Hundreds to Listen In on Users' Audio Messages, Mexico City Police Officers Suspended over Rape of Two Teenagers, Italian Court Allows Rescued Migrants to Disembark as Hundreds More Remain Stranded at Sea, NBC News: ICE Now Jailing 8,000 Migrants in Mississippi, Louisiana, Federal Court Weighs Fate of Protected Status…

Amos Toh (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.

2019-08-23: Social Media Postees

Youtube Bans 210 Pro-Beijing Channels Posting About Hong Kong
teleSUR, TR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-23
YouTube's parent company, Google, announced Thursday that they had disabled 210 channels engaged in posting pro-Beijing content related to Hong Kong's protests. | By doing so, Google joins Facebook and Twitter, which also informed Monday that hundreds of thousands of accounts were deleted from their platforms for similar reasons. Twitter published a statement in which first line they imply that state-backed information was some sort of a crime. | According to Twitter's version this accounts were…
telesurenglish.net/news/Youtube-Bans-210-Pro-Beijing-Channels-Posting-About-Hong-Kong–20190823-0002.html

Free speech v free enterprise? Lawsuit over big tech censorship strikes at core of American values
rt.com | 2019-08-23
A looming court battle over social media censorship challenges America's dual devotion to free speech and free enterprise, an analyst told RT, arguing that popular platforms like Facebook have essentially become public utilities. | The DC Court of Appeals has agreed to hear the merits of a lawsuit brought against Apple, Facebook, Google, and Twitter by conservative commentator Laura Loomer, who accused the big tech giants of conspiring to silence her political views. Loomer has been banned from several major internet platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Medium, and PayPal. | The case has sparked…
rt.com/usa/467120-loomer-big-tech-lawsuit-debate/

Community Members Report Encounters with Paid Recall Canvassers
Santa Cruz News Network | indybay.org | 2019-08-23
Increasingly, community members in Santa Cruz are reporting on social media enocunters with people they claim are being paid to gether signatures for the petition to recall Progressive Santa Cruz City Councilmembers Drew Glover and Chris Krohn. Keith McHenry, the co-founder of Food Not Bombs, described yesterday an encounter he had with a person who was paid to collect signatures for the recall petitions. "A poor guy outside Trader Joes told me he was paid $6 per signature and that the people who hired him said the money came from local people," McHenry said. In his latest column, Bruce Bratton writes: "It can't…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/23/18825646.php

Israel's Online Occupation of Palestine
Miriam Deprez | progressive.org | 2019-08-23
How a Facebook post can land you in prison.
progressive.org/dispatches/israels-online-occupation-of-palestine-deprez-190823/

'Who is our bigger enemy?': Trump lashes out, compares Fed chairman Powell to Chinese President Xi
rt.com | 2019-08-23
President Donald Trump has lashed out at the Federal Reserve chairman, after Jay Powell refused to cut interest rates to Trump's liking, a move that would have given the president ammunition to escalate his trade war with China. | "As usual, the Fed did NOTHING!" Trump tweeted on Friday, after Powell announced that he would "sustain the expansion" of the US economy, but not by slashing interest rates by a whole percentage point, as Trump has repeatedly called for. Instead, Powell is likely to lower rates by around a quarter of a percentage point, from their current level of 2.25 percent. | Also on rt.com
rt.com/usa/467156-trump-powell-fed-china/

Giant 5G Drones in Hawaii Skies? Pushback Is Growing
Dr. Debra Greene | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-23
As we approach the 5G Crisis: Awareness & Accountability online summit, Dr. Debra Greene uncovers a crazy development in Hawaii, in her 4-min video above, or on YouTube here. Sign the petition to help stop the 5G drone development …
globalresearch.ca/giant-5g-drones-hawaii-skies/5686969

After Handing Rich $1.5 Trillion Tax Cut, Trump Reportedly Considering Slashing Medicare and Social Security as 'Second-Term Project'
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-23
"Mr. Trump, you are not going to have a second term," tweeted Sen. Bernie Sanders in response to the president's reported plan | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_medicare_social_security.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/23/after-handing-rich-15-trillion-tax-cut-trump-reportedly-considering-slashing?cd-origin=rss

Trump Tweets About Disloyal Jews, Then Tweets He's "King of Israel"
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-22
Haggai Matar, editor of #972 Magazine discusses Netanyahu's Trump-inspired Omar and Tlaib ban, Trump's bizarre retweets, and its effect on Jews and the U.S. election…
therealnews.com/stories/trump-tweets-about-disloyal-jews-then-tweets-hes-king-of-israel

NYT editor's tweets mocking Jews, Indians amid newspaper's 'anti-racist' drive
rt.com | 2019-08-22
A politics editor at the New York Times faces charges of anti-Semitism and bigotry after a series of old insensitive tweets surfaced online. This comes after a similar scandal with its Washington editor and leaked editorial tapes. | Breitbart News uncovered the tweets in an investigation published on Thursday, detailing a litany of offensive and racially-charged remarks from senior staff editor Tom Wright-Piersanti, who has worked at the Gray Lady for a little over five year…
rt.com/usa/467094-nyt-editor-racist-tweets/

'International emergency' as fires devastate Brazil's rainforest
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-22
environment Jake JohnsonIssue 1234 Brazil Amazon forest fires climate changeThe hashtag #PrayForAmazonia went viral…
greenleft.org.au/content/international-emergency-fires-devastate-brazils-rainforest

Representatives Omar and Tlaib speak out against being banned from Palestine
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-08-21
St. Paul, MN – On August 19, Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) held a press conference in the State Capitol in Saint Paul to a packed room, with an overflow of 100 people, on the human cost of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and travel restrictions. | On August 16, the Israeli government denied the representatives visas to visit Palestine. Their visas previously had been approved, but after a tweet by Donald Trump denouncing Omar and Tlaib's visit, the approval was revoked. Congresswoman Stacy Plaskett, delegate to House for the Virgin Islands, was to join them on th…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/21/representatives-omar-and-tlaib-speak-out-against-being-banned-palestine

Rep Ayanna Pressley on Israel's Ban: "Bigoted, Short-Sighted and Cruel"
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-21
These are the words tweeted by Rep. Ayanna Pressley in response to the Israeli decision to ban the entry of Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib. The story has a striking resemblance to South Africa and Rhodesia blocking the entry of African American Democratic Representative Charles C. Diggs Junior in January 1972…
therealnews.com/stories/rep-ayanna-pressley-on-israels-ban-bigoted-short-sighted-and-cruel

Rick Perry, politician responsible for US nukes, falls for embarrassing Instagram hoax
rt.com | 2019-08-21
The US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry showed his age and social media naivety by reposting a hoax that supposedly stops Instagram from making its users' public posts… public. | The former governor of Texas, who's currently responsible for America's nuclear arsenal, shared…
rt.com/usa/466970-rick-perry-instagram-hoax/

OMG Trump Cancels Denmark!
Jan Oberg | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-21
This morning the Danes could wake up to a Twitter message from US President Trump that he was anyhow not going to Denmark on September 2-3 — in spite of the fact that it had been confirmed and that, formally at least, he had been invited by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II herself. Here is …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/omg-trump-cancels-denmark/

In one tweet, Jeremy Corbyn shows exactly why he's the leader the world needs
Emily Apple | thecanary.co | 2019-08-21
As The Canary reported, a coup is currently underway in Turkey against democratically elected mayors in three predominately Kurdish cities. But while there's been a deafening silence from the Conservative Party over the actions of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoƒüan, Jeremy Corbyn has spoken out: | The arrest of political leaders and act…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/08/21/in-one-tweet-jeremy-corbyn-shows-exactly-why-hes-the-leader-the-world-needs/

Twitter's new policy on 'state-controlled news media' should concern us all
Mohamed Elmaazi | thecanary.co | 2019-08-20
Twitter has announced an update to its advertisement policy which may reflect yet another assault on free speech by social media giants. On 19 August, Twitter declared that: Going forward, we will not accept advertising from state-controlled news media entities. | While this may not see…
thecanary.co/opinion/2019/08/20/twitters-new-policy-on-state-controlled-news-media-should-concern-us-all/

Emergency & music fests prepared in rural Nevada one month out from 'Storm Area 51'
rt.com | 2019-08-20
With the 'Storm Area 51' event just weeks away, a rural county in Nevada is preparing for the worst. Ahead of the Facebook-organized plot to "see them aliens," the county has already declared a state of emergency. | Officials in Lincoln County, Nevada have agreed to pre-sign an emergency declaration in preparation for the now notorious event, scheduled for late September, which could draw a horde of visitors — the Facebook event page has already amassed hundreds of thousa…
rt.com/usa/466925-nevada-county-declares-emergency/

Russia, Racism… Recession? Trump says Democrats hope for economic bust to hurt him in 2020
rt.com | 2019-08-20
US President Donald Trump is accusing Democrats and the media of trying to bring about a recession in order to hurt his 2020 re-election. His critics reply that they're only stating the facts… just like they did with Russiagate? | "The word recession is inappropriate… We're very far from a recession," Trump said on Tuesday, adding that his critics would "love to see" an economic downturn. Earlier, he tweeted a video clip of Fox Business host Lou Dobbs blaming "radical Democrats" for the recession talk. | pic.twitter.com/WyGbgUGEhJ– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTr…
rt.com/usa/466931-trump-recession-media-democrats/

'Run, hide, or fight': Louisiana State University warns of 'armed intruder' in a tweet
rt.com | 2019-08-20
The Louisiana State University's campus was temporarily placed on lockdown after a report of a gunman on its grounds. The university responded with a warning, telling its students in a tweet to "run, hide or fight." | The university first warned about an armed intruder on Tuesday afternoon, and soon followed up its initial tweet with advice to "Run: Exit the area and move away from danger. Hide: If escape is not possible, find a safe area to hide. Fight: This is an absolute last resort." | Run: Exit the area and move away from danger. | Hide: If escape is not possible, find a safe area to hide. | Fight: This i…
rt.com/usa/466928-louisiana-university-active-shooter/

NPR Mocks Cancer Survivor in Drumbeat of Syria Propaganda
Rick Sterling | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-20
Asma al-Assad, First Lady of Syria (from released Syrian Presidency Facebook page) It may be a new low in propaganda. National Public Radio (NPR) used the news that Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad had overcome breast cancer to mock her and continue the information war against Syria. They interviewed a Human Rights Watch staffer named …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/npr-mocks-cancer-survivor-in-drumbeat-of-syria-propaganda/

Jo Swinson probably wishes she hadn't posted that latest lie about Jeremy Corbyn
Ed Sykes | thecanary.co | 2019-08-20
On 20 August, Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson lied about Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn ( again). But people were quick to call her out. And now, she probably wishes she hadn't bothered. | "Fake news": | Swinson tweeted: | Jeremy Corbyn didn't fight to remain in 2016, and he won't fight for remain now. He wants to deliver a Labour Brexit, becau…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/08/20/jo-swinson-probably-wishes-she-hadnt-posted-that-latest-lie-about-jeremy-corbyn/

Twitter Helped Chinese Government Promote Disinformation on Repression of Uighurs
Ryan Gallagher | theintercept.com | 2019-08-19
Twitter helped to promote Chinese government propaganda and disinformation about the country's controversial internment camps in the Xinjiang region, a review of the company's advertising records reveals. | The social media company today announced a policy change that would bar such promotion following an inquiry from The Intercept and an earlier controversy over similar propaganda related to demonstrations in Hong Kong. | In Xinjiang, a western province in China, the United Nations has estimated that 1 milli…
theintercept.com/2019/08/19/twitter-ads-china-uighurs/

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/

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

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

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/