(2019-09-13). Creepy Republican Ad During Democratic Debate Attacks Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. theintercept.com The strange Republican obsession with attacking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reached a new low in a commercial break during the Democratic presidential debate in Houston on Thursday night. | The widely reviled commercial, which aired on ABC and was paid for by donors to the GOP New Faces PAC, opened with a photograph of the young Latinx congresswoman's face being set on fire to reveal images of the 1970s genocide in Cambodia underneath. | The attack ad…
(2019-09-13). With Bolton Out of the Way, Peace With North Korea Is Possible. truthout.org | | On September 10, President Trump fired John Bolton, his third national security adviser, announcing on Twitter that Bolton's "services were no longer needed." Unsurprisingly, Bolton fired back by tweet, countering that he hadn't been fired, but in fact had offered his resignation. | It was no secret in Washington that Trump grew increasingly frustrated with Bolton's hawkish positions, even joking in m…
(2019-09-13). The Sacking of John Bolton. counterpunch.org "Every time the president, or Pompeo, or anyone in the [Trump] administration came up with an idea, they had to face Dr No." — Cliff Kupchan, Chairman of the Eurasia Group, The Washington Post, Sep 11, 2011. It was compelling viewing (one does not so much read Twitter as see it as a series of More
(2019-09-13). BBCQT audience member says what half of the country is probably thinking about Brexit. thecanary.co On 13 September, one audience member on BBC Question Time said what half of the country is probably thinking about Brexit. | Talking about politicians focusing so much time on Brexit, he said: I'm just sick and tired. You've had three years three months, done nothing apart from argue among yourselves like little kids. You've no respect for each other and no respect for the British people. Just go away. | This voter on BBCQT last night spoke for…
(2019-09-13). Jeremy Corbyn: Electoral "Chicken" or Political Mastermind? counterpunch.org 
Britain's hard-right Tory Prime Minister, Boris Johnson (BoJo the Racist Clown), recently told US Vice President, Mike Pence, that Labour's genuinely left-wing leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is "a gigantic chlorinated chicken." The official Tory Twitter account even featured a Photoshopped image of Corbyn wearing a chicken costume, making the joke (which doesn't even work) that the More
(2019-09-12). 'Loser' v 'warmongering chickenhawk': 2 Republican lawmakers in epic Twitter beef. rt.com 
A disagreement on 9/11 over John Bolton and US withdrawal from Afghanistan descended into a full-on Twitter war between Rep. Liz Cheney and Senator Rand Paul, in a sequel to the beef between their fathers over invading Iraq. | It all started when Paul (R-Kentucky) backed two state legislators who blasted Cheney (R-Wyoming) for demanding a more aggressive foreign policy. "Why do some neocons continue to advocate for endless wars?" he quipped. "Let's focus on America First, not Afghanistan!" | Cheney snapped back that she stands with Trump and US troops in not surrendering to terrorists, "unlike [Paul], who seem…
(2019-09-12). UPDATED: Protesters Greet Trump in Baltimore Weeks After He Attacked City. therealnews.com 
Over one hundred demonstrators protested President Trump's visit to Baltimore on Thursday Sept 12th, the first of several planned demonstrations against a gathering of Congressional republicans at a ritzy waterfront resort. | Trump's visit came just weeks after he attacked the city in a series of incendiary tweets. He called Baltimore "rat infested" and "a place no one wants to live," and called local congressman Elijah Cummings a "racist" and a "failure." | As chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Cummings is leading probes into the Trump administration, as well as the Trump family's business dealings. | Pr…
(2019-09-12). YouTubers arrested for trespassing near Area 51 ahead of planned 'invasion' of secret base. rt.com 
Two Dutch YouTubers have been arrested after entering a secure US government area in the Nevada desert while in search of Area 51. | The Nye County Sheriff's Office arrested 20-year-old Ties Granzier and his friend Govert Charles Wilhelmus Jacob Sweep, 21, after they were found filming about three miles inside the Nevada National Security Site, which is approximately 10 miles from Area 51. | The site is a secure area where US government researchers are known to carry out top-secret nuclear experiments. | | © Nye County Sheriff's Office | Nye County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that Granzier and…
(2019-09-12). Facebook sanctions Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu over hate speech violation. thecanary.co 
Facebook has sanctioned the page of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu because of a violation of the company's hate speech policy.Facebook said the social network had suspended for 24 hours the page's bot, or automated chat function.The page had called on voters to prevent the establishment of a government composed of "Arabs who want to destroy us all — women, children and men".The Facebook logo displayed on a smartphone (Dominic Lipinski/PA)…
(2019-09-12). Venezuela: Military Exercises Against Colombian Aggression. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro launched the "Sovereignty and Peace 2019" military exercises along the Colombian border on Tuesday. | RELATED: | Venezuela Denounces OAS Intention to Activate TIAR | "As of today # 10Sep, the 'Sovereignty and Peace 2019' border military exercises begin so that together, in the Civic-Military union, we can deploy all the defensive systems that guarantee the peace and tranquility of the Venezuelan people," said President Maduro via twitter. | On September 4,…
(2019-09-12). Twitter Suspends Accounts of Cuba's Largest Media Outlets. telesurenglish.net The social media giant Twitter suspended the accounts of Cuba's largest media outlets and their journalists on Wednesday, along with the official account of the Communist Party of Cuba, the country's Ministry of Communication and several senior figures in Cuban public life. | RELATED: | Twitter Bans Chinese Accounts Criticizing Hong Kong Protests | T…
(2019-09-12). How disinformation could sway the 2020 election. nationofchange.org In 2016, Russian operatives used Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to sow division among American voters and boost Donald Trump's presidential campaign. What the Russians used to accomplish this is called "disinformation," which is false or misleading content intended to deceive or promote discord. Now, with the first presidential primary vote only five months away, the public should be aware …
(2019-09-12). One tweet sums up why so many people were arrested trying to stop the London arms fair. thecanary.co Defence Security and Equipment International (DSEI) — the world's largest arms fair — is currently taking place in London. 116 people, including this author when not working as a journalist, have been arrested trying to stop it happening. | And one tweet shows exactly why so many of us are prepared to put our bodies in the way of this trade in death and de…
(2019-09-12). Have You Noticed How Social Media Purges Always Align With the US Empire? theantimedia.com There have been no comparable mass social media purges of groups that are aligned with the US-centralized empire.
(2019-09-12). Cuba's 1st White Rhino Calf Born in Over 15 Years. telesurenglish.net Cuba's national zoo has welcomed its first white rhino calf to have been born in captivity in over 15 years. | RELATED: | While the Amazon Burns, Cuba Increases its Forested Area | "We feel an enormous pride presenting you with the birth of a species that has not happened in over 15 years and which has filled us with joy and emotion," the institution said on Facebook alongside three photographs of the newborn rhino and its mother. | The youngest member of the zoo's African enclosure…
(2019-09-11). Some airplanes did something?! New York Times article 'de-terrorizes' 9/11 attacks. rt.com 
On the anniversary of the most devastating terrorist attack on US soil, a story by the New York Times suggested that "airplanes" brought down the twin towers. The seeming shift of responsibility did not sit well with readers. | "18 years have passed since airplanes took aim and brought down the World Trade Center," read a tweet from the New York Times on Wednesday. "Today families will once again gather and grieve at the site where more than 2000 people died." Inside an accompanying article, the same bizarre sentence was repeated. | Though technological dystopia was all the rage in 2001, what with the success…
(2019-09-11). 'We don't want another FyreFest': 'Storm Area 51' event canceled over 'safety concerns'. rt.com 
"AlienStock," a music-festival spinoff of the "Storm Area 51" viral event, has been canceled out of fear for visitors' safety amid armed and angry locals, military police, and punishing desert conditions. | Alienstock, set to take place in Rachel, Nevada — the closest town to the secretive Area 51 airbase — was canceled out of fear it would turn into "FyreFest 2.0," the organizers announced on Tuesday, referring to the notorious music festival that bilked attendees for hefty ticket fees only to strand them on a tropical island in the Bahamas with no infrastructure and no festival. | Also on rt.com…
(2019-09-10). John Bolton, welcome to #Resistance? Media, Democrats lament Trump firing national security hawk. rt.com 
Within hours of his firing by President Donald Trump, the hawkish national security adviser John Bolton was embraced by mainstream media outlets and even some Democrats, even if only as an excuse to criticize the White House. | Trump announced Bolton's ouster via Twitter on Tuesday morning, stunning even those in Washington who have reported on the possibility of such a move for months. As the shock wore off, however, reporters and lawmakers figured they would offer their thoughts — which, unsurprisingly, went along the usual lines. | "Can't wait for the Resistance, led by Maddow & O'Donnell & Hayes, to e…
(2019-09-10). Bolton out: Trump ditches hawkish adviser he kept for 18 months despite 'disagreements'. rt.com 
Whatever prompted US President Donald Trump to decide the services of his national security adviser John Bolton were "no longer needed," the question now is if he intends to retreat from the hawkish path Bolton had blazed. | Trump made the announcement on Twitter, as usual, saying he "disagreed strongly with many of [Bolton's] suggestions" and therefore asked for his resignation — and received it on Tuesday. Bolton's response perhaps illustrated the nature of his relationship with Trump: he tweeted only a confirmation that he'd offered to resign, then leaked an account to the media disputing Trump's versi…
(2019-09-10). War and whiskers: Freshly-resigned John Bolton gets meme-roasting. rt.com 
US National Security Advisor John Bolton's departure from the Trump administration has been met with a mix of joy from the MAGA crowd and protests from dedicated neocons, but also with an avalanche of memes. | President Donald Trump announced Bolton's dismissal by tweet on Tuesday, saying he had "disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions," presumably meaning his advocacy for military-enforced regime change in Syria, Venezuela, North Korea and Iran. Bolton insisted that he attempted to resign before Trump's announcement. | Reaction flowed in swiftly, with some commenters in the media lamenting the war-haw…
(2019-09-10). Publishers beg Congress to save them from extinction at the hands of Big Tech. rt.com 
Newspaper executives are begging Congress to rescue their business model from predatory tech platforms, urging lawmakers to pass a bill that will allow them to bargain collectively and presumably restore their former glory. | Seven major newspaper publishers are lobbying for the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, which would give the newspaper industry four years of immunity from antitrust laws. That would enable them to bargain collectively with companies like Google and Facebook — which are, ironically, subject to several antitrust probes of their own, due to their outsize presence in the tech…
(2019-09-10). Massive blaze as train carrying flammable liquid derails in Illinois (PHOTO, VIDEO). rt.com 
Plumes of huge black smoke have been seen miles away from the crash site after a freight train carrying flammable liquid derailed near Dupo, Illinois, prompting an evacuation of railroad staff. | The accident occurred at around 12: 45 pm local time at Union Pacific's Dupo Yard, when the train was being prepared for departure, the railroad said. The derailment caused a tank car with methyl isobutyl ketone solvent to catch fire. | There have so no reports of deaths and injuries far been, with railroad staff safely evacuated from the yard. | www.facebook.com/herb.simmons.5/videos/10221191145874015/ | Foota…
(2019-09-10). 'The Nation' Launches 'Signal:Noise,' a New Column Confronting Mainstream Media Myopia. thenation.com 'The Nation' Launches 'Signal: Noise,' a New Column Confronting Mainstream Media Myopia…
(2019-09-10). From a Lebanese Refugee Camp to Harvard, Ismail Ajjawi Inspires Other Palestinian Students. democracynow.org 
Today marks a week since Ismail Ajjawi, a 17-year-old Palestinian student who was denied entry into the United States, began classes with his fellow Harvard freshmen. Ajjawi was initially turned away at Boston's Logan Airport after immigration officials searched his phone and computer, and interrogated him about his religion and social media posts by friends that were critical of U.S. policy. He was then forced to return home to Lebanon, but his case provoked outrage on the Harvard campus and among some Palestinian rights and academic freedom groups. Ajjawi, who is attending Harvard on a full scholarship, was edu…
(2019-09-09). As Biden Invokes Dead Family Members Against Medicare for All, Media Play Along. fair.org 
by Joshua Cho | Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden last month released a new Iowa TV ad called " Personal," which recounts the former vice president's personal tragedy of losing his wife and daughter to a car crash, and the subsequent loss of his son Beau Biden from brain cancer. | Biden presented his story as a celebration of for-profit health insurance by saying that he "couldn't imagine" what it would've been like if their insurance didn't cover the healthcare required "immediately," and that…
(2019-09-03). Identity Unmasked: Meet the Proprietors of the Internet's Largest Neo-Confederate Propaganda Machine. splcenter.org A small Facebook campaign predicated on keeping Confederate monuments in place has morphed into a group of more than 200 ardent, secretive separatists planning to make the South a separate nation.
(2019-09-03). Out of the Darkness: Conversion Therapist Quits 'Ex-Gay' Movement. splcenter.org According to Truth Wins Out, Matheson's fellow ex-gay leader Rich Wyler announced his exit in a post to a private Facebook group. TWO "goes undercover to expose 'ex-gay' conversion leaders as hypocritical frauds that have not actually changed their sexual orientation," its website states.