Daily Archives: September 18, 2019

2019-09-18: News Headlines

Dave Lindorff (2019-09-18). Why on Earth Would the US Go to War with Iran over an Attack on Saudi Oil Refineries? counterpunch.org President Bone Spur, backed by his war-mongering Secretary of State Mike "Armageddon" Pompeo, tweeted yesterday that the US military is "locked and loaded," ready to attack (bomb) Iran if it can be proven that Iran was behind a drone bomb attack on Saudi Arabia's oil refineries. There are plenty of news media in the US More

RT (2019-09-18). Area 51 has 'secrets that deserve to be protected,' US Air Force top brass warns 'stormers'. rt.com Chief of Staff General David Goldfein has ominously insisted that the Air Force is taking the viral 'Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All Of Us' event "very seriously" as the US has "secrets [that] deserve to be protected." | "All joking aside, we're taking it very seriously," Goldfein told reporters during the Air Force Association's annual Air, Space, and Cyber Conference. "Our nation has secrets, and those secrets deserve to be protected. The people deserve to have our nation's secrets protected." | Goldfein's comments will likely fan the flames of conspiracy theories already raging online, particularly in th…

Media Lens (2019-09-18). Stockholm Syndrome — Julian Assange and the Limits of Guardian Dissent. globalresearch.ca Nothing happened on September 2 in central London. Roger Waters, co-founder of Pink Floyd, did not initiate a protest outside the Home Office. He did not sing and play the Floyd classic 'Wish You Were Here', or say: | 'Julian …

Emily Apple (2019-09-18). The Metropolitan police just arrested a journalist for photographing a protest. thecanary.co A photojournalist, who is a member of the NUJ, was arrested by the Metropolitan Police on 18 September for photgraphing a protest. | Guy Smallman was filming one of the Heathrow Pause protesters flying a toy drone near Heathrow when he was arrested. As the image above shows, he was clearly wearing a badge that identified him as press. | "Avoiding scrutiny": | As people pointed out on Twitter, Smallman is a well known and well respected journalist: | Disturbed to hear…

Ed Sykes (2019-09-18). Historian calls out media for failing to question UK's 'ever-growing' links with repressive regime. thecanary.co On 17 September, historian Mark Curtis slammed the media for failing to hold the British government to account over its increasing links with Egypt's repressive elitist regime. Tweeting a screenshot of a recent government announcement, he said: | UK has an "ever growing economic partnership"

Andrew Emett (2019-09-18). NY judge resigns after posting noose image on Facebook. nationofchange.org After posting the image of a noose with the words "Make America Great Again" on his Facebook page, an upstate New York judge announced his resignation in order to avoid formal proceedings against him. The former judge also agreed to never seek or accept judicial office in the future. On February 18, 2018, Kyle Canning, …

Global Research News (2019-09-18). Selected Articles: U.S. and Israel's Role in Prolonging Syrian Conflict. globalresearch.ca Global Research has over 50,000 subscribers to our Newsletter. | Our objective is to recruit one thousand committed "volunteers" among our 50,000 Newsletter subscribers to support the distribution of Global Research articles (email lists, social media, crossposts). | Do not send us …

RT (2019-09-17). 'Not a House party': Ex-Trump aide Lewandowski hearing turns into impeachment circus. rt.com Seeking to impeach President Donald Trump, the House Judiciary Committee summoned his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski for a hearing that devolved into a trolling and shouting match. Here are some of the craziest moments. | Appearing before the committee on Tuesday, Lewandowski accused the Democrats of "petty and personal politics," described the hearing as "going down a rabbit hole" and vowed to be "as sincere in my answers as this committee is in its questions." The video of his opening statement was approvingly tweeted by Trump. | pic.twitter.com/wrEmfGFRHm

RT (2019-09-17). 'We are not your prostitutes!' Tulsi Gabbard slams Trump for 'pimping out' US soldiers to Saudi Arabia. rt.com Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard has doubled down on her attacks on President Donald Trump's 'disgraceful' allegiance to Saudi Arabia, eviscerating his 'betrayal' of her fellow soldiers and the US Constitution. | Singling out Trump's statement that the US was "locked and loaded" but "waiting to hear from the Kingdom … under what terms we would proceed," Gabbard slammed the US president for "offering to place our military assets under the command of a foreign country." | . @realDonaldTrump Despicable. Offering to place our mili…

RT (2019-09-17). Spice of life: Former Trump Press Sec lights up Twitter with NEON green shirt on Dancing with the Stars. rt.com Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer made his debut appearance on ABC's 'Dancing With the Stars' to mixed reactions, most of which centered around his appallingly garish choice of outfit, in radioactive green no less. | Clearly battle-hardened to Twitter teasing and trolling from his tenure in the White House, Spicer pre-empted the impending wave of derision with a heads up about the outfit. | Trust me, I certainly haven't forgotten and once you see the outfit I have to wear tonight you won't forget for quite some time — even after lots of therapy Treat this like looking at an eclipse with a do…

RT (2019-09-17). 'The Times is DEAD!' Trump demands resignation of all NYT writers involved in latest Kavanaugh smear. rt.com US President Donald Trump slammed the New York Times for 'destroying lives' after the paper belatedly issued a correction admitting its claim of assault by Justice Brett Kavanaugh was totally unsubstantiated by the "victim." | "I call for the Resignation of everybody at The New York Times involved in the Kavanaugh SMEAR story, and while you're at it, the Russian Witch Hunt Hoax, which is just as phony!" Trump tweeted on Monday in response to the Times's correction to an article describing Kavanaugh's alleged drunken misbehavior during his college years at Yale University, posted two days after the article itse…

RT (2019-09-17). 'Storm Area 51' forces shutdown of Nevada airspace to protect top secret facility. rt.com The US Federal Aviation Administration has banned all aircraft, including emergency vehicles, from the airspace near Area 51 ahead of the 'Storm Area 51 event' scheduled for Friday. | Everything from news helicopters to drones to private planes and even police vehicles have been barred from the airspace in anticipation of the viral event. The US Air Force (USAF) has also sternly warned people not to waste its time and energy, or even put their lives at risk, by attempting to flout the ban. | Only aircraft "working in support of the Department of Energy (DOE) Mission are allowed to enter the TFR (Temporary Flig…

teleSUR (2019-09-17). Ecuador's Legislator Votes Down Abortion Bill. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's National Assembly on Tuesday rejected the move to decriminalize abortions in the cases of rape. | RELATED: | Women in Ecuador Demand Legal Abortion in Case of Rape | "With 65 yes votes, … the Assembly does not approve (the) reforms related to non-punishable abortion," Ecuador's legislature announced on its Twitter account. | Pro-abortion protesters shouted at well-armed national anti-riot police that the decision was wrong. The vote keeps in force that abortion is only lega…

Stephen Lendman (2019-09-17). Trump Locked and Loaded Against Iran or Just Bluster? globalresearch.ca Take nothing Trump says at face value. Time and again his rhetoric and actions diverge greatly. | That said, on Sunday he tweeted the following: | "Saudi Arabia oil supply was attacked. There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, …

Kurt Nimmo (2019-09-17). Trump: Saudi Arabia's Bitch. globalresearch.ca "Saudi Arabia's Bitch". That's what Democrat candidate Tulsi Gabbard calls President Trump for his slavish reliance on Saudi Arabia to declare Iran responsible for last weekend's attack on Saudi oil resources. | Gabbard's comments are in response to Trump's tweet on …

Bryant Harris (2019-09-17). Sanders Warns Trump Against Illegal Iran Strike. globalresearch.ca The attack on the Saudi Aramco oil facility over the weekend and President Donald Trump's subsequent tweet that the United States is "locked and loaded" immediately prompted presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to fire back. | Sanders and …

teleSUR (2019-09-17). Progressives Slam Trump, 'Howdy Modi' Meeting in Texas. telesurenglish.net Progressives slammed the United States President Donlad trump's decision to join Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a bipartisan event in Houston on Sept. 22. | RELATED: | Bernie Sanders Condemns India's Action in Occupied Kashmir | "I don't know what's more embarasssing—that Modi will appear beside Trump or that Trump will appear beside Modi," tweeted Rutgers professor Audrey Truschke. "Both countries have my condolences." | The "Howdy, Modi!" event is sponsored by the T…

RT (2019-09-16). 'Certainly would look like' Iran is behind Saudi oil facility attacks — Trump. rt.com While Saudi Arabia is investigating the attacks on its oil facilities, President Donald Trump has said that "it certainly would look like" Iran was the culprit. Yet, he also noted he doesn't want another war. | Trump's statement, made to reporters on Monday, is the latest in a series that stop short of outright blaming Iran for the attack, which has already been claimed by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Earlier in the day Trump tweeted that "there is reason to believe that we know the culprit," before questioning Te…

RT (2019-09-16). #ObamaNetflix: Trump sends phrase trending while calling for inquiry into Barack's deals. rt.com Donald Trump inspired near-covfefe levels of confusion online after posting tweets that cryptically ended with: "Obama Netflix?" – a phrase which provided instant meme fodder. | The question closed a series of tweets from the US president in which he criticized the House Judiciary Committee for scrambling to find another avenue to attack him on following the Mueller investigation, after Democrats pushed for an inquiry into the use of Trump hotels for state and military visits. Perplexingly for some, his tweets closed with a nod to Barack Obama that sounded like a new brand: ….for the privilege of being you…

Sam Biddle (2019-09-16). NRA Ramped Up Facebook Advertising Immediately After Mass Shootings in El Paso and Dayton. theintercept.com After massacres at El Paso and Dayton, NRA urged gun owners to "show that you won't be intimidated" by calls for reform.

Maryam Saleh (2019-09-16). A Top Joe Biden Staffer Is a Supporter of India's Authoritarian Leader Narendra Modi. theintercept.com A new adviser to Joe Biden's presidential campaign, the director of outreach to the Asian-American Pacific Islander community, is a strong backer of extreme right-wing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. | Amit Jani took to Facebook in May to celebrate the authoritarian leader's reelection. | Jani, whose hiring as AAPI national vote director was announced last week, comes to Biden's campaign from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's office. He worked on AAPI outreach on Murphy's 2017 campaign and…

RT (2019-09-15). Yang says SNL novice should not be fired over Chinese racial slur, drowned out by PC crowd. rt.com Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang has said that Saturday Night Live's new hire Shane Gillis should not be sacked for making a tasteless joke after a clip of him mocking Chinatowns resurfaced, setting Twitter alight. | Yang, a son of immigrants from Taiwan, struck a distinctly different tone from most online warriors when he said he would be "happy to sit down and talk" with Gillis about the ill-fated clip that resurfaced on Friday. The video shows the comedian tearing into Chinatowns and their inhabitants. | "Damn, Chinatown is f**king nuts," Gillis says in the clip, referring to the ability of Chi…

RT (2019-09-15). Trump authorized release of oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve if needed to keep markets supplied. rt.com US President Donald Trump says he greenlighted the release of oil from the US strategic reserves and ordered pipeline approvals to be streamlined to keep the oil market "well-supplied," following the attacks on Saudi Aramco. | The drone strikes on Saudi Arabia's largest oil processing plant in Abqaiq and another oil facility have cut the state-run oil giant's daily production in half, sending Saudi stocks into a nosedive and sparking fears that oil prices could hit triple digits. | In a series of tweets on Sunday, Trump said the US would draw from its oil reserves "if needed, in a to-be-determined amount suffi…

Robert Mackey (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…

Eva Bartlett (2019-09-12). MintPress Sits Down with Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova. mintpressnews.com Staff (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…

Joshua Cho (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…

Intelligence Report Staff (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.

splcenter (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.

2019-09-18: Social Media Postees

The Metropolitan police just arrested a journalist for photographing a protest
Emily Apple | thecanary.co | 2019-09-18
A photojournalist, who is a member of the NUJ, was arrested by the Metropolitan Police on 18 September for photgraphing a protest. | Guy Smallman was filming one of the Heathrow Pause protesters flying a toy drone near Heathrow when he was arrested. As the image above shows, he was clearly wearing a badge that identified him as press. | "Avoiding scrutiny": | As people pointed out on Twitter, Smallman is a well known and well respected journalist: | Disturbed to hear…
thecanary.co/breaking-news/2019/09/18/the-metropolitan-police-just-arrested-a-journalist-for-photographing-a-protest/

Why on Earth Would the US Go to War with Iran over an Attack on Saudi Oil Refineries?
Dave Lindorff | counterpunch.org | 2019-09-18
President Bone Spur, backed by his war-mongering Secretary of State Mike "Armageddon" Pompeo, tweeted yesterday that the US military is "locked and loaded," ready to attack (bomb) Iran if it can be proven that Iran was behind a drone bomb attack on Saudi Arabia's oil refineries. There are plenty of news media in the US…
counterpunch.org/2019/09/18/why-on-earth-would-the-us-go-to-war-with-iran-over-an-attack-on-saudi-oil-refineries/

Historian calls out media for failing to question UK's 'ever-growing' links with repressive regime
Ed Sykes | thecanary.co | 2019-09-18
On 17 September, historian Mark Curtis slammed the media for failing to hold the British government to account over its increasing links with Egypt's repressive elitist regime. Tweeting a screenshot of a recent government announcement, he said: | UK has an "ever growing economic partnership"
thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2019/09/18/historian-calls-out-media-for-failing-to-question-uks-ever-growing-links-with-repressive-regime/

NY judge resigns after posting noose image on Facebook
Andrew Emett | nationofchange.org | 2019-09-18
After posting the image of a noose with the words "Make America Great Again" on his Facebook page, an upstate New York judge announced his resignation in order to avoid formal proceedings against him. The former judge also agreed to never seek or accept judicial office in the future. On February 18, 2018, Kyle Canning, …
nationofchange.org/2019/09/18/ny-judge-resigns-after-posting-noose-image-on-facebook/

Area 51 has 'secrets that deserve to be protected,' US Air Force top brass warns 'stormers'
rt.com | 2019-09-18
Chief of Staff General David Goldfein has ominously insisted that the Air Force is taking the viral 'Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All Of Us' event "very seriously" as the US has "secrets [that] deserve to be protected." | "All joking aside, we're taking it very seriously," Goldfein told reporters during the Air Force Association's annual Air, Space, and Cyber Conference. "Our nation has secrets, and those secrets deserve to be protected. The people deserve to have our nation's secrets protected." | Goldfein's comments will likely fan the flames of conspiracy theories already raging online, particularly in th…
rt.com/usa/469099-area-51-secrets-protected/

Selected Articles: U.S. and Israel's Role in Prolonging Syrian Conflict
Global Research News | globalresearch.ca | 2019-09-18
Global Research has over 50,000 subscribers to our Newsletter. | Our objective is to recruit one thousand committed "volunteers" among our 50,000 Newsletter subscribers to support the distribution of Global Research articles (email lists, social media, crossposts). | Do not send us …
globalresearch.ca/selected-articles-u-s-israel-role-syrian-conflict/5689574

Ecuador's Legislator Votes Down Abortion Bill
telesurenglish.net | 2019-09-17
Ecuador's National Assembly on Tuesday rejected the move to decriminalize abortions in the cases of rape. | RELATED: | Women in Ecuador Demand Legal Abortion in Case of Rape | "With 65 yes votes, … the Assembly does not approve (the) reforms related to non-punishable abortion," Ecuador's legislature announced on its Twitter account. | Pro-abortion protesters shouted at well-armed national anti-riot police that the decision was wrong. The vote keeps in force that abortion is only lega…
telesurenglish.net/news/Ecuadors-Legislator-Votes-Down-Abortion-Bill-20190917-0033.html

Trump Locked and Loaded Against Iran or Just Bluster?
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-09-17
Take nothing Trump says at face value. Time and again his rhetoric and actions diverge greatly. | That said, on Sunday he tweeted the following: | "Saudi Arabia oil supply was attacked. There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, | …
globalresearch.ca/trump-locked-loaded-against-iran/5689422

Trump: Saudi Arabia's Bitch
Kurt Nimmo | globalresearch.ca | 2019-09-17
"Saudi Arabia's Bitch". That's what Democrat candidate Tulsi Gabbard calls President Trump for his slavish reliance on Saudi Arabia to declare Iran responsible for last weekend's attack on Saudi oil resources. | Gabbard's comments are in response to Trump's tweet on …
globalresearch.ca/trump-saudi-arabia-bitch/5689439

'Not a House party': Ex-Trump aide Lewandowski hearing turns into impeachment circus
rt.com | 2019-09-17
Seeking to impeach President Donald Trump, the House Judiciary Committee summoned his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski for a hearing that devolved into a trolling and shouting match. Here are some of the craziest moments. | Appearing before the committee on Tuesday, Lewandowski accused the Democrats of "petty and personal politics," described the hearing as "going down a rabbit hole" and vowed to be "as sincere in my answers as this committee is in its questions." The video of his opening statement was approvingly tweeted by Trump. | pic.twitter.com/wrEmfGFRHm
rt.com/usa/469037-lewandowski-house-hearing-trump/

Spice of life: Former Trump Press Sec lights up Twitter with NEON green shirt on Dancing with the Stars
rt.com | 2019-09-17
Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer made his debut appearance on ABC's 'Dancing With the Stars' to mixed reactions, most of which centered around his appallingly garish choice of outfit, in radioactive green no less. | Clearly battle-hardened to Twitter teasing and trolling from his tenure in the White House, Spicer pre-empted the impending wave of derision with a heads up about the outfit. | Trust me, I certainly haven't forgotten and once you see the outfit I have to wear tonight you won't forget for quite some time — even after lots of therapy Treat this like looking at an eclipse with a do…
rt.com/usa/468979-sean-spicer-dancing-with-stars/

Progressives Slam Trump, 'Howdy Modi' Meeting in Texas
telesurenglish.net | 2019-09-17
Progressives slammed the United States President Donlad trump's decision to join Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a bipartisan event in Houston on Sept. 22. | RELATED: | Bernie Sanders Condemns India's Action in Occupied Kashmir | "I don't know what's more embarasssing–that Modi will appear beside Trump or that Trump will appear beside Modi," tweeted Rutgers professor Audrey Truschke. "Both countries have my condolences." | The "Howdy, Modi!" event is sponsored by the T…
telesurenglish.net/news/Birds-of-a-Feather-Progressives-Slam-Trump-Howdy-Modi-Meeting-in-Texas-20190917-0010.html

'The Times is DEAD!' Trump demands resignation of all NYT writers involved in latest Kavanaugh smear
rt.com | 2019-09-17
US President Donald Trump slammed the New York Times for 'destroying lives' after the paper belatedly issued a correction admitting its claim of assault by Justice Brett Kavanaugh was totally unsubstantiated by the "victim." | "I call for the Resignation of everybody at The New York Times involved in the Kavanaugh SMEAR story, and while you're at it, the Russian Witch Hunt Hoax, which is just as phony!" Trump tweeted on Monday in response to the Times's correction to an article describing Kavanaugh's alleged drunken misbehavior during his college years at Yale University, posted two days after the article itse…
rt.com/usa/468964-trump-slams-nytimes-smear-kavanaugh/

Sanders Warns Trump Against Illegal Iran Strike
Bryant Harris | globalresearch.ca | 2019-09-17
The attack on the Saudi Aramco oil facility over the weekend and President Donald Trump's subsequent tweet that the United States is "locked and loaded" immediately prompted presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to fire back. | Sanders and …
globalresearch.ca/sanders-warns-trump-against-illegal-iran-strike/5689431

'Storm Area 51' forces shutdown of Nevada airspace to protect top secret facility
rt.com | 2019-09-17
The US Federal Aviation Administration has banned all aircraft, including emergency vehicles, from the airspace near Area 51 ahead of the 'Storm Area 51 event' scheduled for Friday. | Everything from news helicopters to drones to private planes and even police vehicles have been barred from the airspace in anticipation of the viral event. The US Air Force (USAF) has also sternly warned people not to waste its time and energy, or even put their lives at risk, by attempting to flout the ban. | Only aircraft "working in support of the Department of Energy (DOE) Mission are allowed to enter the TFR (Temporary Flig…
rt.com/usa/469011-area-51-airspace-closed/

'Certainly would look like' Iran is behind Saudi oil facility attacks — Trump
rt.com | 2019-09-16
While Saudi Arabia is investigating the attacks on its oil facilities, President Donald Trump has said that "it certainly would look like" Iran was the culprit. Yet, he also noted he doesn't want another war. | Trump's statement, made to reporters on Monday, is the latest in a series that stop short of outright blaming Iran for the attack, which has already been claimed by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Earlier in the day Trump tweeted that "there is reason to believe that we know the culprit," before questioning Te…
rt.com/usa/468953-trump-iran-behind-attack/

#ObamaNetflix: Trump sends phrase trending while calling for inquiry into Barack's deals
rt.com | 2019-09-16
Donald Trump inspired near-covfefe levels of confusion online after posting tweets that cryptically ended with: "Obama Netflix?" – a phrase which provided instant meme fodder. | The question closed a series of tweets from the US president in which he criticized the House Judiciary Committee for scrambling to find another avenue to attack him on following the Mueller investigation, after Democrats pushed for an inquiry into the use of Trump hotels for state and military visits. Perplexingly for some, his tweets closed with a nod to Barack Obama that sounded like a new brand: | ….for the privilege of being you…
rt.com/usa/468942-trump-obama-netflix-tweets/

NRA Ramped Up Facebook Advertising Immediately After Mass Shootings in El Paso and Dayton
Sam Biddle | theintercept.com | 2019-09-16
After massacres at El Paso and Dayton, NRA urged gun owners to "show that you won't be intimidated" by calls for reform.
theintercept.com/2019/09/16/nra-facebook-ads-mass-shootings/

A Top Joe Biden Staffer Is a Supporter of India's Authoritarian Leader Narendra Modi
Maryam Saleh | theintercept.com | 2019-09-16
A new adviser to Joe Biden's presidential campaign, the director of outreach to the Asian-American Pacific Islander community, is a strong backer of extreme right-wing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. | Amit Jani took to Facebook in May to celebrate the authoritarian leader's reelection. | Jani, whose hiring as AAPI national vote director was announced last week, comes to Biden's campaign from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's office. He worked on AAPI outreach on Murphy's 2017 campaign and…
theintercept.com/2019/09/16/joe-biden-campaign-narendra-modi/

Yang says SNL novice should not be fired over Chinese racial slur, drowned out by PC crowd
rt.com | 2019-09-15
Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang has said that Saturday Night Live's new hire Shane Gillis should not be sacked for making a tasteless joke after a clip of him mocking Chinatowns resurfaced, setting Twitter alight. | Yang, a son of immigrants from Taiwan, struck a distinctly different tone from most online warriors when he said he would be "happy to sit down and talk" with Gillis about the ill-fated clip that resurfaced on Friday. The video shows the comedian tearing into Chinatowns and their inhabitants. | "Damn, Chinatown is f**king nuts," Gillis says in the clip, referring to the ability of Chi…
rt.com/usa/468851-yang-snl-chinese-slur/

Trump authorized release of oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve if needed to keep markets supplied
rt.com | 2019-09-15
US President Donald Trump says he greenlighted the release of oil from the US strategic reserves and ordered pipeline approvals to be streamlined to keep the oil market "well-supplied," following the attacks on Saudi Aramco. | The drone strikes on Saudi Arabia's largest oil processing plant in Abqaiq and another oil facility have cut the state-run oil giant's daily production in half, sending Saudi stocks into a nosedive and sparking fears that oil prices could hit triple digits. | In a series of tweets on Sunday, Trump said the US would draw from its oil reserves "if needed, in a to-be-determined amount suffi…
rt.com/usa/468875-trump-authorized-release-oil-reserve/

From a Lebanese Refugee Camp to Harvard, Ismail Ajjawi Inspires Other Palestinian Students
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-10
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…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/10/palestinian_student_ismail_ajjawi_harvard

Identity Unmasked: Meet the Proprietors of the Internet's Largest Neo-Confederate Propaganda Machine
splcenter.org | 2019-09-03
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.
splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2019/identity-unmasked-meet-proprietors-internets-largest-neo-confederate-propaganda-machine

Out of the Darkness: Conversion Therapist Quits 'Ex-Gay' Movement
Intelligence Report Staff | splcenter.org | 2019-09-03
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.
splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2019/out-darkness-conversion-therapist-quits-ex-gay-movement

Out of the Darkness: Conversion Therapist Quits 'Ex-Gay' Movement
Intelligence Report Staff | splcenter.org | 2019-09-03
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.
splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2019/out-darkness-conversion-therapist-quits-ex-gay-movement