(2019-12-30). 2019: sounds like an upsurge. fightbacknews.org In 2019, we saw workers take to picket lines and we saw mass movements hit the streets in the U.S. and around the world. And when there's an upsurge with lots of people hitting the streets, you can bet it will be accompanied by protest music. This year has been no exception. | Here are my favorite political songs of 2019. Some give voice to a specific struggle, while others tackle more general themes. | I'm sure I missed out on some good ones – add more in the comments. | (Content warning: some of these songs contain profane language and…
(2019-12-30). Protest at Facebook Headquarters. indybay.org Facebook HQ | 1601 Willow Rd, Menlo Park, California 94025…
(2019-12-30). Ukraine And Pro-Russian Separatists Complete Prisoner Swap. telesurenglish.net The Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have completed a full prisoner exchange, exchanging all remaining detainees from the five-year conflict. | RELATED: | 'Russia Rejects Deployment of Turkish Troops to Libya' Peskov | The Ukrainian presidency reported on Sunday in a facebook statement that "the mutual release o…
(2019-12-30). Merry Christmas, America! Let's Remember the Children Who Live in Fear of Our Killer Drones. globalresearch.ca The movie "Love Actually" has some good advice: At Christmas, you tell the truth. It's the perfect day to be honest about what you've done in the past year, what that says about who you are, and what it …
(2019-12-30). Brand new $850 million cruise ship MSC Grandiosa crashes into pier in Italy (VIDEOS, PHOTOS). rt.com 
The brand new MSC Grandiosa, one of the world's biggest cruise ships, crashed into a pier in Palermo, Italy, as it attempted to dock on Monday morning. | The luxury liner, which made its maiden voyage only last month, viciously scraped against a wall as it approached the docks on the island of Sicily at around 8: 30am. | Video footage showing the enormous vessel trying to dock captured the moment it walloped against the pier. The ship's horn can he heard blaring in the moments after the crash. | www.facebook.com/msccruisesfanclub1/photos/pcb.3255152707890350/3255161104556177/?type=3&theater | The imp…
(2019-12-30). Cancer patient dies after being set on FIRE during operation in Romania. rt.com 
A woman suffering from pancreatic cancer has died after being set on fire while undergoing surgery at a hospital in Romania. | The 66-year-old woman died on Sunday after surgeons at Floreasca Hospital in Bucharest treated her with an alcohol-based disinfectant and then used an electric scalpel to perform an operation. | Romanian politician Emanuel Ungureanu says that medical staff in the hospital told him the woman "ignited like a torch" when the machine came…
(2019-12-30). Indian police slap FINE on man from Priyanka Gandhi's scooter ride viral video. rt.com 
An Indian National Congress staffer who famously drove Priyanka Gandhi on a two-wheeler was given a fine for carrying his influential passenger without a helmet and breaching numerous traffic rules. | Priyanka Gandhi, the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) for Eastern Uttar Pradesh, had quite a day last Saturday. Her security was breached by an unknown petitioner at a party event, and she claimed she was then "mishandled" by police while making her way out. | Monday didn't bring any good news for her either. It emerged that the Uttar Pradesh traffic police issued a 6,100-rupee ticket…
(2019-12-30). Viral VIDEO 'showing White Island eruption' draws over 100k views…but is totally fake. rt.com 
A viral tweet claiming to show "video shot automatically" of the fatal volcanic eruption on New Zealand's White Island has drawn over 100,000 views in one day of being posted, but is actually far from being the real deal. | The incredibly dramatic clip opens with a viewpoint apparently from a shoreline overlooking an ocean panorama when a distant rumbling signals an enormous eruption conveniently dead-center of the perfectly-positioned lens. The 'eruption' is so huge it sends a wave of intensely-hot smoke billowing toward the shore, devastating vehicles and houses in its wake. | As some Twitter users pointed o…
(2019-12-30). Too good to be true? Sharon Stone BLOCKED by dating app after disbelieving users flag her account as fake. rt.com 
If a Hollywood star can't find a date what hope do the rest of us have? Social media users were haunted by this existential question after Sharon Stone revealed that she had made an account on a dating app — but was blocked.
(2019-12-30). Police surround buildings after reports of shots fired near popular Berlin tourist spot Checkpoint Charlie. rt.com 
Berlin police say an operation is ongoing after gunshots were reportedly heard during an armed robbery of a cafe near the famous Checkpoint Charlie landmark in the German capital. | The incident took place at around 2pm local time, with shots apparently heard ringing out close to the famous Cold War era Berlin Wall crossing point, which is usually thronged with tourists. | Friedrichstraàüe auch dicht, das komplette Areal ist von der @polizeiberlin abgesperrt pic.twitter.com/Q8ALV9W6ES— Axel Lier…
(2019-12-30). Elon Musk unveils Starship's 'giant dome' 1 month after explosion devastated launch vehicle (VIDEOS). rt.com 
The SpaceX craft Elon Musk hopes will one day take astronauts to Mars has taken a step forward, with the team building the 50-meter-tall (160 feet) capsule working around the clock to finish its huge dome. | Musk shared updates about the project's progress on Twitter on Monday, saying he and the SpaceX team had spent the whole night working on the "most difficult part of [the] primary structure": Starship's giant dome. | In his videos, he shows three of the huge structures at varying stages of construction. | pic.twitter.com/qTN2TU02pb— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) (2019-12-30). Plane carrying Kansas basketball team forced to make emergency landing after engine SPITS FIRE (VIDEO). rt.com 
A Swift Air 737 passenger jet was forced to make an emergency landing after one of its engines malfunctioned and began spitting fire, as terrifying eyewitness video taken on board shows. | The plane was forced to turn around 20 minutes into its flight, having just departed Mineta San Jose International Airport on Sunday. The University of Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team was on board and their senior associate athletic director, Ryan White, shared shocking video of one of the plane's engines belching blazing fire. | @KUHoops plane blows engine…
(2019-12-30). Elon Musk unveils Starship's 'giant dome' 1 month after explosion devastated launch vehicle (VIDEOS). rt.com The SpaceX craft Elon Musk hopes will one day take astronauts to Mars has taken a step forward, with the team building the 50-meter-tall (160 feet) capsule working around the clock to finish its huge dome. | Musk shared updates about the project's progress on Twitter on Monday, saying he and the SpaceX team had spent the whole night working on the "most difficult part of [the] primary structure": Starship's giant dome. | In his videos, he shows three of the huge structures at varying stages of construction — and it wasn't long before Twitter users compared the strange hemispheres to alien crafts. | Almost…
(2019-12-30). I wouldn't have wasted my time on Trump, says Greta Thunberg. yenisafak.com Teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg said on Monday that talking to U.S. President Donald Trump at a United Nations summit on global warming would have been a waste of time since he would not have paid any attention.In an interview with BBC radio's Today programme, for which she was the guest editor on Monday, Thunberg also said she regarded personal attacks on her as funny and that she hoped to go back to having a normal life.A video of the 16-year-old Swedish campaigner giving Trump what media described as a "death stare" at a U.N. climate summit in New York in September went viral on social media. Tr…
(2019-12-30). US Secretary of State Pompeo to visit Ukraine in new year. yenisafak.com U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday he will be traveling to Ukraine and a few other countries in the new year to meet with counterparts there."Excited to travel to Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Cyprus in the new year to meet with counterparts and affirm U.S. priorities across Europe and South Central Asia", Pompeo said in a tweet.Pompeo's planned visit comes after the Democratic-led House of Representatives impeached U.S. President Donald Trump this month for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress charges stemming from his effort to get Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe…
(2019-12-30). Michael Moore on Trump, 2020 & Why "the Old, Angry White Guy" Doesn't Represent the Working Class. democracynow.org 
Last week on Democracy Now!, acclaimed filmmaker "Michael Moore predicted": www.democracynow.org/2019/12/26/michael_moore_donald_trump_impeachment Donald Trump would win re-election if Democrats don't choose a candidate to run against him who excites their base of voters. His comments prompted President Donald Trump to respond on Twitter, "He made [the] same prediction in 2016. Nobody ever said Michael was stupid!" But Moore's comments went further than Trump's tweet alluded to. He said the working class in the United States is mostly women, people of color and young people — all groups who tend to v…
(2019-12-30). Michael Moore on Trump, 2020 & Why "the Old, Angry White Guy" Doesn't Represent the Working Class. democracynow.org Last week on Democracy Now!, acclaimed filmmaker "Michael Moore predicted": www.democracynow.org/2019/12/26/michael_moore_donald_trump_impeachment Donald Trump would win-re-election if Democrats don't choose a candidate to run against him who excites their base of voters. His comments prompted President Donald Trump to respond on Twitter, "He made [the] same prediction in 2016. Nobody ever said Michael was stupid!" But Moore's comments went further than Trump's tweet alluded to. He said the working class in the United States is mostly women, people of color and young people — all groups who tend to v…
(2019-12-30). Michael Moore: Democrats Must Not Ignore Voters of Color. truthout.org Last week on Democracy Now!, acclaimed filmmaker Michael Moore predicted Donald Trump would win-re-election if Democrats don't choose a candidate to run against him who excites their base of voters. His comments prompted President Donald Trump to respond on Twitter, "He made [the] same prediction in 2016. Nobody ever said Michael was stupid!" But Moore's comments went further than Trump's tweet alluded to. He said the workin…
(2019-12-29). US Aircraft Bombs Base of Iranian-Backed Forces in Iraq. telesurenglish.net The U.S. military carried out a new attack against the Iranian-backed forces in Iraq's Al-Anbar province, the Popular Mobilization Forces announced on Sunday. | RELATED: | Iraqi Parliament Approves New Electoral Law, Deadlock Persists | In a statement via their official Twitter account, the Popular Mobilization Forces said, "U.S. planes bombed sites belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces in western Al-Anbar." | The Pentagon has since confirmed the strikes as well, claimin…
(2019-12-29). Texas church shooting: Gunman neutralized by parishioners after killing 1 & gravely injuring another in White Settlement. rt.com 
A gunman killed one and injured another person during a service at a church in White Settlement, Texas, before a parishioner shot him dead. | In a graphic livestreamed video from the service, the gunman – wearing a black hood – approaches the communion server before pulling out what appears to be a shotgun. He manages to shoot two worshippers at point-black range as the panicked crowd dives for cover among the wooden pews. Before the gunman can squeeze off a third shot, an armed "heroic parishioner" as police later call him shoots the perpetrator. Multiple other bystanders pull weapons and encircle the man.
(2019-12-28). "Un Violador En Tu Camino" and the Virality of Feminist Protest. zcomm.org How does a song about the ubiquity of sexual and gendered violence perpetrated by the state against women become an earworm?
(2019-12-27). Wikileaks Still Holding Powerful to Account as Founder Julian Assange "Slowly Dies" in Prison. mintpressnews.com Julian Assange is dying inside Belmarsh Prison in London. Those are his own words, relayed through English journalist Vaughan Smith, who revealed that the Wikileaks founder called him on Christmas Eve to share his greetings. Smith also divulged that Assange told him he is kept in solitary confinement 23 hours per day and is often sedated. | His treatment has elicited protests around the world, from journalists, news organizations, human rights groups and celebrities. Last week a group of Australian doctors asked Foreign Minister Marise Pay…
(2019-12-27). Bolivia's De Facto Regime Harasses Spanish Diplomats. telesurenglish.net Mexico's Ambassador to Bolivia Teresa Mercado reported that Bolivian security officers harassed Spanish diplomats as they were trying to enter her official residence in La Paz on Friday morning. | RELATED: | Mexico Reiterates Demand that Bolivia End Siege on Embassy | "I am with the Spanish consul and charge d'affaires at the residence. Besides having assaulted them, they stopped their car, which has diplomatic plates," the Mexican ambassador tweeted. | The diplomats were accompan…
(2019-12-27). Cuba: "We Condemn the Aggression Against the Mexican Embassy" telesurenglish.net The President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, condemned the aggression against the Mexican Embassy in Bolivia and reiterated his support for the government of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO). | RELATED: | Mexico Reiterates Demand that Bolivia End Siege on Embassy | Díaz-Canel shared on his official Twitter account an article from the Cuban press that stated the "police operation before the Mexican Embassy in Bolivia 'is out of proportion." | The Aztec nation has denounced the siege…
(2019-12-25). Social Media and Social Control: How Silicon Valley Serves the US State Department. mintpressnews.com 
Facebook isn't the only Silicon Valley firm with partisan oversight of what we see: the bipartisan billionaire class and their security state have partnered with tech firms since the dawn of the internet to control the parameters of users' thinking.
(2019-12-24). 'Kill them with kindness': Kevin Spacey brings back Frank Underwood in puzzling Christmas message. rt.com 
Disgraced actor Kevin Spacey has emerged from reclusion to post a cryptic Christmas video message, in which he channels the subtle malice of 'House of Cards' politician Frank Underwood. | The video, entitled 'KTWK' and posted to Spacey's YouTube channel on Christmas Eve, resembles a similar clip published almost exactly one year ago. In the latest one, Spacey appears as a genial old man, stoking a roaring fire as Christmas stockings hang from the mantelpiece. | "You didn't really think I was going to miss the opportunity to wish you a merry Christmas, did you?" Spacey asks, turning to the camera with Underw…
(2019-12-23). Chile: TV broadcast live when two armored cars crushed citizen. mronline.org 
Real-time scenes evidenced once again how the Chilean state acts with rampant and absurd violence. | Source
(2019-12-23). 'I've got a lot of problems with you people': Rand Paul unloads on Washington in Festivus Twitter tirade. rt.com 
Government waste, neocon warmongers, and the ongoing impeachment circus: Senator Rand Paul is mad about a lot of things, and channeled his inner Seinfeld to air his grievances with the world. | Republican Senator Rand Paul (Kentucky) celebrates the fictional December 23 holiday of Festivus – immortalized by 'Seinfeld' in 1997 – with an annual "airing of grievances." After releasing his annual ' Festivus Report' on government overspending last week, the deficit-hawk Senator took to Twitter on Monday to air some more p…
(2019-12-22). 13 people shot at Chicago house party, four critical. rt.com 
Thirteen people have been shot at a possible house party on Chicago's south side. All have been brought to hospital, with four in critical condition. | Police responded to the gunfire at around 12.35am on Sunday morning. According to police, the victims were attending a house party held in honor of a 22-year-old man fatally shot during an attempted carjacking in April, when a fight broke out. | Chicago: @Chicago_Police are investigating a #MassShooting after 1…
(2019-12-18). Tories spent over £950,000 on Facebook adverts in late election blitz. thecanary.co 
The Conservative Party spent more than any other party on Facebook and Instagram adverts in the run-up to last week's General Election, analysis by the PA news agency has found.It largely came in a spending blitz in the final two weeks of the campaign.Across their two main pages — named Conservatives and Boris Johnson — the party spent a total of £959,329 in the four weeks up to the vote.In comparison, Labour spent £552,035 on its Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn pages between 14 November and 12 December, the fourth most of the major UK parties.The Liberal Democrats were the second biggest spe…
(2019-12-16). Viral Chilean feminist anthem reveals powerful international sentiment against sexual violence. liberationnews.org 
The protest song was first performed for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 20 in Valparaíso, Chile.
(2019-12-02). The War on Truth: How Israel's Social Media Trolls Conquered Facebook. zcomm.org Israel may have found a way to circumvent the influence of Facebook on the discussions pertaining to Palestinian rights and the Israeli occupation…
(2019-12-01). The Usual Incoherence on Student Benefits Is Back. peoplespolicyproject.org 
Of all the welfare state topics, student benefits manages to consistently attract the most incoherent and weird arguments, and the recent spate of arguments on this front are no exception. In the last week, a student benefit dustup has been instigated by Pete Buttigieg ostensibly being against free public college for millionaires and billionaires while Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are ostensibly for it. | This has set off the usual round of commentary about how Buttigieg is arguing for means-testing while Warren and Sanders are arguing f…
(2019-11-17). CAP's Topher Spiro Is Trying to Deceive Journalists By Lying. peoplespolicyproject.org 
It's been fun to see how the Center for American Progress (CAP) navigates this year's presidential election. For insider political reasons, they can't support Biden or Sanders. But for a long time, it was unclear who the alternative candidate they could support would be. | When Kamala Harris was rising, CAP's staff was doing overtime boosting her on Twitter and in the press, including boosting Harris's absurd health care proposal. But Harris's collapse put an end to that strategy. Recently Warren has risen as the alternative and so CAP has been working to promote her campaign, which puts CAP in the comical positi…