"Thumbs Down" Protest at Facebook
Leon Kunstenaar | indybay.org | 2020-01-11
Photos: Leon Kunstenaar/Pro Bono Photo | Protesters converge on Facebook headquarters.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/01/10/18829614.php

#NakedforAustralia: Women Hop on Trend to Strip Down to Help Fund Wildfire Battle
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-11
The start of the new year has seen crowds of Instagrammers and Twitterians show off their physique — and for a good cause, their subscribers universally believe.
sputniknews.com/viral/202001111078007374-nakedforaustralia-women-hop-on-trend-to-strip-down-to-help-fund-wildfire-battle/

PornHub Darling Riley Reid Places Bet on Star Blogger Jake Paul in YouTube Boxing Match
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-11
Logan Paul's younger brother, 22-year-old Jake, is set to face another YouTube star, AnEsonGib, in Miami on 30 January. Ahead of the fight, the two have been turning up the heat, trashing each other in interviews and on social media. One of the brightest porn-talents in the world, Riley Reid, has joined this roasting party on Jake Paul's side.
sputniknews.com/viral/202001111078007932-pornhub-darling-riley-reid-jake-paul-boxing-match/

Boston area professor fired after anti-Trump Facebook posting
wsws.org | 2020-01-11
Asheen Phansey lost his career over statements made in jest, while Trump and his enablers in the Democratic Party make real threats against Iran without any consequences.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/11/babs-j11.html

Instagram Deletes Soleimani-Related Posts, Some Iranian Media Accounts Citing US Sanctions
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-11
Following Washington's designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, Instagram and its parent company Facebook started deleting accounts belonging to prominent members of the IRGC last April under the pretext of American sanctions.
sputniknews.com/middleeast/202001111078008695-instagram-deletes-soleimani-related-posts-some-iranian-media-accounts-citing-us-sanctions/

Iranian Supreme Leader's Twitter Account Temporarily Restricted
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-11
The social media platform says that "there has been some unusual activity from this account". The reasons for the suspension are not immediately clear.
sputniknews.com/middleeast/202001111078006902-iranian-supreme-leaders-twitter-account-temporarily-blocked/

Iran's Khamenei orders immediate and full probe after Tehran admits downing Ukrainian plane
rt.com | 2020-01-11
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has offered condolences and called for an investigation after Tehran's armed forces acknowledged that they accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane. | "The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake," he wrote on Twitter, promising that those behind the incident would be prosecuted. | Khamenei also said that all the information should be made public. | Later in the day, his Twitter account was temporarily blocked. | Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
rt.com/newsline/478009-irans-khamenei-orders-immediate-probe/

Iran Admits Fault in Downing of Ukranian Airliner
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-11
Iran announced on Saturday that a preliminary investigation into the crash of the Ukrainian airliner that was flying to Kiev from Tehran earlier this week was caused by human error. | RELATED: ‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã | Palestinian Militants Not Yet Ready to Avenge Iran | Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter that "human error at time of crisis caused by U.S. adventurism l…
telesurenglish.net/news/Iran-Admits-Fault-in-Downing-of-Ukranian-Airliner-20200111-0001.html

'Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster': FM Zarif on Iran's downing of Flight 752
rt.com | 2020-01-11
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has offered "profound regrets, apologies and condolences" for the unintentional downing of a Ukrainian aircraft over Tehran, saying "human error" during a "crisis" led to the accident. | "A sad day," the FM wrote on Twitter, adding: "Preliminary conclusions of internal investigation by Armed Forces: | Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster. Our profound regrets, apologies and condolences to our people, to the families of all victims, and to other affected nations. | A sad day. Preliminary conclusions of internal investigation by Armed…
rt.com/news/477994-zarif-iran-plane-us-adventurism/

Iran's Rouhani vows to 'identify & prosecute' all responsible for 'disastrous mistake' that led to Ukrainian jet downing
rt.com | 2020-01-11
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has pledged to find and punish all those involved in the unintentional shooting down of a Ukrainian aircraft over Tehran, calling it a "disastrous mistake." | An internal investigation has "concluded that regrettably missiles fired due to human error caused the horrific crash of the Ukrainian plane and death of 176 innocent people," Rouhani said in a tweet. | Investigations continue to identify and prosecute this great tragedy and unforgivable mistake. | "My thoughts and prayers go to all the mourning families," the president said in another post, offering "sincerest condolence…
rt.com/news/477996-rouhani-identify-prosecute-plane/

"Democracy For Sale": Cambridge Analytica & Big Tech's History of Manipulating Elections
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-10
A longtime Facebook executive has admitted the company's platform helped Donald Trump win the 2016 election, and it may happen again this year. In an internal memo, Facebook Vice President Andrew Bosworth wrote, "So was Facebook responsible for Donald Trump getting elected? I think the answer is yes." Bosworth, who was a backer of Hillary Clinton in 2016, went on to write that the company should not change its policies in an effort to hurt Trump's re-election chances. In his memo, Bosworth referenced the role of the shadowy data firm Cambridge Analytica but downplayed its significance. However, a new Oscar-shortl…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/10/2020_election_digital_manipulation_cambridge_analytica

Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower: Facebook Allows Racist, Sexist Political Ads
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-10
A longtime Facebook executive has admitted the company's platform helped Donald Trump win the 2016 election, and it may happen again this year. In an internal memo, Facebook Vice President Andrew Bosworth wrote, "So was Facebook responsible for Donald Trump getting elected? I think the answer is yes." Bosworth, who was a backer of Hillary Clinton in 2016, went on to write that the company should not change its policies in an effort to hurt Trump's re-election chances. In his memo, Bosworth r…
truthout.org/video/cambridge-analytica-whistleblower-facebook-allows-racist-sexist-political-ads/

Study Finds Bots and MAGA Supporters Pushing #IraniansDetestSoleimani Hashtag
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-01-10
A social media disinformation expert studied 60,000 tweets from nearly 10,000 accounts using the hashtag #IraniansDetestSoleimani and found that the most common phrases in those users' biographies were "Make America Great Again" and "Trump."
mintpressnews.com/study-bots-maga-supporters-iraniansdetestsoleimani-hashtag/264024/

Mexico assumes presidency of CELAC and revives the mechanism of regional integration
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-01-10
On January 8, a summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was held in Mexico City, Mexico. It was attended by ministers and delegates of 29 regional countries. The main objective of the summit was to strengthen the regional integration in the face of current socio-political conflicts in the region. | Under the leadership of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), Mexico assumed the pro tempore presidency of the CELAC for the year 2020-2021. | President AMLO shared the news on his twitter account. "Today, Mexico assumed the presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribb…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/01/10/mexico-assumes-presidency-of-celac-and-revives-the-mechanism-of-regional-integration/

China mourns native paddlefish after scientists declare it extinct
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-01-10
People in China have been lamenting the demise of the Chinese paddlefish after scientists declared it extinct in a research paper. | Chinese internet users and media outlets have been paying tribute to the hefty creature, whose sharp, protruding snout made it one of the largest freshwater species in the world. | "It's farewell at first sight," said China Youth Daily, noting that many were lamentably unfamiliar with the paddlefish before learning of its demise. | Users shared similar sentiments on the Twitter-like Weibo platform. | Named after its distinctive shape, the Chinese paddlefish, or Chinese swordfish, ha…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/01/10/china-mourns-native-paddlefish-after-scientists-declare-it-extinct/

Study Finds Bots and MAGA Supporters Pushing #IraniansDetestSoleimani Hashtag
Alan Macleod | theantimedia.com | 2020-01-10
The hashtag #IraniansDetestSoleimani has been trending on Twitter this week, as users voiced their opposition to Qasem Soleimani.

Study Finds Bots and MAGA Supporters Pushing #IraniansDetestSoleimani Hashtag

'HOLY S**T': Deepfake YouTuber 'embarasses' Netflix & Scorsese by de-aging 'The Irishman' better than they ever could
rt.com | 2020-01-10
An anonymous YouTuber spent far less time and money than Martin Scorsese and Netflix to de-age actors in 'The Irishman' using the deepfake technology — and the results are rapidly winning fans over. | Martin Scorsese's 'The Irishman' may be an awards favorite at the moment, but a spotlight was just blasted onto one of the movie's most glaring flaws: the de-aging of its star cast. Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, and others are de-aged throughout the film, which tells a story that spans three decades. Even positive reviews of the Netflix feature, which debuted in November, pointed out that the de-agi…
rt.com/usa/477978-deepfake-youtuber-embarasses-netflix-irishman/

'Alien baby': Internet shook by 'pregnancy announcement' from Elon Musk's girlfriend Grimes
rt.com | 2020-01-09
What appears to be a strange pregnancy announcement by Grimes, the musician girlfriend of billionaire Elon Musk, has not gone down well on Twitter, with one user jokingly speculating that the couple might produce "the antichrist." | The internet was at pains to process the news after Grimes posted a picture of what seems to be her baby bump with an image of a fetus photoshopped onto it. "Being knocked up is a very feral & war-like state of being," she wrote in the Instagram post. | The couple, who have been dating since 2018, are generally seen as a fairly odd pairing. The idea of Grimes, with her reputatio…
rt.com/usa/477853-grimes-musk-baby-announcement/

Trump Backs Away from Threats to Retaliate for Iranian Missile Strikes, Promises New Sanctions
Whitney Webb | mintpressnews.com | 2020-01-08
Following Iran's military response to the deaths of Soleimani and his Iraqi ally, Trump's tone — at least publicly — was dramatically less bellicose than his recent tweets promising to strike Iranian territory should Tehran retaliate against the US.
mintpressnews.com/trump-backs-away-threats-retaliate-iran-missile-strikes-instead-promises-new-sanctions/263991/

Shell-shocked pundits come crawling back to Hillary over Trump's Iran belligerence… forgetting she'd have started war sooner
rt.com | 2020-01-08
Social media sang praises of would-be US President Hillary Clinton as actual President Donald Trump seemed headed for all-out war with Iran — even though Clinton had been a much more enthusiastic participant in US wars. | After Iranian missiles struck several US bases Tuesday night, #Resistance twitter wasted no time disavowing the administration they blamed for the hostilities, running into the arms of his arch-rival with the #IVotedforHillaryClinton hashtag. | I'm proud to raise my hand and say that I voted for Intelligence. | I voted for Leadership. | I voted for Experience. | I voted for Maturity.
rt.com/usa/477754-hillary-voters-brag-war-trump/

'So far, so good!' Trump tweets of US military might, set to address Americans on Wednesday over Iranian strike
rt.com | 2020-01-08
US President Donald Trump has weighed in after a series of Iranian missile strikes on American bases in Iraq, noting that a damage and casualty assessment looks "good" so far. | "All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now," Trump said, adding that he would make a statement to the nation on Wednesday morning. | All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in t…
rt.com/usa/477686-trump-tweet-iranian-strike/

A View from Tehran: Iranian Professor Condemns U.S. Aggression & Warns U.S.-Backed Gulf States
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-08
Iranian forces fired 22 ballistic missiles at U.S. forces in Iraq early Wednesday in what Iran described as "fierce revenge" for the U.S. assassination of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike last week at the Baghdad airport. The Iranian missiles targeted the Al Asad Airbase in Anbar province and a base in Erbil. There were no initial reports of U.S. or Iraqi casualties. Shortly after the attacks, Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted, "We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression." Earlier today, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/8/mohammad_marandi_iran_us_bases_iraq

Netflix roasted for leading viewers astray with 'health misinformation' in Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop show
rt.com | 2020-01-08
Gwyneth Paltrow's wellness brand Goop has secured its own show on Netflix and anti-pseudoscience crusaders are demanding its cancellation, insisting the doyenne of jade vaginal eggs is hurting people with health misinformation. | Paltrow's medical faddism "does real harm" by contributing to the "erosion of critical thinking," University of Alberta researcher Tim Caulfield tweeted on Monday after Netflix posted a teaser for the premiere of "The Goop Lab" later this month, setting off a firestorm of panic among a certain stripe of science enthusiast. The idea of an entire show devoted to whatever bizarre health…
rt.com/usa/477673-goop-pseudoscience-paltrow-health-choice/

Propaganda Machine: The Military Roots of Cambridge Analytica's Psychological Manipulation of Voters
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-07
We continue our discussion of data harvesting, targeted advertising and voter manipulation — practices used by firms like Cambridge Analytica. The secretive data firm collapsed in May 2018 after The Observer newspaper revealed the company had harvested some 87 million Facebook profiles without the users' knowledge or consent to sway voters to support Trump during the 2016 campaign. A new trove of internal Cambridge Analytica documents and emails are being posted on Twitter detailing the company's operations, including its work with President Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton. We speak wit…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/7/cambridge_analytica_data_manipulation_john_bolton

"The Great Hack": Big Data Firms Helped Sway the 2016 Election. Could It Happen Again in 2020?
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-07
The documentary "The Great Hack," which was shortlisted for the Oscars, explores how the data firm Cambridge Analytica came to symbolize the dark side of social media in the wake of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Cambridge Analytica collapsed in May 2018 after The Observer newspaper revealed the company had harvested some 87 million Facebook profiles without the users' knowledge or consent. Cambridge Analytica then used the data to sway voters to support President Trump during the 2016 campaign. We speak with "The Great Hack" co-directors Karim Amer and Jehane Noujaim, as well as Cambridge Analytica whistle…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/7/the_great_hack_documentary_cambridge_analytica

Meet Brittany Kaiser, Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower Releasing Troves of New Files from Data Firm
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-07
New details are emerging about how the shadowy data firm Cambridge Analytica worked to manipulate voters across the globe, from the 2016 election in the United States to the Brexit campaign in Britain and elections in over 60 other countries, including Malaysia, Kenya and Brazil. A new trove of internal Cambridge Analytica documents and emails are being posted on Twitter detailing the company's operations, including its work with President Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton. The documents come from Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Brittany Kaiser, who worked at the firm for three-and-a-half yea…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/7/the_great_hack_cambridge_analytica

More Rockets Fired At US Embassy, US Iranians Detained & Trump Says Twitter Is "Notifying Congress"
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2020-01-06
Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (1/5/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/daily-wrap-up/more-rockets-fired-at-us-embassy-us-iranians-detained-trump-says-twitter-is-notifying-congress/