(2020-01-15). Pigs will fly: Animal carcass hurled into millionaire's pool from chopper in apparent prank (GRAPHIC VIDEO). rt.com 
Argentinian fashion tycoon Federico àÅlvarez Castillo has fallen victim to a disgraceful prank after shocking footage showing a pig carcass being dropped from a helicopter into the swimming pool of his holiday home went viral. | Footage of the extraordinary incident has been widely shared on social media, prompting the fashion tycoon behind the Etiqueta Negra brand, who also dabbles in property development, to denounce the cruel prank on Instagram. | Castillo and his circle of friends were subjected to an avalanche of criticism after the galling video first emerged. | WARNING: This footage may disturb so…
(2020-01-15). 'Step up to the plate!' Trump says Apple won't unlock devices used by 'criminals & drug dealers' in Pensacola shooter phone row. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has demanded that Apple help federal agencies break into a pair of devices linked to the Pensacola shooter, accusing the company of not doing enough to assist investigators. | In a tweet on Tuesday, Trump implied that the tech giant has been ungrateful to his administration, which he said is "helping [it] all of the time on TRADE," calling on Apple to unlock two devices that belonged to the Saudi trainee who killed four at a US naval base in Florida in December. | "We are helping Apple all of the time on TRADE and so many other issues, and yet they refuse to unlock phones used by kill…
(2020-01-15). Trump deal instead of Iran nuclear deal? I agree! US president gives Twitter nod to BoJo. rt.com 
Boris Johnson's suggestion that the 2015 Iran nuclear deal be replaced with a new one — named after Donald Trump — received an enthusiastic response from the US president. | "Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, stated, 'We should replace the Iran deal with the Trump deal.' I agree!" Trump proclaimed in a tweet released Wednesday. | Earlier, Johnson said he understands American concerns over the "flawed" 2015 pact with Iran, which saw the Islamic Republic dramatically reducing its nuclear program in exchange for lifting crippling economic sanctions. | Prime Minister of the United Ki…
(2020-01-15). 'Verify the source': Pakistani actress calls out journalist for using movie clip as 'evidence' of people refusing polio drops. rt.com 
Pakistani movie star Mehwish Hayat has set the record straight after a clip from one of her films was used by a journalist to suggest that a mother had refused to allow her children to be vaccinated for polio. | Journalist and author Tarek Fatah caught the attention of Twitter after posting a clip which appeared to show a woman quarreling with volunteers who had offered polio drops to her children. | "Pakistani mother slams the door shut in the face of Polio workers. Screams at the two female volunteers: 'I will never ever allow my children to take these drops'," the Pakistan-Canadian writer wrote in his tweet…
(2020-01-15). 'Even Hillary and Trump shook hands': Warren snubs Sanders handshake after tense Democratic debate (VIDEO). rt.com 
Tuesday night's Democratic debate was marked by an ever-widening schism between long-time 'friends' turned rivals, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, which culminated in a spurned handshake which has become the talk of Twitter. | The talking match was punctuated by several increasingly tense and bitter exchanges between the pair as the night wore on. Roughly 45 minutes into the discussion, CNN moderator Abby Phillip asked Sanders to respond to reports he told Warren that a woman couldn't win the 2020 election. | pic.twitter.com/LUA49Z0JCc— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) (2020-01-15). Tanks, infantry, helicopters & motorcyclists: India marks Army Day with annual military parade (PHOTOS). rt.com 
India has kicked off its annual Army Day celebrations with an elaborate military parade in Delhi. This year's commemorations will feature the first woman officer leading an all-men unit. | Celebrations will be held across the country, but the main event is already underway at Cariappa Parade Ground in Delhi Cantonment. The full might of the Indian Army has been put on display, including mechanized units, tanks, and various infantry units. | LIVE NOW : | "Annual #ArmyDay Parade 2020″ from Carriapa Ground on DD Bharati & Live-Stream o…
(2020-01-15). EU Nations Push Iran in Last-Ditch Bid to Save Nuclear Deal. truthdig.com 
Britain, France and Germany trigger pact's dispute mechanism, starting the clock on a process that could result in more sanctions on Iran.
(2020-01-15). Facebook's Soleimani Ban Flies in Face of First Amendment. zcomm.org If sanctions can be invoked by a social media network to take down certain content, what is next?>
(2020-01-15). Twitter Fans Split as GMB Co-Host Locks Horns with Sarah Palin over "Lies'. sputniknews.com Good Morning Britain viewers got an earful on 15 January when Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor and political commentator, appeared on the show to chat to Piers Morgan and his co-host Susanna Reid.
(2020-01-15). US students in Washington introduced to Turkish culture. yenisafak.com Turkey's Embassy in Washington introduced its country and culture to elementary school students in the U.S.The embassy discussed Turkey's culture, nature, language and cuisine with Barnard Elementary School student during a visit Tuesday."Our young friends in 5th grade had a taste of delicious Turkish delight, a sense of Turkish music and a stamp on their passports! We can't wait to meet for a second time!" the embassy said on Twitter.The embassy said the visit was held with contributions from the Yunus Emre Institute as part of the District of Columbia Public Schools' Embassy Adoption Program (EAP).The Yunus Emr…
(2020-01-14). Bolivia's new right-wing government intensifies crackdown on journalists, doctors. mronline.org 
The U.S.-backed administration of Jeanine Añez is arresting prominent members of the press and even doctors in what it calls a "dismantling of the propaganda apparatus of the dictatorial regime of Evo Morales." | Source
(2020-01-14). US Clearing Anti-War Voices Off Social Media. theantimedia.com (TMU) — Instagram and its parent company Facebook are removing posts that appear to be in support of the late Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in order to comply with U.S. sanctions, a company spokesperson recently told CNN. "We operate under U.S. sanctions laws, including those related to the U.S. government's designation of the IRGC and …
(2020-01-14). Pundits Go Nuts Over New Russian Hacking Conspiracy. theantimedia.com (CJ Opinion) — The New York Times reports that GRU operatives launched a successful "phishing attack" on the Ukrainian gas company at the heart of scandalous allegations about Joe Biden, and establishment pundits are falling all over themselves to tweet the hottest take on this exciting new Russia conspiracy. The story itself fails the smell test on a …
(2020-01-14). The Montessori Schools Set to Track Students' Every Move. progressive.org At schools that were meant to foster self-paced learning in the natural world, the billionaires behind Facebook and Amazon are funding new data-seeking tech.
(2020-01-14). Jewish left-wingers slam Labour leadership candidates' alliance with controversial Board of Deputies. thecanary.co All five candidates for Labour leader have backed a highly controversial list of demands from the right-wing Board of Deputies of British Jews (BoD). And Jewish left-wingers have led the outrage among Labour supporter…
(2020-01-14). Venezuela Condemns US Sanctions Against Assembly's New Leadership. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's government denounced Monday a new attack by the United States of unilateral and coercive sanctions against Venezuelan officials, including lawmakers from the opposition who were elected on Jan. 5 as the National Assembly's new leadership. | RELATED: | Desperate Juan Guaido Vows Again to Plunder teleSUR's Signal | In the statement released by Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza on his Twitter account, the authorities said that U.S.'s President Donald Trump's adminis…
(2020-01-14). Iran Welcomes "Constructive" Measures to Save Nuclear Deal. telesurenglish.net Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi said Tuesday that Iran welcomes any constructive measure which aims at saving the 2015 nuclear deal. | RELATED: Trump Signed Off on Soleimani's Assassination in June | "As in the past, Iran is fully ready to receive any well-intended and constructive measures to salvage this important international deal, and it supports any initiative in this regard," Mousavi said. | "In the meantime, Iran clarifies it to all and particularly to three European parties of the deal that any breach of vows, mal-intention and unconst…
(2020-01-14). UN Top Court to Rule on Emergency Measures in Myanmar Genocide. telesurenglish.net The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations' highest court, will issue a ruling on a request for provisional and special measures in a genocide case against Myanmar on Jan. 23, Gambia's Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou said Monday on Twitter. | RELATED: | Bosnia Indicts Ex-Serb Army General Over Srebrenica Genocide | The mainly Muslim West African country instituted the case in November, alleging Buddhist-majority Myanmar was committing "an ongoing g…
(2020-01-14). Sadr Calls for a "Million-Man March" Against US Troops in Iraq. telesurenglish.net Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr has called for a "million-man march" against the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq, just days after the country's parliament voted to expel foreign troops from their territory. | RELATED: | Iraqi Journalists Launch Campaign After Killing of Two Reporters | Through his Twitter account, the political leader expr…
(2020-01-14). A US thinktank eager for war on Iran has been throwing money at Boris Johnson's cabinet. thecanary.co A new exposé reveals that a US thinktank eager for war with Iran has been throwing money at key members of Boris Johnson's cabinet, including the PM himself. | Writing in the Daily Maverick, journalist Matt Kennard reveals that the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) has spent tens of thousands of pounds on Conservative ministers. Given the current high tensions between the US an…
(2020-01-14). Boris Johnson may see 'the hand of the future' but there's a very significant past in Northern Ireland he can't ignore. thecanary.co On 13 January, Boris Johnson visited Belfast to meet the leaders of the restored government. Johnson claimed he could "see the hand of the future". It was an imitation of Blair's "I feel the hand of history upon our shoulders" comment. Blair used this during the 1998 Good Friday Agreement ( GFA) negotiations. | And o…
(2020-01-13). Trump defends killing of Soleimani regardless of 'imminent' threat, says he had a 'horrible past'. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has lashed out against the "fake news media" and their "Democrat partners" over criticism of his administration's decision to assassinate Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. | The president claimed in tweets marred with misspellings that it does not matter if Soleimani presented an imminent threat to the US, something he had said previously to defend the assassination, because of the general's "horrible past." | The Fake News Media and their Democrat Partners are working hard to determine whether or not the future attack by terrorist Soleimani was "imminent" or not, & was my team in agr…
(2020-01-13). Trump's odd tweet of Pelosi and Schumer in Muslim garb sparks outrage, but defense even more bizarre. rt.com 
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham gave a strange defense of a tweet from President Donald Trump that depicted Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer in Muslim clothing and sparked major backlash. | Grisham says Democrats are "taking the side of terrorists" and that was the point Trump was trying to make when he retweeted an image of Pelosi and Schumer photshopped with Muslim garb on in front of an Iranian flag. | Fox News host Harris Faulker confronted Grisham about the tweet on Monday and even read a response that called the photoshopped image a "slur." | "Why the actual hell is the president of the Unite…
(2020-01-13). WATCH: Alabama man lucky to be alive after tornado-thrown branch just misses him. rt.com 
One Alabama man was incredibly fortunate not to be crushed by a huge branch flung to the ground during an intense storm which lashed the state over the weekend. | Footage shot by the man's doorbell camera shows him entering his property in Pickens County, Alabama, mere seconds before a tree limb came crashing to the ground right where he had been walking, shattering instantly with the force of the impact. | Guys. I'm pretty sure that I'm still alive bc I'm supposed to watch the @Vikings win today. Otherwise I'd be dead. üò≥…
(2020-01-13). Under US pressure, social media companies censor critical content and suspend Venezuelan, Iranian, and Syrian accounts. thegrayzone.com As the US escalates its hybrid wars, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are suspending accounts and censoring content that conflicts with…
(2020-01-13). Milwaukee: Momentum builds for protest at Trump visit. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – Preparations are well in hand for the demonstration set to meet President Donald Trump's upcoming visit to Milwaukee on January 14. The initial announcement of the protest was met with a great deal of excitement. This feeling has been sustained, reflected in the fact that over 4500 people have said on Facebook they are interested in attending. | "The fact that we're still mobilizing in huge numbers four years into Trump's presidency tells us something about where the masses of people are at," said Ryan Hamann, a leader with the Coalition to March on the DNC, the organization who initiated the call…
(2020-01-13). Jeff Bezos Donates Three Minutes' Income to Help Australia Fight Wildfires. mintpressnews.com The donation would be equivalent to someone who earned $500 per week announcing on social media that they had just donated five cents to help tackle the blazes.
(2020-01-13). Iran's Accidental Downing of a Ukrainian Plane Already Being Used to Smear MH-17 Skeptics. dissidentvoice.org 
When the Pentagon confirmed the assassination of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani, U.S. President Donald Trump took to social media to post a single image of the American flag to the adulation of his followers. Unfortunately, most Americans are ignorant of the other flag synonymous with U.S. foreign policy, that of the 'false flag' utilized …
(2020-01-12). 'Totally up to them': Trump says he 'couldn't care less' if Iran negotiates with US or not. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump said his maximum pressure campaign against Iran is not about bringing it to the negotiating table, but ensuring that Tehran doesn't obtain nuclear weapons or kill protesters. | "Actually, I couldn't care less if they negotiate. Will be totally up to them but, no nuclear weapons and 'don't kill your protesters'," Trump said in a tweet Sunday night, contradicting the narrative of National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien. | National Security Adviser suggested today that sanctions & protests have Iran "choked off", will force them to negotiate. Actually, I couldn't care less if they negot…
(2020-01-12). 'Impeached for life': Pelosi sets off Twitter fireworks, falsely claims Dems pursuing subpoena-defying witnesses. rt.com 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made numerous odd claims about Trump impeachment in a new interview, including that Dems are pursuing subpoena-defying witness from the Ukraine investigation. | While speaking on ABC's 'This Week' Pelosi told host George Stephanopoulos that "this president is impeached for life, regardless of any gamesmanship on the part of Mitch McConnell." | While Congress passed articles of impeachment against the president, he still technically needs to go through a trial in the Senate to determine his guilt. One is not "impeached" until a decision is made through a trial. Congress merely conduct…
(2020-01-10). "Democracy For Sale": Cambridge Analytica & Big Tech's History of Manipulating Elections. democracynow.org 
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…
(2020-01-10). Study Finds Bots and MAGA Supporters Pushing #IraniansDetestSoleimani Hashtag. mintpressnews.com 
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."
(2020-01-09). Headlines for January 9, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Appears to Pull Back from New Military Action Against Iran, Mitch McConnell Met with Trump at White House & Discussed Impeachment Trial, Investigators Probe Cause of Fatal Boeing Plane Crash in Tehran, Youth Climate Group the Sunrise Movement Endorses Bernie Sanders, More Than 1 Billion Animals Killed in Climate-Fueled Wildfires in Australia, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Says She's Cancer-Free, Guatemalan President Says U.S. Cannot Send Mexican Asylum Seekers to Guatemala, Spanish Socialist Party Leader Pedro Sánchez Sworn In as Prime Minister, Facebook Doubles Down on Its Policy of Allowing Lies in Political Ads…
(2020-01-08). A View from Tehran: Iranian Professor Condemns U.S. Aggression & Warns U.S.-Backed Gulf States. democracynow.org 
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…
(2020-01-07). "The Great Hack": Big Data Firms Helped Sway the 2016 Election. Could It Happen Again in 2020? democracynow.org 
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…
(2020-01-07). Propaganda Machine: The Military Roots of Cambridge Analytica's Psychological Manipulation of Voters. democracynow.org 
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…
(2020-01-07). Meet Brittany Kaiser, Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower Releasing Troves of New Files from Data Firm. democracynow.org 
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…
(2020-01-06). More Rockets Fired At US Embassy, US Iranians Detained & Trump Says Twitter Is "Notifying Congress" thelastamericanvagabond.com 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 …
(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…