(2020-01-22). The "Evolving" Scotty Morrison From Marketing. counterpunch.org 
In a previous CounterPunch piece I mentioned a scathing adage regarding Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, a former PR executive, making the rounds in Australian social media: you can take Scotty out of marketing, but you can't take the marketing out of Scotty. When he became PM last May ScoMo (as he is also known)
(2020-01-22). 'Respect the rules': French President Macron snaps at Israeli police in Jerusalem (VIDEO). rt.com 
French President Emmanuel Macron gave Israeli police officers a tongue-lashing in Jerusalem, after the cops entered the French Church of St. Anne in the city's old quarter. | Footage shared on social media captured the altercation, which took place during Macron's visit to the Crusader-era church on Wednesday. Though situated in the Old City of Jerusalem, the church belongs to the French government, and Israeli officers had apparently tried to enter the premises ahead of Macron. | "Everybody knows the rules!" Macron shouted, speaking English. "I don't like what you did in front of me. Go out!" | Coup de colère…
(2020-01-22). The Uber-Rich's Preferred Means of Fending Off the Masses. truthdig.com 
I'm guessing that being rich is a comfortable feeling — no money worries, you're set for life! But is it possible that being too rich can be too much, even discombobulating? | Imagine being Mark Zuckerberg, whose social media monopoly, Facebook, put another Related Articles:
(2020-01-22). Muddle-Eastern diplomacy: White House confuses Iran and Iraq in YouTube blunder. rt.com 
As President Donald Trump sat down with the world's movers and shakers at Davos, White House staff clearly weren't paying much attention, mistaking Iraqi President Barham Salih for his Iranian counterpart. | "President Trump Participates in a Bilateral Meeting with the President of the Republic of Iran," the title of a YouTube video published by the White House on Wednesday proclaimed. | Hell had not frozen over, however, and Trump had not secretly met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani unbeknownst to the world's media. Instead, the video clearly showed Trump meeting with Iraqi President Barham Salih. | Ira…
(2020-01-22). Don't lock him up! Trump says (Bill) Clinton 'shouldn't have been impeached'. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has come out with a surprising defense of his fellow impeached president, Bill Clinton, claiming he has always thought the former leader "should not have been impeached." | In between repeatedly defending himself as "the only one who's ever been impeached and he didn't commit a crime," Trump spoke up in Clinton's defense, arguing that the former president should not have been impeached in 1998 either. | pic.twitter.com/rePv3IDGsI— Global Politicsüåè (@Globalpoliticss) (2020-01-22). Ending Militarization Of Our Communities. dissidentvoice.org 
From Stop The Militarization of Police Facebook page In recent weeks Popular Resistance has focused on the escalation of US militarism around the world, especially in the Middle East with the assassination of General Soleimani, US troops staying in Syria to take their oil and the US refusing to leave Iraq despite being asked to leave. …
(2020-01-22). Cases of New Viral Respiratory Illness Rise Sharply in China. truthdig.com World health agency weighs global emergency declaration as coronavirus infects more than 400 people, killing at least 17 in Wuhan outbreak.
(2020-01-22). What the halloumi? Library tweets photo of rotting slice of cheese used as 'bookmark'. rt.com 
Staff at the University of Liverpool Library were stunned to discover a rotting slice of processed cheese being used as a bookmark, sparking much amusement and revulsion on Twitter. | A disgusted staff member tweeted a photo of the cheese with a simple piece of advice to students: "This is not a bookmark." | This is not a bookmark. The tweet quickly racked up an un-brie-lievable amoun…
(2020-01-21). 'What? Is this a joke?' UK govt suffer online backlash after saying terrorists will face lie detector tests under new plans. rt.com 
New legislation that will include terrorists having to undertake lie detector tests has provoked anger on social media with accusations the government isn't taking the issue seriously. | The new measures which will be published by the Home Secretary Priti Patel in a new bill over the next two months, and also include a 14-year jail term for convicted terrorists, come in the wake of the London Bridge terror attack last November that left two people dead. | The 'polygraph testing' on offenders could be used on terrorists once they have been released, as part of a whole range of monitoring procedures. Lie detecto…
(2020-01-21). US embassy calls for 'immediate resumption' of oil operations in Libya. rt.com 
The US called on Tuesday for an immediate resumption of Libyan oil exports that have been blocked by forces loyal to military strongman Khalifa Haftar since last week. | The suspension of National Oil Corporation (NOC) operations "risks exacerbating the humanitarian emergency in Libya and inflicting further needless suffering on the Libyan people," the US embassy in Tripoli tweeted. | Haftar's forces, at war with fighters loyal to the UN-recognized Government of National Accord, blocked oil exports from Libya's main ports on Saturday, the day before an international peace conference. | The move to stop the cou…
(2020-01-21). Victim of PC culture or clever PR stunt? KFC apologizes over ad featuring boys staring at woman's breasts. rt.com 
KFC has been forced to apologize for airing an ad showing two young boys gawking at a woman's semi-exposed breasts after a local group complained that it was "sexist" and the video went viral. | The 15-second-long ad for the Zinger Popcorn Box — which was posted to KFC Australia's YouTube channel and has been airing on TV for weeks —
(2020-01-21). Trump backs armed gun-rights rally in Richmond, Virginia. wsws.org For the second time in three days, President Donald Trump tweeted support as thousands of gun-rights activists, many of them carrying semi-automatic weapons, descended on Virginia's capital, Richmond.
(2020-01-21). Break of Dawn After Storm: EXO Chen Announces New Duo After Marriage Controversy. sputniknews.com The news of marriage and fatherhood of the boy band's main vocalist created a furore among the fandom and the K-pop world, but peace could soon break out as a new song is set to be released.
(2020-01-21). Headlines for January 21, 2020. democracynow.org Impeachment Trial Opens as Democrats Accuse GOP of "Cover-Up", Trump and Greta Thunberg Address Elites at Davos as Oxfam Condemns Mounting Inequality, NYT Endorses Senators Warren, Klobuchar, as Sanders Gets Backing from Reps. Jayapal and Pocan, Puerto Ricans Call on Governor Vázquez to Resign After Viral Video Shows Unused Emergency Supplies, Attack Kills 100 Soldiers in Yemen, Police Injure Hundreds in Lebanese Anti-Government Protests, At Least 4 Killed, Dozens Injured in Iraq as Popular Protests Mount Nationwide, Racist Treatment of Meghan Markle Highlighted as Plans for "Megxit" Move Forward, 10,000s Attend…
(2020-01-21). A Challenger Appears? Angelina Jolie's Lookalike From Russia Steals the Spotlight Online. sputniknews.com While some social media users praise the Russian beauty's stunning good looks and marvel at her resemblance to the Hollywood celebrity Angelina Jolie, there are also those who claim that her appearance is merely a product of plastic surgery.
(2020-01-21). Our Generation is Kind of Stuck Between Progression, Regression: Bollywood's Ashwini Iyer Tiwari. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Director Ashwini Iyer Tiwari believes in highlighting the Indian women's struggle through her projects, from depicting a mother's role in motivating her daughter to study in the film "Neil Battey Sannata" to presenting the story of a national level Kabaddi player who gave up her dreams, after becoming a mother in "Panga".
(2020-01-21). Where Can I Put My Trunk? Elephant Found Strolling Through Sri Lankan Hotel — Video. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): The elephant has been off and on visiting the hotel since 2013 and is a visual treat for visitors to the Sri Lankan hotel. Known as Natta Kota, meaning short-tail, the elephant is viewed by the hotel staff as their most loyal patron.
(2020-01-21). Iowa is Not the Twitterverse. counterpunch.org It was a balmy 70 degrees in New York City last Saturday, and the excited green croci began tipping through the earth. Now, that same ground is icy, and those tips are frozen stiff, and I've been fearing that the same fate might befall hopeful progressive voters in the wake of the Warren/Sanders tiff. The
(2020-01-21). 'I'm sorry we made you cry': Napoli skipper Lorenzo Insigne posts message to crying boy following Fiorentina defeat (VIDEO). rt.com 
Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne has posted a video message apologizing to a nine-year-old fan after his team's performance left the youngster in tears at the stadium. | Insigne's side turned in a hugely disappointing performance at home as they crashed to a 2-0 defeat to Fiorentina on Saturday, and during the game television cameras showed the young boy, named Mario, who was in floods of tears watching his team from the stands as they fell to their third straight home defeat in Serie A. | The powerful image was shared by fans across social media to illustrate the current malaise at the club who, despite being r…
(2020-01-21). Facebook Pledges 1,000 New London Hires to Improve Online Safety. sputniknews.com The social media giant's announcement comes amid vocal concerns from business leaders regarding the lack of certainty over the UK's post-Brexit relationship with the European Union.
(2020-01-21). Russian military engineers celebrate 319th anniversary of foundation with impressive drill (VIDEO). rt.com 
Russia's Defense Ministry has marked the 319th anniversary of the creation of one of its most technologically advanced military branches by showcasing military engineers storming an enemy hideout in an impressive drill. | A video published by the Defense Ministry on social media shows a Russian military engineers' strike team clad in state-of-the-art combined armor protective suits storming a simulated militants' mine workshop under the cover of armored personnel carriers. | The soldiers' multilayer composite armor consisting of metallic, plastic and ceramic plates covering the whole body allows them to sur…
(2020-01-20). Protests against violence in Sri Lankan university expose government's privatization agenda. peoplesdispatch.org Students of Sri Lanka's University of Colombo are up in arms against the university management after a video circulated on social media showing a student being severely beaten up by a group inside the campus premises, on January 15. Following this attack which took place in a suburb of the capital, twelve students were arrested by the state police and presented before the Colombo Chief Magistrate. They were later released on bail. As per the Colombo National Hospital officials, the injured student has been discharged. | Protesting students claim that they are feeling intimidated by the growing number of confronta…
(2020-01-20). Trump Showed Us Who He Was Before He Became President. counterpunch.org The long record of this presidency's transgressions now includes the open dog-wagging assassination — on brazenly false pretexts — of a foreign military commander atop a state (Iran) with which the United States is not at war and without the permission of a government (Iraq) on whose soil the monumental war crime took place. In response to mild Democratic Party criticism of the timing and grounds for the assassination of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Trump has re-tweeted a right-wing lunatic's tweet depicting Democratic Congressional leaders Charles Schumer (Senate Minority Leader) and Nancy Pelosi (Hou…
(2020-01-20). As neo-Nazis head to Richmond, Trump boosts gun-rights rally. wsws.org The president's tweet is a declaration of solidarity with ultra-right forces on the eve of his impeachment trial.
(2020-01-20). 'Sit This One Out': FBI Slammed for Social Media Shoutout to Martin Luther King Jr. commondreams.org "FBI, translated: Of all the people we have wiretapped, blackmailed, and tried to drive to their deaths through suicide, there are none we think more highly of than Dr. King." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/mlk_mugshot_birmingham2.jpg …
(2020-01-19). Gremlin in the sky: Pentagon contractor shows maiden flight of its new 'swarm' drone. rt.com 
Swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles overwhelming enemies' defenses with sheer numbers might soon be part of the US combat strategy. Footage of the first flight of one such drone has just been showcased by a Pentagon contractor. | A video published on YouTube by an applied science and IT company, Dynetics, shows a drone, which looks roughly like a large air-to-surface missile, being drop-launched from under the wing of a US transport Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft. | The drone designated X-61A then releases small wings and ignites its rocket engine, setting off for an autonomous flight. Media reports sugges…
(2020-01-19). China Reports 136 New Cases of 'Sars-Type' Virus. telesurenglish.net Chinese authorities have confirmed 136 new cases diagnosed with a new form of viral pneumonia in central China that has already killed three people, according to the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission. | RELATED: | In total, 198 cases of the new coronavirus have been identified in the city of Wuhan, where the virus appears to have originated. At least a half-dozen countries in Asia and three U.S. airports have started sc…
(2020-01-18). Woodland camo in space, you sure? US Space Force roasted online after it premiers first-ever uniform. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump's recently inaugurated Space Force has faced a torrent of mockery online after it unveiled its brand new woodland-patterned camouflage uniform, raising quite a few eyebrows. | The US Space Force, Trump's beloved brainchild and now one of the eight uniformed services in the country, has finally got its own gear. | "The first #SpaceForce utility uniform nametapes have touched down in the Pentagon," the newest branch of the US military tweeted, accompanying the message with a photo of what appears to be a standard US Army woodland camo jacket, sporting a US Space Force patch on its sleev…
(2020-01-17). 'Rigging election again': Trump says impeachment all a ploy to… shaft Bernie Sanders. rt.com 
The impeachment trial against Donald Trump is not just a "witch hunt," but a ploy to "rig" the Democratic nomination against Bernie Sanders and in favor of Joe Biden, the US president has claimed. | "They are rigging the election again against Bernie Sanders, just like last time, only even more obviously," Trump tweeted on Friday. | They are rigging the election again against Bernie Sanders, just like last time, only even more obviously. They are bringing him out of so important Iowa in order that, as a Senator, he sit through the Impeachment Hoax Trial. Crazy Nancy thereby gives the strong edge to Sleepy…[m…
(2020-01-17). Israel Bombs Gaza Strip in Response to Incendiary Balloons. theantimedia.com (MEE) — The Israeli military said an attack helicopter struck a Hamas target in the northern Gaza Strip late Thursday in response to the launch of incendiary balloons into Israeli territory earlier in the day, the Associated Press reported. 2 milions in Gaza Can not sleep because Israel attacks on Gaza 9: 21 PM pic.twitter.com/JPbOkFBClU — Heba Khaled (@heba_khaled1998) …
(2020-01-16). 'You're a liberal hack!' GOP Senator snubs CNN journo at impeachment trial — then tweets the insult (VIDEO). rt.com 
With the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump officially underway, not everyone involved is keen to give the liberal media soundbites. Arizona Senator Martha McSally let CNN's Manu Raju know exactly what she thought of him. | Following the delivery of the articles of impeachment to the Senate on Thursday and the swearing-in of Senators, CNN's Manu Raju waited in the halls of the US Capitol to ask Republicans whether the Senate should permit new evidence against Trump to be admitted, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said earlier it should. | "Senator McSally, should the Senate consider new evidence as part…
(2020-01-15). Shining a Spotlight on Anti-Homeless Reporters. fair.org 
by Josmar Trujillo Breaking news from the New York Post ( With every new year, out come our usual resolutions: Let's quit smoking, give up meat, or maybe we can lose those extra 15 pounds we always say we should. Alas, for some of us, it's hard to change our ways. Case in point, the New York Post cannot and will not give up its obsessive, cruel and deranged fascinat…
(2020-01-15). Keeping with its Crackdown on Alternative Voices, Google Deletes Press TV from YouTube. mintpressnews.com Without warning, tech giant Google "permanently removed" Iranian government-owned media channel Press TV UK's YouTube channel Monday night amid increasing American hostility to Iran. | "This attack on the freedom of speech of Press TV's journalists seems to be part of an anti-Iran purge as the West sets its sights on regime change in Iran," Press TV
(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.
(2020-01-13). 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…
(2020-01-06). 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 …