2020-02-21: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-21). 'I want to kill myself': Sports stars rally round as mother shares heartbreaking video of bullied son (VIDEO). rt.com A video of a nine-year-old boy has gone viral after an Australian mother shared the heartbreaking clip of her inconsolable son, who suffers from constant bullying due to his condition. | Quaden Bayles was born with Achondroplasia dwarfism, and gets bullied at school for his height, and he bullying has gotten so bad that the youngster has reached the point where he wants to take his own life. | In the powerful video, a distraught Quaden says, "Give me a knife. I want to kill myself." And later says, "I wish I could stab myself in the heart. I want someone to kill me." | His mother, Yarraka Bayles, shared the…

Human Billboard (2020-02-21). Message above Hwy 101 Tells Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook "Truth Matters" indybay.org Criticism against Facebook continues to grow. Ahead of the 2020 US elections, misinformation is a top concern. Ergo, this human billboard message on January 17 near CEO Zuckerberg's Palo Alto home and Facebook headquarters.

yenisafak (2020-02-21). Deescalation deal with Taliban on Feb. 29: Pompeo. yenisafak.com U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday announced the U.S. and Taliban had reached an agreement to "reduce violence across Afghanistan," set to be signed on Feb. 29."After decades of conflict, we have come to an understanding with the Taliban on a significant reduction in violence across Afghanistan. This is an important step on a long road to peace, and I call on all Afghans to seize this opportunity," Pompeo said on Twitter.Pompeo's announcement came onboard flight to Oman."The United States and the Taliban have been engaged in extensive talks to facilitate a political settlement to end the war in Afghani…

yenisafak (2020-02-21). Turkish police arrest 14 YPG/PKK suspects in Ankara. yenisafak.com Turkish security forces arrested 14 people in the capital Ankara on Friday for their suspected links to the YPG/PKK terror group, police said.Anti-terror squads carried out an operation to nab 15 foreign nationals, the Ankara police said on Twitter.With 14 suspects arrested, police hunt for the other suspect at large is underway.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK

yenisafak (2020-02-21). Iran confirms 13 more coronavirus cases, two new deaths, mostly in Qom city. yenisafak.com Iran confirmed 13 new coronavirus cases on Friday, two of whom have died, with the outbreak there coming just as the country votes in a parliamentary election.The majority of coronavirus cases in Iran have been in Qom, 120 km (75 miles) south of the capital Tehran.The new cases comprised seven people diagnosed in Qom, four in Tehran and two in Gilan, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said in a tweet."Most of the cases were residents of Qom or had a history of returning from Qom in recent days and weeks," Jahanpur said in the tweet, referring to the new cases.The total number of cases in Iran now stands a…

sputniknews (2020-02-21). Priyanka Chopra to Play Bio Terror Attack Convict Ma Anand Sheela in Amazon Film. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Sheela Birnstiel, known as Ma Anand Sheela, is an Indian-born American—Swiss convicted criminal and former spokeswoman of the Rajneesh Movement. In 1986 she pleaded guilty of her role in the 1984 Rajneeshee bio-terror attack. Rajneesh also known as Acharya Rajneesh, was founded by the guru Osho.

sputniknews (2020-02-21). A Falling Meteor Caught on Camera in Russia's Karelia – Video. sputniknews.com The natural phenomenon occurred at 4: 35 local time and lasted for about six seconds.

RT (2020-02-21). WATCH private jet make fiery belly-landing at Daytona Beach airport in Florida. rt.com A dramatic crash-landing of a twin-engine jet with two people on board at Daytona Beach International Airport has been captured in chilling footage that shows the small plane skidding down the runway engulfed in flames. | A fiery video of a Cessna Citation Mustang performing a landing without its gear in a tornado of sparks and flames was shared on Facebook by Yelvington Jet Aviation. Smoke was seen rising from the aircraft as it came to a halt on the tarmac and firefighters rushed to extinguish the blaze. |

| The exact cause of the incident that took place on Thursday afternoon remains uncle…

RT (2020-02-20). Deepfakes for me, but not for thee? Bloomberg campaign releases altered video of lackluster debate performance. rt.com Billionaire Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg has released a doctored video showing his rivals struck dumb by his brilliance after a widely-panned debate performance. So much for social media's war on fake videos… | The clip shows a smug Bloomberg challenging the other candidates to match his business acumen. "I'm the only one here I think that's ever started a business. Is that fair?" he asks in the clip, posted to Twitter on Thursday. As the camera cuts from one dumbstruck face to another for 20 uncomfortable seconds, the sound of crickets underscores his rivals' utter failure to muster any challenge…

C.J. Atkins (2020-02-20). The biggest threat to unity is the "Anybody But Bernie" crowd. peoplesworld.org Wall Street Democrats' worst nightmare seems to be coming true: The momentum of a self-declared socialist who threatens to make health care accessible to every American and pledges to combat climate change while creating green, union jobs is looking increasingly unstoppable. Scroll through the Twitter feed of "centrist think tank" Third Way these days and …

RT (2020-02-20). 'This should go well': Trolling and worry as Twitter reveals plan to flag 'lies & misinformation'. rt.com Twitter is experimenting with features that will supposedly help identify tweets containing lies with community help, but the social media giant's track record of bias and questionable banning standards has users concerned. | Tweets that spread "lies" or "misinformation" will be highlighted for users with a bright-colored warning that is nearly the same size as the offending post, according to a

RT (2020-02-19). CNN reporter triggered by Fox interviewing InfoWars' 'Gun Girl' quickly reminded of own network's history with racists & criminals. rt.com In a case of the pot calling the kettle black, Oliver Darcy fumed at Fox News describing Kaitlin Bennet as a "gun rights activist" after her tumultuous visit to a college campus. Twitter was quick to remind him of CNN's own sins.

RT (2020-02-19). Third time's the charm? Soros AGAIN accuses Facebook of helping Trump re-election, demands Zuckerberg & Sandberg exit. rt.com Billionaire speculator George Soros has once again called for the de-platforming of Facebook leadership, accusing them of collusion with US President Donald Trump, after CEO Mark Zuckerberg begged for more government regulation. | "It goes without saying that I support government regulation of social media platforms," Soros said in a letter to Financial Times published Tuesday, but added that Zuckerberg does not need government regulation to stop accepting all political advertising until after the November 2020 US election. | Facebook is unlikely to do so, the Paris-based oligarch wrote, accusing Zuckerberg of…

RT (2020-02-19). 'Impeached president says what?' Bloomberg hits back at Trump 'Mini Mike the pathetic debater' jibe. rt.com US President Donald Trump has lashed out at billionaire Democratic candidate Mike Bloomberg (again), this time calling him a "pathetic debater" with no respect for American farmers. Bloomberg hit back with some snark of his own. | Tweeting on Wednesday, Trump asked whether the "corrupt" Bloomberg News channel would admit that its owner "Mini Mike" was a pathetic debater. The tweet came ahead of the upcoming Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas — the first in which Bloomberg will take part. Trump previously bestowed the nickname 'Mini Mike' on the former New York mayor in reference to his short stat…

Staff (2020-02-19). Latinx Group Mijente Backs Bernie Sanders in First-Ever Presidential Endorsement. democracynow.org In its first-ever presidential endorsement, the Latinx and Chicanx organization Mijente endorsed Bernie Sanders on Tuesday ahead of the Nevada caucuses. The group tweeted its decision, saying, "We know that in 2020, Trump's potential re-election is a life-or-death threat for us, for our people, and for our planet. This moment demands a historic mobilization. That's why Mijente is uniting with the movement to elect @BernieSanders." A video accompanied the announcement. After the contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, where the electorate is overwhelmingly white, Nevada is the first election with a diverse population.

pip.hinman (2020-02-19). Bylong steps up fight against coal mine after IPC bails. greenleft.org.au

RT (2020-02-18). But will he pardon Roger Stone? Trump clemency for Blagojevich, Kerik, Milken & DeBartolo fuel speculation. rt.com US President Donald Trump has surprised everyone with a series of pardons that — so far — do not include any of his aides caught up in 'Russiagate' investigations, although his tweets suggest this too might be coming. | First on the list was former San Francisco 49s NFL franchise owner Edward DeBartolo Jr, who pleaded guilty in 1998 to failing to report a felony, after he did not disclose that the governor of Louisiana extorted him for a bribe in exchange for a riverboat casino license. He was fined $1 million and sentenced to two years' probation. His NFL career effectively over, he transferred th…

RT (2020-02-18). Sales for me, tariffs for thee? Trump says US 'OPEN FOR BUSINESS' & blasts China trade restrictions… as tariffs remain in place. rt.com President Donald Trump has unloaded on a series of measures that would restrict the sale of US goods to China, saying national security is no "excuse" for disrupting business. Meanwhile, Chinese imports remain penalized. | "The United States cannot, and will not, become such a difficult place to deal with in terms of foreign countries buying our product," Trump tweeted on Tuesday, "including for the always used National Security excuse." | The United States cannot, & will not, become such a difficult place to deal with in terms of foreign countries buying our product, including for the always used National Sec…

RT (2020-02-18). Politico reporter mercilessly mocked for tweeting that traffic jams at busy Bernie Sanders rally 'not a good look'. rt.com US media has often been accused of playing down the popularity of Bernie Sanders — but one reporter took that to the extreme, tweeting that traffic jams at one of his packed-out rallies were "not a good look" for the candidate.

Staff (2020-02-14). Headlines for February 14, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Passes Resolution Limiting Trump's War Powers Authority, Attorney General William Barr Criticizes Trump's Tweets, Bloomberg Criticized for Falsely Blaming 2008 Crisis on End of Redlining, Top Wall Street Executives on Biden Guest List for Manhattan Fundraiser, Ex-Ohio State Wrestler Says Rep. Jim Jordan Begged Him to Cover Up Sexual Abuse, Last Month Was Hottest January on Record, Indigenous Anti-Pipeline Blockades Cripple Canada's Rail Transportation, Intercept: Canadian Fossil Fuel Company "Bought" Oregon Sheriff Department Unit, Judge Temporarily Blocks Microsoft-Pentagon Contract After Amazon Lawsuit,…