2020-05-31: News Headlines

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-31). People's rebellion in the belly of the beast. peoplesdispatch.org Since Monday May 25 people have taken the streets in cities across the United States demanding justice for George Floyd who was killed by police in Minneapolis. A video of his unjust murder circulated widely across social media and his death has served as the tipping point for people frustrated with the racist, capitalist system. The protests are some of the most intense and largest seen since the 2014 Ferguson uprising which occurred after police murdered 18-year-old Michael Brown.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-05-31). Sinister Flatulence: Trump versus Twitter. dissidentvoice.org Sawing off the branch you sit on can hardly be the best of policies. But that all depends on the nature of the branch. US President Donald Trump has huffed himself into another small historical moment, going on the offensive against social media companies using the very language his faux progressive opponents use against them. …

Ramesh Srinivasan (2020-05-31). Twitter Warns Trump Tweet Glorifies Violence. zcomm.org "Trump has prospered through his use of social media and its attention-hoarding algorithms to basically disinform and misinform people"

Eds. (2020-05-30). Capitalism & the home. mronline.org We have become used to 'stay at home' in the corner of our TV screens, behind nightly government press conferences, repeated over and over on the radio and in social media.

Adam Serwer (2020-05-30). Trump's Warped Definition of Free Speech. zcomm.org Trump is seeking to build social-media companies such as Twitter and Facebook into part of an authoritarian infrastructure that amplifies his power and silences the opposition…

Erwin Chemerinsky (2020-05-30). Trump's Authoritarian Executive Order Is an Assault on Free Speech—Not a Defense of It. commondreams.org "Twitter in no way censored the president," argues Chemerinsky. "It engaged in its own speech by providing readers with further information. It is truly Orwellian that Trump declared he was acting to protect free speech when he was retaliating against speech and seeking to expand the liability of media companies. Trump's action is illegal. As president he does not have the power to change the meaning of a federal statute." (Image: Gage Skidmore/Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/twitter_trump_0.jpg

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-30). Kuwait Airways to lay off 1,500 of its foreign employees. peoplesdispatch.org State-owned airline company Kuwait Airways announced on Thursday May 28, plans to lay off 1,500 of its employees. All of them are migrant workers from foreign countries. The company has a total workforce of around 7,000. | In a tweet issued on its official Twitter handle on Tuesday evenings, the company cited the impact of the coronavirus-related lockdown on its overall business as the reason for the layoffs. | Kuwait Airways was already showing losses before the advent of the lockdowns imposed globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The government has so far failed to announce any relief for workers in the airlin…

commondreams (2020-05-30). Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Condemns Mark Zuckerberg's Decision to Continue Publishing President Trump's Tweets Glorifying Violence. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Alan Macleod (2020-05-29). As Establishment Condemns China for Hong Kong Repression, Trump Tweets About "Shooting Looters" mintpressnews.com Democrats and Republicans are united in condemning Beijing for its overreach, but perhaps its time to look closer to home to find examples of state repression.

commondreams (2020-05-29). ACLU Statement On Trump Tweet Directing the National Guard to Murder Protesters in Minneapolis. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Ryan Cristián (2020-05-29). James Corbett Interview — The Social Media Regulation Psyop. thelastamericanvagabond.com Originally Published August 26 2018 In a time of such obvious deceit and aggressive manipulation, not only by those who once sought our votes or our subservience but today even by each other, unwittingly doing the bidding of those who seek to control our every purchase, our every click, view and action, one would think …

Kate Ruane (2020-05-29). President Trump has No Idea How Online Speech Works. aclu.org Yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at bullying social media companies and online platforms into changing how they moderate content online. The order came the day after President Trump tweeted that Republicans feel that social media platforms silence conservative voices. And, notably, just days after Twitter's decision to place a fact-checking

news.un (2020-05-29). UN human rights office welcomes moves to curtail spread of hatred and violence online. news.un.org The UN human rights office (OHCHR) has welcomed steps taken by social media companies to prevent their platforms from being used to promote hatred, violence and misinformation, Spokesperson Rupert Colville said on Friday.

Sasha Abramsky (2020-05-29). Trump's Twitter Tirade Is the Tantrum of a Troll. thenation.com Trump's Twitter Tirade Is the Tantrum of a Troll…

Dan Froomkin (2020-05-29). Reminder to the Press: Trump's Deadly Covid-19 Failures Are Still Happening. commondreams.org When it comes to the virus, Washington is doing basically none of the things we need it to do. (Photo: Pete Marovich/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump-tweetin_0.jpg

Jon Queally, staff writer (2020-05-30). What ACLU Says Was Trump Call to "Literally Murder Protesters," Facebook Says Doesn't Violate Standards. commondreams.org "Facebook has once again failed to act against an explicit violation of its own rules and has allowed the violent and racist post to remain up." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/zuckerberg_0_1.jpg

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-05-29). In Show of Solidarity, Public Transit Workers Refuse to Transport Police Units or Those Arrested at #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd Protests. commondreams.org Unionized public bus drivers in Minneapolis are refusing to aid police in transporting arrested protesters to jail, in a show of solidarity that one supporter on social media called "a game-changer" as civil rights advocates demand justice for George Floyd. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1227482214_2.jpg

Staff (2020-05-29). Twitter Warns Trump Tweet Glorifies Violence as He Signs Executive Order to Weaken Social Media. democracynow.org As President Trump calls Minneapolis protesters "THUGS" and tweets, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts," Twitter flags the tweet with a warning it glorifies violence, just as Trump signs an executive order to punish social media companies for how they monitor content. "Trump has prospered through his use of social media and its attention-hoarding algorithms to basically disinform and misinform people," says Ramesh Srinivasan, professor in the Department of Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Staff (2020-05-29). Headlines for May 29, 2020. democracynow.org Protests Rage After Minneapolis Prosecutor Does Not Bring Charges Against Officers Who Killed George Floyd, Scores Tear-Gassed, Arrested as Protests Against George Floyd's Killing Spread to Other Cities, Twitter Flags Trump Tweet for Glorifying Violence After President Attacks Minnesota Protesters as "THUGS", Trump Executive Order Threatens to Punish Social Media Companies over Fact-Checking, U.S. Economy Sheds Another 2.1 Million Jobs, Leaving 40.7 Million Unemployed Since Start of Pandemic, Pennsylvania Democratic Lawmakers Accuse Republicans of Knowingly Exposing Them to Coronavirus, Protesters Demand ICE Empt…

RT (2020-05-31). 'NYPD scores a touchdown'? Cops TACKLE & BEAT protester with batons as he celebrates on police van (VIDEO). rt.com A protester in New York City quickly found himself pinned to the ground by a swarm of police officers, after mounting the hood of a NYPD vehicle. Footage of the incident has elicited both applause and anger on social media. | Countless police vehicles have been vandalized and destroyed in ongoing riots across the United States, but one demonstrator in New York City may have been too hasty while trying to get a piece of the action. | A video circulating on social media shows a man standing on a NYPD cruiser waving his arms. Seconds later, a police officer sprints from the driver's side of the vehicle and tackle…

RT (2020-05-31). Anonymous declares WAR on Minneapolis Police in video message attributed to hacker group. rt.com Hacker collective Anonymous has purportedly begun to target the Minneapolis Police Department, accusing the force of systemic violence and corruption while serving as an instrument for "the ruling class." | A video message posted to an Anonymous Facebook page with 11 million followers accused the Minneapolis Police of condoning behavior that led to the death of George Floyd. | "People have had enough of this corruption and violence from an organization that promises to keep them safe," the masked narrator says. | The group called for criminal charges to be brought against all of the officers who were filmed…

RT (2020-05-31). 'Like posing after a big game kill': Uncle of George Floyd tells RT about watching cops brutalize his nephew. rt.com The Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd acted like he was hunting an animal, the victim's uncle has told RT. He expressed hope that the tragedy could lead to change, but urged people against violence. | Derek Chauvin, the policeman filmed pinning his knee on Floyd's neck for several minutes, seemed to have "no remorse" for what he did, Selwyn Jones said, describing the viral video of the incident. | He had a monster look in his eye. Like, you know what, 'This is my job to do this'… He looked like he was posing after a big animal kill, a big game kill. | Speaking from Gettysburg, Sout…

RT (2020-05-30). WATCH the video that started all the 'CHILD SOLDIERS' rumors. rt.com A full-length video has emerged showing what appear to be teenagers in military surplus gear in Atlanta, Georgia. When snippets of the footage went viral earlier, the internet exploded with rumors of child soldiers. | Published on YouTube but originally broadcast on Instagram, the video shows more than a dozen people of teenage build and stature, standing in a line as if to 'guard' a bridge in Atlanta, Georgia. The mysterious 'troops' carry rifles without magazines, but are clad in matching military-style clothing and gas masks. Behind them, a number of military vehicles are parked, while other people in simil…

en.mehrnews (2020-05-31). US should listen to its people, change its bankrupt policies: Foreign Ministry. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 31 (MNA) — Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its twitter account on Sunday wrote that the US should listen to its people and change its bankrupt policies.

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-05-30). Twitter Censorship, And Other Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com If people truly understood the extent to which mental narrative dominates their experience of life, propaganda, advertising and all other forms of psychological manipulation would be regarded by our society similarly to physical assault or property theft. | ~ | It is very telling that Twitter only started censoring Trump for violating terms of service when he promoted violence against Americans. He's been tweeting insanely hawkish threats against people in other nations for years, but they don't count as real people. | ~ | FYI if you're more upset by Twitter censoring one of the most powerful people in the world…

_____ (2020-05-30). NYC Bus Drivers Union Refuses To Transport Protesters For NYPD. popularresistance.org Workers for New York City's MTA are refusing to transport people arrested during protests against police brutality in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. A video of a bus driver refusing to transport people arrested during protests in front of Brooklyn's Barclays Center went viral Friday night. | In the video, a crowd cheers a bus driver who appears to be refusing to sit behind the wheel: "the NYPD is using a bus to transfer arrested protesters at the Barclays Center," @berniebromanny, who shared the video, tweeted. "However, the bus driver refused to drive it." The video was viewe…

_____ (2020-05-30). BAP Calls On United Nations To Address U.S. Human Rights Crisis. popularresistance.org The extrajudicial murders of African/Black people, such as Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, by agents of the U.S. government and armed civilians have sparked urban rebellions in cities across the United States. Yet these murders cannot be understood outside of the context of the U.S. state's ongoing assault on the human rights of African/Black people. | U.S. President Donald Trump's tweet demanding lethal violence—"…when the looting starts, the shooting starts…"—requires the United Nations to intervene. | Trump's threat comes as the U.S. state has tragically failed during the COVID-…