2020-08-11: News Headlines

Ben Norton (2020-08-11). Twitter spreads paid U.S. gov't propaganda while falsely claiming it bans state media ads. mronline.org Twitter says it bans ads from state-affiliated media outlets. However, U.S. government propaganda organs like Voice of America's VOA Persian pay the social media corporation huge sums of money to spread disinformation against Iran and other foreign adversaries.

RT (2020-08-11). Swarm of subsea quakes near San Andreas fault reignites doomsday prophecies, fears of impending 'Big One'. rt.com A swarm of dozens of minor earthquakes hit just south of the San Andreas Fault in a matter of mere hours, prompting concerns that California might be hit by a megaquake in the near future. | The largest temblor in Monday's swarm was a magnitude 4.6, while there were multiple magnitude 3 quakes, all of which struck in an area known as the Brawley Seismic Zone, wedged between the San Andreas Fault and the Imperial Fault which goes all the way south to Mexico. | pic.twitter.com/nixsdcD8tr— Brian OLSON-19 (@mrbrianolson) RT (2020-08-11). Whose convention is it again? MSNBC uses Republican backdrop to promote Democratic convention. rt.com A graphical blunder by MSNBC demonstrates two facts about modern America: that fact-checking takes second seat to pizzazz, and that neither party has a monopoly on red, white, and blue pageantry. | In a series of graphics announcing the speaker schedule for next week's Democratic National Convention, MSNBC on Tuesday listed the names over a photograph of the Republican Party's 2012 convention — where Mitt Romney accepted his party's nomination in a shower of red, white, and blue balloons. | The gaffe was quickly picked up by hawk-eyed Twitter users, who mocked the network for its sloppiness. Among the fir…

Fight Back (2020-08-11). Rebellion reignites in Chicago. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Chicago police shot a 20-year-old Black man, Latrell Allen, in the Englewood neighborhood on Sunday afternoon, August 9. His mother told the media that he was shot five times, and she and an eyewitness both said he didn't have a gun at the time. | Community members angrily challenged the police. In response, the cops became brutal. One eyewitness, Joseph Williams, described on social media, "When I came out, the police were literally whupping a young man. One of them even kicked him in the face, which led to the blood on the ground," as he pointed to a stain on the pavement. | The police escalated.

_____ (2020-08-11). Land Defenders Rebuild Camp Despite New Injunction. popularresistance.org After several arrests last week and a new court order, land defenders are digging in their heels and rebuilding 1492 Land Back Lane, a name they've given McKenzie Meadows, a disputed site of a proposed housing development in Caledonia, Ont. that borders Six Nations of the Grand River's eastern border. | "We are under constant threat of OPP invasion of our unceded Haudenosaunee territory," said community member Skyler Williams in a Facebook post on Sunday. "Despite all of this, we continue to work on and build our community here at Land Back Lane."

Ben Norton (2020-08-10). Twitter spreads paid US gov't propaganda while falsely claiming it bans state media ads. thegrayzone.com Twitter says it bans ads from state-affiliated media outlets. However, US government propaganda organs like Voice of America's VOA Persian…

RT (2020-08-10). Victim of 'systemic racism'? Biden's Ferguson anniversary tweet flops… as his own DOJ justified Michael Brown shooting. rt.com Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden seemingly forgot what was made clear by his own administration when he was vice president under Obama: Evidence shows that Michael Brown was killed while assaulting a police officer. | That was the

RT (2020-08-10). Hundreds of looters raid Chicago after riots break out over police shooting (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com Chicago has been gripped by large-scale rioting and looting, believed to have been sparked by a police shooting in the city. Law enforcement are reportedly struggling to restore order. | Social media was flooded with photographs and videos showing widespread chaos in the city. Footage shows large crowds walking through the streets with looted merchandise, as people rush in and out of stores. | According to eyewitness reports, looters targeted large department stores such as Macy's and Nordstrom, as well as luxury shops including Gucci, Louis Vuitton and even a Tesla dealership. Countless other businesses were…

RT (2020-08-10). What could it mean? Twitter erupts with sarcastic suggestions after Trump refers to himself as 'President T'. rt.com Donald Trump has sparked yet another Twitter drama after referring to himself as 'President T' in a post questioning the loyalty of a senator, prompting users to make sarcastic suggestions of what the 'T' could possibly stand for. | In the Monday tweet, Trump accused Republican Senator Ben Sasse of "going rogue" after he sharply criticized the president's executive orders aimed at providing coronavirus relief while bypassing Congress. | RINO Ben Sasse, who needed my support and endorsement in order to get the Republican nomination for Senate from the GREAT State of Nebraska, has, now that he's got it (Thank yo…

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-10). Trump's Payroll Tax Deferral Aims to Weaken and Kill Social Security and Medicare. globalresearch.ca All politicians lie. Rare exceptions prove the rule. | Trump is Exhibit A, a serial liar never to be trusted, a menace to virtually everything just societies hold dear. | Last February 8 he tweeted: "We will not be touching your Social …

Unicorn Riot (2020-08-10). The Caldwells: Father-Son Duo Team Up on a Portion of Historic Minneapolis Mural. unicornriot.ninja Minneapolis, MN — When Kenneth Caldwell got tagged on a Facebook post about participating in making a Black Lives Matter mural in North Minneapolis, he jumped at the opportunity. | The well-known local artist teamed up with his father, Charles Caldwell, another prolific artist, to create…

sputniknews (2020-08-10). Videos: Chaos Erupts in France's Cannes Following False Reports of Shooter. sputniknews.com Multiple videos shared on social media Monday documented mass chaos erupting in France's Cannes moments after an unidentified individual yelled out "gunshot" in the streets, a move which ultimately prompted false reports of an active-shooter situation.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-09). West wants to avoid strategic coop. between Iran, East. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 09 (MNA) — In a tweet on Sunday, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani wrote that the west is in favor of avoiding Iran from developing ties with the eastern countries.

sputniknews (2020-08-09). OUCH! Falling on a Pole Like That Must've Hurt. sputniknews.com Some things hurt more than others, and falling on a pole with your legs open must be one of them. In a 'painful' viral video, the distress is palpable.

RT (2020-08-08). He 'deserves a raise': 'Karen' roasted for shaming store manager for not doing enough about non-mask wearer. rt.com A trans activist's attempt to shame a grocery store manager over not enforcing a Covid-19 mask mandate has epically backfired, with critics labeling the complainer a "super Karen." | "I was just threatened w/assault at @kroger in Louisville because I asked another customer to wear a mask, and she refused," Danielle Muscato tweeted. | Muscato said a manager was informed of the confrontation and talked to the non-mask wearing customer, but "refused to do anything more." | Muscato then posted an image of the store manager, named him, and attempted to shame him. | "His name is Andy, and he does not want Twitter t…

RT (2020-08-08). 'Too much pot brownie': Clinton slams NYT's Maureen Dowd over claim it's been 36 YEARS since a man & woman ran on Dem ticket. rt.com Hillary Clinton and thousands of others roasted a now-corrected story and tweet from the New York Times claiming the last time there was a mixed-gender presidential ticket for the Democratic Party was in the '80s. | "It's hard to fathom, but it has been 36 years since a man and a woman ran together on a Democratic Party ticket," the New York Times' Opinion Twitter account wrote, linking to an article by columnist Maureen Dowd, which included the same quote. | How does an error this significant get past an editor?

WSWS (2020-08-08). Georgia highschoolers use social media to expose disastrous conditions as schools reopen. wsws.org Two students from Georgia's North Paulding High School were suspended after photos of hallways packed with crowds of unmasked students went viral on social media.

WSWS (2020-08-08). President Trump signs executive orders banning Chinese social media apps TikTok and WeChat. wsws.org On Thursday, the US president signed two executive orders that will ban the operation of TikTok and WeChat in the US unless they are acquired by US-based companies within 45 days.

_____ (2020-08-08). TikTok Diplomacy: A Digital Containment Doctrine. popularresistance.org With TikTok, Donald Trump is adding State Department coercion to his "art of the deal" toolkit. After months of feigned concern that the viral TikTok app represents a "trojan horse" for the Communist Party of China to access U.S. consumer data, the Trump Administration issued the Chinese company an ultimatum: sell the app to a U.S. buyer, or be shut down. | Microsoft has stepped forward as a potential buyer of TikTok, a clone of the Chinese video app Douyin tailored for a Western audience.

sputniknews (2020-08-08). 'Queen of Shade': Hillary Clinton Riles Up Social Media as She Mocks Columnist. sputniknews.com The original version of the column in question apparently mentioned that it has been 36 years since "a man and a woman ran together on a Democratic Party ticket", even though Hillary Clinton ran for president in 2016.

sputniknews (2020-08-08). Bill Gates Warns That TikTok Is a 'Poison Chalice' Amid Potential Microsoft Takeover. sputniknews.com The former CEO and co-founder of technology giant Microsoft has weighed in on the Trump administration's push for an American company to purchase Chinese-owned video-sharing social media app Tik Tok.

yenisafak (2020-08-08). Two Lebanese shot dead in Tehran in rare shootout. yenisafak.com Two Lebanese nationals were shot dead by unknown assailants in Tehran, in what is being described as a rare incident of shooting in the Iranian capital. A father and daughter were shot by motorcycle-borne armed assailants north of Tehran's Pasdaran neighborhood on Friday, according to local media.The semi-official Fars News Agency identified the victims as Habib Davoodi and Maryam Davoodi, both Arab-speaking Lebanese nationals.Many social media users said the shooting took place near the Tehran house of slain Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed along with top Iranian general Qassem Sole…

Gregory P Bisson, Mayara Bastos, Jonathon R Campbell, Didi Bang, James C Brust, Petros Isaakadis, Christoph Lange, Dick Menzies, Giovanni B Migliori, Jean W Pape, Domingo Palmero, Parvaneh Baghei, Payam Tabarsi, Piret Viiklepp, Stalz Vilbrun, Jonathan Walsh, Suzanne M Marks (2020-08-08). [Articles] Mortality in adults with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and HIV by antiretroviral therapy and tuberculosis drug use: an individual patient data meta-analysis. thelancet.com Use of ART and more effective anti-tuberculosis drugs is associated with lower odds of death among HIV-positive patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Access to these therapies should be urgently pursued.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-08-07). Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook: The Big Four High Tech Oligarchs Appear Before the US Congress. globalresearch.ca Silicon Valley continues to sprawl in influence, and its modern robber barons bestride the globe with a confidence verging on contempt. The technology giants that mark that region of California are praised as "virtuosos of ingenuity," to use Steve Forbes' …

Ian Goodrum (2020-08-07). TikTok — Trump's anti-China tech war is a protection racket for U.S. capital. peoplesworld.org I can't say I expected a viral teen dance smartphone app to be the latest flashpoint in President Donald Trump's war on all things China. But that's 2020 for you. TikTok, the wildly popular short video platform owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is in the U.S. government's crosshairs due to alleged national security risks. Trump …

RT (2020-08-07). WATCH: Rescuers comb Air India Express crash site in desperate search for survivors. rt.com Rescue operations are underway after an Air India Express passenger flight carrying over 190 people overshot the runway and broke into two, killing at least 14 people and injuring 123 more in the southern Indian state of Kerala. | Videos and photos circulating on social media show the serious damage to the plane, as rescuers comb through the wreckage to find survivors. Rescue vehicles can be seen on site in footage that shows a hectic scene, with many running around and frantically talking into cell phones. | There were total 184 passengers, including 10 infants and 6 crew members, including 2 pilots onboard <...

RT (2020-08-07). 'National security threat'? Trump signs executive orders on TikTok & WeChat, bans transactions with Chinese owners in 45 days. rt.com US President Donald Trump has issued a series of executive orders addressing what he dubbed a technological national emergency, barring all transactions with the Chinese owners of social media apps TikTok and WeChat after 45 days. | Citing the "threat posed by TikTok," the president signed an order on Thursday prohibiting "any transaction by any person… subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd.," the Beijing-based tech firm that owns the platform. | BREAKING: President Trump just issued an executive order "on Addressing the Threat Posed by TikTok." It takes effect in 45 days, proh…

RT (2020-08-07). 17 dead, 173 hospitalized after Air India Express flight skids off runway in Kerala with 191 people on board, splits in two. rt.com An Air India Express passenger flight en route from Dubai with 191 people on board overshot the runway during landing at Kerala's Kozhikode airport. Police officials confirmed 17 deaths with another 173 injured. | Officials also confirmed that both the pilot and co-pilot perished in the disastrous crash landing. | Media reports said the plane overshot the runway, fell into a valley and broke up. Images and video circulating on social media showed the aircraft broken into two pieces with rescue operations underway. | There were total 184 passengers, including 10 infants and 6 crew members, including 2 pilots on…

RT (2020-08-07). 'Biden no longer worthy of the black vote': Trump pounces on 'Sleepy Joe' for controversial diversity statement. rt.com Donald Trump attacked Joe Biden by tweeting that he is "no longer worthy of the Black Vote," after his controversial statement. Now both presidential candidates are under fire for their comments on the African American community. | "After yesterday's statement, Sleepy Joe Biden is no longer worthy of the Black Vote!" the president tweeted Friday morning. He referenced the Thursday interview with the presumptive Democratic nominee, where he seemingly

RT (2020-08-07). 'War on gamers?!' Twitter freaks out fearing Trump's ambiguous 'Tencent ban' could hit Fortnite, League of Legends, PUBG & others. rt.com A vaguely worded White House executive order targeting WeChat — owned by Chinese digital entertainment giant Tencent Holdings — has triggered panic online that the move could deal a death blow to the global video gaming industry. | US President Donald Trump signed the order late on Thursday evening, banning American firms from doing business with Tencent — or at least any transactions "related to" its messaging app, WeChat. The move kicked off a frenzy of speculation from netizens, who pointed to the fact that Tencent holds large stakes in a series of major game developers. That roster include…

pip.hinman (2020-08-07). Woolworths workers win wage parity after lockout. greenleft.org.au

teleSUR (2020-08-07). Facebook Removes Foreign Pro-Trump Troll Farms. telesurenglish.net Facebook and Instagram Thursday took action to prevent their platforms from being used by U.S. President Donald Trump's supporters to promote his reelection campaign. | RELATED: | A Romania-based troll farm pushed pro-Trump content under the names of "Black People Vote For Trump" on Instagram and "We Love Our President" on Facebook. | The content published in those fake accounts and pages was allegedly managed by U.S. ci…

Joseph Natoli (2020-08-07). American Failures: August, 2020. counterpunch.org It's probably unpatriotic and maybe treasonable to talk about American failures but they are now so glaring that some 12 minutes of read time seems pardonable in this Age of Twitter "discourse." That such obvious failures, if admitted at all, are politicized relative to which side of the Blue/Red street you are one is itself

NAACP, Human Rights Campaign & others (2020-08-07). Thursday 8/6: Communities of Color: Communicating Safe Voting Options for November. indybay.org Online via livestream at Human Rights Campaign Facebook…

Staff (2020-08-07). Students Suspended for Taking Pictures of Crowds in Georgia School's Reopening. truthout.org A high school in Paulding County, Georgia, is facing steep criticism for how it has handled reopening its schools after several images on social media revealed a lack of social distancing and mask-wearing among the student body. | But rather than addressing these concerns or taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the district instead appears to be disciplining students that have shared these images on social media. | Hannah Watters, a 15-year-old student at North Paulding High…

WSWS (2020-08-07). Britain's National Health Service workers demand pay rise amid COVID-19 crisis. wsws.org Hundreds of health workers demonstrated in London last week and dozens of protests are scheduled in cities across the country this Saturday, organised by Facebook groups.

teleSUR (2020-08-07). Canada: Last Intact Ice Shelf Collapses Due to Global Warming. telesurenglish.net The last intact ice shelf in the Canadian Arctic collapsed and lost a large part of his area due to extremely high temperatures, according to the Canadian Ice Service (CIS), as reported on Friday. | RELATED: | "Above normal air temperatures, offshore winds and open water in front of the ice shelf are all part of the recipe for ice shelf break up," the CIS tweeted. | According to Luke Copland, a Glaciologist at the University of…

yenisafak (2020-08-07). Another PKK terrorist surrenders to Turkish forces. yenisafak.com One more PKK terrorist surrendered to security forces in southeastern Turkey, the National Defense Ministry said on Friday. | The PKK terrorist fleeing from the shelter areas in northern Iraq surrendered to the border post in the Cizre district of Sirnak province, the ministry said on Twitter. | "While the operations of the Turkish Armed Forces against the PKK terrorist group continue without slowing down, escapes from the organization continue," the statement added. | On Monday, the Turkish Interior Ministry announced that a total of 123 terrorists have turned themselves in to Turkish security forces in 2020.

yenisafak (2020-08-07). 'Fluctuations in macroeconomic indicators don't reflect Turkey's reality'. yenisafak.com Fluctuations in macroeconomic indicators do not reflect the reality of the Turkish economy, the country's industry and technology minister said on Friday.Turkey's economy is on the path of production, employment, and innovation, Mustafa Varank wrote on Twitter."We will take Turkey to the levels it deserves with steps to boost the investment appetite for development," he said.His remarks came after the Turkish lira lost ground to other currencies.Late Thursday, the dollar/lira exchange rate hit an all-time high of over 7.30.After the Central Bank took steps Friday to tighten liquidity conditions, the exchange rate…