Daily Archives: January 5, 2020

2020-01-05: News Headlines

RT (2020-01-05). War over Iran already raging on Twitter: users call for Trump ban, claim suspension over 'No war on Iran' image. rt.com Twitter's dubious enforcement of its own rules is back in the spotlight after Trump threatened to strike Iran and destroy Iranian cultural treasures. Trump's tweet remains, but many wonder whether it's prohibited speech. | Users are supposedly not allowed to threaten violence or glorify acts of violence on Twitter. And many people believe US President Donald Trump did just that when h…

RT (2020-01-05). Islamist group Al-Shabaab attacks military base in Kenya that houses US & local troops. rt.com Al-Shabaab jihadists have attacked a military base in Kenya which houses US soldiers along with local troops. The army said they managed to repulse the assault, killing four militants. | The attack was on Camp Simba naval base in Manda Bay in Lamu County on Kenya's coast, bordering Somalia. | Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia told the Daily Nation local newspaper that "heavily armed" militants stormed the compound at 4am local time. Witnesses heard gunfire coming from the base | Photos and videos circulating on social media allegedly show smoke billowing from the site. | Al-Shabaab has attacked a US mil…

RT (2020-01-05). 'Commander of Hearts': Grieving Iranians flood streets in Ahvaz to bid farewell to General Soleimani (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com Massive crowds of mourners have gathered for a farewell procession dedicated to Quds Force commander Major General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq earlier this week. | The solemn procession began at 7am at the Rumi Square in Ahvaz, the capital of Iran's western Khuzestan Province, which borders Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of black-clad mourners have completely filled both the streets and a bridge over the Karun River to pay their last respects to the major general. | People in #Iran's southern Khuzestan pr…

RT (2020-01-05). 'Terrorist in a suit': Iran's information minister strikes back after Trump's Twitter threats. rt.com The Iranian information minister issued a toughly worded response to US President Donald Trump after he posted a threatening tweet about "targeting" dozens of sites across Iran. | "Trump is a 'terrorist in a suit'. He will learn history very soon that NOBODY can defeat 'the Great Iranian Nation & Culture,'" Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi tweeted on Sunday, while also comparing the US president to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), Adolf Hitler and Mongolian conqueror Genghis Khan. | The minister was responding to an earlier tweet by Trump, in which he warned that the US has "targeted 52 Iranian sites," incl…

RT (2020-01-05). Trump says his tweets are 'notification' to Congress, pledges 'disproportionate' response to Iran in case of attack. rt.com The US President Donald Trump has literally said that his Twitter posts should be seen as "notification to the United States Congress" — in another tweet no less — as he vowed to "strike back" should Iran target any American. | The president minced no words as he continued to threaten Tehran with a swift and potentially devastating response as the two nations have found themselves on the brink of a military conflict after the US killed a top Iranian commander on a direct order from the White House. | This time, however, he did not just issue another threat but also said that the US Congress should…

Staff (2020-01-05). AOC Calls Trump a 'Monster' for His Actions in Iran. truthdig.com Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Saturday night called President Donald Trump a "monster" for threatening to target more than 50 Iranian sites—including some he said are " important to Iran and the Iranian culture"—if Tehran retaliates for the U.S. assassination of General Qasem Soleimani. | "This is a war crime," Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, tweeted in response to the president's warning. "Threatening to target and kill innocent families, women, and children—which is what you're doing by targeting cultural sites—does not make you a 'tough guy.' It does not make you 'strategic.' I…

Stephen Lendman (2020-01-05). UN Secretary General Guterres Fails to Condemn US Assassinations in Iraq. globalresearch.ca UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard slammed the Trump regime's assassination of Iranian General Soleimani, Iraqi Deputy PMU leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and others with them, tweeting the following: | "The targeted killings of …

teleSUR (2020-01-05). Iran Summons Swiss Envoy Over Trump's Twitter Threats. telesurenglish.net Iran has summoned the Swiss diplomatic mission in Tehran today after a series of tweets from U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to destroy the Islamic Republic's cultural sites if American assets were targeted. | RELATED: | Thousands Mourn Iranian General as Quds Force Unfurls Red Flag | According to the Reuters News Agency, the Iranian government is seeking answers from the United States after Trump's tweets. Since the United States and Iran do not have diplomatic relation…

teleSUR (2020-01-05). Trump Says Tweets Serve as 'Notification' to US Congress. telesurenglish.net United States President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that his tweets will serve as notification to the U.S. Congress in case he decides to strike Iran. | RELATED: | Thousands Mourn Iranian General as Quds Force Unfurls Red Flag | "These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required,…

yenisafak (2020-01-05). Trump's attack threat 'war crime': Iran's Zarif. yenisafak.com Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has described U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to attack dozens of Iranian sites as a "war crime" amid rising tensions in the wake of the killing of a senior Iranian general by an American airstrike."Targeting cultural sites is a WAR CRIME," Zarif said on Twitter on Sunday, shortly after Trump threatened to strike 52 Iranian sites in the event of any attacks on U.S. citizens of assets."Whether kicking or screaming, end of U.S. malign presence in West Asia has begun," Zarif said.Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds force, was killed in a U.S.

yenisafak (2020-01-05). Iran's minister Jahromi says Trump is 'a terrorist in a suit': tweet. yenisafak.com The United States President Donald Trump is "a terrorist in a suit", Iranian Information and Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi tweeted on Sunday."Like ISIS, Like Hitler, Like Genghis! They all hate cultures. Trump is a terrorist in a suit. He will learn history very soon that NOBODY can defeat 'the Great Iranian Nation & Culture'," Jahromi tweeted.

RT (2020-01-05). Iran hoists blood-red 'flag of revenge' in holy city of Qom as thousands mourn Soleimani across the region (VIDEOS). rt.com A blood-red flag, symbolizing the call to avenge the dead, has been hoisted atop the Jamkaran Mosque in the Iranian holy city of Qom. The rare sight comes as people mourn Qassem Soleimani and other officials killed by the US. | The hoisting ceremony was aired by Iranian state TV on Saturday. The blood-red flag, as well as a picture of the slain commander of the elite Quds Force, were carried to the roof of the one of the biggest and most important mosques for Shia Muslims. | Red flag of 'revenge' for #Soleimani hoisted on Jamkaran…

RT (2020-01-04). 'Supermani': CNN contributor falls for obvious Iran satire as US journos struggle to understand who Soleimani really was. rt.com Neoconservative mainstream media favorite Michael Weiss appears to have fallen for a satirical piece on Qassem Soleimani that claimed the man did not cast a shadow and was nicknamed "Supermani." | Daily Beast senior editor and frequent CNN guest Michael Weiss is earning plenty of mockery on social media following him appearing to fall for a clearly satirical story on the legend of Qassem Soleimani, the late Iranian general recently assassinated by the US military. | "It was a well cultivated (and mythologized) aura, which the…

RT (2020-01-04). 'End #TrumpsWar now', US congresswoman & presidential candidate Gabbard tweets after drone strike killed Iranian general. rt.com US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, one of the Democratic Party contenders in the 2020 presidential race, said American armed forces must leave Iraq and Syria, instead of pushing towards war. | "End #TrumpsWar now. Remove our troops from Iraq and Syria," the politician from Hawaii tweeted on Saturday. | End #TrumpsWar now. Remove our troops from Iraq and Syria.— Tulsi Gabbard üå∫ (@TulsiGabbard) January 4, 2020

Staff (2020-01-04). Thousands Take to Streets Across US to Protest Trump's March to War Against Iran. truthout.org Thousands of people in dozens of cities across the United States on Saturday took to the streets to condemn the Trump administration's " reckless acts of war" against Iran and demand that the U.S. withdraw its troops from the Middle East. | From New York City to Chicago to Arkansas and more than 70 other locations around the U.S., demonstrators rallied against the assassina…

teleSUR (2020-01-04). Donald Trump Threatens to Attack Iran's Cultural Sites. telesurenglish.net U.S. President Donald Trump issued a grave threat to Iran on Saturday over the Islamic Republic's vow to retaliate for the assassination of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani. | Trump began his three-tweet-long response by addressing Iran's threat to target the U.S.' assets in the Middle East, especially after Washington accused Soleimani of planning the December 27, 2019 attack on the K-1 Base in Iraq's Kirkuk province. | "Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just…

Eds. (2020-01-03). Social Media and social control: How Silicon Valley serves the U.S. State Department. mronline.org Facebook isn't the only Silicon Valley firm with partisan oversight of what we see: the bipartisan billionaire class and their security state have partnered with tech firms since the dawn of the internet to control the parameters of users' thinking. | Source

RT (2020-01-03). Hollywood director gets smacked down for Trump slam, even by his own actress. rt.com Ron Howard, director of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story,' tried for some easy points on Twitter by slamming US President Donald Trump, but he got a rude awakening… including from one of his past actresses. | If you're an artist in modern Hollywood and you're looking to score some easy brownie points with fellow celebrities and the mainstream entertainment press, a pretty good bet is to call out Trump. It's easy, low-hanging fruit and it seems to work for C-list celebs like Alyssa Milano and Bette Midler, so why not? | Howard, a former c…

RT (2020-01-03). 'Please don't kill us': Rose McGowan apologizes to Iran for Soleimani death, backpedals, still gets roasted. rt.com The #MeToo advocate and 'Grindhouse' actress Rose McGowan joined Hollywood celebs like John Cusack to condemn the killing of Qassem Soleimani, but this only inspired Twitter to question her sobriety and her loyalty to the US. | Much of Hollywood's most politically active celebrities were not happy with the US assassination of Iran's Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani, but none were as broken up about it as actress Rose McGowan. | The author and 'Charmed' actress took to Twitter to apologize on behalf of the US and to beg Iran "not to kill us." | "Dear #Iran, The USA has disrespected your country, your flag, you…

RT (2020-01-03). Trump tweets after Quds chief killing: 'Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!'. rt.com Following the US assassination of Iran's Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani, President Donald Trump took to Twitter, issuing a quite cryptic message that Iran has "never won a war, but never lost a negotiation." | The commander of the elite Quds Force was killed overnight in Baghdad International Airport, alongside with several other high-ranking officials from local pro-Iranian militias. | The assassination was carried out on the personal "direction" of Trump, the US military has said, claiming it was acting to protect America and its citizens. Soleimani was blamed for "the deaths of hundreds of American and c…

RT (2020-01-03). Arch-hawk Bolton celebrates slaying of Quds commander as 'first step to regime change in Tehran'. rt.com While there was no shortage of triumphant voices coming from Washington DC on Friday after the targeted assassination of a senior Iranian general, that of John Bolton seemed especially cheerful. | The former national security adviser in the Donald Trump administration took to Twitter to congratulate "all involved in eliminating Qassem Soleimani," the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force. | Congratulations to all involved in eliminating Qassem Soleimani. Long in the making, this was a decisive blow against Iran's malign Quds Force activities worldwide. Hope this is the first step to regime change in Tehran.[mda…

RT (2020-01-03). Russian pranksters strike again: Fake Greta Thunberg convinces eager US politician that she has dirt on Trump. rt.com US Congresswoman Maxine Waters has allegedly fallen for a prank call in which she thought activist Greta Thunberg was offering her a tape of Donald Trump confessing to pressuring Ukraine into investigating his political rivals. | YouTube pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov, who go by the names Vovan and Lexus, are claiming they tricked Waters (Dem-Calif.) into thinking she was speaking to teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg. | Vovan and Lexus made names for themselves by previously pranking Congressman Adam Schiff (Dem-Calif.) into thinking there were nude photos of US President Donald T…

Ceren Sagir (2020-01-03). UN Concerned over British Government's Failure to Investigate Whether Assange Has Been Subjected to Psychological Torture. globalresearch.ca United Nations special rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer has written to governments to press them to investigate properly evidence that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been subjected to psychological torture. | On December 31 Mr Melzer shared on Twitter a letter …

teleSUR (2020-01-03). Cuba Reject US Sanctions Against Minister. telesurenglish.net Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez described as "slanderous" the sanction imposed by the United States against the head of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) of the Antillean country, Leopoldo Cintra Frías. | RELATED: | 61 Years Strong: Cuba's Revolution Lives On Despite Blockade | With a message on his Twitter account, Rodriguez "strongly" rejected the measure announced by the U.S. Department of State which prohibits entry into their national territory of Cintra Frías and cl…

teleSUR (2020-01-03). Brussels Court Suspends Extradition of Catalan Leader Puigdemont. telesurenglish.net A Brussels court has suspended the extradition of former Catalan pro-independence leader Carles Puigdemont, his lawyer said on Thursday. | RELATED: | EU Parliament President Lifts Ban on Top Catalan Politicians | Puigdemont cheered the suspension on Twitter and called on Spain to free Junqueras from prison. | "Spain must act in the same way as Belgium has done and respect the law," he said in a tweet. | Paul Beckaert told Reuters that the Belgian judge in charge of the case…

Neil deMause (2020-01-03). Australia Wildfire Coverage Is Long on Koalas, Short on Causes. fair.org by Neil deMause Fires making their own weather are interesting (The Hill, 12/30/19)—but not as important as humans making their own climate. | If you've only been following the bushfires ravaging Australia through the headlines popping up on your social media feeds — which, let's face it, is more popular than reading newspapers these days [md…

RT (2020-01-02). 'It's a dang UFO': Mysterious object puzzles witnesses after blazing across Florida sky (VIDEO, PHOTOS). rt.com Beachwalkers out to watch the first sunrise of 2020 were left bewildered by the sudden appearance of a mysterious flying object in the sky above Florida's east coast on New Year's Day. | Several early risers walking on beaches in the city of Fort Pierce were stunned to see an unexplained object streak across the sky in the moments before sunrise on Wednesday. | As well as a fiery trail the peculiar object also left a raft of questions in its wake as eyewitnesses struggled to comprehend what they had seen. | www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2447028252205241&set=pcb.2447029922205074&type=3&theater | "I kn…

RT (2020-01-02). Pizzagate part 2? Bill de Blasio schooled on Twitter after calling out Domino's for selling $30 pizzas on New Year's Eve. rt.com New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was harshly panned online after accusing the Domino's pizza chain of "exploiting" New Yorkers with $30 pies on New Year's Eve, with netizens giving the city manager a lesson in supply and demand. | De Blasio called out the company in a tweet on Wednesday, outraged about its New Year's Eve prices for those celebrating the holiday in Times Square, and encouraging New Yorkers to ditch the corporate franchise for local eateries. | "Jacking up your prices on people trying to celebrate the holidays? Classy, Domino's," he said. "To the thousands who came to Times Square last night to rin…

Staff (2019-12-30). Michael Moore on Trump, 2020 & Why "the Old, Angry White Guy" Doesn't Represent the Working Class. democracynow.org Last week on Democracy Now!, acclaimed filmmaker "Michael Moore predicted": www.democracynow.org/2019/12/26/michael_moore_donald_trump_impeachment Donald Trump would win re-election if Democrats don't choose a candidate to run against him who excites their base of voters. His comments prompted President Donald Trump to respond on Twitter, "He made [the] same prediction in 2016. Nobody ever said Michael was stupid!" But Moore's comments went further than Trump's tweet alluded to. He said the working class in the United States is mostly women, people of color and young people — all groups who tend to v…

The Canary (2019-12-18). Tories spent over £950,000 on Facebook adverts in late election blitz. thecanary.co The Conservative Party spent more than any other party on Facebook and Instagram adverts in the run-up to last week's General Election, analysis by the PA news agency has found.It largely came in a spending blitz in the final two weeks of the campaign.Across their two main pages — named Conservatives and Boris Johnson — the party spent a total of £959,329 in the four weeks up to the vote.In comparison, Labour spent £552,035 on its Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn pages between 14 November and 12 December, the fourth most of the major UK parties.The Liberal Democrats were the second biggest spe…

Ramzy Baroud (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…

Matt Bruenig (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…

Matt Bruenig (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…

2020-01-05: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

AOC Calls Trump a 'Monster' for His Actions in Iran
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-05
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Saturday night called President Donald Trump a "monster" for threatening to target more than 50 Iranian sites–including some he said are " important to Iran and the Iranian culture"–if Tehran retaliates for the U.S. assassination of General Qasem Soleimani. | "This is a war crime," Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, tweeted in response to the president's warning. "Threatening to target and kill innocent families, women, and children–which is what you're doing by targeting cultural sites–does not make you a 'tough guy.' It does not make you 'strategic.' I…
truthdig.com/articles/aoc-calls-trump-a-monster-for-his-actions-in-iran/

UN Secretary General Guterres Fails to Condemn US Assassinations in Iraq
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-05
UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard slammed the Trump regime's assassination of Iranian General Soleimani, Iraqi Deputy PMU leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and others with them, tweeting the following: | "The targeted killings of | …
globalresearch.ca/un-secretary-general-guterres-fails-condemn-us-assassinations-iraq/5699641

Islamist group Al-Shabaab attacks military base in Kenya that houses US & local troops
rt.com | 2020-01-05
Al-Shabaab jihadists have attacked a military base in Kenya which houses US soldiers along with local troops. The army said they managed to repulse the assault, killing four militants. | The attack was on Camp Simba naval base in Manda Bay in Lamu County on Kenya's coast, bordering Somalia. | Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia told the Daily Nation local newspaper that "heavily armed" militants stormed the compound at 4am local time. Witnesses heard gunfire coming from the base | Photos and videos circulating on social media allegedly show smoke billowing from the site. | Al-Shabaab has attacked a US mil…
rt.com/news/477492-al-shabaab-attack-kenya/

'Terrorist in a suit': Iran's information minister strikes back after Trump's Twitter threats
rt.com | 2020-01-05
The Iranian information minister issued a toughly worded response to US President Donald Trump after he posted a threatening tweet about "targeting" dozens of sites across Iran. | "Trump is a 'terrorist in a suit'. He will learn history very soon that NOBODY can defeat 'the Great Iranian Nation & Culture,'" Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi tweeted on Sunday, while also comparing the US president to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), Adolf Hitler and Mongolian conqueror Genghis Khan. | The minister was responding to an earlier tweet by Trump, in which he warned that the US has "targeted 52 Iranian sites," incl…
rt.com/news/477506-iran-information-minister-response/

Iran Summons Swiss Envoy Over Trump's Twitter Threats
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-05
Iran has summoned the Swiss diplomatic mission in Tehran today after a series of tweets from U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to destroy the Islamic Republic's cultural sites if American assets were targeted. | RELATED: | Thousands Mourn Iranian General as Quds Force Unfurls Red Flag | According to the Reuters News Agency, the Iranian government is seeking answers from the United States after Trump's tweets. Since the United States and Iran do not have diplomatic relation…
telesurenglish.net/news/Iran-Summons-Swiss-Envoy-Over-Trumps-Twitter-Threats-20200105-0001.html

Trump says his tweets are 'notification' to Congress, pledges 'disproportionate' response to Iran in case of attack
rt.com | 2020-01-05
The US President Donald Trump has literally said that his Twitter posts should be seen as "notification to the United States Congress" — in another tweet no less — as he vowed to "strike back" should Iran target any American. | The president minced no words as he continued to threaten Tehran with a swift and potentially devastating response as the two nations have found themselves on the brink of a military conflict after the US killed a top Iranian commander on a direct order from the White House. | This time, however, he did not just issue another threat but also said that the US Congress should…
rt.com/usa/477536-trump-notification-congress-twitter-post/

US federal library program website down after it was hacked by 'Iranian cyber security group' (PHOTOS)
rt.com | 2020-01-05
The Federal Depository Library Program (FDPL) website's front page briefly showed an image of President Trump being punched in the face, along with a vow to avenge the killing of a top Iranian general before it went offline. | The website run by the FDPL, a US government program set up to ensure federal government publications are available to the public free of charge, was apparently hacked by a group claiming to be from Iran on Saturday evening. | #SpadSecurityGroup" also appears. pic.twitter.com/quK7mRdW6s– Tracking Global Developments (@GlobalConflict8)
rt.com/usa/477491-iran-hackers-website-library/

War over Iran already raging on Twitter: users call for Trump ban, claim suspension over 'No war on Iran' image
rt.com | 2020-01-05
Twitter's dubious enforcement of its own rules is back in the spotlight after Trump threatened to strike Iran and destroy Iranian cultural treasures. Trump's tweet remains, but many wonder whether it's prohibited speech. | Users are supposedly not allowed to threaten violence or glorify acts of violence on Twitter. And many people believe US President Donald Trump did just that when h…
rt.com/usa/477509-twitter-ban-iran-war/

Trump Says Tweets Serve as 'Notification' to US Congress
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-05
United States President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that his tweets will serve as notification to the U.S. Congress in case he decides to strike Iran. | RELATED: | Thousands Mourn Iranian General as Quds Force Unfurls Red Flag | "These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required,…
telesurenglish.net/news/Trump-Says-Tweets-Serve-as-Notification-to-the-US-Congress-20200105-0010.html

Trump's attack threat 'war crime': Iran's Zarif
yenisafak.com | 2020-01-05
Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has described U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to attack dozens of Iranian sites as a "war crime" amid rising tensions in the wake of the killing of a senior Iranian general by an American airstrike."Targeting cultural sites is a WAR CRIME," Zarif said on Twitter on Sunday, shortly after Trump threatened to strike 52 Iranian sites in the event of any attacks on U.S. citizens of assets."Whether kicking or screaming, end of U.S. malign presence in West Asia has begun," Zarif said.Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds force, was killed in a U.S.
yenisafak.com/en/news/trumps-attack-threat-war-crime-irans-zarif-3508895

Iran's minister Jahromi says Trump is 'a terrorist in a suit': tweet
yenisafak.com | 2020-01-05
The United States President Donald Trump is "a terrorist in a suit", Iranian Information and Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi tweeted on Sunday."Like ISIS, Like Hitler, Like Genghis! They all hate cultures. Trump is a terrorist in a suit. He will learn history very soon that NOBODY can defeat 'the Great Iranian Nation & Culture'," Jahromi tweeted.
yenisafak.com/en/world/irans-minister-jahromi-says-trump-is-a-terrorist-in-a-suit-tweet-3508887

'End #TrumpsWar now', US congresswoman & presidential candidate Gabbard tweets after drone strike killed Iranian general
rt.com | 2020-01-04
US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, one of the Democratic Party contenders in the 2020 presidential race, said American armed forces must leave Iraq and Syria, instead of pushing towards war. | "End #TrumpsWar now. Remove our troops from Iraq and Syria," the politician from Hawaii tweeted on Saturday. | End #TrumpsWar now. Remove our troops from Iraq and Syria.– Tulsi Gabbard üå∫ (@TulsiGabbard) January 4, 2020…
rt.com/usa/477465-gabbard-iraq-troops-comment/

'Supermani': CNN contributor falls for obvious Iran satire as US journos struggle to understand who Soleimani really was
rt.com | 2020-01-04
Neoconservative mainstream media favorite Michael Weiss appears to have fallen for a satirical piece on Qassem Soleimani that claimed the man did not cast a shadow and was nicknamed "Supermani." | Daily Beast senior editor and frequent CNN guest Michael Weiss is earning plenty of mockery on social media following him appearing to fall for a clearly satirical story on the legend of Qassem Soleimani, the late Iranian general recently assassinated by the US military. | "It was a well cultivated (and mythologized) aura, which the…
rt.com/usa/477487-soleimani-supermani-michael-weiss/

Donald Trump Threatens to Attack Iran's Cultural Sites
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-04
U.S. President Donald Trump issued a grave threat to Iran on Saturday over the Islamic Republic's vow to retaliate for the assassination of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani. | Trump began his three-tweet-long response by addressing Iran's threat to target the U.S.' assets in the Middle East, especially after Washington accused Soleimani of planning the December 27, 2019 attack on the K-1 Base in Iraq's Kirkuk province. | "Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just…
telesurenglish.net/news/Donald-Trump-Threatens-to-Attack-Irans-Cultural-Sites–20200104-0010.html

UN Concerned over British Government's Failure to Investigate Whether Assange Has Been Subjected to Psychological Torture
Ceren Sagir | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
United Nations special rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer has written to governments to press them to investigate properly evidence that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been subjected to psychological torture. | On December 31 Mr Melzer shared on Twitter a letter …
globalresearch.ca/un-concerned-british-government-failure-investigate-assange-has-been-subjected-psychological-torture/5699511

Russian pranksters strike again: Fake Greta Thunberg convinces eager US politician that she has dirt on Trump
rt.com | 2020-01-03
US Congresswoman Maxine Waters has allegedly fallen for a prank call in which she thought activist Greta Thunberg was offering her a tape of Donald Trump confessing to pressuring Ukraine into investigating his political rivals. | YouTube pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov, who go by the names Vovan and Lexus, are claiming they tricked Waters (Dem-Calif.) into thinking she was speaking to teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg. | Vovan and Lexus made names for themselves by previously pranking Congressman Adam Schiff (Dem-Calif.) into thinking there were nude photos of US President Donald T…
rt.com/usa/477425-maxine-waters-greta-prank/

Social Media and social control: How Silicon Valley serves the U.S. State Department
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-01-03
Facebook isn't the only Silicon Valley firm with partisan oversight of what we see: the bipartisan billionaire class and their security state have partnered with tech firms since the dawn of the internet to control the parameters of users' thinking. | Source…
mronline.org/2020/01/03/social-media-and-social-control-how-silicon-valley-serves-the-u-s-state-department/

Australia Wildfire Coverage Is Long on Koalas, Short on Causes
Neil deMause | fair.org | 2020-01-03
by Neil deMause Fires making their own weather are interesting (The Hill, 12/30/19)–but not as important as humans making their own climate. | If you've only been following the bushfires ravaging Australia through the headlines popping up on your social media feeds — which, let's face it, is more popular than reading newspapers these days [md…
fair.org/home/australia-wildfire-coverage-is-long-on-koalas-short-on-causes/

Australia Wildfire Coverage Is Long on Koalas, Short on Causes
Neil deMause | fair.org | 2020-01-03
by Neil deMause Fires making their own weather are interesting (The Hill, 12/30/19)–but not as important as humans making their own climate. | If you've only been following the bushfires ravaging Australia through the headlines popping up on your social media feeds — which, let's face it, is more popular than reading newspapers these days [md…
fair.org/home/australia-wildfire-coverage-is-long-on-koalas-short-on-causes/

'Please don't kill us': Rose McGowan apologizes to Iran for Soleimani death, backpedals, still gets roasted
rt.com | 2020-01-03
The #MeToo advocate and 'Grindhouse' actress Rose McGowan joined Hollywood celebs like John Cusack to condemn the killing of Qassem Soleimani, but this only inspired Twitter to question her sobriety and her loyalty to the US. | Much of Hollywood's most politically active celebrities were not happy with the US assassination of Iran's Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani, but none were as broken up about it as actress Rose McGowan. | The author and 'Charmed' actress took to Twitter to apologize on behalf of the US and to beg Iran "not to kill us." | "Dear #Iran, The USA has disrespected your country, your flag, you…
rt.com/usa/477406-rose-mcgowan-iran-trump/

Cuba Reject US Sanctions Against Minister
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-03
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez described as "slanderous" the sanction imposed by the United States against the head of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) of the Antillean country, Leopoldo Cintra Frías. | RELATED: | 61 Years Strong: Cuba's Revolution Lives On Despite Blockade | With a message on his Twitter account, Rodriguez "strongly" rejected the measure announced by the U.S. Department of State which prohibits entry into their national territory of Cintra Frías and cl…
telesurenglish.net/news/cuba-reject-us-sanctions-against-minister-of-ffaa-20200103-0017.html

Hollywood director gets smacked down for Trump slam, even by his own actress
rt.com | 2020-01-03
Ron Howard, director of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story,' tried for some easy points on Twitter by slamming US President Donald Trump, but he got a rude awakening… including from one of his past actresses. | If you're an artist in modern Hollywood and you're looking to score some easy brownie points with fellow celebrities and the mainstream entertainment press, a pretty good bet is to call out Trump. It's easy, low-hanging fruit and it seems to work for C-list celebs like Alyssa Milano and Bette Midler, so why not? | Howard, a former c…
rt.com/usa/477348-ron-howard-trump-twitter/

Trump tweets after Quds chief killing: 'Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!'
rt.com | 2020-01-03
Following the US assassination of Iran's Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani, President Donald Trump took to Twitter, issuing a quite cryptic message that Iran has "never won a war, but never lost a negotiation." | The commander of the elite Quds Force was killed overnight in Baghdad International Airport, alongside with several other high-ranking officials from local pro-Iranian militias. | The assassination was carried out on the personal "direction" of Trump, the US military has said, claiming it was acting to protect America and its citizens. Soleimani was blamed for "the deaths of hundreds of American and c…
rt.com/usa/477384-trump-iran-war-negotiation/

Arch-hawk Bolton celebrates slaying of Quds commander as 'first step to regime change in Tehran'
rt.com | 2020-01-03
While there was no shortage of triumphant voices coming from Washington DC on Friday after the targeted assassination of a senior Iranian general, that of John Bolton seemed especially cheerful. | The former national security adviser in the Donald Trump administration took to Twitter to congratulate "all involved in eliminating Qassem Soleimani," the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force. | Congratulations to all involved in eliminating Qassem Soleimani. Long in the making, this was a decisive blow against Iran's malign Quds Force activities worldwide. Hope this is the first step to regime change in Tehran.[mda…
rt.com/usa/477386-bolton-cheers-soleimani-death/

Brussels Court Suspends Extradition of Catalan Leader Puigdemont
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-03
A Brussels court has suspended the extradition of former Catalan pro-independence leader Carles Puigdemont, his lawyer said on Thursday. | RELATED: | EU Parliament President Lifts Ban on Top Catalan Politicians | Puigdemont cheered the suspension on Twitter and called on Spain to free Junqueras from prison. | "Spain must act in the same way as Belgium has done and respect the law," he said in a tweet. | Paul Beckaert told Reuters that the Belgian judge in charge of the case…
telesurenglish.net/news/Brussels-Court-Suspends-Extradition-of-Catalan-Leader-Puigdemont-20200102-0027.html

'It's a dang UFO': Mysterious object puzzles witnesses after blazing across Florida sky (VIDEO, PHOTOS)
rt.com | 2020-01-02
Beachwalkers out to watch the first sunrise of 2020 were left bewildered by the sudden appearance of a mysterious flying object in the sky above Florida's east coast on New Year's Day. | Several early risers walking on beaches in the city of Fort Pierce were stunned to see an unexplained object streak across the sky in the moments before sunrise on Wednesday. | As well as a fiery trail the peculiar object also left a raft of questions in its wake as eyewitnesses struggled to comprehend what they had seen. | www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2447028252205241&set=pcb.2447029922205074&type=3&theater | "I kn…
rt.com/usa/477336-ufo-florida-video-photo/

Pizzagate part 2? Bill de Blasio schooled on Twitter after calling out Domino's for selling $30 pizzas on New Year's Eve
rt.com | 2020-01-02
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was harshly panned online after accusing the Domino's pizza chain of "exploiting" New Yorkers with $30 pies on New Year's Eve, with netizens giving the city manager a lesson in supply and demand. | De Blasio called out the company in a tweet on Wednesday, outraged about its New Year's Eve prices for those celebrating the holiday in Times Square, and encouraging New Yorkers to ditch the corporate franchise for local eateries. | "Jacking up your prices on people trying to celebrate the holidays? Classy, Domino's," he said. "To the thousands who came to Times Square last night to rin…
rt.com/usa/477293-de-blasio-schooled-pizza/

Michael Moore on Trump, 2020 & Why "the Old, Angry White Guy" Doesn't Represent the Working Class
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-30
Last week on Democracy Now!, acclaimed filmmaker "Michael Moore predicted": www.democracynow.org/2019/12/26/michael_moore_donald_trump_impeachment Donald Trump would win re-election if Democrats don't choose a candidate to run against him who excites their base of voters. His comments prompted President Donald Trump to respond on Twitter, "He made [the] same prediction in 2016. Nobody ever said Michael was stupid!" But Moore's comments went further than Trump's tweet alluded to. He said the working class in the United States is mostly women, people of color and young people — all groups who tend to v…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/30/michael_moore_trump_2016_2020_prediction

Tories spent over £950,000 on Facebook adverts in late election blitz
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-12-18
The Conservative Party spent more than any other party on Facebook and Instagram adverts in the run-up to last week's General Election, analysis by the PA news agency has found.It largely came in a spending blitz in the final two weeks of the campaign.Across their two main pages — named Conservatives and Boris Johnson — the party spent a total of £959,329 in the four weeks up to the vote.In comparison, Labour spent £552,035 on its Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn pages between 14 November and 12 December, the fourth most of the major UK parties.The Liberal Democrats were the second biggest spe…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2019/12/18/tories-spent-over-950000-on-facebook-adverts-in-late-election-blitz/