Daily Archives: June 2, 2020

2020-06-02: News Headlines

Abayomi Azikiwe (2020-06-02). Anti-Racist Demonstrations Continue Despite Escalating Government Repression. globalresearch.ca When the videotaped public execution by a white Minneapolis police officer of African American George Floyd, 46, was posted in social media, a firestorm of opposition, protests and rebellion swept throughout the United States and internationally. | In just a …

Fight Back (2020-06-02). Jax Fraternal Order of Police president threatens local teacher. fightbacknews.org Jacksonville, FL – Just hours after 3500 people rallied for police accountability in downtown Jacksonville on May 30, the president of the city's police union took to Facebook and threatened a local teacher and community activist. | The target of these threats was Christina Kittle of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), who helped co-organize and lead the massive May 30 peaceful protest. Kittle also teaches middle school civics in Jacksonville, where she serves as her school's union representative. | "This is Christina Kittle, one of the organizers of the so-called peaceful protest today in Jackson…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-06-02). Sinister Flatulence: Trump Versus Twitter. counterpunch.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.

Shenali D Waduge (2020-06-02). George Floyd Murder Enflames US. America Is a Failed State. globalresearch.ca On 26 May 2020 social media watched a black man (George Floyd) handcuffed and pinned to the pavement pleading to the 4 white American police officers — 'I can't breathe'. Onlookers watching George, whose neck was being pressed …

Flanagin A, Bauchner H, Fontanarosa PB. (2020-06-02). Patient and Study Participant Rights to Privacy in Journal Publication. jamanetwork.com Personal health information is defined as identifiable data related to the past, present, or future health status of an individual. Personal health information has been considered protected health information, which is governed by ethical principles and laws to shield against intrusions into an individual's rights to privacy. However, rapid growth in the volume of electronic health records, access to other health information, and increasing use of personal health data by artificial intelligence, social media, technology, and other companies are threatening the traditional tenets of privacy protections for persona…

teleSUR (2020-06-02). Peru: Minister Requests Aid for COVID Infected Police Officers. telesurenglish.net Peru's Ombudsman office on Monday requested health assistance for 30 COVID-19 infected police officers in the Tumbes department. | RELATED: | "We request the regional government to provide food and lodging to police officers who were infected with COVID-19 during the Emergency State," the government body tweeted. | Tumbes is one of Peru's most affected departments, with over 1,300 cases. According to the Ombudsman office, the…

Michael T. Hertz (2020-06-02). Tribe Thumps Trump's Tweet. nationofchange.org Trump uses tweets as a means of keeping his image out in the public without paying a dime.

Pepe Escobar (2020-06-01). Beijing Sees Trump's Hand and Won't Fold. globalresearch.ca Stranger things have happened. | Everyone was expecting US President Donald Trump to go nuclear by de facto sanctioning China to death over Hong Kong. In an environment where Twitter and the President of the United States are now engaged in …

teleSUR (2020-06-01). Colombia: Another Indigenous Leader Murdered in North Santander. telesurenglish.net On Sunday, leader Joel Villamizar was murdered in the village of Río Colorado, in rural Chitagá, near the United Indigenous Reservation in the department of Norte de Santander. | RELATED: | The Territorial Authorities Association and U'wa Councils of Colombia denounced the murder on its official Twitter page. | The organization announced in a statement that Villamizar was the education coordinator for the U'wa…

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.

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.

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

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 …

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-06-01). Employees Hold Virtual Walkout to Protest Facebook Inaction on Trump Posts 'Advocating Violence Against Black Demonstrators'. commondreams.org Employees at Facebook—many of whom are continuing to work from home because of the coronavirus pandemic—organized a virtual walkout on Monday to pressure the social media giant to apply a tougher standard to President Donald Trump's posts, particularly those about recent and ongoing nationwide demonstrations provoked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/facebook.housing_0.jpg

Staff (2020-06-02). Headlines for June 2, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Threatens to Send Military into Streets to Crack Down on Nationwide Uprising, Protests Spread Around the U.S. and the Globe as Autopsies Confirm George Floyd Died of Homicide, Louisville Police Chief Fired After African American Man Shot and Killed Monday, 15,000 People Attend Youth Rally in Oakland, CA; Police Continue Attacks on Protesters, Outrage After White Bar Owner Who Shot and Killed 22-Year-Old James Scurlock Dodges Criminal Charge, Facebook Workers Stage Virtual "Walkout," Call Out Inaction on Trump's Posts Inciting Violence, Iranian Scientist Who Contracted COVID-19 in ICE Jail Is Deported, First…

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…

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 (2020-05-28). "No Justification": Minneapolis Demands Murder Charges for Police Officer Who Killed George Floyd. democracynow.org Parts of Minneapolis erupted into flames Wednesday night as residents again took to the streets to protest the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by white police officer Derek Chauvin on Monday. A viral video shows Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd's neck for a number of minutes as Floyd repeatedly says "I cannot breathe." Three other officers stood by as George Floyd suffocated. They have been identified as Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng. All four officers were fired on Tuesday. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called on prosecutors to file criminal charges against Derek Chauvin. We speak wit…

Andrey Areshev (2020-06-02). Many US Journalists Arrested After New York Times Falsely Claims That Doesn't Happen In America. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | arrested a CNN reporter named Omar Jimenez the other day while he was live on air covering the protest of George Floyd's murder by police in Minneapolis. | The arrest was preceded by hours of sycophantic police-worshipping CNN coverage and followed by days of self-righteous preening by the entire corporate media machine about the crucial role of journalism in a free society, with East Palo Alto Report (2020-06-02). Protesters March on Zuckerberg's House, Call Him Out for Donating Millions to Menlo Park Police. indybay.org Residents of East Palo Alto and the residential section of Menlo Park that abuts Facebook headquarters, Belle Haven, moved on Mark Zuckerberg's home on the evening of June 1.

Staff (2020-06-01). Police Attacked Protesters After Kneeling for Solidarity Photo Op, Activists Say. truthout.org Some of the police officers who have been prominently photographed kneeling or praying alongside demonstrators against police violence have turned around and harmed protesters soon afterward, according to numerous accounts posted by activists on social media. | Twitter user @NeeNeinNyetNo, for example, showed an image of Orlando Police praying with protesters and wrote, "Literally 45 minutes later they maced us in the face for the crime of standing in their vicinity." | t.co/85a6zU

RT (2020-06-02). Horrific video of cop rammed by car in New York emerges amid anti-police-brutality unrest. rt.com A police officer has been viciously run over by a vehicle on a New York City crosswalk. Major US cities have become centers of protest and street battles, following a police killing of an unarmed black man. | The short clip, which has been circulating on social media, shows a black car ramming a police officer as he was standing at a crosswalk. | The vehicle appears to speed up just before it hits the man. The victim then lies motionless on the ground, before being picked up by a police van. | New York and several other major US cities have become the centers of mass anti-police-brutality protests, sparked…

RT (2020-06-02). 'A visual thank you': London designer CREATES striking ornamental masks to honor key workers during Covid-19 crisis. rt.com A London-based fashion designer has used everyday items to create a striking set of decorative face masks to honor various groups of Covid-19 essential workers and the results are certainly eye-catching, if a little creepy. | In Facebook posts displaying the creations, designer Freyja Sewell said she had been looking for a way to turn her free time in lockdown into something good, and came up with the masks as a "visual thank you" to key workers. | Sewell created eight completely different colorful designs to honor the eight main groups of essential workers outlined by the UK government, including healthcare,…

RT (2020-06-02). 'Major fail': NYC mayor adjusts curfew from 11pm to 8pm, facing backlash over 'way too late' action as looting runs rampant. rt.com New York Mayor Bill De Blasio has extended the city's curfew order amid ongoing protests and unrest over police brutality, imposing another day of travel restrictions after authorities again failed to stop looting and vandalism. | Announcing the move in a tweet on Monday night, De Blasio said Tuesday will see another curfew, this time beginning at 8pm instead of 11pm, noting that "keeping people safe" is his "first priority." | "These protests have power and meaning. But as the night wears on we are seeing groups use them to incite violence and destroy property," the mayor said. | These protests have power and…

RT (2020-06-01). Who burned the homeless camp? Antifa and Infowars play the blame game over Austin riots. rt.com A mob of rioters set a homeless man's belongings on fire in Austin, Texas, and trashed his encampment. The Left then claimed the heinous act was the work of conspiracy site Infowars, but Infowars' reporters say otherwise. | As rioters clashed with police and set cars on fire in Austin on Sunday, the mayhem touched an often-forgotten segment of the Texan city: the homeless. Video footage shared on social media showed a homeless man's mattress and belongings being dragged into a fire by rioters, as a camera crew from conspiracy site Infowars filmed the carnage. | According to one self-described "anti-capitalist"

RT (2020-06-01). Facebook rebellion? Zuckerberg alienates staff after REFUSING to censor Trump's warning to looters as Twitter HIDES its twin. rt.com Employees at Facebook are annoyed at CEO Mark Zuckerberg's refusal to act against President Donald Trump, sharing their dissatisfaction with his decision online for all to see. | Grumblings amongst the employees were heard at all levels of the company, with the main criticism being aimed at Facebook's decision to leave Trump's post allegedly "glorifying violence" untouched, even as Twitter hid the same text behind a warning. | In his May 29 Twitter thread, Trump first decried what he called "a total lack of leadership" in Minneapolis, before proceeding to unload on "THUGS" that were "dishonoring the memory of…

sputniknews (2020-06-02). Trump Faces New Lawsuit Over Executive Order Targeting Twitter – Advocacy Group. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US President Donald Trump faces a new lawsuit accusing him of breaking the First Amendment to the US Constitution by issuing an executive order targeting Twitter and other social media platforms as they seek to counter misinformation, the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) said in a news release.

sputniknews (2020-06-02). Watch Man Save Deer From Fatal Clutches of Snake in Indian Park. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): While the game of hunt and prey is inevitable in the wild, it can look brutal to humans. In one such scenario, a man almost picked a fight with a fully grown snake to rescue a deer from its clutches.

_____ (2020-06-02). Extremists Are Among Those Fomenting Violence In Twin Cities. popularresistance.org Protesters and onlookers have posted numerous videos and accounts of confrontations with white men on social media, sometimes including symbols associated with fringe groups that originated online. | Many people have also told MPR News reporters of witnessing armed men in Minneapolis. | Bridget Schumann was out for a run near Calhoun Square in south Minneapolis on Friday night when she saw a truck that was being driven aggressively, honking and intimidating other drivers. The truck had a big white sticker on the back of the cab with the OK sign symbol associated with white supremacists. | "There were two men in t…

_____ (2020-06-02). Trump Labels Anitfa As A Terrorist Organization Without Any Basis In Fact. popularresistance.org United States President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that the U.S. will go ahead and label Antifa as a "terrorist organization," raising serious concerns about the unconstitutionality of such a threat if carried out. | "The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization," Trump said, as protests over the murder of the black man, George Floyd, continued in at least 30 cities in the United States on Sunday, with Minneapolis as the epicenter. | Without evidence, Trump and several top officials from his administration, including U.S. Attorney General William Barr, have blamed Antifa an…

Nathan Freed Wessler (2020-05-28). We're Taking Clearview AI to Court to End its Privacy-Destroying Face Surveillance Activities. aclu.org For several years, a little-known start-up based in New York has been amassing a database of billions of our faceprints — unique biometric identifiers akin to a fingerprint or DNA profile — drawn from personal photos on our social media accounts and elsewhere online. The company has captured these faceprints in secret, without our knowledge, much less our consent, using everything from casual selfies to photos of birthday parties, college graduations, weddings, and so much more., , Unbeknownst to the public, this company has offered up this massive faceprint database to private companies, police,…

Staff (2020-05-27). From George Floyd to Chris Cooper: Ibram X. Kendi on "Racist Terror" Facing Black People in America. democracynow.org "I can't breathe" — that's what George Floyd, an unarmed African American man, repeatedly told a white Minneapolis police officer who pinned him to the ground Monday with a knee to his neck. Video of the police attack went viral. Now four officers have been fired. This comes as another video went viral of a white woman calling the cops on a Black man in New York City's Central Park and falsely accusing him of "threatening her life" after he asked her to leash her dog. We discuss these developments and more with Ibram X. Kendi, founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American Univer…

Staff (2020-05-26). Headlines for May 26, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Nears 100,000 Deaths from COVID-19 as Trump Shuns Face Masks, Goes After Democrats on Twitter, Trump Threatens to Pull RNC Out of North Carolina If Dem Governor Refuses to Allow Packed Crowds, Second Immigrant in ICE Jail Dies from COVID-19, U.S. to Deport Haitian Death Squad Leader and COVID-Positive Haitians Amid Pandemic, U.S. Restricts Travel from Brazil as It Becomes Second Most Infected Country, South American Nations Experience Mounting Cases as New Epicenter of the Pandemic, Boris Johnson Faces Pressure over Reopening Country and Lockdown-Flouting Adviser, WHO Suspends Tests of Hydroxychloroquine as…

Elizabeth M. Hechenbleikner, Daniel V. Samarov, Ed Lin (2020-05-23). [Commentary] Data explosion during COVID-19: A call for collaboration with the tech industry & data scrutiny. thelancet.com The volume and speed of data generation in biomedical literature, social media, and other resources during the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented. This mountain of data is growing daily across PubMed, Twitter, Google Scholar, and the World Health Organization's COVID-19 database [1], naming a few. The recently published COVID-19 Twitter dataset may offer insights into multiple topics from compliance with social distancing to assembling homemade masks and mental health tips [2]. Beyond social media, the massive COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19) has been assembled from tech giants like Microsoft, the Allen I…

Annika Stechemesser, Leonie Wenz, Anders Levermann (2020-05-19). [Commentary] Corona crisis fuels racially profiled hate in social media networks. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic has the world firmly in its grip with more than 2.5 million confirmed cases worldwide [1] and over 100 countries in full or partial lockdown [2] (as of April 24th, 2020). Although political leaders call for solidarity and people all over the world have started support initiatives, various incidents prove that the corona outbreak has also given rise to a series of discrimination and racist attacks against Chinese people and people with Asian looking features [3—5]. These attacks are not restricted to the physical space but pertain to social media networks as well.

Cristina Pérez-Cameo, Juan Marín-Lahoz (2020-05-17). [Commentary] Serosurveys and convalescent plasma in COVID-19. thelancet.com The current pandemic is not only overwhelming the health systems of the affected countries but also is killing thousands of other ways healthy adults. Convalescent plasma has been proposed [1] and approved to treat COVID-19 based on the experience acquired treating other viral diseases such as influenza, Ebola, and SARS [2]. It is considered a safe treatment (at least its side effects and contraindications are well known) and it has proven to be efficacious in several viral infections for more than a century.

The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2020-05-15). [Editorial] Riding the coronacoaster of uncertainty. thelancet.com Among all the reports, modelling, and desktop exercises in the past decade devoted to preparing for the next pandemic, when COVID-19 spread worldwide, some of the consequences had surely never been predicted. Scientists who were barely known outside a narrow academic circle are now household names, lauded and vilified in turn in the press and on social media. Twitter subscribers who until a few months ago were apparently experts in European relations or constitutional law are now skilled infectious diseases epidemiologists.

2020-06-02: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media! (Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media and the story images will also appear.)

Jax Fraternal Order of Police president threatens local teacher
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-06-02
Jacksonville, FL – Just hours after 3500 people rallied for police accountability in downtown Jacksonville on May 30, the president of the city's police union took to Facebook and threatened a local teacher and community activist. | The target of these threats was Christina Kittle of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), who helped co-organize and lead the massive May 30 peaceful protest. Kittle also teaches middle school civics in Jacksonville, where she serves as her school's union representative. | "This is Christina Kittle, one of the organizers of the so-called peaceful protest today in Jackson…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/6/2/jax-fraternal-order-police-president-threatens-local-teacher

Anti-Racist Demonstrations Continue Despite Escalating Government Repression
Abayomi Azikiwe | globalresearch.ca | 2020-06-02
When the videotaped public execution by a white Minneapolis police officer of African American George Floyd, 46, was posted in social media, a firestorm of opposition, protests and rebellion swept throughout the United States and internationally. | In just a …
globalresearch.ca/anti-racist-demonstrations-continue-despite-escalating-government-repression/5714755

Patient and Study Participant Rights to Privacy in Journal Publication
Flanagin A, Bauchner H, Fontanarosa PB. | jamanetwork.com | 2020-06-02
Personal health information is defined as identifiable data related to the past, present, or future health status of an individual. Personal health information has been considered protected health information, which is governed by ethical principles and laws to shield against intrusions into an individual's rights to privacy. However, rapid growth in the volume of electronic health records, access to other health information, and increasing use of personal health data by artificial intelligence, social media, technology, and other companies are threatening the traditional tenets of privacy protections for persona…
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2766612

George Floyd Murder Enflames US. America Is a Failed State
Shenali D Waduge | globalresearch.ca | 2020-06-02
On 26 May 2020 social media watched a black man (George Floyd) handcuffed and pinned to the pavement pleading to the 4 white American police officers

Sinister Flatulence: Trump Versus Twitter
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-06-02
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.
counterpunch.org/2020/06/02/sinister-flatulence-trump-versus-twitter/

Peru: Minister Requests Aid for COVID Infected Police Officers
telesurenglish.net | 2020-06-02
Peru's Ombudsman office on Monday requested health assistance for 30 COVID-19 infected police officers in the Tumbes department. | RELATED: | Peru on High Alert Over COVID Cases at Amazon Border | "We request the regional government to provide food and lodging to police officers who were infected with COVID-19 during the Emergency State," the government body tweeted. | Tumbes is one of Peru's most affected departments, with over 1,300 cases. According to the Ombudsman office, the…
telesurenglish.net/news/peru-ombudsman-requests-aid-for-covid-infected-police-officers–20200602-0005.html

Tribe Thumps Trump's Tweet
Michael T. Hertz | nationofchange.org | 2020-06-02
Trump uses tweets as a means of keeping his image out in the public without paying a dime.
nationofchange.org/2020/06/02/tribe-thumps-trumps-tweet/

Colombia: Another Indigenous Leader Murdered in North Santander
telesurenglish.net | 2020-06-01
On Sunday, leader Joel Villamizar was murdered in the village of Río Colorado, in rural Chitagá, near the United Indigenous Reservation in the department of Norte de Santander. | RELATED: | Colombian Political Figures, Activists Reject US Troops' Arrival | The Territorial Authorities Association and U'wa Councils of Colombia denounced the murder on its official Twitter page. | The organization announced in a statement that Villamizar was the education coordinator for the U'wa…
telesurenglish.net/news/colombia-another-indigenous-leader-murdered-in-north-santander-20200601-0013.html

Beijing Sees Trump's Hand and Won't Fold
Pepe Escobar | globalresearch.ca | 2020-06-01
Stranger things have happened. | Everyone was expecting US President Donald Trump to go nuclear by de facto sanctioning China to death over Hong Kong. In an environment where Twitter and the President of the United States are now engaged in …
globalresearch.ca/beijing-sees-trump-hand-wont-fold/5714580

Sinister Flatulence: Trump versus Twitter
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-05-31
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. …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/05/sinister-flatulence-trump-versus-twitter/

Capitalism & the home
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-05-30
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.
mronline.org/2020/05/30/capitalism-the-home/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=capitalism-the-home

President Trump has No Idea How Online Speech Works
Kate Ruane | aclu.org | 2020-05-29
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 label on one of Trump's tweets for the first time, calling out his blatantly false tweets about mail-in ballots and directing users to trusted journalistic so…
aclu.org/news/free-speech/president-trump-has-no-idea-how-online-speech-works

UN human rights office welcomes moves to curtail spread of hatred and violence online
news.un.org | 2020-05-29
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.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/05/1065092

Employees Hold Virtual Walkout to Protest Facebook Inaction on Trump Posts 'Advocating Violence Against Black Demonstrators'
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-06-01
Employees at Facebook—many of whom are continuing to work from home because of the coronavirus pandemic—organized a virtual walkout on Monday to pressure the social media giant to apply a tougher standard to President Donald Trump's posts, particularly those about recent and ongoing nationwide demonstrations provoked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/facebook.housing_0.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2020/06/01/employees-hold-virtual-walkout-protest-facebook-inaction-trump-posts-advocating?cd-origin=rss

Headlines for May 29, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-29
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…
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/29/headlines

Twitter Warns Trump Tweet Glorifies Violence as He Signs Executive Order to Weaken Social Media
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-29
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.
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/29/trump_tweets_social_media_regulation

"No Justification": Minneapolis Demands Murder Charges for Police Officer Who Killed George Floyd
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-28
Parts of Minneapolis erupted into flames Wednesday night as residents again took to the streets to protest the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by white police officer Derek Chauvin on Monday. A viral video shows Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd's neck for a number of minutes as Floyd repeatedly says "I cannot breathe." Three other officers stood by as George Floyd suffocated. They have been identified as Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng. All four officers were fired on Tuesday. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called on prosecutors to file criminal charges against Derek Chauvin. We speak wit…
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/28/george_floyd_death_minneapolis_protests

Protesters March on Zuckerberg's House, Call Him Out for Donating Millions to Menlo Park Police
East Palo Alto Report | indybay.org | 2020-06-02
Residents of East Palo Alto and the residential section of Menlo Park that abuts Facebook headquarters, Belle Haven, moved on Mark Zuckerberg's home on the evening of June 1.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/06/02/18833625.php

Police Attacked Protesters After Kneeling for Solidarity Photo Op, Activists Say
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-06-01
Some of the police officers who have been prominently photographed kneeling or praying alongside demonstrators against police violence have turned around and harmed protesters soon afterward, according to numerous accounts posted by activists on social media. | Twitter user @NeeNeinNyetNo, for example, showed an image of Orlando Police praying with protesters and wrote, "Literally 45 minutes later they maced us in the face for the crime of standing in their vicinity." | t.co/85a6zU
truthout.org/articles/police-attacked-protesters-after-kneeling-for-solidarity-photo-op-activists-say/

Don't Let Trump Use This Moment to Sneak in Domestic Terrorism Laws
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-06-01
There's something ironic about a fascist president labeling an anti-fascist movement "terrorists." It could be a joke, if it didn't have such terrifying implications for civil liberties. | Yet in an attempt to deflect responsibility for kindling the flames of white nationalism and racism over the course of his administration, President Donald Trump's scapegoat of the day is the left. He tweeted early Sunday: "The United States…
truthout.org/articles/dont-let-trump-use-this-moment-to-sneak-in-domestic-terrorism-laws/

Horrific video of cop rammed by car in New York emerges amid anti-police-brutality unrest
rt.com | 2020-06-02
A police officer has been viciously run over by a vehicle on a New York City crosswalk. Major US cities have become centers of protest and street battles, following a police killing of an unarmed black man. | The short clip, which has been circulating on social media, shows a black car ramming a police officer as he was standing at a crosswalk. | The vehicle appears to speed up just before it hits the man. The victim then lies motionless on the ground, before being picked up by a police van. | New York and several other major US cities have become the centers of mass anti-police-brutality protests, sparked…
rt.com/usa/490464-us-police-officer-nyc/

'Major fail': NYC mayor adjusts curfew from 11pm to 8pm, facing backlash over 'way too late' action as looting runs rampant
rt.com | 2020-06-02
New York Mayor Bill De Blasio has extended the city's curfew order amid ongoing protests and unrest over police brutality, imposing another day of travel restrictions after authorities again failed to stop looting and vandalism. | Announcing the move in a tweet on Monday night, De Blasio said Tuesday will see another curfew, this time beginning at 8pm instead of 11pm, noting that "keeping people safe" is his "first priority." | "These protests have power and meaning. But as the night wears on we are seeing groups use them to incite violence and destroy property," the mayor said. | These protests have power and…
rt.com/usa/490458-de-blasio-nyc-cufew-protests/

'A visual thank you': London designer CREATES striking ornamental masks to honor key workers during Covid-19 crisis
rt.com | 2020-06-02
A London-based fashion designer has used everyday items to create a striking set of decorative face masks to honor various groups of Covid-19 essential workers and the results are certainly eye-catching, if a little creepy. | In Facebook posts displaying the creations, designer Freyja Sewell said she had been looking for a way to turn her free time in lockdown into something good, and came up with the masks as a "visual thank you" to key workers. | Sewell created eight completely different colorful designs to honor the eight main groups of essential workers outlined by the UK government, including healthcare,…
rt.com/uk/490559-freyja-sewell-covid19-masks/

Predator or prank? 'Black Lives Matter' podcaster orders woman to get on her knees & APOLOGIZE for white privilege
rt.com | 2020-06-02
A man claiming to work for Black Lives Matter filmed himself accosting a woman on the street in New York City, ordering her to kneel and apologize for her white privilege. Her compliance has the internet speculating feverishly. | While it was pretty clear the cameraman didn't actually "work for Black Lives Matter" – he claimed to have been sent by its "CEO," and BLM doesn't have a CEO – the rest of the clip – seen over 1.4 million times – was open to interpretation. Was the woman just playing along? Unbelievably gullible? Genuinely frightened? | pic.twitter.com/Ct8Ab3aeS8…
rt.com/usa/490572-black-lives-prankster-intimidating-women/

Who burned the homeless camp? Antifa and Infowars play the blame game over Austin riots
rt.com | 2020-06-01
A mob of rioters set a homeless man's belongings on fire in Austin, Texas, and trashed his encampment. The Left then claimed the heinous act was the work of conspiracy site Infowars, but Infowars' reporters say otherwise. | As rioters clashed with police and set cars on fire in Austin on Sunday, the mayhem touched an often-forgotten segment of the Texan city: the homeless. Video footage shared on social media showed a homeless man's mattress and belongings being dragged into a fire by rioters, as a camera crew from conspiracy site Infowars filmed the carnage. | According to one self-described "anti-capitalist"
rt.com/usa/490440-infowars-antifa-homeless-fire/

Facebook rebellion? Zuckerberg alienates staff after REFUSING to censor Trump's warning to looters as Twitter HIDES its twin
rt.com | 2020-06-01
Employees at Facebook are annoyed at CEO Mark Zuckerberg's refusal to act against President Donald Trump, sharing their dissatisfaction with his decision online for all to see. | Grumblings amongst the employees were heard at all levels of the company, with the main criticism being aimed at Facebook's decision to leave Trump's post allegedly "glorifying violence" untouched, even as Twitter hid the same text behind a warning. | In his May 29 Twitter thread, Trump first decried what he called "a total lack of leadership" in Minneapolis, before proceeding to unload on "THUGS" that were "dishonoring the memory of…
rt.com/usa/490436-facebook-employees-trump-censor/

Trump Faces New Lawsuit Over Executive Order Targeting Twitter – Advocacy Group
sputniknews.com | 2020-06-02
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US President Donald Trump faces a new lawsuit accusing him of breaking the First Amendment to the US Constitution by issuing an executive order targeting Twitter and other social media platforms as they seek to counter misinformation, the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) said in a news release.
sputniknews.com/us/202006021079503104-trump-faces-lawsuit-over-executive-order-targeting-twitter-advocacy-group-says/

Watch Man Save Deer From Fatal Clutches of Snake in Indian Park
sputniknews.com | 2020-06-02
New Delhi (Sputnik): While the game of hunt and prey is inevitable in the wild, it can look brutal to humans. In one such scenario, a man almost picked a fight with a fully grown snake to rescue a deer from its clutches.
sputniknews.com/viral/202006021079495560-man-saves-deer-from-fatal-clutches-of-snake-in-indian-park–video/

Extremists Are Among Those Fomenting Violence In Twin Cities
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-06-02
Protesters and onlookers have posted numerous videos and accounts of confrontations with white men on social media, sometimes including symbols associated with fringe groups that originated online. | Many people have also told MPR News reporters of witnessing armed men in Minneapolis. | Bridget Schumann was out for a run near Calhoun Square in south Minneapolis on Friday night when she saw a truck that was being driven aggressively, honking and intimidating other drivers. The truck had a big white sticker on the back of the cab with the OK sign symbol associated with white supremacists. | "There were two men in t…
popularresistance.org/extremists-are-among-those-fomenting-violence-in-twin-cities/

Trump Labels Anitfa As A Terrorist Organization Without Any Basis In Fact
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-06-02
United States President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that the U.S. will go ahead and label Antifa as a "terrorist organization," raising serious concerns about the unconstitutionality of such a threat if carried out. | "The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization," Trump said, as protests over the murder of the black man, George Floyd, continued in at least 30 cities in the United States on Sunday, with Minneapolis as the epicenter. | Without evidence, Trump and several top officials from his administration, including U.S. Attorney General William Barr, have blamed Antifa an…
popularresistance.org/trump-labels-anitfa-as-a-terrorist-organization-without-any-basis-in-fact/

We're Taking Clearview AI to Court to End its Privacy-Destroying Face Surveillance Activities
Nathan Freed Wessler | aclu.org | 2020-05-28
For several years, a little-known start-up based in New York has been amassing a database of billions of our faceprints

From George Floyd to Chris Cooper: Ibram X. Kendi on "Racist Terror" Facing Black People in America
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-27
"I can't breathe"

Headlines for May 26, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-26
U.S. Nears 100,000 Deaths from COVID-19 as Trump Shuns Face Masks, Goes After Democrats on Twitter, Trump Threatens to Pull RNC Out of North Carolina If Dem Governor Refuses to Allow Packed Crowds, Second Immigrant in ICE Jail Dies from COVID-19, U.S. to Deport Haitian Death Squad Leader and COVID-Positive Haitians Amid Pandemic, U.S. Restricts Travel from Brazil as It Becomes Second Most Infected Country, South American Nations Experience Mounting Cases as New Epicenter of the Pandemic, Boris Johnson Faces Pressure over Reopening Country and Lockdown-Flouting Adviser, WHO Suspends Tests of Hydroxychloroquine as…
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/26/headlines

[Commentary] Data explosion during COVID-19: A call for collaboration with the tech industry & data scrutiny
Elizabeth M. Hechenbleikner, Daniel V. Samarov, Ed Lin | thelancet.com | 2020-05-23
The volume and speed of data generation in biomedical literature, social media, and other resources during the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented. This mountain of data is growing daily across PubMed, Twitter, Google Scholar, and the World Health Organization's COVID-19 database [1], naming a few. The recently published COVID-19 Twitter dataset may offer insights into multiple topics from compliance with social distancing to assembling homemade masks and mental health tips [2]. Beyond social media, the massive COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19) has been assembled from tech giants like Microsoft, the Allen I…
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30121-8/fulltext?rss=yes

[Commentary] Corona crisis fuels racially profiled hate in social media networks
Annika Stechemesser, Leonie Wenz, Anders Levermann | thelancet.com | 2020-05-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has the world firmly in its grip with more than 2.5 million confirmed cases worldwide [1] and over 100 countries in full or partial lockdown [2] (as of April 24th, 2020). Although political leaders call for solidarity and people all over the world have started support initiatives, various incidents prove that the corona outbreak has also given rise to a series of discrimination and racist attacks against Chinese people and people with Asian looking features [3–5]. These attacks are not restricted to the physical space but pertain to social media networks as well.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30116-4/fulltext?rss=yes

[Commentary] Serosurveys and convalescent plasma in COVID-19
Cristina Pérez-Cameo, Juan Marín-Lahoz | thelancet.com | 2020-05-17
The current pandemic is not only overwhelming the health systems of the affected countries but also is killing thousands of other ways healthy adults. Convalescent plasma has been proposed [1] and approved to treat COVID-19 based on the experience acquired treating other viral diseases such as influenza, Ebola, and SARS [2]. It is considered a safe treatment (at least its side effects and contraindications are well known) and it has proven to be efficacious in several viral infections for more than a century.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30114-0/fulltext?rss=yes