The Empire Must Die: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix
Caitlin Johnstone | thealtworld.com | 2021-02-06
Q: What is a liberal? | A: A liberal is a violent white supremacist extremist who supports and participates in the mass slaughter of brown-skinned human beings overseas while tweeting that white supremacist extremists are bad. | ‚ùñ | Q: What is capitalism? | A: Capitalism is a wonderful economic and political system which has given us powerful technology, a wide assortment of breakfast cereals, and near term human extinction. | ‚ùñ | Q: What is China? | A: China is a large Asiatic nation which westerners use as an emotional punching bag for their capitalism-induced rage, p…
thealtworld.com/caitlin_johnston/the-empire-must-die-notes-from-the-edge-of-the-narrative-matrix

Myanmar junta shuts Twitter and Instagram to curb protests
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2021-02-06
Military authorities in charge of Myanmar broadened a ban on social media following this week's coup. They've shut down Twitter and Instagram, as residents in the nation's biggest city again banged pots and plastic bottles to show their opposition to the army takeover. | It came as street protests continued to expand on Saturday 6 February. People gathered again to show their opposition to the army takeover. | Protests: | Around 1,000 protesters marched on Saturday morning through the streets of Yangon, the country's biggest city. Prominent among them were factory workers and students. | By noon, more tha…
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2021/02/06/myanmar-junta-shuts-twitter-and-instagram-to-curb-protests/

'Now fire Hannity, Ingraham, Carlson': Liberals call for BIGGER PURGE at Fox News as canceled Lou Dobbs shares tweets of support
rt.com | 2021-02-06
Donald Trump and other fans are expressing support for Lou Dobbs after the sudden cancellation of his "number one news program" on Fox News, but liberals are so giddy they want other conservatives like Sean Hannity pulled. | The axing of 'Lou Dobbs Tonight' follows a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit from SmartMatic, a company behind voting software used in the presidential election, against Fox News and multiple hosts who aired election fraud conspiracy theories, including Dobbs. | A spokesperson for the network, however, did not name the lawsuit or controversies surrounding Dobbs' election coverage — he a…
rt.com/usa/514821-fox-news-dobbs-trump-hannity-ingraham/

Will AI save us from Covid-19? New tool can churn out vaccine models in minutes, not months
rt.com | 2021-02-05
Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have unveiled an incredibly powerful, AI-powered method for producing new potential Covid-19 vaccine candidates in a matter of minutes or even seconds. | The new process, developed at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, could mark a major turning point in the information war against the coronavirus and its many, increasingly virulent mutations which are taxing an already challenging worldwide vaccine rollout. | The USC team leveraged artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up vaccine analysis which can be quickly and easily adapted to analyze viral mu…
rt.com/news/514729-artificial-intelligence-models-coronavirus-mutations/

UK announces new vaccine plan for mutant Covid strains with a further 50 million doses, as France misses out on 'French' jab
rt.com | 2021-02-05
The UK government has announced a new partnership with German vaccine manufacturer CureVac to "rapidly develop" jabs to protect against new Covid-19 variants, taking the country's total vaccine order to 457 million doses. | In a statement, the government said that the vaccines it is already administering — those developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca/Oxford University — are effective against variants currently dominant in the UK, but the new agreement focuses on responding "rapidly" to inoculate against newer viral strains not yet in circulation. | "The new agreement will utilise UK expertise o…
rt.com/uk/514744-uk-covid19-curevac-deal-vaccine/

Israeli settlers kill unarmed Palestinian near Ramallah
Qassam Muaddi | middleeasteye.net | 2021-02-05
Israeli settlers kill unarmed Palestinian near Ramallah | Residents of Palestinian town of Ras Karkar say killing of Khaled Nofal was unjustifiable | Qassam Muaddi | Fri, 02/05/2021 – 15: 46 | Khaled Nofal (R), an accountant from the West Bank, was shot by an Israeli settler on Friday (Twitter) | An Israeli settler shot dead a Palestinian man near the town of Ras Karkar in the central occupied West Bank on Fri…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-settlers-kill-unarmed-man

The Struggle Inside Senator Mitch McConnell's Brain
Ralph Nader | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
Since 2015, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell has ruled the Senate with an iron hand, describing himself as "the Guardian of Gridlock." He was Senator "NO," except for confirming over 200 mostly corporatist federal judges. Now comes a new challenge for Mitch McConnell as he leads 49 other Republican Senators, twenty of whom are up…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/the-struggle-inside-senator-mitch-mcconnells-brain/

#AOCLied hashtag flooded with spam & puppies after PR team urges followers to help memory-hole her 'Smollett moment'
rt.com | 2021-02-05
After New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez admitted she wasn't even inside the Capitol building during last month's raid she'd framed as a near-death experience, the Democrat convinced her fans to help bury the embarrassment. | Essentially summoning an army of human 'bots' to save face, AOC's team on Wednesday emailed her followers with a request to help "set the record straight" concerning 'negative' — i.e. realistic — posts about the congresswoman and her whereabouts on January 6. | This email is allegedly from "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress" | It instructs people to: | -Find social media…
rt.com/usa/514755-aoc-followers-flood-meme-smollett/

'What if Trump had said it?' Joe Biden resurrects 'exaggerated' claim that he was shot at during trips to Iraq
rt.com | 2021-02-05
President Joe Biden has dusted off an old story about how he came under fire while visiting Iraq, more than a decade after he admitted the claim was somewhat exaggerated. 'Where's the MSM outrage?' social media users have asked. | While addressing US State Department staff on Thursday, Biden hailed the diplomats for showing "great personal courage," which the new US president has purportedly seen first-hand. | "I've been with some of you when we've been shot at," he told the audience. | It's unclear what Biden meant by the passing remark, and the White House has not elaborated on the statement. | Read…
rt.com/usa/514701-biden-shot-controversy-revists/

Feds Arrest Suspected Rioters Who Chartered Private Jet to Protest Election Results
sputniknews.com | 2021-02-05
Jenna Ryan, another Texas-based real estate broker, was arrested last month after authorities with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) came across a social media video in which she identified herself.
sputniknews.com/us/202102051081993618-feds-arrest-suspected-rioters-who-chartered-private-jet-to-protest-election-results-/

Biden boosts PRO Act on its formal introduction
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2021-02-05
WASHINGTON –With a tweeted boost from Democratic President Joe Biden, House and Senate Democratic leaders formally introduced the PRO Act, the most-pro-worker labor law legislation in more than 85 years, on Feb. 4. The measure would overturn decades of anti-worker court and National Labor Relations Board rulings, and make organizing, winning elections, and bargaining first …
peoplesworld.org/article/biden-boosts-pro-act-on-its-formal-introduction/

Anne Feeney, Folk Singer And Political Activist, Dies At 69
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-04
Anne Feeney, the legendary Pittsburgh folk singer-songwriter and self-described rabble-rouser, has died of COVID at age 69. | Her daughter, Amy Sue Berlin, shared the news in a Facebook post on Wednesday night, writing, in part, "It is with a very heavy heart that we must announce the passing of our courageous, brilliant, beautiful mother, Anne Feeney. We were very lucky that she fought hard enough to open up her eyes, and give us a couple days to be with her before she finally decided it was time to let go." | "It is with a very heavy heart that we must announce the passing of our courageous, brilliant, beautifu…
popularresistance.org/anne-feeney-folk-singer-and-political-activist-dies-at-69/

Church of England launches investigation after clergyman calls fans of WWII hero Captain Tom a 'CULT OF WHITE BRITISH NATIONALISM'
rt.com | 2021-02-04
The Church of England is investigating one of its clergymen after he posted a Twitter message smearing fans of WWII veteran Captain Tom Moore, who died this week of Covid-19, as being part of a "cult of white British nationalism." | The Rev. Jarel Robinson-Brown tweeted on Wednesday that he wouldn't be taking part in a national clap to honor Moore, who died at the age of 100 after raising nearly 33 million pounds for the National Health Service in a funds-raising walk. "The cult of Captain Tom is a cult of white British nationalism," Robinson-Brown said. "I will offer prayers for the repose of his kind and gen…
rt.com/uk/514653-clergy-captain-tom-cult-nationalism/

NACOSH unveils comprehensive job safety/health strengthening plan
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2021-02-04
HOUSTON–One year after the coronavirus pandemic hit the country, Marcos Vasquez, a 20-year day labor construction worker in Houston, still toils for employers who won't provide him an anti-viral mask. Or gloves. Or other personal protective equipment. "There's not enough social distancing," he adds. "The bathrooms" on worksites "are dirty and they lack water and …
peoplesworld.org/article/nacosh-unveils-comprehensive-job-safety-health-strengthening-plan/

'Let 'em die!' Doctor gets flamed over 'evil and twisted' tweet about maskless shoppers in Florida
rt.com | 2021-02-04
A video showing unmasked shoppers in a Florida supermarket has gone viral due to an NBC reporter's complaining. Among the more extreme reactions was one now-deleted tweet by a doctor who seemingly thought they deserved to die. | In a video shared on Wednesday, NBC correspondent Sam Brock showed a crowd of customers in a supermarket in Naples, Florida. Few people were wearing a face mask or practicing social distancing, and everyone was going about their business as usual. Complaining about the spread of Covid-19 on a "massive scale," Brock claimed that the store allowed "medical exemptions" to mask wearing, an…
rt.com/usa/514613-florida-masks-coronavirus-supermarket/

'As fake as her tweets'? Police open conspiracy PROBE into Greta Thunberg's 'protest toolkit,' accuse creators of 'WAR ON INDIA'
rt.com | 2021-02-04
Police in New Delhi have opened a conspiracy investigation into the creators of a "toolkit" with instructions on how to amplify the farmers' protests in India — a document that has been shared by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. | Thunberg took to Twitter on Wednesday to share a lengthy document outlining ways for activists to contribute to India's ongoing pro-farmer protests, including stock messages and hashtags to disseminate on social media, as well as advice on organizing rallies. Within hours, the "toolkit" was taken offline by its creators and replaced with a much shorter version, with Thunberg no…
rt.com/news/514634-greta-thunberg-india-police-investigation/

Progressive journalist Jordan Chariton regrets calling for social media bans after 'seeing Silicon Valley's censorship onslaught'
rt.com | 2021-02-04
After some of his own videos were pulled by YouTube, progressive reporter Jordan Chariton has had a change of heart about Big Tech's crackdown on extremist content, arguing that it's a pretext to purge all alternative views. | In a series of tweets, the popular pundit and co-founder of Status Coup News revealed that footage of the January 6 Capitol riots had been yanked from his YouTube channel, apparently for violating the platform's policies against "spam and deceptive practices." The video's deletion followed a similar incident in which a livestream of a right-wing rally held several days before Joe Biden's…
rt.com/usa/514563-jordan-chariton-youtube-censorship/

'I am become meme, destroyer of shorts': Musk fires off market-wrecking omens & random thoughts, ending brief Twitter absence
rt.com | 2021-02-04
The temptations of Twitter were apparently too great for Elon Musk, who ended his short-lived hiatus on the platform with a series of characteristically zany messages. | The world's richest man returned to his virtual soap box around 48 hours after he announced on Tuesday that he would be practicing Twitter abstinence. | Read more | | Elon Musk takes Twitter hiatus after publicly backing bitcoin & acknowledging his comments could affect markets | The social media relapse began innocently enough, with Musk retweeting a video of a SpaceX satellite…
rt.com/usa/514580-musk-twitter-return-doge-memes/

Turkey 'neutralizes' 5 YPG/PKK terrorists in N.Syria
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-04
Turkish security forces "neutralized" five YPG/PKK terrorists in a protected area across Turkey's southern border with Syria, the National Defense Ministry announced Thursday.The terrorists were trying to infiltrate the area of Turkey's cross-border anti-terror operations — Peace Spring and Euphrates Shield — to disrupt peace and security in the region, the ministry said on Twitter, adding that they had also opened harassing fire.Turkish authorities use the word "neutralized" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-ter…
yenisafak.com/en/news/turkey-neutralizes-5-ypg-pkk-terrorists-in-nsyria-3560089

Myanmar military government cuts Facebook access
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-04
Yangon, Feb 4 (efe-epa).- Facebook access in Myanmar was limited Thursday after the military junta ordered telecommunications providers to block the social network. The move comes after the military seized power on Monday in a bloodless coup. "All mobile operators, international gateways and internet service providers in Myanmar received a directive on 3 February 2021 …
laprensalatina.com/myanmar-military-government-cuts-facebook-access/

HBO doc shows how it's easy to make "Fake Famous" influencers, whose job is to "make you feel bad"
D. Watkins | salon.com | 2021-02-04
Filmmaker Nick Bilton appeared on "Salon Talks" to discuss the harmful effects of the false social media presence…
salon.com/2021/02/04/fake-famous-hbo-max-influencers-nick-bilton-salon-talks/

Myanmar military cuts Facebook access as public opposition to coup grows
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-04
(Update 1: Adds Egeland comments.) Yangon, Feb 4 (efe-epa).- Facebook access in Myanmar was restricted Thursday after the military junta ordered telecommunications providers to block the social network, and as public opposition to the coup grew. The move to block Facebook came after the military seized power from the elected government on Monday. "All mobile …
laprensalatina.com/myanmar-military-cuts-facebook-access-as-public-opposition-to-coup-grows/

Myanmar military cuts Facebook access as public opposition to coup grows
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-04
(Update 1: adds new headline, lede, details of protests and public reaction, minor edits) Yangon, Feb 4 (efe-epa).- Facebook access in Myanmar was restricted Thursday after the military junta ordered telecommunications providers to block the social network, and as public opposition to the coup grew. The move to block Facebook came after the military seized …
laprensalatina.com/myanmar-military-cuts-facebook-access-as-public-opposition-to-coup-grows/

'We're Challenging Power': YouTube's Indie Media Crackdown Aims to 'Prop Up' Mainstream Channels
sputniknews.com | 2021-02-04
In a widespread crackdown on Wednesday, YouTube demonetized several independent media and analysis channels, providing only the vaguest of explanations as to why. One of the affected analysts told Sputnik the move has come amid a decline in corporate news ratings and rising interest in independent reporting.
sputniknews.com/world/202102041081983371-were-challenging-power-youtubes-indie-media-crackdown-aims-to-prop-up-mainstream-channels/

Misinformation market: Money-making tools Facebook hands to Covid cranks
graham | truepublica.org.uk | 2021-02-03
By Jasper Jackson, Alexandra Heal: The video on Facebook opens with a question: "Could this be bio-terrorism?" Talking directly into the camera, the unshaven young man continues in a sarcastic American drawl: "I'm sure that there's no possible way that somebody could play Frankenstein and create the monster that they didn't mean to, or in many cases, …
truepublica.org.uk/global/misinformation-market-money-making-tools-facebook-hands-to-covid-cranks/

Remdesivir's History Shows How Americans Pay More for Drugs Than Others Globally
Staff | truthout.org | 2021-02-03
It was the end of April — just as the U.S. confirmed its millionth covid-19 case and 50,000 deaths — when White House adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci announced "highly significant" news about a drug called remdesivir. | That was surprising because the antiviral drug, owned by Gilead Sciences and developed with investment from the federal government, had languished for years with no apparent commercial use. It had struck out as a treatment for hepatitis C and Ebola. | But early in 202…
truthout.org/articles/remdesivirs-history-shows-how-americans-pay-more-for-drugs-than-others-globally/

The Struggle Inside Senator Mitch McConnell's Brain
Ralph Nader | commondreams.org | 2021-02-03
Allowing the Trumpian half of his brain to overpower his judgment and vote to acquit Dangerous Donald would spell disaster for the Republican Party (assuming the Democratic Party doesn't go to sleep as it did after Obama's win in 2008). | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/mcconnell_biden_0.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2021/02/03/struggle-inside-senator-mitch-mcconnells-brain?cd-origin=rss

Turkey: Twitter labels minister's 'LGBT deviants' post hateful amid university protest
MEE and agencies | middleeasteye.net | 2021-02-03
Turkey: Twitter labels minister's 'LGBT deviants' post hateful amid university protest | Interior minister angered over picture mixing LGBT symbols and Islamic images during protests against Istanbul rector's appointment | MEE and agencies | Wed, 02/03/2021 – 08: 19 | Police detained 159 students on Monday after breaking up a group planning an all-night vigil outside the rector's office (AFP) | Intensifying…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-twitter-minister-lgbt-deviants-hateful-university-protest

Arrests in Syria's Latakia signal discontent among pro-Assad communities
Harun al-Aswad | middleeasteye.net | 2021-02-03
Arrests in Syria's Latakia signal discontent among pro-Assad communities | Many of the president's most loyal supporters in his stronghold have started speaking out against corruption and poverty | Harun al-Aswad | Wed, 02/03/2021 – 17: 39 | A handout picture released by the Syrian Presidency Facebook page on 13 October 2020 shows President Bashar al-Assad touring the village of Kafr Dabil in Syria's Latakia pro…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-latakia-assad-arrest-campaign-supporters

TikTok agrees to Italy's request to block underage users, after 10yo girl dies in social media challenge
rt.com | 2021-02-03
TikTok has reached an agreement with Italian data protection regulators to block underage users there from using its app, after a 10-year-old girl died in Palermo in a failed attempt at a dangerous social media challenge. | In January, the Italian authorities launched an investigation into children using social media platforms, after a young girl who had attempted the so-called 'choking' challenge died. The trend, which had been circulating on TikTok, saw participants restrict their oxygen in an attempt to secure a high. | The state filed a legal notice against TikTok back in December, prior to the young girl'…
rt.com/news/514524-tiktok-agreement-italy-block-underage-users/

Poor taste? Burger King SAVAGELY trolls injury-hit Hazard by joking he missed training to take advantage of 2-for-1 offer
rt.com | 2021-02-03
Eden Hazard's time at Real Madrid has been plagued by injury and barbs about his weight, and fast food giant Burger King put the boot in amid a new setback by claiming the star missed training to indulge in their special offer. | …
rt.com/sport/514522-burger-king-trolls-eden-hazard-tweet/

Top Turkish diplomat attends 18th MIKTA meeting
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-03
"Attended 18th FM Meeting of MIKTA with Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Australia," Cavusoglu said in a Twitter post.Established in 2013, MIKTA is an informal partnership consisting of Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, and Australia.Cavusoglu "thanked South Korea for her term and congratulated incoming Chair Australia.""MIKTA is a good model for multilateral diplomacy. Will continue our contributions," the top Turkish diplomat added.
yenisafak.com/en/news/top-turkish-diplomat-attends-18th-mikta-meeting-3560016

Viral Inequality and the Farmers' Struggle in India
Colin Todhunter | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-03
According to a new report by Oxfam, 'The Inequality Virus', the wealth of the world's billionaires increased by $3.9tn (trillion) between 18 March and 31 December 2020. Their total wealth now stands at $11.95tn. The world's 10 richest billionaires have collectively seen their wealth increase by $540bn over this period. In September 2020, Jeff Bezos…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/03/viral-inequality-and-the-farmers-struggle-in-india/