(2021-01-28). In the News: Democrats Get Ready for Failure. liberationnews.org 
This interview is an episode of The Socialist Program with Brian Becker, a podcast providing news and views about the world for those who want to change it. You can follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. On this week's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell, Esther Iverem and Walter Smolarek discuss …
(2021-01-28). Educator Shocked that GOP put Marjorie Taylor Greene, who spoke of Assassinating Nancy Pelosi and denied Parkland School Shootings, on House Education Committee. juancole.com 
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader of the US House of Representatives, and his fellow Republican leaders, I s…
(2021-01-28). Peru Deploys Army on Border With Ecuador to Block Migrants. telesurenglish.net President Francisco Sagasti's administration on Wednesday deployed hundreds of Peruvian officers throughout the border with Ecuador to prohibit immigrants from entering the country amid its second wave of COVID-19. | RELATED: | "We will keep the border blocked for as long as necessary to prevent the entry of immigrants infected with COVID-19," Peruvian Armed Forces Joint Command tweeted. | The joint decision "seeks t…
(2021-01-28). Exiled Emirati dissident launches campaign to lift travel ban on sick son. middleeasteye.net 
Exiled Emirati dissident launches campaign to lift travel ban on sick son | Ahmed Al-Nuaimi demands to be reunited with his son, who suffers from cerebral palsy and needs specialist medical attention | Thu, 01/28/2021 – 12: 55 | The academic has launched a Twitter campaign to be reunited with his son and allow him the medical attention he needs (Screengrab/Twitter) | An Emirati academic and dissident liv…
(2021-01-28). AOC throws weight behind GameStop hedge fund massacre, takes a dig at Wall Street's 'long history of treating economy as a casino'. rt.com 
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has heaped mockery on Wall Street hedge funds who've taken a beating after a short-selling scheme on GameStop shares miserably backfired, accusing them of treating markets like a "casino." | The New York congresswoman took to Twitter on Wednesday night to poke fun at the "Wall Streeters" racking up major losses amid a push by online trolls to punish GameStop short-sellers, "Gotta admit it's really something…
(2021-01-28). Bolsonaro Unleashes His Foul Language Against Journalists. telesurenglish.net Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday responded with foul language to journalists who denounced irregularities in costly public food purchases made amid the pandemic. | RELATED: | "When I see the press attacking me and saying I bought two and a half million cans of condensed milk, [my response is] go fu#% yourselves, shitty press," Bolsonaro said at a private event whose video was leaked to social media. | "Le…
(2021-01-28). GameStop controversy put AOC & Trump Jr on SAME PAGE against Wall Street — but panicked MSM smears Reddit traders as ALT-RIGHT MOB. rt.com 
The GameStop stock rebellion is playing out like a revealing Rorschach test, drawing political figures as divergent as Donald Trump Jr. and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez together, and prompting legacy media to demonize the uprising. | The former president's son responded to ruling-class efforts to crush the rally, including Thursday's move by trading app Robinhood to ban its users from buying shares of GameStop and other stocks targeted by grassroots investors, by saying, "This is what a rigged system looks like." Trump Jr. tweeted: "It took less than a day for Big Tech, Big Government, and the corporate media to s…
(2021-01-28). Nicola Surgeon vows to 'tackle transphobia if it exists in my party'. thecanary.co 
Nicola Sturgeon has vowed to tackle transphobia within the SNP if it exists, insisting she takes on "bigotry" whenever she encounters it. | Broken promises?: | She was asked during First Minister's Questions on 28 January whether her government has broken its promises to transgender and nonbinary people. It came after she tweeted a video message on the issue, following reports of significant numbers of people leaving the SNP because they do not consider it to be a safe and tolerant place for trans people. | In the message posted on Wednesday evening, which she said was not scripted but "comes from my hear…
(2021-01-28). US freeze on F-35s sale to Abu Dhabi won't hurt normalization between Israel & UAE — PM Netanyahu. rt.com 
The suspension by US President Joe Biden on selling F-35 fighter jets to the UAE won't derail normalization between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi, as the process has gone too far already, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted. | "It won't affect them," Netanyahu said, when asked about the possible impact of the announcement by Washington on relations between Israel and the UAE. | The mending of ties between the two former foes has "passed the point of no return," the prime minister insisted during a press conference broadcast on Facebook. | "Everyone understood that this [normalization deal] was a historic step…
(2021-01-28). 'What are you doing?' Fans accuse UFC star Jorge Masvidal of betraying MMA over YouTube boxer Jake Paul's surprise footage (VIDEO). rt.com 
Viewers have rounded on Jorge Masvidal to accuse the UFC veteran of a lack of integrity after Jake Paul, the YouTuber who will take on one of his former victims next month, released footage of a training session between the pair.
(2021-01-28). PETA declares meat-eaters 'human supremacists', Twitter cringes & bombs it with mockery. rt.com 
The animal rights group PETA, famous for its shock-tactics publicity stunts, has implied that all non-vegans have something Klanish in them, denouncing meat-eaters as "human supremacists." It certainly caught attention. | "Eating animals is speciesist," People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
(2021-01-28). Facebook to expel 'political content' from its news feed to 'discourage divisive conversations,' Zuckerberg says. rt.com 
Facebook is set to make it harder for "political content" to permeate its news feed and make related groups less visible — all in the name of preventing heated discussions that sow division, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said. | Zuckerberg took to his own platform on Wednesday with a vast 2,800-word
(2021-01-28). UN chief 'particularly worried' about power of social media giants & calls for laws to keep them in check. rt.com 
Regulations are needed to reign in companies like Twitter so that their actions, such as the banning of former US president Donald Trump, are "in line with the law," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. | When asked during a press conference on Thursday if Twitter was "right" in permanently suspending rump, then still a sitting US president, Guterres did not answer directly, instead suggesting that social media behemoths should follow a clear set of rules — to be created — instead of wielding unchecked power. | He called for "mechanisms, in which there's regulatory framework with rules that al…
(2021-01-28). Farmers Blame Miscreants For Maligning Their Image On Republic Day. popularresistance.org As part of their Tractor Protest Rally, thousands of farmers entered Delhi on Tuesday morning riding SUVs, cars, and wheeled farm equipment. A faction of the rally soon invaded Delhi's iconic Red Fort, leading to violent clashes with police as the farmers seek the repeal of several farm laws recently decreed by the central government. | While farm leaders in the state of Haryana and Punjab distance themselves from the events at Delhi's iconic Red Fort on India's 72nd Republic Day, saying agitation against the new farm laws has nothing to do with violence, social media continues to buzz over the possible cause of…
(2021-01-28). Beware Corporate 'Democracy Washing'. zcomm.org Twitter, Trump, and the Danger of Privatizing the Fight Against Fascism…
(2021-01-28). Netizens Mock PETA For Demand to Stop Using Animal Insults Like 'Chicken' Or 'Pig'. sputniknews.com Animal analogies have long featured prominently in human perception, but that play works both says. Some animal qualities, both the pleasant and the not so much, we use to characterize each other and even to insult each other. In some languages, calling someone "kitty" or another animal diminutive is a way to express affection or love.
(2021-01-28). Twitter Giggles as Analysts Quickly Assume 'Foreign Powers' Are Behind the GameStop Short Squeeze. sputniknews.com On Wednesday, American stock markets were rocked by a group of small retail investors cooperating via Reddit to push GameStop company stocks to 1,700% above its previous value in just a few weeks, forcing institutional hedge fund investors to retreat due to huge financial losses.
(2021-01-28). Newly Elected GOP Lawmaker Faces Resignation Calls For Two-Year-Old Posts, Likes on Social Media. sputniknews.com The lawmaker has already come under fire because she supported former President Donald Trump's allegations of electoral fraud and she campaigned for the 2020 voting results to be denied certification.
(2021-01-28). Jaguar cubs rescued in Nicaragua after being offered for sale online. laprensalatina.com Managua, Jan 27 (efe-epa).- Two jaguar cubs were rescued from a house in the North Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua after being offered for illegal sale on social media when their mother was killed by residents, the Nicaragua Zoo reported on Wednesday. The male and female jaguars, just three-and-a-half months old, were underweight when they were …
(2021-01-28). Turkey's FM hails new Canadian, Afghan officials. yenisafak.com Turkey's foreign minister spoke with his newly appointed Canadian counterpart over the phone, according to diplomatic sources.In their phone conversation, Mevlut Cavusoglu congratulated Marc Garneau on his appointment this January as foreign minister.Separately, Cavusoglu also met in the Turkish capital Ankara with Qudratullah Zaki, Afghanistan's transport minister.On Twitter, Cavusoglu "congratulated my brother Qudratullah Zaki, Minister of Transport of Afghanistan, for his new post.""Thanks to statesmen like Qudratullah Zaki who studied in Turkey, our brotherly ties with Afghanistan are even stronger," Cavusogl…
(2021-01-28). En Garde 2021. dissidentvoice.org From the viral fun of the Wuhan Age straight into the fevered depths of Orwell's wet dream, welcome to round two of the roaring twenties. With all the resolutions and excitement of the holiday season that took place of late, we all knew that a simple ceremonial spin around the sun wasn't going to alter …
(2021-01-28). The National Security State Has Militarized Our Democracy. scheerpost.com The U.S. Army / CC BY 2.0] By Mandy Smithberger and William Hartung / TomDispatch This month's insurrection at the Capitol revealed the dismal failure of the Capitol Police and the Department of Defense to use their expertise and resources to thwart a clear and present danger to our democracy. As the government reform group Public Citizen tweeted, "If you're spending $740,000,000… |
(2021-01-27). Reflecting the Authoritarian Climate, Washington Will Remain Militarized. scheerpost.com YouTube] By Glenn Greenwald / Substack Washington, DC has been continuously militarized beginning the week leading up to Joe Biden's inauguration, when 20,000 National Guard troops were deployed onto the streets of the nation's capital. The original justification was that this show of massive force was necessary to secure the inauguration in light of the January 6 riot at the Capitol. |
(2021-01-27). WSWS's fight against Facebook censorship draws international support. wsws.org Statements of support, social media posts and shares, news reports and messages sent directly to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg denouncing the political censorship of the socialist left played a decisive role in the restoration of the University of Michigan IYSSE Facebook page and the accounts of leading members of the SEP.
(2021-01-27). Google ditching Apple tool to track iPhone users & dodge pop-up warning on data collection. rt.com 
New Apple rules that introduce an obligatory pop-up warning to users that their browsing data is being stored for advertising purposes has prompted Google to stop using the company's tracking tool in its iOS products. | Apple's new rules will see users asked to opt in if they want to allow advertisers to use their information through what's known as an 'identifier for advertisers' (IDFA). The IDFA is a unique code on each iPhone that essentially allows for the users to be tracked across multiple aps in order to determine which adverts should be shown to them. | Under the new rules, which Apple said will come i…
(2021-01-27). Airline pilots capture video of 'extremely bright UFO' during flight in Pakistan (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Two Pakistan International Airlines pilots have captured intriguing video footage of an "extremely bright UFO" during a domestic flight. The video has gone viral in Pakistan. | It emerged Wednesday that the pilots saw the strange object during a flight from Karachi to Lahore at around 4pm on January 23. The plane was travelling at an altitude of 35,000 feet when the sighting occurred. | "The UFO was extremely bright despite the presence of sunlight," the pilot One of the flight team beg…
(2021-01-27). UAE activist Ahmed Mansoor being held in shocking conditions: HRW. middleeasteye.net 
UAE activist Ahmed Mansoor being held in shocking conditions: HRW | Report says poet held in solitary confinement since 2017 and that his trial in 2018 and subsequent appeals were a sham | Wed, 01/27/2021 – 09: 13 | Mansoor, a 51-year-old Emirati engineer, poet, and father of four was arrested in March 2017 in relation to his human rights advocacy in the UAE (YouTube) | Human Rights Watch (HRW) has published a…
(2021-01-27). Bill Gates shocked by Covid conspiracy theories about him and Fauci, suggests social media firms may help censor such 'evil' talk. rt.com 
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is looking to possibly enlist the help of Big Tech to help censor offending online voices after he and US Covid-19 czar Anthony Fauci were victimized by "evil" conspiracy theories. | "Nobody would have predicted that I and Dr. Fauci would be so prominent in really kind of evil theories about — did we create the pandemic, are we trying to profit from it? — and on and on," Gates Gates, whose foundation has committed upward of $1.75 billion to he…
(2021-01-27). YouTube prolongs Trump suspension citing 'ongoing potential for violence' as Big Tech doubles down on deplatforming policies. rt.com 
Former US president Donald Trump will remain barred from using YouTube for the foreseeable future, the video-hosting service has announced, adding that it placed new restrictions on Trump lawyer Rudy Guiliani's account. | The Google-owned company said on Tuesday that Trump's channel will remain suspended "in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence." | A spokesperson said that YouTube was keeping an eye on "any new developments" surrounding the controversial suspension and would take action accordingly. | Following Twitter's lead, YouTube blocked Trump on January 12, after the riots at the Ca…
(2021-01-27). NASDAQ temporarily shuts down stock trading after internet trolls destroy hedge fund with GameStop stock. rt.com 
The NASDAQ has paused trading after internet "degenerates" spotted Wall Street gearing up to make a killing, beat the traders at their own game, and got filthy rich while destroying the US' top hedge funds. Buckle up. | "We are actively monitoring social media chatter and will halt stock if we match chatter with unusual activity in stocks," NASDAQ CEO Adena Friedman announced on Wednesday morning. Speaking to CNBC, Friedman demanded regulators intervene to stop the "manipulation" that's seen amateur investors completely leave one of America's top hedge funds, Melvin Capital, teetering on the edge of bankruptcy…
(2021-01-27). Being on Parler & Gab apparently cost New York literary agency employee her job… after one Twitter complaint. rt.com 
Internet commenters have decried the rise of social justice-fueled intolerance, after a woman was purportedly fired from her job simply for having accounts on conservative-leaning social media platforms. | Colleen Oefelein, an associate literary agent with the New York City-based Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency, was sacked after her boss learned that she owned accounts on Gab and Parler. The agency's owner, Jennifer DeChiara, publicly announced on Twitter that the firm had dropped Oefelein after making the "distressing" discovery. | "We do not condone this activity, and apologize to anyone who has been affe…
(2021-01-27). 'They just want to defend Biden,' The Scoop co-founder tells RT after Facebook ban, accusing platforms of anti-conservative bias. rt.com 
Steeve Strange — co-founder of the conservative news site The Scoop, whose personal page was banned on Facebook over an anti-Biden group — has told RT that he flouted no rules and was swept up in a broader anti-conservative purge. | Facebook permanently disabled Strange's account together with that of The Scoop's other co-founder, Cameron Shizznit, for violating "community standards" earlier this week. | It came shortly after the Mark Zuckerberg-owned platform yanked the duo's group, called "Patriots Against Joe Biden." In a message justifying the deletion, Facebook said that any "pages that are ha…
(2021-01-27). Taliban leaders determined to fight US: Shamkhani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 27 (MNA) — In a tweet on Wed. after meeting with Taliban delegation in Tehran, Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said leaders of the group are determined to fight the United States.
(2021-01-27). Human Rights Campaign Launched to Prevent Facebook From Adding Word "Zionist" to Hate Speech Policy. commondreams.org "Treating 'Zionist' as a proxy for 'Jew' would undermine efforts to dismantle real antisemitism… and help the Israeli government avoid accountability for violations of Palestinian rights." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/facebook_campaign.jpg …
(2021-01-27). Thousands of Human Rights Activists, Scholars, and Cultural Figures Sign Open Letter Calling on Facebook to Allow Users to Hold Israeli Government Accountable. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-01-26). Evo Morales Praises Cuba and Venezuela's Fight Against COVID-19. telesurenglish.net On his Twitter account, Morales noted that "the Cuban Revolution will produce 100 (million) doses of its vaccine against COVID-19 and the Bolivarian Revolution of Venezuela produces Carvativir, which neutralizes the symptoms of the disease." | He added that neither of the revolutions seeks profits but rather to fight for human life against the pandemic. | RELATED: | In his tweet, the former Bolivian president referred to the Cuban Governmen…
(2021-01-26). Facebook escalates attack on socialist left. indybay.org Facebook is engaged in an escalating campaign of state-backed internet censorship targeting socialist organizations, including the International Youth and Students for Social Equality.
(2021-01-26). 'MBS, they killed my daughter': Outcry after missing woman found dead in Saudi desert. middleeasteye.net 
'MBS, they killed my daughter': Outcry after missing woman found dead in Saudi desert | Arrests made after two brothers allegedly killed their sister after she opened a public Snapchat account | Tue, 01/26/2021 – 12: 37 | Manal (centre) posted a childhood photo on social media of her deceased sister Qamar (left), and her brother Ahmed (right), who she accused of murder (Screenshot/Twitter) | The disap…
(2021-01-26). US court issues summons for MBZ over hacking of Al Jazeera anchor via Twitter. middleeasteye.net 
US court issues summons for MBZ over hacking of Al Jazeera anchor via Twitter | Al Jazeera presenter Ghada Oueiss says she hopes lawsuit will reveal UAE and Saudi Arabia are leading 'campaign of terror against journalists and activists' | Tue, 01/26/2021 – 18: 49 | The summonses were previously issued to MBZ through mail last month (AFP) | The crown prince of Abu Dhabi and top Saudi officials have…
(2021-01-26). Tulsi Gabbard rips Brennan, Schiff and Big Tech for attacks on civil liberties, calls them MORE DANGEROUS than Capitol rioters. rt.com Former Democrat presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard has urged party leaders to halt efforts by such people as ex-CIA director John Brennan to infringe civil liberties, calling them more dangerous than the US Capitol rioters. | "President Biden, I call upon you and all of Congress from both parties to denounce efforts by Brennan and others to take away our civil liberties endowed to us by our creator and guaranteed in our Constitution," Gabbard said Tuesday on Twitter. "If you don't stand up to them now, then our country will be in great peril." | The mob who stormed the capitol to try to stop Congress from ca…
(2021-01-26). The Pendulum of Internet Censorship Swings Leftward Again. strategic-culture.org 
By Caitlin JOHNSTONE | "We have just confirmed that Facebook has disabled the page of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality at the University of Michigan, as well as the accounts of all admins," World Socialist Website editor World Socialist Website also On Friday, Fa…
(2021-01-26). 'Jake can actually win this': MMA world reacts as Ben Askren signs up for boxing bout with YouTuber Jake Paul. rt.com 
After making light work of ex-NBA player Nate Robinson in his second pro boxing match, YouTuber Jake Paul will face former UFC fighter Ben Askren in his next trip to the ring, and social media thinks Askren could be in trouble.
(2021-01-26). Twitter PERMANENTLY bans Trump-supporting MyPillow CEO for 'repeated' violations of election interference policy. rt.com 
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has been kicked off Twitter for multiple violations of the platform's civic integrity policy. The outspoken Trump supporter has been vocal about his belief that the 2020 election results were fraudulent. | Twitter confirmed on Monday night that Lindell had been permanently suspended for running afoul of rules barring users from "manipulating or interfering in elections or other civic processes." | The founder of the Minnesota-based bedding manufacturer has faced blowback over his public statements following riots at the Capitol on January 6. Lindell claimed that the violence was spar…
(2021-01-26). BBC Caught Mixing Up Protests by Indian Farmers With Italian Gov't Deadlock. sputniknews.com The awkward blunder must have occurred unintentionally, apparently because of a TV operator's failure to duly replace the news spiegel, but it was quick to cause quite a few smiles.
(2021-01-26). Convict Donald Trump and the Bipartisan System That Put Him Into Power. counterpunch.org The world noticed when two billionaires, Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey, pushed a button and de-platformed Donald Trump from their social media empires. "After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the content around them," Twitter wrote, "we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence."
(2021-01-26). Simplified Regimen Expands Options for Dual-Therapy HIV Maintenance. jamanetwork.com As a preferred HIV drug based on its efficacy and high barrier to drug resistance, dolutegravir has been combined in treatment regimens with several other anti-HIV agents. Now investigators in Switzerland have reported in PLOS Medicine that dolutegravir taken with emtricitabine was noninferior to standard combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), and it improved patients' quality of life.
(2021-01-26). Facebook shuts down community, women's groups and activists' pages without cause. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On January 22, Facebook disabled the main pages of two major community organizations, Peoples Power Assembly and Women In Struggle/Mujeres En Lucha, as well as activists around the country who have played roles in either group, including Puerto Rican activist Berta Joubert-Ceci; Greg Butterfield, Struggle La Lucha writer; Cheryl La Bash, co-chair, National Network on Cuba; Maggie Vascassenno, Los Angeles Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice; and others. | It also banished Peoples Power Assembly page editor Charlene Lady J. Jenkins, a founder of "What's Up Baltimore," whose Baltimore grassroo…