(2021-02-01). Emmy Butlin and Maxine Walker of the UK Committee to Defend Julian Assange oppose Facebook censorship of the Socialist Equality Party/IYSSE. wsws.org The WSWS has been sent letters from Emmy Butlin and Maxine Walker, of the Committee to Defend Julian Assange (JADC) in opposition to the censorship of the World Socialist Web Site and Socialist Equality Parties by Facebook.
(2021-01-31). 'He doesn't care': 10 Republicans praise Biden's call for 'unity', want to work 'in good faith' on new Covid-19 relief bill. rt.com 
Republican senators, including Mitt Romney and Susan Collins, sent a letter to Joe Biden on Sunday, requesting a meeting to discuss Covid-19 economic relief — but the attempt at bipartisanship is being eviscerated on social media. | The Republicans' specific plan will be unveiled on Monday, but they say it aligns with the president's "stated priorities" and could win "bipartisan support." | Biden's Covid-19 relief package is worth $1.9 trillion, a cost some critics have argued is too high. The plan also includes $1,400 stimulus checks for individuals. | Specifics for the Republican plan were not given in…
(2021-01-31). #BidenLied: Netizens Blame POTUS for Deception Over $2,000 Stimulus Checks. sputniknews.com Despite continued debate over the coronavirus relief package in the US, the only thing that the former Republican president, Donald Trump, and the incumbent Democrat, Joe Biden, appear to agree on was that the $600 one-time stimulus payments are not enough.
(2021-01-31). #BidenLied tops Twitter trends as president's loyalists try to hijack hashtag to switch conversation from disappointment to Trump. rt.com 
Joe Biden has been slammed from both left and right for not fulfilling at least one campaign promise, getting #BidenLied trending, triggering his supporters to try and hijack the hashtag to distract from the criticism. | After decades in politics, Biden being accused of lying to the public by critics is nothing new, but his first days as president have even some supporters questioning his honesty. | As numerous liberals called out Biden for his $1.9 trillion Covid-19 stimulus plan offering $1400 direct payments to Americans when he actually promised $2000 "immediately" after taking office (though he's attempte…
(2021-01-31). Nation's 'largest vaccination site' in LA briefly shut down amid protest against Covid-19 immunization campaign (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Access to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, called the nation's largest mass vaccination site, was halted for an hour after a small group of protesters showed up to decry the immunization drive. | The entrance to the stadium, which has been serving as a mass vaccination site since mid-January, was sealed at around 2pm local time after a sparse crowd of protesters staged a rally near the gate. | Footage on social media
(2021-01-31). Political Persecution? How US Dems Are Cracking Down on Trump & His Conservative Supporters. sputniknews.com Having taken control over the White House, the House of Representatives and even the Senate in the aftermath of the 2020 election, Democratic politicians appear to still be after private citizen Donald Trump and conservative social media users. A US lawyer known by his nom de plume Techno Fog on Twitter has shed light on Dems' apparent strategy.
(2021-01-31). India's Ruling Party Called Out for Sharing 'Doctored' Video on Benefits of New Farm Laws. sputniknews.com The "doctored" video shared by Sambit Patra, a spokesperson of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), gives the impression that an opposition leader backs Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new farm laws, which have triggered massive protests across the country. Twitter has flagged the video as a result.
(2021-01-30). Facebook CEO Zuckerberg says company will "depoliticize" its News Feed. wsws.org Facebook is working on plans to permanently reduce "the amount of political content in News Feed" as part of an ongoing effort to purge socialist and left-wing organizations from its platform.
(2021-01-30). 'Torturing the English language': Biden accused of twisting the truth with promise his Covid-19 stimulus plan 'finishes the job'. rt.com 
President Joe Biden is getting criticism from both the left and the right for claiming his American Rescue Plan will help Americans struggling during the pandemic by offering a $2,000 stimulus — an amount also pushed for by Trump. | "$600 is simply not enough when you have to choose between paying your rent and putting food on the table," Biden tweeted on Saturday, referring to the $600 stimulus payment passed in the final weeks of Trump's presidency. | Biden went on to claim his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which he has urged Congress to pass sooner rather than later, "finishes the job of getting…
(2021-01-30). Big Tech's Gravest Sin? Working With the Security State. strategic-culture.org Though they claim to champion privacy, companies like Google and Amazon are making a fortune contracting with the government. | By Ivan ELAND | The "de-platforming" of Donald Trump by Twitter, Facebook, and Google-owned YouTube—that is, Big Tech—recently garnered big headlines. Trump's change in status has raised cries among some conservatives of "censorship." Yet a more libertarian view holds that these are private companies that have a right to control their own content, just as private broadcast and print media do. The word "censorship" has been traditionally and more appropriately applied to go…
(2021-01-30). Rebels invite UN envoys to assess famine in Yemen. yenisafak.com Yemen's Houthi group on Saturday invited envoys of the UN Security Council members to visit the war-torn country to assess the exacerbating humanitarian situation."We call on representatives of the Security Council member-states to visit Yemen to see the catastrophic situation, which has been termed as the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe," Mohammed al-Houthi, a member of the group's Supreme Political Council, said on Twitter.He called on the Council members to "play their humanitarian role to address the famine and the blockade imposed on Yemen".The Houthis blame the Saudi-led coalition for the humanitaria…
(2021-01-30). 'About half' of virus cases in Lisbon due to UK variant. yenisafak.com Hospitals in Portugal's capital Lisbon continued overflowing with patients on Friday, with nearly half of the COVID-19 infections in the worst-hit region thought to be caused by the coronavirus variant first detected in the UK.The highly contagious variant is responsible for more than 32% of cases nationwide and almost 50% of all cases confirmed in Lisbon, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Twitter late Thursday.Citing the same figures, Health Minister Marta Temido said the data may not paint a full picture as it is coming from just one laboratory.Portugal has been under lockdown for two weeks and ha…
(2021-01-30). US stocks down 2% with new COVID-19 variant risks. yenisafak.com US stocks closed lower Friday to end the last trading day of January as new variants of the novel coronavirus increased perceived risks of investors for global economic recovery.The Dow Jones fell 620 points, or 2%, to 29,982, while the SP 500 declined 73, or 1.9%, to end at 3,714.The indexes posted their worst weekly plummet since October as they closed below their 50-day moving average for the first time since November.The Nasdaq fell 266 points, or 2%, to end at 13,070 with Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft sliding by 2% each. The tech-heavy index finished the week down 3.5% but was up 1.4% in January.The VIX v…
(2021-01-30). Pentagon halts plan to give Covid-19 vaccination to Gitmo detainees after wave of outrage from conservatives. rt.com 
Following a recent report that the Biden administration planned on vaccinating detainees at Guantanamo Bay before millions of Americans caused outrage, the Pentagon has announced the plan has been "paused." | "No Guantanamo detainees have been vaccinated," Defense Department Press Secretary John Kirby tweeted on Saturday. "We're pausing the plan to move forward, as we review force protection protocols. We remain committed to our obligations to keep our troops safe." | No Guantanamo detainees have been vaccinated. We're pausing the plan to move forward, as we review force protection protocols. We remain committ…
(2021-01-30). 'Loud & unmasked': Democratic rep moves office citing 'safety' concerns after accusing GOP upstart Taylor Greene of 'berating' her. rt.com 
Democratic Rep. Cori Bush said she was forced to move her office for her own safety after Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene allegedly "berated" her on Capitol Hill, a charge the GOP upstart has emphatically denied. | Bush (Missouri) said in a Friday Twitter post that Taylor Greene and her staff "berated" her "in a hallway" in the Capitol earlier this month, adding "I'm moving my office away from hers for my team's safety." | A maskless Marjorie Taylor Greene & her staff berated me in a hallway. She targeted me & others on social media. | I'm moving my office away from hers for my team's safety. | I've…
(2021-01-30). Billionaire & Mets owner Steve Cohen off Twitter after he helped GameStop-ravaged protege, branded Redditor investors 'jockeys'. rt.com 
Businessman Steve Cohen appears to have deleted his Twitter account amid uproar over the GameStop short squeeze debacle. The Mets owner's hedge fund drew suspicion after bailing out fellow financiers hit hard by small investors. | Steven Cohen's Point72 Asset Management helped his former protege, Gabriel Plotkin, after the latter's hedge fund Melvin Capital lost billions by betting against video game retailer GameStop. The rug was pulled from under Plotkin by a bunch of small dollar investors coming from a Reddit community called WallStreetBets. | This placed Cohen on the radar of people angry in the aftermath…
(2021-01-30). Hitting the ceiling: Logan Paul's flopped fight with Floyd Mayweather could demonstrate finite fan tolerance for boxing mismatches. rt.com 
Despite Logan Paul's protestations, rumors abound that his much-trumpeted mismatch with boxing great Floyd Mayweather has fallen foul of a lack of interest. Could that herald more quality control when novelty fights are scheduled? | Logan Paul came out swinging when reports widely suggested that his meeting with Floyd Mayweather had been scrapped at three weeks' notice because of low take-up from fans. | If you believe the YouTube maverick – and his contention that the fight has attracted ample interest and will go ahead at some unspecified point is clearly feasible, given his proven ability to shift tickets -…
(2021-01-30). Fan revolt: Marseille football supporters STORM training ground before French club's match with Stade Rennais (VIDEO). rt.com 
Disgruntled Marseille fans have stormed the club's training ground to protest at the club's directors, French outlet RMC reported on Saturday, with social media clips appearing to show pyrotechnics being let off at the scene. | Between 150 and 200 supporters tried to break into the club's training ground, the Robert Louis Dreyfus center, with RMC Sport's Twitter account showing fans forcing their way into the facility. | Other footage shared on social media also showed some of the group throwing flares and lighting firecrackers. | Training centre vandalised by Marseille fans who penetrated it earlier this afte…
(2021-01-30). 'You must do more': Chelsea captain pleads with social media giants for protection after English FA condemns yet more racist abuse. rt.com 
Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has urged Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to "do more" against trolls who have sent racist abuse to youngster Reece James, adding that he cannot fathom how bullies "have such hate in their heart". | The worsening crisis of online abuse against footballers took another grim turn on Saturday when Chelsea defender James revealed messages calling him a "monkey", "trash" and telling the England prospect he had "dirty black skin". | Shortly afterwards, West Midlands Police announced that they had arrested a 49-year-old man near Birmingham on suspicion of sending racial abuse to Roma…
(2021-01-30). 'It really blows': Female UFC star Pennington backed by Amanda Nunes's wife Nina Ansaroff after doping ban for 'thyroid treatment'. rt.com 
Two-weight UFC champion Amanda Nunes's wife, Nina Ansaroff, has offered support to Raquel Pennington after Nunes's former victim copped a six-month ban from bosses for confessing to taking two prohibited substances from a doctor. | In a lengthy social media explanation to her hundreds of thousands of followers earlier this week, American bantamweight Pennington claimed she did not realize that she should have checked with the UFC's testing program after being given "several medications" by her physician. | The 32-year-old emphasized there had been "nothing that forced me" to declare the potential breach to the…
(2021-01-30). 'I need it to make money': Golf babe Spiranac hits back at critics telling her to cover up and admits her 'job is on social media'. rt.com 
Social media sensation Paige Spiranac has admitted that being online "crushes her confidence" at times, replying to messages that have accused her of being a cynical show-off with her routinely racy selfies across her platforms. | Self-described "Insta golf girl" Spiranac told her audience on Instagram, where she has almost three million followers, to "raise your hand if social media gets you down sometimes." | The 27-year-old contends with a torrent of responses online, many of which are from admirers of her glamorous photos and videos in tight and scantily-clad outfits. | "It's hard seeing people being more…
(2021-01-30). Houthis hail Italy's block of arms sales to Saudi, UAE. yenisafak.com Yemen's Houthi rebels have welcomed an Italian decision to suspend the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)."Italy's announcement of halting arms sales to the countries that are engaged in an aggression on Yemen is a positive move," rebel spokesman Mohamed Abdel-Salam said on Twitter.He said the move would "contribute to protecting [Yemeni] civilians and support the peace process".On Friday, Italy's Foreign Ministry announced blocking exports of arms to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, following warnings by activists and lawmakers about the use of weapons in violation of human rights in Yemen…
(2021-01-30). Turkey 'neutralizes' three YPG/PKK terrorists in N.Syria. yenisafak.com Turkish security forces "neutralized" three YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, in a protected area near Turkey's southern border, the National Defense Ministry announced Saturday.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.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-terror operations in northern Syria to prevent…
(2021-01-30). Amnesty slams Houthi ban on Yemeni women. yenisafak.com Amnesty International has condemned a Houthi decision banning Yemeni women from working in restaurants, calling it "shameful and discriminatory".In a thread on its Twitter account, the human rights organization said it stands with all Yemeni women "in their fight for their rights"."Institutionalizing discrimination increases oppression on women and impedes the foundation for sustainable and gender-equitable recovery and reconstruction in Yemen," it said.Amnesty stressed that UN efforts to achieve a "peaceful reconciliation" in Yemen are impossible "without safeguarding and protecting women's rights".There was no…
(2021-01-30). Hedge Fund Boss, NY Mets Owner Steve Cohen Quits Twitter Amid GameStop Stock Chaos. sputniknews.com Amid the rollercoaster trading earlier in the week, Steve Cohen found himself locked in a Twitter debate with celebrity day trader Dave Portnoy, founder of the sports and pop culture blog Barstool Sports, over the restrictions on trading apps such as Robinhood that were hurting the novice investors behind the ballooning of GameStop's stock value.
(2021-01-30). 'Untreated Schizophrenia': Twitter Explodes Over Rep. Greene's 'Jewish Laser Beam' Conspiracy Theory. sputniknews.com Republican Congressman Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia's 14th congressional district, previously came under fire for espousing Qanon conspiracy theories, that the administration of former President Donald Trump was involved in fighting an elite group of Satan-worshippers and child abusers.
(2021-01-30). Osceola County, Florida sheriff's deputy brutally assaults high school student. wsws.org An eleven-second video posted to Twitter showing a sheriff's deputy picking up and slamming 16-year-old Taylor Bracey to the ground went viral this week, sparking widespread outrage.
(2021-01-29). Demilitarizing Our Democracy: How the National Security State Has Come to Dominate a "Civilian" Government. juancole.com 
By Mandy Smithberger and William Hartung | — ( Tomdispatch.com ) — 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, …
(2021-01-29). The Left Should Oppose Censorship by Big Tech Companies. zcomm.org We should champion free speech online — and argue that the best way to protect it is with a socialist program that brings privatized social media platforms into public control…
(2021-01-29). Islamic State 'deputy caliph' killed in Iraq, PM Kadhimi says. middleeasteye.net 
Islamic State 'deputy caliph' killed in Iraq, PM Kadhimi says | Intelligence-led operation that killed Abu Yaser al-Issawi comes a week after IS claimed deadliest Iraq attack in three years
| Fri, 01/29/2021 – 10: 15 | A photo circulating online purportedly shows Abu Yaser al-Issawi (Twitter) | Iraqi security forces have killed the country's top Islamic State (IS) commander, who had cl…
(2021-01-29). Fauci optimistic about more vaccines coming soon. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—The nation's top expert on the coronavirus, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is optimistic that more pharmaceutical companies will announce "within the next few days" that they, too, have vaccines to join the two whose anti-viral vaccines are already being injected into people's arms. "There's some light at the end of the tunnel" in the U.S.'s fight …
(2021-01-29). Facebook 'Supreme Court' Accepting Public Comment on Whether to Reinstate Trump Account. sputniknews.com The former US president, Donald Trump, was blocked on Facebook earlier this month after being accused of inciting an insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6. In a statement earlier this month, Facebook's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, stated that the risk of allowing Trump to continue to use the platform were "simply too great."
(2021-01-29). Marjorie Taylor Greene Has Long Used Racism, Anti-Semitism to Get Famous. truthout.org 
Just days before Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene faced a fresh round of calls to resign from Congress after CNN reported that her Facebook page had endorsed calls to execute top Democrats in 2018, the Republican from Georgia was starting her own social media buzz around articles of impeachment she filed against President Joe Biden. | Greene
(2021-01-29). 'If you don't have the police…things go a little crazy': Former SEC official compares GameStop buying frenzy to US Capitol riot. rt.com 
Eyebrows were raised on social media after former US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) official Laura Unger made a "revealing" comment comparing the frantic buying of GameStop and other stocks to the US Capitol riot. | Unger, who became a commissioner at the SEC in 1997 and was made acting chairman by George W. Bush for half of 2001, joined CNBC's 'Closing Bell' on Thursday to give her thoughts on trading app Robinhood halting and then limiting the buying of stocks in companies such as GameStop and AMC, which saw significant boosts to their values after a buying frenzy by individuals motivated by a subr…
(2021-01-29). Facebook BANS 'Robinhood stock traders group' with 150k+ members over 'sexual exploitation' amid GameStop craze — reports. rt.com 
A popular stock trading chat group has been booted off Facebook due to alleged violations of its "sexual exploitation" rules, claims the page's founder, who accused "major institutions" of trying to avenge the GameStop debacle. | The Robinhood Stock Traders group boasted more than 157,000 members before it was taken offline on Wednesday, its 23-year-old founder, Allen Tran,
(2021-01-29). 'An exciting opportunity': Robinhood mocked after posting listing for lobbyist in DC amid GameStop saga. rt.com 
Eagle-eyed social media users spotted that the controversy-embroiled trading app, Robinhood, has posted a job listing for a Federal Affairs Manager in Washington, DC, as members of Congress call for a hearing into its actions. | "This role will focus on federal advocacy and government affairs related to legislative and regulatory matters," reads the Day-to-day task…
(2021-01-29). Robinhood imposes ONE share buy limit on DOZENS OF STOCKS amid GameStop scrutiny. rt.com 
The market insanity that began with short-selling drama at GameStop has escalated beyond day-traders' wildest nightmares, as the once-popular brokerage app Robinhood is now effectively preventing users from buying some 50 stocks. | Robinhood users angrily took to Twitter to display screenshots indicating the app was blocking them from buying more than a single stock of some companies. The trading lockdown on Friday wasn't limited to GameStop ($GME) — users were posting similar shots of failed efforts to trade other stocks of companies that seemed to have a richer future than a brick-and-mortar video game…
(2021-01-29). YouTube personality Jimmy Dore promotes fascist Boogaloo Boy. wsws.org The effort by YouTube personality and former comedian Jimmy Dore to promote the fascist Boogaloo Boys is a significant political episode that reveals the ignorant and reactionary character of middle class "left" politics in America.
(2021-01-29). PKK suspect caught trying to illegally cross to Greece. yenisafak.com Turkey's northwestern border troops nabbed a terror suspect trying to flee to Greece, the National Defense Ministry said on Friday."A person trying to cross from our country to Greece illegally was caught by our border units in Ipsala district of Edirne," the ministry said on Twitter."The person, who was previously tried for aiding and abetting the PKK terrorist organization, was handed over to the Ipsala District Gendarme Station," it added.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU — has been responsible for the…
(2021-01-29). A Threshold for Bahrain: From a 'retweet island' to 'spoiler' of Saudi-led Gulf reconciliation? yenisafak.com The six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) signed a 'solidarity and stability' agreement on January 5, 2021, at the 41st GCC summit meeting to end a three-and-a-half-years blockade on Qatar. This is an important watershed for the inter-Gulf relations as it ended the Gulf Crisis. This crisis was the manifestation of the huge division between Qatar and the other members of the GCC on their regional vision and decision-making on alignment. After a three-and-a-half-year crack in the Gulf unity, with the dialogue initiatives of Saudi Arabia, the crisis came to an end with the Al Ula declaration and the bloc…
(2021-01-29). Another officer caught using lockdown rules to abuse police power. thecanary.co On Wednesday 27 January, a Twitter user shared a Caught o…
(2021-01-29). Video: Citron Research Says it Will Stop Publishing Short-Seller Reports Amid GameStop Squeeze. sputniknews.com Wall Street short-sellers have lost billions of dollars in recent days after a viral online movement of amateur online traders started buying shares and stock options in the company, prompting GameStop's market value to increase from $2 billion to $24 billion in just a matter of days.
(2021-01-29). Chinese Troops Don't Mass at Maine Border! counterpunch.org According to Military Times, a QAnon-backed Twitter handle reported that thousands of Chinese troops had massed on the Maine border. Though the article didn't specify, I presumed they meant the Maine-Canada border, not the Maine-New Hampshire border, and living only 122 miles from the Maine-Canada border, I thought I had better go check it out
(2021-01-29). GameStop, Reddit, and what we all should know about the stock market. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – The past few days have seen GameStop and Reddit become the meme-of-the-week and take significant headlines. Some media outlets are saying the recent turn of events "isn't funny; it's stupid" while celebrity billionaires like Elon Musk crack jokes on Twitter. Redditors are claiming that they are crashing Wall Street, and yet the market is bullish as ever. What should we be taking from all of this? In short, we must seize this moment to educate about how the stock market works, who it works for, and how we can institute true changes that benefit everyday people. | To understand what has happened, it i…
(2021-01-29). Quick Thoughts on the "Evils" of Share Buybacks. cepr.net This is a Twitter thread from a couple of months back. I thought I would post it here since there may be some interest. Someone sent me a diatribe from some progressive about the evil of share buybacks. I have a few thoughts. First the claims: they allow companies to inflate share prices, top management …
(2021-01-29). How Trump Exacerbated Corporate Censorship. realprogressives.org When Donald Trump was kicked off Twitter following the determination that his speech had fomented violence, a heated debate began: Was this something that should have been done earlier, or is it a horrifying display of "Big Tech's" power showing they can shut down political speech they don't like? | On one hand, Donald Trump's Twitter feed was perhaps the most notorious and destructive misinformation campaign in American history — and one that arguably did incite violent behavior. In the days following the Capitol being stormed by a misled mob, we were all justifiably worried Trump was attempting a real c…
(2021-01-29). How the National Security State Has Come to Dominate a "Civilian" Government. counterpunch.org 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 $740,000,000,000 annually on 'defense' but fascists dressed for the
(2021-01-29). What Does Free Speech Mean Online? aclu.org Nearly three weeks ago, former President Donald Trump was banned from nearly every social media platform because of his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Just before Congress was set to certify Joe Biden as the next president of the United States, Trump instructed his supporters to, "fight much harder" against "bad people" and "show strength" at the Capitol. | The social media bans on Trump and his supporters ignited a debate about whether these social media companies have too much power over the speech of their users. Should they have banned Trump sooner? Are these bans legal? What kind of precedent does…
(2021-01-28). As pandemic continues in China, lack of resources provokes social media protests. wsws.org The government's COVID-19 prevention and control system is facing tremendous pressure and fuelling popular discontent.
(2021-01-28). Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Ted Cruz: 'You Almost Had Me Murdered… You Can Resign'. commondreams.org The Squad member once again implored Cruz to quit after he tweeted agreement with her call for a probe of the GameStop stock trading controversy. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/aoc_13.jpg …
