Monthly Archives: August 2019

2019-08-24: News Headlines

RT (2019-08-24). Huawei, evil Chinese & decapitated cat: Bannon serving warmed-over propaganda to Trump & Americans. rt.com Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon has faced the "China threat" head-on with a lukewarm propaganda film dramatizing the Huawei case in Canada, hoping to galvanize the American people (and president) for a second Cold War. | Claws of the Red Dragon — "inspired by real life events" — tells the tale of a stand-in for Huawei's Meng Wanzhou, her arrest in Vancouver on US orders, the retaliatory arrest of two Canadians for definitely not spying in China, and the Huawei-standin's totally real collusion with an especially evil Chinese government. Characters include a plucky Chinese-Canadian journalist hot…

Staff (2019-08-23). Putin Orders Russia to Respond After U.S. Missile Test. truthdig.com MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military on Friday to work out a quid pro quo response after the test of a new U.S. missile banned under a now-defunct arms treaty. | In Sunday's test, a modified ground-launched version of a U.S. Navy Tomahawk cruise missile accurately struck its target more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) away. The test came after Moscow and Washington withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. | Speaking at a meeting of his Security Council, Putin charged that the U.S. waged a "propaganda campaign" alleging Russian breaches of the pact to "

RT (2019-08-23). Free speech v free enterprise? Lawsuit over big tech censorship strikes at core of American values. rt.com A looming court battle over social media censorship challenges America's dual devotion to free speech and free enterprise, an analyst told RT, arguing that popular platforms like Facebook have essentially become public utilities. | The DC Court of Appeals has agreed to hear the merits of a lawsuit brought against Apple, Facebook, Google, and Twitter by conservative commentator Laura Loomer, who accused the big tech giants of conspiring to silence her political views. Loomer has been banned from several major internet platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Medium, and PayPal. | The case has sparked…

Andrew Levine (2019-08-23). Recession Now, Please. counterpunch.org It is a basic fact of economic life in capitalist economies: recessions happen, there are cycles of boom and bust. By the 1850s, Karl Marx had pretty well figured out the how and why, the underlying mechanisms. His account has held up well over the years, though you would hardly know it to hear mainstream macro-economists tell it. More

L. Michael Hager (2019-08-23). What Netanyahu's Travel Ban Has Revealed. counterpunch.org Until a few weeks ago America's unqualified support for Israel was solidly bipartisan. Aided by media bias and reporter reluctance to address on-the-ground realities, AIPAC and its affiliates had the public relations space virtually to themselves. Reinforced by mainstream media, the "Exodus" narrative captured and retained popular sympathy, while U.S. policymakers began to regard Israel More

RT (2019-08-23). 'Who is our bigger enemy?': Trump lashes out, compares Fed chairman Powell to Chinese President Xi. rt.com President Donald Trump has lashed out at the Federal Reserve chairman, after Jay Powell refused to cut interest rates to Trump's liking, a move that would have given the president ammunition to escalate his trade war with China. | "As usual, the Fed did NOTHING!" Trump tweeted on Friday, after Powell announced that he would "sustain the expansion" of the US economy, but not by slashing interest rates by a whole percentage point, as Trump has repeatedly called for. Instead, Powell is likely to lower rates by around a quarter of a percentage point, from their current level of 2.25 percent. | Also on rt.com

Mark Fiore (2019-08-23). The Chosen One's Economy. progressive.org "Elitist numbers. Fake news. Upside-down arrows. Don't believe the signs of weakness!"

Andre Vltchek (2019-08-23). Suddenly West is Failing to Overthrow "Regimes" dissidentvoice.org It used to be done regularly and it worked: The West identified a country as its enemy, unleashed its professional propaganda against it, then administered a series of sanctions, starving and murdering children, the elderly and other vulnerable groups. If the country did not collapse within months or just couple of years, the bombing would …

Rick Sterling (2019-08-23). NPR Mocks Cancer Survivor in Drumbeat of Syria Propaganda. mintpressnews.com While NPR snorts about Asma Assad "sporting a chic blonde pixie cut", Lilly Martin points out that she was recently bald while fighting for her life.

Staff (2019-08-22). Trump Tweets About Disloyal Jews, Then Tweets He's "King of Israel" therealnews.com Haggai Matar, editor of #972 Magazine discusses Netanyahu's Trump-inspired Omar and Tlaib ban, Trump's bizarre retweets, and its effect on Jews and the U.S. election…

Eric Alterman (2019-08-22). Dear Democrats, the Mainstream Media Are Not Your Friends. thenation.com Dear Democrats, the Mainstream Media Are Not Your Friends…

Alan MacLeod (2019-08-21). 'Pragmatic': How Corporate Media Praise Dems Who Abandon Progressive Values. fair.org Pragmatic (adjective): solving problems in a sensible way that suits the conditions that really exist now, rather than obeying fixed theories, ideas or rules. | — The battle for the Democratic presidential nomination is dominating the news cycle, and two of the three clear frontrunners in polls, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, d…

Ron Forthofer (2019-08-21). Sick of being a Guinea Pig. dissidentvoice.org Some corporations and governments have used the US public as guinea pigs in uncontrolled experiments conducted without the public's approval. They were often gambling with our well being when they introduced new products or conducted risky tests. In contrast, there were usually few risks for the CEOs or government officials in charge of these unacknowledged …

Mohamed Elmaazi (2019-08-20). Twitter's new policy on 'state-controlled news media' should concern us all. thecanary.co Twitter has announced an update to its advertisement policy which may reflect yet another assault on free speech by social media giants. On 19 August, Twitter declared that: Going forward, we will not accept advertising from state-controlled news media entities. | While this may not see…

Rick Sterling (2019-08-20). NPR Mocks Cancer Survivor in Drumbeat of Syria Propaganda. dissidentvoice.org Asma al-Assad, First Lady of Syria (from released Syrian Presidency Facebook page) It may be a new low in propaganda. National Public Radio (NPR) used the news that Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad had overcome breast cancer to mock her and continue the information war against Syria. They interviewed a Human Rights Watch staffer named …

Ed Sykes (2019-08-20). Jo Swinson probably wishes she hadn't posted that latest lie about Jeremy Corbyn. thecanary.co On 20 August, Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson lied about Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn ( again). But people were quick to call her out. And now, she probably wishes she hadn't bothered. | "Fake news": | Swinson tweeted: | Jeremy Corbyn didn't fight to remain in 2016, and he won't fight for remain now. He wants to deliver a Labour Brexit, becau…

Staff (2019-08-19). Why Corporate Media Doesn't Talk Honestly About Racism. therealnews.com Media conversations about racism are rarely accurate, let alone honest, facilitating the status quo and hindering systemic change. A discussion between Dylan Rodriguez, Eddie Conway, and Jaqueline Luqman…

Ryan Gallagher (2019-08-19). Twitter Helped Chinese Government Promote Disinformation on Repression of Uighurs. theintercept.com Twitter helped to promote Chinese government propaganda and disinformation about the country's controversial internment camps in the Xinjiang region, a review of the company's advertising records reveals. | The social media company today announced a policy change that would bar such promotion following an inquiry from The Intercept and an earlier controversy over similar propaganda related to demonstrations in Hong Kong. | In Xinjiang, a western province in China, the United Nations has estimated that 1 milli…

Staff (2019-08-18). How The Mainstream Media Fuels America's Income Inequality Machine. therealnews.com From medicare for all to neoliberal tax subsidies for major corporations the mainstream media often bolsters the notion that a more fair and equitable society is not possible…

unitedEditor (2019-08-17). How do the Western powers use social networks for their own political goals? uwidata.com A recent story by the Washington Post revealed that Facebook's algorithms had censored the United States' Declaration of Independence, flagging it for alleged "hate speech".

Fight Back (2019-08-17). The Hong Kong protests are an attack on socialism. fightbacknews.org There's a tendency among progressives in the United States to support big crowds of people protesting in other countries. No doubt, the corporate media assists in this process by labelling certain movements 'pro-democracy' or 'freedom fighters.' | But not all protests or marches are progressive, even if they attract large crowds. The Tea Party movement in the U.S., for instance, brought out hundreds of thousands of angry small business owners and shrill middle-class professionals. They were far from spontaneous demonstrations, however; big business orchestrated this giant spectacle to advance its own class intere…

Staff (2019-08-16). What Is Israel Trying to Hide? Reps. Tlaib & Omar Blocked from Taking Official Trip to West Bank. democracynow.org Israel sparked outrage Thursday when it banned two freshman Democratic congresswomen of color — Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota — from entering the country. Following outcry from Democratic leaders and Palestinians, Israel granted permission for Tlaib to enter the country on "humanitarian" grounds to visit her family in the West Bank — though Tlaib said Friday she will not visit her family under such conditions. Israel originally denied entrance to Tlaib and Omar after President Donald Trump tweeted, "It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep.Tl…

Paul Wilcox (2019-08-08). Informe de empleo del gobierno de EE. UU .: la realidad detrás de la falsificación. liberationnews.org Detrás de la propaganda, la realidad es muy diferente. Cada vez más personas que trabajan están desempleadas, subempleadas y / o no ganan lo suficiente para satisfacer las necesidades más básicas.

Ali A. Taj (2019-08-08). Obama, Biden, Mattis and Clapper Expressed Skepticism on Syria, so Why Is Gabbard Singled Out? mintpressnews.com Why must Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard be smeared and attacked for questioning the mainstream narrative on Syria when even Barack Obama has done the same?

Michael Edison Hayden (2019-08-06). U.S. State Department Official Involved in White Nationalist Movement, Hatewatch Determines. splcenter.org A U.S. State Department official oversaw the Washington, D.C.-area chapter of a white nationalist organization, hosted white nationalists at his home and published white nationalist propaganda online, Hatewatch has determined.

Ricardo Vaz (2019-07-18). Venezuela: Trump Diverts Central America Aid to Guaido as EU Threatens More Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com Guaido's team is receiving over $40 million to fund salaries, travel, training, propaganda and technical assistance.

2019-08-24: Social Media Postees

Huawei, evil Chinese & decapitated cat: Bannon serving warmed-over propaganda to Trump & Americans
rt.com | 2019-08-24
Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon has faced the "China threat" head-on with a lukewarm propaganda film dramatizing the Huawei case in Canada, hoping to galvanize the American people (and president) for a second Cold War. | Claws of the Red Dragon — "inspired by real life events" — tells the tale of a stand-in for Huawei's Meng Wanzhou, her arrest in Vancouver on US orders, the retaliatory arrest of two Canadians for definitely not spying in China, and the Huawei-standin's totally real collusion with an especially evil Chinese government. Characters include a plucky Chinese-Canadian journalist hot…
rt.com/usa/467176-bannon-huawei-china-pr…

The Chosen One's Economy
Mark Fiore | progressive.org | 2019-08-23
"Elitist numbers. Fake news. Upside-down arrows. Don't believe the signs of weakness!"
progressive.org/dispatches/the-chosen-on…

Putin Orders Russia to Respond After U.S. Missile Test
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-23
MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military on Friday to work out a quid pro quo response after the test of a new U.S. missile banned under a now-defunct arms treaty. | In Sunday's test, a modified ground-launched version of a U.S. Navy Tomahawk cruise missile accurately struck its target more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) away. The test came after Moscow and Washington withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. | Speaking at a meeting of his Security Council, Putin charged that the U.S. waged a "propaganda campaign" alleging Russian breaches of the pact to "
truthdig.com/articles/putin-orders-russi…

NPR Mocks Cancer Survivor in Drumbeat of Syria Propaganda
Rick Sterling | mintpressnews.com | 2019-08-23
While NPR snorts about Asma Assad "sporting a chic blonde pixie cut", Lilly Martin points out that she was recently bald while fighting for her life.
mintpressnews.com/npr-mocks-cancer-survi…

Suddenly West is Failing to Overthrow "Regimes"
Andre Vltchek | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-23
It used to be done regularly and it worked: The West identified a country as its enemy, unleashed its professional propaganda against it, then administered a series of sanctions, starving and murdering children, the elderly and other vulnerable groups. If the country did not collapse within months or just couple of years, the bombing would …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/suddenly-west…

Free speech v free enterprise? Lawsuit over big tech censorship strikes at core of American values
rt.com | 2019-08-23
A looming court battle over social media censorship challenges America's dual devotion to free speech and free enterprise, an analyst told RT, arguing that popular platforms like Facebook have essentially become public utilities. | The DC Court of Appeals has agreed to hear the merits of a lawsuit brought against Apple, Facebook, Google, and Twitter by conservative commentator Laura Loomer, who accused the big tech giants of conspiring to silence her political views. Loomer has been banned from several major internet platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Medium, and PayPal. | The case has sparked…
rt.com/usa/467120-loomer-big-tech-lawsui…

Recession Now, Please
Andrew Levine | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-23
It is a basic fact of economic life in capitalist economies: recessions happen, there are cycles of boom and bust. By the 1850s, Karl Marx had pretty well figured out the how and why, the underlying mechanisms. His account has held up well over the years, though you would hardly know it to hear mainstream macro-economists tell it.
counterpunch.org/2019/08/23/recession-no…

What Netanyahu's Travel Ban Has Revealed
L. Michael Hager | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-23
Until a few weeks ago America's unqualified support for Israel was solidly bipartisan. Aided by media bias and reporter reluctance to address on-the-ground realities, AIPAC and its affiliates had the public relations space virtually to themselves. Reinforced by mainstream media, the "Exodus" narrative captured and retained popular sympathy, while U.S. policymakers began to regard Israel…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/23/what-netanya…

'Who is our bigger enemy?': Trump lashes out, compares Fed chairman Powell to Chinese President Xi
rt.com | 2019-08-23
President Donald Trump has lashed out at the Federal Reserve chairman, after Jay Powell refused to cut interest rates to Trump's liking, a move that would have given the president ammunition to escalate his trade war with China. | "As usual, the Fed did NOTHING!" Trump tweeted on Friday, after Powell announced that he would "sustain the expansion" of the US economy, but not by slashing interest rates by a whole percentage point, as Trump has repeatedly called for. Instead, Powell is likely to lower rates by around a quarter of a percentage point, from their current level of 2.25 percent. | Also on rt.com
rt.com/usa/467156-trump-powell-fed-china…

Trump Tweets About Disloyal Jews, Then Tweets He's "King of Israel"
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-22
Haggai Matar, editor of #972 Magazine discusses Netanyahu's Trump-inspired Omar and Tlaib ban, Trump's bizarre retweets, and its effect on Jews and the U.S. election…
therealnews.com/stories/trump-tweets-abo…

Dear Democrats, the Mainstream Media Are Not Your Friends
Eric Alterman | thenation.com | 2019-08-22
Dear Democrats, the Mainstream Media Are Not Your Friends…
thenation.com/article/democrats-media-de…

'Pragmatic': How Corporate Media Praise Dems Who Abandon Progressive Values
Alan MacLeod | fair.org | 2019-08-21
Pragmatic (adjective): solving problems in a sensible way that suits the conditions that really exist now, rather than obeying fixed theories, ideas or rules. | — The battle for the Democratic presidential nomination is dominating the news cycle, and two of the three clear frontrunners in polls, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, d…
fair.org/home/pragmatic-how-corporate-me…

Sick of being a Guinea Pig
Ron Forthofer | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-21
Some corporations and governments have used the US public as guinea pigs in uncontrolled experiments conducted without the public's approval. They were often gambling with our well being when they introduced new products or conducted risky tests. In contrast, there were usually few risks for the CEOs or government officials in charge of these unacknowledged …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/sick-of-being…

Twitter's new policy on 'state-controlled news media' should concern us all
Mohamed Elmaazi | thecanary.co | 2019-08-20
Twitter has announced an update to its advertisement policy which may reflect yet another assault on free speech by social media giants. On 19 August, Twitter declared that: Going forward, we will not accept advertising from state-controlled news media entities. | While this may not see…
thecanary.co/opinion/2019/08/20/twitters-new-policy-on-state-controlled-news-media-should-concern-us-all/

Jo Swinson probably wishes she hadn't posted that latest lie about Jeremy Corbyn
Ed Sykes | thecanary.co | 2019-08-20
On 20 August, Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson lied about Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn ( again). But people were quick to call her out. And now, she probably wishes she hadn't bothered. | "Fake news": | Swinson tweeted: | Jeremy Corbyn didn't fight to remain in 2016, and he won't fight for remain now. He wants to deliver a Labour Brexit, becau…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/08/20/jo-swinson-probably-wishes-she-hadnt-posted-that-latest-lie-about-jeremy-corbyn/

NPR Mocks Cancer Survivor in Drumbeat of Syria Propaganda
Rick Sterling | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-20
Asma al-Assad, First Lady of Syria (from released Syrian Presidency Facebook page) It may be a new low in propaganda. National Public Radio (NPR) used the news that Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad had overcome breast cancer to mock her and continue the information war against Syria. They interviewed a Human Rights Watch staffer named …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/npr-mocks-can…

Twitter Helped Chinese Government Promote Disinformation on Repression of Uighurs
Ryan Gallagher | theintercept.com | 2019-08-19
Twitter helped to promote Chinese government propaganda and disinformation about the country's controversial internment camps in the Xinjiang region, a review of the company's advertising records reveals. | The social media company today announced a policy change that would bar such promotion following an inquiry from The Intercept and an earlier controversy over similar propaganda related to demonstrations in Hong Kong. | In Xinjiang, a western province in China, the United Nations has estimated that 1 milli…
theintercept.com/2019/08/19/twitter-ads-…

Why Corporate Media Doesn't Talk Honestly About Racism
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-19
Media conversations about racism are rarely accurate, let alone honest, facilitating the status quo and hindering systemic change. A discussion between Dylan Rodriguez, Eddie Conway, and Jaqueline Luqman…
therealnews.com/stories/why-corporate-me…

How The Mainstream Media Fuels America's Income Inequality Machine
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-18
From medicare for all to neoliberal tax subsidies for major corporations the mainstream media often bolsters the notion that a more fair and equitable society is not possible…
therealnews.com/stories/how-the-mainstre…

The Hong Kong protests are an attack on socialism
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-08-17
There's a tendency among progressives in the United States to support big crowds of people protesting in other countries. No doubt, the corporate media assists in this process by labelling certain movements 'pro-democracy' or 'freedom fighters.' | But not all protests or marches are progressive, even if they attract large crowds. The Tea Party movement in the U.S., for instance, brought out hundreds of thousands of angry small business owners and shrill middle-class professionals. They were far from spontaneous demonstrations, however; big business orchestrated this giant spectacle to advance its own class intere…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/17/hong-kon…

How do the Western powers use social networks for their own political goals?
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-08-17
A recent story by the Washington Post revealed that Facebook's algorithms had censored the United States' Declaration of Independence, flagging it for alleged "hate speech".
uwidata.com/4912-how-do-the-western-powe…

What Is Israel Trying to Hide? Reps. Tlaib & Omar Blocked from Taking Official Trip to West Bank
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-16
Israel sparked outrage Thursday when it banned two freshman Democratic congresswomen of color — Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota — from entering the country. Following outcry from Democratic leaders and Palestinians, Israel granted permission for Tlaib to enter the country on "humanitarian" grounds to visit her family in the West Bank — though Tlaib said Friday she will not visit her family under such conditions. Israel originally denied entrance to Tlaib and Omar after President Donald Trump tweeted, "It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep.Tl…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/16/ilhan_oma…

Obama, Biden, Mattis and Clapper Expressed Skepticism on Syria, so Why Is Gabbard Singled Out?
Ali A. Taj | mintpressnews.com | 2019-08-08
Why must Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard be smeared and attacked for questioning the mainstream narrative on Syria when even Barack Obama has done the same?
mintpressnews.com/skepticism-syria-why-t…

Informe de empleo del gobierno de EE. UU .: la realidad detrás de la falsificación
Paul Wilcox | liberationnews.org | 2019-08-08
Detrás de la propaganda, la realidad es muy diferente. Cada vez más personas que trabajan están desempleadas, subempleadas y / o no ganan lo suficiente para satisfacer las necesidades más básicas.
liberationnews.org/informe-de-empleo-del…

U.S. State Department Official Involved in White Nationalist Movement, Hatewatch Determines
Michael Edison Hayden | splcenter.org | 2019-08-06
A U.S. State Department official oversaw the Washington, D.C.-area chapter of a white nationalist organization, hosted white nationalists at his home and published white nationalist propaganda online, Hatewatch has determined.
splcenter.org/gebert