(2020-01-02). Salvini trolls Pope Francis over New Year's hand-smack controversy (VIDEO). rt.com 
The head of the Italian League party, Matteo Salvini, has playfully mocked the Pope's viral New Year's handshake faux pas with a tongue-in-cheek recreation, spreading mirth online to wrap up the festive season. | Pope Francis would clearly have rathered a different end to 2019 but was instead embroiled in a controversy, albeit minor, on December 31, when he appeared to slap away a rather overly enthusiastic fan, something for which he later apologized. | t.co/V6taO9Jc9v pic.twitter.com/Iw7KrEdyuz— RT (@RT_com) (2020-01-02). British army battles for the hearts of snowflakes and bloggers to fill jobs gap in 2020. rt.com 
Instagram addicts, viewers of Love Island, selfie lovers and gym bunnies are often millennial fashionistas addicted to social media and reality TV — but are they ready for a tough life in the line of duty? | In a subversive twist on normality, the British Army is making use of this modern social mindset for a new recruitment campaign to get such stereotypes "to join its ranks." The campaign is being rolled out this week on Twitter, Facebook and mainstream media. | In one of the ads aimed at young women, the image shows a jigsaw of toned physiques and implies that make-up, fake tan and lip fillers only pr…
(2020-01-02). Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg Are Not to Be Trusted. truthdig.com In a recent New Yorker profile of Pete Buttigieg, one sentence stands out: "Watch Buttigieg long enough and you notice that he uses abstraction as an escape hatch." Evasive platitudes are also routine for Joe Biden, the other major Democratic presidential candidate running in what mainstream journalists call "the center lane." | Jim Hightower has observed that "there's nothing in the middle of the road except yellow lines and dead armadillos." Or, we might say, party lines and deadening politics. | Like other so-called "moderate" politicians, Buttigieg and Biden dodge key questions by plunging into foggy rhetoric…
(2020-01-02). Censored News Honors Heroes in Resistance 2019. indybay.org Censored News honors our heroes, writers, photographers and translators, as we celebrate their wisdom, courage and fearlessness in the struggle for human rights and justice in the protection of the air, land, water and all living beings.
(2020-01-02). A Growing Movement Shows There Is an Alternative to Capitalism. truthout.org The profit-driven economy is being tested by new visions of wealth-building models outside of mainstream capitalism. These cooperative structures form part of a new system that envisions a service to the public good instead of the shareholders' balance sheets. As global demands for economic justice grow, can this new economy reshape the way we think about ownership and pension strategies? What are the setbacks in implementing these programs, and who is doing the work on the ground? Helping to unpack these…
(2020-01-01). Booked Up: the 20 Best Books of 2019. counterpunch.org 
Best Nonfiction Prisoners of Politics: Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration Rachel Elise Barkow (Belknap Press) Dirty Jokes and Bawdy Songs: the Uncensored Life of Gershon Legman Susan Davis (University of Illinois) Our History is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance Nick Estes (Verso) Music: a More
(2019-12-31). The Coup in Bolivia: Lessons for our Movement. dissidentvoice.org The US engineered another coup, this time Bolivia, and again our movement could not effectively counter pro-coup propaganda the US was selling to the public, let alone taking any action to stop it. There is an imperative need for much greater long-term cooperative work to combat US interventions. Needed is a qualitatively higher level of …
(2019-12-31). Union busting? It's a crime! — a WW editorial. workers.org 
The corporate media constantly tell us that the United States is a great democracy because of its "free elections." Never mind that Donald Trump became president with fewer votes than his main opponent. Never mind that the U.S. Senate has long been described as a "millionaires' club." And never mind . . . | Continue reading Union busting? It's a crime! — a WW editorial at Workers.org
(2019-12-28). 'It's about Trump, not me!' Biden explains his plan to ditch Senate's subpoena in impeachment trial. rt.com 
Democratic presidential race front-runner Joe Biden said that he would snub a subpoena by the Republican-controlled Senate to testify in the impeachment trial because it would allegedly draw attention away from Donald Trump. | On Friday, Biden said he would defy an order of the US Senate to testify as a witness during the impeachment process that was started after Democrats had accused the US President of pressuring his Ukrainian counterpart to start probe into the activities of Hunter Biden who got at a cushy job at a local oil company while his father served as vice president for Barack Obama. | Also on rt.c…
(2019-12-27). The Top 5 Mainstream Media Myths That Perpetuate Income Inequality. therealnews.com 
The Real News takes aim at the top 5 mainstream myths that bolster income inequality and tout the ultra-rich.
(2019-12-22). There's No Place Like the 'Center' for the Holidays. fair.org 
The Washington Post ( 11/25/19) presents the holiday dinner table as " a minefield — just waiting to be detonated by political opinions." | As the holidays approach, corporate media issue a spirited message to readers: Pipe down about politics. Major outlets repeatedly warn that family gatherings are potential hotbeds of political contention, and readers must be strategic with discordant relatives in order to prevent heated debate. | In November, the Wa…
(2019-12-21). Corporate Media Find All the Wrong Lessons for US Left in Corbyn's Defeat. fair.org 
Conservative leader Boris Johnson swept to power in the UK's December 12 elections, winning 365 of a possible 650 seats. Labour's socialist leader Jeremy Corbyn announced his resignation, after a bitterly disappointing night for his party. | Across the spectrum, corporate media all came to the same conclusion regarding the election: Corbyn's loss spells the end for the US left and a "crushing defeat" (New York, 12/13/19) of the discredited policie…
(2019-12-19). Australia's most populous state declares wildfire emergency. thecanary.co 
Australia's most populous state, New South Wales (NSW) has declared a seven-day state of emergency as oppressive conditions fanned around 100 wildfires.Around 2,000 firefighters were battling the blazes, half of which remain uncontrolled, with the support of US and Canadian backup teams and personnel from the Australian Defence Force.The last state of emergency ran for seven days in mid-November amid "catastrophic" fire risk and was the first implemented in NSW since 2013.Central Sydney reached a maximum of 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) on 19 December while outer suburbs scorched at 42 Celsius (108 F). | A…
(2019-12-17). 'Progressive' and unaffordable San Francisco hates on homeless people. liberationnews.org 
On Dec. 7, San Francisco police shot a homeless man in the ever-gentrifying Mission District. Despite eyewitness accounts contesting SFPD's version of the incident, local corporate media immediately published such headlines as "SF police shoot burglary suspect."
(2019-12-05). CNN Says US Has "Fresh Intelligence" Of Iran Prepping Attack But Can't Show It & More NYT Propaganda. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/4/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
(2019-12-02). The War on Truth: How Israel's Social Media Trolls Conquered Facebook. zcomm.org Israel may have found a way to circumvent the influence of Facebook on the discussions pertaining to Palestinian rights and the Israeli occupation…
(2019-12-02). What George Carlin Taught Us about Media Propaganda by Omission. zcomm.org Corporate TV news outlets serve up a series of partial scores. Call it "propaganda by omission"
(2019-10-24). Julian Assange's Extradition Case is a Show Trial. zcomm.org Interview on the lack of mainstream media coverage of Julian's persecution, his health and conditions in Belmarsh prison, CIA spying on Julian Assange and more…