Thursday, April 05, 2018

DW (Deutsche Welle):
"The EU has followed the UN and called for a probe into the deaths of 15 Palestinian protesters in Gaza. The EU's Federica Mogherini said a continuation of 'peace talks towards a two-state solution' is needed. ...

'The EU mourns the loss of life … The use of live ammunition should, in particular, be part of an independent and transparent investigation,' Mogherini said in a statement. 'While Israel has the right to protect its borders, the use of force must be proportionate at all times,' she continued. ...

The EU's call for an investigation echoed UN chief Antonio Guterres who also called for an 'independent and transparent investigation' on Saturday."

-->Most Western media covered this story, but led with the headlines like "Israel rejects UN and EU calls for inquiry into Gaza bloodshed." Always the emphasis on Israeli denial. The NYT, however, didn't cover this story at all. Isabel Kershner covers Gaza for our "newspaper of record," with typical headlines like, "Gaza shootings prevented a 'blood bath' say Israel military." Kershner is married to Hirsh Goodman who works for the National Security Studies, an Israeli public relations institute that promotes a positive image of Israel in international media. Conflict of interest anyone?
https://fair.org/extra/new-conflict-of-interest-at-nyt-jerusalem-bureau/

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Common Dreams:
"In its first analysis of how the GOP tax plan will affect Americans' personal income taxes alone, the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center (TPC) this week underscored what experts and most of the public already knew: that the Republican tax law will pour tens of thousands of extra dollars into pockets of the wealthy few while providing mere crumbs for the poor.

Specifically, according to TPC's new report, the top one percent of earners will receive an average annual tax cut of around $33,000 just from individual tax changes under the GOP law. The poorest Americans, by contrast, will see an average break of about $40 per year. ...

TPC's analysis of the Republican tax plan—which President Donald Trump signed into law last December—comes as profitable companies continue their stock buyback binge while most Americans report seeing very few if any changes in their paychecks."

-->The NYT did not report this triumph of the oligarchs over working people. The oligarchs know this news already, but don't enjoy seeing it in print. All the news that fits the oligarchy. 

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Mondoweiss:
"The simple truth about John Bolton’s appointment to national security adviser is that the Republicans need Sheldon Adelson’s money in order to be competitive in the coming midterms, and John Bolton is a tool of Sheldon Adelson.

The appointment of course is a complete reversal of Donald Trump’s declaration during the campaign that the Iraq war – which Bolton pushed and still thinks is a great idea – was the biggest mistake ever, and he was against it from jump.

But Adelson was Trump’s biggest donor during the 2016 campaign, and Trump needs Sheldon Adelson’s money to keep Congress from flipping and cutting his throat."

-->Oh, those simple truths, the connections between big money in politics and the strength of the Israel Lobby. The Israel Lobby buys and sells government officials as easily as the major corporate lobbies do. Maybe easier. No mention of this story in the favorite newspaper of the Israel Lobby, the NYT.