Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Common Dreams:
"A group of nearly a dozen Senate Democrats is teaming up with President Donald Trump and the GOP in an aggressive push to gut Wall Street regulations, and thanks to a new campaign launched on Friday by the anti-corruption organization Rootstrikers, this group has a name: 'The Bailout Caucus.'

In total, 11 Democratic senators and Angus King (I-Maine) are joining hands with Republicans to push through GOP-crafted legislation (S.2155) that progressive Democrats and Wall Street critics say will undermine crucial post-financial crisis regulations, roll back consumer protections, and open the door to another crash.

'This bill increases the risk of another taxpayer bailout, and I will continue to challenge supporters of this bill—from both parties—to explain why they stand on the side of big banks instead of working families.' —Sen. Elizabeth Warren"

-->No question which side The NYT stands on. This story wasn't covered.

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Common Dreams:
"Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) town hall on Medicare for All drew more than one million online viewers in addition to the hundreds of attendees who packed an auditorium at the U.S. Capitol to capacity.

Speaking with multiple panels featuring single-payer healthcare advocates and experts—including Dr. Don Berwick, who oversaw Medicare and Medicaid under President Barack Obama—Sanders moderated a nearly two-hour discussion about the failures of the current U.S. healthcare system and how its costs and outcomes compare to those in countries with universal healthcare. ...

In his closing remarks, Sanders noted that a town hall broadcast exclusively online was necessary to provide viewers with the facts on Medicare for All. Although 53 percent of Americans now support government-funded healthcare for all, he said, corporate media outlets hardly cover the issue.

-->The most popular politician in America has to go online for any coverage at all. Of course, our "newspaper of record" didn't cover this story. It didn't cover Bernie when he ran for president. That is what reporting looks like when newspapers are in bed with the insurance, pharmaceutical, and healthcare industries.

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Common Dreams:
"Charles Koch and David Koch, the billionaire industrialists and right-wing mega-donors, stand to save between $1 billion and $1.4 billion in income taxes each year from the tax law passed last month by Republican lawmakers and signed by President Donald Trump, according to a new analysis out Wednesday.
The new report by the Americans for Tax Fairness details how those estimated tax savings would come from a combinations of the Koch's personal liabilities and that of the business empire, Koch Industries. And while based on available financial data, the analysis, the group explained, 'does not count how much the brothers might save in taxes on offshore profits or how much their heirs will benefit from weakening the estate tax.'

What they do save in annual taxes, ATF argues, should be recognized for what it is: a return on investments made by funneling huge amounts of money to Republican lawmakers [who] voted in favor of the law and outside political groups who lobbied on its behalf."

-->Readers of the NYT are spared the venal workings of our nation's kleptocracy. It didn't cover this story.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Common Dreams:
"Demands for Action After New Report Reveals LGBTQ Homicides Skyrocketed Under Trump. Critics condemn 'atmosphere of hate,' bolstered by Trump's anti-LGBTQ policies, that led to more than 50 hate-violence homicides in 2017.

'The time for addressing this crisis of violence is now,' delcares a new report that shows the number of hate-inspired homicides with LGBTQ victims skyrocketed in the United States last year amid an onslaught of anti-LBGTQ policies from the Trump administration.

A Crisis of Hate (pdf), produced by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) in New York City, found that at least 52 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals were killed, in part, because of their gender or sexual identity in 2017, an 86 percent increase in single incident reports from the year prior, and the highest number ever documented by the group."

-->The NYT didn't cover this story, and since this newspaper is a gateway for news to the US media, very few other media outlets carried the story either.

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Common Dreams:
"At UN Hearing, South African Delegate Decries Israel as World's Last Functioning 'Apartheid State.'

'We remain deeply concerned at the denial of the right of self-determination to the Palestinian people,' said delegate at a hearing in Geneva, 'in the absence of which no other human right can be exercised or enjoyed.' ...

'Israel is the only state in the world that can be called an apartheid state,' the South African delegate said to UN members during the Human Rights Council hearing at the Palais du Nations in Geneva."

-->Apartheid's US media outlet, The NYT, didn't report this story. Almost the entire mainstream media is complicit in hiding the longterm occupation and suffering of Palestinian people.  

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Palestine Square:
"It may be difficult to digest America’s resort to pseudo-biblical literalism to engage with one of the world’s thorniest issues, laughable even. But, in Pence’s case, it is hardly a surprise. Last summer, he spoke at the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Summit. CUFI, a pro-Israel grassroots organization, was founded in 2006 and is led by evangelist John Hagee, a friend of Pence who is infamous for his xenophobic and end of times preaching. According to its website, the organization works to transform millions of Christians into an effective force for Israel.

At both the Knesset and CUFI, Pence’s remarks were strikingly similar. ... Laced with such biblical references and long propagated myths about Israel’s history and present, the speech was far from a political statement or standard 'talking points.' Rather, it was a deeply personal and religious homily. Pence positioned himself as the intermediary of prophecy, bearing witness to God’s grand faithfulness in fulfilling his promises, including the promise of the land of Israel to the Jewish people."

-->The NYT covered Pence's visit to Israel but left out his religious fanaticism. Muslim fanaticism always gets a lot of news coverage. But not Christian or Jewish fanaticism for Israel's racist policies. 

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

FAIR:
"An analysis by Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) has found that the purportedly liberal cable network MSNBC did not run a single segment devoted specifically to the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen in the second half of 2017, even though – or perhaps because – the U.S. government has played a key role in creating the catastrophe. During this period MSNBC ran nearly 5,000 percent more segments that mentioned Russia than segments that mentioned Yemen.

In all of 2017, MSNBC only aired one broadcast on the U.S.-assisted Saudi airstrikes that have killed thousands of Yemeni civilians. And it never mentioned Yemen’s cholera epidemic, which infected more than 1 million Yemenis in the largest outbreak in recorded history, a direct result of the U.S.-assisted Saudi/UAE war and blockade."

-->MSNBC is pretty much in the pocket of the US military empire. See, hear, and speak no evil when it comes to American war crimes.

Urge Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, and MSNBC to correct their failure to report on the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen and the direct U.S. military role in causing the catastrophe by signing the petition:
https://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/ 

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Common Dreams:
"GOP Tax Scam Loophole Would Let Corporations Reap Billions More in Tax Avoidance. Harvard analysis shows that Apple alone could save more than $4 billion a year unless Treasury and IRS fix rules.

While U.S. businesses have lauded the new tax law forced through by congressional Republicans and signed by President Donald Trump last month—which slashes the corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 percent—tax experts are warning that thanks to a loophole in the law, some companies may have more cause for celebration. 

[Harvard law professor Stephen Shay] says this opportunity for tax avoidance is the consequence of how quickly the bill went through Congress and to the president's desk telling Bloomberg, 'This bill was passed on a speed train schedule with no time to think.' "

-->Maybe the NYT didn't have time to think either. It didn't print this story, proving once again how in bed the NYT is with Wall Street interests.

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Reuters:
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is nearing completion of a new 'Buy American' plan that calls for U.S. military attaches and diplomats to help drum up billions of dollars more in business overseas for the U.S. weapons industry, going beyond the limited assistance they currently provide, officials said.

President Donald Trump is expected to announce a 'whole of government' approach that will also ease export rules on U.S. military exports and give greater weight to the economic benefits for American manufacturers in a decision-making process that has long focused heavily on human rights considerations, according to people familiar with the plan.

The initiative, which will encompass everything from fighter jets and drones to warships and artillery, is expected to be launched as early as February, senior officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A key policy change would call for embassy staffers around the world to act essentially as a sales force for defense contractors, actively advocating on their behalf."

-->Reuters had to include a little propaganda in reporting this story. According to Reuters, the US has "long focused heavily on human rights considerations." Is bombing Yemen back to the Stone Age part of that human rights emphasis? Or the genocidal attacks on Gaza? At least Reuters covered the story, as opposed to the NYT. 

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Mondoweiss:
"Quaker group honored by Yad Vashem for helping Jews during Holocaust is now banned from Israel. One of the special ironies of the weekend’s news that Israel is barring 20 international organizations from entry because they support BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) is the appearance on that list of the venerable American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC, which was founded 101 years ago as an antiwar organization.

AFSC earned distinction and a Nobel Prize for helping Jews and other refugees escape the Holocaust. Now it is on that list because it is helping Palestinians!

P.S. This story feeds my spiritual understanding that Palestinians are being forced by Israel to recapitulate the history of the Jews. What we experienced in Europe, Palestinians must experience in Israel and Palestine. This time around we play the guys with the jack boots!"

-->The NYT failed to report this special irony. In fact, our newspaper of record didn't even mention the fact that Israel has banned 20 human rights organizations from visiting Palestine.

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Common Dreams:
"American kids are 70 percent more likely to die during childhood compared with children in other wealthy, democratic nations, according to a peer-reviewed study published Monday by Health Affairs. ...

'The U.S. is the most dangerous of wealthy, democratic countries in the world for children,' he added. 'Across all ages and in both sexes, children have been dying more often in the U.S. than in similar countries since the 1980s.' ...

The risk of death is even higher for American infants and teenagers compared with their counterparts abroad. Babies in the U.S. are 76 percent more likely to die during their first year of life—often because of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or complications related to being born prematurely—while 15- to 19-year-olds are 82 times more likely to die from gun violence, which [Dr. Ashish Thakrar, the study's lead author] called 'the most disturbing new finding.' "

-->Making the US look bad is not something the NYT likes to do, especially since the newspaper is often in bed with the weapons makers and the private healthcare industry. It didn't print this story.

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Common Dreams:
"A federal appeals court on Thursday struck down key provisions of Idaho's ag-gag law—which criminalizes those who secretly document abuse of animals at agricultural facilities—saying they violate the First Amendment.

The ruling, the result of a lawsuit led by Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), was hailed as a victory for animal rights, workers, and free speech.

Regarding the section of the law criminalizing 'misrepresentation' to gain access to a facility, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found 'the over-breadth ... staggering,' adding 'that the purpose of the statute was, in large part, targeted at speech and investigative journalists.'

Further, the court said 'Idaho is singling out for suppression one mode of speech—audio and video recordings of agricultural operations—to keep controversy and suspect practices out of the public eye.' "

-->This significant win for animals and for freedom of speech was ignored by the NYT, which almost always comes down on the side of Big-Ag.

Wednesday, January 03, 2018

Common Dreams:
" 'There Will Be Bloodshed': Warnings as Israel Tightens Grip of Occupation. 'What was winked and nodded about before is now being acknowledged publicly: We have no intent of sharing this land with anybody else except as a barely tolerated minority.'

The right-wing Israeli legislature approved a law on Tuesday that increases the number of votes required to cede control of any portion of Jerusalem to 'a foreign party,' in a move that journalist Glenn Greenwald characterized as the government 'candidly and explicitly admitting its real policy of apartheid' and shattering any remaining pretense 'that Israel is working in a peace process toward a two-state solution.' " https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/01/02/there-will-be-bloodshed-warnings-israel-tightens-grip-occupation

-- >Israel has never wanted a two state solution, and even the NYT is giving up on this 100 year old myth. When will our Congress get the hint? Maybe when they stop accepting millions from the Israel Lobby.

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Politico:
"Leaked memo schooled Tillerson on human rights. A tutorial from policy aide Brian Hook followed the secretary of state's controversial remarks about balancing U.S. values and interests. ...

The May 17 memo reads like a crash course for a businessman-turned-diplomat, and its conclusion offers a starkly realist vision: that the U.S. should use human rights as a club against its adversaries, like Iran, China and North Korea, while giving a pass to repressive allies like the Philippines, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. ...

Hook’s memo 'tells Tillerson that we should do exactly what Russian and Chinese propaganda says we do—use human rights as a weapon to beat up our adversaries while letting ourselves and our allies off the hook,' said Tom Malinowski, who served as an assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor in the administration of former President Barack Obama." https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/19/tillerson-state-human-rights-304118

-- >No mention of this in the NYT, which treats human rights in much the same way. Cry crocodile tears about protesters in Iran or Venezuela, and completely omit the last 100 years of Palestinian suffering.

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The Intercept:
"Facebook Says It Is Deleting Accounts at the Direction of the U.S. and Israeli Governments. In September of last year, we noted that Facebook representatives were meeting with the Israeli government to determine which Facebook accounts of Palestinians should be deleted on the ground that they constituted 'incitement.'

The meetings — called for and presided over by one of the most extremist and authoritarian Israeli officials, pro-settlement Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked — came after Israel threatened Facebook that its failure to voluntarily comply with Israeli deletion orders would result in the enactment of laws requiring Facebook to do so, upon pain of being severely fined or even blocked in the country.

The predictable results of those meetings are now clear and well-documented. Ever since, Facebook has been on a censorship rampage against Palestinian activists who protest the decades-long, illegal Israeli occupation, all directed and determined by Israeli officials. Indeed, Israeli officials have been publicly boasting about how obedient Facebook is when it comes to Israeli censorship orders." https://theintercept.com/2017/12/30/facebook-says-it-is-deleting-accounts-at-the-direction-of-the-u-s-and-israeli-governments/

-- >The NYT, and therefore much of the US media, did not cover this story. Our newspaper of record is just as obedient to Israel's right wing as Facebook.

Thursday, December 28, 2017

The Guardian UK:
"UN votes resoundingly to reject Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as capital.
The United Nations body’s debate and vote highlighted for a second time in a week the international isolation of the United States over the Jerusalem issue.

The United Nations general assembly has delivered a stinging rebuke to Donald Trump, voting by a huge majority to reject his unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The vote came after a redoubling of threats by Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, who said that Washington would remember which countries 'disrespected' America by voting against it.

-->Amazingly, The NYT did not cover this story in print. And our newspaper's online edition only references AP and Reuters articles. If breaking news shows how isolated the US is for its unquestioning support of Israel, well the story is just scrubbed from America's flagship newspaper. Israel counts more than freedom of the press. 

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Common Dreams:
"Americans for Tax Fairness found that Trump could save 'at least $11 million a year and perhaps as much as $22 million' from GOP tax plan he just signed.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly described the Republican tax bill he signed into law on Friday as 'an incredible Christmas gift' to low-income and middle class Americans—despite the numerous analyses showing that the legislation will ultimately raise taxes on millions in the middle class.

The president hasn't, however, called the tax bill a massive 'check to himself.' But a new study (pdf) published on Friday by Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) demonstrates that this would, in numerous ways, be a more accurate description of the $1.5 trillion plan."

-->The NYT loves to talk about Russia's influence in the Trump White House. Not so much about Trump's massive tax breaks to himself. Why no coverage of the Americans for Tax Fairness report?

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The Guardian UK:
"Donna Brazile has spent most of her life as a good soldier of the Democratic party, managing presidential campaigns, supporting the Clinton family, and (last year) stepping in to take over the Democratic National Committee after its chair was felled by scandal. But with the publication of her campaign memoir Hacks, this woman with a fondness for old-style cooking metaphors has finally succeeded in pissing off every last group on the country’s political spectrum. ...

Brazile’s present offense is that her book reveals an arrangement between the Hillary Clinton campaign and the DNC that effectively gave the campaign control over the party apparatus well before Clinton became the party’s official presidential nominee in 2016. Brazile has given serious substantiation, in other words, to the charge that Sanders and his followers threw at the Democratic party through much of last year: that the process was rigged.

Members of the punditburo blasted Sanders last year for suggesting such a thing; now they are blasting Brazile for confirming it. They vituperate even though what she and Sanders have said is, well, true."

-->Not much of the US media is willing to state that Hillary stole the nomination through fraud and dirty money. We have to read about it in a UK publication, The Guardian.

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

The Guardian UK:
"A senior UN official has said Israel’s killing of a Palestinian wheelchair user protesting against Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was 'incomprehensible', as Israel said the man had not been targeted.

A statement issued by Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh was shot in the head by Israeli security forces close to the Gaza border fence on Friday.

Hussein said there was nothing to suggest Abu Thurayeh posed an imminent threat when he was killed, and 'the facts gathered so far by my staff in Gaza strongly suggest that the force used against [him] was excessive. ... Given his severe disability, which must have been clearly visible to those who shot him, his killing is incomprehensible – a truly shocking and wanton act.' ”

-->The NYT does not print stories about wanton murders committed by Israel. Our newspaper of record did not carry this assassination, severely limiting the reporting of this murder by the rest of the US media.

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The Guardian UK:
"A United Nations independent expert presented a searing indictment of the wealth gap in the United States, saying that 'contrasts between private wealth and public squalor abound' and that the Republican tax plan 'is essentially a bid to make the U.S. the world champion of extreme inequality.'

The recent statement by Philip Alston, U.N. Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, follows his two-week visit to Alabama, California, Georgia, Puerto Rico, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.. Based on the fact-finding mission, he said, 'The American Dream is rapidly becoming the American Illusion as the U.S. ... now has the lowest rate of social mobility of any of the rich countries.'

Regarding the tax plan Congress is considering, Alston said, 'The dramatic cuts in welfare, foreshadowed by the President and [House] Speaker Ryan, and already beginning to be implemented by the administration, will essentially shred crucial dimensions of a safety net that is already full of holes. It is against this background that my report is presented.' "

-->This unvarnished account of US billionaires stealing from the poorest of Americans didn't make it into The NYT. Criticizing Trump is OK, but the newspaper can't escape its long history of being a propaganda tool of the empire. 

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The Guardian UK:
"Rogue Nations Prevail as US Vetoes UN Attempt to Nullify Trump's Jerusalem Move. It's true that Trump just isolated the U.S. for the perceived benefit of Israel: strange behavior for an 'America First' adherent. But it's also true that the US has been isolating itself for decades for the benefit of Israel.

The U.S. once again found itself pitted against the international community on Monday when it single-handedly killed a U.N. Security Council resolution that sought to nullify President Donald Trump's recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Trump's move, which further normalized the occupation, sparked protests across the globe and earned the condemnation of Middle Eastern and European nations. The 14-1 vote on Monday—with every member of the Security Council uniting against the Trump administration—further solidified the status of the U.S. and Israel as 'rogue nations,' critics argued.

-->What rogue nation? The NYT didn't print this story about how America's biased support for Israel has isolated our country from the rest of the world.
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