Friday, February 22, 2019
Headlines for Feb. 22, 2018
Click here to listen to this week's segment on Loud & Clear Radio.
Headlines with an * are the ones we managed to fit in in our allotted time slot.
Worst, Most Misleading & Funniest Headlines for Feb. 22, 2019
*Threatening U.S., Putin Promises Russians Both Missiles and Butter
“doubling down on threats against the United States.”
*President Vladimir Putin Threatens To Retaliate If U.S. Deploys New Missiles In Europe
https://news.google.com/articles/CCAiC0tRWWpyQzhQMmdrmAEB?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen (Time magazine video)
*Proper headline: Putin warns new weapons will point toward U.S. if missiles are deployed in Europe
“Threatening” is a word often used when a leader of a foreign country, be it Russia as in this case, or Iran or the DPRK etc, says they will take appropriate action IF the U.S. does something. “Promises” or “warns” are the right word. And “retaliation”, the word used by Time, is even worse than “threatening”. “Take comparable action” would be the right description, but obviously, so much less scary.
Today’s #FakeNewsByOmission story — the media blackout of Tulsi Gabbard's campaign
*It’s Foreign Policy That Distinguishes Bernie This Time
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/02/foreign-policy-distinguishes-bernie-sanders-2020/583279/ (Peter Beinart)
“Sanders arguably talks about foreign policy more than any other declared candidate does. Over the past two years, Sanders has given two speeches outlining a broad foreign-policy vision.” Wow, two speeches in two years! Not a single mention of Tulsi Gabbard, who makes foreign policy, and in particular opposition to regime change wars like Syria, Libya, and Venezuela, the centerpiece of every speech she gives. Sanders, by the way, has yet to tweet a single time about Venezuela, and the one statement he put out spent more time slamming Maduro than opposing US intervention, and fails to oppose U.S. sanctions.
Left over from last week but still relevant, the media blackout of Tulsi Gabbard
*‘A Woman, Just Not That Woman’: How Sexism Plays Out on the Trail
Mentions Warren, Gillibrand, Harris & Klobuchar. But not Gabbard, making the headline more than a bit ironic. Coincidence that the only candidate opposed to U.S. regime change wars, and most notably the ongoing coup attempt in Venezuela, is the one omitted? Hardly.
*2020 may be historic for women in more ways than one
Klobuchar, Warren, Harris, Gillibrand all featured, describing their reaction to the SOTU and something about them. Gabbard, who was also watching (and even live-tweeting) the SOTU, makes it as an afterthought in 14th paragraph; other than her name, the article says nothing about her, unlike the others.
*Twitter Revises Data on Russian Trolls and Social-media company says 228 accounts were ‘misidentified’
Changes invalidate key points of previous Bloomberg article
Changes invalidate key points of previous Bloomberg article
Twitter removed 228 accounts from the Russian IRA dataset because the social-media company now believes these accounts were operated by a different trolling network located in Venezuela.
*‘Sustained and ongoing’ disinformation assault targets Dem presidential candidates
A coordinated barrage of social media attacks suggests the involvement of foreign state actors.
A coordinated barrage of social media attacks suggests the involvement of foreign state actors.
“Not all of the activity is organized. Much of it appears to be organic, a reflection of the politically polarizing nature of some of the candidates.” “Researchers and others interviewed for this story say they cannot conclusively point to the actors behind the coordinated activity. It’s unclear if they are rogue hackers, political activists or, as some contend, foreign state actors such as Russia.”
National Security Expert Warns There's 'A Chance That Vladimir Putin Is Controlling' Trump's White House
National security expert Samantha Vinograd (former member of Obama’s National Security Council and now a National Security Analyst at CNN) has warned that there is “still a chance that Vladimir Putin is controlling” President Donald Trump’s White House. Of course there is no mention of Ukraine, the INF, or any of a myriad of other reasons that demonstrate conclusively that Trump isn’t acting in the interest of Russia.
Also last night on Anderson Cooper, Andrew McCabe, asked if he still think it’s possible that Trump is a Russian asset, says I think it’s possible.
A Staggering Exodus: Millions of Venezuelans Are Leaving the Country, on Foot
No doubt many have left, as did millions of Iraqis when the U.S. invaded that country, and Syrians (who are now returning) when the U.S. fomented a war in that country. And millions of Colombians have fled that country for Venezuela. But "are leaving" is quite misleading; the article says three million have left "in recent years". And who says so? "Researchers". They're not even identified as anonymous "researchers from X University" or something. Just "researchers". The article makes the preposterous claim that "the vast majority come through these treacherous roads in Colombia: a 125-mile journey over a 12,000-foot pass here in the Andes Mountains." If that's so I'll eat my hat.
U.S. Masses Aid Along Venezuelan Border As Some Humanitarian Groups Warn Of Risks
"Some" humanitarian groups aren't warning against the US plan to deliver aid to Venezuela in opposition to its governments wishes; ALL of them are — "the ICRC, UN agencies & other relief organizations" in the words of the very same article! Not one humanitarian group is cited as supporting the US plan. Perhaps that's because, as the article admits, "U.S. officials acknowledge that positioning the aid on the border is, in part, designed to provoke." Of course that "in part" is a euphemism; it means "entirely".
*Venezuela’s Ex-Spy Chief Rejects Maduro, Accusing Leader’s Inner Circle of Corruption
He hasn't been the intelligence chief since 2012, and he's wanted in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges. This couldn't have anything to do with his hoping the U.S. drops the charges, could it?
Venezuela's Opposition Ambassador Takes Control of Embassy in Costa Rica
9 people (bizarrely described as "Venezuela's Opposition Ambassador", based on what we have no idea, presumably self-appointed just like Guaidó) took over the Venezuelan Embassy and got national coverage. On the same day, tens or hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans rallied in support of the government on the Angostura Bridge in the state of Bolivar and went completely unnoticed by the corporate media.
