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Part Two of Twitter Files: Platform’s ‘Secret Blacklists’ Revealed
Last week, independent journalist Matt Taibbi released Part One of Twitter Files in an expose that revealed the inside story behind the social media giant’s decision to censor the story of Hunter Biden’s laptop. | Former columnist of the New York Times Bari Weiss has published Part Two of the so-called Twitter Files related to filtering visibility of the platform’s content from users. Titling her post "Twitter’s Secret Blacklists," Weiss wrote about a "secret" operation in which the social media giant limited the reach of certain accounts. She noted that Twitter once had a mission 💬 "to give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers," but that "Along the way, barriers nevertheless were erected." ● The journalist mentioned "teams of Twitter employees” who purportedly “build blacklists, prevent disfavored tweets from trending, and actively limit the visibility of entire accounts or even trending topics—all in secret, without informing users.”
■ THREAD: THE TWITTER FILES PART TWO. TWITTER’S SECRET BLACKLISTS.
■ Musk's Twittergate & Hunter's Laptop: Why FBI Have a Ton to Answer For
■ Musk's second "Twitter Files" claims "secret blacklists"
Climate Change Lockdowns? Yup, They Are Actually Going There…
Link: http://endoftheamericandream.com/climate-change-lockdowns-yup-they-are-actually-going-there/
Michael Snyder | I suppose that we should have known that this was inevitable. After establishing a precedent during the pandemic, now the elite apparently intend to impose lockdowns for other reasons as well. What I have detailed in this article is extremely alarming, and I hope that you will share it with everyone that you can. Climate change lockdowns are here, and if people don’t respond very strongly to this it is likely that we will soon see similar measures implemented all over the western world. The elite have always promised to do “whatever it takes” to fight climate change, and now we are finding out that they weren’t kidding. Over in the UK, residents of Oxfordshire will now need a special permit to go from one “zone” of the city to another. But even if you have the permit, you will still only be allowed to go from one zone to another “a maximum of 100 days per year”…
■ And so it begins: “controlled gates at the city confining residents to their zone”
Over 1,100 New York Times staffers to walk out after union talks fail
Link: https://www.axios.com/2022/12/08/new-york-times-staffers-walkout-union-talks-fail
More than 1,100 members of the New York Times union are expected to walk out on the job Thursday morning, after more than a year and a half of stalled contract negotiations with The Times' management. | Why it matters: The walkout represents a breaking point between the two parties, which have been debating new contract terms since the guild's last contract expired in March 2021.
● The walkout begins at midnight on Thursday.
● The talks have become more contentious in recent months, with union members growing increasingly frustrated with what they see as a lack of serious engagement from Times management.
● In an email to staff, Times CEO Meredith Kopit Levien addressed the unprecedented nature of the walkout, writing; "This will be the bargaining unit’s first strike in more than 40 years."
The big picture: Tensions between labor unions and news management teams have grown more palpable in the wake of the pandemic, resulting in more walk-outs, strikes and work stoppages.
● Pandemic-era changes to work-from-home policies, new expectations around diversity, equity and inclusion and rising inflation have driven a huge number of newsrooms to unionize in the past two years.
NY Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Under Investigation by House Ethics Committee
Conservative groups previously filed a complaint about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s attendance at the Met Gala Costume event in September 2021. They called the free tickets an “impermissible gift.” | Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, the congressional body announced on Wednesday. A statement released by acting Chairwoman Susan Wild (D-PA) and acting Ranking Member Michael Guest (R-MS) announced an extension of the inquiry but did not provide any details on what the investigation is related to. 💬 “The Acting Chairwoman and Acting Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics have jointly decided to extend the matter regarding Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,” the statement reads. ● It also notes that the complaint was assigned to the committee by the Office of Congressional Ethics on June 23, 2022. The statement notes that the announcement of the inquiry and its extension was required by House and Committee rules, and did not indicate there was a violation. It says the issue will be taken up by the next Congress sometime in 2023. ● Ocasio-Cortez had at least two ethics complaints filed against her relating to her appearance at the Met Gala. It is unclear if that complaint is related to this investigation. [They] were filed in Sept. 2021, but this inquiry relates to a matter transmitted to the committee from the Office Board on June 23, 2022.
Vanguard, Second-largest Fund Firm, Quits Net Zero Climate Alliance
Vanguard, the world's second-largest mutual and exchange-traded fund manager, is pulling out of a major financial-sector alliance intended to help tackle climate change, the firm announced Wednesday. | Vanguard, in a statement, said it will track its progress independent of the alliance, as an effort to provide "clarity" to its investors. Some environmental groups... argued that such a move is kowtowing to "anti-woke" sentiment that claims investments focused on the impending clean-energy transition and other pro-climate actions only come at the expense of investment returns. The alliance, called the Net Zero Asset Managers (NZAM), was launched in late 2020 to encourage asset managers to hit a net-zero emission target by 2050 and help keep a rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. ● Along with BlackRock BLK, -0.16% and State Street STT, +8.19%, Vanguard, with roughly $8.1 trillion under management, is considered one of the Big Three index fund managers that dominate much of American retail investing and retirement planning.
Lawmakers reject bid to audit US aid for Ukraine
Link: https://www.rt.com/news/567836-us-lawmakers-ukraine-audit/
House Republicans vowed to try again later after their resolution was narrowly defeated | A resolution calling for an audit of US military and economic aid to Ukraine has been narrowly defeated in the House of Representatives. The measure, spearheaded by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and backed by multiple fellow legislators, was rejected by 26 votes to 22 before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday. The proposed audit had been strongly opposed by House Democrats... Greene vowed to continue her efforts to push through the audit motion, promising to try again when the Republicans gain a slim majority in the House. 💬 "It's official the Democrats have voted NO to transparency for the American people for an Audit for Ukraine. But we take over in January! This audit will happen!" Greene wrote on Twitter. ● While the Republicans have managed to demonstrate unity on the issue of stricter oversight in relation to continued support for Kiev, few have actually spoken against it altogether. Greene is one of few conservative Republicans who have been vocally opposed to sending billions to Ukraine.
■ US lawmakers narrowly reject audit on Ukraine aid (RT.com)
US Ineptly Denies Involvement in Strikes on Russian Airfields
Link: https://t.me/EvPanina/7774
Elena Panina (Елена Панина) | US ineptly denies involvement in strikes on Russian airfields | Following the recent Ukrainian UAV strikes on airfields deep in Russian territory, conflicting statements have sprung from Washington. 💬 Secretary of State Anthony Blinken: "The US does not encourage the Ukrainians to launch strikes on Russian territory and does not give them the opportunity to do so." Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin: 💬 "The US is not creating obstacles for Kiev to develop weapons for long-range strikes. ● The overall message is that the US is allegedly not involved in attacks by the AFU, including on Russia's strategic nuclear forces. ● Meanwhile, commercial satellites from the US company Maxar, which cooperates with both the Pentagon and Ukraine, filmed Russia's Engels strategic airbase on 3 and 4 December and the airfield in Diaghilevo in late October. ● Apparently, Western satellites were also used for direct targeting of these facilities by UAVs. At least that is what Ukrainian sources say. ● Simply put, the US is lying. And the verbal excuses of their top officials are only meant to control the level of escalation of the conflict in Ukraine so that it does not spill over into the territory of NATO countries. ● As has been said repeatedly, the key to ending the military confrontation in Ukraine lies not in Kyiv but in Washington. Only by addressing America's pain points will Russia be able to resolve the conflict in its favour. (Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator)
Ukrainian court rules SS division's symbols are not Nazi
Link: https://www.rt.com/russia/567782-ss-division-not-nazi-court/
The symbols of the SS Galicia Division, a notorious Ukrainian Nazi collaborator unit, are legal to use in the country | Ukraine's supreme court has ruled that the symbols of the infamous 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, also known as the 1st Galician Division, are not Nazi and therefore not banned in the country. The top court upheld an earlier ruling on the matter, ending a years-long legal battle over the controversial legacy of the notorious formation, comprised primarily of ethnic Ukrainians. The ruling has been praised by the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, which operates under Ukraine's cabinet of ministers, and has long claimed the unit's fighters were not actual Nazi collaborators, but merely "freedom fighters."
5 takeaways from Georgia's Senate runoff
Raphael Warnock's victory in his head-to-head contest with Republican nominee Herschel Walker means Democrats will add to their already-secured Senate majority. Here's what else it means. | Sen. Raphael Warnock’s (D) victory over Republican Herschel Walker in Georgia’s Senate runoff Tuesday night wrapped up the 2022 midterm election season and set the stage for the 2024 presidential election. The Democrat’s victory also gives his party more leverage with their majority in the Senate and signifies yet another midterm loss for a candidate endorsed by former President Trump.
■ Sen. Raphael Warnock wins Georgia run-off; Dems secure Senate majority
Bibi is back and providing fresh political land mines for US
The new government appears antithetical to American interests and values. Will Biden respond by curbing support, or will it just ‘lay low’? | Benjamin Netanyahu, already Israel’s longest serving prime minister, is back. His coalition won 64 out of 120 seats in the Knesset, a smashing victory in an era when governments have typically enjoyed narrower, wobbly majorities. ● To secure this majority, he has included a trio of radical right wing politicians: Itamar ben Gvir, leader of the Otzmah Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, Bezalel Smotrich, head of the Tzionut HaDati (Religious Zionism) party, and Avi Maoz, who helms the Noam (“Nice”) party. This is a government with staying power, unless, as some speculate, Netanyahu intends to ditch the ultra-right parties from his coalition by luring the center-right leaders of the outgoing team. ● Ben Gvir opposes Arab-Jewish intermarriage and backs expulsion of “disloyal” Israeli Arabs and troublesome Palestinians. Under the coalition agreement now taking shape, Ben Gvir will be given a new ministerial portfolio for national security that will give him control over the national police and border guard. In this capacity, he will be able to make life difficult, if he so chooses, for Arab Israelis and residents of Jerusalem as well as West Bank Palestinians moving back and forth across the Green Line. Command of a significant guard force on the West Bank — which has been part of Central Command, the IDF component responsible for the West Bank — will be transferred to Ben Gvir. As one critic points out, this will give him his “personal police in the territories.”
■ Israeli Apartheid’s Great Leap Forward (Stephen Lendman)
Hawkish experts dominate mainstream Ukraine coverage
Link: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/12/07/hawkish-experts-dominate-mainstream-ukraine-coverage/
Since the Russian invasion in February, elite outlets have leaned on a very narrow range of monolithic sources for their reporting. | A crucial function of a free press is to present perspectives that critically examine government actions. In major articles from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal discussing the escalation of the war in Ukraine, however, such perspectives have been hard to come by—even as the stakes have reached as high as nuclear war. ● In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated the war by announcing a mobilization of up to 300,000 extra troops (CNBC, 9/21/22) and threatened to use “all the means at our disposal” to ensure “the territorial integrity of our motherland” (CNBC, 9/23/22). A month later, a letter endorsed by 30 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus was sent to the White House (and quickly retracted), urging a “proactive diplomatic push” to reach a ceasefire in the war. ● Both of these major incidents could have been an opportunity for the media to ask important questions about US policy in Ukraine, which is—according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (Wall Street Journal, 4/25/22)—to “weaken” Russia. Instead, elite newspapers continue to offer a very narrow range of expert opinion on a US strategy that favors endless war.
Top FBI Official Steps Down as Republicans Prepare to Probe Into Bureau
Top FBI Official Steps Down as Republicans Prepare to Probe Into Bureau | A top FBI official has stepped down just as House Republicans have announced plans to investigate recent operations and actions at the bureau. In a Dec. 2 post to his LinkedIn profile, Steven D'Antuono, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, announced his retirement. "After a 26-year, 10-month career with the FBI, I chose to retire," D'Antuono wrote. "Yesterday was my last day." He attributed the decision to wanting to spend more time with his family... News of D'Antuono's retirement comes just weeks after Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee named him as one of nine FBI employees they would "require prompt testimony" from as they seek to investigate potential political bias at the bureau. So far, the committee has requested testimony from at least 42 Biden administration officials, including employees in the Justice Department, Department of Education, Department of Homeland Security, and the White House.
US does not encourage Kiev to attack Russia, but will continue military aid — Blinken
Link: https://tass.com/world/1546769
In his words, Washington "neither encouraged nor enabled the Ukrainians to strike inside of Russia" | The US government does not encourage Kiev troops to strike the territory of Russia, but will continue to provide Ukraine with the military assistance it needs to defend itself, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after the US-Australian negotiations in Washington on Tuesday. In his words, Washington "neither encouraged nor enabled the Ukrainians to strike inside of Russia." However, he added that the United States and its allies were determined to provide the Kiev government with "the equipment that they need to defend themselves, to defend their territory, to defend their freedom.".
Trump Is Toast
Link: https://www.unz.com/pgiraldi/trump-is-toast/
Philip Giraldi | Jewish Power will trump Trump | There is considerable irony in the fact that Donald Trump when president virtually crawled to do Israel’s bidding more than any of his predecessors. He moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, he accepted brutal Israeli settlement and control of the Palestinian West Bank, approved of the Israeli annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights, and ignored repeated Israeli war crimes using US provided weapons. Yet for all his gifts to Israel, which did not serve any actual US interest, he is currently being crucified by the Jewish/Israel Lobby because of an idiotic dinner with a pair of alleged anti-Semites, one of whom has been labeled a “holocaust denier.”
Director Oliver Stone called the United States the real culprits of the events in Donbass
Link: https://t.me/Reality_Theories/10411
Director Oliver Stone called the United States the real culprits of the events in Donbass 💬 "The United States is an expert at condemning any country in the world when it crosses international norms, that they call the rules, and America breaks all the rules when it wants to, and you know it. I don't want to go into the bigger story of what's going on in Ukraine, because it's not easy at all, and everyone is just screaming, "The Russians have attacked." And who provoked it? What has been happening there in the Donbass since 2014 and how many people have left because the United States heavily armed the Ukrainian army. Since 2014, Ukraine has stopped to be neutral, it has been against the Russians, and this is precisely what upset the balance of military equipment and hence the war begins. Every war has a cause and effect, but we don't even pay attention to it yet."
US Army Plans ‘Dramatic’ Increase in Ammunition Production as Ukraine Aid Drains Stockpiles
According to the Pentagon, the US has sent 924,000 155mm artillery rounds to Ukraine | The US Army is planning a “dramatic” increase in the production of 155mm artillery rounds as the US has sent a staggering amount of ammunition to Ukraine over the past eight months. ● According to a Pentagon fact sheet released at the end of November, the US has sent Ukraine 924,000 155mm artillery rounds to Ukraine since February 24. The US currently makes 14,000 155mm rounds each month, but the Army is set to ramp that up. 💬 “Funding is already in place, contracts are underway to basically triple 155mm production,” Doug Bush, the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, told Defense News. “There’s funding on the Hill, in the supplemental, to more than double that again. That would take a period of years.” ● The US policy of shipping tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons to Ukraine, led by former Raytheon board member Lloyd Austin, has been a boon for defense contractors. Last week, Raytheon was awarded a $1.2 billion contract to produce air defense systems for Ukraine.
Fox News Parts Ways With Lara Trump Amid Father-in-Law’s Presidential Bid
Lara Trump will no longer serve as a contributor to Fox News, the network confirmed on Dec. 3.
| The parting of ways follows former President Donald Trump’s Nov. 15 announcement that he will seek presidential office again in 2024. ● Lara Trump, who served as a senior adviser to her father-in-law’s 2020 campaign, joined Fox News in March 2021. At the time, she was also considering a run for Senate in North Carolina—a move she ultimately decided against, citing familial obligations. 💬 “I am saying no for now, not no forever,” she noted last year at the North Carolina GOP state convention.
American Scientist Who Worked for Wuhan Lab Claims COVID-19 Was ‘Genetically Engineered’
RE: The lab leak theory | An American scientist who worked at a research laboratory in Wuhan, China, has claimed that the novel coronavirus was a “genetically engineered agent” that leaked from the U.S.-funded facility. ● It was reportedly exposed by Dr. Andrew Huff, an epidemiologist and former vice president of EcoHealth Alliance, in “The Truth About Wuhan” book, in which he referred to the pandemic as “the biggest U.S. intelligence failure since 9/11.” ● In his book, Huff says the COVID-19 virus was genetically engineered through China’s gain-of-function experiments—which modify the way an organism functions—funded by the United States government, The Sun reported. 💬 “The U.S. government is to blame for the transfer of dangerous biotechnology to the Chinese,” he told The Sun. “I was terrified by what I saw. We were just handing them bioweapon technology.”
Musk Admits 'Quite Significant' Risk of Assassination
Musk Admits 'Quite Significant' Risk of Assassination | Elon Musk said on Dec. 3, a day after the release of a selection of Twitter's internal files that suggests the tech giant has suppressed free speech under its previous management, that he believes he faces a "quite significant" risk to his life. "Frankly the risk of something bad happening or literally even being shot is quite significant," Musk said in a Twitter Spaces discussion on Saturday evening, adding that he would "definitely" avoid open-air car parades in all circumstances. "It's not that hard to kill me if somebody wanted to, so hopefully they don't," the new owner of Twitter said. "There's definitely some risk there." The remarks over his potential assassination came after Musk and independent journalist Matt Taibbi unveiled on Friday a trove of internal Twitter communications that provided a glimpse into Twitter executives' efforts to censor the New York Post's explosive Hunter Biden laptop story in the leadup to the 2020 presidential election. ● Musk, the world’s richest man, has vowed to stem the tide of Twitter’s censorship and suppression of free speech that was widely known to have targeted conservatives. After taking over the social media platform in late October, he has reinstated a number of suspended accounts, including the one of former President Donald Trump.
British Columbia Bill C-36, drafted in secret, lays the groundwork for forced vaccination for any illness the government chooses
British Columbia Bill C-36, drafted in secret, lays the groundwork for forced vaccination for any illness the government chooses --British Columbia health professionals in shock over proposed Bill C36 - are their rights being compromised? | By Brian Peckford | Bill 36 will give the BC Minister of Health the ability to appoint College Boards who are then required to pass bylaws mandating vaccines for any illness the government chooses as a condition of license, and creating an environment of censorship where if you challenge the government's position on anything you will face discipline and potentially lose your license. It also allows the College to determine who has good character and who doesn't and to define informed consent... See Division 3 starting with s.500, which gives the government power to make an application to the court without notice to the person affected, and in private with the judge, for an order compelling someone to comply with the government's / College's direction and to enter premises and search, seize or copy the property of the person affected. They can secure the premises and prevent the owner from accessing or entering the premises. Also see s. 514(2)(b). Penalties for failure to comply include fines up to $200,000 and jail for up to six months for each offence if the person provides false or misleading information (as defined by the College/Government) while performing their duties under the Health Professions Act (i.e., while working as a regulated health care professional). So if a health professional questions the safety and efficacy of the experimental covid injections for example, this would seem to qualify as false or misleading information based on what the government has been saying for the last 2 years, which could result in fines of up to $200.000 and up to 6 months in jail for each "offence." See s.70(2)(g).
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