Day: December 8, 2018

Misreporting Manafort and the Julian Assange Affair: A Case Study in Journalistic Malpractice By Alan MacLeod

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8 December 2018 — FAIR

In what has been described as potentially the biggest story of the year, the Guardian’s Luke Harding (11/27/18) reported last week that Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, held a series of secret talks with WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange. These meetings were said to have occurred inside the Ecuadorian embassy between 2013 and 2016. The report also mentions that unspecified “Russians” were also among Assange’s visitors. The scoop, according to the newspaper, could “shed new light” on the role of WikiLeaks’ release of Democratic Party emails in the 2016 presidential election.

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Decimated’: Germany’s birds disappear as insect abundance plummets 76% by Morgan Erickson-Davis

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27 October 2017 — Mongabay

  •  A new study in PLOS ONE reveals a 76 percent reduction in Germany’s flying insect biomass over the past 27 years while another reports the country’s bird abundance has declined 15 percent in just over a decade.
  • While the causes behind the insect decline haven’t yet been conclusively studied, the PLOS ONE study suggests agricultural intensification like increased pesticide use may be contributing to the decline.
  • Neonicotinoid pesticides have been blamed for bee declines, and studies also link them to declines in aquatic insect communities. Many flying insects have aquatic life stages.
  • More research is underway to better understand the causes and ramifications of such a big decline in flying insect biomass.

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Trump’s Trade Policy Towards China: A Distraction to Benefit the Rich

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8 December 2018 — TRNN

As stock markets around the world are reeling from contradictory Trump administration signals regarding US policy towards China, we look at: Who benefits? And: What would a better trade policy towards China look like? CEPR’s Mark Weisbrot and PERI’s Gerald Epstein discuss the issue

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The kidnapping of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou By Andre Damon

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8 December 2018 — WSWS

On Wednesday, the world was shocked to learn that Canadian authorities had arrested and confined without bail Meng Wanzhou, the deputy chairperson of the Chinese smart phone giant Huawei, on charges brought by US prosecutors of violating American sanctions against Iran. Washington is calling for her extradition to the US.

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Neocons Sabotage Trump’s Trade Talks – Huawei CFO Taken Hostage To Blackmail China By Moon of Alabama

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8 December 2018 — Moon of Alabama

CNN reports that White House chief of staff John Kelly is expected to resign soon. There have been similar rumors before, but this time the news may actually be true. That is bad for Trump and U.S. policies. Kerry is one a the few counterweights to national security advisor John Bolton. His replacement will likely be whoever Bolton chooses. That will move control over Trump policies further into the hands of the neo-conservatives.

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From Marc Lamont Hill to the Quakers, no criticism of Israel is allowed By Jonathan Cook

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7 December 2018 — Jonathan Cook

CNN’s firing of Marc Lamont Hill and outrage at Airbnb and the Quakers reveals a complete intolerance of criticism

Middle East Eye – 7 December 2018

For 30 years, the United Nations has held an annual International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on 29 November. The event rarely merited even a passing nod in the mainstream media. Until last week.

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