the unbalanced evolution of homo sapiens

A Washington, DC-based PR firm linked to the US government and Democratic Party, CLS Strategies, ran a fake news network on Facebook and Instagram, spreading propaganda for Bolivia’s coup regime and the right-wing opposition in Venezuela and Mexico. by Ben Norton Part 8 - CLS Strategies signs PR contract with corrupt Mexican President Peña Nieto In addition to representing the drug-linked Honduran coup regime and death squad aficionado Álvaro Uribe, Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter and Associates also worked for the transition team of Mexico’s notoriously corrupt President Enrique Peña Nieto. Peña Nieto allegedly won the presidential election on July 1, 2012. Just five days later, on July 6, he signed a contract with Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter and Associates. The PR firm agreed, for a monthly fee of $50,000, to “ provide communications counsel and assistance to the transition team including dissemination of news/announcements from the transition team. ” Once again, CLS consultant

 by Alex Harman Part 6 - State Price Gouging Prohibitions Take Effect   Price gouging is illegal in about 35 states. Because there is no federal law protecting consumers from price gouging, states provide the only defense from unscrupulous sellers. While statutes and prohibitions vary across the states, they consistently include three facets.  First, price increases are only prohibited when there is a declared emergency (hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding, or pandemics).  Second, price increases are only prohibited on specific set of products that are deemed necessary or essential. Third, the price increase must be due to the presumed increase in demand because of the emergency and not due to some other factor such a regular seasonal price increase or a new supplier. Some states only hold the retail seller responsible, while other states will hold sellers further up in the supply chain responsible for the illegal price increases. It is not a violation of price gouging laws for a merch

Based on a handful of think tank reports and witness testimonies, Western governments have levied false allegations of genocide and slavery in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. A closer look makes clear that the politicization of China’s anti-terrorism policies in Xinjiang is another front of the U.S.-led hybrid war on China. This resource compilation provides a starting point for critical inquiry into the historical context and international response to China’s policies in Xinjiang, providing a counter-perspective to misinformation that abounds in mainstream coverage of the autonomous region.   by Qiao Collective   Part 1 - Introduction and Summary   In the mid-2010s, China launched far-reaching de-radicalization and economic development programs in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Before then, few casual Western observers were even aware of the province’s existence, which makes up 17% of China’s land and whose population consists of 65% ethnic minority peoples. Fewer still could s

Beyond the bias and politicization of the report, what perhaps damns it most is how it is being used.   by Leonardo Flores   Part 2 - A parallel mission and attack on multilateralism Moreover, even the formation of the fact-finding mission is suspect. Since 2017, Venezuela has been working with a different UN institution, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), to strengthen its capacity to guarantee human rights. This cooperation has led to technical agreements and to visits by the OHCHR to Venezuela. Yet despite – or perhaps because – of this cooperation, the Lima Group, an ad hoc group of nations dedicated to regime change in Venezuela, maneuvered in the UN Human Rights Council to establish a parallel mission outside of the purview of the OHCHR. In the September 2019 debate prior to the founding of this mission, Russián said that it “ seeks to thwart the advances between the Office of the High Commissioner and the Venezuelan state, hindering and duplicating its

by Jonathan Cook   Part 2 - Children as guinea pigs   Although not flagged as such, The Social Dilemma divides into three chapters.   The first, dealing with the argument we are already most familiar with, is that social media is a global experiment in altering our psychology and social interactions, and our children are the main guinea pigs. Millennials (those who came of age in the 2000s) are the first generation that spent their formative years with Facebook and MySpace as best friends. Their successors, Generation Z, barely know a world without social media at its forefront.    The film makes a relatively easy case forcefully: that our children are not only addicted to their shiny phones and what lies inside the packaging, but that their minds are being aggressively rewired to hold their attention and then make them pliable for corporations to sell things.        Each child is not just locked in a solitary battle to stay in control of his or her mind against the skills of hundreds

The Canary   WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces a maximum of 175 years in prison after revealing evidence of US war crimes. Assange is not only one of the world's most prominent political prisoners; he is also a son, a father, a fiancé, and a human being. A group of politicians, journalists, and activists gathered outside the Old Bailey Central Criminal Court in London during his extradition hearing to demand: No Extradition. 

Going Underground   Former President of Ecuador Rafael Correa on the uprising taking place in Ecuador against President Lenin Moreno’s austerity budget, whether the violence is likely to get worse, why Moreno refuses to bring the elections forward, whether Lenin Moreno can survive the crisis and the prospect of a civil war in the country. He also discusses the persecution of Julian Assange and the hypocrisy of his imprisonment and the revelations of spying against Julian Assange and himself. 

acTVism Munich   The conclusion of Julian Assange’s extradition hearing and an overview of what took place throughout the four week court proceedings. The main points presented in the court including Assange’s health and his mistreatment as well as the political nature of the case.   Statements from Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, Julian Assange’s fiance Stella Moris and others.

Ex-leader and MPs found guilty after biggest trial of fascists since Nuremberg   A court verdict in Athens with ramifications for the far right across Europe has been met with jubilation in Greece and internationally after judges ruled the neo-fascist Golden Dawn was a criminal organisation in disguise.  Tens of thousands people who had converged near the heavily guarded court complex in Athens in anticipation of the judgment roared in excitement as the news emerged. Many broke into spontaneous applause and punched the air as it became clear that the three-member tribunal had found the far-right group guilty of operating a gang of hit squads bent on eliminating perceived enemies. “ It’s official. Golden Dawn is over. The conviction is overwhelming, ” said Petros Constantinou, a leading anti-racism activist. “ The mood here today is resonant of the celebrations we saw with the liberation of Athens from the Nazis. It’s a great day. ” Wrapping up a trial that began in April 2015, the pres

globinfo freexchange   As we explained previously, what we see now in the United States with Trump, is a counter-attack by the part of the American capital against the globalist faction. The faction that is primarily consisted by the liberal plutocracy. Therefore, as the capitalist class splits, the capitalists around Trump are now taking with them the most conservative part of the American society, as they need electoral power. They have the money and their own media network. Their first big victory was Trump in the US presidency and this explains why the liberal media attack him so hard and so frequently.   The COVID-19 pandemic added more chaos in the ongoing civil war between capitalists and (as always), the working class is paying the price for the additional mess.   The DNC establishment fought hard, one more time, to get rid of Bernie Sanders in order to impose its own - fully controllable and fully dedicated to the neoliberal status quo - Joe Biden/Kamala Harris duo. O