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Category: Politics

Elon Musk uses QAnon tactic in criticizing former Twitter safety chief

Elon Musk uses QAnon tactic in criticizing former Twitter safety chief

The Washington Post reports: Elon Musk escalated his battle of words with previous managers of Twitter into risky new territory over the weekend, allying himself with far-right crusaders against a purported epidemic of child sex abuse and implying that the company’s former head of trust and safety had a permissive view of sexual activity by minors. Musk told more than 30,000 listeners in a live Twitter Spaces audio session Friday night that he recently discovered that child sex abuse material…

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Iran carries out second execution linked to nationwide protests

Iran carries out second execution linked to nationwide protests

The Guardian reports: Iran has publicly hanged a man accused of killing two members of the security forces in its second use of capital punishment against anti-government protesters. Majidreza Rahnavard’s family were woken early on Monday morning to be informed that he had been executed and that his body had been buried in a lot in the local cemetery. Rahnavard, a 23-year-old wrestler, had been sentenced to death by a court in the city of Mashhad for allegedly killing two…

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Security expert calls for an international investigation of Germany’s Russia ties

Security expert calls for an international investigation of Germany’s Russia ties

Berliner Zeitung reports: Until February 24th Jessica Berlin was one of many experts on security and defense policy in the Berlin think tank sphere. But shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, Berlin put her work on hold to devote herself entirely to helping Ukraine. She vigorously promotes massive support for Kyiv. In an interview with Berliner Zeitung, she calls for an international commission to investigate corruption by German politicians in the energy sector. She talks about Angela Merkel’s fear of Russia…

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Ukraine can win the war. But the cost may be too high for the West

Ukraine can win the war. But the cost may be too high for the West

The Wall Street Journal reports: Ukrainian leaders have vowed to retake all territory occupied by Russia, prompting a debate over what would be necessary for Ukraine to win and evict Moscow’s forces. The answer is primarily military because Russia is only going to abandon its hard-won gains if its troops suffer catastrophic losses, military strategists say. Behind those talks about weapons and ammunition is a deeper political question as Ukraine’s battlefield fortunes rely heavily on the willingness of Western governments…

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White nationalists, other Republicans brace for ‘total war’

White nationalists, other Republicans brace for ‘total war’

Southern Poverty Law Center reports: A collection of radical right figures including white nationalists and ultranationalist European leaders gathered in Manhattan for the New York Young Republicans Club’s (NYYRC) annual gala Saturday night, where that group’s president declared “total war” on perceived enemies. “We want to cross the Rubicon. We want total war. We must be prepared to do battle in every arena. In the media. In the courtroom. At the ballot box. And in the streets,” NYYRC president Gavin…

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Elon Musk is a far-right activist — one tweet says it all

Elon Musk is a far-right activist — one tweet says it all

Charlie Warzel writes: If there’s one tweet that will tell you everything you need to know about Elon Musk, it’s this one from early this morning: My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 11, 2022 In five words, Musk manages to mock transgender and nonbinary people, signal his disdain for public-health officials, and send up a flare to far-right shitposters and trolls. The tweet is a cruel and senseless play on pronouns that also invokes the right’s fury…

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Is Dominion’s $1.6bn defamation lawsuit a death blow for Murdoch and Fox News?

Is Dominion’s $1.6bn defamation lawsuit a death blow for Murdoch and Fox News?

The Guardian reports: Rupert Murdoch rarely has to answer for the alternative realities presented by his hugely profitable US cable network, Fox News. Its conspiratorial claims of a parade of cover ups from the 2012 Benghazi attack to the climate crisis and Covid-19 have been lapped up by Fox viewers and scorned by much of the rest of America, and then the world moved on. But on Tuesday, the 91-year-old billionaire media mogul will be obliged to answer difficult questions…

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Climate change is driving millions to the precipice of a ‘raging food catastrophe’

Climate change is driving millions to the precipice of a ‘raging food catastrophe’

Georgina Gustin writes: If there’s a ring around the sun, it will rain. If the gude bird sings in descending notes, the skies will open. If vultures gather, the showers will begin. Everyone reads the signs, but they don’t mean what they used to. It’s still not raining. Jala Barako is 85, a grandfather of eight and a member of an ancient nomadic tribe. Today, wearing a pinstriped jacket, dark glasses and turban-like hat, he looks like the proprietor of…

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Peru’s ex-president faced bigotry for impoverished past

Peru’s ex-president faced bigotry for impoverished past

The Associated Press reports: When Pedro Castillo won Peru’s presidency last year, it was celebrated as a victory by the country’s poor — the peasants and Indigenous people who live deep in the Andes and whose struggles had long been ignored. His supporters hoped Castillo, a populist outsider of humble roots, would redress their plight — or at least end their invisibility. But during 17 months in office before being ousted and detained Wednesday, supporters instead saw Castillo face the…

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Preventing the collapse of biodiversity, demands the development of a new planetary politics

Preventing the collapse of biodiversity, demands the development of a new planetary politics

Stewart Patrick writes: The planet is in the midst of an environmental emergency, and the world is only tinkering at the margins. Humanity’s addiction to fossil fuels and voracious appetite for natural resources are accelerating climate change and degrading ecosystems on land and sea, threatening the integrity of the biosphere and thus the survival of our own species. Given these risks, it is shocking that the multilateral system has failed to respond more forcefully. Belatedly, the United States, the EU,…

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Grant Wahl just died in a region whose rulers routinely murder those who dare speak truth to power

Grant Wahl just died in a region whose rulers routinely murder those who dare speak truth to power

The reason why ppl are suspecting Qatar of foul play in Grant Wahl’s death is because Sharia countries have a track record of chopping up journalists in embassies, beating girls to death over hijab, executing gay ppl and atheists, etc etc. You made this bed. #SorryNotSorry. — Yasmine Mohammed 🦋 ياسمين محمد (@YasMohammedxx) December 10, 2022 NPR reports: Wahl had been critical of FIFA and Qatar during the tournament. In an interview with NPR, Eric Wahl said his brother didn’t…

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Zero Covid’s failure is Xi’s failure

Zero Covid’s failure is Xi’s failure

Michael Schuman writes: For three years, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, fought a remorseless battle against COVID-19. He called it a “people’s war”—a national struggle to defeat an unseen foe and save lives. The contest locked families in their homes for weeks, strangled the economy, and closed the country to the world. Other governments that failed to contain the pandemic may be indifferent to death and suffering, the message was, but not the Chinese Communist Party, which cares about life above…

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Russia launches new drone attacks as partnership with Iran deepens

Russia launches new drone attacks as partnership with Iran deepens

The Wall Street Journal reports: Russia launched fresh attacks with Iranian-made drones early Saturday over Ukraine, where the country’s southern command said it shot down 10 of the unmanned aerial systems, an indication that Moscow has replenished its supply of the drones as the two countries move toward what the U.S. has called a full defense partnership. Ukraine’s southern command said it shot down four Shahed-136 drones in the Kherson region, four more in the Mykolaiv region and two in…

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How serious was the Reichsbürger plot?

How serious was the Reichsbürger plot?

The Observer reports: The time to forgive and forget had passed, the grey-bearded man said in a heavy Bavarian growl, his back facing the turquoise Adriatic sea as he calmly gesticulated towards the camera. “Those people who bullied us, who locked us up”, he said, were about to face a reckoning in an “epochal upheaval” that would usher in a new judicial and political order. Change was imminent – a matter of weeks. “If everything goes to plan, we’ll do…

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Russia is providing ‘unprecedented’ military support to Iran in exchange for drones, officials say

Russia is providing ‘unprecedented’ military support to Iran in exchange for drones, officials say

NBC News reports: Russia is now providing an “unprecedented level” of military and technical support to Iran in exchange for Tehran supplying weapons for the war in Ukraine, senior Biden administration officials say. As part of the enhanced partnership, Russia may be providing Iran with advanced military equipment and components, including helicopters and air defense systems. In the spring, Iranian pilots trained in Russia to fly the Sukhoi Su-35, a Russian fighter jet, which the officials say indicates Iran “may…

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Iran hit with sanctions over first protester execution

Iran hit with sanctions over first protester execution

AFP reports: Iran was slapped with new sanctions Friday and activists called for fresh protests after the Islamic republic carried out its first execution over demonstrations that have shaken the regime for nearly three months. Mohsen Shekari, 23, was hanged Thursday after being convicted of “moharebeh” — or “enmity against God” — after what rights groups denounced as a show trial. The judiciary said Shekari was arrested after blocking a Tehran street and wounding a member of the Basij, a…

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