Month: February 2021

Russian media outlets linked to British state conjure up false story blaming RT for Amnesty’s downgrading of Navalny’s status

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Russian media outlets linked to British state conjure up false story blaming RT for Amnesty’s downgrading of Navalny’s status

Within hours, the news outlet Mediazona, founded by members of the Pussy Riot punk collective, published an extraordinary exclusive, duly translated by Latvia-based website Meduza. It claimed Amnesty’s decision wasn’t influenced by Navalny’s past statements and refusal to repudiate them, but in fact resulted from a sinister Kremlin-orchestrated “campaign.”It’s certainly been a highly effective deflection operation, with far bigger outlets – such as British state broadcaster the BBC – uncritically regurgitating the outlandish charge.

US Bombs Militia Targets in Eastern Syria, 17 Reported Killed

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

US Bombs Militia Targets in Eastern Syria, 17 Reported Killed

Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada are both militias under the umbrella of the PMF. Kataib Hezbollah denied any role in the Erbil attack or other recent incidents at US facilities.

“We absolutely did not target Erbil or the Green Zone and have no knowledge of the group that did,” Kataib Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Mohi told Reuters, referring to the Green Zone in Baghdad where the US embassy is located. Rockets were fired towards the embassy on Monday, but no casualties were reported.

Mohi said he wants the US to withdraw the remaining 2,500 troops it has in Iraq and believes detente between the US and Iran can lead to that, a sign that Kataib Hezbollah has no interest in escalating tensions. Iran has also denied any role in the Erbil attack. With the Iranians seeking sanctions relief from the new administration, they have no reason to orchestrate attacks on the US in Iraq.

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What Is ‘Moderate’ About Opposing a Minimum Wage Backed by 3/5ths of Voters?

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

What Is ‘Moderate’ About Opposing a Minimum Wage Backed by 3/5ths of Voters?

But however “moderate” such voters might be, they’re likely to support the measure. The latest polling (Quinnipiac, 1/28–2/1/21) finds 61% of the public backs a $15 minimum wage, with only 36% opposed. A 2019 Pew poll that broke support down by party and ideology found that even among Democrats (and independents who lean Democratic) who identify as moderate or conservative, a whopping 82% favor the wage hike, and that 59% of Republicans and Republican leaners who identify as moderate or liberal back it as well. On Election Day in Florida, where Trump won by 3 percentage points, voters also backed a $15 minimum wage ballot initiative by nearly 22 percentage points—which clearly undermines Manchin’s position rather than bolstering it.