17 Mar, 2023 19:56

Twitter pushed to censor ‘true stories’ on Covid – Matt Taibbi

A government-linked entity recommended an “Orwellian” crackdown on “vaccine disinformation,” the journalist reported

A government-linked academic group pushed Twitter to censor factually correct stories about Covid-19 if they risked “fueling hesitancy”about vaccines, according to the latest batch of internal documents released by the platform’s new owner, Elon Musk.

Published by journalist Matt Taibbi on Friday, the documents show that from February 2021 onwards, senior Twitter management – including former trust and safety chief Yoel Roth – signed up to a Stanford University initiative that would alert them to the latest “vaccine-related disinformation narratives”spreading on the platform.

Titled ‘The Virality Project,’ the initiative was led by aformer CIA employeeand comprised academics from several universities, as well as researchers from organizations funded by the Pentagon, the National Science Foundation, and the US State Department. The Virality Project also stated on its website that it “built strong ties” with the Office of the Surgeon General, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Homeland Security, among other agencies and departments.

In its briefings to Twitter, the Virality Project recommended that “true content which might promote vaccine hesitancy” – such as stories of side effects and certain vaccines being banned abroad – be censored. Posts raising concern about vaccine mandates were viewed as “anti-vax” misinformation, while “just asking questions” was deemed “a tactic commonly used by spreaders of misinformation,” and posting about the “surveillance state” was deemed a bannable “conspiracy” theory.

It is unclear how often Twitter acceded to the Virality Project’s demands, though Taibbi said that within a month, the platform’s staff began using the project’s recommendations when evaluating content to censor.

At the time, Twitter’s rules on Covid-19 “misinformation” required a specific post to be “demonstrably false,” while permitting “strong commentary,” opinion writing, and satire. The Virality Project, however, urged Twitter management to ban “repeat offenders” before they even made new posts.

Sharing the leaked emails of White House coronavirus czar Anthony Fauci could “exacerbate distrust in Dr. Fauci and in US public health institutions,” the Virality Project warned in a June 2021 briefing, while a follow-up report highlighted the spread of “worrisome jokes” about harassing the door-to-door vaccine promoters deployed by the administration of US President Joe Biden.

“As Orwellian proof-of-concept, the Virality Project was a smash success,” Taibbi wrote on Friday. “Government, academia, and an oligopoly of would-be corporate competitors organized quickly behind a secret, unified effort to control political messaging.”

Since purchasing Twitter in October and installing himself as the platform’s new CEO, Musk has been releasing regular batches of internal documents and communications in a bid to shed light on its previously opaque censorship policies. A tranche of files released in December revealed that Twitter censored “legitimate content” on Covid-19 at the direct request of the White House.

https://www.rt.com/news/573161-twitter-files-covid-censorship/

It seems at the 60,000 ft view we have a war of opposing forces, the more truth that comes the more disaster they throw at the country. 5D chess is a possibility but this a roller coaster. “They” gamed this out for years and the WHs gamed it out longer, who will win? Those that are faithful to God. Thats my story and I’m sticking too it!

17 Mar, 2023 17:17

Gold surges as US banking crisis rages

Gold prices continued to climb on Friday as investors turn their attention to safe haven assets amid concerns of further market turbulence triggered by the banking crisis in the US and Europe.

The precious metal has been extending gains since Monday, when it opened trading at $1,879 per ounce, to $1,936 on Friday afternoon, having started the day at $1,921.

Investors traditionally turn to gold in times of market uncertainty, to hedge risks. Throughout history, the precious metal has been seen as a reliable investment instrument during periods of economic instability, stock market crises, military conflicts and pandemics.

Investors are now ramping up gold-buying, seeking protection from the contagion affecting the US banking sector.

“The question on traders’ lips now is whether fear is baked in, meaning yields could pare declines as the dust settles, which could be a near-term headwind for gold, or if the turbulence is just getting started. Time will tell but further fallout could see gold move closer to February highs, around $1,960, with $2,000 then key above that,” senior market analyst at Oanda, Craig Erlam, said.

Leading US banks are teaming up to inject $30 billion into distressed First Republic Bank in the midst of a widening banking crisis triggered by the collapse of two other mid-size lenders, SVB and Signature bank.

Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo said they would each make a $5 billion uninsured deposit, while Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are each depositing $2.5 billion. BNY-Mellon, PNC Bank, State Street, Truist, and US Bank have pledged $1 billion each.

https://www.rt.com/business/573151-gold-price-soars-banking-crisis/

17 Mar, 2023 16:38

South American president faces impeachment calls

Ecuador's opposition has launched a second request to have Guillermo Lasso charged over alleged embezzlement

A group of Ecuadorian opposition lawmakers has filed a formal impeachment request against President Guillermo Lasso, alleging extortion and embezzlement from public companies. A previous effort to impeach the conservative politician in June last year fell short of the required vote, after the leader cut off negotiations with indigenous protesters.

The petition, which was presented on Thursday, was signed by 59 assembly members from the Union for Hope (UNES), Social Christian, and Democratic Left parties.

“The president is politically responsible for crimes of extortion and embezzlement,” legislator Viviana Veloz of the UNES party of former president Rafael Correa declared during the National Assembly session. “In this accusation it will be demonstrated how President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza participated in a structure of corruption to obtain benefits for himself and others.”

Correa-backed candidate Arauz leads in Ecuador election, comes short of one round victory

Should the impeachment process reach the final stage, 92 of the Assembly’s 137 lawmakers must approve it for it to pass, and the court system must also establish “judicial responsibility” to remove Lasso. Veloz said she was confident of legislative support due to “abundant” evidence to back the claims.

Lasso’s government has rejected the impeachment effort as a “destabilization” attempt by the Assembly. “This request completely lacks the political and legal elements which would support a process against the president,” the administration said.

Earlier this week, the legislature declassified a raft of documents related to probes into corruption at public companies, seeking to build its case for impeaching Lasso, though the names of the president and his family reportedly did not appear in the documents.

The Assembly approved a report earlier this month that accused Lasso of doling out positions with state companies and favorable contracts in exchange for bribes. The report suggested he could be involved in crimes against state security and the public administration. Lasso’s office dismissed the report as “an attack on reason,” arguing it lacked “legal and binding validity.”

Opposition lawmakers have moved forward with their impeachment efforts despite having failed to uncover any connection between Lasso and an alleged bribery scheme involving the Albanian mafia, Ecuador’s public electric utility, and Lasso’s brother-in-law, during a two-month investigation earlier this year.

Lasso, a former banker, scored a surprise victory in the 2021 presidential election against leftist rival Andrez Arauz. A former protégé of Correa, Arauz ran on a promise to stop IMF-mandated austerity programs and roll back the neoliberal reforms of Correa’s hand-picked successor Lenin Moreno. While Moreno had begun his presidency as a leftist following in his mentor’s footsteps, his subsequent hard turn right sent his popularity crashing into the single digits and he opted not to run for reelection.

https://www.rt.com/news/573146-ecuador-president-impeachment-corruption/

No wonder so many illegals come here, the citizens are never helped

Anons I contributed to Priests for Life to stop abortion.

They sent me this “A Prayer to End Abortion”. Since all us support life and saving babies from abortion, I thought I’d post it.

Join in the prayer

I contributed to Priests for Life to end abortion. Since anons love and support life and babies, I’m posting the prayer they sent me.

Pray for the Unborn