Facebook is being accused of creating an entirely new level of censorship, deleting posts and whole pages, blocking content, and restricting access to news. The mainstream media has decried Facebook's censorship of conservative sites like Prager University and InfoWars. But Facebook also has deleted pages associated with Bernie Sanders followers and Black Lives Matter. What the media aren't talking about, however, is Facebook's censorship of pages and news advocating for the Palestinian cause or for peace in the Middle East.
Friday is Loud & Clear's regular segment on the midterms, taking a look at political races around the country in the runup to midterm elections in November. Jacqueline Luqman, the co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, which hosts a livestream every Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. on Facebook and Sputnik News analyst Walter Smolarek, joins the show.
A new tranche of US sanctions against Russia will take effect on Monday, including prohibitions on loans, weapons, and dual-use items. The sanctions will remain in place for at least one year. Brian and John speak with international affairs and security analyst Mark Sleboda.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has given Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg immunity as part of the investigation into Trump's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen. And Weisselberg isn't the only person granted immunity. National Enquirer publisher David Pecker has also received a guarantee of immunity. The noose appears to be tightening around the White House. But what is the thrust of the investigation now that it has nothing to do with Russia? Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books-"The Frozen Republic," "The Velvet Coup," and "America's Undeclared War," joins the show.
It has been nearly a month since a federal court ordered the Trump Administration to reunite separated immigrant families, but hundreds of children are still waiting for reunification. In fact, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, some 565 children are still being held in detention away from their parents. Juan Carlos Ruiz, cofounder of New Sanctuary Coalition, joins Brian and John.
Houthi rebels reported that Saudi warplanes attacked a village outside of Hudaidah in Yemen yesterday, killing at least 30 people, including 22 children. The dead had fled an earlier Saudi bombing that had killed 44 civilians. Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, joins the show.
It's Friday! So it's time for the week's worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his blog Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
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