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Rock legend vows to yank music off Amazon over Jeff Bezos’ support of Trump

Rock legend Neil Young took a swipe at Amazon this week over its support of President Donald Trump’s administration and vowed to yank his music off the e-commerce website. Young wrote on his website that the “time is here.” “FORGET AMAZON. Soon my music will not be there. It is easy to buy local. Support your community. Go to the local store. Don’t go back to the big corporations who have sold out America,” he railed. Young, 79, continued, “We all have to give up something to save America from the Corporate Control Age it is entering. They need you to buy from them. Don’t. They shut down our government[,] your income[,] your safety[,] your family’s health security. Take America Back together, stop buying from the big corporations[,] support local business. Do the right thing. Show who you are.” Elsewhere, he told visitor to forget Whole Foods and Facebook as well. “BEZOS SUPPORTS THIS GOVERNMENT,” wrote Young.

via rawstory: Rock legend vows to yank music off Amazon over Jeff Bezos’ support of Trump

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‘We’re fighting for you!’ Podcaster Ben Meiselas on taking on the Maga media – and winning the ratings battle

His channel, MeidasTouch, puts out 15 videos a day exposing Republican failings – and it is getting bigger audiences than Joe Rogan’s. Is this the champion the American left has been waiting for? Ben Meiselas is a very busy man. So busy, he has to break off halfway through our interview to conduct an interview of his own, for his next broadcast. It’s 7am Los Angeles time when we meet via video call, and Meiselas is already well into another 18-hour day of podcasting, planning, interviewing, meetings and more besides. His “pro-democracy” channel MeidasTouch, which he runs with his younger brothers Jordan and Brett, puts out 15 or more videos a day, most of them presented by Meiselas himself. “I was doing another video before this,” he says, “and so by now I’ve already released one video I did last night, which was my 4am, and now I just worked on my 7am – it’ll get released any minute now. And then I’ll have an 8.30, a 10, an 11.30 …” The prolific output is part of the reason The MeidasTouch has become one of the most listened-to podcasts in the US, routinely beating the mighty Joe Rogan in both video and audio, and even overtaking Fox News in YouTube views. Rogan and others in the right-leaning podcast manosphere are thought to have swung the 2024 election in Donald Trump’s favour, prompting much soul-searching on the American left about its media game, and why they need a Joe Rogan of their own; MeidasTouch seems to have stepped in to fill the void. That void extends far beyond just podcasting, in Meiselas’s view. He is appalled at how the US media has reacted since Trump came to power. “It’s a total capitulation,” he says. “They’re either corporate news – like cable news, [which is] just completely both-sides-ing the issues and intentionally ignoring critical, existential things – or they’re just outright state regime media à la North Korea and Russia: Fox News, OAN [One America News], Newsmax … All of these corporations are run by rightwing oligarchs; they are tools to ingratiate themselves with the regime for other benefits and other business interests.” The spectacle of CEOs and podcast bros alike “kissing the ring” at Trump’s inauguration cemented this impression early on. As counter-programming, Meiselas broadcast four hours of cute puppies and kittens, raising funds for the Humane Society.

via guardian: ‘We’re fighting for you!’ Podcaster Ben Meiselas on taking on the Maga media – and winning the ratings battle

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A Devilish Photo of Trump Sparks an Online Firestorm

This marks the second time the president has been snapped appearing to have “devil horns.” A photo of President Donald Trump, which makes him look like he has “devil horns” poking out of his head, is sparking online furor. The image taken at a Thursday Cabinet meeting shows the president sitting in front of an illuminated golden eagle, with its wings creating the illusion that he’s donning a pair of horns. JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images Jim Watson, a photojournalist who formerly worked as a U.S. Navy photographer, captured the image of the president with high-ranking Trump administration officials following the Israel-Hamas peace deal. It started going viral after Keith Edwards, a political strategist, shared it on X. Edwards, who’s interviewed politicians like Gov. Tim Walz and Pete Buttigieg, wrote in the caption, “new picture of trump with devil horns just dropped.” Several people have weighed in on the photograph, which also shows Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sitting on either side of the president.

via daily beast: A Devilish Photo of Trump Sparks an Online Firestorm

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Russische Ölwirtschaft: Jetzt kommt die Vergeltung

Lange terrorisierte Russland die Ukraine mit Angriffen gegen die Energieinfrastruktur. Nun schlägt das Land zurück und treibt Putins Ölbranche in die Krise. Es sind Szenen, die die meisten Russinnen und Russen bisher vor allem aus Berichten über die angegriffene Ukraine kennen. Erst heulen im russischen Belgorod die Sirenen, dann schlagen zwei Raketen im Kraftwerk der Stadt ein. Handyaufnahmen, entstanden am 6. Oktober, zeigen die Folgen des Angriffs: In zahlreichen Wohnblöcken der 340.000-Einwohner-Stadt bleiben die Fenster abends dunkel, Straßenlaternen und Ampeln fallen aus, ätzende Rauchwolken ziehen über die Stadt. (…) Besonders empfindlich für Russland sind bisher die Angriffe auf die Raffinerien des Landes. Seit Anfang August trafen ukrainische Drohnen mindestens 18 große Anlagen zur Ölverarbeitung. Dabei zielen die Drohnen vor allem auf die Vakuumdestillatoren, in denen das Rohöl zur Weiterverarbeitung aufbereitet wird. Fällt eine solche Anlage aus, muss der ganze Produktionsstrang stillgelegt werden. Die Reparatur kann Wochen, wenn nicht Monate dauern. (…) Weil vor allem Benzin in dem ölreichen Land nun knapper wird, halten Ölkonzerne ihre Produktion für den Verkauf in eigenen Tankstellen zurück. Die restlichen Händler ohne eigene Verarbeitungsanlagen bekommen schwerer Nachschub oder machen wegen der hohen Einkaufspreise Verluste. Allein in Südrussland haben deswegen rund 14 Prozent der Tankstellen ihre Arbeit eingestellt, zeigen Zahlen der Beratungsfirma OMT-Konsalt. Auf der besetzten Krim, wo es kaum Filialen großer Ketten gibt, war jüngst sogar fast die Hälfte der Zapfsäulen außer Betrieb. Wo es noch Benzin gibt, bilden sich mancherorts Schlangen. Um Vorratskäufe zu verhindern, begrenzen einige Tankstellen die Menge pro Tankvorgang auf 30 Liter pro Kunde

via zeit: Russische Ölwirtschaft: Jetzt kommt die Vergeltung

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Demokratie-Studie – Populisten dominieren Social Media

Demokratische Akteure erreichen laut einer neuen Studie weniger junge Menschen auf Social Media als populistische Kräfte – trotz großer Anstrengungen. Die Forschung gibt eine deutliche Empfehlung. Die Social-Media-Plattformen Instagram und Tiktok sind für junge Menschen die wichtigsten Vermittler politischer Inhalte – noch vor Familie, Schule, Freunden, Zeitung oder Fernsehen.Das ist das Ergebnis einer Studie des Progressiven Zentrums, der Bertelsmann Stiftung und der Stiftung Mercator. Die Untersuchung “How to Sell Democracy Online (Fast)” basiert auf der KI-gestützten Analyse von rund 31.000 Kurzvideos sowie Befragungen junger Menschen zwischen 16 und 27 Jahren. Tatsächlich sehen auch junge Menschen selbst die Gefahr, dass populistische Akteure über Social Media große Reichweiten und Sichtbarkeit erzielen: Viele berichten von ihrer Sorge, dass sich immer mehr junge Menschen von der Demokratie abwenden und dass soziale Netzwerke einen negativen Einfluss auf unsere Gesellschaft haben.Die Jugendbefragung zeigt eindrucksvoll, dass Social Media für junge Menschen in Deutschland die wichtigste Quelle für politische Informationen ist. Allerdings wünschen sich Jugendliche dort mehr Inhalte, die tatsächlich auf ihre Bedürfnisse und Interessen zugeschnitten sind.Social Media als wichtigste Informationsquelle74 Prozent der befragten jungen Menschen zwischen 16 und 27 Jahren geben an, dass Social Media ihre primäre Informationsquelle für politische Themen ist. Diese Quelle liegt damit noch vor Familie (58 Prozent), Schule (60 Prozent) oder Freundinnen und Freunde (54 Prozent). Laut Studienleiterin Paulina Froehlich kommen Jugendliche mit politischen Themen dabei eher zufällig in Kontakt.

via tagesschau: Demokratie-Studie Populisten dominieren Social Media

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Ana Kasparian Pushes Nazi “Happy Merchant Jew” Meme Live on TYT

In a recent episode of “The Young Turks,” co-host Ana Kasparian found herself at the center of a social media storm after a clip from the show went viral. The segment, which discussed surveillance overreach and the potential role of Jewish billionaire Larry Ellison, featured Kasparian making a gesture linked to the notorious “Happy Merchant” meme, a caricature widely recognized for its antisemitic connotations. Twitter Post The “Happy Merchant” image, originally created by cartoonist A. Wyatt Mann (a pseudonym for Nick Bougas), depicts a stereotypical Jewish figure with exaggerated features, often used to propagate conspiracy theories about Jews. The meme has been a staple in far-right online communities, particularly on platforms like 4chan and Gab, where it has been used to endorse ideas of Jewish world domination.

via jfeed: Ana Kasparian Pushes Nazi “Happy Merchant Jew” Meme Live on TYT

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Pope Leo tells US bishops to address Trump’s immigration crackdown

Pope Leo told U.S. bishops visiting him at the Vatican on Wednesday that they should firmly address how immigrants are being treated by President Donald Trump’s hardline policies, attendees said, in the latest push by the pontiff on the issue. Leo, the first U.S. pope, was handed dozens of letters from immigrants describing their fears of deportation under the Trump administration’s policies during the meeting, which included bishops and social workers from the U.S.-Mexico border. “Our Holy Father … is very personally concerned about these matters,” El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, who took part in the meeting, told Reuters. “He expressed his desire that the U.S. Bishops’ Conference would speak strongly on this issue.” “It means a lot to all of us to know of his personal desire that we continue to speak out,” said Seitz. (…) The pope questioned on September 30 whether the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies were in line with the Catholic Church’s pro-life teachings, in comments that drew heated backlash from some prominent conservative Catholics.

via reuters: Pope Leo tells US bishops to address Trump’s immigration crackdown

Pope Leo tells US bishops to address Trump's immigration crackdown reut.rs/4mQvdTF

— Reuters (@reuters.com) 2025-10-08T09:25:03Z
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