TV News LIES

Left-leaning apps, news websites and social networks are experiencing a spike in engagement following President-elect Trump's election win, further dividing the internet along political lines.

Why it matters: It's not unusual for resistance media to rise in response to contentious elections. But the internet itself is becoming more politically divided than ever, driving Americans further into echo chambers.

Driving the news: Bluesky, an alternative to Elon Musk's X, saw downloads rise by 430% during election week, according to Sensor Tower.

• Usage of the Bluesky app in the U.S. grew by 519% in the weeks after the election, compared to the first 10 months of the year, per SimilarWeb.
• The social network's growth is linked to users "either leaving X or investing more time in exploring a promising alternative," SimilarWeb's editor of insights news and research, David Carr, noted.

More...

The director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza was injured in an Israeli bombing of the hospital Saturday night, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.

Earlier in the evening, Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya reported that a drone had bombed a fuel tank of the hospital, which is located in Beit Lahia.

Staff at the hospital were also injured in an Israeli bombing in the overnight hours into Saturday, leaving a dozen wounded.

More...

Trump could ultimately decide not to create a special envoy for the conflict in Ukraine, although he is strongly considering doing so, the sources said. If he does, he could ultimately select someone else for the role, and there is no guarantee Grenell would accept.

Trump vowed on the campaign trail to swiftly end the conflict, although he has not said how he will do it.

Some of Grenell's stances could give Ukraine's leaders pause.

During a Bloomberg roundtable in July, he advocated for the creation of "autonomous zones" as a means of settling the conflict, which began after Russia invaded Ukrainian sovereign territory. He also suggested he would not be in favor of Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the immediate future, a position he shares with many Trump allies.

Grenell's supporters note he has had a long diplomatic career and has a deep knowledge of European affairs. In addition to serving as ambassador to Germany, Grenell was also a special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations.

More...

Clear signals President-elect Donald Trump plans to make good on his campaign pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants in his second term has sparked concerns among some in Texas' business and economic sectors who say mass deportations could upend some of the state's major industries that rely on undocumented labor, chief among them the booming construction industry.

"It would devastate our industry, we wouldn't finish our highways, we wouldn't finish our schools," said Stan Marek, CEO of Marek, a Houston-based commercial and residential construction giant. "Housing would disappear. I think they'd lose half their labor."

Talk of a mass round up comes as Texas is booming. Texas cities regularly appear on lists of the country's fastest growing communities, and construction cranes and workers donning safety vests are common sites in most major cities.

That Texas relies on undocumented labor is one of the state's open secrets, despite Republicans' tough-on-immigration stances.

More...

A number of unidentified drones have been spotted over three airbases in Britain, the US air force has confirmed.

“Small unmanned aerial systems” were seen between 20 and 22 November over RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, and RAF Feltwell in Norfolk.

The USAF, which uses the bases, said it was unclear at this stage whether the drones should be considered hostile.

It also declined to comment on whether any defence mechanisms were used, but said it retains “the right to protect” installations.

A spokesperson for US air forces in Europe said: “We can confirm that small unmanned aerial systems [UASs] were spotted in the vicinity of and over RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell between 20 and 22 November. The number of UASs fluctuated and they ranged in size [and] configuration.

More...

Higher usage of personal care products among pregnant or nursing women leads to higher levels of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” in their blood and breast milk, new research shows, presenting a serious health threat to developing children.

The new study helps connect the dots among previous papers that have found concerning levels of PFAS in personal care products, umbilical cord blood, breast milk and shown health risks for developing children.

The analysis of data from 2,000 women is the largest to compare personal care product usage with PFAS levels, and the findings are “alarming” said Amber Hall, a Brown University researcher and study co-author.

“It’s not only getting in blood and breast milk, but it’s getting in there at high enough levels that we’re able to connect it with greater frequency of use,” Hall said.

More...

It is Friday night on a forested military base in western Finland. A group of women dressed in camouflage with matching purple beanie hats are sat in a dark tent discussing how their perspectives have changed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“I didn’t think it was a real threat that Russia would attack us,” says Sari, 42, who works in sales and lives in a nearby town. But then, she adds: “They attacked Ukraine. I saw that it is possible that we are next.”

The mother of two, who describes herself as a “realist”, was moved to join this weekend-long “surviving without electricity” course by her patriotic values, but she also wants to be more prepared with practical skills for day-to-day life. She is one of about 75 women taking part.

The decision by the international criminal court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, and Yoav Gallant, Israel’s former defence minister, for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza has huge implications for Israel and Palestine, for international justice and the rules-based global order that the UK and its allies are pledged to uphold. This unprecedented, necessary and impartial supranational attempt to prosecute democratically elected western politicians accused of grievous wrongdoing is a test the international community dare not fail.

Netanyahu’s reaction to the charges was to dismiss them as “absurd” and “antisemitic” and the ICC as a biased, politicised body. “No outrageous anti-Israel decision will prevent us – and it will not prevent me – from continuing to defend our country in every way,” he said. Netanyahu will have to do better than that. This case is not remotely about antisemitism. It’s not about Israel’s right to defend itself, which nobody disputes. It’s a matter of how it goes about it. It’s a question of impunity and justice. Netanyahu and Gallant should voluntarily surrender to the court and fight their case.

More...