May 27, 2020

Good News About Fake News: Twitter Is Labeling Trump’s Lies

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Twitter added fact-check warnings yesterday to two Trump tweets for the first time in history, a major move to curb his spread of lies and conspiracy babble, which could be the most encouraging news all…week? The world’s largest ego and lyingest president is being brought to size or at least facing efforts to do so. But should we rejoice? Or keep pressing Jack Dorsey on why he hasn’t banned or suspended Trump for repeated violations of terms applied to everyone else who abuses, harasses, and threatens users? Listen to Dorsey weigh that question and tell me if you think he’s right at recharge@motherjones.com: Should Trump get a hall pass because he’s a powerful world figure whose lies we need to record regardless of violations? Take cheer where you can: Fact-check tags begin.

More Recharge boosts:

Birthday strength. Yesterday’s news was rounded out by the shared birthdays of Lauryn Hill and Miles Davis. Hill did what she’s cherished for: educated the world, this time by encouraging a graduating class with words of wisdom before her birthday. Boost yourself with her live recording of “Killing Me Softly” from ’96, “Redemption Song” from ’99, “I Gotta Find Peace of Mind” from 2001, or “Ready or Not” from 2012.

Miles Davis’ birthday was celebrated just two days after the loss this week of Kind of Blue drummer Jimmy Cobb. Salute both with this timeless, replenishing recording of you know what.

Brushing up. Murals are popping up on boarded-up restaurants in Oakland and San Francisco in an organized effort to create canvases for artists. Check out Paint the Void’s Helice Wen.

Calling all kindness-doers: Remember the good landlord who canceled rent for three months and told tenants to keep the cash or spend it at local businesses? Here’s a pledge: Send your stories in this vein to recharge@motherjones.com and you’ll get a Mother Jones shout-out.

Start the presses. Newspapers are on financial life support, but a community turned up to keep one going: A librarian launched a weekly paper in Weare, New Hampshire, and when the librarian died and the library where it was printed closed, six residents stepped up to keep the paper humming. H/T to Recharge reader Dave Beard for the inspiring bite.

Spin the daily blog at motherjones.com/recharge, and make it shine at recharge@motherjones.com.

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AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

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