agence France-Presse AFP

CLIMATE FACT CHECK CONSORTIUM?

YIKES TRUMP ATTACKS AP THO COURTS BACK; KARI CUTS FOR OANN --> EARTH2 --> FASCISM NO SHARED FACTS

---

OMFG

mma

Kari Lake says Voice of America will push OAN content abroad. This is how network personalities discussed foreign policy since Trump took office.

Written by Jane Lee, Helena Hind & Isabella Corrao

Published 05/16/25

Trump adviser Kari Lake has announced that international broadcasting network Voice of America will include content from One America News Network, a pro-Trump propaganda network.

Since Donald Trump's inauguration, OAN personalities have pushed bizarre and inflammatory foreign policy commentary, including referring to Canada as “our vassal state,” calling Greenland ”the new Africa,” and pushing for a revival of “manifest destiny.” They’ve also run cover for Trump over his planned acceptance of a luxury jet from Qatar.

The Trump administration wants to feed content from OAN to Voice of America — after canceling contracts with existing wire services

- Kari Lake, senior adviser for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, announced that the government-funded broadcaster would be fed content from One America News, a notoriously pro-Trump network.Lake announced that the agency will provide “newsfeed services” to Voice of America, and to the Office of Cuba Broadcasting and Radio Martí, which distribute news into Cuba. NPR, [4/22/25, 5/7/25; Washington Post, 5/7/25]

- Voice of America, an international broadcasting network, is funded by the federal government but required by law to maintain editorial independence. NPR writes: “The … networks deliver information to countries around the world that lack a robust or free press. The networks are intended to promote American democratic values by broadcasting news that models independent journalism, incorporates political debate and dissent even inside the U.S.” NPR, [4/22/25; Society of Professional Journalists, 3/17/25]

- The government agency that runs the Voice of America moved to terminate contracts with The Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse. The AP reported that VOA staffers were told to stop using wire service material for their reports. Associated Press, [3/14/25]

- After the 2020 election, OAN promoted false claims that the election had been stolen from Trump and was repeatedly sued for those claims, ultimately settling the suits.The network repeatedly accused Smartmatic, Dominion Voting Systems, and two Georgia election workers of helping rig the election, with Trump even recycling one of the election conspiracy theories it helped mainstream. The network was subsequently sued for defamation in separate lawsuits and has since reached settlements. Media Matters, [12/16/20, 12/22/20, 4/15/21; NPR, 5/7/25]

## What One America News personalities have said about foreign affairs in 2025 so far

- Discussing the challenges of next steps for the Gaza Strip, host Dan Ball said, “That’s why Trump says maybe we need to relocate everyone, Jordan or Egypt,” adding, “And then you rebuild it. … It’s going to look like a whole different world in the Gaza Strip and the Middle East after this is done.” One America News, *Real America with Dan Ball*, [2/17/25]

fact checker

US student misleads on Arctic sea ice data to deny warming

Published on May 1, 2024 at 12:42
4 min read
By Manon JACOB, AFP USA

As the Arctic region continues to warm due to human-caused climate change, a social media post claims sea ice is higher today than 35 years ago. This is misleading; experts told AFP it cherry-picks data not representative of long-term trends showing sea ice extent in decline.

"The bad news for climate alarmists continues," says Chris Martz, a meteorology student at Millersville University of Pennsylvania, in an April 22, 2024 poston X.

"Arctic sea ice extent (SIE) is currently higher (14.062 million km²) than it was 35-years ago in 1989 (13.997 million km²), and is the highest it has been for the date in 11-years."

Martz accurately cites satellite data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), and compares two specific dates -- April 22, 1989 and April 21, 2024 -- to back his claim (archived here).

Image

Screenshot of an X post taken April 30, 2024

Sea ice is frozen ocean water distinct from icebergs, ice sheets, ice shelves and glaciers (archived here). The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has documented its decline.

AFP has previously debunked posts disputing that fact. Martz's claim is similarly misleading.

"Picking a single day from two different years is cherry-picking," Walter Meier, a senior research scientist at NSIDC (archived here), told AFP on April 30.

"The sea ice varies from year to year and from season to season. So picking a couple days from a couple or a few years doesn't tell us anything about the long-term change in the ice cover."

'Unprecedented rate'

Multiple studies have shown Arctic sea ice extent is in steep decline compared to historical levels (archived hereand here).

NASA data indicates that since 1979, Earth has shed sea ice at an average annual rate of 35,000 square kilometers (13,500 square miles) -- an area comparable to the state of Maryland (archived here).

Image

A graphic shows the change in percentage of Arctic sea ice from 1979 to 2023 compared to the period 1981-2010 -- with gains highlighted in blue and losses represented by shades of red (AFP / Valentin RAKOVSKY, Sabrina BLANCHARD)

"The long-term trend in Arctic sea ice extents continues to be downward, with many impacts to the polar environment and ecosystem," Claire Parkinson, a now-retired NASA climatologist, (archived here) said April 30, 2024.

Melinda Webster, a research scientist at the University of Washington's Polar Science Center (archived here), agreed.

"Arctic sea extent is declining at an unprecedented rate relative to the past centuries," she told AFP on April 30.

"Even when considering measurement uncertainties, it is clear that as atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations increase, global average temperature increases -- and Arctic sea ice extent decreases."

Seasonal variations

Arctic sea ice extent drastically fluctuates between winter and summer, peaking around March before melting and hitting its lowest point around September (archived here).

"This time of year is particularly not a great time to try to compare between different years because the ice that is melting is thinner, younger ice that is more prone to influence by the weather," NSIDC's Meier told AFP.

He said scientists typically analyze summer ice cover to determine the extent to which it is melting and how thick it remains.

"It is clear that the sea ice is much thinner than it used to be, even back in 2004-2007," he said.

Experts at the European Union's Copernicus observation program said in an email that sea ice extent for just the month of April was still lower than the 1981-2010 median (archived here).

Image

This screenshot taken April 30, 2024 shows a graphic from the National Snow and Ice Data Center illustrating Arctic sea ice data (National Snow and Ice Data Center)

The trend of declining ice further accelerates warming, scientists say.

"Lessened sea ice coverage means less reflection of the Sun's radiation and hence further warming," said Parkinson, who studied the Arctic region for decades.

The IPCC projects the Arctic region will see its first sea ice-free summer before 2050 (archived here). The changes have already led to a significant impact on marine life in the region.

More of AFP's reporting on climate misinformation is available here.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/france-probes-alleged-monsanto-files-opinion-makers-215448544.html

oppo

paris (AFP) - France has opened an preliminary enquiry into alleged illegal files put together for US pesticides maker Monsanto on the views and pliability of hundreds of high-profile figures and media outlets.

Paris judicial police will carry out the probe following a complaint by the daily Le Monde and one of its journalists, whose names appear on the list, the Paris prosecutors office said.

Two anti-pesticide NGOs -- Foodwatch and Generations Futures -- are also preparing to lodge legal complaints over the alleged lists.

The investigators will look into the possible "collection of personal information by fraudulent, unfair or illicit means".

US giant Monsanto allegedly had public relations agency Fleishman Hillard draw up the files on the opinions of the targeted people and media bodies on the controversial weedkiller glyphosate and on genetically modified crops as well as their propensity to be influenced in their opinions.

Figuring on the list are politicians, scientists, journalists -- including four from AFP (Agence France-Presse). Information was collected on their views on pesticides and on Monsanto as well as theirleisure pursuits, addresses and phone numbers, according to the France 2 public television channel.

Some of the names were listed under categories such as "priority targets" and "potential allies to recruit", according to reports.

France's former environment minister Segolene Royal, whose name was said to appear on the lists, said the allegation "says a lot about the methods of lobbyists... they carry out spying, infiltration, seek to influence, sometimes financially I imagine", adding that other companies are likely to indulge in similar practices.

Glyphosate developer Monsanto was convicted in the United States in 2018 and 2019 of not taking necessary steps to warn of the potential risks of Roundup -- their weed killer containing the chemical, which two California juries found caused cancer in two users.

German pharmaceutical firm Bayer, which bought Monsanto last year, announced last month that over 13,000 lawsuits related to the weed killer have been launched in the US.

There was no reaction late Friday from Bayer or Fleishman Hillard to the opening of the French investigation.

https://www.ecowatch.com/bayer-secret-list-of-monsanto-critics-2636999291.html

no lnx