(ANTIMEDIA) The front pages of most major U.S. news outlets are currently dominated by one topic: Melania Trump’s recent speech during the opening night of the Republican National Convention. What started out as a well-received talk by the potential first lady has turned into a firestorm of criticism as establishment media outlets point out that her speech was rife with apparent plagiarism.

For most of us who are paying attention, this should not come as a surprise; and though the controversy is undoubtedly important given that it highlights, once again, the incredible facade American politics has become, the fact is the flurry of media attention toward it is likely tearing your attention from other pressing stories.

Here are five developments you might have missed while the sophisticated juggernaut that is the corporate media obsessed over Melania Trump:

1. The United Kingdom’s newly-appointed Prime Minister, Theresa May, announced in Parliament she would not hesitate to authorize a nuclear strike that “could kill hundreds of thousands of men, women and children.” May added, “[A]nd I have to say to the honorable gentleman the whole point of a deterrent is that our enemies need to know that we would be prepared to use it…” Given that militant jihadists would typically welcome a nuclear holocaust, this statement reveals who the U.S.-U.K. ruling class is willing to use their nuclear deterrence against.

2. This week alone, U.S.-led air strikes in Syria have reportedly killed at least 85 civilians. At least eleven of those killed were children. Airwars, “a collaborative, not-for-profit transparency project aimed both at tracking and archiving the international air war against Islamic State and other groups, in both Iraq and Syria,” said this has been the “worst week” for civilian deaths since the U.S.-coalition began conducting aerial warfare inside Syria approximately two years ago.

The U.S. coalition has remained relatively quiet on this front, merely stating they will investigate the allegations. The United States is still yet to provide compensation to the victims of its airstrikes inside Syria, according to the leader of the Syrian Civil Defense Force, Raed Saleh.

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3. Turkey has launched a major crackdown on dissidents inside the country following a failed military coup attempt that has seen President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emerge as the victor in more ways than one. Following the failed coup, Turkey reportedly detained or suspended as many as 50,000 government employees throughout the nation; this includes the suspensions of thousands of police officers and a systematic purge of the armed forces and the judiciary. The 50,000 figure also includes an attack on the education system; the Turkish president has requested the resignation of all 1,577 university deans and has canceled the licenses of some 21,000 private school teachers. Sounds democratic.

4. Video footage has emerged of a U.S.-backed rebel group beheading a child—reportedly as young as ten years old—in the Aleppo province of Syria. The Palestinian boy, who was captured from the Ein El Tal area, an unofficial Palestinian refugee camp, was accused of being a pro-Assad fighter. The videos appear to show the rebels taunting him before they ultimately cut his head from his body. The emergence of the footage once again puts to rest the idea that the U.S. is backing any “moderate” opposition within Syria, as Anti-Media has reported numerous times.

5. Following the recent blowback against American police officers, which has seen civilians directly firing on law enforcement, officers around the country are set to adjust their strategy. They intend to change tactics and adopt measures that will guard against events like as the recent Baton Rouge shooting; to wit, a police captain had just been shot in Kansas City, Kansas at the time of this article’s publication, further bolstering the growing belief that police should rethink their strategies.

These new tactics include making sure two cars respond to all calls, pairing up officers, suspending solo patrols, increasing surveillance, and increasing the number of helicopters that fly above cities. Note that none of these strategies acknowledge the public’s request that American cops refrain from summarily executing unarmed civilians in broad daylight, fuelling centuries of racial tension, and laying the groundwork for an all-out civil war.

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The current Melania Trump narrative highlights some of the grossest aspects of modern-day American politics—namely that U.S. elections have become a circus with the purpose of entertaining those of us with a television set. The media’s fervent focus on this story demonstrates this fact.

However, when a magician wants to show you a trick with his right hand, it’s important to keep at least one eye focused on the left one to be sure you’re not missing anything.

This article (5 Stories That Were Missed While Everyone Was Talking About Melania Trump’s Speech) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Darius Shahtahmasebi and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11 pm Eastern/8 pm Pacific. Image credit: marcn. If you spot a typo, please email the error and name of the article at edits@theantimedia.org.