(2018-04-24). Twenty-seven Protesters Dead Amid Sandinista Government Crackdown in Nicaragua. Global Research After the Social Security Institute in Nicaragua (INSS) announced Tuesday a ruthless austerity package directed against the country's pension system, the largest protests since the Sandinista Front for National Liberation (FSLN) returned to power in 2007 have erupted across the …
(2018-04-24). Fox in the Hen House: Why Interest Rates Are Rising. counterpunch.org On March 31stthe Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate for the sixth time in 3 years and signaled its intention to raise rates twice more in 2018, aiming for a fed funds target of 3.5% by 2020. LIBOR (the London Interbank Offered Rate) has risen even faster than the fed funds rate, up to More
(2018-04-24). Pompeo Squeaks By in Senate Committee Vote. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists WASHINGTON—Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state, avoided a rare rebuke Monday as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee narrowly recommended him, but the [11-to-10] vote served as a warning shot to the White House as nominees to lead the CIA and Veterans Affairs are hitting stiff resistance. | Pompeo, who's now CIA director, received the panel's approval only after Trump's last-minute overtures to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. Pompeo's nomination now goes to the full Senate, where votes are tallying in his favor and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he looks forward to voting to confirm him later this week. | Trump has been quick to fire his top cabinet secretaries, but Senate Democrats are not so fast to confirm replacements. A grilling is expected Wednesday of Ronny Jackson, the White House physician nominated to head the VA, and Pompeo's…
(2018-04-24). Tribute to Robert Parry in Berkeley on May 19. Consortiumnews A tribute to Robert Parry, the late founder and editor of Consortium News, will take place in Berkeley, California on Saturday, May 19 at 2 pm. Details are on the poster below. We hope for a big turn out of… Read more →
(2018-04-24). Columbia University graduate students set to strike in New York City. World Socialist Web Site Graduate students at the New York City Ivy League university are striking after Columbia refused to bargain with the union.
(2018-04-24). Workers, students speak out against war, censorship and inequality at Detroit meeting. World Socialist Web Site The World Socialist Web Site spoke with several of those attending the meeting "War, the Class Struggle and the Fight Against Internet Censorship," held at Wayne State University on Sunday.
(2018-04-24). Final Portrait: Geoffrey Rush stars in affectionate film about Giacometti. World Socialist Web Site Stanley Tucci's film, set in 1964, two years before Alberto Giacometti's death, is about the artist's portrait of James Lord, a young American writer.
(2018-04-24). Teachers stage protests in lead-up to Arizona, Colorado walkouts this week. World Socialist Web Site The union is seeking to turn the walkout into a "lobbying" day at the state capitol and prevent the spread of teacher strikes throughout the country by channeling opposition behind the election of Democrats.
(2018-04-24). Saudi airstrike kills 33 at wedding in northern Yemen. World Socialist Web Site With the full support of the US and its allies, Saudi Arabia has been waging an unrelenting war against Yemen for more than three years, killing thousands of civilians.
(2018-04-24). Workers Struggles: The Americas. World Socialist Web Site The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
(2018-04-24). Australian unions impose sweeping job and pay cuts via "interest-based bargaining" World Socialist Web Site The IBB process is a new stage in the decades-long transformation of the unions into corporatist entities.
(2018-04-24). New Zealand: IYSSE and SEG hold meeting to oppose Internet censorship. World Socialist Web Site The speaker explained that censorship and the persecution of WikiLeaks was the response to opposition to war and social inequality.
(2018-04-24). London residents speak out on Grenfell fire. World Socialist Web Site Ten months since the inferno that killed at least 72 people at a housing tower in London, no one has been held accountable.
(2018-04-24). At least 10 killed in deliberate attack on Toronto pedestrians. World Socialist Web Site Police have said nothing about a possible motive, only that they have not definitively ruled anything out.
(2018-04-24). Australian and Chinese navy ships reportedly face off in the South China Sea. World Socialist Web Site International media outlets gave the incident prominent coverage, depicting it as a "Chinese challenge" to Australian warships.
(2018-04-24). India's BJP government imposes death penalty for child rape. World Socialist Web Site The BJP ordinance is an attempt to divert attention from the role its leaders in Jammu and Kashmir have played in shielding those who raped and murdered an eight-year-old Muslim girl.
(2018-04-24). Police descend on Georgia city, arrest anti-Nazi protesters under anti-Klan law. World Socialist Web Site Seven hundred police officers dressed in full riot gear and carrying military-style assault rifles protected a small rally of neo-Nazis from an anti-fascist counterprotest.
(2018-04-24). Accusations of UK Labour anti-Semitism see Tory-Blairite gang-up. World Socialist Web Site The debate in the House of Commons on anti-Semitism was planned as a co-ordinated attack on Corbyn by Labour's right wing in alliance with the Conservative government…
(2018-04-24). The slaughter in Gaza and the crisis of Israel on its 70th anniversary. World Socialist Web Site The number of unarmed demonstrators murdered by Israeli army snipers firing into Gaza has risen to at least 40, with another 5,000 wounded, 1,600 by live ammunition.
(2018-04-24). Starting Washington visit, Macron pledges endless war in Syria. World Socialist Web Site Notwithstanding the deep and growing tensions between US imperialism and its European counterparts, all of them are set on a course of escalating war.
(2018-04-24). Demonstrations grow in Nicaragua after Ortega suspends pension cuts. World Socialist Web Site Nearly 30 are dead and protests swelled yesterday even as the government announced it was temporarily canceling pension cuts.
(2018-04-24). US Justice Department officials may refuse to take action in 2014 murder of Eric Garner. World Socialist Web Site The Garner case was among the first to attract national attention to the ongoing and increasing police violence against unarmed and often innocent workers and youth.
(2018-04-24). US federal, state governments wage war on workers and the poor. World Socialist Web Site While Trump and corporate boardrooms celebrate the "booming" economy and the rising stockpiles of cash for the super-rich, they are seeking ways to gut what remains of the social safety net.
(2018-04-24). After mass layoffs at Ohio plant, UAW gives GM greenlight to hire lower-paid temps. World Socialist Web Site Just days after eliminating an entire shift at the Lordstown plant, General Motors announced its subsidiary at the factory will hire low-paid temps under a "memorandum of agreement" signed by the UAW.
(2018-04-24). Freedom of speech but no freedom of thought: Kanye floods Twitter with political and life advice. RT US News Kanye West is back on Twitter and he's getting political, dispensing thoughts and musings on Black Lives Matter, freedom of thought and capitalism, and sparking some controversial reactions. |
RT.com
(2018-04-24). South Korea: Don't Sideline Rights During Inter-Korean Summit. Human Rights Watch News South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivers a speech during a ceremony celebrating the 99th anniversary of the March First Independence Movement against Japanese colonial rule, at Seodaemun Prison History Hall in Seoul, South Korea on March 1, 2018. | © 2018 Reuters / Kim Hong-Ji |
| (Seoul) — South Korea should raise the dire human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) during the April 27 summit between South Korean president Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Human Rights Watch said today. | "As the UN Security Council has recognized, human rights abuses in North Korea and threats to international peace and security are intrinsically connected," said Brad Adams, Asia director. "Any long-term resolution of security issues on the Korean peninsula will require…
(2018-04-24). Russia's Internet War and its Collateral Damage. Human Rights Watch News Last weekend, I attempted to buy new sneakers online for my five-year-old, but Amazon's website was down. My husband wanted to look up traffic updates on Google, but Google search was down. I tried to check in online for my Monday morning flight, but the airline's website was down. Tanya Lokshina's own paper plane for Internet freedom. Moscow, April 22, 2018. | Welcome to Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation, where authorities are blocking millions of IP addresses. It's part of their war on Telegram, an Internet-based messenger, for the company's refusal to provide its encryption keys to security services. | Russia's state media and communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, known as RKN, obtained a court order on April 13 to shut down Telegram, following RKN's year-long battle with the company, which has close to…
(2018-04-24). Jordan: Biased Law Leaves Non-Citizen Children Adrift. Human Rights Watch News Children born to Jordanian mothers and non-Jordanian fathers struggle to get basic rights and services in Jordan. Due to a law that denies women the right to pass citizenship to their children on an equal basis with men, these children are treated as foreign nationals their whole lives, with no permanent right to live or work in the country. | (Amman) — Children born to Jordanian mothers and non-Jordanian fathers struggle to get basic rights and services in Jordan, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Due to a law that denies women the right to pass citizenship to their children on an equal basis with men, these children are treated as foreign nationals their whole lives, with no permanent right to live or work in the country. | The 64-page report, "'I Just Want Him to…
(2018-04-24). Bosnia Failing to Protect Asylum Seekers. Human Rights Watch News Asylum seekers and other migrants gather in a park in Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital Sarajevo, where volunteers provide them with food, blankets, and medical care. | © Emina Cerimovic/Human Rights Watch | When you think of refugees in connection with Bosnia and Herzegovina, you may think of people displaced by fighting in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. But today the country is facing a different kind of refugee crisis as it strains to safeguard the rights of a growing number of people from other regions who are seeking protection. | According to the UNHCR, 1,138 asylum seekers and migrants arrived to Bosnia between January 1 and March 3, more than the total for 2017. Most of them are from Syria, followed by Pakistan, Libya, and Afghanistan. Some are fleeing conflict…
(2018-04-24). Malaysia: 8-Point Human rights agenda for election candidates. Amnesty International Since the last general elections in 2013, human rights in Malaysia have come under attack. In particular, the government has failed to respect and protect the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by police has continued. Refugees and asylum-seekers, LGBTI communities and Indigenous peoples' have also experienced violations of their rights. One of the top items of the new governments' agenda should be to address the regression of human rights in in Malaysia and act on pressing concerns, including those in this agenda.
(2018-04-24). Cambodia: Open letter: Tens of thousands call for the immediate and unconditional release of prisoner of conscience Tep Vanny. Amnesty International On 7 April, it will have been 600 days since prominent human rights defender Tep Vanny was first arrested. Considered by Amnesty International to be a prisoner of conscience, Tep Vanny has been imprisoned solely due to her peaceful exercise of her rights to freedom of expression and assembly. Tep Vanny has never used, nor advocated for, violence during her peaceful activism defending Phnom Penh's Boeung Kak Lake community who were forcibly evicted from their homes 10 years ago. In this open letter Amnesty International calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Tep Vanny.
(2018-04-24. Colin Kaepernick: Ambassador of Conscience. Amnesty International …
(2018-04-24. CUBA 2018: TRANSFORM CONFRONTATION INTO DIALOGUE. Amnesty International …
(2018-04-24). Russian TV Interview With Syrian Boy Was Secretly Conducted at Army Facility. The Intercept An interview with an 11-year-old Syrian boy broadcast last week on Russia's main state-owned news channel, Russia-24, appears to have been filmed not in the boy's hometown, where a suspected chemical attack took place, but at a Syrian army facility where Russian military advisers were present. | The report, claiming to prove that video of the attack's aftermath was fake, is considered so important by Russian officials that Vassily Nebenzia, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, plans to screen it for the Security Council. | As state news channels broadcast the interview over and over, the boy, identified as Hassan Diab, was described as a crucial witness because he was first seen being doused with water in video recorded in the rebel-stronghold of Douma just after the suspected chlorine gas attack there on the night of April 7.
(2018-04-24). Syria Controversy: Don't Believe the Official Narrative. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists Truthdig writers Sonali Kolhatkar and Max Blumenthal disagree with each other regarding key elements in the recent reports that the Syrian government used chemical weapons in Douma. This is Blumenthal's take on the issue. | The post Syria Controversy: Don't Believe the Official Narrative appeared first on Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists.
(2018-04-24). Syria Controversy: Who Supports Assad in the Civil War? Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists Truthdig writers Sonali Kolhatkar and Max Blumenthal disagree with each other regarding key elements in the recent reports that the Syrian government used chemical weapons in Douma. This is Kolhatkar's take on the issue. | The post Syria Controversy: Who Supports Assad in the Civil War? appeared first on Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists.
(2018-04-23). William Shakespeare and the New World Order: "Hell is Empty and all the Devils are Here" Global Research William Shakespeare's birthday: he taught us never to despair in our resolve to confront the Lie. "to unmask falsehood and bring truth to light". War criminals in high office are celebrated as messengers of peace: "And thus I clothe my naked villany. And seem a saint, when most I play the devil." (Shakespeare, the words of King Richard III)…
(2018-04-23). A World of Peace? Towards a "Principled Foreign Policy" Based on Cooperation, Mutual Respect, International Law. Global Research The British and US governments have taken on the role of self-appointed global enforcers of the new world order, or rather disorder, that has emerged since the end of the Cold War. Far from solving issues like terrorism, their approach …
(2018-04-23). Students as Teachers: Facing the World Adults Are Wrecking. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists During the first week of May 1963, more than 800 African-American students walked out of their classrooms and into the streets of Birmingham, Alabama, to call for an end to segregation. Despite frequent arrests and having dogs and high-pressure firehoses turned on them, they kept marching. Their determination and ceaseless bravery — later called the Children's Crusade — was captured in photographs and newspaper articles across the country. Through acts of peaceful and defiant civil disobedience, these students accomplished what their parents had failed to do: sway public opinion in support of the civil rights movement. | Fast forward to March 24, 2018. Naomi Wadler, a fifth grader, is standing at a podium in front of hundreds of thousands of protesters at the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C. Young as she was, Wadler, who organized a walkout at her elementary school…
(2018-04-23). Online Column Omitted Concerns About Sources on Syria Bombing. The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good The column referenced an article by journalist Robert Fisk, whose findings are at odds with many reporters.
(2018-04-23). Fear of Windfalls. The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good Many residents in West Virginia are about to receive $525 because their water supply has been poisoned. How could this be a bad thing?
(2018-04-23). Progressive U.S. Senate Candidates Are in Short Supply in the Midterm Elections. AlterNet.org It wasn't easy, but we found three promising candidates to pay attention to during the primaries. | I had an idea for an article earlier this week: I would look at some of the candidates challenging incumbents for U. S. Senate, who are peace-loving progressives who would work to end America's incessant wars at home and abroad. Then I started researching the story. And I discovered even Our Revolution hasn't endorsed a single candidate for U. S. Senate. Sure, there are races to watch. Politico and USA Today have conventional, slightly outdated, lightweight guides, if you care to read them. But what seems to be boiling down in all of those races (and what mainstream media seems to be missing) is that the Democratic incumbents have failed at this season's catch phrase, "resist," and the challengers to Republican and Democratic incumbents alike seem. . .
(2018-04-23). School "Choice" Lurks Behind Arizona Teacher Walkout. The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good The state has become an experimental playground for an untethered, unregulated form of education privatization, and teachers and students are on the short end of the deal.
(2018-04-23). Progressive Candidates Are Pulling the Democratic Party Left, Whether the Establishment Likes It or Not. Truthout Stories Cynthia Nixon, a lifelong New Yorker, actress, progressive advocate and candidate running for governor, presented her Climate Justice Agenda on April 20, 2018, at the YMCA in the Rockaways. (Photo: Erik McGregor/Pacific Press / LightRocket via Getty Images) | Left-wing candidates are running on platforms of universal health care, racial and economic justice, and opposition to Trump. The result is an unprecedented level of enthusiasm among progressives in the run-up to the 2018 election.Cynthia Nixon, a lifelong New Yorker, actress, progressive advocate and candidate running for governor, presented her Climate Justice Agenda on April 20, 2018, at the YMCA in the Rockaways. (Photo: Erik McGregor/Pacific Press / LightRocket via Getty Images) | This story was published because of support from readers like you. If you care about maintaining a free and independent media, make a donation to Truthout! | Something about…
(2018-04-23). Here's Why 1 in 5 College Students Struggle with Anxiety or Depression. AlterNet.org From prescription drugs to technological dangers, students face a host of contributing factors. | Many of us think of college as a wondrous time of new experiences and great freedom to explore new ideas and find one's true self. In recent years, however, depression and anxiety have afflicted college students at alarming rates. As noted in the latest Center for Collegiate Mental Health report, anxiety and depression are the top reasons that college students seek counseling. Research shows that nearly 1 in 5 university students are affected with anxiety or depression. So why are these disorders so prevalent in our college students? As a professor of psychiatry and a practicing psychiatrist who has experience with mental health problems among college students, I see a number of factors. Dangers in technologySocial media and technology are among the most dangerous of these. . .
(2018-04-23). Earth Day: Conflict over the Future of the Planet. Global Research Featured image: Photograph from climate march in Washington, DC, Union of Concerned Scientists. | On this Earth Day, it is difficult to look at the state of the planet and the current political leadership and see much hope. In " Junk …
(2018-04-23). America's Far Right is Stumbling, But has Already Infiltrated the Mainstream. MintPress News On March 5, the prominent white nationalist Richard Spencer was scheduled to speak at Michigan State University. | The event quickly turned into a bust when only about three dozen people made it inside the building — while hundreds of Spencer supporters and anti-fascist protestors confronted each other outside, throwing rocks and punches. Local police arrested 25 people. | The next day, Spencer's lawyer Kyle Bristow resigned and quit the white nationalist "alt- right" movement altogether, complaining about the relentless vilification of his work in the media. | The Southern Poverty Law Center previously described Bristow as the "go-to attorney for a growing cast of racists." He'd set up the Foundation for the Marketplace of Ideas, which he once described as "the sword and shield" of the alt- right. Now the website and Facebook page no longer exist, and…
(2018-04-23). Trump's Moscow Travel Records Contradict His Story in James Comey's Memos: Report. AlterNet.org He apparently told the FBI director he never stayed overnight in Moscow. The documents say otherwise. | President Donald Trump appears to have misled former FBI Director James Comey about his trip to Moscow for the Miss Universe pageant in 2013, according to flight record obtained by Bloomberg. Though Trump reportedly told Comey that he didn't stay overnight in the Russian city, per the director's contemporaneous memos of their private meeting, the flight records and social media posts show that Trump stayed overnight in the city at a hotel. This development is significant because it undermines Trump's denials that the Russian government has blackmail material on him as mentioned in the Steele dossier, in the form of a video recording of him with prostitutes. The dossier's author, former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, said sources told him that Trump had been videotaped. . .
(2018-04-23). California Leads Nation in Pushing Back Against Trump Administration Health Policies. Truthout Stories By giving a monthly donation of even a small amount, you can make a big difference to Truthout's future. Sign up just once and read on, knowing that you've pledged your ongoing support! | These days, when the federal government turns in one direction, California veers in the other — and in the case of health care, it's a sharp swerve. | In the nation's most populous state, lawmakers and other policymakers seemingly are not content simply to resist Republican efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. They are fighting to expand health coverage with a series of steps they hope will culminate in universal coverage for all Californians — regardless of immigration status and despite potentially monumental price tags. | The Golden State embraced the health care law early and eagerly, and has more to lose than any other state…
(2018-04-23). This week in history: Protesting students occupy Columbia University. Article — People's World Fifty years ago, at the height of protest against the Vietnam War, the actions at Columbia University in New York City were among the most highly visible and effective. The Columbia protests erupted over the spring of 1968 after students discovered links between the university and the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), a weapons research […]…
(2018-04-23). Can an Independent Nationalist Become President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)? Global Research Alain Daniel Shekomba (image on the left) is in his forties, married with three children. Shekomba's background: he was president of the student association of the University of Kinshasa. Shekomba holds a master's degree in physics from the University of …
(2018-04-23). Unconditional Love for Israel, Silence for Palestine. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists This article was first published on Antiwar.com on April 17. | For a writer, any criticism of Israeli military action is a veritable "third-rail" in American politics. Touch that nerve and you're open to charges of anti-Semitism or worse. | Still, recent events in Gaza demand that some of us, at least, shed light on the plight of Palestinians. | Let us begin with a thought experiment: imagine dozens of unarmed, protesting Caucasian Christians or Jews—say, Israelis or Europeans—were shot dead by heavily armed brown folks, like, say Palestinian Muslims. What would we call this? That's easy: terrorism. How would the media cover such an event? Simple: extensively and emotionally, probably for many days. The smiling faces of the victims would be splashed across the screens of television networks from Fox News to MSNBC. | Heck, for proof just look to the…
(2018-04-23). Right-Wing Parents Are Now Freaking Out About Their Children's Comprehensive Sex-Ed Classes. AlterNet.org Hate groups are trying to terrify parents into embracing their bigoted agendas. | Motivated by a right-wing Christian "mommy" blogger, anti-gay hate groups, Franklin Graham, the Benham Brothers, Breitbart, and Fox News, conservative parents are keeping kids home from school today in a boycott protesting comprehensive sex-ed they are calling "pornographic. " Some, like the Family Research Council, are likening sex-ed to child molestation, using the hashtag, #HandsOffOurKids. We are uniting with parents across the globe to demand that our rights as parents be respected regarding the teaching of sexuality and sexual orientation. #HandsOffOurKids! #SexEdSitOut pic. twitter. com/VaLkUHUcKs— FRC (@FRCdc) April 23, 2018"Pornographic sex ed is being implemented across our globe in an attempt to indoctrinate our children with 'sexual rights,' " a letter parents are being urged to send to their children's schools reads, the right. . .
(2018-04-23). Poll Shows Support for Boosting Teachers' Pay. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists WASHINGTON—Americans overwhelmingly believe teachers don't make enough money, and half say they'd support paying higher taxes to give educators a raise. | The findings of the new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research come amid recent teacher strikes and other protests over low pay, tough classroom conditions and the amount of money allocated to public schools in several Republican-led states. | Tens of thousands of Arizona teachers voted last week to strike after rejecting an offer of a 20-percent raise, because it didn't include a vow from state lawmakers not to further cut taxes before providing more money for the state's schools. | "To educate children and barely get a living is obnoxious," said Elaine Penman, a company manager in Tucson, Arizona, who added she and others went outside to cheer on protesting teachers who were marching by.
(2018-04-23). Senator Tim Kaine's Brief Run-In With the Law. counterpunch.org On Friday, April 20, 2018, Senator Tim Kaine told an audience at the U of Virginia that missiles into Syria were illegal because not authorized by Congress, leaving everyone to imagine Congress could have made such a thing legal. Kaine gave a long speech on the legality of war without ever mentioning that it is More
(2018-04-23). George H.W. Bush Hospitalized With Blood Infection. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists The 93-year-old former president was admitted Sunday morning not long after the funeral of his wife of 73 years, Barbara. He is said to be responding to treatment. | The post George H.W. Bush Hospitalized With Blood Infection appeared first on Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists.
(2018-04-23). US Provides Military Assistance to 73 Percent of the World's Dictatorships. Global Research Selected article from the GR archive, first crossposted on GR in September 2017. | For decades, the American people have been repeatedly told by their government and corporate-run media that acts of war ordered by their president have been largely motivated …
(2018-04-23). Watch Sarah Huckabee Sanders Double Down on a Possible Pardon for Michael Cohen. AlterNet.org She decidedly refused to rule it out. | White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Monday refused to rule out a possible pardon for Donald Trump's longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen. During a press briefing, Sanders was asked about an earlier statement in which she said she wasn't "going to talk about hypotheticals that don't exist right now" in regards to the issue. CNN's Jim Acosta note that she "didn't close the door one way or another. ""It's hard to close the door on something that hasn't taken place," Sanders replied. "I don't like to discuss or comment on hypothetical situations that may or may not ever happen. "Sanders certainly does not rule out that Trump will pardon Michael Cohen pic. twitter. com/h8P3AWgRR6— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 23, 2018Sanders also remarked on Trump tweets in which he said he he doesn't think Cohen will "flip"
(2018-04-23). Selected Articles: How the US Engineers the "Truth" Global Research Dear Readers, | More than ever, Global Research needs your support. Our task as an independent media is to "Battle the Lie". | "Lying" in mainstream journalism has become the "new normal": mainstream journalists are pressured to comply. Some journalists refuse. | Lies, …
(2018-04-23). Trump Biographer Explains How President's Con on Voters Will Implode Exactly Like His Casinos Did. AlterNet.org We've seen this story before. | Trump biographer Timothy O'Brien has written a new column for Bloomberg outlining how President Donald Trump's time in the Oval Office is playing out much like his business career — but he warns that shouldn't be seen as a positive. O'Brien notes that Trump has succeeded in his life largely by using hyperbole and flat-out fabrications to fool others into seeing him as more wealthy and powerful than he really is. However, O'Brien warns that this sort of con eventually catches up with him, as it did when he bankrupted some of his own casinos. "Trump's love of the con — borrowing billions he couldn't repay so he could invest in splashy properties and projects he didn't understand — drew national attention and blanket media coverage just before the game unraveled in serial bankruptcies in the early 1990s,"
(2018-04-23). Political apocalypse for Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. Article — People's World And lo! a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. — Revelation 6: 8 Swung at full speed, a 20-pound sledgehammer creates around 8,500 pounds of force upon impact, crushing anything and everything in its path. I imagine that's what Missouri's Republican Gov. Eric Greitens felt as a […]…
(2018-04-23). Forgotten War Crimes: NATO's 1999 Attack on Serbia's State TV Headquarters "Wiped from the Record" Global Research Nineteen years ago, On 23 April 1999, a NATO missile attack on Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) headquarters killed 16 employees of the state broadcaster. | The forgotten war crime occurred during the Kosovo War (March 1999-June 1999), and was …
(2018-04-23). Mueller Views Trump's 'Dangling Pardons' as Potential Obstruction of Justice, Legal Analyst Says. AlterNet.org The president is talking about pardons an awful lot in recent days. There may be a reason for that. | Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating President Donald Trump's recent efforts to exercise his pardon power as a part of his potential intention to obstruct justice, according to former U. S. Attorney Harry Litman. Litman made argued that Mueller could consider Trump's use of pardons as a subject of his inquiry on MSNBC's "Deadline: White House" with Nicolle Wallace on Monday. "The indications are that [Mueller] is going to be giving a report that will have four different 'counts,' as it were, of potential obstruction," Litman said. "There's the Air Force One incident, there's the firing of Comey, there's the pressuring of Sessions. And the fourth is this dangling of pardons. "In recent weeks, Trump pardoned Bush administration official Scoot Libby for his crimes of lying. . .
(2018-04-23). The Senate's New War Powers Bill Actually Expands Perpetual War. MintPress News A new authorization for the use of military force proposed by Democratic and Republican senators would further entrench the United States in endless war. It would also streamline the ability of President Donald Trump and future presidents to expand the "war on terrorism" to additional countries and broaden a list of "associated forces" that are "co-belligerents" of al-Qaida, the Taliban, or the Islamic State. | Under the proposed AUMF [ PDF], which was drafted to replace the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs still in effect, military force against the Taliban, al-Qaida, ISIS, and "designated associated forces" is renewed. | On January 20, 2022, and every four years after, the president is to submit a report on the "use of military force," which includes a "proposal to repeal, modify, or leave in place" the current AUMF. | It removes some of the ambiguity previously…
(2018-04-23). Video: Carla Ortiz Debunks the Alleged "Humanitarian Mandate" of the "White Helmets" in Syria. They Work Hand in Glove with Al Qaeda. Global Research Bolivian actress Carla Ortiz debunks the humanitarian nature of the White Helmets in Syria, which is lauded by the corporate media for their unwavering efforts and determination to help Syrian civilians amid the ongoing crisis. But there is more than meets the eye. They are linked to al Qaeda…
(2018-04-23). This Is How We'll Survive After Robots Have Taken Our Jobs. AlterNet.org It's all about ownership. | Imagine for a moment that Uber drivers, rather than Uber stockholders, own Uber. That is one way to understand what a platform cooperative is. Uber is a company built on a software platform that connects service providers with customers. As a platform co-op, it would be owned by the people who provide the service, by its users, or both. Platform co-ops are the leading edge of the cooperative-ownership movement. They extend the cooperative model into the fast-growing "sharing economy," where they can help increase income equity in the technology sector. As the technology sector sends us hurtling toward a world of robots and artificial intelligence, "technological unemployment" becomes the threat as automation replaces jobs faster than we come up with new work for people to do. We will be left scrambling to find alternative sources of income for average. . .
(2018-04-23). A History Professor Explains Why Trump's Presidency Appears to Be Reaching Its End. AlterNet.org The president's administration is in worse shape than even critics expected. | The scandals surrounding President Donald Trump are metastasizing rapidly, much more than anyone would have thought just a few months ago. The investigation by Robert Mueller, now 11 months in duration, has been accumulating evidence of possible Russian collusion, obstruction of justice, abuse of power, violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution, and the corruption surrounding many members of the Trump circle, including his own children and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. But then the Stormy Daniels scandal, and other related shameful episodes involving other women became part of the equation, and the business dealings of Donald Trump in New York State were added to the complicated situation. And now, the seizure of materials and records of Trump personal lawyer Michael Cohen raises the ante on the troubles and turmoil surrounding Donald. . .
(2018-04-23). Country Singer Shania Twain Mocked Online After Trying To Take Back Trump Endorsement: 'You Don't Impress Us Much'. AlterNet.org On Sunday night, Twain took to Twitter to take back her Trump endorsement and apologized to fans whom she may have offended. | Singer Shania Twain over the weekend said that she likely would have backed Donald Trump's presidential campaign had she been eligible to vote in 2016 — a statement that she quickly regretted after sparking a backlash from her own fans. The Canadian Twain originally told the Guardian that Trump "seemed honest" compared to rival candidate Hillary Clinton, even though she admitted that he was "offensive. "However, on Sunday evening Twain took to Twitter to take back her Trump endorsement and apologized to fans whom she may have offended. "I would like to apologise to anybody I have offended in a recent interview with the Guardian relating to the American President," she wrote. "The question caught me off guard. As a. . .
(2018-04-23). Conflict Over the Future of the Planet. counterpunch.org On this Earth Day, it is difficult to look at the state of the planet and the current political leadership and see much hope. In "Junk Planet", Robert Burrowes writes a comprehensive description of the degradation of the atmosphere, oceans, waterways, groundwater, and soil as well as the modern pollution of antibiotic waste, genetic engineering, nanowaste, space More
(2018-04-23). Western-Backed Regime Change Looms As Armenia PM Resigns Following Mass Protests. MintPress News Western-backed NGOs have been heavily involved in post-Soviet Armenia's education system, community and charity works, selling the public on the perception that Armenia's economic woes are directly the result of their corrupt, Russia friendly government. | The post Western-Backed Regime Change Looms As Armenia PM Resigns Following Mass Protests appeared first on MintPress News.
(2018-04-23). The Origins of Violence? Slavery, Extractivism and War. Global Research Featured image: Jan van Eyck (before c. 1390 — 9 July 1441) Crucifixion and Last Judgement diptych, c. 1430—1440. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York | "And the land, hitherto a common possession like the light of the sun and the …
(2018-04-23). History: Was Napoleon The Forerunner of the European Union? Global Research When Napoleon crossed the Neman River and said about Russia, "May its fate come to pass", could we call it aggression on Russia by a nineteenth-century European Union? Whatever you call it, with the exception of the Balkans, which were …
(2018-04-23). New York Politicians Seek to Make Highway Repairs Contingent on Placing Cops in Schools. Truthout Stories Ready to challenge injustice and spark real change? So are we. Support Truthout's mission today by making a tax-deductible donation. | Three state senators have sponsored a bill that will allow New York to fast-track the repair of crumbling highway infrastructure — on the condition that armed police be stationed in every school in New York City, public or private. | Democrat Simcha Felder joined Republicans Martin J. Golden and Andrew J. Lanza to propose Senate Bill S7867, which has a stated purpose of changing the contracting method for construction on the Bronx-Queens Expressway. | While there are many problems with the design-build method, it has broad support among politicians because it saves money and expedites the repair process. | Stipulating more cops in schools as part of an unrelated highway repair bill is a cynical political maneuver…
(2018-04-23). 9 Dead, 16 Injured in Toronto Van Attack. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists TORONTO—A rented van jumped onto a crowded Toronto sidewalk Monday, killing nine people and injuring 16 before the driver fled and was quickly arrested in a confrontation with police, Canadian authorities said. | Witnesses said the driver was moving fast and appeared to be acting deliberately, but police said they did not yet know the cause or any possible motive. The name of the suspect was not released. | Toronto Police Services Deputy Chief Peter Yuen released no details about the investigation as he announced the number of casualties. | Yuen said police were still interviewing witnesses and examining surveillance video of the incident as part of what he called a "complex" investigation. | "I can assure the public all our available resources have been brought in to investigate this tragic situation," he said. | The incident occurred as Cabinet ministers from the…
(2018-04-23). Starbucks Has a Racism Problem. counterpunch.org At a time when we have over a millions young high school and college students march in the streets demanding a ban on assault-style semi-automatic rifles, and an end to mass shootings, as well as continued protests over police shootings of unarmed and all too often black or latino young people, it might seem trivial More
(2018-04-23). Commemorating the Independence of Venezuela. Global Research The main reason that brings us here today is to speak about Independence and its related notion of sovereignty. But why are we on the street to speak about such important values? | The reason is that we are speaking of …
(2018-04-23). Girls Reduced to Being Repositories of Communal and Religious Identities in Kashmir. counterpunch.org Women in Jammu and Kashmir have been living in an unendurable atmosphere for a while now created by the acrimonious implementation of draconian laws. Indian paramilitary forces, militants, and mercenaries have unleashed indiscriminate violence in the state, which has metamorphosed the legendary beauty of Kashmir into an intolerable inferno of bottomless perdition. The law of More
(2018-04-23). Net Neutrality's Slow and Insidious Death Officially Begins Today. Truthout Stories Proponents of an open and unregulated internet attend a news conference at the US Capitol February 27, 2018, in Washington, DC. (Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images) | Corporate media cannot be relied upon to bring you the truth about the Trump-Pence administration or the people organizing to resist it. Will you support Truthout's independent journalism with a tax-deductible donation? | Today is the day that net neutrality's " slow and insidious" death at the hands of the Republican-controlled FCC officially begins, and Congress is facing urgent pressure to save the open internet before it's too late. | With Monday marking 60 days after the FCC's net neutrality repeal entered the Federal Register, parts of the GOP-crafted plan — spearheaded by agency chair and former Verizon lawyer Ajit Pai — will now slowly begin taking effect, while some…
(2018-04-23). The 'Mad Dog' Speaks: Mattis Drops Syria Chemical Weapons Bombshell: "We Have No Evidence" Global Research From Inter Press News Agency comes news that those with a critical and questioning mind, knew all along when it came to the pretext for bombing Syria due to the alleged and suspected use of chemical weapons by the Syrian …
(2018-04-23). Canary in the Coal Pond. Truthout Stories New reports provide an unprecedented look at contaminants leaking from coal ash ponds and landfills. But the chasm between information and environmental protection may deepen thanks to a proposed Trump administration rollback that would weaken requirements for polluting power plants.Coal ash slurry pours into the first of two settling ponds adjacent to the Riverbend Steam Station on Mountain Island Lake in Gaston County, North Carolina, January 23, 2008. (Photo: Jeff Willhelm / Charlotte Observer / MCT via Getty Images) | In tests conducted in late 2017, one in three coal-fired power plants nationwide detected "statistically significant" amounts of contaminants, including harmful chemicals like arsenic, in the groundwater around their facilities. | This information, which utility companies had to post on their websites in March, became public for the first time under an Obama-era environmental rule regulating coal ash, the waste generated from burning…
(2018-04-23). Mike Pompeo Facing Rare Opposition From Senate Panel. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, is facing serious opposition before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which may not have enough votes to recommend him for confirmation because all Democrats, and at least one Republican, have said they will oppose him. | The full Senate is still expected to consider Pompeo's nomination later this week. But the rare rebuke expected from the panel Monday, even after Pompeo's recent visit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, would be the first time in years that a nominee for the high-level Cabinet position did not receive a favorable committee vote. | Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., the chairman of the committee, blamed partisan politics for opposition to Pompeo, now the CIA director, saying Pompeo is just as qualified as past secretaries of state nominees Hillary Clinton or John Kerry, both of whom…
(2018-04-23). The Moral Mask. counterpunch.org It feels as if world events are in overdrive, and sometimes it's hard to escape the thought that that there is no longer much point in trying to analyse, or make sense of, a trajectory increasingly out of control. I see little evidence that those of us in the segment of the world political spectrum More
(2018-04-23). Chemical Madness! counterpunch.org All of humanity currently risks exposure to toxic chemicals all over creation in a similar vein to the Mad Hatter of Alice in Wonderland fame. And, maybe, as a result, goin' kinda looney and getting horribly, dreadfully sick! As soon as the Spring of 2018, the EPA will decide whether to risk the slaughter of More
(2018-04-23). Israelis Continue to Open Fire on Gaza Protestors: An Eyewitness Account. Consortiumnews An Interview with Gaza-based Palestinian Journalist, Wafa Al-Udaini By Dennis J Bernstein According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), the Palestinian death toll since March 30, 2018 "has risen to 33, including 4 children and 1 photojournalist, and… Read more →
(2018-04-23). Political Unrest in Saudi Arabia? Gunfire Around Saudi King's Palace? Unconfirmed Reports. Global Research The Western media has casually dispelled the rumors of political unrest in Saudi Arabia. | There has been virtually no coverage of these unfolding events by the Western media. According to the National (UAE): Saudi state media dismissed rumours of political …
(2018-04-23). The JFK Assassination and the Attacks of September 11, 2001. Global Research Featured image: Picture of President Kennedy in the limousine in Dallas, Texas, on Main Street, minutes before the assassination. Also in the presidential limousine are Jackie Kennedy, Texas Governor John Connally, and his wife, Nellie. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) | The two …
(2018-04-23). Fox News Is Acting Like Sean Hannity's Personal PR Firm Instead of Addressing His Glaring Breach of Ethics. AlterNet.org The host is openly violating the basic ethical norms of his profession. | When news broke in open court that Sean Hannity was the secret third client of President Donald Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen, many raised concerns over his ethics because he had not disclosed the professional relationship. Hannity responded by claiming he had a right to privacy. But even Trump-defending frequent Fox News guest Alan Dershowitz scolded Hannity on his own show for the infraction. Now, as The Guardian has uncovered, Sean Hannity is the owner of almost 900 homes worth $90 million. These were all purchased through shell corporations that hid his empire. And they were financed through the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. Many are in low-income neighborhoods, prompting epode on social media to call Hannity a "slumlord. "The popular far-right Fox News host has. . .
(2018-04-23). The Great Day. counterpunch.org Last week, the State of Israel celebrated its 70th birthday. For days we heard about nothing else. Innumerable speeches full of platitudes. A huge festival of kitsch. Everyone agreed: It was a historic moment, when David Ben-Gurion got up in a small hall in Tel Aviv and declared the foundation of the state. Everybody still alive More
(2018-04-23). Trump, Corruption and the Crisis of the Global Elites. The Real News Network The first episode of "Unfit to Rule" examines the quagmire of corruption and political chaos affecting many governments around the world – most prominent the Mueller investigation of Trump; with Gerald Horne and host Paul Jay…
(2018-04-23). Why Are National Parks So White If They Belong to All of Us? AlterNet.org Public lands have a troubling history. | Only 20 percent of visitors to National Parks are people of color. As the broader conservation movement continues to struggle with diversity and inclusion, many worry that the Trump administration will only make things worse. Watch our video to learn about the troubling history of public lands and to meet the conservationists of color who are trying to change the parks' future. Related Stories: This Is How We'll Survive After Robots Have Taken Our JobsIs 'A Quiet Place' Actually a Window Into a Growing Cultural Problem? Watch an Ohio Racist Malfunction When Reporter Asks Which Side Won the Civil War
(2018-04-23). Reporter Suri Crowe Told the Truth About Climate Change — so Right-Wing Sinclair Broadcasting Showed Her the Door. AlterNet.org Climate change wasn't the only reporting done by Crowe were she ruffled the feathers at Sinclair. | Buzzfeed has the story of Suri Crowe, a Virginia reporter who dared to tell the truth about the human cause behind climate change. After her report aired, Crowe was criticized by management and ordered to "balance" her reporting. In one 2015 instance, the former news director of WSET-TV in Lynchburg, Virginia, Len Stevens, criticized reporter Suri Crowe because she "clearly laid out the argument that human activities cause global warming, but had nothing from the side that questions the science behind such claims and points to more natural causes for such warming. "The truth is that the groups questioning the science behind such claims have no science to back them up. What they have is a network of "institutes" that consist of nothing but publicity. . .
(2018-04-23). Gideon Levy: A Voice of Sanity from Israel. counterpunch.org I first learned of Gideon Levy many years ago, during a casual conversation with an Israeli human rights activist. He told me that he had asked Levy why was he such a serious critic of Israel's government and its policies with the Palestinians. Levy, whose own father was a German Jewish refugee who had settled More
(2018-04-23). Stop Letting Trump Distract You From Your Wants and Needs. counterpunch.org Eight days before Donald J. Trump took his presidential oath before a crowd whose size the president still insists on fibbing about, I wrote a column titled "Life Under Trump—What Happens Now?" "In a dictatorship, particularly where the despot is a megalomaniac in the vein of a Saddam Hussein or a Muammar Gaddafi, citizens obsess More
(2018-04-23). Tuli Kupferberg State of the Union. counterpunch.org
(2018-04-23). Palestinian Haneen Zoabi Discusses Feminism, Gaza and Life in Israel's Knesset. MintPress News Haneen Zoabi is a member of the Israeli Knesset and the first woman elected to the Israeli Knesset on an Arab party list. She's an unrelenting advocate for equal citizenship rights for the Palestinian citizens of Israel, and despite repeated attacks of all kinds, she remains unrelenting in her call for an end to Israel's occupation of Palestinian Lands. | Zoabi considers herself a straight up feminist. She says "real feminism must acknowledge the discrimination against Arab women in Israel, and real feminism must know to identify with and struggle alongside them, at the national, civil and social levels." | Zoabi joined forces with the Balad Party a year after it was founded in 1997. A key guiding principle of the Party is to maintain a one-third quota for women candidates. The party advocates for the rights of Palestinians, legally designated as 'Arab…
(2018-04-23). France's President Macron Says He Wants to Build "The New Syria" Together with the US. Global Research On April 22, France's President Emmanuel Macron said during an interview with Fox News TV that France, the US and their allies should stay in Syria after the defeat of ISIS in order to build what he called "a new …
(2018-04-23). Could This Device End the Use of Animals in Medical Research? AlterNet.org An "organ-on-a-chip" could represent the greatest potential for non-animal-based scientific advancement in history. | They're about the size of a computer memory stick, yet they could represent the greatest potential for non-animal-based scientific advancement in history. They're called "organs-on-chips"—and they just might change the way researchers model diseases, develop drugs and approach personalized medicine. And in the process, they'll save the lives of countless animals. Chances are, you've heard about organs-on-chips—at least in passing. These tiny devices have been getting a lot of attention lately, both in the media and within the scientific community. But what are they, exactly? Organs-on-chips are specially-constructed systems that are designed to replicate the structure and function of human organs. Each "organ" contains transparent channels lined with living human cells. Multiple cell types can be incorporated into these devices to better mimic the complex microenvironments of human organs. The. . .
(2018-04-23). Executive Who Oversaw Iraq 'Black Ops' Hired to Produce Anti-Qatar Propaganda. MintPress News A veteran of Pentagon propaganda operations was hired last year by a Dubai-based company to create a film accusing Qatar of links to terrorism, the Bureau can reveal. | Charles Andreae, whose firm Andreae & Associates was contracted to produce the film, used to work for PR firm Bell Pottinger. Whilst at Bell Pottinger, he helped oversee a $500 million contract with the Pentagon to run top-secret influence operations during the Iraq war. | The latest contract underscores growing concerns about foreign influence campaigns in the heart of Washington. While much focus has been on Russia's role in the US elections, Persian Gulf countries have also been spending large sums of money pushing their agenda to President Trump's administration. | In August 2017, Andreae, former CEO of Bell Pottinger USA, was given over $500,000 to produce a six-part film linking Qatar with global…
(2018-04-23). The Cautionary Tale of Donald J. Trump. counterpunch.org In the summer of 2016 I wrote a song titled "Not This Time," about an unnamed demagogue seeking power in America. The song concluded that the populace, while heading in that direction, wasn't in enough discomfort to elect an inept, transparent buffoon. My refrain hinted broadly that, instead, a descent into authoritarianism could well happen More
(2018-04-23). Rudy Giuliani and the Collapse of the WTC Towers on 9/11. Global Research Note: It is well known that Donald Trump as president has made many "excellent appointments" for people to be members of his administration — people such as Michael Flynn, Sean Spicer, Anthony Scaramucci, Steve Bannon, and Rex Tillerson. Now …