Trump calls for naval blockade of Venezuela
wsws.org | 2019-08-20
The US president’s demand for a military option reflects growing desperation in Washington over the failure of its regime-change operation.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/20/vene…
Why the world is watching the fate of an Iranian tanker in the Mediterranean
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2019-08-20
The British, it is clear, seized the Iranian tanker at the urging of the United States. There was no previous British warning that it might enter in such a muscular way into the U.S. attempt to suffocate Iran. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/08/19/why-the-world-is…
Why the World Is Watching the Fate of an Iranian Tanker in the Mediterranean
Vijay Prashad | commondreams.org | 2019-08-20
The British seized the Iranian tanker at the urging of the United States. (Photo: Jorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/20/why-wo…
Jammu and Kashmir: the Legitimacy of Article 370
Nyla Ali Khan | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-20
Introduction The recent unilateral decision of Prime Minister Modi’s government to revoke Article 370, which guaranteed the special status of Jammu and Kashmir; dismemberment of the State, and its diminishment are flagrant violations of the sovereign Constitution of India. These maneuvers jeopardize the federal structure of India. The erosion of the rights and privileges of…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/20/jammu-and-ka…
Iran Praises North Korea for ‘Exercising Vigilance Against US’
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-20
The speaker of Iran’s parliament, Ali Larijani, has praised North Korea’s ‘intelligent’ approach to the U.S., and said that they have successfully resisted unilateral pressures, thereby securing their independence. Larijani also said that he hoped Iran and North Korea could increase their cooperation, since both are heavily sanctioned by Washington. | RELATED: | War With Iran Will Be ‘Mother Of All Wars’: Rouhani | “North Korean leader [Kim Jong-un] acted properly during negotiations with t…
telesurenglish.net/news/Iran-Praises-Nor…
Exploiting Russiagate coma, Democrats raped climate movement
Patrick Walker | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-20
Introduction: Some gallows humor: | Seeing the grave existential and political fix we’re now in, some gallows humor–a sophomoric old joke highly pertinent to my title theme–seems as good a way to start as any. | Q: What’s the difference between a virgin and a light bulb? | A: You can unscrew a light bulb. | Like the virgin of this admittedly sick joke (relic of more patriarchal times), the climate movement has been truly and royally screwed by Democrats. Given what’s at stake, a more appropriately inflammatory term is raped, and…
nationofchange.org/2019/08/20/exploiting…
Review: Russian revolution revered as trailblazing event in the developing world
Tony Pecinovsky | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-20
“Like a brilliant sun, the [1917] October [Bolshevik] Revolution shone over all five continents, awakening millions of oppressed and exploited people around the world. There has never existed such a revolution of such significance and scale in the history of humanity,” wrote a young H·ªì Chí Minh while in Paris. He had just read the …
peoplesworld.org/article/russian-revolut…
Tell Greyhound: ICE off our buses!
FIRE | workers.org | 2019-08-20
The call to action below can be shared and signed at bit.ly/ICEoffBuses. Fight for Im/migrants and Refugees Everywhere is a multinational, multigenerational and multigendered organization based in the U.S., seeking to bring together all sectors of society to concentrate on abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, immediately putting an end to . . . | Continue reading Tell Greyhound: ICE off our buses! at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/08/20/tell-greyhound-ic…
US-North Korea Peace Talks Have Not Resumed: Pompeo
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-20
The U.S. and North Korea have not returned to the negotiation table as quickly as they initially hoped, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday, but he added that Washington knew there would be ‘bumps on the road’ in the denuclearization talks. | RELATED: | Trump Designates Brazil a ‘Major Non-Nato Ally’ | “We haven’t gotten back to the table as quickly as we hoped but we’ve been pretty clear all along, we knew there would be bums along the way,” Pompeo said during an interview with CBS…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-North-Korea-P…
As Deadly Bombings Devastate Afghanistan, US-Taliban Peace Talks Continue
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-20
| In Afghanistan, a series of bomb attacks devastated restaurants and other public spaces Monday in the eastern city of Jalalabad, injuring at least 66 people. The explosions took place on Afghanistan’s 100th Independence Day, following Saturday’s bloody suicide bombing at a wedding in Kabul that killed 63 people, wounding around 200 others. ISIS claimed the attack, which was the deadliest this year in Afghanistan. The bombings came as the U.S. and Taliban are reportedly close to a peace deal a…
truthout.org/video/as-deadly-bombings-de…
Kushner’s Threat to Palestine: An Interview with Norman Finkelstein
Colter Louwerse | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-20
Norman Finkelstein is a leading authority on the Israel-Palestine conflict. While most observers have proclaimed Jared Kushner’s ongoing ‘peace’ initiative to be dead in the water, Norman warns that it may pose a serious threat to the Palestinians. In part 1 of this interview, I spoke with him about what we can expect from the…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/20/kushners-thr…
Make love, not war? Department of PEACE plan unveiled by Marianne Williamson, and Twitter loves it
rt.com | 2019-08-20
Democratic presidential hopeful and spiritual guru Marianne Williamson has revealed a proposal for a new “Department of Peace,” a project devoted to “ending the scourge of violence” around the world. Twitter felt the good vibes. | The proposal was rolled out on Monday night in a post on Williamson’s website, calling for a new cabinet-level department. The plan lists a lofty series of goals, ranging from addressing “white supremacy” and domestic gun violence, to developing “restorative justice programs” and “new structures of nonviole…
rt.com/usa/466918-marianne-williamson-pe…
Say no to the McCarthyite attack on Chicago teachers
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-08-20
As the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) find itself locked in tough contract negotiations and faces the possibility of a strike, corporate and right-wing media like the Chicago Tribune, Breitbart and others have launched a bizarre attack that seems like it is straight out of the 1950s red scare. Rather than addressing the real problems impacting teachers and students in Chicago schools, these reactionary pundits have decided the rant and rave about – of all things – a delegation of teachers that traveled to Venezuela earlier this summer. | Here are the facts of the matter. A group of teachers who are also members of…
fightbacknews.org/2019/8/20/say-no-mccar…
Biden’s Complicity in Obama’s Toxic Legacy
Peter Bolton | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-20
According to recent polling data, former Vice President Joe Biden has a two-to-one lead over his next closest rival in the Democratic primary contest, Bernie Sanders. According to a Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll, Biden has 34 percent support from registered Democratic voters compared to 17 percent who support Sanders. This will surely embolden those in the establishment wing of the Democratic Party who claim that a moderate, centrist figure like Biden stands the best chance of defeating Trump next year.
counterpunch.org/2019/08/20/bidens-assoc…
Julian Assange’s father warns WikiLeaks’ publisher’s health is “declining rapidly” in Belmarsh Prison
wsws.org | 2019-08-20
“The government will willingly sacrifice Julian’s well-being to the demands of the US and the UK.”
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/20/ship…
Kidnapper Shot After Hijacking Bus in Brazil With 40 Passengers
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-20
A man hijacked a bus in Rio de Janeiro with almost 40 passengers on board and threatened to set the bus on fire Tuesday. | RELATED: | Brazil’s Inequality Widens, Super-Rich Hold 28% of Total Income | Brazilian police confirmed his death after holding the passengers’ hostage for almost four hours. They also confirmed the safety of the hostages and…
telesurenglish.net/news/Kidnapper-Shot-A…
Basque Country: Over 13,200 Police to Be Deployed at G7 Meeting
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-20
France’s Interior Minister Christophe Castaner reported on Tuesday that over 13,200 police, gendarmes and military will be deployed to protect the next G7 summit, which will take place in Biarritz, the Basque Country, from August 24 to 26. | RELATED: | G7 Countries Take a Step Towards Taxing Big Internet Companies | More than 450 firefighters and 13 mobile emergency and resuscitation teams will also be part of the deployment in order to make possible public altercations. | At…
telesurenglish.net/news/Basque-Country-O…
Elizabeth Warren Takes Aim at Department of Justice
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-20
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for ProPublica’s Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox as soon as they are published. | This article was produced in partnership with American Banker. | Sen. Elizabeth Warren is demanding information from the Justice Department about actions that Trump administration officials took last year to reduce the penalties against two large banks that sold faulty mortgages to investors in the run-up to the financial crisis. | “These weak settlements send a clea…
truthdig.com/articles/elizabeth-warren-t…
Indonesia Curbs Net, Sends More Police to Papua Amid Protests
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-20
Indonesia sent 200 more police officers to Papua Tuesday and reined in internet speeds to “prevent hoaxes from spreading” as civil unrest persisted in some parts of the country’s easternmost area, officials said. | RELATED: | Thousands Demand Independence in Indonesia’s Papua Regions | Thousands of Papuans took the streets of the cities of Sorong, Manokwari, and Jayapura Monday, blocking roads, damaging an airport and torching government buildings. | The protests were triggered by th…
telesurenglish.net/news/Indonesia-Curbs-…
Monroeism is the Other Side of Jim Crow, the Side Facing South
Frederick B. Mills | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-20
Presentation before the Forum of Sà£o Paulo, Washington DC, on July the 20th, 2019 This Forum of Sà£o Paulo of Washington DC marks a significant step forward in building North-South solidarity on behalf of economic and social justice throughout the hemisphere and respect for the sovereign equality of nations. The Forum comes on the heels of…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/20/monroeism-is…
Emerald Garner Responds to the Firing of Officer That Killed Her Father
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-20
| Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer who killed Eric Garner in 2014 by using an illegal chokehold, was fired Monday and stripped of his pension benefits. The decision came more than five years after Pantaleo held Garner, an unarmed African-American man, in a chokehold until he dropped to the ground. Before dying, he gasped “I can’t breathe” 11 times. Despite outcry from the family and community members, Pantaleo had remained on the police force on desk duty since the killing. Last month, on the…
truthout.org/video/emerald-garner-respon…
New Calif. law is one of nation’s strongest to prevent police shootings
Marilyn Bechtel | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-20
On a stage packed with legislative and other civic leaders, civil rights activists and members of families with loved ones killed by police, California Governor Gavin Newsom on Aug. 19 signed one of the country’s strictest laws limiting conditions for police to use lethal force. The law, Assembly Bill 392, the California Act to Save …
peoplesworld.org/article/new-calif-law-i…
The NYPD Finally Fired the Cop Who Killed Eric Garner — but the Police Reaction Shows How Little Will Change
Natasha Lennard | theintercept.com | 2019-08-20
The decision will not alter the entrenched police ideology that allows for deaths like Garner’s — showing why reform will be slow and tough.
theintercept.com/2019/08/20/nypd-eric-ga…
New York Police Department fires cop who killed Eric Garner
wsws.org | 2019-08-20
The NYPD fired officer Daniel Pantaleo over five years after he choked to death Staten Island resident Eric Garner.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/20/garn…
Portland Anti-Fascist Coalition Shows Us How We Can Defeat the Far Right
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-20
| The far-right “western chauvinist” street gang known as the Proud Boys is already talking about a follow-up rally next month in Portland, Oregon, following their rally there on Saturday, August 17. | Local anti-fascist resistance is growing, however, and anti-fascist activists say they emerged from their counterprotest against the Proud Boys last Saturday with a strengthened and historic coalition of organizations that will continue to make fascism unwelcome in their community. | Portland…
truthout.org/articles/portland-anti-fasc…
Workers Struggles: The Americas
wsws.org | 2019-08-20
Hundreds of thousands staged protests last week across Brazil last week in major cities targeting the policies of the Bolsanaro administration, in particular those attacking education.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/20/wrkr…
Is Hong Kong Important? For Whom?
Daniel Warner | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-20
Hundreds of thousands in the streets of Hong Kong protesting the anti-extradition bill for now over ten weeks; thousands closing down the busy international airport; an influential British parliamentarian proposing to return UK citizenship to Hong Kong residents; Chinese students supporting the government and those supporting the protesters clashing in foreign countries; videos showing Chinese…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/20/is-hong-kong…
Lula: “U.S. hand” on everything that’s happened in Brazil
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-08-20
In an interview with Bob Fernandes, on TVE Bahia, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that the U.S. government “created the Lava Jato investigation to take our oil.” | Source…
mronline.org/2019/08/20/lula-u-s-hand-on…
Italian Leader Conte Resigns With Scathing Attack on Far-Right’s Salvini
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-20
The prime minister blames the collapse of his populist government on his deputy’s desire to gain “full powers” for his League party.
truthdig.com/articles/italian-leader-con…
China Warns of Reemergence of Islamic State Group in Syria
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-20
A senior Chinese official said Tuesday that there was a danger of Islamic State group re-emerging in Syria and called for progress in the political process between the Damascus government and the opposition to end the war. | RELATED: | Syria Slams US-Turkey Safe Zone, Calls it ‘Blatant Aggression’ | “There is now a danger of terrorist organizations like ISIS…
telesurenglish.net/news/China-Warns-of-R…
Pentagon Officials Eager to Present a Recovering ISIS, but Facts Don’t Support It
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2019-08-20
The Pentagon clearly wants this to be true, because they are using it to spin a US military withdrawal from Syria as dangerous.
Pentagon Officials Eager to Present a Recovering ISIS, but Facts Don’t Support It
Turkey removes HDP mayors amid impending military attack on Syria
wsws.org | 2019-08-20
The Turkish government removed mayors belonging to the Kurdish nationalist party as it plans a renewed attack on Kurdish YPG militias in Syria.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/20/turk…
Elections 2020: Warren and Klobuchar address Native American presidential candidate forum
Al Neal | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-20
SIOUX CITY, Iowa–“Over the past couple of years, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Elizabeth. We have spoken often of the needs of Indian Country, and she has taken action to address them, helped me get elected to Congress, and we’ve worked together to introduce legislation on affordable healthcare, pre-k education, and housing,” …
peoplesworld.org/article/elections-2020-…
Sob o “escudo” de mísseis nucleares USA na Europa
Mondialisation | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-20
A instalaàßà£o de mísseis da NATO em Deveselu, na Roménia, que faz parte do sistema Aegis americano de “defesa anti-mísseis”, terminou a “actualizaàßà£o” que comeàßou em Abril passado. Comunica a NATO, assegurando que “nà£o conferiu nenhuma capacidade ofensiva ao sistema”, …
globalresearch.ca/sob-o-escudo-de-missei…
Einstein’s Atomic Regrets
Karl Grossman | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-20
“If I had known that the Germans would not succeed in constructing an atom bomb, I never would have moved a finger,” wrote Albert Einstein in his 1950 book Out of My Later Years. He was speaking about a letter from his vacation home on Nassau Point on Long Island that warned President Franklin D. Roosevelt of a breakthrough in Nazi Germany in nuclear fission which could “lead to the construction of bombs, and it is conceivable…extremely powerful bombs of a new type.” Atom bombs.
counterpunch.org/2019/08/20/einsteins-at…
The fascist attack on Guardian journalist Owen Jones
wsws.org | 2019-08-20
The brutal assault on Guardian journalist Owen Jones must be taken as a grave warning of the dangers to the working class from the far right.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/20/pers…
“You can’t trust the government”: Flint, Michigan residents speak out on Newark water crisis
wsws.org | 2019-08-20
The lead-in-water crisis in Newark, New Jersey is evoking angry responses from Flint residents who have gone through similar experiences over the last five years.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/20/flin…
A Clerk’s Guide to the Unspectacular, 1914
Martin Billheimer | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-20
“There ain’t nothing to do…” — Dead Boys Now available for the first time in English, Jean de la Ville de Mirmont’s Sundays of Jean Dézert is a series of dryly comic vignettes in the life of a young Parisian petit bourgeois on the eve of the Great War. This kind of book describes a…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/20/a-clerks-gui…
Trump-Tied Operatives Register as Foreign Agents of Libyan Wealth Fund
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-20
| Michael Cohen’s former lawyer and the political strategist reportedly behind Donald Trump’s famous escalator descent launching his 2016 presidential campaign are working as foreign agents for a sovereign wealth fund managed by the government of Libya as it seeks to regain access to billions of dollars in assets frozen since 2011. | David Schwartz represented Cohen, Trump’s longtime personal la…
truthout.org/articles/trump-tied-operati…
Huge wildfires in the Arctic and far North send a planetary warning
Nancy Fresco | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-20
The planet’s far North is burning. This summer, over 600 wildfires have consumed more than 2.4 million acres of forest across Alaska. Fires are also raging in northern Canada. In Siberia, choking smoke from 13 million acres — an area nearly the size of West Virginia — is blanketing t…
nationofchange.org/2019/08/20/huge-wildf…
Calm and Conflict: a Dispatch From Nicaragua
James Phillips | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-20
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been in Nicaragua, beginning with almost two years in the country during the Contra War of the 1980s. This month, I spent another nine days in the country. Here are some of observations “from the Ô¨Åeld.” Things are calm in Nicaragua in some ways. There is little…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/20/calm-and-con…
Australian prime minister elevates pro-US militarists to top cabinet, intelligence positions
wsws.org | 2019-08-20
Shearer’s role will be to advise Morrison and other ministers on how to publicly promote the US-led preparations for war with China.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/20/shea…
Twitter’s new policy on ‘state-controlled news media’ should concern us all
Mohamed Elmaazi | thecanary.co | 2019-08-20
Twitter has announced an update to its advertisement policy which may reflect yet another assault on free speech by social media giants. On 19 August, Twitter declared that: Going forward, we will not accept advertising from state-controlled news media entities. | While this may not see…
thecanary.co/opinion/2019/08/20/twitters…
The Trump Administration Owns the Surge in White Nationalist Violence
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-20
Both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued warnings about the far right. New reporting finds no one wanted to listen.
truthdig.com/articles/the-trump-administ…
Behind Fiat Chrysler’s $4.5 billion investment in the Motor City
wsws.org | 2019-08-20
The investment of $4.5 billion by FCA in automotive manufacturing in Detroit is part of a global strategy predicated on further dramatic reductions in labor costs.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/20/fiat…
Nevada Casino Workers Fight to Save Unions Amid Owners’ Threats
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-20
Casino workers of Nevada, United States, are battling the owners to either form new unions or save existing unions from intimidation, busting, or retaliating against union members. | RELATED: | Shell Union Coerced into Attending Trump Speech, or Lose Pay | Owners of casinos, mostly billionaire allies of U.S. President Donald Trump have stalled recognition, delaye…
telesurenglish.net/news/Nevada-Casino-Wo…
Hepatitis A Races Across the United States
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-20
| Akron, Ohio–Just before the Fourth of July, Trenton Burrell began feeling run-down and achy. Soon he could barely muster the energy to walk from one room to another. A friend shared an alarming observation: “You’re turning yellow.” | Within days, the 40-year-old landed in the hospital, diagnosed with the highly contagious liver virus hepatitis A, which in Ohio has infected more than 3,220 people and killed at least 15. | Since 2016, the virus has spawned outbreaks in at least 29 states, starting with Michigan and…
truthout.org/articles/hepatitis-a-races-…
God, Guns and Video Games
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-20
The din struck by videos of the gaming variety; its forced causal link (always alleged, never proved) to altering conduct, continues its relentless march across the discussion forums in the United States and beyond. The almost casual butcheries — actual, not as opposed to digital — have gone on unabated, the next extremist taking a murderous shot at his role in history — and everybody else. Now it is the white supremacists who are sharing top billing with previous jihadi enthusiasts, a concession on the part of law enforcement authorities that there might be something to say about using the word…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/20/god-guns-and…
Toni Morrison: Beloved or Belovéd?
John Kendall Hawkins | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-20
One of the strangest-turned-ugly conversations I’ve ever found myself trapped in had to do with the pronunciation of Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved. Should you say it with or without the accent? I was beginning a new career as an English teacher overseas — in Istanbul — and was unpacking my books in my new “digs”
counterpunch.org/2019/08/20/toni-morriso…
The Mythology of the Stock Market
Dean Baker | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-20
The stock market enjoys a mythological place not only among mainstream media types, but also among many progressives. For some reason this measure of expected future corporate profits is taken as a measure of economic well-being. The fact that the media obsesses over the stock market hardly needs to be mentioned. If there is one…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/20/the-mytholog…
On the 10-Year Treasury Bonds
Elliot Sperber | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-20
On the 10-Year Treasury Bonds Unless there is radical change The 10-year Treasury bond Can be, with some certainty, expected To yield a world substantially hotter And far more polluted — In which the air is poison And the forests all are wrecked The oceans have no coral reefs left, Next to no fish And…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/20/on-the-10-ye…
Sotto lo ´scudo ª missili nucleari Usa in Europa
Manlio Dinucci | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-20
ll sito missilistico Nato di Deveselu in Romania, facente parte del sistema statunitense Aegis di ´difesa missilistica ª, ha terminato ´l’aggiornamento ª iniziato lo scorso aprile. Lo comunica la Nato, assicurando che ´esso non ha conferito alcuna capacità offensiva al sistema ª, il …
globalresearch.ca/sotto-lo-scudo-missili…
Bolsonaro Greenlights New Pesticides Even as Advocates Mourn Half Billion Dead Bees in Brazil
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-20
Pointing to the deaths of more than half a billion bees in Brazil over a period of just four months, beekeepers, experts, and activists are raising concerns about the soaring number of new pesticides greenlighted for use by the Brazilian government since far-right President Jair Bolsonaro took office in January—and the threat that it poses to pollinators, people, and the planet. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/20/bolsona…
Calling Out Trump’s Refusal to Hold Big Banks Accountable, Warren Unveils Plan to Overhaul Two-Tiered Criminal Justice System
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-20
“Today in America, there’s one justice system for the rich and powerful, and another one for everybody else.” | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/20/calling…
Leaked Audio Shows Oil Lobbyist Bragging About Success in Criminalizing Pipeline Protests
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-20
“We’ve seen a lot of success at the state level, particularly starting with Oklahoma in 2017,” said Derrick Morgan of American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/20/leaked-…
#PrayForAmazonia Goes Viral as Twitter Users Call Attention to ‘International Emergency’ of Fires Devastating Brazil’s Rainforest
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-20
“The Amazon rainforest has been burning for three weeks! We are on the verge of losing it completely if the fire isn’t put out. The loss of trees, the loss of biodiversity is what is accelerating climate change.” | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/20/prayfor…
Portland Rejects Proud Boys & Other Ultra-Right Groups as Trump Tries to Criminalize Antifa
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-20
A crowd of white nationalists took to the streets of Portland, Oregon, over the weekend for what they dubbed the “End Domestic Terrorism” rally. But they were outnumbered by a massive response from counterprotesters, who gathered across the city as police escorted members of the Proud Boys, Patriot Prayer and other right-wing groups across one of the city’s main bridges. Police arrested 13 people throughout the day and seized weapons but largely avoided “the worst-case scenario” Portland’s Mayor Ted Wheeler said the city was prepared for. Portland Police put more than 700 officers on patrol, with more than one co…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/20/portland_…
DHS Was Tracking White Supremacist Terrorists, but Nobody Wanted to Listen
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-20
No one listened when the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI sounded the alarm about the rise of white supremacist and far-right domestic terrorism, says former DHS intelligence analyst Daryl Johnson and Greg Huffman of Facing South…
therealnews.com/stories/dhs-was-tracking…
Stormont leaders clash over PM’s backstop demand
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-08-20
Political leaders in the north of Ireland have clashed over Boris Johnson’s claim that the backstop will damage the peace process.Sinn Féin accused the prime minister of “rank hypocrisy”, insisting a no-deal Brexit is what could endanger the peace, while the DUP said the EU had to accept that political unionism in the region would not accept the contentious measure.The Alliance Party accused Johnson of being “reckless and disingenuous”.The prime minister outlined a number of reasons for his demand for the EU to ditch the backstop in a letter to European Council president Donald Tusk.One of them was the ass…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2019/08/20/stormont…
Boris Johnson is ‘Britain’s Trump’: Corbyn
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-20
In a major speech outlining his policy on Brexit, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has slammed Prime Minister Boris Johnson as ‘Britain’s Trump’ and argued that Johnson will allow the US to destroy jobs and the health service if a post-Brexit ‘sweetheart deal’ is signed with Trump. | RELATED: | US Trade Deal Could Drag Britain Into More Wars, Austerity | Corbyn made the speech on Monday during a visit to the marginal constituency of Corby. At the event, he said, “Boris Johnson’s governm…
telesurenglish.net/news/Boris-Johnson-is…
Brussels rejects Boris Johnson’s call for Irish backstop to be scrapped
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-08-20
Boris Johnson has been rebuffed by Brussels after demanding major changes in a new Brexit deal. | The prime minister set out his call for the backstop — the contingency plan to avoid a hard border with Ireland — to be scrapped from the divorce deal ahead of the October 31 Brexit deadline. | But European Council president Donald Tusk defended the measure and warned that those seeking to replace it would risk a return to a hard border on the island of Ireland. | The backstop is an insurance to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland unless and until an alternative is found. Those against the backst…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2019/08/20/brussels…
Everything You Think You Know About ‘Free Speech’ Is a Lie
P.E. Moskowitz | thenation.com | 2019-08-20
How far-right operatives manufactured the “crisis” of free speech with books, think tanks–and billions of dollars.
thenation.com/article/portland-speech-mi…
Elizabeth Warren Has a Plan to Finish What FDR Started
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2019-08-20
Elizabeth Warren Has a Plan to Finish What FDR Started…
thenation.com/article/elizabeth-warren-e…
Pope Francis Confronts the “Idolatry of Money” — RAI with Matthew Fox (7/8)
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-20
With his criticism of excessive capitalism and of climate change, Pope Francis has become the target of the far-right, and especially of the secretive Opus Dei sect within the Catholic Church, explains former priest Matthew Fox…
therealnews.com/stories/pope-francis-con…
China, Russia Accuse US of Inciting New Arms Race
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-20
The United States is stoking military tensions with their latest ground-launched cruise missile test, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. | RELATED: | ‘We May Not Do Any Business With Huawei’: Trump Says as License Expires Aug. 19 | The Kremlin said the U.S. missile test revealed Washington had long been preparing to exit the nuclear pact. The U.S. previously accused Russia of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), which was established during the Cold War. | T…
telesurenglish.net/news/China-Russia-Acc…
Deadly Bombings Devastate Afghanistan as U.S.-Taliban Peace Talks Continue Without Afghan Government
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-20
In Afghanistan, a series of bomb attacks devastated restaurants and other public spaces Monday in the eastern city of Jalalabad, injuring at least 66 people. The explosions took place on Afghanistan’s 100th Independence Day, following Saturday’s bloody suicide bombing at a wedding in Kabul that killed 63 people, wounding around 200 others. ISIS claimed the attack, which was the deadliest this year in Afghanistan. The bombings came as the U.S. and Taliban are reportedly close to a peace deal after months of talks between the two parties. Top issues in the negotiations include a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanist…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/20/afghanist…
Emerald Garner, Eric Garner’s Daughter, Says Firing Pantaleo “Should Have Happened a Long Time Ago”
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-20
Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer who killed Eric Garner in 2014 by using an illegal chokehold, was fired Monday and stripped of his pension benefits. The decision came more than five years after Pantaleo held Garner, an unarmed African-American man, in a chokehold until he dropped to the ground. Before dying, he gasped “I can’t breathe” 11 times. Despite outcry from the family and community members, Pantaleo had remained on the police force on desk duty since the killing. Last month, on the fifth anniversary of Garner’s death, the Justice Department declined to charge Pantaleo with a crime despite calls by the…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/20/emerald_g…
The Plot to Attack Iran:‚Ä® How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Iran
Eugene E Ruyle | indybay.org | 2019-08-20
NPML, 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland (just North of Alcatraz Ave.)…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/15/1882550…
APTP Monthly Membership Meeting: Scott Morris on Santa Rita Jail
Anti Police-Terror Project | indybay.org | 2019-08-20
East Side Arts Alliance | 2277 International Blvd. | Oakland, CA 94606…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/17/1882553…
Kashmir and Palestine: Solidarity and Unity in Opposing Global Militarization
Palestinian BDS National Committee | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-19
The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), the largest coalition in Palestinian society, shares the shock and anger of Kashmiris and democratic forces in India and across the world over the authoritarian decision of the Bharatiya Janta Party-led …
globalresearch.ca/kashmir-and-palestine-…
India’s Mangled Economy
Arshad Khan | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-19
Mid-August is when the subcontinent celebrates independence from Britain. Born in a cauldron of hate 74 years ago, India today is again filling it to the brim. In one fell swoop, Mr. Modi has denuded Kashmir of the flimsy shroud purporting to preserve its cultural and territorial integrity through articles 370 and 35A in the…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/19/indias-mangl…
White Terror: Toni Morrison on the Construct of Racism
Ipek S. Burnett | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-19
“To lose one’s racial-ized rank is to lose one’s own valued and enshrined difference,” writes Toni Morrison in The Origin of Others. In a 2016 post-election essay entitled “Mourning for Whiteness,” this sense of loss and the ensuing disorientation become Morrison’s focus. In today’s America as “people of color” are increasingly occupying everywhere including the Senate,…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/19/white-terror…
Venezuela: Worker control vs. Trump’s blockade
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-08-19
Chicago, IL – Venezuela is a country where the dreams of the conscious workers of the world are being made real. It is a nation of 30 million people where, every day, the working class is becoming more conscious of its historic role in building socialism and taking steps to achieve it in the not so distant future. And in the face of an imperialist offensive that threatens them with starvation, where the threat of military invasion hangs over their heads like a storm cloud, they continue their struggle undeterred. | This past week, at the National Gathering of the Productive Worker Councils (CPTs), this stage of t…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/18/venezuel…
Trump Wanted Navy Stationed Along Venezuelan Coast
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-19
The United States President Donald Trump proposed deploying navy ships along the Venezuelan coast to prevent the entry of products into the country according to a report by Axios news portal. | RELATED: | US: Already Interfering in Upcoming Venezuelan Elections | Trump devised the idea of the maritime blockade of Venezuela with his security advisors ac…
telesurenglish.net/news/Trump-Wanted-Nav…
Venezuela: Worker control vs. Trump’s blockade
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-08-19
Chicago, IL – Venezuela is a country where the dreams of the conscious workers of the world are being made real. It is a nation of 30 million people where, every day, the working class is becoming more conscious of its historic role in building socialism and taking steps to achieve it in the not so distant future. And in the face of an imperialist offensive that threatens them with starvation, where the threat of military invasion hangs over their heads like a storm cloud, they continue their struggle undeterred. | This past week, at the National Gathering of the Productive Worker Councils (CPTs), this stage of t…
fightbacknews.org/2019/8/18/venezuela-wo…
Venezuela Oil Production Continues Slump as US Embargo Deters Foreign Trade
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-08-19
July’s production was 740,000 barrels per day, 4 percent lower than in June.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14631
Supreme Nihilism: the El Paso Shooter’s Manifesto
John O’Kane | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-19
Mick Mulvaney staunchly defended President Trump after the shootings in Ohio and Texas, claiming he was horrified by the actions but had said nothing that could be construed as provoking them. Trump did come out strongly two days later against hate groups and “white supremacy,” a little late for many who contend these shootings demonstrate his inflammatory rhetoric was at least partially to blame for the incidents. Hopefully this will be a real change from his irresponsibly-quick tweets that often lead to reversals and clumsy apologies for misguided claims and send many of his supporters ducking for cover; or his…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/19/supreme-nihi…
Iran Urges European Partners to Fulfill Nuclear Commitments
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-19
Foreign Minister of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated on Monday his call for the Union Europe to meet its commitments in the nuclear pact. | RELATED: | Iranian Oil Tanker Leaves Gibraltar Despite US Pressure | “Our ties with the European Union are important, in particular, for the commitments to the nuclear agreement, which Europeans must fulfill,” said the Iranian Foreign Minister, from Helsinki, Finland. | With this statement, Zarif recalled the little support of the Europea…
telesurenglish.net/news/Iran-Urges-Europ…
Trump Wields Sanctions Hammer, but to What End?
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-19
WASHINGTON — Call it the diplomacy of coercion. | The Trump administration is aggressively pursuing economic sanctions as a primary foreign policy tool to an extent unseen in decades, or perhaps ever. Many are questioning the results even as officials insist the penalties are achieving their aims. | Since taking office in January 2017, President Donald Trump has used an array of new and existing sanctions against Iran, North Korea and others. His Treasury Department, which oversees economic sanctions, has targeted thousands of entities with asset freezes and business bans. The State Department has been simi…
truthdig.com/articles/trump-wields-sanct…
El sol es el mejor desinfectante para Puerto Rico
Javier Sierra | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-19
Erase una vez una ciudad regida por un déspota cruel. El día de su muerte, sus súbditos llenaron de júbilo las calles. Todos, menos una mujer que sollozaba. Alguien le preguntó, ” øPor qué lloras? °El tirano ha muerto!”. Y ella respondió, “No lloro por el que se va, sino por el que viene”. Esta fábula …
peoplesworld.org/article/el-sol-es-el-me…
Trump’s Anti-Iran Warrant
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-19
Time and again, hard evidence shows the US is a nation run by hawkish right-wing extremists, dismissive of the rule of law and democratic values they abhor and don’t tolerate. | Operating exclusively by their own rules, they maintain that UN …
globalresearch.ca/us-rubber-stamp-court-…
U.S. States: We Weren’t Hacked by Russians in 2016
Gareth Porter | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-19
A “bombshell” Senate Intelligence Committee report released in July repeated the familiar claim that Russia targeted the electoral websites of at least 21 states–but statements from the states themselves effectively undermine that narrative. | It turns out the reality is dramatically …
globalresearch.ca/u-s-states-we-werent-h…
SPLC, allies sue ICE for ignoring medical, mental health and disability needs of detained immigrants
splcenter.org | 2019-08-19
Faour Abdallah Fraihat, who ran a successful construction business for years in California, is currently in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/19/splc-allie…
Professor slams US for causing ‘intense hardships’ abroad, and media for not holding it to account
Slava Zilber | thecanary.co | 2019-08-19
Jeffrey Sachs — director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University — a long-time critic of US foreign policy. And speaking to The Canary, he slammed devastating US sanctions on countries like Venezuela and I…
thecanary.co/feature/2019/08/19/professo…
Salvini’s anti-immigrant policy is like a bomb that’s ‘going to explode’
Peadar O’Cearnaigh | thecanary.co | 2019-08-19
On 18 August, several people jumped into the sea from the Spanish humanitarian boat Open Arms to reach the Italian coast. Italian far-right interior minister Matteo Salvini refuses to give this boat permission to dock in It…
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2019/08/1…
What Fareed Zakaria Gets Wrong About Afghanistan: Everything
Maj. Danny Sjursen | truthdig.com | 2019-08-19
Since when does a (mostly) respected press pundit sound just like an army general? Well, for a while now, in fact. Politicians and reporters will argue viciously about all kinds of issues: immigration, healthcare, race, et al. There’s only one sacred cow that mainstream insiders — both “left” and right — dare not challenge: the runaway Pentagon budget and America’s forever wars. | So it was, this Sunday morning, lounging in my hotel room in Spokane — I was in town for the national Vet…
truthdig.com/articles/what-fareed-zakari…
When People of Colour are seen as less than human, their babies are too
Afroze Fatima Zaidi | thecanary.co | 2019-08-19
Every now and then, I come across a piece of news that just… rips my heart out. This may sound like an exaggeration, but reading these things can give me what feels like a physical pain inside my chest. I am forced to reflect on what some people have to suffer at the hands of our greatest living oppressors. And it makes me despair at the state of the world a little bit more. Reading about a four-month-old baby girl being separated from her breastfeeding mum by US immigration authorities…
thecanary.co/opinion/2019/08/19/when-peo…
Trump is Taking More Money for Raids and Detention. Congress Should Stop Him
aclu.org | 2019-08-19
Without congressional checks, ICE and CBP will continue to overspend and overstep. | The budget for Trump’s turbo-charged immigration enforcement and border militarization is now larger than ever. And just last week, we learned that ICE plans to redirect even more money to further expand immigration detention and enforcement. The request is currently pending approval by congressional approp…
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/immigran…
Public Charge Rule Is Trump’s Latest Attack on Immigrants
Rebekah Barber | commondreams.org | 2019-08-19
This week, Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, announced updates to the public charge rule that would bar immigrants who use safety-net programs including Medicaid and food stamps from obtaining green cards. (Photo: Gage Skidmore via Flickr.) |…
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/19/public…
Facing Federal Charges for Aiding Migrants, Activist Says He Won’t Be Deterred
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-19
| We broadcast live from Tucson, Arizona, where the government recently put humanitarian activist Scott Warren on trial amid the ongoing policing of the U.S.-Mexico border, separation of families, and cruel and inhumane conditions at immigrant jails across the country. Warren, a longtime volunteer with the humanitarian aid group No More Deaths, was charged with three felony counts for his alleged crime of providing food, water and shelter to migrants in Ajo, Arizona. The immigrants had arri…
truthout.org/video/facing-federal-charge…
Afghanistan: Explosions Injure Dozens on Independence Day
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-19
Dozens of people including children were wounded after a series of explosions hit the Afghan eastern city of Jalalabad in the Nangarhar Province, as the country was commemorating its 100th year of independence from the British rule. | RELATED: | US-Taliban Peace Talks End With No Deal, Sept. 1 Deadline Looms | Noor Ahmad Habibi, the spokesman for the provincial governor, said at least 10 explosions occurred around Jalalabad. “Most of the people had minor injuries and were relea…
telesurenglish.net/news/Afghanistan-Expl…
Paraguay Labels Hamas, Hezbollah As ‘Terrorist Groups’
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-19
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Paraguay’s decision Monday to label Palestinian organization Hamas and Lebanese militant group and political party Hezbollah, as “international terrorist organizations,” a move that comes shortly after Argentina first blacklisted Hezbollah. | RELATED: | Lebanon Accuses Israel of Threatening Peace in the Region | “I welcome the decision of Paraguayan President Mario Abdo to define Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations,” Netanyahu said in…
telesurenglish.net/news/Paraguay-Labels-…
Imperialist threats unite Venezuelan left, even as patience with Maduro wears thin
Paul Dobson | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-19
On a recent visit to Caracas, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel characterized Venezuela as “the world’s primary anti-imperialist bastion.” This, coming from a Cuban, is a striking description. Despite political power having rested in the hands of progressive leaders for 20 years, the primary and unresolved contradiction facing Venezuela is between national sovereignty and imperialist power …
peoplesworld.org/article/imperialist-thr…
A concentraàßà£o de riqueza conduz o novo imperialismo global
Peter Phillips | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-19
As mudanàßas de regime no Iraque e na Líbia, a guerra na Síria, a crise na Venezuela, as sanàßàµes a Cuba, Irà£o, Rússia e Coreia do Norte reflectem o novo imperialismo global imposto por um núcleo de naàßàµes capitalistas em …
globalresearch.ca/a-concentracao-de-riqu…
Venezuela Calls for Unity at VIII Assembly of Caribbean Peoples
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-19
The VIII edition of the Assembly of Peoples of the Caribbean, which took place in Trinidad and Tobago, ended Monday with a call for regional unity that was reached upon by debating strategies to counter imperialism. | RELATED: | US Court Rules Canadian Firm Can Collect $1.4B From Venezuela | To strengthen the resistance and unity of the organizations and social mov…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuela-Calls-…
Sudan’s Bashir “Took Millions in Cash From Saudi Crown Prince,” Trial Hears
Middle East Eye | theantimedia.com | 2019-08-19
Detective tells court the deposed president was handed the money by Mohammed bin Salman’s envoys.
Sudan’s Bashir “Took Millions in Cash From Saudi Crown Prince,” Trial Hears
Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir Received Millions From Saudi Arabia
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-19
Sudan’s ousted president Omar Hassan al-Bashir acknowledged receiving millions of dollars from Saudi Arabia, a police detective told a court Monday at the start of a corruption trial that most Sudanese thought they would never see. | RELATED: | Saudi, UAE Crown Princes Meet with Sudan’s Military Council in Effort to Cement Influence | Bashi…
telesurenglish.net/news/Sudans-Omar-al-B…
If Chinese Tanks Take Hong Kong, Who’ll be Surprised?
Robert Fisk | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-19
In the glorious world of journalism, tanks always “roll” across borders. I’ve never in my life actually seen a tank roll, but you get the point. They don’t let anything stand in their way — or nothing is supposed to stand in their way. Hence the Hong Kong Chinese should back off if the People’s Army…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/19/if-chinese-t…
La Conferencia ‘Socialismo’ presenta a activistas golpistas financiados por el gobierno de EEUU
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-19
La Conferencia de Socialismo 2019, patrocinada por los gigantes de la izquierda estadounidense, la DSA, la revista Jacobin y Haymarket…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/19/conferencia-s…
Tulsi Gabbard Gets Some Vindication
Scott Ritter | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-19
In the aftermath of the second Democratic primary debate on July 31, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard emerged as the most Googled of all candidates, an indication that her performance (which included a stunning takedown of California Sen. Kamala Harris…
globalresearch.ca/tulsi-gabbard-gets-som…