2020-01-03: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these ‘POSTEES’ on social media!

Trump’s Illegal, Impeachable Act of War
Maj. Danny Sjursen | truthdig.com | 2020-01-04
Violence begets violence; revenge engenders cycles of vengeance. This is exactly why war, or acts of war, must not be taken lightly. It also explains why America’s recent adventurism in the Middle East has only increased Islamic terrorism, killed hundreds of thousands worldwide, and ultimately left the U.S. no better off than when it began its crusade after the 9/11 attacks. Instead, this cycle of violence and revenge has produced nothing but “blowback” in the form of global anti-Americanism. | Which brings me to President Donald Trump’s worst decision yet, one f…
truthdig.com/articles/trumps-illegal-imp…

Iran reserves right to self-defense, ‘harsh revenge’ for Soleimani coming — Tehran’s envoy to UN
rt.com | 2020-01-04
Calling the US killing of General Qassem Soleimani “criminal” and example of terrorism, the Iranian envoy to the UN said his country reserved the right to act in self-defense and threatened vengeance in US media interviews. | The killing of Soleimani “by any measure, is an obvious example of State terrorism and, as a criminal act, constitutes a gross violation of the fundamental principles of international law, including, in particular, those stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations,” Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi wrote in a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council on F…
rt.com/news/477434-iran-envoy-revenge-so…

McConnell and Pelosi Give No Signs of Budging on Impeachment
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-04
WASHINGTON — Congress opened the new year with the Senate deadlocked over President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, leaving the proceedings deeply in flux as Republicans refuse to bend to Democratic demands for new witnesses. | Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell showed no signs Friday of negotiating with the Democrats as he aims for Trump’s swift acquittal. At the same time, the Republican leader acknowledged the Senate cannot begin the historic undertaking until House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivers the articles of impeachment — which she i…
truthdig.com/articles/mcconnell-and-pelo…

Eight Ways the Trump-GOP Tax Cuts Have Made the Rich Richer While Failing Working Families
Frank Clemente | commondreams.org | 2020-01-03
Kansas activist Sarah LaFrenz, warning of the disastrous impacts of deep tax cuts on corporations in her state at a Washington, D.C. rally before the 2017 congressional vote on the GOP tax plan. (Photo: Sarah Anderson) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2020/01/03/eight-…

Who is Archbishop Atallah Hanna, and Why Israel Hates him
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-03
“They will run and not grow weary,” is a quote from the Bible (Isaiah, 40: 41) that adorns the homepage of Kairos Palestine. This important document, which parallels a similar initiative emanating from South Africa during the anti-apartheid struggle years, has come to represent the unified voice of the Palestinian Christian community everywhere. One of the…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/03/who-is-archb…

Why Saudi Arabia’s Bloody US-Backed War in Yemen Will Likely Escalate in 2020
Ahmed Abdulkareem | mintpressnews.com | 2020-01-03
This is Yemen in 2020. A dirty war with no sign of ending and a brutal siege on a forgotten people subsisting in unlivable conditions.
mintpressnews.com/saudi-arabia-war-yemen…

More US Fuel on the Middle East Fire: Trump Orders New Troop Deployment to the Region
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
Trump began 2020 with a bang by authorizing more US combat troops to the Middle East. | It’s already ablaze from endless US wars of aggression on nonbelligerent states threatening no one. | The new deployment is an ominous new year’s beginning, …
globalresearch.ca/more-us-fuel-middle-ea…

US media cites CMG president to call out western media’s prejudice
rt.com | 2020-01-03
U.S. Commerce News, an online media website dedicated to serving the overseas Chinese communities in the U.S., published a report on Wednesday, citing China Media Group (CMG) President Shen Haixiong’s New Year message to caution the western media to adhere to reporting ethics. | “I regret to see that some sections of the western media have seemed to suffer from ‘selective blindness’ when covering some events related to China. Some have even published hearsay and rumors as news, resulting in distortions and inaccuracies,” Shen was quoted as saying in the news report. | According to the report, Shen highlighted…
rt.com/sponsored-content/477365-shen-hai…

U.S. Encirclement Endangers Cuba’s Economy, Provokes Response
W. T. Whitney | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-03
Closing a session of Cuba’s National Assembly on December 21, President Mario Díaz-Canel declared that, “The 61st year of the Revolution has indeed been difficult and challenging.” He blamed these troubles on the “brutal” and “demented” U.S. blockade. Dangers have mounted for Cuba’s socialist revolution, and the government there is responding. Carlos Fernández de Cossio,…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/03/u-s-encircle…

U.S. Encirclement Endangers Cuba’s Economy, Provokes Response
W. T. Whitney | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-03
Closing a session of Cuba’s National Assembly on December 21, President Miguel Díaz-Canel declared that, “The 61st year of the Revolution has indeed been difficult and challenging.” He blamed these troubles on the “brutal” and “demented” U.S. blockade. Dangers have mounted for Cuba’s socialist revolution, and the government there is responding. Carlos Fernández de Cossio,…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/03/u-s-encircle…

Corbyn calls on UK govt to ‘stand up to the belligerent actions’ of US after assassination of Iran’s Quds chief Soleimani
rt.com | 2020-01-03
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has hit out at the US after they claimed responsibility for the killing of Iran’s Quds Force Major-General Qassem Soleimani, and urged the UK government to “stand up” to their key western ally. | The outgoing leader warned on Friday that Iran and the US must de-escalate tensions, otherwise the Middle East will see yet more conflict that would “bring further misery to the region, 17 years on from the disastrous invasion of Iraq.” | Corby…
rt.com/uk/477392-corbyn-soleimani-bellig…

BREAKING: Trump starts war on Iran — ALL OUT Sat. Jan. 4 National Day of Action
ANSWER Coalition | liberationnews.org | 2020-01-03
The Trump administration and Pentagon have moved to start a war with Iran by assassinating Qassem Soleimani, the top military leader of that country.
liberationnews.org/breaking-trump-starts…

Economic Effect of Trump’s Adventure: Spike in Oil, Gold Prices
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-03
Oil prices jumped nearly US$2 a barrel and gold, the yen and safe-haven bonds surged on Friday after the U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the murder of Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian General Qassem Soleimani on Thursday. | RELATED: | Syria: Trump Administration Builds Military Base in Oil Field | In London, which is one of…
telesurenglish.net/news/Economic-Effect-…

War With Iran
Chris Hedges | truthdig.com | 2020-01-03
The assassination by the United States of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, near Baghdad’s airport will ignite widespread retaliatory attacks against U.S. targets from Shiites, who form the majority in Iraq. It will activate Iranian-backed militias and insurgents in Lebanon and Syria and throughout the Middle East. The existing mayhem, violence, failed states and war, the result of nearly two decades of U.S. blunders and miscalculations in the region, will become an even wider and more dangerous conflagration. The consequences are ominous. Not only will the U.S. swiftly find itself under…
truthdig.com/articles/war-with-iran/

Oil prices surge 4 percent on news of Soleimani killing
rt.com | 2020-01-03
Two major oil price benchmarks jumped in the early hours of Friday after news broke that Iran’s second most powerful public figure, Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, had been killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad. | Both WTI and Brent jumped by over four percent on the news to $63.80 and $69.19 per barrel respectively. | Also on rt.com | | US killing of Iranian commander on Iraqi soil violates terms of US stationing troops in the country — Iraqi PM | Prices had been rising steadily since their October 2019 lows on rising tension across the…
rt.com/business/477374-oil-prices-surge-…

Nord Stream 2: US Sanctions
Peter Koenig | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-01-03
Does Mr. Trump really not grasp that his sanctions left and right — and now on the Russian-German gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 — is committing economic suicide, not for himself, of course, but for the United States? He attempts to punish not only Russia, but all the corporations, construction companies, Russian, German and from …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/01/nord-stream-2…

The Real Reason Trump Assassinated Qassem Soleimani
Juan Cole | truthdig.com | 2020-01-03
Ann Arbor — The madman in the White House has been sulking and raging for weeks about his impeachment proceedings, tweeting manically on some days more than 100 times. With the release by JustSecurity.org of unredacted emails on the Ukraine scandal showing that Trump personally (and illegally) withheld congressionally mandated military aid to an ally, the Republican defense of the president is collapsing. Some GOP senators such as Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski seem to be weak…
truthdig.com/articles/the-real-reason-tr…

America’s War for Global Domination
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
How to reverse the tide of war? Forcefully undermine the media propaganda apparatus which seeks to justify “humanitarian wars” under the banner of responsibility to protect (R2P). Impeach all criminals in high office including POTUS as well the entire Congressional apparatus which pays lip service to US led wars.
globalresearch.ca/america-war-global-dom…

Trump, Troll-in-Chief, Wags the Impeachment Dog By Going to War With Iran
Juan Cole | commondreams.org | 2020-01-03
By murdering Qasem Soleimani (2nd R), the head of the Jerusalem (Qods) Brigade of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, Trump has brought the United States to the brink of war with Iran. (Photo by IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER PRESS OFFICE / HANDOUT/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2020/01/03/trump-…

America’s War for Global Domination
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
The following is the text of Michel Chossudovsky’s public lecture at the Society for the Defense of Civil Rights and Human Dignity (GBM), Berlin, 10-11 December, 2003 and Humboldt University, Berlin, 12 December 2003. | This timely article written 16 years | …
globalresearch.ca/america-war-global-dom…

America’s War for Global Domination
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
The following is the background text of Michel Chossudovsky’s public lecture at the Society for the Defense of Civil Rights and Human Dignity (GBM), Berlin, 10-11 December, 2003 and Humboldt University, Berlin, 12 December 2003. This text written 16 years | …
globalresearch.ca/america-war-global-dom…

Bernie Sanders Condemns Trump for Putting US on Path to “Another Disastrous War”
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-03
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders denounced President Donald Trump late Thursday night for giving the order to assassinate Iran’s Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force — calling the move a “dangerous escalation” that brings the United States “closer to another disastrous war in the Middle East that could cost countless lives and trillions more dollars.” | In a statement responding to what other critics decried as…
truthout.org/articles/bernie-sanders-con…

US State Dept tells Americans to leave Iraq ‘immediately’ after assassination of Soleimani
rt.com | 2020-01-03
The US State Department is calling on all US citizens to “depart Iraq immediately” in advice issued on Friday, in the wake of the US killing of key Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani. | “US citizens should depart via airline while possible, and failing that, to other countries via land,” the State Department advised. “Due to Iranian-backed militia attacks at the US Embassy compound [in Baghdad], all public consular operations are suspended until further notice.” | The advisory comes in the immediate aftermath of the US assassination of Soleimani, commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, along with senior leaders…
rt.com/news/477379-us-citizens-leave-ira…

US killing of Iranian commander on Iraqi soil violates terms of US stationing troops in the country — Iraqi PM
rt.com | 2020-01-03
The interim prime minister of Iraq has condemned the US assassination of a senior Iranian commander, calling it an act of aggression against his country. Qassem Soleimani was killed at Baghdad airport. | Soleimani, the commander of the elite Quds Force, was killed after his convoy was hit by US missiles. A deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), the Iraqi militia collective backed by Iran, was killed in the same airstrike. | In a statement on Friday, the caretaker leader of Iraq’s protest-challenged government, Adil Abdul Mahdi, said the US assassination operation was a “flagrant violation o…
rt.com/news/477361-iraq-pm-condemnts-ass…

In Redux of Iraq War Run Up, Media Cheers on Assassination of Soleimani
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-01-03
With echoes of Iraq, media are once again cheering an attack against a Middle Eastern country on the grounds of a supposedly imminent strike against the United States.
mintpressnews.com/in-redux-of-iraq-war-r…

3,000 more US troops headed to Middle East after Baghdad strike that killed Soleimani
rt.com | 2020-01-03
Another 3,000 US airborne troops will be deploying to Kuwait, to join the 750 already there, even as Washington warned Americans to leave Iraq after the airstrike that assassinated a top Iranian general. | The entire 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division is now headed to the US base in Kuwait, multiple outlets reported, citing anonymous Pentagon officials on Friday. The deployment does not appear to be directly in response to the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, however, but rather part of the build-up set in motion on Tuesday, following the siege of the US embassy in Baghdad. | Also…
rt.com/usa/477418-us-3000-troops-middle-…

US assassinates top Iranian general as 4,000 troops readied for Iraq intervention
wsws.org | 2020-01-03
The umbrella group for Iraq’s Shia militias reported Friday morning that a US-targeted assassination at Baghdad airport killed Iran’s Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/03/iraq…

Killing of Iran’s Quds Force chief Soleimani by US ‘MOST LIKELY violates international law’ — UN Rapporteur
rt.com | 2020-01-03
The UN’s top expert on extrajudicial executions said that Washington’s decision to assassinate the commander of the Iranian elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, cannot be justified under international law. | Major-General Soleimani and the second-in-command of the Iran-backed Iraqi paramilitary Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, were killed (along with others) in a US airstrike at Baghdad’s airport on Friday morning. | The “targeted killings” of both men “most likely violate international law incl[uding] human rights law,” the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary…
rt.com/news/477387-un-rapporteur-soleima…

Trump Ordered the Assassination of Soleimani, and the Middle East Prepares for Possible War
Steven Sahiounie | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
Qasem Soleimani was assassinated last night in Baghdad by a drone strike ordered by President Trump. The Iranian Commander of the ‘Quds Force’ was killed alongside the leader of the Iraqi ‘Popular Mobilization Forces’, Jamal Jaafar Ibrahimi, aka Abu Mahdi …
globalresearch.ca/trump-ordered-aassassi…

Democratic lawmakers score Trump for drone strike killing of Suleimani
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2020-01-03
WASHINGTON–Many congressional Democrats–along with party presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Elizabeth Warren–are warning that President Donald Trump’s targeted drone assassination strike in Iraq that killed top Iranian military leader Gen. Qassim Suleimani will trigger Iranian retaliation, a regional war in the Middle East, or both. And experts in the region add Trump ordered …
peoplesworld.org/article/democratic-lawm…

‘Undeniable role in defeating ISIS’: Russian MOD says Iran’s Soleimani organized anti-terrorist fight ‘long before US was there’
rt.com | 2020-01-03
Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike, had played a vital role in fighting terrorists in Syria and Iraq, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that his death would harm international security. | The ministry slammed the assassination of the Iranian general, carried out on orders from Washington, calling it a “short-sighted” move that would lead to a “rapid escalation” of tensions in the Middle East. It also described Soleimani as a talented and experienced commander, who enjoyed “well-earned authority” throughout the Middle East. | It was under Soleimani’s direct command that…
rt.com/news/477419-soleimani-anti-terror…

All bets are off: Trump brings conflict with Iran to unprecedented level, just a step short of all-out war
rt.com | 2020-01-03
The assassination of a popular Iranian general in Baghdad is a game-changer in the conflict between Washington and Tehran, which had remained restricted to cloak-and-dagger shenanigans and proxy hostilities, analysts have told RT. | The Trump administration escalated its standoff with Iran to a whole new level on Friday by ordering a targeted assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force. The Iranian general was blown up along with 11 other people, including a senior commander of an Iraqi militia backed by Tehran, when their motorcade was hit by US guided missiles just outside Baghdad I…
rt.com/news/477404-trump-conflict-iran-u…

U.S. Assassination of Soleimani Could Spark “Another Round of Civil War” in Iraq
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-03
After the United States assassinated Iranian commander Major General Qassem Soleimani in a major escalation of the conflict between Iran and the United States, which now threatens to engulf Iraq and the Middle East, we get response from Iraqi journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, who says the U.S. killing of Soleimani was reckless. “Did anyone consult Iraqis about the assassination of Qassem Soleimani on Iraqi soil?” he asks. “We don’t want another round of civil war.”
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/3/us_assassi…

Killing of Quds commander is another sign of US frustration and weakness in the region — Iran’s Rouhani
rt.com | 2020-01-03
Washington’s assassination of a top Iranian commander is a “cowardly act” that confirms “the weakness of the United States in the region,” President Hassan Rouhani said. | Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the elite Quds Force, was killed in a US airstrike near Baghdad along with several commanders of Iran-backed militias. Washington considers the entire Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), to which Quds belongs, to be a terrorist organization and holds it responsible for recent riots at the US embassy compound in the Iraqi capital. | …
rt.com/news/477357-rouhani-asassination-…

Arch-hawk Bolton celebrates slaying of Quds commander as ‘first step to regime change in Tehran’
rt.com | 2020-01-03
While there was no shortage of triumphant voices coming from Washington DC on Friday after the targeted assassination of a senior Iranian general, that of John Bolton seemed especially cheerful. | The former national security adviser in the Donald Trump administration took to Twitter to congratulate “all involved in eliminating Qassem Soleimani,” the commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force. | Congratulations to all involved in eliminating Qassem Soleimani. Long in the making, this was a decisive blow against Iran’s malign Quds Force activities worldwide. Hope this is the first step to regime change in Tehran.[mda…
rt.com/usa/477386-bolton-cheers-soleiman…

Soleimani assassination by US ‘an adventurous move’ that will flare up tensions in Middle East — Moscow
rt.com | 2020-01-03
The US airstrike that killed a senior Iranian commander near Baghdad will exacerbate tensions throughout the Middle East, the Russian foreign ministry has warned. | Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, was killed in a US operation at Baghdad International Airport on Friday morning. Moscow considers the operation “an adventurous move that will lead to an escalation of tension throughout the region,” the ministry said. | “Soleimani served devotedly the cause of defending the national interests of Iran. We express our sincere condolences to the Iranian people,” the short statement said. | Also on…
rt.com/news/477367-quds-assassination-ru…

US assassinates Iranian general Qassem Soleimani
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-01-03
Major general Qassem Soleimani, as well as Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, head of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and five others, was killed in an attack on Baghdad airport that was sanctioned by president Donald Trump…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/01/03/us-assass…

Pentagon says Trump ‘directed’ assassination of Iran’s Quds Force chief Soleimani to ‘deter future Iranian attacks’
rt.com | 2020-01-03
US President Donald Trump authorized a US military strike near Baghdad’s airport which resulted in the death of Iran’s Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, the Pentagon confirmed in a statement on Thursday. | “At the direction of the president, the US military has taken decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani,” the Pentagon said in a statement. | “This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans. The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and interests wherever they are around the world.” | The Pentagon said tha…
rt.com/news/477354-pentagon-confirms-sol…

‘We urge all parties to de-escalate’: British foreign sec Raab calls for calm after US assassination of Iranian commander
rt.com | 2020-01-03
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has urged “all parties to de-escalate” after Iran’s Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US military airstrike near Baghdad International airport on Thursday night. | In a statement on Friday morning, Raab insisted that the UK government “recognised the aggressive threat posed by the Iranian Quds force led by Qassem Soleimani.” However, he called on “all parties to de-escalate,” and claimed that “further conflict is in none of our interests.” | US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealed via Twitter that he and Raab had discussed the incident and suggested…
rt.com/uk/477372-raab-soleimani-iran-ass…

The Soleimani Assassination: The Long-Awaited Beginning of the End of America’s Imperial Ambitions
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
The United States is now at war with Iran in a conflict that could easily have been avoided and it will not end well. There will be no declaration of war coming from either side, but the assassination of Iranian …
globalresearch.ca/soleimani-assassinatio…

A Dubious Official Story Masks the True Motives Behind the Soleimani Assassination
Whitney Webb | mintpressnews.com | 2020-01-03
Behind the official yet dubious justifications for the U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian general on Friday lies a confluence of factors — some decades in the making, others more recent — that are pushing the U.S. towards yet another catastrophic war in the Middle East.
mintpressnews.com/dubious-official-story…

‘A More Dangerous World’: Iran Killing Triggers Global Alarm
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-03
PARIS — Global powers warned Friday that the world became a more dangerous place after the U.S. assassinated Iran’s top general, urging restraint on all sides. Britain and Germany also suggested that Iran shared some blame for provoking the targeted killing that dramatically ratcheted up tensions in the Mideast. | China, Russia and France, all permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, took a dim view of the U.S. airstrike near Baghdad’s airport early Friday that killed Ge…
truthdig.com/articles/a-more-dangerous-w…

‘Please don’t kill us’: Rose McGowan apologizes to Iran for Soleimani death, backpedals, still gets roasted
rt.com | 2020-01-03
The #MeToo advocate and ‘Grindhouse’ actress Rose McGowan joined Hollywood celebs like John Cusack to condemn the killing of Qassem Soleimani, but this only inspired Twitter to question her sobriety and her loyalty to the US. | Much of Hollywood’s most politically active celebrities were not happy with the US assassination of Iran’s Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani, but none were as broken up about it as actress Rose McGowan. | The author and ‘Charmed’ actress took to Twitter to apologize on behalf of the US and to beg Iran “not to kill us.” | “Dear #Iran, The USA has disrespected your country, your flag, you…
rt.com/usa/477406-rose-mcgowan-iran-trum…

After Mossad Targeted Soleimani, Trump Pulled the Trigger
Jefferson Morley | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-03
Last October Yossi Cohen, head of Israel’s Mossad, spoke openly about assassinating Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, the head of the elite Quds Force in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “He knows very well that his assassination is not impossible,” Cohen said in an interview. Soleimani had boasted that the Israel’s tried to assassinate him in 2006 and failed.
counterpunch.org/2020/01/03/after-mossad…

Hawks Rejoice at Trump Decision to Assassinate Iranian Military Leader
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-03
As peace advocates voiced alarm at the very real prospect of all-out conflict with Iran following the assassination Thursday night of that country’s top military leader on orders from U.S. President Donald Trump, war hawk…
truthout.org/articles/hawks-rejoice-at-t…

Congress Failed to Act to Prevent Iran War. Now Trump Has Put Millions at Risk
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-03
The Trump administration’s assassination of Iranian government official Qassim Suleimani, the leader of Iran’s Quds Force, is a dangerous escalation of violence against Iran at an already explosive time. This reckless move by the administration is likely to set off a series of escalations of violence across the Middle East that could result in all-out war and risk the lives of millions o…
truthout.org/articles/congress-failed-to…

Killing General Soleimani: Hail Mars! Hail Pluto!
Matthew Hoh | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-03
The United States killed Iranian Quds Forces Commander General Qassam Soleimani. There is no hyperbole or exaggeration too great to encapsulate what may befall tens of millions of families. The equivalent of the killing of General Soleimani would be as if the Iranians assassinated General Richard Clarke, the US four-star general in charge of all…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/03/killing-gene…

‘A just struggle’: Netanyahu backs Soleimani’s killing as US ‘self-defense,’ says Quds head planned more attacks
rt.com | 2020-01-03
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the US assassination of a top Iranian commander a justified act of self-defense and said Donald Trump should be credited for “acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively.” | The Israeli leader said his country “stands with the United States in its just struggle for peace, security and self-defense,” accusing Soleimani of having staged and planned attacks against “American citizens and many other innocent people.” | PM Netanyahu: | President Trump deserves all the credit for acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively. | Israel stands with the United States in it…
rt.com/news/477377-netanyahu-backs-solei…

Major General Soleimani’s Assassination Isn’t Going to Start World War III
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
The US carried out a de-facto act of war against Iran after assassinating Major General Qasem Soleimani of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force in Baghdad last night, but despite the doomsday scenarios that many in Alt-Media are speculating …
globalresearch.ca/major-general-soleiman…

Rep. Ro Khanna on Qassem Soleimani Assassination: Trump’s Actions Are Unconstitutional
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-03
We continue our discussion of the U.S. assassination of Iranian commander Major General Qassem Soleimani with Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna of California. Khanna says he believes the assassination was planned for some time and that Congress has failed to hold the Trump administration accountable. “I believe that the president’s policies are putting us in tremendous danger, and the motives are almost not relevant. What’s relevant is that he acted in a way that’s unconstitutional,” Khanna says.
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/3/rep_ro_kha…

Trump tweets after Quds chief killing: ‘Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!’
rt.com | 2020-01-03
Following the US assassination of Iran’s Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani, President Donald Trump took to Twitter, issuing a quite cryptic message that Iran has “never won a war, but never lost a negotiation.” | The commander of the elite Quds Force was killed overnight in Baghdad International Airport, alongside with several other high-ranking officials from local pro-Iranian militias. | The assassination was carried out on the personal “direction” of Trump, the US military has said, claiming it was acting to protect America and its citizens. Soleimani was blamed for “the deaths of hundreds of American and c…
rt.com/usa/477384-trump-iran-war-negotia…

No, a War with Iran Won’t Help Trump Win Re-Election
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
One of the most common opinions circulating around the Alt-Media Community after Major General Soleimani’s assassination is that Trump is provoking a war with Iran in order to help win re-election, but this isn’t the case since he first of …
globalresearch.ca/no-war-iran-wont-help-…

China Calls for ‘Calm and Restraint’ After U.S. Attacks on Iraq
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-03
China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang Friday called for restraint from all the countries involved in the Middle East geopolitics after the U.S. killed Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike at Baghdad. | RELATED: | Who Was Qassem Soleimani and Why Was He Targeted by the US? | “China has always opposed…
telesurenglish.net/news/China-Calls-for-…

VIDEO shows US strike that killed Iranian general Soleimani in Baghdad
rt.com | 2020-01-03
A security camera video, purporting to show the US air strike that killed Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani and several leaders of the Iraqi Shia militia outside the Baghdad airport, has surfaced online. | The 11-second clip, first posted by the Iraqi TV station Ahad, shows an explosion ripping through the parking lot outside the Baghdad International Airport on Thursday evening. | ŸÑÿ≠ÿ∏ÿ© ÿߟÑÿπÿØŸàÿßŸÜ ÿߟÑÿߟÖÿ±ŸäŸ&Ea…
rt.com/news/477420-moment-us-strike-sole…

‘Trump just threw a dynamite stick into a tinderbox’: US Democrats savage US strike that killed Iranian Quds chief Soleimani
rt.com | 2020-01-03
High-ranking US Democrats have warned that the killing of Iran’s elite Quds Force chief, Qassem Soleimani, will invite retaliatory attacks from Tehran and bring the two nations to the brink of a major war in the Middle East. | Former vice president and one of the top Democrat contenders in the 2020 presidential race Joe Biden called the airstrike in Iraq “a hugely escalatory move in an already dangerous region” that will likely provoke “future attacks by Iran” instead of deterring them. | President Trump just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox… We could be on the brink of a major conflict in the Mid…
rt.com/news/477358-democrats-us-airstrik…

Pentagon: U.S. Airstrike Kills Powerful Iranian General
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-03
BAGHDAD — The Pentagon said Thursday that the U.S. military has killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, at the direction of President Donald Trump. | An airstrike killed Soleimani, architect of Iran’s regional security apparatus, at Baghdad’s international airport Friday, Iranian state television and three Iraqi officials said, an attack that’s expected to draw severe Iranian retaliation against Israel and American interests. | The Defense Department said Soleimani “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.” I…
truthdig.com/articles/pentagon-u-s-airst…

The Killing of General Soleimani: Hail Mars! Hail Pluto!
Matthew Hoh | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-03
If it is true the United States killed Iranian Quds Forces Commander General Qassam Soleimani in Iraq yesterday, unverified by the Iranians as I write this, then there is no hyperbole or exaggeration too great to encapsulate what may befall tens of millions of families. The equivalent of the killing of General Soleimani would be…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/03/the-killing-…

Iraq: The October Revolution of 2019 and the Iran-US Conflict
Dirk Adriaensens | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
Iraq is in the eye of the storm. Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran and Tehran’s response put heavy pressure on the Iraqi government, a partner for both. The US expects Baghdad to resist Iran, and Iran expects Baghdad to resist the US. An almost impossible position.
globalresearch.ca/iraq-october-revolutio…

6 killed in airstrike north of Baghdad targeting convoy carrying Shia militia members — report
rt.com | 2020-01-03
A convoy carrying members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, was hit by an airstrike while traveling in Baghdad, media reports say. The PMF said that medics were in the cars. | The three-car convoy was struck in the northern outskirts of the Iraqi capital in the district of al-Taji, according to an Iraqi military source cited by Reuters. Six militiamen were reported killed in the attack, with three others critically injured. It remains unclear who carried out the strike. | Reports of an airstrike targeted a vehicle carrying important Iraqi (Hashd al-Shaabi)…
rt.com/news/477433-iraq-strike-shia-mili…

US Deploys 3,000 Troops to the Middle East as War Concern Grows
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-03
President Donald Trump is seemly planning to send nearly 3,000 additional troops to the Middle East after the U.S. airstrike in Baghdad which killed Irani General Qassem Soleimani. | RELATED: | China Calls for ‘Calm and Restraint’ After U.S. Attacks on Iraq | The troops would be joining 750 forces that were sent to Kuwait earlier this week. Since May,…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-Deploys-3000-…

Global Warfare: “We’re Going to Take out 7 Countries in 5 Years: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan & Iran..”
General Wesley Clark | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
Originally published in March 2007. | Global Research Editor’s Note: | This interview serves as a reminder regarding the diabolical timeline of America’s hegemonic project. Is Iran the next target “to be taken out”? | All these countries are on the Pentagon’s drawing …
globalresearch.ca/we-re-going-to-take-ou…

Air Strikes Targeting Iraqi Militia Kill Six: Army Source
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-03
Air strikes targeting Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces umbrella grouping of Iran-backed Shi’ite militias near camp Taji north of Baghdad have killed six people and critically wounded three, an Iraqi army source said late on Friday. | Two of the three vehicles making up a militia convoy were found burned, the source said, as well as six burned corpses. The strikes took place at 1: 12 am local time, he said. | More to follow.
telesurenglish.net/news/Air-Strikes-Targ…

Thousands march in Tehran to mourn ‘beloved’ military commander Soleimani, killed by US drone strike
rt.com | 2020-01-03
Protesters dressed in black have marched in Tehran and other cities, decrying the killing on Thursday night of the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, Major General Qassem Soleimani, which was ordered by Washington. | People flooded the streets of Tehran after Friday prayers in honor of Soleimani and other officials killed during a US airstrike in Iraq’s capital. | The mostly black-clad protesters were chanting traditional anti-American slogans like “Down with the US!” while also praising Soleimani as a “hero” of the nation. Many were carrying photos of the killed Quds commander and banners suggesting that the vi…
rt.com/news/477369-iranian-protests-us-a…

Trump Must Be Removed From Office and We Must Create a Pathway to Peace
Wim Laven | commondreams.org | 2020-01-03
The time is now—we cannot allow Trump to continue to spiral out of control—life as we know it hangs in the balance. (Photo: National Priorities Project) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2020/01/03/trump-…

‘De facto state of war’: DeBlasio warns New Yorkers of ‘new reality’ in wake of the killing of Iran’s Soleimani
rt.com | 2020-01-03
New York mayor Bill de Blasio warned the city that attempted terrorist attacks may follow the US strike on Iranian commander Soleimani, anticipating never-before-seen threats would be unleashed — but told citizens not to panic. | After the strike on Baghdad airport “we are dealing with a different reality,” de Blasio told a press conference on Friday, admitting that “none of us know how this will play out,” as it has been decades since the US confronted “the reality of a war with the government of a large country with an international terror network at its behest.” Previous terror attacks on New York, he…
rt.com/usa/477403-deblasio-nyc-state-war…

No war or regime change, Trump assures Iran after praising the killing of ‘#1 terrorist’, ISIS-fighting General Soleimani
rt.com | 2020-01-03
US President Donald Trump described the Iranian general who fought Islamic State as the “number one terrorist” in the world and said the decision to kill him was made “to stop a war” rather than start regime change in Tehran. | Addressing the media at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Friday, Trump said General Qassem Soleimani was “plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel” when the US “terminated” him. | “We take comfort in knowing that his reign of terror is over,” he said of Soleimani, who led the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force before his ass…
rt.com/news/477426-no-war-regime-change-…

No war or regime change, Trump assures Iran after praising the killing of ‘#1 terrorist’ — ISIS-fighting general Soleimani
rt.com | 2020-01-03
US President Donald Trump described the Iranian general who fought Islamic State as “number one terrorist” in the world and said the decision to kill him was made “to stop a war,” rather than start regime change in Tehran. | Addressing the media at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Friday, Trump said General Qassem Soleimani was “plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel” when the US “terminated” him. | “We take comfort in knowing that his reign of terror is over,” he said of Soleimani, who led the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force before his assass…
rt.com/news/477426-no-war-regime-change-…

Why is the Indian IT sector in crisis?
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-01-03
Kiran Chandra of the Forum of IT Professionals, an organization working with IT employees in India, explains the nature of the crisis in the sector, the duplicity of big corporates and the advances made in organizing in the industry.
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/01/03/why-is-th…

Who Was Qassem Soleimani and Why Was He Targeted by the US?>
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-03
The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force, Major-General Qassem Soleimani, has long been considered a top enemy target for the U.S. and their allies in the MIddle East. | Born to an impoverished family in southeastern Iran, young Qassem was an early follower of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, as he often listened to the latter’s sermons through his traveling preachers. | When the 1979 Islamic Revolution began, the 22-year-old became one of the first officers in what would later become the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also known by its acronym ‘IRGC’. | Military Career…
telesurenglish.net/news/Who-Was-Qassem-S…

Iran’s Khamenei appoints Soleimani’s deputy as new head of Quds Forces
rt.com | 2020-01-03
Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani was appointed to lead Iran’s elite Quds Force after its previous commander, Major General Qassem Soleimani, was killed in a US airstrike on Friday. | The unit’s program “will stay exactly the same” as it was under Soleimani, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said, as quoted by Tasnim News Agency. | Ghaani has served as Soleimani’s second-in-command. | Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei on Friday appointed General Esmail Qa’ani as new Commander of Islamic Revolution Guards Corps ( #IRGC) Qu…
rt.com/news/477371-irans-khamenei-appoin…

Trump’s Iran Aggression Deserves Full-Throated Opposition
Peter Certo | commondreams.org | 2020-01-03
Lawmakers need to move before it’s too late. (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2020/01/03/trumps…

Pompeo in Iran damage control? US ‘committed to de-escalation,’ Soleimani killing ‘saved American lives’
rt.com | 2020-01-03
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured everyone that Washington wants to ease the tensions in the Middle East, while defending the killing of Iranian elite Quds Force commander as “defensive action.” | Pompeo made his remarks after speaking over the phone with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Yang Jiechi, the head of the Chinese ruling Communist Party’s Foreign Affairs Commission. | “The US remains committed to de-escalation,” Pompeo said. | A US drone strike killed Major General Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad’s airport on Friday morning. The Pentagon later reveale…
rt.com/news/477378-pompeo-committed-to-i…

America at War with Iran? Pentagon Ordered the Killing of IRGC Commander Qasem Soleimani
Arabi Souri | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
The Pentagon confirmed the United States of America’s responsibility of killing the legendary IRGC Quds Brigade commander Qasem Soleimani in a drone attack near Baghdad Airport. | The Pentagon’s statement didn’t elaborate on the cost on the US itself and its …
globalresearch.ca/usa-killed-iranian-irg…

Iran Vows ‘Harsh’ Response to U.S. Killing of Top General
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-03
BAGHDAD — Iran vowed “harsh retaliation” for a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad’s airport that killed a top Iranian general who had been the architect of its interventions across the Middle East, as tensions soared in the wake of the targeted killing. | The killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, marks a major escalation in the standoff between Washington and Iran, which has careened from one crisis to another since President Donald Trump withdrew from…
truthdig.com/articles/iran-vows-harsh-re…

How Trump got himself into a World of trouble in Iraq
Medea Benjamin | mronline.org | 2020-01-03
It’s a new year, and the U.S. has found a new enemy–an Iraqi militia called Kata’ib Hezbollah. How tragically predictable was that? So who or what is Kata’ib Hezbollah? Why are U.S. forces attacking it? And where will this lead? | Source…
mronline.org/2020/01/03/how-trump-got-hi…

A New Year and a New Trump Foreign Policy Blunder in Iraq
MBNJSD | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-01-03
It’s a new year, and the U.S. has found a new enemy–an Iraqi militia called Kata’ib Hezbollah. How tragically predictable was that? So who or what is Kata’ib Hezbollah? Why are U.S. forces attacking it? And where will this lead? Kata’ib Hezbollah is one of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) that were recruited to fight …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/01/a-new-year-an…

A New Year and a New Trump Foreign Policy Blunder in Iraq
Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J. S. Davies | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-03
It’s a new year, and the U.S. has found a new enemy–an Iraqi militia called Kata’ib Hezbollah. How tragically predictable was that? So who or what is Kata’ib Hezbollah? Why are U.S. forces attacking it? And where will this lead? Kata’ib Hezbollah is one of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) that were recruited to fight…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/03/a-new-year-a…

A new year and a new Trump foreign policy blunder in Iraq
MBNJSD | nationofchange.org | 2020-01-03
We hope that 2020 will be the year when the American public finally looks at the fateful choice between war and peace with 20/20 vision.
nationofchange.org/2020/01/03/a-new-year…

Opening Pandora’s Box in Iraq
Dave Lindorff | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-03
As far back as at least the American Revolution, there was an unwritten rule among combatants that you don’t kill the commander in the field of battle. That’s why generals could be seen directing their troops while sitting astride a horse behind the front lines –easy targets for anyone equipped with a rifled barrel on…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/03/opening-pand…

Outlaw Añez regime in Bolivia targets Indigenous for more terror
Albert Bender | peoplesworld.org | 2020-01-03
Bolivia is greatly ignored by the corporate media, but the news reports that do filter out indicate state terror reigns. In November, President Evo Morales and other top leaders were, in effect, pushed out by a coup, as military and police leaders withdrew their support from his elected government. The replacement leader, Jeanine Añez, comes …
peoplesworld.org/article/outlaw-anez-reg…

Protests mount as Bolivia coup regime expels Mexican, Spanish diplomats
Emile Schepers | peoplesworld.org | 2020-01-03
Over the past several days, the coup regime in Bolivia has escalated its campaign against diplomats from Mexico and Spain over their assistance to overthrown President Evo Morales. Flouting international agreements covering diplomatic relations, the Bolivian government has gone from harassing embassy personnel to outright expulsion. Coup “president” Jeanine àÅñez on Dec. 30 ordered Mexican …
peoplesworld.org/article/protests-mount-…

Bolivia: Election Tribunal Confirms Election for May 3rd, 2020
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-03
Oscar Hassenteufel, a member of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), said that the general elections will be held on the first Sunday of May, that is, on the 3rd of the fifth month of the year Bolivians will go to the polls to elect a new president.
telesurenglish.net/news/Bolivia-Election…

FROM THE FIELD: Crisis in Kassala
news.un.org | 2020-01-03
An economic crisis in Sudan which has driven up food prices in the African country has contributed to an increase in the number of people needing aid; that’s according to the UN’s humanitarian affairs agency, OCHA.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/01/1…

“This Country Is a Tinderbox”: Australia Braces for More Devastation as Gov’t Denies Climate Crisis
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-03
Australia is bracing for what is expected to be the worst weekend yet in an already devastating climate-fueled wildfire season that has ravaged the southeastern part of the country, killed at least 18 people and nearly half a billion animals, and destroyed 14.5 million acres of land. As thousands of evacuees fled to the beaches, conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing growing outrage for his inaction on climate and close ties with the coal industry. As fires blazed in December, the prime minister went on a holiday to Hawaii. He told reporters this week that fighting the fires — not climate chan…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/3/this_count…

Amazon employees threatened to be fired if they speak out on climate crisis
Marlee Kokotovic | nationofchange.org | 2020-01-03
AECJ says they will continue to take climate action despite the HR threats and Bezos’ promises to conduct a cleaner business.
nationofchange.org/2020/01/03/amazon-emp…

Australia Braces for More Devastation as Government Denies Climate Crisis
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-03
Australia is bracing for what is expected to be the worst weekend yet in an already devastating climate-fueled wildfire season that has ravaged the southeastern part of the country, killed at least 18 people and nearly half a billion animals, and destroyed 14.5 million acres of land. As thousands of evacuees fled to the beaches, conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing growing outrage for his inaction on climate and close ties with the coal industry. As fires blazed in December, the pri…
truthout.org/video/australia-braces-for-…

Russian pranksters strike again: Fake Greta Thunberg convinces eager US politician that she has dirt on Trump
rt.com | 2020-01-03
US Congresswoman Maxine Waters has allegedly fallen for a prank call in which she thought activist Greta Thunberg was offering her a tape of Donald Trump confessing to pressuring Ukraine into investigating his political rivals. | YouTube pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov, who go by the names Vovan and Lexus, are claiming they tricked Waters (Dem-Calif.) into thinking she was speaking to teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg. | Vovan and Lexus made names for themselves by previously pranking Congressman Adam Schiff (Dem-Calif.) into thinking there were nude photos of US President Donald T…
rt.com/usa/477425-maxine-waters-greta-pr…

The Dangers of Privatized Intelligence
Joyce Nelson | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-03
In a scathing piece about Russiagate, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern recently recalled a statement made in 1981 by then-CIA Director William Casey during the first meeting of President Ronald Reagan’s Cabinet. Casey told this gathering, “We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.” [1] It’s a shocking…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/03/the-dangers-…

Big Oil’s wishlist: The hottest oil auctions in 2020
rt.com | 2020-01-03
2020 could see a number of high-profile oil auctions, and where 2019 was a mixed bag in terms of asset assets, this year is shaping up to be more promising. | As the new year promises to ring in what most suspect will be lackluster oil demand and moderate oil prices despite OPEC’s beefier production cuts, oil auctions for the upcoming year may seem a bit less exciting than they were at $100 oil, but that all depends on your medium-to-long-term outlook. | Also on rt.com | | Russia & OPEC agree on new oil production cuts to prop up global crude prices | Sev…
rt.com/business/475693-hottest-oil-aucti…

Video: US Sanctions and the Caesar Act, Oil and Gas, Chemical Weapons, and the Syrian Response
Bouthaina Shaaban | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
The Caesar Act is one of the main topics discussed by the Media and Political Advisor in the Syrian Presidency Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban in a thorough must watch and learn from interview with Kamal Khalaf of Al-Mayadeen News channel. | Dr. …
globalresearch.ca/caesar-act-oil-gas-che…

Deuces wild: Gold on path to reach $2000 per ounce in 2020
rt.com | 2020-01-03
Gold prices can spike further this year, beating the highs they reached in 2019, with market analyst Fawad Razaqzada expecting the precious metal to hit $2,000 an ounce. | Bullion prices continued to reach higher during the last trading day of 2019, with gold for February delivery up around 0.5 percent, trading above $1,525. The yellow metal touched its highest level since September, when it stood at around $1,540 an ounce. | Also on rt.com | | Bullion beats sanctions: Muslim states may switch to gold & barter trade | “I think gold has everything goin…
rt.com/business/477172-gold-new-highs-20…

It’s No Superheroes, It’s Peace Workers
J.P. Linstroth | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-03
When I was growing up, DC Comics and comic heroes like “Batman”, and “Superman”, and “Wonder Woman”, were ubiquitous at local convenient store stands. I remember eagerly reading about the so-called comic book, “Justice League” and how these fictional heroes gathered forces and jointly fought off evil foes. The heroic exploits extended to Saturday morning…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/03/its-no-super…

It’s About Time the ICC Initiates Probe into Israeli War Crimes
Michael Jansen | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
It is about time for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to initiate and actually conduct a probe into war crimes perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian people. ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced recently that she would launch a full investigation …
globalresearch.ca/time-icc-initiates-pro…

The ICC Will Likely Throw Out Palestine’s Case for War Crimes, Norman Finkelstein Says
Philip Weiss | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
Last week supporters of Palestinian human rights were buoyed by the announcement from the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court that she had decided to open a formal investigation of Israel for war crimes in the occupied territories, including the …
globalresearch.ca/icc-likely-throw-out-p…

This American Died for Our Lies in Afghanistan
Peter Van Buren | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
It’s common this time of year to write summary articles trying to make sense of the last 12 months; you’ll soon see them popping up everywhere. But all of them will omit one of the most important stories of the …
globalresearch.ca/american-died-our-lies…

Work of Necessity, Work of Choice
Carolyn Coe | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-03
At age 11, Saabir Gulmadin began chopping wood to support his family. Now 18, he earns about $1.50 US (120 Afghanis) for every 56 kg of wood he splits. It takes him 2 to 3 hours. “Is the work hard on your body?” I ask. “Ohhh, yes,” he says, without hesitation. “Where does it hurt?”
counterpunch.org/2020/01/03/work-of-nece…

Florida: James Dailey faces execution based on testimony of a serial jailhouse informant
wsws.org | 2020-01-03
Dailey has consistently maintained his innocence in the 1985 murder of Shelly Boggio. By the prosecution’s own admission, no eyewitnesses or forensic evidence connected him to the crime.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/03/flor…

Paris: Two Injured and A Fatal Victim After a Knife Attack
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-03
One person died and two were injured in a knife attack in a park in Villejuif, 8 km (5 miles) south of central Paris, by a man who was later shot down by French police. | RELATED: | ‘New Strikes Against Pension Reform Are Ready’, French Workers | The survivors are being treated in nearby hospitals, Laure Beccuau, the prosecutor whose office is handling the case, told reporters who also explained the suspect tried to attack other victims during his murderous spree, who were able to…
telesurenglish.net/news/paris-two-injure…

The Syrian Conflict is Awash with Propaganda, Chemical Warfare Bodies Should not be Caught Up in It
Robert Fisk | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-03
In the very early spring of this year, I gave a lecture to European military personnel interested in the Middle East. It was scarcely a year since Bashar al-Assad’s alleged use of chlorine gas against the civilian inhabitants of the Damascus suburb of Douma on 7 April 2018, in which 43 people were said to have been killed. Few…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/03/the-syrian-c…

The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act: Why Washington Is Both Corrupt and Ignorant
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-03
The creatures that lurk through the corridors of power in Washington DC have refined corruption to the point where almost anything goes and almost no one is ever held accountable. Traditionally, Congressmen reward their various constituencies by inserting riders into …
globalresearch.ca/caesar-syria-civilian-…