2020-01-10: Social Media Postees

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

PayPal blocks donations to The Grayzone that mention Iran
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-01-10
Small donations to The Grayzone were delayed and reversed by PayPal because they mentioned the word “Iran” in messages praising…
thegrayzone.com/2020/01/09/paypal-blocks…

From Resistance to Assistance: Little Pushback to Trump’s Iran Assassination
Alan MacLeod | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-10
After Donald Trump’s election, both the New York Times and Washington Post saw huge jumps in subscribers, all hoping that the outlets would hold the president to account. Both papers tapped into this sentiment: In February 2017,…
globalresearch.ca/little-pushback-trump-…

From Resistance to Assistance: Little Pushback to Trump’s Iran Assassination
Alan MacLeod | fair.org | 2020-01-10
Qassem Soleimani (cc photo: Sayyed Shahab Odin Vajedi) | After Donald Trump’s election, both the New York Times and Washington Post saw huge jumps in subscribers, all hoping that the outlets would hold the president to account. Both papers tapped into this sentiment: In February 2017,…
fair.org/home/from-resistance-to-assista…

Study Finds Bots and MAGA Supporters Pushing #IraniansDetestSoleimani Hashtag
Alan Macleod | theantimedia.com | 2020-01-10
The hashtag #IraniansDetestSoleimani has been trending on Twitter this week, as users voiced their opposition to Qasem Soleimani.

Study Finds Bots and MAGA Supporters Pushing #IraniansDetestSoleimani Hashtag

Study Finds Bots and MAGA Supporters Pushing #IraniansDetestSoleimani Hashtag
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-01-10
A social media disinformation expert studied 60,000 tweets from nearly 10,000 accounts using the hashtag #IraniansDetestSoleimani and found that the most common phrases in those users’ biographies were “Make America Great Again” and “Trump.”
mintpressnews.com/study-bots-maga-suppor…

Bolivia’s New Right-Wing Government Intensifies Crackdown on Journalists, Doctors
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-01-10
The US-backed administration of Jeanine Añez is arresting prominent members of the press and even doctors in what it calls a “dismantling of the propaganda apparatus of the dictatorial regime of Evo Morales.”
mintpressnews.com/bolivia-right-wing-gov…

Reclaiming the Narrative: How to Combat Israel’s Misuse of “Antisemitism”
Ramzy Baroud | mintpressnews.com | 2020-01-10
While anti-Jewish racism is a real phenomenon that must be confronted, but “antisemitism, as defined by Israel, is a smokescreen with the ultimate aim of distracting from the real conversation: the crimes of military occupation, racism, and apartheid in Palestine.
mintpressnews.com/combat-israels-misuse-…

Main Result of Soleimani Assassination: the Movement to Expel U.S. Forces
Gary Leupp | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
Donald Trump postures as an anti-war president, or at least one who opposes “stupid, endless wars in the Middle East.” (Emphasis here on stupidity–read: expense–rather than morality and the issue of human suffering. Trump is a singularly non-empathetic human being.) On the other hand he’s boasted that he’s the “most militaristic” president we’ve ever seen.
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/main-result-…

House majority heeds demands that Trump stop his war on Iran
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2020-01-10
WASHINGTON–By a 224-194 vote, the U.S. House heeded mass anti-war sentiment and invoked the War Powers Act to stop GOP President Donald Trump’s escalation against Iran. Eight Democrats voted with Trump, while 220 voted against his war on Iran. So did three Republicans. The 186 others stuck with Trump. Independent Justin Amash of Michigan switched …
peoplesworld.org/article/house-majority-…

US House Sends Loud ‘No War on Iran’ Message to Trump With War Powers Resolution
Julia Conley | theantimedia.com | 2020-01-10
(CD) — The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a non-binding War Powers Resolution that would prohibit President Donald Trump from taking further military action against Iran without first gaining congressional approval. JUST IN: House passes Iran war powers resolution, 224-194. Eight Dems opposed: Brindisi, Cunningham, Gottheimer, Horn, Luria, McAdams, Murphy, Rose Three Republicans …

US House Sends Loud ‘No War on Iran’ Message to Trump With War Powers Resolution

House Democrats Send Loud ‘No War With Iran’ Message to Trump
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-10
The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a non-binding War Powers Resolution that would prohibit President Donald Trump from taking further military action against Iran without first gaining congressional approval. | The resolution–officially House Concurrent Resolution 83–was passed 224-194, largely along party lines with just three Republicans and one Independent joining with Democrats in favor of the measure. While eight Democrats voted against the resolution, four other…
truthdig.com/articles/house-democrats-se…

Where’s the Message? Who’s the Messenger?
Daniel Warner | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
Progressives need to sharpen their message. The left — be it Socialist, Democrat or Labour — lacks a clear voice. The messages of an Orbà n, Erdogan, Kaczynski, Johnson and Trump have captured the times with few convincing countervailing forces. How to respond? Images are supposed to be the modern way of communicating. The photo of…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/wheres-the-m…

We all need to listen to the woman on Question Time last night. Our future depends on it
Ed Sykes | thecanary.co | 2020-01-10
A Question Time audience member broke through the babble with a vital message on 9 January. And it’s one that British people need to deal with urgently if they’re going to win the class war which economic and political elites are waging against them.Take on the media establishment, or face defeat again and again: The woman first called out the “relentless campaign” of misinformation and attacks against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn by the UK’s billionaire press. She then insisted that “anyone standing for socialism will receive the same thing” and that establishment media outlets “will not let a socialist be…
thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2020/01/10/we-a…

Ten Years Ago in the Aftermath of the Haiti Earthquake: The Militarization of “Emergency Aid”. Was it a Humanitarian Operation or an Invasion?
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-10
Twenty thousand foreign troops will be present in the country.
globalresearch.ca/the-militarization-of-…

“The Globalization of War” and “Towards a World War III Scenario”
Global Research | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-10
The Globalization of War: America’s “Long War” against Humanity, by Michel Chossudovsky | America’s hegemonic project in…
globalresearch.ca/the-globalization-of-w…

Ten Years Ago: A Haiti Disaster Relief Scenario Tested by US Military One Day Before the Earthquake
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-10
The holding of pre-disaster simulations pertained to the impacts of a hurricane in Haiti. They were held on January 11.
globalresearch.ca/a-haiti-disaster-relie…

U.S. Dismisses Iraq Request to Work on a Troop Withdrawal Plan
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-10
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s caretaker prime minister asked Washington to work out a road map for an American troop withdrawal, but the U.S. State Department on Friday bluntly rejected the request, saying the two sides should instead talk about how to “recommit” to their partnership. | Thousands of anti-government protesters turned out in the capital and southern Iraq, many calling on both Iran and America to leave Iraq, reflecting their anger and frustration over the two rivals — both allies of Baghdad — trading blows on Iraqi soil. | The request from Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi pointed to his determin…
truthdig.com/articles/u-s-dismisses-iraq…

Thousands Request the Resignation of ‘Australia’s Bolsonaro’
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-10
Tens of thousands of people Friday demonstrated in several Australian cities demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Scott Morrison (ScoMo). They reject the inaction his administration has shown in fighting bushfires which are sweeping the country’s ecosystems and animals. | RELATED: | Save Animals From Bushfires Has Become a Priority in Australia | “We protest because these fires are unprecedented, they have been burning since September. We need urgent action to stop this…
telesurenglish.net/news/Thousands-Reques…

Washington Post Runs Pro-War Column Without Disclosing Author’s Raytheon Ties
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-10
This week The Washington Post published an opinion column by Stephen Hadley, a former Bush administration official and member of the board of directors of Raytheon. In his op-ed, Hadley justified the Trump administration’s assassination of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani and argued that…
truthout.org/articles/washington-post-ru…

Ex-UK ambassador to Tehran backs Corbyn’s assessment of the murder of Iranian general
Tom Coburg | thecanary.co | 2020-01-10
This article was updated at 18: 05 on 10 January. It previously stated that Boris Johnson did not respond to Jeremy Corbyn’s request for a Privy Council briefing. However, Johnson refused the request. | A former UK ambassador to Tehran has confirmed that Iranian general Qasem Soleimani was in Iraq as part of a peace mission to Saudi Arabia, with the full agreement of the Iraqi government, when he was assassinated by a US drone strike on the orders of president Donald Trump. | Richard Dalton added that the decision to assa…
thecanary.co/trending/2020/01/10/ex-uk-a…

Trump Administration had Set a Trap for Soleimani
Joyce Nelson | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-10
As we breathe a sigh of relief that, for the moment, a massive escalation of regional tensions in the Middle East has been averted, it is important to raise some simple (though disturbing) questions about the assassination of Iran’s Major …
globalresearch.ca/we-need-know-much-more…

Savage. Brutal. After the Assassination of Soleimani, Can We Just Admit that the United States Has No Morality at All?
Dr. Robert P. Abele | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-10
Qassem Soleimani, the top Iranian military commander, who was assassinated this week by the United States in Baghdad, while he was on a peaceful mission, is just the latest, but perhaps most brazen and alarming, declaration by the United …
globalresearch.ca/assassination-soleiman…

Iran Will Make Huge Political Gains From This Crisis
Patrick Cockburn | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
The Iranian missile attack on two US bases in Iraq is symbolic retaliation for the US assassination of General Qassem Soleimani on 3 January. Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei said there would be direct action against the US by the Iranian armed forces, and this has now happened. The message is that the Iranian leadership…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/iran-will-ma…

German government defends US war drive against Iran
wsws.org | 2020-01-10
Having previously defended the US assassination of Gen. Qassim Soleimani, an illegal act of state terror, Berlin condemned Iran’s retaliatory strike.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/10/iran…

And We Allow this Madness to Continue
Cathy Breen | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-01-10
Try as I did, I found it impossible to send New Year’s greetings to friends in Iraq given the unthinkable and shameless actions of Trump and his regime in the last weeks. His decision to assassinate Iranian Major General Qasim Soleimani at the Baghdad airport led to the Iraqi Parliament voting to expel all foreign …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/01/and-we-allow-…

Pulling Back From War: Trump and the Politics of De-Escalation
Anthony DiMaggio | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
As “the loudest voice” in the room, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo successfully lobbied for President Trump to authorize the illegal assassination strike against Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. This “victory” proved fleeting, however, considering the risks to this administration’s reelection that accompanied all-out war. A full-blown conflict appeared increasingly likely following Iran’s missile strikes on American bases in Iraq’s Anbar province and in Erbil, so it is understandable for Americans to be surprised by Trump’s reversing course, and with the de-escalation he announced in his latest speech to the nati…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/pulling-back…

Was Soleimani a Monstrous Kingmaker or Simply an Enabler?
Robert Fisk | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
There’s an extremely grim moment in the 1967 movie version of A Man for All Seasons, the epic Robert Bolt screenplay about the chancellor Thomas More’s refusal to support Henry VIII’s divorce, when Thomas Cromwell recruits the young and ambitious schoolteacher Richard Rich to become a spy. Rich will later provide the tainted evidence that…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/was-soleiman…

Trump Ups Iran Accusations: Four U.S. Embassies Targeted
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-10
WASHINGTON — Confronted by persistent questions about his military action in the Middle East, President Donald Trump and his top officials offered a string of fresh explanations Friday, with Trump now contending Iranian militants had planned major attacks on four U.S. embassies. | Just hours earlier, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said the U.S. didn’t know when or where attacks might occur. Trump and other officials insisted anew that Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani had posed an imminent threat to the U.S., but they rebuffed repeated attempts to explain what they meant by “imminent.” | Related Article…
truthdig.com/articles/trump-ups-iran-acc…

Trump Boasts General Soleimani Killing as ‘American Justice’
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-10
During a rally held in Toledo, Ohio, President Donald Trump Thursday defended his order to kill General Soleimani, drawing cheers from thousands when he said his death delivered “American Justice.” | RELATED: | House Approves Limiting Trump’s Ability to Wage War on Iran | “Last week the United States once again took the bold and decisive action to save A…
telesurenglish.net/news/Trump-Boasts-Gen…

Did Tucker Carlson Help Calm Trump on Iran?
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-10
NEW YORK — Here’s a point to ponder: To what extent is Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson responsible for President Donald Trump stepping away from a potential war with Iran? | From his prime-time perch on the top-rated cable network, Carlson has advocated restraint in dealing with Iran, and resisted cheerleading the Trump-ordered drone killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. | Shortly after the story of Iran’s counter-attack broke on Tuesday, Carlson hosted a show that mixed coverage of the story as details became known, emphasizing early reports of a lack of American casualties, and interviews with expert…
truthdig.com/articles/did-tucker-carlson…

The Kill Team: Are US military atrocities in Afghanistan just the work of a few “bad apples”?
wsws.org | 2020-01-10
The film is a fictionalized version of the events known as the Maywand District murders, the killing and mutilation of unarmed Afghan civilians carried out by American soldiers in 2010.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/10/kill…

Lee Camp: The War in Afghanistan Is a Fraud (and Now We Have Proof)
Lee Camp | mintpressnews.com | 2020-01-10
Nearly 20 years later, if you ask a U.S. general or president (any of them) what the goal is in Afghanistan, they’ll feed you a word salad so large it’ll keep you regular for months.
mintpressnews.com/war-afghanistan-fraud-…

UN rapporteur Nils Melzer condemns Britain’s criminal role in the torture of Julian Assange
wsws.org | 2020-01-10
Melzer demanded the abandonment of the extradition proceedings, Assange’s freedom and a criminal investigation into those responsible for his persecution.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/10/assa…

Assassination, Lies and the Trump Difference
Paul Street | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
United States presidents have long lied about the pretexts for, and the nature of, their murderous and criminal foreign policy actions. Remember George W. Bush and Dick Cheney’s fraudulent claims that Saddam Hussein’s Iraq government possessed vast stocks of “weapons of mass destruction” that threatened the world and that Iraq had participated in the September 11, 2001 jetliner attacks?
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/assassinatio…

What the US Wants in the Near East: an Interview With The Saker
Michael Hudson | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
The Saker: Trump has been accused of not thinking forward, of not having a long-term strategy regarding the consequences of assassinating General Suleimani. Does the United States in fact have a strategy in the Near East, or is it only ad hoc? Michael Hudson: Of course American strategists will deny that the recent actions do…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/what-the-us-…

Gregory Shupak on Iran Assassination, Brett Hartl on Biodiversity Loss
CounterSpin | fair.org | 2020-01-10
Media…
fair.org/home/gregory-shupak-on-iran-ass…

Sanders Campaign Says ‘Bring It’ Following Trump’s Attacks
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-10
After President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign used its massive email list to go after potential 2020 rival Sen. Bernie Sanders on two consecutive days this week, team Sanders welcomed the president’s attacks as a sign that he views the Vermont senator as a serious threat to his hopes for a second term. | In an email Wednesday attacking Sanders for condemning the likely illegal U.S. assassination of…
truthdig.com/articles/sanders-campaign-s…

Dear America, Assassinating Foreign Leaders is an Act of War
Strategic Culture | theantimedia.com | 2020-01-10
Forget about obstruction of justice and collusion with foreigners: Assassination is the real deal.

Dear America, Assassinating Foreign Leaders is an Act of War

New Zealand government backs US provocations against Iran
wsws.org | 2020-01-10
New Zealand’s Labour Party-led government has backed the US assassination of Iranian military leader Qassem Suleimani and refused to withdraw NZ troops from Iraq.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/10/nzir…

US Seeks to Affect Cuba’s Revenue by Banning Charter Flights
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-10
President Donald Trump administration Friday announced that all public charter flights departing from the United States to Cuba will be banned, except those directed to Havana. | RELATED: | US Pressure Gets Cuban Team Out of Baseball Caribbean Series | “At my request, the Department of Transportation (DOT) suspended all public charter flights between the United States and Cuban destinations other than Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport,” the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Po…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-Seeks-to-Affe…

USAID, OAS Arrive in Bolivia to Give “Technical Aid” in Elections, Raising Fears of US Meddling
Eoin Higgins | theantimedia.com | 2020-01-10
Officials from USAID and the Organization for American States arrived in Bolivia to “give technical aid to the election process in Bolivia.”

USAID, OAS Arrive in Bolivia to Give “Technical Aid” in Elections, Raising Fears of US Meddling

Argentina: Alberto Fernández Reassures Economy
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-10
In dialogue with journalists at the Government House, just one month after assuming the presidency of Argentina, leader of Front of All, Alberto Fernández made a positive assessment of his management. | RELATED: | Bolivia’s MAS to Launch Presidential Campaign in Argentina | He highlighted that since the arrival of the Front of All to government it has been possible to “calm the economy,” with measures to “tidy up public accounts” without affecting the most vulnerable sectors and…
telesurenglish.net/news/Argentina-Albert…

Environmental groups outraged at Trump’s proposed rollback of infrastructure review
Olivia Rosane | peoplesworld.org | 2020-01-10
President Donald Trump proposed one of his most aggressive environmental rollbacks yet on Thursday, announcing a change that would exempt federal agencies from considering the climate impacts of pipelines and other infrastructure projects. The president’s proposal would significantly limit enforcement of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which mandates that federal agencies consider how proposed construction projects like pipelines, highways and …
peoplesworld.org/article/environmental-g…

The Current U.S. Approach to Nuclear Weapons Can Only Lead to Armageddon
Prabir Purkayastha | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
The decade ends with two major threats to humanity: global warming leading to a climate catastrophe and the threat of a nuclear war extinguishing our civilization. The U.S. has pulled out of the Paris Agreement and is wrecker-in-chief of the weak climate change agreement that all the countries had signed to limit the emission of…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/the-current-…

Trump administration initiated program to deport Mexican asylum seekers to Guatemala
wsws.org | 2020-01-10
The deportations were already under way when the story broke Monday; however, the Trump administration has since paused the program, in part due to the strong criticism from immigration advocates as well as within federal agencies.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/10/mexi…

The Green New Deal and China’s Green Revolution
Donald Donato | peoplesworld.org | 2020-01-10
As a testament to the growing momentum for the Green New Deal, over 900 people gathered in the small town of Acton, Massachusetts, on a frosty Sunday night, just five days into the new year, to hear from U.S. Senator Ed Markey, its sponsor in the Senate. Markey, himself a little surprised by the popularity …
peoplesworld.org/article/the-green-new-d…

Haiti by the Numbers: 10 Years Later
Jake Johnston | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
Magnitude of earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010: 7.0 Years since an earthquake of that magnitude struck Haiti: 168 Number of aftershocks, over 4.5 magnitude, in the week after the initial tremor: 51 Total number of government ministry buildings, before the earthquake: 29 Number of government ministry buildings that stood after the earthquake:…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/haiti-by-the…

Iran Loathes Pompeo’s Chabahar Gift
M. K. Bhadrakumar | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
Sometimes a crisis is needed to judge the efficacy of a country’s regional policies. The U.S.-Iran confrontation is one such moment for India. In retrospect, the India-U.S. meeting of foreign and defense ministers in the 2+2 format in Washington on December 18 stands out as an embarrassment. A fortnight after that event, President Donald Trump…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/iran-loathes…

Fracking and the Metaphysics of Indian-Hating
Ron Jacobs | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
John Sayles is an award-winning filmmaker known for his directorial style and the topics of his films. He is also an excellent writer of fiction. My first encounter with any of his work was the short story “I-80 Nebraska,” published in The Atlantic in 1975. A year or two later, his second novel Union Dues…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/fracking-and…

Capitalism and the Gut-Wrenching Hijack of India
Colin Todhunter | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
In India, the ‘development’ paradigm is premised on moving farmers out of agriculture and into the cities to work in construction, manufacturing or the service sector, despite these sectors not creating anything like the number of jobs required. The aim is to displace the existing labour-intensive system of food and agriculture with one dominated by…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/capitalism-a…

What’s at Stake in Iran for China
Tom Clifford | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
Beijing. They see things differently in China. What is referred to in the West as the Middle East is, from a Chinese perspective, the Middle West. What is often referred to in the West as the Persian or Arabian gulf is always referred to in China as the Iranian gulf. The rise in tensions from…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/whats-at-sta…

Palestinian Militants Not Yet Ready to Avenge Iran
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-10
Despite the latest conflict between Iran and the U.S., Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, Iran’s allies, are not ready to attack Israel, the U.S. ally, in revenge on Iran’s behalf, analysts said. | RELATED: | US Announces New Sanctions on Iran, Refuses to Pull Out Troops | The Palestinians are afraid that the Iran-U.S. conflict would lead to a new wave of confrontation between Palestinian militants in Gaza Strip and Israel, as the enclave is ruled by the Islamic Hamas move…
telesurenglish.net/news/Palestinian-Mili…

“Fake Intelligence”? Washington Blames Iran for Ukraine Airliner Crash. Was the Plane Brought down by a Missile?
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-10
Disinformation, Big Lies and fake news repeated enough get most people to believe the official (falsified) narrative. | That’s what state-sponsored propaganda is all about — supported by establishment media, operating as press agents for powerful interests, manipulating the public mind, …
globalresearch.ca/blaming-iran-ukraine-a…

America’ System of “Checks, Balances and Reality” Crumbles as It Seeks War with Iran: Send in Pope Francis, Not the Marines
John Stanton | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-10
“Any Muslim who denies #JesusChrist’s and #SaintMary’s infallibility is rejected by #Islam. This is how Islam respects Jesus and Mary (pbut).The honor #Muslims attribute to #JesusChrist (pbuh) is no less than his position and merit in the eyes of the …
globalresearch.ca/usa-system-checks-bala…

Video: US Simulates A War with Iran Scenario
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-10
The United States and Iran are balancing on the edge of a fully-fledged open military conflict, with many claiming that President Donald Trump had to respond militarily to the Iranian retaliatory missile strike on US military bases in Iraq. However, …
globalresearch.ca/video-united-states-wa…

Iraq Gives the US Its Marching Orders. What Part of “Go Home” Don’t You Understand?
Steven Sahiounie | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-10
Iranian forces launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against two military bases housing US troops in Iraq early hours of Wednesday morning. The al-Asad airbase in western Iraq was hit by 17 missiles, and 5 targeted at a base …
globalresearch.ca/iraq-gives-us-marching…

A Window for Peace
Craig Murray | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-10
There is this morning a chink of light to avoid yet more devastation in the Middle East. Iran’s missile strikes last night were calibrated to satisfy honour while avoiding damage that would trigger automatically the next round. The missiles appear …
globalresearch.ca/window-peace/5700177

Bernie and Iran
Shamus Cooke | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
Even after Trump’s conciliatory speech the world still teeters on the brink of war, which could immediately draw in countries across the Middle East and beyond. Anything remains possible, since there are powerful nations on all sides demanding peace on one hand and clamoring for war on the other. It’s possible that a multi-nation ‘grand…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/bernie-and-i…

Iraqis Want US, Iranian Forces Out of Their Country
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2020-01-10
Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali al-Hakim says Iraq feels it is “very necessary that all foreign troops need to leave from our territory.”

Iraqis Want US, Iranian Forces Out of Their Country

Iraqi Communists say their country should not be battleground for U.S.-Iran war
Steve Sweeney | peoplesworld.org | 2020-01-10
Iraqi Communists called for the international community to respect national sovereignty yesterday, warning against their country being used as an arena for war between the U.S. and Iran. In a statement issued in response to Iran’s retaliatory missile attack on the U.S. bases in Ain al-Assad in Anbar and Harir in Erbil, the Iraqi Communist …
peoplesworld.org/article/iraqi-communist…

U.S. Blames Iran for Ukrainian Jetliner Downing, Pledges Probe
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-10
WASHINGTON — The U.S. promised “appropriate action” Friday in response to its assessment that an Iranian missile was responsible for downing a Ukrainian jetliner that crashed outside Tehran, as the Iranian government denied playing a role in the killing of all 176 people on board. | Secretary of State Mike Pompeo became the highest-level U.S. official to directly pin the blame on Iran, after Canadian, Australian and British leaders announced similar intelligence conclusions Thursday. “We do believe it is likely that that plane was shot down by an Iranian missile,” he said. | Pompeo said an investigation wou…
truthdig.com/articles/u-s-blames-iran-fo…

Space Force! (Video)
Mark Fiore | truthdig.com | 2020-01-10
Just think how many Iranian generals Donald Trump will be able to kill once Space Force is up and running! Even though we’re focused on Iran right now, I took a look into the newly-created Space Force for this cartoon. | As i…
truthdig.com/cartoons/space-force-video/

GM workers in Mexico thank Australian workers for support
wsws.org | 2020-01-10
Amid the looming threat of war after the US killing of Iranian General Suleimani, the statement calls workers to fight against war and the environmental destruction that triggered Australia’s bushfires.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/10/sila…

Space Force! (Video)
Mark Fiore | truthdig.com | 2020-01-10
Just think how many Iranian generals Donald Trump will be able to kill once Space Force is up and running! Even though we’re focused on Iran right now, I took a look into the newly created Space Force for this cartoon. | As i…
truthdig.com/cartoons/space-force-video/

US, Canada blame plane crash on Iran as causes remain unclear
wsws.org | 2020-01-10
With the investigation into the causes for the crash having barely begun, US and Canadian officials have accused Iran of downing of the plane.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/10/ukia…

Iraqi PM Asks US to Begin Withdrawal Process in Iraq
Almasdar News | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-10
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, announced on Friday that he asked the United States to send delegates to Iraq to help kick start the withdrawal of American forces from his country. | According to Alsumaria TV, Abdul-Mahdi asked the …
globalresearch.ca/iraqi-pm-asks-us-begin…

We’re Staying, US Tells Iraq After Being Asked to Leave
Eoin Higgins | theantimedia.com | 2020-01-10
US to Iraq: We’re staying!

US to Iraq: We’re Staying!

For Western Press, the Only Coup in Venezuela Is Against Guaidó
Lucas Koerner | fair.org | 2020-01-10
The Washington Post ( 1/5/20) described Venezuelan lawmakers voting against someone other than Washington’s chosen candidate to head the assembly as “sedition within the opposition.” | The international corporate media have entered crisis mode following the replacement of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as head of the country’s National Assembly. | In headline after headline, Venezue…
fair.org/home/for-western-press-the-only…

Venezuela: Leadership of National Assembly Split Between Competing Opposition Groups
Nino Pagliccia | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-10
Last January 5 the members of the National Assembly of Venezuela elected its new leadership as mandated by the constitution. The new president of the National Assembly, Luis Parra, elected by a majority vote, will replace Juan Guaidó. …
globalresearch.ca/venezuela-leadership-n…

UK retailers report “worst year on record” as 140,000 job are shed
wsws.org | 2020-01-10
Last year, many high street chains folded unable to compete with out of town stores and online shopping conglomerates such as Amazon.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/10/reta…

Activists Reclaimed a Water Source for Palestinians, Showing Co-Resistance Works
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-10
Recently, nonviolent Palestinian activist Kifah Adara drew water from the Ein Albeida spring near her West Bank village of Al-Tuwani for the first time in 15 years. The spring is a natural water source that was used by Palestinian communities in the region for generations, but a decade and a half ago, nearby Israeli settlers started swimming in the spring, which dirtied the water and made it unsuitable for drinking. For years, due to settler violence and intimidation tactics, Palestinians…
truthout.org/articles/activists-reclaime…

Activists demand overturning of death sentence to Pakistani professor
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-01-10
The death sentence awarded to 33-year-old professor Junaid Hafeez in Pakistan, on charges of blasphemy has been termed as a travesty of justice by human rights groups who claim that it is blatantly against international law…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/01/10/activists…

Missouri Republican Bill Aims to Have Cops Stop Abortions
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-10
A Missouri Republican legislator has introduced so-called fetal personhood legislation that could mandate law enforcement to stop people from having abortions. | House Bill 1799 was introduced by state Rep. Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove)…
truthout.org/articles/missouri-republica…

The Corporate Assault on Cancer Alley Created an Environmental Justice Warrior
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-10
This report was produced as part of ivoh’s Restorative Narrative Fellowship. | On the evening of January 6, Louisiana state regulators issued 15 key permits to the Taiwanese petrochemical corporation Formosa for its $9.4 billion plastics manufacturing complex proposed for the historically black area of St. James Parish. Word spread today about the approvals, which pave the way for the project’s construction, opp…
truthout.org/articles/the-corporate-assa…

Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower: Facebook Allows Racist, Sexist Political Ads
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-10
A longtime Facebook executive has admitted the company’s platform helped Donald Trump win the 2016 election, and it may happen again this year. In an internal memo, Facebook Vice President Andrew Bosworth wrote, “So was Facebook responsible for Donald Trump getting elected? I think the answer is yes.” Bosworth, who was a backer of Hillary Clinton in 2016, went on to write that the company should not change its policies in an effort to hurt Trump’s re-election chances. In his memo, Bosworth r…
truthout.org/video/cambridge-analytica-w…

China mourns native paddlefish after scientists declare it extinct
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-01-10
People in China have been lamenting the demise of the Chinese paddlefish after scientists declared it extinct in a research paper. | Chinese internet users and media outlets have been paying tribute to the hefty creature, whose sharp, protruding snout made it one of the largest freshwater species in the world. | “It’s farewell at first sight,” said China Youth Daily, noting that many were lamentably unfamiliar with the paddlefish before learning of its demise. | Users shared similar sentiments on the Twitter-like Weibo platform. | Named after its distinctive shape, the Chinese paddlefish, or Chinese swordfish, ha…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/20…

Why the War Powers Resolution is Useless
Foreign Policy in Focus | theantimedia.com | 2020-01-10
By any measure, the War Powers Resolution has failed to constrain presidential war-making.

Why the War Powers Resolution is Useless

On the Issue of “Electability”
Andrew Levine | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
The hardcore Trump base is vile in many of the ways that bona fide fascists were, and as is Trump himself. Even so, calling it “fascist,” though tempting, inasmuch as the word is still a term of abuse, is ahistorical and misleading. “Rightwing nationalist” or “rightwing populist” are more exact and to the point. Unlike true fascists, Trump’s supporters have no coherent ideology, only a vague attachment to white supremacism, and they have no organizational structure other than the Republican Party itself.
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/on-the-issue…

Project 1619 and Its Detractors
Louis Proyect | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
Last August, the New York Times Sunday Magazine devoted an entire issue to Project 1619, an attempt to root today’s racism in the institution of slavery dating back to the seventeenth century. In 1619, British colonists in Point Comfort, Virginia bought twenty African slaves from Portuguese traders who had landed there, fresh from a body-snatching…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/project-1619…

Paradise Islands and Boris Johnson’s Hypocrisy
Brian Cloughley | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
Picture heaven as a lovely island, Somewhere far away, Where there never comes a sunset, Life is just one long eternal day. How’d you like to spend eternity, On paradise island, How’d you like to live forever way beyond the starry skies, Song will fill the air with melody, On paradise island. — Paradise Island by Bill…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/paradise-isl…

What Plutarchy Nurtures
Joseph Natoli | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
Maybe you spend most of your time online or wish you could because cyberspace was here to greet you at birth, and it’s been family to you in a way that the analog world can’t compete.You like Nature, the video game. And so on. Or maybe you have a richer social life online than offline.
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/what-plutarc…

Mega Droughts Engulf Countries
Robert Hunziker | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
Throughout the world, mega droughts are hitting hard with a ferocity not seen in decades and in some cases not seen in centuries. It’s not merely coincidental that as global warming accelerates droughts turn more vicious than ever before. All of which begs the logical question of when will world leaders wake up with a…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/mega-drought…

The Visitor: Wizards of Loneliness
Lucy Schiller | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
I moved to Dortmund, Germany about three months ago, though it feels more like six or twelve. The hours stretch here in a way I’m not accustomed to, even living, as I used to, in a what my landlord in Iowa City called the “Spinster’s Cottage”–a little shack originally built for an aging and unmarried…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/the-visitor-…

Despair in America: the Unspoken Issue of the 2020 Election
David Rosen | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
Ever wake up one morning and ask yourself if anything really matters? Why do I stay alive? These are but two of the existential questions that an increasing number of Americans are asking but are rarely discussed publicly. Asking such questions has been neutralized, mainstreamed, through self-help advice columns and books, psychotherapy or academic debates. Sometimes…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/despair-in-a…

Corruption investigation targets newly installed UAW president Rory Gamble
wsws.org | 2020-01-10
According to press reports Gamble and Settles may be linked to bribes paid by businessman Jason Gordon in exchange for the award of contracts for merchandise.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/10/auto…

US Agreed To Extradite Mexican Fugitive Politician: AMLO
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-10
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced on Friday the United States has agreed to extradite a fugitive former state governor wanted on corruption charges. | RELATED: | Mexico Hosts CELAC Summit And Assumes Pro Tempore Presidency | “This has now been resolved, and there is an affirmative response from the United States government… the extradition will proceed,” Lopez Obrador told a regular news conference. | Cesar Duarte, who governed the northern border state o…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-Agreed-To-Ext…

Microsoft in trouble after revelation unvetted Chinese contractors listened in on Skype calls with NO security
rt.com | 2020-01-10
Microsoft is in damage control after former employee has claimed that contractors in China reviewed audio recordings from Skype calls over the open internet, with zero security measures, no vetting, and one shared password. | Cybersecurity was nonexistent in Microsoft’s audio transcription and rating program, according to a former contractor who spoke to the Guardian on Friday. The company sent contractors a username and password in plaintext, unencrypted e…
rt.com/usa/477982-microsoft-skype-conver…

US acting ‘like ISIS’ threatening to destroy Iran’s cultural sites – FM Zarif
rt.com | 2020-01-10
The US was behaving like terrorists when President Donald Trump threatened to target Iranian cultural sites if Tehran retaliated for the killing of its top general Qassem Soleimani, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has said. | In a speech directed to the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, Zarif said Trump’s threat could be compared to the Islamic State’s destruction of cultural sites during its reign of terror in the region, Iran’s PressTV reported. | The US “seeks to emulate the war crimes of Daesh, menacing the cultural heritage of the millennia-old civilization of Iran,” he said. His remarks were deli…
rt.com/news/477948-iran-cultural-sites-i…

Bollywood megastar Deepika Padukone’s support visit to protest hotbed JNU taps into raging politics for fail-safe publicity
rt.com | 2020-01-10
Deepika Padukone, Bollywood superstar and India’s highest-paid female actor, became a trending Twitter topic this week, after a strategic visit to Jawaharlal Nehru University — a center of ongoing anti-government protests. | In India’s volatile political climate where a huge debate ensued, and protests are raging over a new ‘anti-Muslim’ citizenship law, Padukone added fuel to fire by stepping into the premises of the university in New Delhi, which has become a “symbol of resistance” against an allegedly “fascist government,” to express solidarity with the protesting students. Padukone, whose latest film…
rt.com/news/477823-deepika-padukone-boll…

‘We are the woke’: Joaquin Phoenix joins Jane Fonda at DC climate protest, to preach about meat & dairy and flight-shame himself
rt.com | 2020-01-10
The Friday climate change protest in Washington, DC included crowds marching on Capitol Hill and chanting things like, “the waters are rising and so are we” and “Australia is burning and so are we.” Police were present. | Celebrities like Jane Fonda and Joaquin Phoenix headlined the protest, which was part of the Friday Fire Drills, originally inspired by teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg. | “Fire drill Fridays call for fast action on the Green New Deal and an end to all fossil fuel exploration, extraction and taxpayer subsidies to oil companies,” a notice for the protest read. | ‘Joker’ star Phoenix…
rt.com/usa/477971-joaquin-phoenix-climat…

Killing of Soleimani ‘wake-up call’ to get rid of US presence in the region — Iran’s envoy to UN
rt.com | 2020-01-10
The killing of Qassem Soleimani by the US has not only crossed crucial “red lines” but provided an impetus to expel American troops from the Middle East, an Iranian envoy to the UN’s office in Geneva told RT. | The assassination of Major General Soleimani had “surpassed the red lines that distinguish barbarism from civilized rules of engagement,” Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh told RT’s Afshin Rattansi on his show Going Underground. | The diplomat argued that the raid served as “a wake-up call for the people in the region and beyond.” | I think this is the beginning of a process: the people of our region would get ri…
rt.com/news/477911-iran-envoy-un-intervi…

India considers tightening drone policy after Soleimani’s death in US airstrike — report
rt.com | 2020-01-10
Indian officials are alarmed by new security risks arising from the use of UAVs after a US drone strike killed Iranian military commander, Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad. | The country’s authorities are considering an update to recently adopted regulations on drones, which are due to take effect this month, the Indian Express reported on Friday, citing two high-ranking government sources. | “There is a realization of the need to up the guard [on who gets licenses]… there will be a step back on that,” a source said, explaining that the existing drone policy requires “careful reassessment, given the new risks.”
rt.com/news/477882-india-drone-policy-re…

‘Pay it forward’ Russian-style: Single mom raises $25k for a boy who’d bought her bus ticket just to help
rt.com | 2020-01-10
A truly inspirational Christmas story unfolded in a small town in Russia’s Altai region, after a boy bought a bus ticket for a single mom struggling with a crying child. That mother, it turned out, is a popular Instagram blogger. | The heart-warming story was told by the blogger Natalya Mishina herself. Apart from raising a three-year-old boy on her own, the young woman is a columnist with a fashion mag and an Instagram blogger, who boasts a vast army of over 600,000 subscribers. | During the New Year holiday week, Mishina, who resides in St. Petersburg, visited her parents in the small town of Kamen-na-Obi, l…
rt.com/russia/477952-russia-christmas-bo…

Taliban expects date to sign deal with US ‘to be fixed soon’
rt.com | 2020-01-10
The Taliban expects that a date to sign a peace agreement with the United States will be fixed in the near future, TASS reported on Friday, citing Mohammad Sohail Shaheen, a spokesman for the movement’s Qatar office. | “A date to sign the agreement has not been fixed. We expect to fix it soon,” he said, responding to a question. | Russian special presidential envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said earlier that Washington and the Taliban had agreed that Russia and several other countries would witness the signing of the agreement. | On December 29, the Taliban’s ruling council agreed to a temporary ceasefire…
rt.com/newsline/477936-taliban-us-deal-a…

Risky pitch? Labour leadership hopeful calls for ‘referendum’ on British Royal family (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-01-10
Clive Lewis — the Labour politician bidding to become Jeremy Corbyn’s successor — has suggested as part of his leadership pitch, that the British people should decide the future of the Royal family in a referendum. | Following his speech in Brixton on Friday, the Norwich South MP was asked by a reporter to give his views on the state of the monarchy, with regards to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s recent decision to “step back” from senior royal duties. | Lewis said that he respected the couple’s decision due to the press treatment that they have received, along with “the racism that Megan has exp…
rt.com/uk/477941-lewis-referendum-royal-…

‘Pelosi caved’: After 3-week delay seeking leverage, Democrats to finally send impeachment to Senate
rt.com | 2020-01-10
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced that articles of impeachment will be transmitted to the Senate next week, after Republican leadership rejected her conditions and moved to dismiss the charges unless they were sent over. | “I have asked Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler to be prepared to bring to the Floor next week a resolution to appoint managers and transmit articles of impeachment to the Senate,” Pelosi (D-California) wrote in a letter to House Democrats on Friday. | “Pelosi caves,” declared Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), who authored the motion to change the Senate rules so the charge…
rt.com/usa/477977-pelosi-impeachment-tru…

India’s top court orders review of all restrictions in Kashmir
rt.com | 2020-01-10
India’s Supreme Court on Friday ordered the government to review all restrictions, including the suspension of internet service, in Indian-controlled Kashmir within a week. | Defense attorney Vrinda Grover said the top court also directed the Indian government to make public all orders imposing a lockdown in Kashmir in August after the constitution’s Article 370 granting Kashmir special status was revoked, AP said. | The court reportedly held that the internet shutdown impacted the freedom of press, which is part of freedom of speech and expression. | Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government ended Muslim-majo…
rt.com/newsline/477893-india-supreme-res…

‘Delegation that epitomizes the dark arts’: India & Pakistan trade poetic barbs at UN Security Council
rt.com | 2020-01-10
A highly eloquent war of words erupted between the United Nations envoys of India and Pakistan during meetings at the agency’s Security Council, with New Delhi’s representative slamming the “dark arts” of his counterpart. | On the heels of a speech from Pakistan’s UN envoy Munir Akram on Thursday — who insisted on New Delhi’s “aggressive intent” toward his country, and that India had been “false and duplicitous” in claiming Kashmir had returned to a state of normalcy — the Indian envoy shot back with surprising diction. | “One delegation that epitomizes the dark arts has, yet again, displayed its war…
rt.com/news/477880-india-pakistan-unsc-p…

Japan’s Abe heading to Middle East despite crisis in region
rt.com | 2020-01-10
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit the Middle East from Saturday, hoping to ease regional tensions that have soared after the US killing of a top Iranian general. | Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said on Friday that the January 11-15 trip to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman would go ahead. | Abe will also seek to explain Tokyo’s decision to deploy a military vessel and two patrol planes to the region to “ensure safety of Japan-related vessels,” AFP reports. | “To avoid further escalation of the tense situation in the Middle East, [Abe] will exchange opinions with the thr…
rt.com/newsline/477908-japan-abe-middle-…

Panic mode? Iran could have ‘access’ to nuclear weapon in 1-2 years, French FM warns
rt.com | 2020-01-10
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has claimed that if Iran continues to roll back the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA), it may get a nuclear bomb in a very short period of time. | If the Islamic Republic continues “with unraveling” the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on its nuclear program, Tehran could obtain a nuclear weapon in the nearest future, Le Drian told RTL radio on Friday. | Within a fairly short period of time, between one and two years, they could have access to a nuclear weapon, which is not an option. | EU foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss ways of…
rt.com/news/477887-iran-access-to-nukes/