2020-02-19: Social Media Postees

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

Passengers Leave Ship Docked Off Japan After Quarantine Ends
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-02-20
The two-week action failed to stop the spread of the new virus, with the Diamond Princess the site of the most infections outside of China.
truthdig.com/articles/passengers-leave-s…

‘Journalism is not a crime’: Australian MP says charges against Assange must be dropped after visiting him in UK prison
rt.com | 2020-02-20
Continued persecution of the WikiLeaks co-founder is a “crazy situation,” Australian lawmaker George Christiansen told RT, adding that Julian Assange did not commit any crime aside from running afoul of US elites. | Christiansen, a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland, questioned the integrity of the legal process against Assange, who is now facing the possibility of extradition to the US over “unlawfully obtaining and disclosing classified documents related to the national defense.” | The journalist was hauled out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London after his asylum was revoked in April 2019, an…
rt.com/news/481242-australian-mp-assange…

Washington backs Turkey as border clashes mount with Syria and Russia
wsws.org | 2020-02-19
Washington is encouraging Turkish army operations inside Syria, risking a direct clash between the NATO alliance and the Syrian government’s main allies, Russia and Iran.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/19/turk…

Washington backs Turkey as border clashes mount with Syria and Russia
wsws.org | 2020-02-19
Washington is encouraging Turkish army operations inside Syria, risking a direct clash between the NATO alliance and the Syrian government’s main allies, Russia and Iran.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/19/turk…

Russian Minister Accuses U.S. of Openly Plundering Syrian Oil
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-19
The United States openly controls and plunders the oil fields belonging to Syria and its people, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday. | RELATED: | Russian Ministers Meet With Italian Counterparts in Rome | “The Syrian oil fields, the territories where the precious substance is produced, are controlled by the United States. There is shameless plundering of the riches that belong to Syria and the Syrian people,” denounced Russia’s defense minister in Rome, Italy.
telesurenglish.net/news/russian-minister…

Video: Towards The Liberation of Idlib City
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
Syrian government forces did not stop their operation in Greater Idlib with the success in the western countryside of Aleppo city, and continued making gains in the province. During the past 24 hours, they took control of over 10 settlements….
globalresearch.ca/video-idlib-city-prepa…

Spanish Parliament Rejects Juan Guaido as Venezuelan President
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-19
The National Executive in Spain rejected a motion to acknowledge Juan Guaido as the leader of Venezuela on Tuesday. The legal request faced the opposition of 190 parliamentary officials. | RELATED: | Juan Guaido Stars Venezuela’s Biggest Corruption Case Ever | The left-wing parties, such as Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) and Unidas Podemos, expressed their rejection of the motion, arguing that political parties like VOX, Ciudadanos, Foro Asturias and Navarra Suma, are usi…
telesurenglish.net/news/spanish-parliame…

Trump’s Deal Is a Show Hiding the Real Problem: Ongoing Israeli Apartheid
Richard Falk | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
It was always foolish to expect a balanced political compromise from the current American administration. | Since he was elected four years ago, US President Donald Trump has entrusted the Israel/Palestine portfolio to his inexperienced, Zionist son-in-law, Jared Kushner, aided …
globalresearch.ca/trump-deal-show-hiding…

If Bloomberg wants to buy an election, he should run as a Republican against Trump–not sabotage Democrats
Robert W. McChesney | mronline.org | 2020-02-19
The mega-billionaire should be running against Trump in the Republican primaries, not as a Democrat. If he actually cared about this country more than stroking his massive ego that is exactly what he would be doing. | Source…
mronline.org/2020/02/19/if-bloomberg-wan…

If Bloomberg Wants to Buy an Election, He Should Run as a Republican
Robert McChesney | zcomm.org | 2020-02-19
The mega-billionaire should be running against Trump in the Republican primaries, not as a Democrat. If he actually cared about this country more than stroking his massive ego that is exactly what he would be doing…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/if-bloomberg-wants…

Mistrial Is Another Blow To US Coup In Venezuela
Kevin Zeese | zcomm.org | 2020-02-19
Last week, we along with Adrienne Pine and David Paul were unsuccessfully prosecuted by the Trump administration for our protection of the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, DC from April 10 to May 16, 2019…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/mistrial-is-anothe…

NATO Wars Against Freedom, Justice and Humanity
Mark Taliano | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
NATO commits Supreme International War Crimes Against Peace as military doctrine. The criminality is normalized. Perceptions are inverted and Western populations are hypnotized to believe that NATO and its serial war crimes are making us safe. | . | . | Hidden from …
globalresearch.ca/nato-wars-against-free…

US evacuates Americans from quarantined cruise ship in Japan
wsws.org | 2020-02-19
The US evacuated more than 300 Americans, including 14 confirmed infected with coronavirus, from a cruise ship in Yokohama harbor.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/19/viru…

China: Over 14 Thousand Patients Recover From Coronavirus
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-19
China’s National Health Commission(NHC) reported that 14,376 patients have recovered from the coronavirus throughout the country. | RELATED: | China Suspends the Annual Meeting of the National Assembly | In their latest report, Chinese health authorities informed that 74,279 people have been infected by the disease and 2007 persons have died so far. | Seen from a temporary perspective, however, the outbreak control is yielding the expected results. | For 15 consecutive days, the…
telesurenglish.net/news/China-Over-14-Th…

Russia Needs to Prioritize Greece as Relations Rift with Turkey
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
A revealing poll released earlier last week by the highly-reliable Pew Research Center found that the majority of people in Greece and Turkey viewed NATO unfavourably

Extradition of Assange Would Set a Dangerous Precedent
Prof. Marjorie Cohn | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
The Trump administration is seeking extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States for trial on charges carrying 175 years in prison. On February 24, a court in the U.K. will hold a hearing to determine whether to …
globalresearch.ca/extradition-assange-wo…

Julian Assange Must be Freed, Not Betrayed
John Pilger | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
On Saturday, there will be a march from Australia House in London to Parliament Square, the centre of British democracy. People will carry pictures of the Australian publisher and journalist Julian Assange who, on 24 February, faces a court that …
globalresearch.ca/julian-assange-must-fr…

German politicians and cultural professionals demand release of Julian Assange
wsws.org | 2020-02-19
Some 130 prominent initial signatories, including nine former federal ministers, are demanding the “immediate release of Julian Assange, on medical grounds as well on the basis of the rule of law.”
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/19/germ…

Australian MPs visit Julian Assange at Belmarsh Prison
wsws.org | 2020-02-19
Andrew Wilkie and George Christensen said they agreed with UN official Nils Melzer’s assessment that Assange is the victim of psychological torture.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/19/belm…

Assange defence team: “The empire calls it espionage. We call it journalism”
wsws.org | 2020-02-19
A packed press conference was addressed by WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, lawyer Jennifer Robinson and Australian MPs Andrew Wilkie and George Christensen.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/19/assa…

Extradition of Assange Would Set a Dangerous Precedent
Marjorie Cohn | zcomm.org | 2020-02-19
The Trump administration singled out Assange to send a clear message to journalists that they publish material critical of U.S. policy at their peril…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/extradition-of-ass…

Assange Was Offered U.S. Pardon if He Cleared Russia, His Lawyer Says
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-02-19
Wikileaks founder will claim former Rep. Rohrabacher did so at behest of Trump in 2017 visit; president denies report through spokeswoman.
truthdig.com/articles/assange-was-offere…

UN List of Firms Aiding Israel’s Settlements Was Dead on Arrival
Jonathan Cook | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
After lengthy delays, the United Nations finally published a database last week of businesses that have been profiting from Israel’s illegal settlement activity in the West Bank. | The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, announced that 112 | …
globalresearch.ca/un-list-firms-aiding-i…

Michael Bloomberg Is Trying To take Down Bernie Sanders, Not Trump
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-02-19
Michael Bloomberg’s campaign has called on the other “moderate” candidates, such as Amy Klobuchar, Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, to step down and unite behind him as the only force that can stop Bernie Sanders, who, he warns, will soon have an insurmountable lead in delegates.
mintpressnews.com/michael-bloomberg-tryi…

The Munich Security Conference: No, Pompeo, the West Isn’t Winning
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
Secretary of State Pompeo boldly declared during his keynote speech at last weekend’s Munich Security Conference that “the West is winning”, which isn’t true at all since it’s actually facing unprecedented challenges from Russia and China, though that also shouldn’t …
globalresearch.ca/pompeo-west-isnt-winni…

Bernie Sanders’ Campaign to Request Recount of Iowa Caucuses
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-02-19
The plans come after the results of a recanvass by state party officials show the Vermont senator and Pete Buttigieg in an effective tie.
truthdig.com/articles/bernie-sanders-cam…

Bernie Sanders’ Campaign to Request Recount of Iowa Caucuses
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-02-19
The plans come after the results of a recanvass by state party officials show the Vermont senator and Pete Buttigieg in an effective tie.
truthdig.com/articles/bernie-sanders-cam…

Sanders Calls Trump’s Clemency for Corrupt Officials Proof of a Broken System
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-19
Sen. Bernie Sanders said late Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s decision to grant clemency to several prominent white-collar criminals

Trump Spreads Alarm About Green New Deal: “They Want to Kill Our Cows”
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-19
As the campaign of Bernie Sanders continues to gain (an albeit fragile) viability, along with the equally fragile yet increasingly necessary enactment of a Green New Deal, Donald Trump is inoculating his base. | “The Green New Deal … would crush our farms, destroy our wonderful cows,” President Donald Trump told a gat…
truthout.org/articles/trump-spreads-alar…

Bernie Sanders and the Revenge of the Superdelegates
David Schultz | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
Unless Bernie Sanders wins enough delegates to capture the Democratic Party nomination on the first ballot, he is not going to be the nominee. The reason will be that the superdelegates–those same people who were his wrath in 2016–will come back to deny him the nomination. The Democratic Party’s superdelegates were a reaction to the…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/19/bernie-sande…

Evo Morales Cannot Be a Candidate for Senator in Bolivia
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-19
After a debate that lasted until midnight Tuesday, Bolivia’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) decided that former President Evo Morales cannot be a candidate for senator in the upcoming May elections. | RELATED: | Evo Morales Calls for MAS Unity in Next Bolivian Elections | Up to last Monday, the TSE had to verify the documentation submitted by the p…
telesurenglish.net/news/Evo-Morales-Cann…

Permafrost Is Already Thawing. Will It Tip the Scales in the Climate Crisis?
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-19
Across vast swaths of the northern hemisphere’s higher reaches, frozen ground holds billions of tonnes of carbon. | As global temperatures rise, this “permafrost” land is at increasing risk of thawing out, potentially releasing its long-held carbon into the atmosphere. | Abrupt permafrost thaw is one of the most frequently discussed “tipping points” that could be crossed in a warming world. However, research suggests that, while this thawin…
truthout.org/articles/permafrost-is-alre…

Inside Extinction Rebellion: War reporting a global human conflict
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-02-19
Having our own media allows us to tell the stories that the millionaire press barons don’t want to engage with and it gives us a space to debate and explore issues without the toxic influence of climate deniers. | Source…
mronline.org/2020/02/18/inside-extinctio…

To compete in global economy, Trump says workers’ lives have to get worse
Tim Libretti | peoplesworld.org | 2020-02-19
What if America competed with other nations to have the best universal healthcare system or the best public education system? If we competed to be the leader in creating a green economy to address climate change? If we competed to end poverty and inequality? Donald Trump wants America to compete in the global economy, but …
peoplesworld.org/article/to-compete-in-g…

Inside Extinction Rebellion: War reporting a global human conflict
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-02-19
Having our own media allows us to tell the stories that the millionaire press barons don’t want to engage with and it gives us a space to debate and explore issues without the toxic influence of climate deniers. | Source…
mronline.org/2020/02/18/inside-extinctio…

At the Annual Munich Security Conference: The West Displays Its “Insecurity Complex”
Diana Johnstone | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
“The West is winning!” U.S. leaders proclaimed at the high-level Annual Security Conference held in Munich last weekend. | Not everybody was quite so sure. | There was a lot of insecurity displayed at a conference billed as “the West’s family meeting” …
globalresearch.ca/annual-munich-security…

While Nicaragua returns to peace, media and international NGO’s conjure epidemic of violence with dubious reporting
John Perry | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-19
Media bias against Nicaragua’s Sandinista government is unremitting, and international NGOs are feeding it by misreporting a violent land dispute…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/19/nicaragua-pea…

While Nicaragua returns to peace, media and international NGOs conjure epidemic of violence with dubious reporting
John Perry | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-19
Media bias against Nicaragua’s Sandinista government is unremitting, and international NGOs are feeding it by misreporting a violent land dispute…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/19/nicaragua-pea…

The Priorities of General Motors: Ditching Australia’s Holden Cars
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
It seemed to be a case of grand misrepresentation. Holden cars, those great Australian acquisitions, along with home, lawnmower and nuclear family, gave the impression of indigenous pride, the home brand. It was also resoundingly masculine. But behind that image …
globalresearch.ca/priorities-general-mot…

The Priorities of General Motors: Ditching Australia’s Holden Cars
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
It seemed to be a case of grand misrepresentation. Holden cars, those great Australian acquisitions, along with home, lawnmower and nuclear family, gave the impression of indigenous pride, the home brand. It was also resoundingly masculine. But behind that image …
globalresearch.ca/priorities-general-mot…

Apocalypse Now! Insects, Pesticide and a Public Health Crisis
Colin Todhunter | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
In 2017, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver, and UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics, Baskut Tuncak, produced a report that called for a comprehensive new global treaty to regulate and phase out the use …
globalresearch.ca/insects-pesticide-publ…

Compliance 101: Gun-Toting Cops Endanger Students and Turn the Schools into Prisons
John W. Whitehead | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
“Every day in communities across the United States, children and adolescents spend the majority of their waking hours in schools that have increasingly come to resemble places of detention more than places of learning.”–Investigative journalist Annette Fuentes | Just when you …
globalresearch.ca/compliance-101-gun-tot…

Tonight’s Debate in Nevada Is the Most Consequential Moment of the 2020 Race
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-19
Thanks to the location of tonight’s Democratic debate, we are all doomed to a common fate: the cringeworthy moment of hearing a pundit proclaim, “One thing’s for sure: What happens in Vegas won’t stay in Vegas.” We will inevitably hear about candidates “putting all their chips on the table,” and of candidates “going all in.” For journalists in search of an easy metaphor, this is low-hanging fruit, and it will be inescapable. You have been warned. | Now that we have that unpleasantness out of t…
truthout.org/articles/tonights-debate-in…

A Treatise on Trinities
Sam Gordon | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
Back in the days of Thatcherism I watched a journalist interview a Conservative MP on British television. The MP had the wind in his sails and the journalist was decidedly in the doldrums. That was a scene often to be repeated. With an arrogance which we became accustomed to the MP, I can’t recall his…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/19/a-treatise-o…

Social Media: The New Grapevine Telegraph
Ishmael Reed | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
During the weekend of February 9th, MSNBC regular Tiffany Cross blurted out the conditions under which MSNBC black pundits work. She said, “If I said a lot of the things that I really think, I would get filtered–we just can’t say that, we have to filter our own voices.” This explains why the black women on Joy Reid’s show can weigh in on the stupid sexist brutish moves of some black athletes and entertainers, but can’t discuss the effect of Michael Bloomberg’s Stop and Frisk policy on black and brown women. They can’t address the rampant sexism at NBC, where, according to journalist Ronan Farrow, wealthy white p…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/19/social-media…

Lawsuit Launched Over Trump’s Massive Rollback of Pollution Protections for Rivers, Wetlands

| globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
Conservation groups filed a formal notice of intent to sue the Trump administration today for eliminating longstanding protections for the nation’s waters, including approximately half of all wetlands and potentially millions of miles of streams. The Trump rule allows polluters …
globalresearch.ca/lawsuit-launched-trump…

The Rule of Law Under Trump
Nick Licata | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
William Galston, a Brookings Institution senior fellow, said that “we are a government of men and not law.” It has no force until people enforce it. That is the underlying theme of Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig’s A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America. The test is how far can one person,…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/19/the-rule-of-…

The Unbreakable Bond of Ireland and Palestine
Creede Newton | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19

|

| In December, a wave of support for the recognition of a Palestinian state swept over Europe, culminating in the European Parliament’s (EP) vote on a motion that expressed support for an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders and |

| …


globalresearch.ca/unbreakable-bond-irela…

EU Nations Push for Bloc’s Recognition of State of Palestine
Telesur | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
A group of European Union (EU) countries led by Luxembourg is planning to present Monday to the EU’s foreign affairs ministers, an initiative for the recognition of the state of Palestine by the bloc‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã, Haaretz reported Sunday. | Luxembourg’s Foreign Affairs …
globalresearch.ca/eu-nations-push-blocs-…

US Middle East “Peace Deal” Designed to Perpetuate Conflict
Tony Cartalucci | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
A deal that is entirely unacceptable to one of its principal parties isn’t a deal at all. In the case of the US-proposed “Middle East peace plan”

Brazil Court Rules in Favor of Fired Petrobras Workers on Strike
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-19
Parana’s regional labor court temporarily suspended Tuesday the lay-off of more than 1,000 workers of the fertilizer factory Fafen-PR until at least March 6, following a collective strike that lasted more than two weeks. | RELATED: | Brazil: Citizens Protest Against Collapse of Social Security | The strike against the Petrobras executive board started in pro…
telesurenglish.net/news/Brazil-Court-Rul…

U.N.: Thousands Fleeing Syrian Offensive, Kids Dying in the Cold
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-02-19
UNITED NATIONS

Russian state frame-up results in draconian prison sentences for left-wing youth
wsws.org | 2020-02-19
Under conditions of staggering social inequality and rising class tensions, the harsh punishment is aimed at intimidating all opposition to the Russian state from the left.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/19/russ…

Russian state frame-up results in draconian prison sentences for left-wing youth
wsws.org | 2020-02-19
Under conditions of staggering social inequality and rising class tensions, the harsh punishment is aimed at intimidating all opposition to the Russian state from the left.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/19/russ…

Guaido is a “Fake President”. “Lima Group” to Meet in Canada: Open Letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Nino Pagliccia | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
Re: “Lima Group” meeting of February 20, 2020 in Gatineau, Quebec | 18 February 2020 | Dear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: | I am addressing you as a concerned Canadian regarding Canada’s foreign policy position vis-à -vis Venezuela. | Your government has announced a …
globalresearch.ca/open-letter-canada-pri…

Open Letter to Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Lima Group Meeting
Nino Pagliccia | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
Re: “Lima Group” meeting of February 20, 2020 in Gatineau, Quebec 18 February 2020 Dear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: I am addressing you as a concerned Canadian regarding Canada’s foreign policy position vis-à -vis Venezuela. Your government has announced a meeting of the so-called Lima Group on February 20, 2020 for the reported purpose of…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/19/open-letter-…

Open Letter to Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Lima Group Meeting
Nino Pagliccia | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
Re: “Lima Group” meeting of February 20, 2020 in Gatineau, Quebec 18 February 2020 Dear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: I am addressing you as a concerned Canadian regarding Canada’s foreign policy position vis-à -vis Venezuela. Your government has announced a meeting of the so-called Lima Group on February 20, 2020 for the reported purpose of…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/19/open-letter-…

Organizers Work to Guide Deportees Toward Resources in Their Home Countries
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-19
What happens to people after they are deported from the United States? And if they no longer have family in their countries of origin, how do they make their way in an unfamiliar place? | In 2014, Christina Zaldivar found herself pondering these questions with some fellow activists after she had accompanied one of them to an immigration check-in in Centennial, Colorado. That friend had been living without legal status in the U.S. for more than 30 years and had no family left in Mexico. | “We s…
truthout.org/articles/organizers-work-to…

Bloomberg Gains in Primaries, But His History With Unions May Be a Roadblock
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-19
We continue our conversation with Marcie Wells, activist and waitress who is a member of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 in Nevada, and Hamilton Nolan, labor reporter with In These Times. Nolan says 2020 had been “the most promising election year for organized labor in a long time,” with Democratic candidates releasing platforms with strong labor protections. But Michael Bloomberg’s entry into the race threatens to upend the Democratic Party’s pro-worker shift. The billionaire former mayor o…
truthout.org/video/bloomberg-gains-in-pr…

The Rise of Sinn Féin: Dissecting Ireland’s February 2020 General Election and the State of the Nation
Shane Quinn | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
In the Republic of Ireland, among the most notable outcome from last week’s general election outcome was a substantial rise in popularity for the left-leaning party, Sinn Féin, whose standing rose by 10.7% as they gained 15 parliamentary seats …
globalresearch.ca/dissecting-ireland-feb…

Revising the History of World War II
Lucas Leiroz de Almeida | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
Poland is encouraging the growth of historical revisionism of the World War II. Apparently, there is nothing necessarily wrong in revisiting the data referring to any past armed conflict, however, it is not the desire for the discovery of the …
globalresearch.ca/revising-history-wwii/…

Methane Leakage Makes Australia a World Leading Per Capita Greenhouse Gas Polluter
Gideon Polya | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-19
Methane (CH4) is 85% of natural gas, leaks, and has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) 105 times that of the same mass of carbon dioxide (CO2) on a 20 year time frame with aerosol impacts included. Such considerations reveal that …
globalresearch.ca/methane-leakage-makes-…

Hysteria Isn’t Killing Nuclear Power
Linda Pentz Gunter | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
Time was, that a woman suffering from menopause, pre-menstrual syndrome, a heightened libido or lack thereof, was labeled “hysterical.” Her very real medical or psychological troubles were put down to an “emotional reaction.” For a while these symptoms were even attributed to a “wandering womb.” What? Yes, really. For years, if you were a woman…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/19/hysteria-isn…

The Wealth That’s Killing Us Will Save Us: Politics Through the Looking-Glass
Howard Lisnoff | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
The Bloomberg for President campaign office looks like a complete anachronism in the heart of Harlem in New York City. The office is located on Harlem’s famous 125th Street near the Metro North commuter railway station. The Bloomberg campaign office, a space that has the depth of a bowling alley, has a few campaign staffers…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/19/the-wealth-t…

The perpetual war scam
Philip Farruggio | nationofchange.org | 2020-02-19
This Military Industrial Empire cannot allow too much attention on a fairer economy for working stiffs, or better health and dental coverage, or better roads, bridges, schools, libraries, first providers and teachers.
nationofchange.org/2020/02/18/the-perpet…

South Korean Court Sentences Ex-President to 17 Years in Prison
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-19
A South Korean appellate court on Wednesday sentenced former President Lee Myung-bak to 17 years in jail over a set of corruptions, including bribery and embezzlement. | RELATED: | ‘Parasite’ Reflects Deepening Social Divide in South Korea | The Seoul High Court handed down the ruling on Lee, who served as the country’s head of state for five years from early 2008, fining him 13 billion won (10.9 million U.S. dollars). | It was heavier than the verdict by the lower court, which sen…
telesurenglish.net/news/South-Korean-Cou…

Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies Increases Penalty for Femicides
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-19
The Chamber of Deputies of Mexico approved Tuesday to increase the maximum penalties of years in prison for femicide after the murder of a 7-year-old girl, whose body was found in a plastic bag in the capital. | RELATED: | Mexico: Family Says Gov’t Failed To Protect Murdered Girl | The reformed law was approved with 415 votes in favor and one against. With this measure, the minimum penalty for those who commit feminicide in Mexico went from 40 to 45 years. | Likewise, the deputies a…
telesurenglish.net/news/mexicos-chamber-…

Culinary Workers Union Member Would Trade Union Health Care for Medicare for All
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-19
The third presidential contest of the primary season takes place Saturday in Nevada. One of the state’s most coveted endorsements is from the Culinary Workers Union, which represents some 60,000 workers in the restaurant and hospitality industries in Las Vegas and Reno. Its membership is 54% Latinx. But last week they decided not to endorse any of the candidates. Nevada is a “right to work” state, and the Culinary Workers Union has attracted members by offering them health care. It has said…
truthout.org/video/culinary-workers-unio…

China denounces US “lies” at the Munich Security Conference
wsws.org | 2020-02-19
Beijing’s blunt language is an attempt to counter Washington’s relentless propaganda offensive and also to seek support from the European powers.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/19/chin…

The things we do for love: Styx and Stones in new opera ‘Eurydice’
Ed Rampell | peoplesworld.org | 2020-02-19
LOS ANGELES–LA Opera’s world premiere of composer Matthew Aucoin and librettist Sarah Ruhl’s sublime Eurydice is an optically and aurally stunning reinterpretation of the ancient Greek myth about Orpheus (baritone Joshua Hopkins) and the title character (Danielle de Niese, but substituted on Feb. 14 by Erica Petrocelli). Like Romeo and Juliet, there have been many …
peoplesworld.org/article/the-things-we-d…

Sanders’ surge in the polls triggers new provocations by media, Democratic establishment
wsws.org | 2020-02-19
There are growing concerns within the party apparatus and much of the corporate elite that wins for Sanders in Nevada and South Carolina could make his nomination unstoppable.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/19/dems…

Nevada: Democratic primary intensifies the debate over class divisions in America
Eric A. Gordon | peoplesworld.org | 2020-02-19
In the lead-up to the statewide Democratic primary caucus on Saturday, Feb. 22, Nevada’s early voters on Feb. 15, the first day, turned out in record numbers–more than 18,500 Democrats, almost twice the turnout on the first day of advance caucusing in 2016. Enthusiasm over this election is mounting, and the eyes of the nation …
peoplesworld.org/article/nevada-democrat…

Sanders’ surge in the polls triggers new provocations by media, Democratic establishment
wsws.org | 2020-02-19
There are growing concerns within the party apparatus and much of the corporate elite that wins for Sanders in Nevada and South Carolina could make his nomination unstoppable.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/19/dems…

Which Side Are You On?
Chris Floyd | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
My best friend from high school was in and out of the prison system the last two decades of his life. He was a drug addict. This was before the opioid epidemic; his poison was crack cocaine. His father had been a raging, violent alcoholic and his mother was a broken woman with chronic illnesses. My friend spent most of his adult life trying to take care of her.
counterpunch.org/2020/02/19/which-side-a…

Which Side Are You On?
Chris Floyd | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
My best friend from high school was in and out of the prison system the last two decades of his life. He was a drug addict. This was before the opioid epidemic; his poison was crack cocaine. His father had been a raging, violent alcoholic and his mother was a broken woman with chronic illnesses. My friend spent most of his adult life trying to take care of her.
counterpunch.org/2020/02/19/which-side-a…

Just Two Kings Talking
John Kendall Hawkins | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
[M]en should be treated in such a way that there’s no fear of their seeking revenge… -Nicolai Machiavelli, “Mixed Principalities,” The Prince “You come at the king, you bess not miss.”

Bloomberg on Bloomberg: The Selected Sayings of the Much-Awaited Establishment Messiah
ANIS SHIVANI | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
Bloomberg on Legalizing Pot: “What are we going to say in 10 years when we see all these kids whose IQs are 5 to 10 points lower than they would have been? I couldn’t feel more strongly about it, and my girlfriend says it’s no different than alcohol. It is different than alcohol. This is one of the stupider things that’s happening across our country.”
counterpunch.org/2020/02/19/bloomberg-on…

Canada, Get Out of the Lima Group, Core Group and OAS
Yves Engler | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
“Qui se ressemble, s’assemble.” The English saying is “birds of a feather flock together.” Translated from Spanish: “Tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are.” The folk wisdom that who we hang out with tells a lot about us is reflected in numerous proverbs. Whatever the language, who Ottawa chooses…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/19/canada-get-o…

Just Two Kings Talking
John Kendall Hawkins | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
[M]en should be treated in such a way that there’s no fear of their seeking revenge… -Nicolai Machiavelli, “Mixed Principalities,” The Prince “You come at the king, you bess not miss.”

Corporate Occupations: The UN Business “Black List” and Israel’s Settlements
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
Mikhail Bakunin, in that charming anarchist tradition, regarded the state as an evil to be done away with. Such collective formations were criminal, oppressive, eviscerating to the individual. The corporation might be regarded as a similar collective, adopting and aping elements of the state with, in some cases, greater latitude to achieve its object. At…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/19/corporate-oc…

Corporate Occupations: The UN Business “Black List” and Israel’s Settlements
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-19
Mikhail Bakunin, in that charming anarchist tradition, regarded the state as an evil to be done away with. Such collective formations were criminal, oppressive, eviscerating to the individual. The corporation might be regarded as a similar collective, adopting and aping elements of the state with, in some cases, greater latitude to achieve its object. At…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/19/corporate-oc…

‘Worst case scenario’: Kremlin slams Turkey’s threat of military operation against Syrian government in Idlib
rt.com | 2020-02-19
Turkey sending troops to Syria to fight against the government would be the ‘worst case scenario’, Kremlin spokesman said after Ankara threatened that such an operation was imminent. | Turkey’s President Erdogan said on Wednesday Ankara was prepared to launch a military incursion into Idlib to force the Syrian army out. Russia’s reaction to such a development would depend on what goals the Turkish troops decide to pursue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. | “If it will be an operation against terrorist forces in Idlib, that would certainly be within the spirit” of Russia’s agreements with Turkey, he said.
rt.com/news/481183-russia-turkey-idlib-o…

Turkish military op in Idlib only ‘matter of time’, Erdogan warns Damascus
rt.com | 2020-02-19
A new Turkish military incursion into Syria’s Idlib governorate has been planned and may start at any moment, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned, ramping up a tense standoff with Damascus. | “As with all [previous] operations, we say ‘we could suddenly come one night.’ In other words, an Idlib operation is a matter of time,” Erdogan said, referring to incursions into Syria conducted in 2016, 2018 and last year. | Ankara will not “leave Idlib to the Assad regime and its backers,” Erdogan vowed, referring to the Syrian government and, apparently, to Russia and Iran. Speaking to lawmakers on Wednesday, he…
rt.com/news/481179-erdogan-idlib-operati…

Last ones to leave: 130+ Indian crew members to remain quarantined for TWO MORE WEEKS on coronavirus-hit cruise ship
rt.com | 2020-02-19
After the last passenger leaves the coronavirus-struck vessel, more than 100 Indian crew members, tending the quarantined guests, will be stuck on the Diamond Princess for another two weeks. | The Indian crew will not only be the last to disembark from the disease-hit luxury liner Diamond Princess, but will be quarantined for additional two weeks after all the passengers leave, the Times of India reported on Wednesday. | Passengers, who have tested negative for the virus began stepping ashore in the Port of Yokohama, Japan, earlier that day, after spending 14 days confined to the vessel. Indian personnel has b…
rt.com/news/481177-indian-crew-princess-…

Russia’s tourism sector could lose $455 million if Chinese coronavirus crisis continues until summer – tour operators
rt.com | 2020-02-19
Health concerns over the new COVID-19 coronavirus have led to strong measures in Russia. The Far Eastern border with China has been closed, and most Chinese visitors face restrictions. Now financial losses are being assessed. | Experts forecast that the country’s tourism industry may lose almost 3 billion rubles ($47 million), in just the next two months. That’s according to ATOR, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia. China is typically the largest single source of tourists to Russia: providing 1.5 million visitors in 2019. | While the situation is bad, it could get much worse. If Chinese holidaymakers…
rt.com/russia/481201-coronavirus-russias…

Overseas investors increase holdings of Chinese bonds despite coronavirus uncertainty
rt.com | 2020-02-19
Demonstrating confidence in China, international investors continued to invest in the country’s economy. Net purchases of Chinese bonds were worth 43 billion yuan ($6.1 billion) after the Spring Festival, market data showed. | According to China Foreign Exchange Trade System, the country’s bond market has become an important part of global asset allocation. It said, as cited by Xinhua News, that it will continue to improve overseas services and enhance financial infrastructure to facilitate bond trade. | Analysts largely expect growth to rebound after the containment on pent-up demand and production, the forei…
rt.com/business/481173-overseas-investor…

2 Iranians die after testing positive for coronavirus
rt.com | 2020-02-19
Two Iranians who were that country’s first cases of coronavirus have died, health officials in Qom announced on Wednesday. | The deaths were also confirmed by health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur in a tweet just hours after confirmation that the pair had tested positive for the respiratory illness. Earlier, the ministry had said the patients had been put into isolation. | The highly contagious novel coronavirus emerged in China in December 2019, with the death toll there exceeding 2,000 for the first time on…
rt.com/newsline/481232-iranians-die-test…

A year in jail & quarter million fine since, lawyers seek freedom for Chelsea Manning refusing to testify against WikiLeaks
rt.com | 2020-02-19
Chelsea Manning’s attorney has filed a new motion requesting her release from jail, where she has been for nearly a year for continuously refusing to testify before a grand jury against WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. | Manning’s incarceration has “exceeded its lawful scope” by moving from being a coercive tactic to a criminal punishment, her lawyer Moira Meltzer-Cohen said in a motion requesting her release filed on Friday. | Manning was jailed in March of 2019 for refusing to testify before a gran…
rt.com/usa/481233-chelsea-manning-wikile…

A year in jail & quarter million fine since, lawyers seek freedom for Chelsea Manning refusing to testify against WikiLeaks
rt.com | 2020-02-19
Chelsea Manning’s attorney has filed a new motion requesting her release from jail, where she has been for nearly a year for continuously refusing to testify before a grand jury against WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. | Manning’s incarceration has “exceeded its lawful scope” by moving from being a coercive tactic to a criminal punishment, her lawyer Moira Meltzer-Cohen said in a motion requesting her release filed on Friday. | Manning was jailed in March of 2019 for refusing to testify before a gran…
rt.com/usa/481233-chelsea-manning-wikile…

Russian cops bust banned radical Islamist group Tablighi Jamaat’s ‘training camp,’ detain leaders & participants
rt.com | 2020-02-19
Seven members of a hardline Islamic organization were arrested in Moscow on Wednesday, according to the Federal Security Service (FSB). They are charged with disseminating extremist propaganda and trying to recruit new supporters. | Tablighi Jamaat, which means the Outreach Society or the Society for Spreading Faith, is banned in Russia. Its philosophy is based around the idea that Muslims should revert to practicing their faith as it was done in the 7th century, when the Prophet Mohammed himself lived. It particularly focuses on styles of dress, personal behavior, and forms of ritual. | | Religious literatu…
rt.com/russia/481226-russian-cops-detain…

‘Throat of fire’ volcano signalling imminent, devastating COLLAPSE
rt.com | 2020-02-19
Scientists are warning that the Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador is showing early signs of impending catastrophic collapse, after satellite data showed substantial internal damage from ongoing magma activity. | Tungurahua, has been persistently active since 1999 so wear and tear was inevitable, especially given that the ‘Throat of fire,’ or ‘Black giant’ as the Quechua indigenous people named it, has already collapsed twice before thousands of years ago. | | Tungurahua erupting on November 2nd, 1999. © US Geological Survey | “Using satellite data we have observed very rapid deformation of Tungurahua’s west…
rt.com/news/481180-ecuador-volcano-immin…

Erdogan slams EU plan to enforce Libya arms embargo
rt.com | 2020-02-19
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday criticized the European Union’s decision to launch a maritime effort focused on enforcing the UN arms embargo around Libya, accusing the European states that have agreed to the operation of “interfering in the region.” | Erdogan also hailed a decision by Libya’s UN-supported government to withdraw from talks with rivals following an attack Tuesday on the sea port of the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The US called for the talks to be resumed “quickly.” | EU foreign ministers agreed earlier this week to end ‘Operation Sophia’, the bloc’s naval mission in the Mediter…
rt.com/newsline/481223-erdogan-eu-libya-…

‘Impeached president says what?’ Bloomberg hits back at Trump ‘Mini Mike the pathetic debater’ jibe
rt.com | 2020-02-19
US President Donald Trump has lashed out at billionaire Democratic candidate Mike Bloomberg (again), this time calling him a “pathetic debater” with no respect for American farmers. Bloomberg hit back with some snark of his own. | Tweeting on Wednesday, Trump asked whether the “corrupt” Bloomberg News channel would admit that its owner “Mini Mike” was a pathetic debater. The tweet came ahead of the upcoming Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas

‘Impeached president says what?’ Bloomberg hits back at Trump ‘Mini Mike the pathetic debater’ jibe
rt.com | 2020-02-19
US President Donald Trump has lashed out at billionaire Democratic candidate Mike Bloomberg (again), this time calling him a “pathetic debater” with no respect for American farmers. Bloomberg hit back with some snark of his own. | Tweeting on Wednesday, Trump asked whether the “corrupt” Bloomberg News channel would admit that its owner “Mini Mike” was a pathetic debater. The tweet came ahead of the upcoming Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas

Albania’s president calls on citizens ‘to topple govt for violation of constitution’
rt.com | 2020-02-19
Albania’s President Ilir Meta on Wednesday called on the people to topple the left-wing government, which he accused of violating the constitution and of alleged links to organized crime, AP reported. | Meta said at a news conference that he hopes people will come to the capital Tirana on March 2, when he plans to sign the first decree against what he says is a ‘coup d’etat’ being carried out by the government through the justice system. | The Balkan nation of nearly 3 million has been enacting reforms in hopes of getting a green light to launch membership talks with the EU. The president said that justice sys…
rt.com/newsline/481216-albania-president…

Russian Defense Minister Shoigu discusses Libya with east forces’ commander Haftar
rt.com | 2020-02-19
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with the commander of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Libya. | They discussed matters and “stressed the importance of talks held on January 13 in Moscow for establishing ceasefire and launching the process of normalizing the situation in the country,” the Russian Defense Ministry said. | Shoigu and Haftar confirmed the need to fulfill the decisions made at the Berlin conference on Libya. | They also noted that there is no alternative to settling the domestic Libyan crisis by political means and confirmed commitment to L…
rt.com/newsline/481191-russia-shoigu-lib…

WATCH Aleppo intl airport receive FIRST flight ending years-long shutdown after Syrian troops clear recovering city of militants
rt.com | 2020-02-19
A Syrian Air flight has landed at Aleppo International Airport for the first time in years, marking a milestone in the recovery of the city, which has been returning to normal life from the abyss of its civil war. | The commercial flight, carrying Syrian officials and journalists, landed in Aleppo on Wednesday, some 40 minutes after taking off from the capital, Damascus. The arrival of the Airbus A320 has become a symbolic message, marking the resumption of flights between Syria’s two biggest cities. | Footage taken on the spot showed a crowd of people that came to the airport to welcome the first flight. Some…
rt.com/news/481228-syria-aleppo-airport-…

Venezuela slams US sanctions on Russia’s Rosneft as an attempt at grabbing control of global oil market
rt.com | 2020-02-19
Russian oil giant Rosneft’s investments and commercial activities in Venezuela are legal, says state energy firm PDVSA, pledging to provide the necessary support for the producer’s “operational and commercial continuity.” | The PDVSA statement follows Washington’s blacklisting of a Rosneft subsidiary on Tuesday over its trade ties with Venezuela. The US accused the oil brokerage subsidiary of handling over 70 percent of Venezuela’s exports, in circumvention of US sanctions. It has also given the companies doing business with Rosneft Trading 90 days to disentangle those arrangements. | COMUNICADO OFICIAL&#63743…
rt.com/business/481181-rosneft-us-sancti…

Arctic kiss: Two Russian nuclear icebreakers rendezvous in spectacular night-time DRONE FOOTAGE
rt.com | 2020-02-19
Two Russian nuclear icebreakers have met up somewhere on the endless white plains of the Arctic Ocean, providing for a sight both spectacular and romantic. | The video, posted by Russia’s nuclear agency Rosatom, showed its Taymyr and Vaygach icebreakers almost touching with their bows, before settling in to “cuddle” side by side. | With the after-dark “coupling” filmed from the air and edited to a smooth soundtrack, some internet users found the scene “erotic.” | There were other interesting comparisons as well, with one commentator saying that the two massive ships positioned so close to each other resemb…
rt.com/russia/481145-icebreakers-russia-…

Clicks-hungry media warns Ireland of ‘Russian ghost ship with CANNIBAL RATS,’ but Twitter’s not amused
rt.com | 2020-02-19
An Irish news outlet has posted an alarming tweet warning that a cannibal rat-laden Russian ‘ghost ship’ is “heading for Ireland.” Rather than spark concern, the clickbait tweet has merely generated eye-rolls from Twitter users. | Wednesday’s tweet from the Irish Times shared a link to a feature about a couple of ghost ships currently at large somewhere on the high seas that could