Daily Archives: January 16, 2020

2020-01-16: Social Media Postees

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

Mideast war threat overshadows Democratic debate
wsws.org | 2020-01-16
All six candidates–including the nominal “socialist” Bernie Sanders–criticized Trump’s actions from the standpoint of advocating a more carefully considered strategy to advance the interests of American imperialism.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/16/dems…

US, UK, Australia, Canada and Germany Reject Iraqi Parliament’s Demand for US and Allied Troop Withdrawal
Gideon Polya | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
Following the US assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Shiite Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Baghdad International Airport, the Iraqi PM, the Iraqi Parliament Speaker and the Iraqi Parliament have demanded that the US Alliance forces leave …
globalresearch.ca/us-uk-australia-canada…

Will Baghdad Defy Washington? Iraqi Parliament Contemplates Buying Russia’s S-400 Missile Defense System
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
With tensions mounting between Iran and the United States after the latter assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, Baghdad has now been pushing to free itself from American domination by calling for foreign troops to leave the country and …
globalresearch.ca/iraq-defy-washington-b…

YouTube, Facebook and Twitter remove accounts and content opposing the illegal assassination of Iranian General Suleimani
wsws.org | 2020-01-16
The social media companies YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are following the orders of the Trump administration in the aftermath of the criminal assassination of Iranian General Suleimani on January 3.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/16/tube…

US War of Terror Continues: Assassinating Iran’s Top Anti-ISIS General
Tony Cartalucci | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
The US has eagerly taken credit for the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani amid a series of military strikes carried out by US forces across Syria and Iraq. The assassination was shortly followed by Iranian missile strikes aimed at …
globalresearch.ca/us-war-terror-continue…

Peace or War?
Donald Monaco | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
The world breathed a sigh of relief when Iran undertook to give the Americans a symbolic ‘slap in the face’ as a response to the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani. Stepping back from the precipice of war, President Trump …
globalresearch.ca/peace-war/5700759

The Suleimani assassination, imperialist strategy and the crisis of the Iranian regime
wsws.org | 2020-01-16
The killing of the military leader, widely viewed as second only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in Iran’s power structure, constitutes a dramatic escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign of “maximum pressure” on Iran.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/16/pers…

Biden, Buttigieg and Corporate Media Are Eager for Sanders and Warren to Clash
Norman Solomon | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-16
Corporate Democrats got a jolt at the end of last week when the highly regarded Iowa Poll showed Bernie Sanders surging into first place among Iowans likely to vote in the state’s Feb. 3 caucuses. The other big change was a steep drop for the previous Iowa frontrunner, Pete Buttigieg, who

‘No Time Extension to Coup-Born Regime’ Bolivian Workers Warn
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-16
Bolivia’s social organizations Thursday reject the Constitutional Court’s decision to extend the period of the self-proclaimed President Jeanine Añez until the installation of a new government which is expected to emerge from the May 3 elections‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã. | RELATED: | Bolivian FM Wants Argentina to Condemn Comments by Evo Morales | The Confederation of Rural and…
telesurenglish.net/news/No-Time-Extensio…

Trump Dooms the Future by Gutting the National Environmental Policy Act
George Ochenski | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-16
The National Environmental Policy Act, better known as NEPA, has served the nation well for 50 years. But last Friday the Trump administration decided to gut the law via administrative rules changes that will allow virtually unhindered development, resource extraction and pollution. It’s one thing for the Trump cultists to support certain policies, tariffs, sanctions and war-mongering.
counterpunch.org/2020/01/16/trump-dooms-…

Iranian Opposition–1970s to 2020
Ron Jacobs | zcomm.org | 2020-01-16
As residents of those nations working to return Iran back to its previous status as a client of imperialism, our task is to oppose the sanctions demanded by the United States and the war moves accompanying those sanctions…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/iranian-opposition…

Indian Students Stand Against the Far-Right
Vijay Prashad | zcomm.org | 2020-01-16
It is hard to watch these young people speak with such confidence and with such chilling precision about their desire to hurt those with whom they did not agree…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/indian-students-st…

Not Bernie, Us. Not Warren, Us
Norman Solomon | zcomm.org | 2020-01-16
Their Clash Underscores the Need for Grassroots Wisdom…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/not-bernie-us-not-…

The Afro-Eurasia Proposal Would be a Timely Alternative to the US Sponsored “Indo-Pacific”
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
Russia’s repeated rejection of the US’ ‘Indo-Pacific’ concept that Foreign Minister Lavrov claims is a ruse for “containing China” highlights just how urgently it is that a more inclusive and non-hostile trans-regional integration alternative emerges, which can be embodied by …
globalresearch.ca/afro-eurasia-alternati…

Iran’s ‘Deep State’ Struggle Will Intensify After the UIA-752 Cover-Up Was Exposed
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
There’s little doubt that Iran’s “deep state” struggle will intensify after a senior IRGC commander from the country’s “principalist” faction took responsibility for his country accidentally shooting down UIA-752 and thus exposing the “reformist” government’s previous efforts to cover up …
globalresearch.ca/iran-deep-state-strugg…

Short of Time: Julian Assange at the Westminster Magistrates Court
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-16
London. Another slot of judicial history, another notch to be added to the woeful record of legal proceedings being undertaken against Julian Assange. The ailing WikiLeaks founder was coping as well as he could, showing the resourcefulness of the desperate at his Monday hearing. At the Westminster Magistrates Court, Assange faced a 12-minute process, an…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/16/short-of-tim…

Assange’s French legal advisor Juan Branco: “We’ve experienced a strong shift that we now need to nurture”
wsws.org | 2020-01-16
In comments to the WSWS this week, Branco stated: “Citizens have their mass and geniuses like Julian Assange on their side–private interests have their economical power, cynicism and capacity to corrupt on theirs.”
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/16/bran…

Death by Illogic, Lies and Stupidity
Lawrence Davidson | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-16
Donald Trump continues to be under fire. He has been impeached for a gross abuse of power: attempting to blackmail the Ukrainian government into libeling his likely 2020 Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, with allegations of corruption. To induce the Ukrainians to do this, Trump ordered the withholding of military aid. This was an illegal act.
counterpunch.org/2020/01/16/death-by-ill…

Sham Trump Impeachment Trial to Begin Jan. 20
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
Impeachment of Trump by House Dems has nothing to do with removing him from office

House Leaders March Trump Impeachment Articles to the Senate
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-16
WASHINGTON

House forwards impeachment articles, triggering Senate trial of President Trump
wsws.org | 2020-01-16
The onset of the Senate trial takes place in the context of an explosive political and social crisis and internal warfare within the American state without parallel since the Civil War.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/16/impe…

Amazon Deforestation is Expected to Accelerate in 2020
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-16
The Amazon rainforest is facing a serious threat because of deforestation and the situation is not likely to get any better in 2020, as experts believe this year will see the acceleration of the environmental crisis. | RELATED: | Brazilian Indigenous Leaders Mobilize to Protest Amazon Mining | According to Tasso Azevedo, the coordinator of a group called MapBiomas that monitors the rate of forest destruction, deforestation threatens to accelerate and draw increased global conc…
telesurenglish.net/news/Amazon-Deforesta…

Who Targeted Ukraine Airlines Flight 752? Iran Shot It Down but There May be More to the Story
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
The claim that Major General Qassem Soleimani was a “terrorist” on a mission to carry out an “imminent” attack that would kill hundreds of Americans turned out to be a lie, so why should one believe anything else relating to …
globalresearch.ca/who-targeted-ukraine-a…

Pompeo and the “Mafia Hit Strategy”
Kurt Nimmo | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
The USG Mafia hit on Qassem Soleimani is part of a larger murder campaign, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. | For the former tank commander, murder–not simply double-tapping the target with a firearm, but blowing him into meaty …
globalresearch.ca/pompeo-mafia-hit-strat…

Soleimani Fallout Continues to Produce Diplomatic Dividends for Russia
Padraig McGrath | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
Ahead of this year’s Munich Security Conference, due to begin on February 14th, its chairman Wolfgang Ischinger praised what he called President Putin’s “method” concerning security-issues in the Middle East. Talking to the ZDF television channel on January 13th, Ischinger …
globalresearch.ca/soleimani-fallout-cont…

Tracked, Targeted, Killed: Qassem Soleimani’s Final Hours
Suadad al-Salhy | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
Stepping off his Cham Wings flight and onto the tarmac of Baghdad airport, Qassem Soleimani was met by a familiar face. | Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of the Hashd al-Shaabi Iraqi paramilitary, was a longstanding ally of the Iranian …
globalresearch.ca/qassem-soleimani-final…

The China-US Phase One Trade Deal: Deep Seated Crisis Unresolved
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
The phase one deal leaves major bilateral differences unresolved. Further talks could continue intermittently for years without resolution. | The US aims to weaken China economically, financially, industrially, technologically and militarily, part of its Indo/Pacific strategy to dominate the region. | China’s …
globalresearch.ca/sino-us-phase-one-trad…

Large Military-Grade Drones Could Soon Be Flying Over Your Backyard
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-16
As the U.S. military and defense contractors eye a potential drone war with Iran as tensions with the country remain elevated, the defense industry is also preparing to test-fly domestic versions of its combat drones over major American cities in an effort to fully integrate military-grade drones into civil airspace alongside commercial air traffic in the coming years. | That’s right, those robotic killing machines used for counterterrorism strikes in the Middle East are coming home

Russian government resigns after Putin’s state of the nation address
wsws.org | 2020-01-16
The resignation of the widely unpopular Russian government comes amid mounting social conflict and escalating war tensions between the US and Iran which threaten to draw in the entire South Caucasus region and Russia itself.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/16/rus-…

How Europe Betrayed Iran: By Triggering JCPOA Dispute Mechanism, EU Helps Trump Finish Job of Killing the Iran Nuclear Deal
Scott Ritter | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
Europe could have saved the Iran nuclear agreement. Instead, it abused the rule of law by inappropriately triggering its dispute mechanism, all but ensuring the agreement’s demise. | Disingenuous diplomacy | On January 5, 2020, Tehran announced that it would no longer | …
globalresearch.ca/europe-betrayed-iran-t…

What’s the Point of NATO if You Are Not Prepared to Use It Against Iran?
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance commits all members to participate in the defense of any single member that is attacked. An attack on one is an attack on all. Forged in the early stages of …
globalresearch.ca/nato-not-prepared-use-…

Who Targeted Ukraine Airlines Flight 752? Iran Shot It Down but There May be More to the Story
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
The Iranian missile operator reportedly experienced considerable “jamming” and the plane’s transponder switched off and stopped transmitting several minutes before the missiles were launched. There were also problems with the communication network of the air defense command, which may have been related.
globalresearch.ca/who-targeted-ukraine-a…

Will Lab-grown Food Really Save the Planet?
Claire Robinson | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
The environmental campaigner and journalist George Monbiot has created a huge controversy by predicting that farmers and farming as we know them will soon be made redundant by the massive expansion of lab-grown food. This, he argues, is largely a …
globalresearch.ca/lab-grown-food-really-…

Venezuelan FM Completes First Official Visit to China
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-16
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza held a series of meetings with senior Chinese officials in Beijing on Thursday as both nations seek to strengthen their bilateral relations. | RELATED: | China, Venezuela to Boost Bilateral Cooperation, Brotherhood | As part of his official agenda, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister met with the Vice President of the Asian nation, Wang Qishan. Arreaza and Wang discussed the progress and eventual challenges of their strategic partnership, which…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuelan-FM-Co…

In Honor of Martin Luther King: “The Pursuit of Peace” and MLK’s Historic Analysis of “American Militarism”
Barry Kissin | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
Consider some of what the Reverend MLK proclaimed about American militarism: | “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.” | “A few years ago there …
globalresearch.ca/martin-luther-king/570…

Climate Crisis: We Need Radical Change Now, Not in the Future
Nick Licata | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-16
Reading Naomi Klein’s new book, On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal, is similar to watching a mega-disaster movie in a theater. Except, you can leave your fears behind when you exit the theater. Klein’s message is that our human induced climate change is devastating our livable earth, we are stuck here, it…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/16/climate-cris…

Climate Crisis: We Need Radical Change Now, Not in the Future
Nick Licata | zcomm.org | 2020-01-16
Reading Naomi Klein’s new book, On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal, is similar to watching a mega-disaster movie in a theater. Except, you can leave your fears behind when you exit the theater…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/climate-crisis-we-…

France at a Crossroads
Richard Greeman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
The nationwide general strike in France, now entering its record seventh week, seems to be approaching its crisis point. Despite savage police repression, about a million people are in the streets protesting President Emmanuel Macron’s proposed neoliberal “reform” of …
globalresearch.ca/france-crossroads/5700…

Former Colombian President àÅlvaro Uribe linked to international drug trafficking through Sinaloa Cartel
wsws.org | 2020-01-16
The charges against Uribe expose Colombia’s “war on drugs,” like that of the US, as a smokescreen for government criminality and a pretext for violence against the population.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/16/urib…

‘Mexico Won’t Let the Caravan Pass’ Guatemala’s President Says
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-16
Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei Wednesday revealed that Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told him that the Honduran migrants’ caravan heading towards the United States would not be allowed to enter into Mexican territory. | RELATED: | Honduran Migrant Caravan Repressed On Guatemala Border Crossing | “The Mexican government told us…
telesurenglish.net/news/Mexico-Wont-Let-…

New migrant caravan departs Honduras defying stepped-up controls
wsws.org | 2020-01-16
Workers across Guatemala, Mexico and the United States must mobilize to demand the safe passage of their class brothers and sisters from Honduras.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/16/cara…

The government is bending over backwards to help high earners
John Ranson | thecanary.co | 2020-01-16
The government is reportedly considering a tax cut for people earning over £110,000. The move could cost the treasury hundreds of millions of pounds. | Pain relief for top doctors: | The plans, the Times reports, will tackle a staffing problem in the NHS. Apparently, top consultants are turning down extra shifts in order to keep their incomes below the £110,000 threshold. Going over can land them with a higher tax bill related to pension contributions. This is the result of changes that have recentl…
thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2020/01/16/the-…

Malians protest to demand departure of French occupation troops
wsws.org | 2020-01-16
Anger is exploding against the carnage produced by the French war in Mali and against official lies that France is waging a global war on terror.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/16/mali…

Milwaukee meets Trump with huge protest
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-01-16
Milwaukee, WI

German captain of refugee rescue ship “Lifeline” acquitted of criminal charges in Malta
wsws.org | 2020-01-16
Despite the acquittal neither Malta nor the EU have retreated from its inhumane and murderous anti-refugee policy with Valletta continuing to prevent NGO ships from entering its waters.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/16/life…

Libya: Before and After Muammar Gaddafi. Dramatic Collapse in the Standard of Living
Telesur | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
Nine years after the military intervention, led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to overthrow Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi, Libya remains trapped in a spiral of violence involving armed groups, sectarian, ethnic groups and external interference that have led …
globalresearch.ca/libya-before-after-mua…

Turkey to Officially Send Troops to Libya: Erdogan
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-16
Turkey will officially deploy their armed forces to Libya in order to assist the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord as they clash with the rival Libyan National Army in the northern part of the country, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Thursday. | RELATED: | Libya: Before and After Muammar Gaddafi | The Turkish Armed Forces will join the 35 military advisers that Ankara sent to Libya to assist the Government of National Accord at the capital city of Tripoli. | Erdoga…
telesurenglish.net/news/Turkey-to-Offici…

How the President Became a Drone Operator
Allegra Harpootlian | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-16
We’re only a few days into the new decade and it’s somehow already a bigger dumpster fire than the last. On January 2nd, President Trump decided to order what one expert called “the most important decapitation strike America has ever launched.” This one took out not some nameless terrorist in a distant land or a…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/16/how-the-pres…

New Zealand fascist group targets Chinese-born MP
wsws.org | 2020-01-16
Action Zealandia, whose website resembles the Christchurch terrorist’s manifesto, placed racist posters on National Party MP Jian Yang’s office.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/16/yang…

Trump Violated US Law by Withholding US Aid: Watchdog
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-16
The U.S. congressional watchdog, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), announced on Thursday that the White House budget office violated the nation’s law when it decided to withhold military aid to Ukraine this past Summer. | According to the GAO report, U.S. President Donald Trump had no right to put the congressionally approved aid on hold, as this was a violation of American law. | “Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law. OMB withheld funds for a policy reason, which is not permitted under the Im…
telesurenglish.net/news/Trump-Violated-U…

Sanders-Warren Spat Overtakes the News Cycle
Sam Adler-Bell | zcomm.org | 2020-01-16
“Infighting between Sanders and Warren only benefits big oil, fossil fuel billionaires, the GOP, and the moderate wing of the Democratic Party.”
zcomm.org/znetarticle/sanders-warren-spa…

History: US Spy Activities in Western and Northern China
Shane Quinn | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
The first CIA agent killed in action was the 37-year-old Douglas S. Mackiernan, a former code-breaker for the United States Army Air Forces, who during World War II was promoted to Major, serving as an Air Force meteorologist in …
globalresearch.ca/us-spy-activities-west…

The Wonders of Modern Life Briefly Explained: An Anthropology of the Industrial Revolution
Peter Harrison | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-16
Preamble In ‘Capital,’ Marx defined two ways of creating a surplus from exploiting the labor of others. The first is the extraction of ‘absolute surplus value.’ Extracting absolute surplus value means profiting from the labor of others by making them work longer or harder or getting more of them to work. This economic model comes…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/16/the-wonders-…

Politics and Business in Seattle
Kenneth Surin | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-16
I am in Seattle for an academic conference, having last been here about ten years ago. Seattle is a beguiling place, as most who have visited it will know. Since I was born with an aversion to sightseeing and what’s called “tourism”, it is the intertwining of politics and business (capitalism, really) that interests me…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/16/politics-and…

The Longue Durée: Commemorating RIC and Black & Tan Colonialism
Kerron àì Luain | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-16
Most histories of modern Ireland tend to marginalise or completely disregard questions of language and culture. This neglect occurs within various fields, be it the study of the conquests of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the rise to power of Ascendancy Ireland during the eighteenth century, the expansion of the modern technocratic state during the nineteenth century as well as in the study of quasi-independent Ireland during the twentieth century.
counterpunch.org/2020/01/16/the-longue-d…

False Profits and Anti-Christs‚Ñ¢
John Kendall Hawkins | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-16
[Planet Earth] is melting in the dark All the sweet green icing flowing down Someone left the cake out in the rain I don’t think that I can take it ‘Cause it took so long to bake it And I’ll never have the recipe again Oh, no

Red Flag Nation: Anti-Gun Laws, Sanctuary Cities and the Second Amendment
John W. Whitehead | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
“A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

British Government Blocks Refugee Children Being Reunited with Parents
Maurice Wren | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
The government is causing irreversible harm to vulnerable child refugees living in Britain by denying them the chance of being reunited with their close families. Their mums, their dads, their sisters and brothers

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: Tarantino and American Exceptionalism
Caoimhghin àì Croidheáin | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
Quentin Tarantino’s new film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is a 2019 comedy-drama set in 1969 Los Angeles and features a large ensemblecast led by Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. The story centres around veteran actor Rick Dalton …
globalresearch.ca/hollywood-tarantino-am…

China’s Growing Economic Miracle… Cracks and Bubbles?! Realties of China’s Banking and Finance
Brett Redmayne-Titley | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-16
In emulating the American economic raison d’etre, China has attempted to develop its unique capitalist model while ignoring that it too will soon suffer the same fate for the same reason: Unsustainable debt. When examining the recent realities of Chinese …
globalresearch.ca/china-growing-economic…

A Christian Nationalist Group Is Quietly Shaping Bills for State Legislatures
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-16
Fred Clarkson, a senior research analyst at the social justice think tank Political Research Associates, had studied the Christian right wing for decades when someone tipped him off about an intriguing link on the website of the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation (CPCF)

US-China trade deal leaves basic conflict festering
wsws.org | 2020-01-16
The “phase one” pact does not address the core demands issued by Washington for the wholesale restructuring of the Chinese economy.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/16/chin…

Cab union boss cleared of assault on police with noise from megaphone
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-01-16
The boss of a cab driver’s union accused of assaulting two police officers by using a megaphone too close to their ears has been found not guilty part way through his trial.James Farrar, 51, faced two charges of assault by beating of an emergency worker after he used a loudhailer near Constable Ann Spinks and Sergeant James Lewis during a demonstration against the congestion charge on 4 March 2019.But, at the end of the prosecution case, Judge Philip Bartle QC told the jury at Southwark Crown Court to find Farrar not guilty after his defence argued there was no evidence he had committed a crime.Prosecutor Terence…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/01/16/cab-unio…

Wozzeck at New York’s Metropolitan Opera: Alban Berg’s opera on the tragic fate of an impoverished soldier
wsws.org | 2020-01-16
Wozzeck’s depiction of the impact of war and inequality on the lives of the poor is timelier than ever.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/16/wozz…

How Donald Trump Successfully Wagged the Dog, and More
Daniel Warner | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-16
Although I have never seen Donald Trump with a pet, I do believe that he wagged the dog when he ordered the assassination of the Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. The expression “wag the dog” comes from a 1997 film satire in which a president, caught up in a sex scandal, uses a war to divert…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/16/how-donald-t…

‘We Did Not Think US Would Target Another Country’s Guest’ – Rouhani on Soleimani Assassination
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-16
Qasem Soleimani, the former head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp’s Quds Force, was posthumously promoted to Lieutenant General. Incredibly popular amongst most Iranians, the late General was a key figure in coordinating anti-Daesh forces in Iraq and Syria.
sputniknews.com/military/202001161078046…

It’s Splitsville For Bollywood Star Amit Sadh and Brazilian Model Annabel Dasilva
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-16
New Delhi (Sputnik): Bollywood actor Amit Sadh has earned praise for his performances in films like “Kai Po Che” (2013), “Sarkar 3”, and very recently “Super 30”. However, his personal life also made headlines when he announced his separation from Punjabi actress Neeru Bajwa amicably.
sputniknews.com/india/202001161078050207…

‘War on Terror to Continue Until We Get to Its Roots’ – India’s Chief of Defence Staff
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-16
New Delhi (Sputnik): India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat has called out all countries sponsoring terrorism and asked the international community to hold them accountable.
sputniknews.com/india/202001161078050384…

Analyst: US ‘Bid’ to Cut Iraq Military Aid Over Troop Ouster is a ‘Rejection of Democratic Process’
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-16
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that the Trump administration was preparing to cut $250 million in military aid to Baghdad after the Iraqi parliament’s non-binding vote to expel American troops from its soil over a 3 January US drone strike that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, triggering retaliation from Tehran a few days later.
sputniknews.com/analysis/202001161078051…

Ukrainian Interior Ministry Opens Investigation Into Claims of Russia Hacking Burisma – Report
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-16
On Tuesday, Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries said that the Dems would look into media reports alleging that Russian military hackers conducted cyberattacks against Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
sputniknews.com/europe/20200116107805240…

German Defence Minister Confirms Reports of Trump’s Threats to Slap EU With Higher Tariffs Over Iran
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-16
Three European signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as Iran nuclear deal, initiated the accord’s dispute mechanism on 14 January thus threatening to put an end to the agreement’s existence following the US withdrawal from it in 2018.
sputniknews.com/world/202001161078052193…

Haftar Agrees to Take Part in Berlin Conference on Libya – LNA Official
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-16
Earlier this week, the office of German chancellor Angela Merkel stated that Berlin will host Libya peace conference on Sunday and will invite members of the conflicting sides as well as representatives of 11 nations, who are trying to resolve the crisis.
sputniknews.com/world/202001161078051390…

S-400 For Iraq: Will Americans Be Able to Hamper the Deal?
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-16
Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal quoted Karim Elaiwi, a member of the Iraqi parliament’s Security and Defence Committee, as saying that Baghdad was considering purchasing Russian S-400 systems amid concerns that the US may stop supporting the country.
sputniknews.com/analysis/202001161078051…

The World as Seen by Russian Diplomats’ Wives
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-16
The Community of Russian Diplomats’ Wives was created about two years ago in Russia and today it includes about 250 wives of Russian diplomats in some 60 countries.
sputniknews.com/photo/202001161078033833…

Russian Lower House Approves Mishustin’s Nomination as Prime Minister
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-16
The entire Russian government resigned on 15 January, with ex-Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev saying this was done to enable President Vladimir Putin to implement the goals outlined in his address to the legislature.
sputniknews.com/russia/20200116107805247…

‘A Very Stable Genius’: Trump Declared Himself ‘Russia Expert’ After Meeting Putin, New Book Claims
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-16
The book is based on hundreds of hours of interviews with hundreds of sources, internal memos, and even private video recordings. The authors claim that Trump initially agreed to be interviewed by them, but later declined during his tensions with the media.
sputniknews.com/us/202001161078051831-a-…

Putin Introduces Post of Deputy Chairman of Russian Security Council, Appoints Medvedev
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-16
Dmitry Medvedev, who resigned as Russia’s prime minister a day earlier, will remain the leader of the governing party United Russia, according to secretary of the party’s General Council Andrey Turchak.
sputniknews.com/russia/20200116107805290…

Erdogan Announces Turkey is Sending Troops to Libya
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-16
Ankara and the UN-backed Government of National Accord previously signed an agreement to deploy Turkish troops to the war-torn country. Turkey noted though that the deployment would only happen if General Haftar’s army continues its offensive.
sputniknews.com/world/202001161078051768…

Egypt Rejects Turkey’s Criticism Over Detention of Anadolu Reporters – Foreign Ministry
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-16
CAIRO (Sputnik)

Apocalypse on Pause? Asteroid That Shot Fireball in 2017 Could Destroy Life on Earth, Scientists Say
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-16
In April 2017, a shiny fireball flew over the skies of Kyoto, Japan, raising questions about its potential origin and cosmic identity. Later, it was determined that the bright intruder belonged to a near-Earth asteroid called 2003 YT1.
sputniknews.com/science/2020011610780529…

18yo Russian Potapova tasked with derailing Serena’s record Grand Slam quest in Aus Open 1st round
rt.com | 2020-01-16
Russia’s Anastasia Potapova has had the responsibility of halting Serena Williams’ charge for a 24th Grand Slam title bestowed upon her 18-year-old shoulders as the two have been paired in the Australian Open 2020 1st round. | READ MORE: Medvedev and Nadal eye semifinal blockbuster as pair learn fate in Australian Open draw | Eighteen-year-old Potapova earned her place in the Australian Open by virtue of her top-100 world ranking, where she sits in a respectable but not exceptional 90th place, con…
rt.com/sport/478422-anastasia-potapova-s…

EU’s top diplomat Borrell discusses Iran nuclear deal with FM Zarif as dispute mechanism is triggered
rt.com | 2020-01-16
The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, held “frank” direct talks with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in New Delhi on Thursday, Reuters reports. | The negotiations took place after Britain, France and Germany formally accused Tehran of breaking a 2015 nuclear arms control agreement. | “They discussed the latest developments around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” the European Union said in a statement, referring to the deal by its formal name. | Iran said on Thursday three European states had succumbed to “high school bully” Donald Trump when they triggered a dispute mechanism in a nuclear…
rt.com/newsline/478428-eu-borrell-iran-n…

Who’s this guy? Jeopardy contestants fail to recognize impeachment ‘hero’ Adam Schiff & Twitter ROFLs
rt.com | 2020-01-16
Rep. Adam Schiff might be leading an impeachment drive in the US, but it seems not everybody is familiar with the ‘resistance’ hero. At least, his photo did not ring any bells for contestants on the latest Jeopardy episode. | Schiff, a prominent Russiagater whose fame among the anti-Trump resistance camp reached new heights amid the ongoing Ukrainegate saga, might be a household name on Capitol Hill, but the question remains: Is the same true for the rest of the country outside of the Washington political swamp? If the classic trivia game show is any indication, it is not. | Just a reminder we live in a bubble…
rt.com/usa/478389-schiff-jeopardy-impeac…

Erdogan sending Turkish troops to Libya ahead of Berlin peace talks
rt.com | 2020-01-16
Turkey is sending troops to Libya to ensure the stability of the UN-backed government in Tripoli, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced. The move comes ahead of a Berlin summit on the security situation in the country. | Ankara has already deployed forces to train troops loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA), as part of a security cooperation agreement between the two countries. | Erdogan also said that, as part of a maritime agreement, it would no longer be possible for other states to conduct oil exploration and drilling off the coast of Libya without the approval of Ankara and Tripoli. | T…
rt.com/news/478416-turkey-sends-troops-l…

Turkey should use ‘diplomacy, not troops,’ to help resolve Libya conflict
rt.com | 2020-01-16
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to send troops to Libya risks upending ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the country’s military conflict peacefully, analysts told RT. | How involved Turkish forces will become in the conflict depends largely on how the situation develops on the ground in Libya, as well as the outcome of the upcoming summit in Berlin to discuss the issue, Osman Faruk Logoglu, former Turkish ambassador to the United States, told RT. | While Turkish troops are already training forces loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), Ankara should avoid a larger military rol…
rt.com/news/478433-libya-erdogan-troops-…

Russia’s forex reserves reach pre-crisis levels, topping $555 billion
rt.com | 2020-01-16
Russian gold and foreign currency reserves have hit $557.5 billion in the first 10 days of the new year, according to the latest figures released by the country’s central bank. | Since the end of the 2019, Moscow has added $7.7 billion to its forex holdings, increasing them by 1.4 percent. As of December 27, they stood at $549.8 billion. | The current level is 10 percent higher than the target level set by the regulator and the highest since October 2008, when foreign reserves amounted to nearly $547 billion. Russia spent a significant part of its reserves supporting the ruble in the aftermath of the financial…
rt.com/business/478413-russia-forex-rese…

China’s ZTE wants to raise $1.7 billion to boost 5G development
rt.com | 2020-01-16
One of China’s largest producers of telecom equipment, ZTE, has announced plans to raise around $1.7 billion from a private share placement to fund research and development of 5G networks. | The company will issue 381 million A-shares denominated in the Chinese yuan and traded on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges. It will sell them to 10 independent professional or institutional investors in China at 30.21 yuan ($4.40) per share. | The price is a little lower than the average trading price over the last three weeks. As of Thursday, ZTE stock was trading at 37.41 yuan per share in Shenzhen. | Also on rt…
rt.com/business/478404-zte-fundraising-5…

1 killed, 1 injured after gunman opens fire inside magistrates’ court in Russia’s Siberia
rt.com | 2020-01-16
One man died and a woman was seriously injured when a gunman opened fire inside a courthouse in the city of Novokuznetsk in southwestern Siberia. The suspect, who was armed with a rifle, has been apprehended. | The prosecutor’s office in Kemerovo Region, where the magistrates’ court is located, has launched a probe into the attempted murder. | The attack unfolded at around 9: 20am local time on Thursday. The assailant was detained at the scene and taken into custody. | A male court officer suffered a gunshot wound to his stomach in the attack and died in an ambulance en route to hospital. | A woman, who was att…
rt.com/russia/478388-court-shooting-kill…

Russian MPs confirm Mikhail Mishustin as new prime minister after cabinet resignation
rt.com | 2020-01-16
Mikhail Mishustin has been ratified as next Prime Minister of Russia by MPs, after the cabinet resigned on Wednesday. Vladimir Putin had earlier proposed Mishustin, formerly head of the Federal Tax Service, as a candidate. | In an overwhelming vote on Thursday, 383 lawmakers supported Mishustin’s candidacy. Not a single MP cast their vote against the Prime Minister, but 41 MPs

Roscosmos engineers develop plan to BLIND foreign spy satellites flying over Russian territory
rt.com | 2020-01-16
Engineers at the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos have developed a plan to block foreign orbital spy satellites from operating in the skies above Russian territory, in what could mark a new era of counterintelligence. | The engineers at the Russian Space Systems Corporation, a subsidiary of Roscosmos, propose establishing a database of all known foreign orbital spy satellites to best configure an array of ground-based jamming devices. | Once this database is compiled, the agency could then decide the best location and composition for a proposed array of ground-based radio-electronic stations which suppress and p…
rt.com/russia/478403-roscosmos-develops-…

Russian MPs confirm Mikhail Mishustin as new prime minister after cabinet resignation
rt.com | 2020-01-16
Mikhail Mishustin has been ratified as next Prime Minister of Russia by MPs, after a cabinet resignation on Wednesday. Vladimir Putin had earlier proposed Mishustin, formerly head of the Federal Tax Service, as a candidate. | In an overwhelming vote on Thursday, 383 lawmakers supported Mishustin’s candidacy. Not a single MP cast their vote against the Prime Minister, but 41 MPs

Scientists discover 6 mysterious objects near supermassive black hole, unlike anything we’ve seen before
rt.com | 2020-01-16
Astronomers have found six strange objects orbiting the Sagittarius A* supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, which are unlike anything else in the galaxy. | They are so strange, in fact, that scientists have had to create a new class of celestial object for them, called ‘G objects.’ G1 and G2 were actually spotted in 2005 and 2012 respectively, but now a team of astronomers led by UCLA astronomer Anna Ciurlo have identified four more of these objects: G3, G4, G5 and G6. | They initially appeared to be giant gas clouds measuring roughly 100 AUs (9.3 billion miles) across. However, as the astro…
rt.com/news/478431-bizarre-objects-orbit…

US-China ‘phase one’ trade agreement is 95% theatrics, Richard Wolff tells Boom Bust
rt.com | 2020-01-16
As the world’s economic superpowers, the US and China, have finally inked the first part of a broader trade agreement, analysts and industry leaders are raising doubts if the sides will move into ‘phase two’ anytime soon. | RT’s Boom Bust is joined by Richard Wolff of the Economic Update to talk about the aspects of the long-awaited deal. | “I don’t see much happening. This is 95 percent theatrics, partly for the Trump administration because they initiated all of this, but also partly for the Chinese also.” | Wolff explains that China wants “to look as though they are cooperating and are not interested in b…
rt.com/business/478421-us-china-trade-de…

Taiwan holds military exercises after president’s re-election
rt.com | 2020-01-16
Taiwanese marines staged drills on Thursday as part of a series of military exercises following the re-election of pro-independence President Tsai Ing-wen. | The drills focused on neutralizing the threat from small groups of assailants through small arms fire and hand-to-hand fighting, AP said. | In all such drills, the assumed enemy is the military of China. | Other exercises earlier in the week featured Taiwan’s air force, which is undergoing a major upgrade with the acquisition of the latest version of US F-16 fighters and other advanced technology.
rt.com/newsline/478399-taiwan-military-e…

J9 Protest in San Francisco
No War on Iran | indybay.org | 2020-01-16
Hundreds gathered at One Post St. above Montgomery BART on a day of national action.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/01/14/1882975…

Dr. Stephen Zunes speaks on Trump’s Mideast Policy
Peace Action of San Mateo County | indybay.org | 2020-01-16
Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo | 300 E. Santa Inez Avenue | San Mateo, CA 94401…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/01/15/1882977…

Anti War Action Strategies for Future…12-4-19…126 Barrows UCB
DJ Mouse | indybay.org | 2020-01-16
Maxina Venture, Soul (Susan B. Rodriguez), David Miller, Edward Hasbrouck and Liam Curry discussed the legacy of past and present anti-war actions and strategies to consider for the future…(2 hr.)…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/01/15/1882977…

Anti Police-Terror Project to Lead 6th Annual March/Rally to Reclaim King’s Radical Legacy
APTP | indybay.org | 2020-01-16
Oscar Grant Plaza | 14th Street and Broadway | Oakland…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/01/14/1882974…

34th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Birthday Celebration (Hayward)
City of Hayward | indybay.org | 2020-01-16
Reed L Buffington Visual and Performing Arts Center, 25555 Hesperian Blvd, Hayward 94545…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/01/14/1882974…

Not Bernie, Us. Not Warren, Us
Norman Solomon | commondreams.org | 2020-01-16
Supporters of Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Bernie Sanders supporters cheer and chat outside the James Clyburns World Famous Fish Fry in Columbia, South Carolina June 21, 2019. (Photo: Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…
commondreams.org/views/2020/01/16/not-be…