Daily Archives: February 20, 2020

2020-02-20: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

Slow Motion Murder of Julian Assange by US/UK Regimes
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
Assange's crucifixion is all about waging war on dissent, truth-telling on major issues, and journalism the way it's supposed to be. | It's about creeping totalitarian rule in the US, UK, and West

Study: Medicare for All Would Save 68,000 lives, Half a Trillion Dollars Per year
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-02-20
Under U.S. law, the government is barred from negotiating prices with drug companies, leading to a situation where American-made HIV medication sells for $8 in Australia and up to $2,000 in the US.
mintpressnews.com/study-medicare-save-68…

Protests Continue Against Gas Pipeline Construction in Canada
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
Indigenous protests continue in Edmonton, Canada, against the Coastal Gas Link, a pipeline construction project of TC Energy Corporation. The protesters, led by First Nations communities as the Wet'suwet'en people and Indigenous sympathizers who support their rights, blocked the train rails to prevent the invasion of their lands. | RELATED: | Canada Passenger Rail Firm Retails on Blockade, Lays off 1,000 | These actions left a billion dollar loss in regards to oil, grain, forest…
telesurenglish.net/news/protests-continu…

Shut Down Canada Until It Solves Its War, Oil, and Genocide Problem
David Swanson | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-20
Indigenous people in Canada are giving the world a demonstration of the power of nonviolent action. The justness of their cause

MSNBC's Anti-Sanders Bias Was on Display in Nevada, But It Hasn't Hurt Him
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-20
After months of speculation, billionaire and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg finally appeared at a Democratic primary debate last night. In an ominous sign, the first answer he gave to a question was a dishonest attack aimed at scaring voters away from a universal health care system. | Asked to compare his chances of beating President Trump to Sen. Bernie Sanders's chances of doing so, Bloomberg attacked Sanders and his Medicare for All Plan, falsely suggesting it would throw 160 million…
truthout.org/articles/msnbcs-anti-sander…

Warren and Sanders Eviscerate Bloomberg on Debate Stage
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-02-20
The two senators liken the billionaire businessman to Trump and question his ability to turn out voters at the Las Vegas Democratic debate.
truthdig.com/articles/warren-and-sanders…

The Most Unnerving Moment From the Nevada Democratic Debate
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-02-20
In the event of a brokered convention, only Bernie Sanders calls for the candidate with the most pledged delegates to win the nomination.
truthdig.com/articles/the-most-unnerving…

Impunity Guaranteed for Torturers (and Presidents)
Rebecca Gordon | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-20
On February 5th, the Senate voted to acquit President Donald J. Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. In other words, Trump's pre-election boast that he "could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody" and not "lose any voters" proved something more than high-flown hyperbole. (To be fair, he did…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/20/impunity-gua…

"The Right to Do Whatever I Want as President"
Rebecca Gordon | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
On February 5th, the Senate voted to acquit President Donald J. Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. In other words, Trump's pre-election boast that he "could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody" and …
globalresearch.ca/the-right-to-do-whatev…

Who Is WHO's Tedros Adhanom? The Wuhan Lockdown is Unprecedented
F. William Engdahl | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
On the surface it appeared that the Director-General of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has acted swiftly and seriously about the spreading coronavirus health emergency spreading across China. He has gone to meet with Chinese leaders to discuss the …
globalresearch.ca/who-who-tedros-adhanom…

Pardoning Julian Assange: Trump, WikiLeaks and the DNC
stclair | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-20
The central pillar to Democratic paranoia and vengefulness regarding the loss of Hillary Clinton in 2016 was the link between Russian hacking, the servers of the Democratic National Committee and the release of emails via WikiLeaks. Over time, that account has become a matter of hagiography, an article of faith, with grave conclusions: WikiLeaks and…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/20/pardoning-ju…

Labor Party leads Australian attack on British government over Huawei
wsws.org | 2020-02-20
The line-up behind the US confrontation with China sheds further light on the persecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/20/chin…

"Leave Our Bloke Alone": A Little Mission for Julian Assange
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-20
I think that now it is time that the government I am a part of needs to be standing up and saying to both the UK and the US: 'enough is enough, leave our bloke alone and let him come home.'

Growing support for Julian Assange on eve of extradition hearings
wsws.org | 2020-02-20
The fight for Assange's freedom requires the mobilisation of the working class, not moral appeals to capitalist politicians.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/20/pers…

Pardoning Julian Assange: Donald Trump, WikiLeaks and the DNC
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
The central pillar to Democratic paranoia and vengefulness regarding the loss of Hillary Clinton in 2016 was the link between Russian hacking, the servers of the Democratic National Committee and the release of emails via WikiLeaks. Over time, that account …
globalresearch.ca/pardoning-julian-assan…

Assange's Extradition Case: Critical Moment for the Anti-War Movement
Nozomi Hayase | zcomm.org | 2020-02-20
The US government's extradition and prosecution of Julian Assange is a critical moment for press freedom, but also for the anti-war movement…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/assanges-extraditi…

John McDonnell visits Julian Assange and slams his 'political persecution'
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-20
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell visited Julian Assange at Belmarsh Prison on Thursday. | McDonnell said of Assange's case: I think this is one of the most important and significant political trials of this generation, in fact longer. … | The way in which a person is being persecuted for political reasons, for simply exposing the truth for what went on in relation to recent wars. | And he stressed: We don't believe that extradition should be used for political purposes. And all the evidence… demonstrates that this is a political trial, and we're hoping…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/02/20/john-mcd…

Lawyers file new motion demanding release of Chelsea Manning
wsws.org | 2020-02-20
Lawyers for Manning, the courageous whistleblower who has been in prison for eleven months for refusing to testify before a secret grand jury in the case of Julian Assange, have filed a new motion in federal court demanding her release.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/20/mann…

Australia: Students and workers demand release of Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning
wsws.org | 2020-02-20
"Trillions are spent on war, which creates refugees, kills children and workers, but the people who make these wars happen are roaming free whilst Assange is being murdered by the state."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/20/auss…

Eminent Monsters: A Manual for Modern Torture, directed by Stephen Bennett
wsws.org | 2020-02-20
"We have a system that punished the whistle blowers like Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange, not the perpetrators of torture"–Professor Nils Melzer…
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/20/mons…

Motion to US District Court to Release Chelsea Manning from Punitive Incarceration
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
Like Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning is a victim of police state injustice. | She's been imprisoned since last spring and fined $1,000 daily for invoking her constitutional right to remain silent

Pardoning Julian Assange: Trump, WikiLeaks and the DNC
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-20
The central pillar to Democratic paranoia and vengefulness regarding the loss of Hillary Clinton in 2016 was the link between Russian hacking, the servers of the Democratic National Committee and the release of emails via WikiLeaks. Over time, that account has become a matter of hagiography, an article of faith, with grave conclusions: WikiLeaks and…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/20/pardoning-ju…

India 2020: 'Superpower' or Still 'Super Poor'?
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
The hopes of India's over 1.3 billion people were shattered after their country objectively failed to become the "superpower" that many of their leading "influencers" (read: propagandists) predicted it would be by 2020, with this finally being acknowledged by the …
globalresearch.ca/india-2020-superpower-…

The CIA's Role in Operation Condor
Jacob Hornberger | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-20
The Washington Post reported that top secret documents confirm the role that the CIA played in Operation Condor, the international state-sponsored assassination, kidnapping, torture, and murder ring run by U.S.-supported military dictatorships in South America in the late 1970s. The documents confirm that the CIA's role in the operation was to provide communications equipment to the…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/20/the-cias-rol…

Bloomberg surrogate was PR guru for Brazil's extreme-right leader Bolsonaro
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-20
Former Michael Bloomberg aide Arick Wierson, who is pushing the billionaire's 2020 presidential campaign and attacking Bernie Sanders, helped elect…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/19/arick-wierson…

Factchecking NPR's attempted takedown of Bernie Sanders
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-02-20
The Iowa caucuses officially began the Democratic primary, and even in this ongoing, extended battle for the White House, Iowa remains an important marker for candidates and the media. A close look at a piece by two of NPR's leading political reporters, which aired just before the caucuses, provides a view of how journalists speak […] | Source…
mronline.org/2020/02/20/factchecking-npr…

The US Granted Free Tuition Before, and It Can Do It Again
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-20
When Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Pramila Jayapal submitted joint bills for the College for All Act in Congress last June, it sparked joy among the nearly 20 million attending or planning to attend public universities and colleges, not to mention their families. But even such a reaction had to pale compa…
truthout.org/articles/the-us-granted-fre…

Cuba thanks Caricom for condemning the US blockade
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez thanked the heads of Governments of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for their condemnation of the tightening of the U.S. blockade against Cuba. | "I thank the heads of Government of #CARICOM for their condemnation of the tightening of the #US blockade against #Cuba and against the enforcement of the Helms-Burton Act," Rodriguez wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday night. | He also acknowledged the regional bloc's gratitude for Cuba's medical cooperation that has for years contributed to their peoples' wellbeing. | At the conclusion of the CARICOM meeting in Barbado…
telesurenglish.net/news/Cuba-thanks-Cari…

US slaps sanctions on Russian oil company trading with Venezuela
wsws.org | 2020-02-20
The unilateral sanctions are aimed at tightening the US blockade of Venezuela's crisis-ridden economy.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/20/vene…

Bolivia's Electoral Body Disqualifies Evo Morales' Candidacy
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
The president of the Supreme Electoral Court of Bolivia (TSE) Salvador Romero informed that the former President Evo Morales will not be able to participate in the 2020 general elections, which will be held on May 3. | RELATED: | Morales' Candidacy in Peril as Electoral Body Ponders Ineligibility | During a press conference, Romero told reporters that Morales did not meet the permanent residency requirements to be a Senate candidate for his Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) p…
telesurenglish.net/news/Bolivias-Elector…

Portugal: Parliament Approves the 'Death With Dignity' Right
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
Despite protests from fundamentalist religious groups, Portugal's Parliament Thursday took the first step in favor of the decriminalization of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. | RELATED: | Chile Proposes 'Passive Euthanasia' With Fresh Bill | In 2018, the "anticipation of death" bill was rejected by just five votes. On this occasion, however, the Portuguese parliament analyzed five different bills on the same subject. | Among the main proposals were those presented by the Left Bl…
telesurenglish.net/news/Portugal-Parliam…

A Trillion Trees in Rep. Westerman's Hands Means a Trillion Stumps
Rachel M. Fazio | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-20
In an effort to springboard off President Trump's recent pledge to join the global community in planting a trillion trees to increase the amount of carbon drawn out of the atmosphere and help us to mitigate the worst effects of the climate crisis, Rep. Bruce Westerman, a pro-logging advocate from Arkansas, along with several Republican…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/20/a-trillion-t…

Mick Mulvaney Says GOP Won't Act on Climate Because They Don't Want Higher Taxes
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-20
Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said in a speech Wednesday night that Republicans won't act on the climate crisis because the party doesn't want to raise taxes or ask people to change their "lifestyle." | "We take the position in my party that asking people to change their lifestyle dramatically, i…
truthout.org/articles/mick-mulvaney-says…

"Bee-Washing" Hurts Bees and Misleads Consumers
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-20
Amid the worry over the loss of honeybees, a far quieter but just as devastating loss is occurring among lesser known native bee populations. Wild native bees are vital to pollinate plants. Their populations are declining due to a warming climate, pesticide poisoning and lack of flowers and other environmental pressures. | As awareness increases about native bee death, some companies are taking advantage…
truthout.org/articles/bee-washing-hurts-…

Greta Thunberg 'using award money to create sustainability foundation'
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-20
Greta Thunberg is using her prize money from an award often described as an alternative Nobel Prize to establish a sustainability foundation, according to the Swedish organisation behind the prize. | The purpose of the non-profit Greta Thunberg Foundation "is to promote ecological and social sustainability, as well as mental health", the Right Livelihood Foundation said. | The teenage climate activist was one of four recipients of the 2019 Right Livelihood Award, which was founded in 1980 to "honour and support courageous people solving global problems". | The one million kronor ( £80,000) that came with th…
thecanary.co/discovery/2020/02/20/greta-…

"And Then Nothing. Silence"
Media Lens | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-20
If you were mad enough to judge the state of the world by the daily outpourings of 'mainstream' media, you would have no real understanding of the perilous state of the human race. Or, if you had concerns on seeing the latest news on climate breakdown, you would not be fully informed about the powerful …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/and-then-noth…

Colombia: Colonel Involves General in Extrajudicial Killings
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
Colombian Colonel Alvaro Amortegui said that General Mario Montoya ordered him to kill 17 civilians captured in an operation and make them appear as if they were guerrilla fighters killed in combat. | RELATED: | Violence Persists in Colombia: Another Ex-FARC Member Murdered | "In 2001… I captured 17 guys inside a house. [Montoya] called me on my cell phone and told me, 'I've already sent you the bracelets.' Then I replied, 'don't send me the bracelets… I captured these men a…
telesurenglish.net/news/Colombia-Colonel…

Far-Right German Gunman Calling for Genocide Kills 9 People
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-02-20
HANAU, Germany

Israel and Palestine Agree to End Commercial Tensions: Official
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
Palestine and Israel have agreed to defuse their commercial tension over mutual export and import bans, a senior Palestinian official said Thursday. | RELATED: | Kashmiris, Palestinians Protest India Envoy's Speech at Harvard | Palestinian Minister of Agriculture Riad Attari told the China-based Xinhua News Agency that Israel has agreed to stop all its measures of banning the shipment of Palestinian goods and products to the Israeli markets. | "Israel also agreed to lift the…
telesurenglish.net/news/Israel-and-Pales…

Police assault on Wet'suwet'en people
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-02-20
Attack shows Hypocrisy towards Indigenous Peoples. | Source…
mronline.org/2020/02/20/police-assault-o…

The Persian Gulf Standoff
Todd Smith | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-20
They say we've been down this road before. The "last time" creakily hinged upon a hysterically hyped WMD threat from Iraq that overwhelmingly forced the W. Bush regime and its bipartisan cheerleaders to preemptively invade Iraq in order to eliminate the imminent threat that Saddam Hussein's non-existent WMD posed to the "Freedom-loving" world. Such was …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/the-persian-g…

Alberto Fernandez: Argentina's Economy Will Grow Again
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez said Wednesday that the country's economy will be able to grow after the International Monetary Fund declared that the Latin American nation's debt is unsustainable and must be restructured. | RELATED: Argentina IMF: | Argentinian Debt 'Unsustainable', Economic Crisis Deepens | "If all parties show a willingness to agree, we will be able to grow again. We will honor our commitments and we will have an Argentina back on its feet," the presid…
telesurenglish.net/news/alberto-fernande…

East Timor's coalition government collapses
wsws.org | 2020-02-20
East Timor's political and economic crisis is escalating amid the sharpened regional rivalry between China and the US and its ally Australia.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/20/timo…

No One Knows How Many Immigrant Kids Have Disappeared in US Custody
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-20
This story was originally published by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more at revealnews.org and subscribe to the Reveal podcast, produced with PRX, at revealnews.org/podcast. | On the fifth floor of the tall glass federal building in Portland, Oregon, the immigration court hums in hushed tones, an air of reverence comi…
truthout.org/articles/no-one-knows-how-m…

Putin vs. Erdogan: Who's Going to Blink First?
Mike Whitney | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
An explosive situation is developing in Idlib province where the Syrian army is conducting a major offensive that has triggered a harsh response from Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is threatening to attack Syrian forces anywhere in the country …
globalresearch.ca/putin-erdogan-who-goin…

Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams covers for the billionaire Bloomberg
wsws.org | 2020-02-20
Abrams said Bloomberg's spending hundreds of millions of dollars to buy the Democratic nomination is like a candidate "using their dog" to get support.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/20/abra…

Freedom for $5.30…and This Time Mexico Really is Paying for It
Thomas Knapp | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-20
Back in 2016, presidential candidate Donald Trump promised that Mexico would pay for his proposed border wall. Turns out Mexico wasn't interested, so Trump eventually resorted to declaring fake emergencies and illegally misappropriating money from the military budget. He's spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars per mile on a barrier that, Samuel Lovett of…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/20/freedom-for-…

France: Tenth Day of National Protests Against Pension Reform
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
The French unions are carrying out the tenth day of a general strike against the bill for the pension reform proposed by President Emmanuel Macron. | RELATED: | France to Impose More Controls on Mosques in Its Territory | "We will not give up because we are convinced of the correctness of our analysis. This project will be a danger in the coming decades…
telesurenglish.net/news/France-Tenth-Day…

America's War on Dissent Began a Century Ago
Maj. Danny Sjursen | truthdig.com | 2020-02-20
The roots of the our ruling class' disdain for protest movements can be traced all the back to World War I. Part 2 of a two-part essay.
truthdig.com/articles/americas-war-on-di…

Oppose Trudeau's Hosting of the Lima Group in Gatineau
Ken Stone | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
On February 20, the Trudeau government will host another meeting of the anti-Venezuelan "Lima Group" at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, 100 Laurier St, Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0M8. A protest will commence at its main entrance at 1 pm. | The …
globalresearch.ca/oppose-trudeau-hosting…

Video: Aleppo City's Countryside Fully Secured, Syrians in Aleppo Celebrate the End of Terrorism
Eva Bartlett | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
In December 2016, the Syrian Arab Army, Russia and allies liberated the northern Syrian city of Aleppo of the al-Qaeda and equally-heinous terrorists who had occupied and terrorized civilians in the city since 2012. | In subsequent years, Aleppo to a …
globalresearch.ca/aleppo-city-countrysid…

The Axis of Resistance Holds Firm as Washington Faces Retreat
Prof. Tim Anderson | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
The shifting sands of the Syrian conflict have left many wondering what might happen next between the Kurds, the US, and Russia inside Syria. I reached out to, Professor Tim Anderson, an Australian political economist, and author of "…
globalresearch.ca/axis-resistance-holds-…

The War On Syria is Not Over: SAA Forces and Russia Confront US Sponsored "Jihadists", Turkey's Phony "Safe Zone", Israel Threatens "Escalated Aggression"
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
On Wednesday, Turkey's Erdogan threatened escalated cross-border aggression against Syria. | He ignored his regime's illegal occupation of northern Syrian territory, support for anti-government jihadists, and his revanchist aims, wanting Syrian territory bordering Turkey annexed. | That's what his phony "safe zone" …
globalresearch.ca/russia-west-turkey-isr…

Video: Syrians Are in Desperate Race to Outrun Brutal Regime Offensive
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
Syrians are in a desperate race to outrun the offensive of the brutal Assad regime. The ruthless government forces are aggressively destroying helpless mines and car bombs, treacherously restoring roads, schools and residential houses, cruelly launching road patrols, and (oh, …
globalresearch.ca/video-syrians-desperat…

Turkey Accuses Syrian Gov't of Killing 2 Soldiers in Idlib
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
Turkey accused the Syrian government of carrying out an airstrike on Thursday that killed two of their military personnel inside the northwestern province of Idlib. | RELATED: | Syria Completes First Flight to Aleppo Airport in 8 Years | In a statement shortly after the strike, Turkey accused the Syrian government of killing two soldiers and wounding five others that were providing support to the rebels in Idlib. | Turkey's defense ministry said more than 50 Syrian forces members…
telesurenglish.net/news/Turkey-Accuses-S…

Canada Trapped By Its Own Folly
Maria Paez Victor | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-20
Canada walked into a political and diplomatic trap of its own making when it took it upon itself to create a self-appointed busybody lobby called The Group of Lima. The sole purpose of this group is to harass and discredit the government of Venezuela, alleging that they are thereby "defending democracy". They do so by…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/20/canada-trapp…

Break With Two-Party Capitalist Duopoly!
Jeff Mackler | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-20
Glory hallelujah! If the Lord's "terrible swift sword" had descended from the heavens to witness the Democratic Party's congressional delegation's standing ovation in response to Donald Trump's State of Union introduction of his despicably appointed Venezuelan presidential pretender Juan Guaidó, the Democrats would be dead in the water. But there is no God in American politics; the only certainty lies in a clear understanding that the election game is rigged from…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/20/break-with-t…

Why Have No Retired Generals Opposed US's Forever Wars?
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-20
There once lived an odd little man

Suspects in Fatima Femicide Case Arrested in Mexico
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
The main suspects in the Fátima case were captured on Wednesday after the social pressure on the government and police authorities increased. The anti-femicide movement ¥s claims increased after the 7-year-old girl disappeared and was founded dead last Saturday. | RELATED: | Mexico's Chamber of Deputies Increases Penalty for Femicides | The suspects presumably responsible for the minor's murder were detained in a periphery zone of Mexico state, in the capital perimeter, a…
telesurenglish.net/news/fatimas–case-su…

Roger Stone Sentenced Amid Trump's Pressure to Discredit Case
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
On Thursday morning. Roger Stone, a close friend and advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, will finally be sentenced, despite repeated attacks by the White House chief on those involved in the trial to discredit the process and prevent a harsh verdict. | RELATED: | Democratic Party Asks to Investigate Trump for Abuse of Power | Roger Stone, 67, the self-described "dirty trickster," was convicted in November on seven felony counts of obstruction, witness tampering, and false s…
telesurenglish.net/news/stone-sentenced-…

Oil Workers Temporarily Suspend Strike in Brazil
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
In Brazil, oil workers suspended their strike Thursday after 19 days, while state oil company Petrobras promised to start a round of negotiations with the unions. | RELATED: | Brazil: 20,000 Oil Workers on Strike to Halt Privatization Plan | The decision was taken after a council of the Single Federation of Oil Tankers (FUP) meeting and they warned that if negotiations with the state oil company do not meet the demands of the workers, the union will resume the strike again. | T…
telesurenglish.net/news/Oil-Workers-Temp…

'Racism Is Poison', Angela Merkel's Statement on Hanau Shooting
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel harshly criticized racist speeches and hate crimes in her reaction to the xenophobic attack that took place in Hanau on Wednesday night. | RELATED: | Germany: Mass Shooting Leaves Eight Deaths and Multiple Injured | "Racism is poison. Hate is poison. And this poison occurs in our society and is already responsibl…
telesurenglish.net/news/Racism-Is-Poison…

Brazilian Company Accused of Helping Bolsonaro's Campaign
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
Entrepreneur Lindolfo Antà¥nio Alves Neto, partner and co-owner of the internet marketing company Yacows, admitted that his company participated in Jair Bolsonaro's campaign strategies to advertise on WhatsApp. | RELATED: | Bolsonaro Reiterates Willingness to Meet With Alberto Fernandez | The executive made these statements at the Fake News Joint Parliamentary Inquiry Committee in the Brazilian Senate on Wednesday, after an interrogation by deputy Rui Falcà£o. Alv…
telesurenglish.net/news/executive-admits…

Roger Stone Sentenced Amid Trump ¥s Pressure to Discredit Case
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
On Thursday morning. Roger Stone, a close friend and advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, will finally be sentenced, despite repeated attacks by the White House chief on those involved in the trial to discredit the process and prevent a harsh verdict. | RELATED: | Democratic Party Asks to Investigate Trump for Abuse of Power | Roger Stone, 67, the self-described "dirty trickster," was convicted in November on seven felony counts of obstruction, witness tampering, and false s…
telesurenglish.net/news/stone-sentenced-…

Suspects in Fatima Murder Case Arrested in Mexico
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-20
The main suspects in the Fátima case were captured on Wednesday after the social pressure on the government and police authorities increased. The anti-femicide movement ¥s claims increased after the 7-year-old girl disappeared and was founded dead last Saturday. | RELATED: | Mexico's Chamber of Deputies Increases Penalty for Femicides | The suspects presumably responsible for the minor's murder were detained in a periphery zone of Mexico state, in the capital perimeter, a…
telesurenglish.net/news/fatimas–case-su…

Far-right terror probe after nine killed in shootings in Germany
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-20
A German man has shot and killed nine people at several locations in a Frankfurt suburb in attacks that appear to have been motivated by far-right beliefs, officials said.The gunman first attacked a hookah bar in central Hanau at about 10pm on 19 February, killing several people, before heading about 1.5 miles west and opening fire again, claiming more victims.Hookah lounges are places where people gather to smoke flavoured tobacco from Middle Eastern water pipes.Witnesses and surveillance videos of the suspect's getaway car led authorities to his home, near the scene of the second attack, where he was found dead…
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2020/02/2…

Black Students in the Mississippi Delta Still Face Education Inequality
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-20
Samara Rand's new colleagues at Holmes County Central High School gave her a warning on her first day: Never turn off the air conditioning. Even if the students complained. Warm classrooms in the 60-year-old building would smell like urine, her co-workers told her. | "Get you some air freshener," a ninth-grade biology teacher advised her. | When it rains, the roof of the decades-old facility leaks. During the worst downpours, hallways flood. Attempts to raise taxes to build a state-of-the-art high…
truthout.org/articles/black-students-in-…

Mass Student Movement in the United States Began Six Decades Ago
Abayomi Azikiwe | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
On February 1, 1960, four African American students from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University sat down at a racially segregated lunch counter in the F.W. Woolworth Department store in downtown Greensboro to demand service. | This act of civil disobedience …
globalresearch.ca/mass-student-movement-…

Trump pardoning convicted criminals highlights the rot at the heart of the US establishment
Peter Bolton | thecanary.co | 2020-02-20
Donald Trump has just pardoned almost a dozen convicted criminals. The move is both illustrative and unsurprising on several levels. For one thing, it's another apt demonstration of the Trump administration's long record of pandering to shady characters. It's also a microcosm of a wider pattern of double standards in which there's one set of rules for the powerful and connected but a…
thecanary.co/us/us-analysis/2020/02/20/t…

SPLC Statement on the Far-Right Shooting in Hanau, Germany
splcenter.org | 2020-02-20
splcenter.org/news/2020/02/20/splc-state…

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…

Debate Night Brawl: Bloomberg, Sanders Attacked by Democratic Rivals
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-02-20
Warren stands out in Las Vegas as she goes after billionaire ex-New York mayor on policing policies and demeaning comments toward women.
truthdig.com/articles/debate-night-brawl…

The Donald Trump Phenomenon: The Drift Towards an Autocratic Presidency in the United States
Prof Rodrigue Tremblay | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
"Experience shows us that every man invested with power is apt to abuse it, and to carry his authority as far as it will go". –Montesquieu (1689-1755), 1748. | "Where you have a concentration of power in …
globalresearch.ca/donald-trump-phenomeno…

Jury Awards $265M in Damages in Dicamba Trial Against Monsanto, BASF
Johnathan Hettinger | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
After three weeks of arguments, the jury awarded the peach-farmer plaintiff $15 million in damages and $250 million in punitive damages against the chemical companies. | *** | A federal jury determined that German agribusiness giants Bayer and BASF will have to …
globalresearch.ca/jury-awards-265m-damag…

Election Officials Are Already Raising Flags About Nevada's Results
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-02-20
Thousands have been forced to wait hours to cast their early ballots, and observers fear the final vote totals may be inaccurate.
truthdig.com/articles/election-officials…

Trump pardons ruling class criminals
wsws.org | 2020-02-20
The criminal in the White House expunged the lawbreaking records of two billionaires and two political hatchetmen for big business.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/20/pard…

Poor Bill Barr
Mel Gurtov | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-20
Attorney General William Barr's interview the other day in which he said Trump's constant tweeting had made his job "impossible" has gotten mixed responses in the media. Some think the comment exposed a genuine rift between Barr and Trump, while others saw it as farce. I'm in the latter camp: I think the whole episode…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/20/poor-bill-ba…

Let Rome Burn
Miguel A. Cruz-Díaz | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-20
Hear ye, hear ye! I say unto thee that thou shall follow these hallowed and sacred rules of white liberalism as we enter the Holiest of Holy Epochs known as the presidential primaries, and they are thus: If thine conservative-leaning sensibilities are offended by the leftism of others, read thee thine New York Times and…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/20/let-rome-bur…

Reforming Expectations to Save Western Rivers
Jen Pelz | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-20
Recently, former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt proposed an alternative to the highly controversial yet difficult-to-kill Gila River diversion project, which would dam and divert water from the last free-flowing river in New Mexico ("Damming the Gila a vampire proposal," My View, Feb. 2). While the Gila proposal already is on life support because of missed…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/20/reforming-ex…

Researchers Have Identified How Naval Sonar Is Killing and Beaching Whales
Alex Larson | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
This article was originally published in 2019. | We have known for a long time that naval sonar has devastating effects on marine life but just exactly how it leads to sickness and death was a mystery till now. | In new …
globalresearch.ca/researchers-identified…

Munich Conference Reveals East-West Divide
Pepe Escobar | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
Few postmodern political pantomimes have been more revealing than the hundreds of so-called "international decision-makers," mostly Western, waxing lyrical, disgusted or nostalgic over "Westlessness" at the Munich Security Conference. | "Westlessness" sounds like one of those constipated concepts issued from a …
globalresearch.ca/munich-conference-reve…

The End of Free Movement: This Is a Nation Dismantling Itself over Nonsense
Ian Dunt | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-20
So after four years, we finally get sight of it. The great points-based system, designed to replace free movement. No-one coming in under £25,600, unless there's a special shortage. No-one without good English. No-one who's self-employed. No-one without a …
globalresearch.ca/end-free-movement-nati…

'The world might need us to step up': London offers to host 2020 Olympics if coronavirus forces IOC to move Games from Tokyo
rt.com | 2020-02-20
The city of London is ready and willing to step in and play host to this summer's Olympic Games, according to one of the major candidates for the city's mayor. | Shaun Bailey, the governing Conservative Party's candidate for the job of Mayor of London, has boldly stated that the English capital would be ready to step up and step in if the ongoing coronavirus outbreak proves serious enough to force the Games to be moved from Tokyo. | The flu-like virus has taken the lives of more than 2,000 people in China and infected more than 74,000 across the world, according to Reuters, and the outbreak has already forced…
rt.com/sport/481276-olympic-games-london…

2 passengers from coronavirus-hit cruise ship in Japan die as countries rush to evacuate citizens
rt.com | 2020-02-20
An elderly couple aboard the 'Diamond Princess' cruise ship in Japan, where over 620 cases of coronavirus were confirmed, has succumbed to the illness. The fatalities come as Tokyo allows hundreds of passengers to return home. | Both passengers were in their 80s, according to public broadcaster NHK, and are the first on board the ship to die of the virus, which has spread to more than 75,000 people and killed over 2,100 worldwide since last December. So far, the majority of fatalities have involved elderly patients with pre-existing conditions. | The ship was initially quarantined on February 3 with around 3,7…
rt.com/news/481253-japan-coronavirus-cru…

Riot troops & armored vehicle sent to small Ukrainian town as residents attempt to block evacuated coronavirus patients (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-02-20
Ukraine had to resort to old-school police tactics to quash a protest by local residents of a small town when they closed roads after learning that a plane full of possible carriers of the new coronavirus was heading their way. | On Thursday, the Ukrainian government finally evacuated its citizens from the epidemic-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan. Four people were barred from boarding the plane by medics due to elevated body temperature, but 73 others boarded the charter flight. After a short detour to Kazakhstan to deliver two nationals to the Central Asian country, the plane flew to Ukraine. | But not everyon…
rt.com/news/481291-ukraine-coronavirus-e…

WATCH harrowing footage of 2007 Baghdad killings projected onto UK parliament wall in protest against Assange's extradition
rt.com | 2020-02-20
Campaigners have projected the footage of an American airstrike on Iraqi civilians, originally exposed by WikiLeaks, onto the parliament building in London, to protest against the proposed extradition to the US of Julian Assange. | Clips from the infamous 2007 footage were projected onto Westminster Palace, where both houses of parliament are located. The same video was projected on the wall of the Belmarsh maximum security prison in London, where the WikiLeaks co-founder is awaiting his US extradition trial. The images on the buildings' walls included photos of the activist along with slogans like 'Don't extr…
rt.com/uk/481270-assange-projection-prot…

'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…

Making money by 'preventing apocalypse': Russian police raids cult that 'made millions' selling 'divine protection'
rt.com | 2020-02-20
St. Petersburg police searched the apartment-turned-"temple" and stables of "Order of the Path," a family-run cult that claimed to be fighting against "black mages" in the gov't and sold "divine protection" for $300,000 a pop. | Earlier this week, St. Petersburg police SWAT teams raided the mysterious "Order of the Path," a cult run by psychologist-turned-"magister" Gayva Tihomirova, and arrested the leader, 78.ru reports. The raids targeted the main "temple" of the organization, which was converted from a two-bedroom apartment, their offices, and the stables outside the city where, the shady Order held their…
rt.com/russia/481218-russia-large-scale-…

Washington slaps sanctions on 5 Iranian officials 'for barring candidates'
rt.com | 2020-02-20
The United States on Thursday slapped sanctions on five Iranian officials in charge of vetting candidates for this week's parliamentary elections. Campaigning for the elections officially ended on Thursday. | The targeted officials include Ahmad Jannati, a powerful cleric accused of overseeing the disqualification of candidates as part of the Guardian Council. He also plays a key role in a body that selects the supreme leader, AFP reports. | "The Trump administration will not tolerate the manipulation of elections," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. He added that the action exposes senior…
rt.com/newsline/481304-us-sanctions-iran…

Iraqi PM-designate Allawi says new govt ready to work, calls for confidence vote on Monday
rt.com | 2020-02-20
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi has called for parliament to hold a confidence vote on his government early next week. Nominated as a consensus candidate among divided political parties, Allawi emphasized that his cabinet was not drawn from the political elite, a key demand of the protest movement sweeping Baghdad and the south since October 1. | In a speech broadcast on state TV on Wednesday, Allawi said he was proposing "an independent government without any party candidates for the first time in decades." | Iraqi officials have quietly expressed skepticism that such a government would…
rt.com/newsline/481283-iraq-pm-confidenc…

Algerian president honors 'smile revolution' protest on 1st anniversary
rt.com | 2020-02-20
Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has declared February 22 a special holiday to honor the peaceful "smile revolution" protest movement that ousted the country's longtime leader last year. | Tebboune made the announcement Wednesday, ahead of what are expected to be big protests this week to mark the Hirak movement's first anniversary. Earlier this week, the communications minister called for February 22 to be declared "a national holiday of the blessed Hirak," the Arabic name for the uprising. | Many Algerians say the authorities are ignoring their calls for deeper political change. Tebboune is seen as a…
rt.com/newsline/481263-algeria-revolutio…

Netanyahu revives frozen plan for 3,000 new settler homes near E. Jerusalem
rt.com | 2020-02-20
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he was reviving a plan for the construction of some 3,000 new settler homes near East Jerusalem. The project has been effectively frozen after international opposition. | Netanyahu has pledged to annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and the area's Jordan Valley as part of an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan presented by US President Donald Trump last month, Reuters said. Palestinians have rejected Trump's plan. | Israel's Defense Minister called in January for Israel to establish sovereignty over nearly a third of the occupied West Bank, ac…
rt.com/newsline/481296-netanyahu-settler…

Brazilian senator SHOT after driving BULLDOZER into military police protest (VIDEOS)
rt.com | 2020-02-20
A Brazilian politician was hit by rubber bullets after he tried to use a construction vehicle to disperse military policemen who were protesting for better salaries. | Former governor of the Ceara State on Brazil's northeastern coast and current Senator Cid Gomes confronted a demonstration by military police personnel in his hometown of Sobral on Wednesday. According to O Globo newspaper, the protesting officers were demanding salary increases, while Gomes tried to stop them from preventing other policemen from maintaining security on the streets. | The politician first shouted at the officers through a speake…
rt.com/news/481261-brazil-police-protest…

WATCH heart-clenching video from INSIDE CRASHING PLANE in Russia
rt.com | 2020-02-20
Passengers of a small plane who were filming their takeoff from an airfield in Magadan were horrified when they realized their aircraft wouldn't make it. It crashed instead but, luckily, no lives were lost in the incident. | The video, purportedly shot from inside an Antonov An-2 plane, which crashed on Thursday in northern Russia, shows the aircraft trying to climb just after takeoff. Its speed seems slow and, at one moment, it virtually stops in the air, loses all lift and starts falling as a horrified groan is heard from passengers. | The plane was about 10 meters in the air when the incident happened. A…
rt.com/russia/481284-video-plane-crash-f…

'Asking for trouble?' VIDEO shows American APC pushing Russian army jeep off road in Syria
rt.com | 2020-02-20
Footage from Syria purports to show a US armored personnel carrier pushing a Russian military jeep off the road; relations between Moscow and Washington remain tense. | A video, posted on social media on Wednesday, shows what appears to be a Russian military convoy moving alongside an American one. At one point, a Russian Tigr heavy jeep tries to overtake an Oshkosh M-ATV armored vehicle with a US flag on its roof. The M-ATV responds by maneuvering to the right, pushing the Tigr further away from the road. | Narrowly evading collision and nearly hitting a pedestrian in the process, both vehicles stop, and o…
rt.com/news/481277-syria-russia-us-colli…

Roger Stone sentenced to serve 40 months in prison
rt.com | 2020-02-20
Long-time political operative and Trump confidant Roger Stone has been sentenced to 6 years in prison for perjury and obstruction of the 'Russiagate' probe, in a process marked by controversy and accusations of partisanship. | Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced Stone to 40 months in prison for obstruction of justice, another 18 months for witness tampering, and 12 months for making false statements to Congress

'Terrorists' launch major attack against Syrian Army in Idlib, 'pro-Turkish' militants involved
rt.com | 2020-02-20
Syrian state media say "terrorists" have launched a major offensive in the province of Idlib. Some reports suggest "pro-Turkish" militants are also taking part as tensions between Ankara and Damascus mount. | Citing its reporter on the ground, SANA news agency said on Thursday that government troops forces have been repelling militant attacks towards the village of Al-Nayrab, southeast of Idlib. The community was liberated by Damascus earlier this month when the Syrian Army made gains in the areas controlled by pro-Turkish groups. | The ant…
rt.com/news/481294-idlib-offensive-syria…

Supernovae could be bombarding Earth with COSMIC 'BULLETS' travelling at 3,000km a second, scientists warn
rt.com | 2020-02-20
A new study purports to solve one of the ongoing mysteries in astrophysics, about whether supernovae shoot debris out at a fraction of the speed of light, and if these cosmic 'bullets' hit us at those speeds. | Earth is bombarded daily by small meteors measuring between 1mm and 10cm wide, most of which hit the atmosphere at speeds faster than 17km per second. However, Harvard University physicists Amir Siraj and Prof. Abraham Loeb suspect that some meteors could hit our atmosphere while travelling at a fraction of the speed of light

Brazil's oil production jumps 20% to new record in January
rt.com | 2020-02-20
Brazil's oil production jumped by 20.4 percent on the year to set a new production record of 3.168 million barrels per day (bpd) in January, thanks to the prolific pre-salt basin, oil regulator ANP said on Wednesday. | Last month, Brazil's total oil and natural gas production also set a new production record, exceeding 4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) for the first time ever, the regulator said, noting that combined oil and gas production stood at 4.041 million boe/d. | Oil production in January 2020 rose by 2 percent compared to December 2019 and by 20.43 percent compared to January 2019, A…
rt.com/business/481278-brazils-oil-produ…

'Rising racism': Turkey says Europe needs to do more to prevent deadly attacks like Hanau, Merkel says it was likely 'far-right'
rt.com | 2020-02-20
It's impossible to see attacks like Hanau as isolated, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has said. Ankara called on Europe to avoid "this encouraging approach" to xenophobia, and to "unite against racism." | "The insensitivity shown towards the fight against increasing xenophobia in Europe leads to new attacks every day," said a statement published by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on February 20. | "It is time to put an end to these attacks. Otherwise, racism and xenophobia will reach more serious levels and lead us to a dangerous situation." | Primarily, Turkey wants other European governments to avoid "this encour…
rt.com/news/481293-turkish-fm-hanau-shoo…