As Assange's trial begins, his lawyers highlight risk of extradition with CIA spying operation's 'extreme measures'
Kevin Gosztola | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-25
Assange's lawyers pointed to CIA surveillance by a Sheldon Adelson-backed private contractor and the Trump administration's public contempt for the…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/24/assanges-tria…
No Russian 2020 Election Meddling Says US Intelligence Community Official
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-25
In January 2017, days before Trump's inauguration, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) concluded with "high confidence (that) Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election (sic)." | Weeks before the US 2016 …
globalresearch.ca/no-russian-2020-electi…
Sanctions and Corruption: Three Major News Stories that Need to be Exposed
Ralph Nader | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-25
The news is filled with stories about President Trump and his predecessors imposing sanctions on other countries, their officials, and other prominent persons. But the media rarely spells out exactly what these sanctions are, the intermediaries who enforce them, the …
globalresearch.ca/three-major-news-stori…
The New Coronavirus Outbreak, COVID-19, Sounds Menacing and Is
Tom Clifford | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-25
Tom Clifford Reporting from Beijing | There is no room for complacency or outright fear. The new coronavirus outbreak, COVID-19, sounds menacing and is. But there's another viral epidemic hitting countries around the world: the flu. | COVID-19 has, since December, led …
globalresearch.ca/new-coronavirus-outbre…
The Russiagate Racket targets the Bernie Sanders surge
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-25
With a familiar playbook of evidence-free, anonymously sourced red-baiting, the forces behind Russiagate try to stop Bernie Sanders' primary success….
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/24/the-russiagat…
Bolivia's Electoral Body Disqualifies Evo Morales' Candidacy
Telesur | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-25
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. | During a press …
globalresearch.ca/bolivia-electoral-body…
We Need to Treat Nuclear War Like the Emergency It Is
Olivia Alperstein | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-25
If the current state of global affairs reminds you of an over-the-top plot by a white-cat-stroking James Bond villain, you're not far off. When it comes to nuclear policy, we are closer than ever to a real-life movie disaster. | During …
globalresearch.ca/we-need-treat-nuclear-…
'Bang-bang-bang': Bloomberg says he'd DRONE his critics & shield banks if elected president in leaked audio
rt.com | 2020-02-25
Billionaire Democratic hopeful Michael Bloomberg vowed to "defend the banks" and jokingly suggested he may hunt down his political rivals with Predator drones if elected, a leaked 2016 audio clip has revealed. | The Bloomberg campaign has confirmed the authenticity of the recording, which captured a speech he gave at a closed-door Goldman Sachs event at Yankee Stadium in June 2016. The clip was posted online by a self-styled disgruntled former Goldman executive several days ago and has since made the rounds. | Bloomberg's opening remarks can only help to fuel concerns within the progressive wing of his own…
rt.com/usa/481597-bloomberg-audio-drones…
Time for Both Major Parties to Own the Immigration Crisis
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-02-25
The relative lack of talk on the campaign trail about immigration points to a bigger problem shared by Democrats and Republicans.
truthdig.com/articles/time-for-both-majo…
Stock Markets, Oil Sink as Coronavirus Pandemic Fear Spreads
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
Global stocks plunged Monday, joining a global equity selloff, as fears of a coronavirus pandemic rattled investors, hampering the prospects for a global recovery in 2020. | RELATED: | Italian Authorities Suspend Venice Carnival Due to Coronavirus | The Dow Jones Industrials and the S&P 500 fell more than three percent on Monday, as investors fled riskier assets. While oil prices slumped by nearly four percent as the rapid spread of the coronavirus in countries outside China added to…
telesurenglish.net/news/Stock-Markets-Oi…
Chile's US-backed gov't is shooting anti-austerity protesters, blinding and maiming by the thousands
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-24
Chile has responded to anti-neoliberal protests with brutally violent repression. 10,365 people have been detained; 3765 treated for wounds in…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/24/chiles-us-bac…
Julian Assange supporters protest outside court ahead of extradition hearing
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-24
Supporters of Julian Assange have gathered outside court as the WikiLeaks founder begins his fight against extradition to the US, where he is accused of helping to leak hundreds of thousands of classified documents.Demonstrators, including Assange's father John Shipton, arrived at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, with some holding placards calling for his immediate release.Some said they had arrived as early as 6am, with signs reading: "Don't shoot the messenger, free Assange" and "Free Julian Assange, Nobel Peace Prize nominee". Tents were erected on nearby grass.John Shipton, the father of Julian Assange, speaks…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/02/24/julian-a…
Assange's Trial for U.S. Extradition Begins in London
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
The first day of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's legal battle to prevent his extradition to the United States began on Monday amid strong social protests in support of the Australian journalist. | RELATED: | Jailed Wikileaks Founder Assange's Health Improving: Spokesman | The case for Assange's extradition to the U.S. was opened at Woolwich Crown Court in southeast London as the sound of protest was heard in the distance. The slogans "Free Julian Assange", "Journalism is not…
telesurenglish.net/news/assanges-trial-f…
Assange Extradition Hearing Opens with Scathing Condemnation by Mainstream Media
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-02-24
The extradition trial of Julian Assange began with the prosecution reading out a damning statement from five leading mainstream media organizations that once partnered with Wikileaks.
mintpressnews.com/assange-extradition-tr…
Socialist Equality Party (UK) holds London rally in defence of Assange and Manning
wsws.org | 2020-02-24
The meeting was attended by more than 130 workers, youth and students who came from all over the UK.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/24/lond…
Australian and New Zealand demonstrations demand freedom for WikiLeaks founder and US whistleblower
wsws.org | 2020-02-24
The weekend rallies point to growing international support for Assange and Manning and a deeper political understanding and determination to fight by important layers of students, workers and youth.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/24/sepa…
US defense secretary launches simulated nuclear attack against Russia in Pentagon war game
wsws.org | 2020-02-24
The war game took place as more than 20,000 troops and 20,000 military vehicles began to arrive in Europe for the massive "Defender 2020" exercise targeting Russia.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/24/nuke…
How a Subtle Turkey-Iran Entente is Helping Iran Secure a Firm Presence in Syria
Agha Hussain | mintpressnews.com | 2020-02-24
In the last of a three-part series, Agha Hussein investigates how cooperation with Turkey is helping Iran resist pressure to leave Syria.
mintpressnews.com/subtle-turkey-iran-ent…
Russia Accused of Campaign Blaming US for Coronavirus Outbreak
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
Russia has been a prime US target since its 1917 revolution, relations between both countries uneasy at best from that time to now. | Propaganda by US officials and establishment media demonizes the country and its leadership, ongoing for over a …
globalresearch.ca/russia-behind-campaign…
US "Forever War" in Afghanistan Near Ending?
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
Planned months in advance, the Bush/Cheney regime attacked nonbelligerent Afghanistan less than four weeks after the 9/11 attacks. | Afghanistan did not attack America on 9/11. The Taliban and bin Laden had nothing to do with what happened on a day …
globalresearch.ca/us-forever-war-afghani…
Covid-19 Triggers Global Luxury Bust
Zero Hedge | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
The impact of Covid-19 on supply chains has been tremendous. Uncertainty across the global economy is building as China remains in economic paralysis. The luxury fashion industry is suffering its most significant "shock" since the 2008 financial crisis, reported …
globalresearch.ca/covid-19-triggers-glob…
Democratic Party deploys Russian meddling smear against Sanders
wsws.org | 2020-02-24
The Democratic establishment and the corporate media are now peddling the lie that Sanders is the beneficiary of Russian intervention in the 2020 elections.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/24/pers…
Toronto Wet'suwet'en Solidarity March. "Long Live Mother Earth"
Eric Walberg | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
February 22, 2020. The sun was brilliant, the slogans and posters striking, the round dance in the heart of Canada's financial district, the 6 concentric circles of the real Canadians, those who honour Canada's First Nations, made February 22, 2020 …
globalresearch.ca/toronto-wetsuweten-sol…
Trudeau's Demand: "The Barricades Must Come Down"
Kim Petersen | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau has called the imbroglio between the Wet'suwet'en nation and Canada a matter to be decided by the rule of law. [1] However, the Wet'suwet'en have refused to back down and have defied the British Columbia …
globalresearch.ca/trudeau-demand-barrica…
Bloomberg Has Spent Enough to Give a Nickel to Every Person Whose Life He's Ever Damaged
David Swanson | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-24
A review of Michael Bloomberg's political career should not be limited, I think, to the fact that he has the debating skills of a baked potato. Nor does it matter much that he focuses his sales pitch on being a great "manager" but clearly can't manage to hire anyone to tell him he has to…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/24/bloomberg-ha…
Pete Buttigieg's Vile Turn as the Anti-Sanders Candidate
Norman Solomon | truthdig.com | 2020-02-24
Soon after his distant third-place finish in the Nevada caucuses, Pete Buttigieg sent out a mass email saying that "Senator Sanders believes in an inflexible, ideological revolution that leaves out most Democrats, not to mention most Americans." The blast depicted "the choice before us" in stark terms: "We can prioritize either ideological purity or inclusive victory. We can either call people names online or we can call them into our movement. We can either tighten a narrow and hardcore base or open the tent to a new, broad, big-hearted American coalition." | The bizarre accusations of being "narrow" and not "in…
truthdig.com/articles/pete-buttigiegs-vi…
Cities quarantined in Italy, Iran, South Korea as coronavirus spreads globally
wsws.org | 2020-02-24
Medical staff are racing to avert a deadly global pandemic, underscoring the need for a coordinated, international medical campaign to halt the spread of the disease.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/24/coro…
China Adopts Decision to Ban Trade, Consumption of Wildlife
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
China's top legislature adopted Monday a decision to ban the trade and consumption of wild animals in an attempt to safeguard people's lives and health. | RELATED: | Stock Markets, Oil Sink as Coronavirus Pandemic Fear Spreads | The move came in a bid to safeguard biological and ecological security and prevent major public health risks, as wild animals are largely believed to be the source of the novel coronavirus. | According to the decision, the consumption of wild animals "of…
telesurenglish.net/news/China-Adopts-Dec…
Connecting the Coronavirus to Agriculture
Rob Wallace | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-24
A new deadly coronavirus 2019-nCoV, related to SARS and MERS and apparently originating in live animal markets in Wuhan, China, is starting to spread worldwide. Chinese authorities have reported 5974 cases nationwide, 1000 of them severe. With infections in nearly every province, authorities warned 2019-nCoV appears to be spreading fast out of its epicenter. The characterization appears supported by initial modeling. The virus's basic reproduction number, a…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/24/connecting-t…
What We're Not Being Told About the War in Afghanistan
Maj. Danny Sjursen | truthdig.com | 2020-02-24
Nineteen years after the conflict first began, the Pentagon continues to deny the public vital information like casualty numbers and…
truthdig.com/articles/what-were-not-bein…
Evaluating African Military Rulers: Musician Fela Kuti and Ghana's Head of State I.K. Acheampong
Adeyinka Makinde | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
A lot of people think that Thomas Sankara was the only African military ruler who was liked and respected by Fela Anikulapo Kuti. | This is not true. | For sure, Sankara was the only military ruler with whom he had a …
globalresearch.ca/fela-acheampong/570450…
African Military Rulers: Musician Fela Kuti and Ghana's Colonel Acheampong
Adeyinka Makinde | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
A lot of people think that Thomas Sankara was the only African military ruler who was liked and respected by Fela Anikulapo Kuti. | This is not true. | For sure, Sankara was the only military ruler with whom he had a …
globalresearch.ca/fela-acheampong/570450…
Afghan Troops say Taliban are Brothers and War is "Not Really Our Fight."
Nicolas J.S. Davies | zcomm.org | 2020-02-24
The U.S. government is so corrupted by powerful military-industrial interests that it clearly has no interest in learning from these studies, any more than from its own long experience of illegal and catastrophic war-making…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/afghan-troops-say-…
Violent Protests As Trump Arrives In India, Negotiates $3B Arms Deal With Modi
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-02-24
India is one of the few countries in the world where Trump has a high approval rating, but that didn't stop thousands from taking to the streets to protest his visit.
mintpressnews.com/violent-protests-trump…
Venezuela's Next Economic Shock Might Come from India's Compliance with US Sanctions
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
India is Venezuela's largest oil customer but the two companies that import its oil just declared that they'll comply with the US' latest sanctions against the Bolivarian Republic's Russian intermediary, which could lead to the South American state experiencing an …
globalresearch.ca/venezuela-next-economi…
What Tomorrow May Bring: Politics of the People
Peter Cohen | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-24
With two narrow popular vote wins behind him and national poll leads in the double-digit leads and growing, Nevada is Bernie Sanders's first decisive victory. He will now be taking this momentum to South Carolina, where he is just 2 points behind Biden and has a real chance of going into Super Tuesday essentially undefeated.
counterpunch.org/2020/02/24/what-tomorro…
Bernie Sanders Wins Nevada After Heavy Organizing in Latinx Communities
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-24
Senator Bernie Sanders scored a decisive victory Saturday in the Democratic presidential caucuses in Nevada, riding a wave of support from young voters, union members and Latinx voters, who strengthened his status as front-runner. His win shows the potential for the nation's largest minority group to reshape the next stage of the Democratic presidential race. In the next four weeks, six more of the 12 states with a large Latinx population will vote in the Democratic primary. On Super Tuesday, Texas,…
truthout.org/video/bernie-sanders-wins-n…
Who Is Funding the Anti-Bernie Sanders Super PAC?
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-24
Several outside groups are trying to slow the momentum of current Democratic presidential frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) by spending millions on ad buys, as he continues to dominate the polls. | The campaign against Sanders originated with hybrid PAC Democratic Majority for Israel, a pro-Israel moderate group, that spent over $1.4 million…
truthout.org/articles/who-is-funding-the…
Who Is Funding the Anti-Bernie Sanders Super PAC?
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-24
Several outside groups are trying to slow the momentum of current Democratic presidential frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) by spending millions on ad buys, as he continues to dominate the polls. | The campaign against Sanders originated with hybrid PAC Democratic Majority for Israel, a pro-Israel moderate group, that spent over $1.4 million a…
truthout.org/articles/who-is-funding-the…
Bernie Sanders Releases Plan for Guaranteed "Child Care and Pre-K for All"
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-24
Now running as the presumptive front-runner in the Democratic presidential primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday morning unveiled a sweeping new proposal that would guarantee high-quality child care and then pre-kindergarten education to every child
Paul Krugman and Richard Wolff on Bernie Sanders's Democratic Socialism
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-24
As Bernie Sanders's runaway win in Nevada cements his position as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, the Democratic Party establishment and much of the mainstream media are openly expressing concern about a self-described democratic socialist leading the presidential ticket. His opponents have also attacked his ambitious agenda. Last week during the primary debate in Las Vegas, Bernie Sanders addressed misconceptions about socialism. Invoking the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Sa…
truthout.org/video/paul-krugman-and-rich…
Bernie Sanders Releases Plan for Guaranteed "Child Care and Pre-K for All"
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-24
Now running as the presumptive frontrunner in the Democratic presidential primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday morning unveiled a sweeping new proposal that would guarantee high-quality child care and then pre-kindergarten education to every child
Bernie Sanders Plunges to First Place
Jim Naureckas | fair.org | 2020-02-24
Remember when the big winner of New Hampshire was third-place finisher Amy Klobuchar (FAIR.org, 2/14/20)? | "Bernie Sanders may have come first in New Hampshire, but Amy Klobuchar won," Bloomberg ( 2/12/20) declared (the media company, not the billionaire candidate who owns it).
fair.org/home/bernie-sanders-plunges-to-…
Bloomberg To Unleash Massive Media Attack Against Sanders
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
Mike Bloomberg's presidential campaign plans to unleash a massive media operation against presidential candidate Bernie Sanders after the Vermont senator's resounding victory in Nevada, according to CNBC, which broke the story Monday. | RELATED: | Bernie Sanders To Skip AIPAC Conference On Political Reasons | Bloomberg's campaign, which has already spent over US$500 million on media ad buys, have been discussing how they will use the billionaire plutocrat's ‚Ä&atild…
telesurenglish.net/news/mike-bloomberg-c…
Bernie Sanders is in pole position with Nevada win. But the establishment push-back will now begin in earnest
Peter Bolton | thecanary.co | 2020-02-24
Bernie Sanders has just solidified his status as the front-runner in the contest to choose who will face Donald Trump in the presidential elections later this year. Though these are exciting times, there's also a rocky road ahead. Because the establishment campaign to discredit him in every way possible will now begin in earnest. | Third democratic victory in a row: | On 22 February, Sanders won the state of Nevada in the Democratic presidential primary ra…
thecanary.co/us/us-analysis/2020/02/24/b…
Anand Giridharadas Deserves the Last Word on Sanders' Nevada Triumph
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-02-24
In an appearance on MSNBC Sunday morning just hours after Sen. Bernie Sanders' decisive victory in the Nevada Democratic presidential caucus, author and political commentator Anand Giridharadas said the senator's win could represent the dawn of "a new era in American life" and called out establishment forces–including MSNBC–for reacting like "out-of-touch aristocrats in a dying aristocracy." | "Last night was a historic win that I think a lot of us are still stru…
truthdig.com/articles/anand-giridharadas…
Majority of Venezuelans Against U.S. Sanctions, Poll Reveals
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
More than 80% of Venezuelans disagree with the sanction measures imposed on Venezuela by the U.S government, as Hinteracles pollster indicates. | RELATED: | Venezuelan Heroism Defeated Last Year's Invasion: Maduro | The survey, taken between January 29 to February 12, explored the opinion of Venezuelans in relation to the economic blockade imposed against the Bolivarian Republic by Washington. | To the question: "Who was the most affected by these measures", 84% of respondents affirme…
telesurenglish.net/news/majority-of-vene…
Bolivia: Anatomy of a CIA Coup
Hugo Turner | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
Last November a horrifying coup took place overthrowing the socialist government of Bolivia and the nation's first indigenous president Evo Morales. It was a textbook example of a CIA coup recalling the dark days of Operation Condor when the | …
globalresearch.ca/bolivia-anatomy-cia-co…
Viña Del Mar 2020 Starts in Chile Amid Large Protests
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
The Viña del Mar International Song Festival, which is held every year in this municipality of the Chilean city of Valparaiso, began this Sunday amid violent demonstrations in the surroundings of the Quinta Vergara Amphitheater, home of the most important musical event on the American continent. | RELATED: | 18 Chilean Films to Compete for the 'Golden Bear' in Berlin | Just minutes before Viña 2020 began, with the presentation of Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin on the Quin…
telesurenglish.net/news/vina-del-mar-202…
Chilean President Piñera's Disapproval Increases to 83%: Survey
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
The disapproval of Chilean President Sebastian Piñera's administration stood at 83 percent, an increase of five percentage points from the previous survey, according to the survey conducted by the consulting firm Cadem released Monday. | RELATED: | Chile: 3,765 Injured,10,000 Detained Protesters Since October | Similarly, the Chilean president's approval rating fell by one point to 12 percent from the last survey published on February 14. The figure continues in a downward spira…
telesurenglish.net/news/sebastian-pinera…
New Deal for Nature: Paying the Emperor to Fence the Wind
Stephen Corry | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-24
The latest idea to be heavily promoted by big conservation NGOs is doubling the world's so-called "Protected Areas" (PAs) so that they cover thirty percent of the globe's lands and oceans. This is now their main rallying cry and response to two of the world's biggest problems
Environmental Voter Guide. Democratic Candidates 2020
TCFBDAF | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
The Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund evaluated each candidate on four key environmental issue areas: | saving wildlife, protecting public lands, ensuring environmental justice and ending the climate crisis. | We evaluated every candidate polling above 1% in the latest national …
globalresearch.ca/environmental-voter-gu…
'Earthquakes in London': Aftershock of an epic play about climate change
Ed Rampell | peoplesworld.org | 2020-02-24
VENICE, Calif.–Rogue Machine's West Coast premiere of award-winning British playwright Mike Bartlett's Earthquakes in London is, according to the company's artistic director and the drama's co-director John Perrin Flynn, "quite simply, the best play I have read about global warming." This three hour-ish, UK-set tour-de-force takes a deep dive into the pressing subject of climate–as …
peoplesworld.org/article/earthquakes-in-…
African Youth Optimistic About Future on the Continent: Survey
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
Young people across Africa are overwhelmingly optimistic about their future and believe the continent is heading for success thanks to new technologies and entrepreneurship, according to the African Youth Survey 2020 released Thursday. | RELATED: | The 2020 Africa Climate Week to Face Paris Agreement Challenges | The survey, conducted by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, said that "a rising Afro-Optimism amon…
telesurenglish.net/news/African-Youth-Op…
At Least 120 Families Forcibly Displaced in Colombia
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
At least 120 families were displaced from the countryside zones of the Ituango municipality on Sunday, in the Colombian state of Antioquia. The displacement affects the resident of zones like Torrentes, San Juanillo, las Arañas, el Cedral, and Santa Ana. | RELATED: | Colombia: Protests Called Against Murders of Ex-FARC Members | Human rights organizations denounced this situation, pointing out the presence of armed groups in the area as the main reason for the movements. These vi…
telesurenglish.net/news/forced-displacem…
Colombian Congress to Investigate Duque Over Fraud Allegations
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
Colombia's Lower Chamber's Accusation Committee opened a preliminary investigation Monday against Colombian President Ivan Duque after accusations of electoral fraud by former Congresswoman Aida Merlano. | RELATED: | Colombia: Judge Requests Probe Into Electoral Fraud Allegations Against Duque | "We have taken the decision to open an investigation" after receiving the complaint against Duque from House Representative David Racero, of the "Decentes" opposition movement, the presi…
telesurenglish.net/news/colombian-presid…
Who Is Behind the Mexican Drug Cartels?
Dean Henderson | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
President Donald Trump has declared that the "Drug Cartels" in Mexico are terrorists, intimating that America should wage a new "war on terrorism" in Mexico modelled on America's counter-terrorism initiative in the Middle East against Al Qaeda. | What do the …
globalresearch.ca/behind-mexican-drug-ca…
America's Moral Bankruptcy Goes Beyond Trump
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-02-24
The impeachment of the president of the United States! Surely such a mega-historic event would reverberate for weeks or months, leaving in its wake no end of consequences, large and small. Wouldn't it? Shouldn't it? | Truth to tell, the word historic does get tossed around rather loosely these days. Just about anything that happens at the White House, for example, is deemed historic. Watch the cable news networks and you'll hear the term employed regularly to describe everything from Oval Office addresses to Rose Garden pronouncements to press conferences in which foreign dignitaries listen passively while their…
truthdig.com/articles/trumps-faux-christ…
Trump to promote anti-China strategic alliance in visit to India
wsws.org | 2020-02-24
Reflecting the importance the US now places on India and the Indian Ocean in its strategy to counter China, the Pentagon recently renamed its Pacific Command the US Indo-Pacific Command.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/24/inus…
India Erects Walls Hiding Slums Ahead of Trump Visit
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat geared up to welcome United States President Donald Trump Monday, with the city of Ahmedabad receiving a facelift with walls erected to hide slums and impoverished neighborhoods. | RELATED: | Hundreds Protest Citizenship Law in India Ahead of Trump Visit | Trump's stop in the most important city in the western state preceded a two-day trip during which includes a visit to the Taj Mahal in the north of the country and N…
telesurenglish.net/news/India-Erects-Wal…
'Anti-Muslim Pogrom' Denounced Amid Anti-CAA Protests in India
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
Four people were killed and nearly 50 were injured Monday during violent clashes against protesters in New Delhi's deadliest day since the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed last year. | RELATED: | Hundreds Protest Citizenship Law in India Ahead of Trump Visit | The capital saw its second day of violence as supporters and opponents o…
telesurenglish.net/news/Anti-Muslim-Pogr…
Indian Communists: Trump's economic demands leave country vulnerable to U.S. corporations
Combined Sources | peoplesworld.org | 2020-02-24
Indian Communists have called for huge turnout at rallies opposing President Donald Trump's visit to the country, which started today. Protests have taken place in Ahmedabad, Trump's first stop on the trip, and a giant rally was organized by the All-India Peace and Solidarity Organization in Delhi, with support from the Communist Party of India-Marxist …
peoplesworld.org/article/indian-communis…
The Priorities of General Motors: Ditching Holden
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-24
It seemed to be a case of grand misrepresentation. Holden cars, those great Australian acquisitions, along with home, lawnmower and nuclear family, gave the impression of indigenous pride, the home brand. It was also resoundingly masculine. But behind that image was a mighty American thrust, with General Motors holding the reins on investment as benevolent…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/24/the-prioriti…
Brazil Carnival: A Message of Protest Against Jair Bolsonaro
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
This weekend saw the start of Brazil's Carnival, the world's biggest party, which this time had a marked tone of protest against the current government of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro. | RELATED: | Carnival 2019: Brazil Sambas for Lula, Marielle Franco, Against 'Neoliberal Vampires' | Men, women, and children from the samba schools of Rio de Janeiro and other cities of the country danced to the rhythm of samba while they paid homage to indigenous peopl…
telesurenglish.net/news/brazil-carnival-…
Geneva: Brazil Faces Accusations of Human Rights Violations
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
Brazil's government will face accusations of human rights violations at the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council. The South American country's government is under scrutiny for its violations of Indigenous rights and environmental protection. | RELATED: | Brazilian Landless Rural Workers Mov.: Our Hope Is on Lula | According to Jamil Chade, columnist of the Universo Online portal, "it is particularly preoccupancy against the significant increase of the Amazonia burnings, after…
telesurenglish.net/news/–geneva-brazils…
Iran elections show growing alienation from bourgeois-clerical regime
wsws.org | 2020-02-24
The 'principalist' faction more aligned with Russia and China won amid a collapse in voter turnout, falling from 62 percent in 2016 to just 42.6 percent.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/24/iran…
Trump Threatens Union-Rights for 750,000 US Federal Workers
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
U.S. President Donald Trump published Thursday a memorandum -signed on Jan. 29- that gives Defense Secretary Mark Esper the authority to circumvent collective bargaining rights for the Pentagon's 750,000 civilian workers. | RELATED: | 109 US Troops Suffer Traumatic Brain Injury After Iran Attack | Trump argues in the document that a unionized workforce at the Department of Defense (Do…
telesurenglish.net/news/Trump-Threatens-…
OECD sounds corporate debt warning
wsws.org | 2020-02-24
The OECD pointed to an "unprecedented build-up of corporate bond debt" since the financial crisis of 2008 with an increase of $2.1 trillion in 2019 alone.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/24/oecd…
Radical Urban Planning Can Fight Gentrification With Affordable Housing
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-24
We tend to talk about gentrification as if it's beyond our control, that replacing old urban houses with identical high-end condos is a law of nature. We sigh as historically Black, ethnically diverse, and immigrant communities are displaced, destroying social infrastructure that was built up over generations. | But it isn't inevitable; it's the result of decades of policies that reflect the power of wealth in shaping our urban landscapes. So why do city governments in the United States usually do…
truthout.org/articles/radical-urban-plan…
Crackdown on Immigrants Who Use Public Benefits Takes Effect
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-02-24
Droves of immigrants, including citizens and legal residents, drop social services out of fear they will be kicked out of the U.S.
truthdig.com/articles/crackdown-on-immig…
What Happened to the Keynesian Dream of a 15-Hour Workweek?
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-24
Now a famous economist, Thomas Piketty (along with co-researcher Emmanuel Saez) wrote Capital in the Twenty-First Century (2013), contending that capitalism has within it the germinating seeds of ever-growing inequality. That is what his longitudinal study of masses of data proved conclusively. | Yet millions of alarm bells still sound in the wee hours each Monday morning, as people hit their snooze buttons, hoping for a moment's rest before the inevitable rush to the office. Their weekend is over. Their fun…
truthout.org/articles/what-happened-to-t…
What Happened to the Keynesian Dream of a 15-Hour Work Week?
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-24
Now a famous economist, Thomas Piketty (along with co-researcher Emmanuel Saez) wrote Capital in the Twenty-First Century (2013), contending that capitalism has within it the germinating seeds of ever-growing inequality. That is what his longitudinal study of masses of data proved conclusively. | Yet millions of alarm bells still sound in the wee hours each Monday morning, as people hit their snooze buttons, hoping for a moment's rest before the inevitable rush to the office. Their weekend is over. Their fun…
truthout.org/articles/what-happened-to-t…
Palestine Blasts US Over West Bank Map Plans
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
Palestine on Monday said that the U.S.-Israeli team tasked with mapping the areas in the West Bank that would be annexed by Israel under the U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan has no legitimacy. | RELATED: | Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian, Drag His Body With Bulldozer | Nabil Abu Rudeineh, Palestinian president's spokesperson, said that the new maps under the U.S. Mideast peace plan would not give legitimacy to any side, said a statement published by official Palestini…
telesurenglish.net/news/Palestine-Blasts…
Dominican Republic: Protests Continue After Suspended Election
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
For the sixth consecutive day since last Sunday's municipal elections were suspended, Santo Domingo's Plaza de la Bandera continues to be taken over by demonstrators, mostly young people, who are demanding the resignation of the members of the Central Electoral Council. | RELATED: | Protests Continue in Dominican Republic | The majority of the demonstrators have chosen to dress in black, as a…
telesurenglish.net/news/dominican-republ…
122 Murders Registered In Brazilian State Of Ceara
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
One hundred twenty-two murders have been registered in the Brazilian state of Ceara after the police forces went on strike in that territory last Wednesday. | RELATED: | Brazil Carnival: A Message of Protest Against Jair Bolsonaro | Local news media reported, under these circumstances, that the figure for homicides raised in comparison with a similar time last year, when 164 crimes of this kind were included in official reports. Currently, those felonies amount to 286. Similarly, the murder average increased to 30.5, an alarming n…
telesurenglish.net/news/122-murders-regi…
Tampa students rally for justice for Jamee Johnson
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-24
Tampa, FL – Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally at the University of South Florida calling for justice and all victims of police brutality, highlighting Jamee Johnson, a Black man who was murdered by officers in Jacksonville. At the February 19 protest, about 15 students promoted the need for community control of the police through police accountability councils. They also demonstrated for their ongoing campaign to increase Black enrollment at USF. | With chants saying, "USF shame on you! Black lives matter too!" the students used the rally to reach out to the student body about the wa…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/2/24/tampa-st…
There's Little Chance for Change in Lebanon, Except for More Suffering
Robert Fisk | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-24
The freezing Mediterranean squalls that slash across downtown Beirut and the seafront to the west may give the impression this week that Lebanon is lapsing back into its favourite pastime: forgetting history and praying for a return to the good old days. Revolution? Now that the country's old parliamentary sectarians have gathered to support Hassan Diab's deeply uninspiring government,…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/24/theres-littl…
2021 Pentagon Budget Request Hints at Russia and China as the New Focus of US Empire
Darius Shahtahmasebi | mintpressnews.com | 2020-02-24
As the disastrous US wars in the Middle East begin to wind down, the Pentagon is shifting its strategy, budget and arsenal to focus on a confrontation with Russia and China, writes Darius Shahtahmasebi.
mintpressnews.com/2021-pentagon-budget-r…
This week in history: February 24-March 1
wsws.org | 2020-02-24
25 years ago: Professor Vadim Rogovin launches US lecture tour, "Was there an alternative to Stalinism in the USSR?"On February 27, 1995, Professor Vadim Zakharovich Rogovin, a leading Marxist historian in the former Soviet Union, began a US tour with a lecture delivered at Michigan State University in East Lansing. The lecture, sponsored by the Center for European and Russian Studies, was titled "Was there an alternative to Stalinism in the USSR?" The historic event marked the first time a Soviet scholar presented to American audiences an analysis of the struggle waged by Leon Trotsky and the Left Opposition aga…
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/24/twih…
US 'Looking Very Carefully' at Silencing Socialist News Network Telesur
Steve Sweeney | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
US Special envoy for Venezuela Elliott Abrams has said that the US is "looking very carefully" at taking "measures" against Telesur, in the latest threat to the socialist news network. | Mr Abrams said yesterday that the Trump administration was considering …
globalresearch.ca/us-looking-very-carefu…
Monopólio, desemprego e desigualdade: faces da crise capitalista (I)
Yuri Martins Fontes | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
"A desigualdade está fora de controle", diz recente informe da OXFAM. A organizaàßà£o
The Lima Group Is More than Just About Venezuela. Scheduling More Coups and Color Revolutions in Latin America?
Pierre LeBlanc | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
At the behest of Donald Trump and Chrystia Freeland, the Lima Group met in Ottawa on February 20th, 2020. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Franàßois-Philippe Champagne dutifully mouthed their set lines and good Samaritan posturing in …
globalresearch.ca/lima-group-more-than-j…
Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician, Dies at 101
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-24
Katherine Johnson, the Black woman whose mathematical genius took her from a behind-the-scenes job in a segregated NASA as portrayed in the film "Hidden Figures" to a key role in sending humans to the moon, died on Monday at the age of 101, NASA said. | RELATED: | The 'Yaravirus', a Mysterious Harmless Organism Found in Brazil | "Our NASA family is sad to learn the news that Katherine Johnson passed away this morning at 101 years old," NASA Adm…
telesurenglish.net/news/Katherine-Johnso…
The U.S. Is the World Leader of Bio-Weapons Research, Production, and Use Against Mankind
Gary D. Barnett | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
Those that prevent disease and expose virus creation are heroic, but those that create and purposely spread disease and virus are inhuman. Given the history of the United States government and its military industrial complex concerning biological and germ warfare, …
globalresearch.ca/u-s-world-leader-bio-w…
The Dangers of Synthetic Biology: A Biotech Firm Made a Smallpox-like Virus on purpose. Nobody Seems to Care
Prof. Gregory D. Koblentz | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
In 2017, the virologist David Evans made headlines when he used synthetic biology to recreate the extinct horsepox virus, which is closely related to the virus that causes smallpox, a disease eradicated in 1980. Evans and his team, ordering the | …
globalresearch.ca/biotech-firm-made-smal…
Global Markets Fall Sharply as Virus Cases Spread Past Asia
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-02-24
The viral outbreak is threatening to crimp worldwide economic growth and hurt profits and revenue for a wide range of businesses.
truthdig.com/articles/global-markets-fal…
China-US Relations: Mixed Returns for the Huawei Bashing Tour
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
The US imperium is rattled, so much so it's letting everyone else know about it. Move over the trade war with its bitchy insistence on redressing imbalances, surpluses and deficits; the next phase of conflict with China is being waged …
globalresearch.ca/mixed-returns-huawei-b…
Australian government expands northern air base for US military use against China
wsws.org | 2020-02-24
Echoing Pentagon terminology, Prime Minister Morrison declared the Tindal base was the "sharp end of the spear."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/24/tind…
Hesse, Germany: Right-wing extremist propaganda at state expense
wsws.org | 2020-02-24
Shortly before the right-wing extremist terrorist attack in Hanau, the Hesse state government sent posters to all schools slandering opponents of fascism and capitalism as " left-wing extremists ."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/24/hess…
Bloomberg's 2008 Story About the Great Recession Is Still Racist and Untrue
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-24
It seems that pernicious right-wing nonsense never dies, no matter how many times it is shown to be wrong. The latest resurrection of such nonsense is the story that the Great Recession was caused because lenders were forced to give mortgages to people of color who could not pay them back. | The reason this nonsense is back in the news is that clips surfaced of a Michael Bloomberg speech from 2008 in whic…
truthout.org/articles/bloombergs-2008-st…
Getting Real About Fascism: What You Need to Know
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-24
Has Trump dragged the U.S. beyond the bounds of democracy? Kelly Hayes talks with Shane Burley, a Truthout contributor and author of the book Fascism Today: What it is and How to End It, about the need to organize and fight back against ascendant fascism. | Note: This a rush transcript and has been lightly edited for clarity. | Copy may not be in its final form. | Kelly Hayes: Welcome to Movement Memos, a Truthout podcast about things you should know if you want to change the world. I'm your host Kelly Hayes. Today's guest…
truthout.org/audio/getting-real-about-fa…
Even Mayoral Races Are Getting Distorted by Big Money in Politics
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-24
This report is the first in a series of analyses from MapLight exploring the influence of money on politics in cities in Silicon Valley. See also our work in Daly City, Palo Alto and Mountain View. | Introduction: | Candidates for federal office are raising increasingly large amounts of money
Even Mayoral Races Are Getting Distorted by Big Money in Politics
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-24
This report is the first in a series of analyses from MapLight exploring the influence of money on politics in cities in Silicon Valley. See also our work in Daly City, Palo Alto, and Mountain View. | Introduction: | Candidates for federal office are raising increasingly large amounts of money
Trojan Horse Timber Sales on the Bitterroot
George Wuerthner | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-24
The proposed Darby Lumber Timber Sale Phase Two on the Bitterroot National Forest is a Trojan Horse being implemented under the guise of "forest health" based on numerous false assumptions. The proposal displays the Forest Service's Industrial Forestry bias and its subterfuge of science. The timber sale is being litigated by the Friends of the…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/24/trojan-horse…
As the Primary Race Heats Up, Candidates Forget Principled Campaign Finance Stands
Eleanor Eagan | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-24
At this time last year, newly declared Democratic primary candidates were racing to outdo each other with escalating promises to shun big money support. Contenders vowed not to take corporate PAC money, to reject lobbyists' dollars, to discourage super PACs, and to tell fossil fuel executives, "no, thank you". Now, however, many seem to be…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/24/as-the-prima…
What Tomorrow May Bring
Peter Cohen | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-24
Tomorrow could be the defining day for this Primary, this election and the next four years. With growing double-digit polls leads and the latest Democratic debate having demolished the latest "Centrist" thrown up by the DNC to stop him, Nevada is the place for Sanders Sanders to finally break out with the first truly decisive…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/24/what-tomorro…
Is It as Impossible to Build Jerusalem as It is to Escape Babylon?
Peter Harrison | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-24
(Part One of Three) An interview with Peter Harrison by GYRUS. Peter Harrison's book The Freedom of Things: An Ethnology of Control is a challenging education in the anthropology of political organisation
Public Lands "Collaboration" is Lousy Management
Rick Meis | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-24
Collaboration is a process of playing two sides off against each other in order to create enough guilt in one or all parties that a compromise is reached. The primary problem is that it is specifically not based on science or best available data, thus eliminating the concept of best management practices and the long-term…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/24/public-lands…
Corporations as Private Sovereign Powers: The Case of Total
Alain Deneault | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
Having studied, written on and engaged in public discussion about transnational corporations (TNCs), I have reached the conclusion that we are not collectively equipped to think about the kind of power that they represent, the silent way they exercise their …
globalresearch.ca/corporations-private-s…
Canada: Why Public Transit Should be Free for All
Davide Mastracci | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-24
Drivers in Canada often complain of a "war on cars" that is supposedly being waged in cities throughout the country. This metaphorical war is non-existent, but that's unfortunate because such a war would be justified, given the severity of the …
globalresearch.ca/why-public-transit-sho…