Over 70 Syrian Tribal Leaders to Join Syrian Arab Army in Battling US Occupation
Whitney Webb | mintpressnews.com | 2018-06-05
The formation of a new, local and sizable resistance force to challenge the U.S. will likely undermine the U.S. government's claims that its occupying presence in Syria is supported by local communities in Northeastern Syria. | The post Over 70 Syrian Tribal Leaders to Join Syrian Arab Army in Battling US Occupation appeared first on MintPress News.
Over 70 Syrian Tribal Leaders to Join Syrian Arab Army in Battling US Occupation
Plastic Tsunamis Threaten Coast in Latin America
Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-06-05
| Rio de Janeiro — Although Latin America produces just five percent of the world's plastic, it imports billions of tons annually for the use of all kinds of products, some of which end up in the sea as garbage. | It thus contributes to this kind of artificial tsunami that threatens the biodiversity of the oceans, where 13 million tons of waste, mostly disposable plastics, are dumped each year at a global level, according to UN Environment — enough to wrap around the Earth four times. | The impact is such that it also affects human health, as this resistant waste enters the food chain, and has led the United Nations to declare "Beat Plastic…
truthout.org/articles/plastic-tsunamis-threaten-coast-in-latin-america/
History Will Vindicate Modern Abolitionists
George Payne | counterpunch.org | 2018-06-05
The Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the U.S. Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of a fateful compromise between Southern slave-holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers. The law stipulated that…
counterpunch.org/2018/06/05/history-will-vindicate-modern-abolitionists/
US Slammed for Failure to Address Poverty and Health
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-06-05
People walk around the neighboring streets around the Fred Jordan Mission, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. May 12, 2018. | © 2018 Reuters | Philip Alston, the United Nations' special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, did not mince words when he issued his recent report on poverty in the United States. | Recent policies under the Trump administration "seem designed to remove basic protections from the poorest, punish the poor and make even basic health care a privilege to be earned rather than a right of citizenship." | Alston's damning assessment is a stark reminder of the consequences of the US government's failure to recognize the right to health under international law. Articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the right was then codified by the International Covenant for…
www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/05/us-slammed-failure-address-poverty-and-health
A day of reaction at the US Supreme Court
wsws.org | wsws.org | 2018-06-05
In two separate decisions, the US Supreme Court set back rights for immigrants, the right to abortion, and protections for gay and lesbian couples.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/06/05/pers-j05.html
Rios Montt passed on: Fight for justice continues
PW Reader | peoplesworld.org | 2018-06-04
written by Emile Schepers in the PW on the passing of the genocidal despot, Jose Efrain Rios Montt of Guatemala. Just a small comment by way of correction: Schepers says in reference to the decades-long Guatemalan conflict that "there began a long civil war in which over 200,000 people, most of them civilians and many of them members of the large Indigenous population of Guatemala were killed." There were not just "many members" of the Maya people killed, but over 200,000 of them who were slaughtered and some recent estimates indicate the figure is as high as 250,000. | The vast majority of those killed were Maya. Perhaps, the true figure will never be known. Over 440 and as many, by some accounts, 600 Maya villages were literally wiped from the face of the earth and 50,000 non-Maya were "disappeared." Again, the real…
The Air Force Has a Disturbing Obsession with the New B-21 Bomber
William Astore, TomDispatch | alternet.org | 2018-06-04
American taxpayers are just along for the ride. | Did you know the U. S. Air Force is working on a new stealth bomber? Don't blame yourself if you didn't, since the project is so secret that most members of Congress aren't privy to the details. (Talk about stealthy! ) Known as the B-21 Raider, after General Doolittle's Raiders of World War II fame, it's designed to carry thermonuclear weapons as well as conventional missiles and bombs. In conceptual drawings, it looks much like its predecessor, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, all wing and no fuselage, a shape that should help it to penetrate and survive the most hostile air defense systems on Earth for the purposes of a " global strike. " (Think: nuclear Armageddon. )As the Air Force acquires those future B-21s, the B-2s will be retired. . .
www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/air-force-has-disturbing-obsession-new-b-21-bomber
"A Source of Positivity All the Time": Remembering Palestinian Medic Razan al-Najjar, Killed by IDF
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-06-04
Witnesses say Israeli soldiers shot dead 21-year-old Palestinian medic Razan al-Najjar as she ran toward the border fence to provide medical aid to a wounded protester. Since nonviolent protests began at the end of March, Israeli soldiers have killed at least 119 people, including 14 children. More than 13,000 have been wounded. "It was clear to everybody that she was a paramedic, that that was murder. I mean, that was a crime committed before cameras," said Dr. Medhat Abbas, director of Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in the Gaza Strip. We also speak with Najjar's cousin, Dalia al-Najjar, who says the response of the international community to the Gaza crisis has been "really disappointing," and notes the U.S. vetoed a draft U.N. resolution urging the protection of Palestinians on Friday, the same day Najjar was killed. "It's a shameful side that the United States decided to take."
www.democracynow.org/2018/6/4/a_source_of_positivity_all_the
Mick Mulvaney Is Required by Law to Meet With His Consumer Advisory Board. But He's Refusing, Board Members Say
David Dayen | theintercept.com | 2018-06-04
The leadership of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is required by law to hold in-person meetings with its consumer advisory board, yet according to more than a dozen of its members, they are refusing to do so. | "It appears the bureau does not want to engage with us," said Ann Baddour of the consumer organization Texas Appleseed and chair of the current Consumer Advisory Board, or CAB, who joined a conference call Monday with other board members who have decided to speak publicly. "Staying silent would violate our ethical responsibility to the bureau and the American people." | The CFPB, under Acting Director Mick Mulvaney, has canceled two in-person meetings with the CAB, as well as numerous conference calls. Contact has been limited to one phone call in March that was supposed to last one hour but ended after 20 minutes. The…
theintercept.com/2018/06/04/mick-mulvaney-cfpb-consumer-advisory-board/
War is Impossible Where There is Love: When the Minds and Hearts of Youth Are Programmed to be Killers
Van Robison | globalresearch.ca | 2018-06-03
War is impossible where there is love, therefore war is not love. | Every baby on earth is born helpless, innocent and without knowledge. Who programs and indoctrinates innocent minds to become killers? Children are like sponges and all parents know …
globalresearch.ca/war-is-impossible-where-there-is-love-when-the-minds-and-hearts-of-youth-are-programmed-to-be-killers/5642859
China's Petro-yuan "Becomes Real": India Joins International Group Dumping US Dollars in Oil Trades to Bypass US Sanctions
True Publica | globalresearch.ca | 2018-06-03
When Donald Trump's administration decided to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, the goal was to partner with allies to push Iran to negotiate a new agreement through even tougher sanctions. The new agreement would cover nuclear activities …
globalresearch.ca/india-joins-international-group-dumping-us-dollars-in-oil-trades-to-bypass-us-sanctions/5642875
Headlines for May 31, 2018
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-05-31
Pompeo Meets North Korea's Ex-Spy Chief in NYC, In Victory for Big Banks, Federal Reserve Votes to Loosen Volcker Rule, Report: U.S. Killed 50 Taliban Leaders in Helmand Province, Russian Journalist Admits Faking His Own Death, Trump Makes No Comment on Roseanne's Racist Tweets But Criticizes ABC for Not Apologizing to Him, Cable News Largely Ignores Deaths of 4,645 in Puerto Rico to Focus on Roseanne, Civil Rights Groups Urge DHS to Release Secret "Race Paper" Memo, Theology Student Studying Daniel Berrigan's Life Arrested for Protesting White Supremacist in Charlottesville, EPA Taps Chemical Industry Lawyer to Oversee Superfund Sites, Illinois Ratifies Equal Rights Amendment, Harvey Weinstein Indicted on Rape Charges in New York, 13-Year-Old Student Questions White House Inaction on School Shootings, Republican Congresswoman Says Pornography Is a "Root Cause" of School Shootings, Standing Rock Water Protector Sentenced to Three Years in Prison, U.N.: Mexican Security Forces Likely Involved in Recent Disappearances, Mexican Journalist Héctor González Killed in Tamaulipas, Report: U.S.-Backed Salvadoran Police Forces Involved in Extrajudicial Killings, Brazilian Oil Workers Stage Strike to Protest Plans to Privatize Petrobras, Florida Jury Awards Four Cents to Family of African-American Man Shot by Sheriff's Deputy…
www.democracynow.org/2018/5/31/headlines
Indigenous Activist: Trudeau's Purchase of Kinder Morgan Pipeline Is "Huge Step Backward" for Canada
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-05-31
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that the Canadian government will purchase Kinder Morgan's highly contested Trans Mountain pipeline, vowing to commit taxpayer money to expanding the pipeline despite widespread indigenous-led protests and a slew of lawsuits. If built, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion will triple the amount of oil flowing from Alberta's tar sands to the coast of British Columbia. The Canadian government purchased the pipeline for 4.5 billion Canadian dollars–around 3.5 billion American dollars. The decision has sparked widespread condemnation from First Nations and environmental activists, who say that expanding the pipeline will increase pollution in Alberta's tar sands region, endanger indigenous communities and increase greenhouse gas emissions. We go to Edmonton, Canada, where we speak with Eriel Deranger, executive director of Indigenous Climate Action. She is a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.
www.democracynow.org/2018/5/31/indigenous_rights_activist_purchase_of_kinder
Stolen sperm & cheese injustice: The most bizarre lawsuits in US history
RT | rt.com | 2018-05-30
The United States is known for being the most litigious country on Earth, and home to 80 percent of the world's lawyers. Some of the most bizarre and frivolous lawsuits in the world have taken place in the US. …
www.rt.com/usa/428292-crazy-us-lawsuits-list/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
Headlines for May 30, 2018
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-05-30
Study: Hurricane Maria Deaths 70 Times Higher Than Official Count, Israel Launches Airstrikes in Gaza, Blocks Flotilla Seeking to Break Blockade, Poor People's Campaign: Hundreds Arrested Across U.S. in Nonviolent Protests, NYT: Trump Ordered Sessions to Un-Recuse Himself from Russia Investigation, GOP House Oversight Chair Says FBI "Acted Properly" Using Trump Campaign Informant, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens to Resign Amid Sexual Misconduct & Corruption Scandal, ABC Cancels "Roseanne" Amid Outcry over Roseanne Barr's Racist Tweets, Arkansas Left with One Clinic for Medication Abortions as Supreme Court OKs Anti-Choice Law, French Police Evict 1,000 Migrants as Macron Welcomes Malian "Spiderman" Rescuer to Élysée Palace, Hungary: Offering Food, Water, Legal Advice to Migrants to Become Criminal Offense, Russian Journalist Arkady Babchenko Admits Faking His Own Death | , Justice Dept. Approves $66B Takeover of Monsanto by German Pharma Giant Bayer, Canada to Buy, Expand Trans Mountain Tar Sands Oil Pipeline, New Mexico: Trans Woman Seeking Asylum in U.S. Dies in ICE Custody…
www.democracynow.org/2018/5/30/headlines
Headlines for May 29, 2018
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-05-29
In Historic Referendum, Ireland Votes to Repeal Abortion Ban, Top North Korean General Heads to U.S. as Officials Try to Salvage June 12 Summit, Israeli Military Jets Bomb Gaza After Mortar Rounds Fired Toward Israel, Family of Claudia González, Guatemalan Woman Killed by Border Agent, Demands Justice, Ellicott City, Maryland, Hit by Second "Once-in-a-Thousand-Year" Flood in 2 Years, Colombia: Presidential Election Heads to Runoff as Peace Deal Hangs in Balance, Mexican Journalist Alicia Díaz González Killed, Brazil: Nationwide Truckers' Strike Shuts Down Businesses, Transportation, Schools, Pakistan Passes Historic Protections for Transgender People & Residents of Tribal Areas, European Commission Seeks to Ban Plastic Plates, Cutlery and Straws, Starbucks Closing 8,000 Stores Today for Anti-Racial Bias Training, "I'm Never Plugging That Device In Again": Alexa Records & Sends Private Conversation by Accident, NYC Taxi Drivers Mourn Apparent Suicide of Driver Yu Mein Chow…
www.democracynow.org/2018/5/29/headlines
Media Quote Frank on Rolling Back Dodd/Frank–Not Disclosing He's Now a Bank Director
Justin Anderson | fair.org | 2018-05-25
The House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to roll back key provisions of the landmark Dodd/Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a 2010 law that increased regulatory scrutiny of banks following the 2008 financial crisis. | One of the many provisions of the original Dodd/Frank law subjected banks with over $50 billion in assets to annual economic "stress tests" to gauge their potential for collapse in the event of an economic crisis. The rollback bill raises that threshold to $250 billion, which would exempt at least two dozen "small" banks, including SunTrust, BB&T, Charles Schwab and American Express. By comparison, in 2008, key failed bank Countryside had only $172 billion in assets, and so would have avoided stress testing, while other financial dominos like Washington Mutual ($264 billion) and Bear Stearns ($289 billion) were close to the lower limit.
fair.org/home/media-quote-frank-on-rolling-back-dodd-frank-not-disclosing-hes-now-a-bank-director/
Headlines for May 23, 2018
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-05-23
President Trump Casts Doubt on June 12 Summit with North Korea's Leader, Congress Passes Sweeping Bill to Roll Back Dodd-Frank Act Regulations, Palestinian Authority Asks ICC to Investigate Israel for War Crimes, Stacey Abrams Is First Black Woman to Win Major Party's Nomination for Governor, The Guardian: Giuliani Helped OxyContin Maker Continue Drug Sales, Afghanistan: 16 Die in Explosion in Kandahar; Taliban Kill 22 Police Officers in Ghazni, Pakistan: Severe Heat Wave in Karachi Kills At Least 65 People, IACHR Condemns Nicaragua for Bloody April Crackdown Against Protesters, EPA Officials Bar Multiple Journalists from Summit on Water Contamination, 10 McDonald's Workers File Sexual Harassment Complaints, Virginia Judge Rules in Favor of Transgender Student Gavin Grimm…
www.democracynow.org/2018/5/23/headlines
Venezuela Slams New US Sanctions as Washington Hints at Oil Embargo
Cira Pascual Marquina | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-05-22
The latest measures fly in the face of international concern about the living conditions of Venezuelans.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/13833
ConocoPhillips Moves to Seize Venezuelan Oil Assets as PDVSA Maneuvers to Safeguard Tankers
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-05-09
In response to the threat, PDVSA has allegedly ordered its fleet of tankers stationed in the Caribbean to return to Venezuelan waters.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/13803
Venezuela: Zulia Governor Blames Illegal Crypto Mining for Continuing Regional Power Shortages
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-05-07
Sabotage, lack of maintenance, and climate change have also been offered to explain the crippling blackouts.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/13796
Venezuela Offers Petro-Based Oil Discount, Denounces "Kidnapping" of Funds
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-05-03
Maduro has accused Euroclear of withholding USD$1.2bn as part of international financial sanctions against Caracas.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/13791