2019-03-06: News Headlines

Ashley Smith (2019-03-06). Why Has Haiti Risen up Once Again? counterpunch.org The Haitian masses have mobilized a new wave of protest against the corrupt government of President Jovenel MoàØse. It began with demonstrations last summer in July and August, re-emerged in November and December, and exploded again in the first two weeks of February when hundreds of thousands marched in all the major cities of the More

Ramzy Baroud (2019-03-06). Why the Outrage? "Jewish Power" Party is the New Norm in Israeli Politics. counterpunch.org Immediately after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forged an alliance with the fringe political group, Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), a widespread outrage ensued. The anger did not emanate only from the Center, Left and Arab parties, but from some in the Right as well. Even the pro-Israel lobby in the US, known for its hawkish More

unitedEditor (2019-03-06). The beginning of a social "Stalingrad" in Europe: the Yellow Vests against the totalitarian Empire of Finance. uwidata.com Back to the Future! Elated, with the single-mindedness of the "We" of the many, suddenly aware of its power, the crowd pours out of the narrow street in which it was crammed, to the spacious Place de la Republiquewhile singing the Marseillaise. It is by far the most popular song among Yellow Vests. The second …

Kenneth Surin (2019-03-06). The UK Labour Party's "Antisemitism Crisis" and the Likud Supporters in Its Leadership. counterpunch.org Labour's leadership has tried appeasing its critics, but this has not worked. Appeasement has only emboldened these critics. Jeremy Corbyn's detractors, both inside and outside the party, are adept at moving the goalposts, and will never be satisfied until he is gone as leader, and Labour once again becomes a "natural" home for opportunists like Tony Blair and his followers, and their friends in the Zionist lobby. More

Kurt Nimmo (2019-03-06). Trump Breaks Another Promise: Troops Will Remain in Syria. globalresearch.ca It was a mere two months ago the president of the United States declared he would leave Syria and bring home the troops. | "Our boys, our young women, our men, they're all coming back," Trump said. "And they're coming back …

Joyce Nelson (2019-03-06). Another War for Oil on the Agenda? Thank Ted Cruz. counterpunch.org Very important identical bills were introduced in the U.S. Senate and House in late February, but you've likely not heard of them — even though they could literally blow up the Middle East and take the world much closer to World War III. On February 26, Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Tom Cotton (R-AK) introduced More

STAFF (2019-03-06). Sacramento Police Who Killed Stephon Clark Won't Be Charged. truthdig.com SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California's attorney general announced Tuesday that he won't charge two Sacramento police officers who fatally shot an unarmed black man last year, joining a local prosecutor in finding that the officers reasonably believed Stephon Clark had a gun as he moved toward them. | Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the results of a nearly yearlong investigation after telling Clark's mother privately. He acknowledged that it was not what Clark's family wanted but said the evidence showed the officers had reason to believe their lives were in danger, though investigators found only a cel…

Joyce Nelson (2019-03-06). Another War for Oil on the Agenda? Thank Ted Cruz. zcomm.org Very important identical bills were introduced in the U.S. Senate and House in late February, but you've likely not heard of them — even though they could literally blow up the Middle East and take the world much closer to World War III…

Prof. James Petras (2019-03-06). The Recolonization of Latin America and the War on Venezuela. globalresearch.ca Introduction | Not since the US pronounced the Monroe Doctrine proclaiming its imperial supremacy over Latin America, nearly 200 years ago, has a White House regime so openly affirmed its mission to recolonize Latin America. | The second decade of the 21st …

STAFF (2019-03-06). Global Warming Is Here—Just Ask Fishers. truthdig.com Global warming has already begun to affect fishing worldwide as fish flee warmer seas, a new study says. | In the last 80 years, there has been an estimated drop of more than 4% in sustainable catches for many kinds of fish and shellfish. That is the average. In some regions — the East China Sea, for instance, and Europe's North Sea — the estimated decline was between 15% and 35%. | In the course of the last century, global average temperatures…

Fight Back (2019-03-06). On the 88th Anniversary of the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV). fightbacknews.org The following statement was published today, March 5, by the Communist Party of Venezuela and was written by Freddy Subdiaga, a Party leader in the state of Anzoátegui. The statement was written in Spanish and translated by Fight Back! staff. | This March 5, 2019, when our Venezuelan nation faces the most criminal U.S.-European imperialism stalking humanity, the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) will be completing 88 years of combat for the emancipation of the working class from capitalism, the system of the exploiter; guided by the scientific methods of Marxism-Leninism and the integral thinking of the Liberato…

Fight Back (2019-03-06). UPS record profits mean more exploitation and automation. fightbacknews.org Tampa, FL – United Parcel Service released their fourth quarter earnings last month, beating Wall Street's expectations with almost $5 billion in profit for 2018. Through a combination of opening new automated sorting facilities, purchasing more air cargo planes, and exploiting employees with low pay and long hours, UPS had an extremely profitable holiday season. The company is optimistic for profits in 2019 and moving into the future. For workers, however, the future does not look so bright. | In October 2018, UPS and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) successfully pushed an incredibly unpopular co…

Yanis Varoufakis (2019-03-06). Let's Change Europe From the Ground Up. counterpunch.org The 2008 global financial crisis — the modern 1929 crash — set off a vicious chain reaction across Europe. By 2010 it had irreparably damaged the foundations of the eurozone, causing the establishment to bend its own rules and commit crimes against logic in order to bail out its banker friends. By 2013 the neoliberal ideology More

Dan Corjescu (2019-03-06). The Sacredness of Donald Trump. counterpunch.org Emile Durkheim in his The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, revealed the profound insight that society under the guise of religion worships itself. Thus, Egyptian pyramids, Greek temples, Roman basilicas, Medieval cathedrals, Renaissance churches, and many other religious artifacts of all times and places are testaments to humanity's thinly veiled delusions of self-love. But what of More

Binoy Kampmark (2019-03-06). The Politics of the Independent Group. counterpunch.org They could not hold on. A small — and in the scheme of things negligible group — split from the British Labour mothership last month in an effort to salvage some self-described form of credibility. In truth, they were the original sceptics of Jeremy Corbyn, the pro-New Labour grouping indifferent, even disbelieving, about the predations More

George Ochenski (2019-03-06). Dereliction of Congressional Duty. counterpunch.org Last week's congressional testimony by Michael Cohen riveted the nation as President Trump's long-time lawyer, fixer and co-conspirator spilled the beans on his former boss. But Montana's Republican congressional members, Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Greg Gianforte, told reporters they were too busy "meeting with Montanans all day" to watch or listen to the hearings. More

Lawrence Davidson (2019-03-06). Anti-Semitism Versus Anti-Zionism in Today's France. counterpunch.org We are at a new stage of the fight to realize Palestinian rights and free both Palestinians and Jews from the consequences of Zionist racism. There was a time when very few in the West understood the racist nature of the Israeli state. For a long time the Zionists controlled the public relations message and More

Greg Grandin (2019-03-06). Bread, Circuses, and Duct Tape: How to Make Border Porn. counterpunch.org On February 15th, Donald Trump declared a state of national emergency in order to fund his "great, great" border wall without having to go through Congress. There is, of course, no emergency, despite the rape fantasy that the president has regularly tried to pass off as public policy. In speech after speech, including his declaration of that emergency, he has told the same story: the United States needs a border wall to prevent sex traffickers from driving women into the country, bound with duct tape. More

RT (2019-03-06). Clapper claims he 'didn't lie' about NSA spying on Americans, but 'didn't understand' the question. rt.com NSA director-turned-cable-news-pundit James Clapper is still insisting he wasn't lying when he told a congressional panel the NSA wasn't spying on American citizens — three months before Edward Snowden told everyone it was.

Jason Ditz (2019-03-06). Top US General Seeks More Troops in Europe to Confront Russia. theantimedia.com (ANTIWAR.COM) — Speaking to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the NATO Supreme Allied Commander-Europe, argued that the US needs to send even more troops and warships to Europe to "stay ahead of Russia." Even though Russia's military spending is actually scheduled to decrease in the next few years, Gen. Scaparrotti argued that the "growing" …

Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski (2019-03-06). Venezuela Update: Guaidó Returns, US Continues Threats. therealnews.com Self-declared interim president Juan Guaidó returned to Venezuela without incident, despite having violated a travel ban. NSC chair John Bolton continued his threats against Maduro, warning him not to arrest Guaidó and reaffirming the US's right to intervene in Latin America…

Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski (2019-03-06). Study: Loss of Stratocumulus Clouds Could Precipitate Extreme Global Warmingd. therealnews.com Professor Tapio Schneider discusses a new study examining the relationship between stratocumulus cloud formation and high levels of atmospheric CO2…

WSWS (2019-03-06). India and Pakistan stoke chauvinism, exchange threats. wsws.org Although cross-border shelling has reportedly declined since Sunday, continuing tensions between South Asia's rival nuclear-armed states have left the region on the brink of a catastrophic war.

RT (2019-03-06). 'Time to declare victory!' US senators seek to end 'forever war' in Afghanistan. rt.com Senators Rand Paul and Tom Udall have introduced a bill to end the ruinously expensive conflict in Afghanistan, declaring 'victory' in the longest war in US history after 18 years, some $6 trillion and over 100,000 dead.

WSWS (2019-03-06). SEP meetings launch Tamil edition of The Russian Revolution and the Unfinished Twentieth Century. wsws.org The meetings at Hatton in Sri Lanka's central plantation district and Jaffna, in the war-ravaged north, attracted important layers of workers and youth.

Creativity Explored (2019-03-06). Five and Two Others Curated by Mildred Howard. indybay.org Creativity Explored | 3245 Sixteenth Street | San Francisco, CA 94103…

Resource Center for Nonviolence (2019-03-06). Warrior Women Screening with Madonna Thunder Hawk. indybay.org Resource Center for Nonviolence, 612 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060…

Mehdi Hasan (2019-03-06). Yes, Let's Defeat or Impeach Donald Trump. But What If He Refuses to Leave the White House? theintercept.com Donald Trump doesn't care about laws and warned as a 2016 candidate that he might not accept the vote tally. His surrogates have warned of violence.

WSWS (2019-03-06). The assault on Jeremy Corbyn is a warning that must be heeded. wsws.org The March 3 attack on the Labour Party leader is the latest in a series of far-right provocations in Britain, pointing to the clear and present danger posed by the growth of far-right and fascist parties throughout Europe.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2019-03-05). North Korea: Achievements in Health and Education. globalresearch.ca North Korea's "health system is the envy of the developing world" according to the World Health Organization: WHO director-general Margaret Chan said the country had "no lack of doctors and nurses"

Democracy Now! (2019-03-05). Headlines for March 5, 2019. democracynow.org Judiciary Committee Launches Probe into 81 Trump Associates and Groups, New Yorker Report Details Trump's Deep Ties to Fox News, Groundwater in 39 States Contaminated by Coal Ash Waste, Dem Leaders Rebuke Alleged Anti-Semitic Remarks by Rep. Omar, U.S. Closes Jerusalem Consulate, Rights Groups Say Jailed Saudi Women Activists Tortured, Sexually Assaulted, Report: Khashoggi's Body Was Burned in Oven at Saudi Diplomat's Home, NYT: Detained U.S. Citizen Allegedly Tortured in Saudi Custody | , South Korea Calls for Resumption of Talks Between Trump and Kim, North Carolina Reschedules 9th District Election After Voter…

Eds. (2019-03-05). Roger Waters, socialists say no to Bernie and AOC's positions on Venezuela. mronline.org As socialists rally in the United States over their country's backing of a right wing coup in Venezuela, the supposedly socialist members of Congress—Senator Bernie Sanders (VT) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)—are hitting talking points that worry critics like Roger Waters and activists in the streets alike. | Source

CFJPIME (2019-03-05). Human Rights Orgs: End Canadian Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia. globalresearch.ca Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) joined eleven other human rights organizations to send a letter calling the Canadian government to immediately suspend arms sales to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The letter pointed out that …

Mike Whitney (2019-03-05). The Trump-Kim Summit: What Really Happened in Hanoi? globalresearch.ca While the western media has written off last weekend's summit in Hanoi as a failure, the talks did help to burnish Kim Jong-un's reputation as a sincere statesman committed to peacefully resolving the nuclear issue. This is a significant …

Newsclick (2019-03-05). Hanoi Summit: So close, yet so far from peace. peoplesdispatch.org In today's episode of International Round-up, NewsClick editor, Prabir Purkayastha, talks about the reasons behind the failure of the Hanoi Summit, where the US and North Korea could not arrive at a lasting agreement. He also discusses the changing dynamics and the possibilities that the inter-Korean peace process has augured.

Consortiumnews (2019-03-05). PATRICK LAWRENCE: It Was Kim That Walked Away. consortiumnews.com There are two sides to the story about why the second North Korea peace summit fell apart last week, writes Patrick Lawrence. By Patrick Lawrence Special to Consortium News The abrupt and unexpected failure of the second Trump—Kim summit last… Read more →

Robert Fisk (2019-03-05). Israel is Playing a Big Role in India's Escalating Conflict with Pakistan. counterpunch.org When I heard the first news report, I assumed it was an Israeli air raid on Gaza. Or Syria. Airstrikes on a "terrorist camp" were the first words. A "command and control centre" destroyed, many "terrorists" killed. The military was retaliating for a "terrorist attack" on its troops, we were told. An Islamist "jihadi" base had been More

Ramzy Baroud (2019-03-05). Why the Outrage? "Jewish Power" Party is the New Norm in Israeli Politics. mintpressnews.com Otzma Yehudit's (Jewish Power Party) platform only reinforces the existing "core values" of Israel, the same values that AIPAC itself champions without the slightest regard for human rights, international law and the principles of true democratic values argues Ramzy Baroud.

commondreams (2019-03-05). An Open Letter to the Washington Office on Latin America About Its Stance on US Effort to Overthrow Venezuelan Government. commondreams.org Greg Grandin, Noam Chomsky, Sujatha Fernandes, Daniel Hellinger, et al. | U.S. Vice President of United States Mike Pence and Venezuelan opposition leader and declared acting president by the National Assembly Juan Guaidó meet during the Lima Group Summit on February 25, 2019 in Bogota, Colombia. The meeting occurs after Nicolás Maduro blocked humanitarian aid in the border with Colombia in Cúcuta. (Photo: Luis Ramirez/Vizzor Image/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/pence_guiado_venezuela.jpg

Alexander Rubinstein (2019-03-05). An Unholy Alliance: Did the US-Backed UAE Fly ISIS Leaders into Yemen's Killing Fields? mintpressnews.com The de facto alliance between the U.S. with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, AQAP, and now allegedly ISIS in Yemen has led to one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern history,…

unitedEditor (2019-03-05). Conflict in Kashmir: U.S. Imperialism's Playground. uwidata.com Last week saw a geopolitical explosion; something that seemed to many a sudden and terrifying threat of nuclear war on the Indian Subcontinent. For the first time since 1971, Pakistan and India engaged in active combat in the contested muslim-majority territory of Kashmir. The confrontation began with India's aerial bombing of an alleged terrorist camp …

Democracy Now! (2019-03-05). Inside the Secretive U.S. Air War in Somalia: How Many Civilians Have Died as Strikes Escalate? democracynow.org The Trump administration is rapidly escalating a secretive air war in Somalia. According to the think tank New America, at least 252 people have been killed in around two dozen U.S. airstrikes in Somalia so far this year. The U.S. has already carried out more strikes in Somalia in 2019 than in any single year under President Obama. In addition to the air war, the Pentagon reportedly has about 500 U.S. troops on the ground in Somalia, including many special operations forces. For years, the U.S. has attempted to aid the Somali government by targeting members of al-Shabab, but the effort has increased dramatically…

Eds. (2019-03-05). Russia on Venezuela: U.S. mercenaries and direct military intervention. mronline.org We are certainly worried about the U.S. plans to arm militants in order to destabilise the situation in Venezuela and, frankly speaking, invade this sovereign country. | Source

Ramin Mazaheri (2019-03-05). France's Yellow Vests: Proving Police Are Indeed Part of the 1%. mintpressnews.com 8,000+ arrested, 500 major injuries, 2,000+ imprisoned (as of Feb. 14), 1,500+ awaiting trials (Feb. 14), 12 deaths, 20+ blindings, 6 hands lost, 10,000+ rubber bullets fired. Cops never switch sides — they have too much to lose.

Thomas Knapp (2019-03-05). Why Wait for 2021? End the Federal War on Marijuana Now! counterpunch.org The Boston Globe's Naomi Martin and James Pindell report that all of 2020's formally declared "major party" presidential candidates say they support legalizing marijuana at the federal level. Yes, that includes President Trump. Great idea! But why should the nearly 2/3 of Americans who want marijuana legalized spend the next 20 months listening to these More

Alan MacLeod (2019-03-05). Venezuela-Baiting: How Media Keep Anti-Imperialist Dissent in Check. fair.org by Alan MacLeod | Corporate media have always attacked leftists for their positions on Venezuela, a country consistently demonized and misrepresented in the US press (FAIR.org, 6/1/02, 11/1/05, 4/1/13, 2/22/19). But with President Donald Trump's lat…

W. T. Whitney Jr. (2019-03-05). Stage set long ago for encounter at Colombia-Venezuela border. peoplesworld.org On February 23, the U.S. and Colombian governments joined in trying to push humanitarian supplies from the Colombian border city Cúcuta into Venezuela. They were using humanitarian aid as a Trojan Horse to confront Venezuelan security forces. These were supposed to have stepped aside, Venezuela's military forces would, in theory, have disintegrated, and a take-down …

Jack Rasmus (2019-03-05). Financial Imperialism: the Case of Venezuela. counterpunch.org Invasion of Venezuela by US and its proxies is just around the corner! This past week vice-president Pence flew to Colombia once again—for the fifth time in recent weeks—to provide final instructions to US local forces and proxy allies there for the next step in the US regime change plan. Evidence that the 'green light' More

Marilyn Bechtel (2019-03-05). Oakland teachers' strike victory: Billionaires won't determine our kids' futures. peoplesworld.org OAKLAND, Calif.—The headline on the Oakland Education Association's website, announcing that union members had ratified the tentative agreement they won with their seven-day strike, said it all: "Back to School: Monday, March 4—The Fight has Just Begun! "With gains in every key area," the union said, "this contract lays a solid foundation for the challenging …

CP Editor (2019-03-05). John Prine: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert. counterpunch.org