2019-03-22: News Headlines

STAFF (2019-03-23). Democratic Hopefuls Reject AIPAC. therealnews.com So far no Democratic presidential candidates have committed to speaking at this year's American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference. Is this a shift in Democratic foreign policy towards Israel? What does this mean for AIPAC, one of the country's most influential lobby groups?

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2019-03-22). Twenty years ago. NATO's War on Yugoslavia: Bill Clinton Worked Hand in Glove with Al Qaeda: "Helped Turn Bosnia into Militant Islamic Base" globalresearch.ca March 24, 1999, Twenty years ago. NATO's War on Yugoslavia | Bill Clinton supported Al Qaeda in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s as confirmed by RPC Congressional documents; Hillary Clinton has supported Al Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS-Daesh) in …

Global Research (2019-03-22). The Globalization of War and The Globalization of Poverty — Two Books by Michel Chossudovsky. globalresearch.ca Special Price: $29.00 for two books! — Pre-order, books will ship early April 2019: | Click here to pre-order! (Books will ship early April 2019) | The Globalization of War: America's "Long War" against Humanity by Michel Chossudovsky | America's hegemonic project in …

teleSUR (2019-03-22). Chile: Activists Protest Against US-Backed Prosur. telesurenglish.net Chilean social and political organizations were holding demonstrations Friday against the Forum for the Latin American Progress and Development (Prosur), a meeting convened by the right-wing Latin American governments which are coordinating actions to dissolve the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) and consolidate the U.S. interventionist agenda against Venezuela. | RELATED: | Uruguay President Criticizes Prosur Initiative, 'Will Produce Same Errors' | The citize…

STAFF (2019-03-22). Elizabeth Warren & Activists Target the Electoral College. therealnews.com Embedded in the Constitution, the Electoral College may be hard to eliminate. Our guest John R. Koza of National Popular Vote thinks it can be remade to serve the popular will…

teleSUR (2019-03-22). Brazilian Social Leader and 'Defender of Life' Dies. telesurenglish.net Brazilian social leader, Dilma Ferreira Silva, and other activists were killed in the rural Parana, Brazil, the Movement of the Affected by Dams (MAB), an organization which fights for water and electricity rights for the public, reported Friday. | RELATED: | 'Bolsonaro is a Murderer' Signs Greet Brazilian President in US | Ferreira, together with two male activists, one of whom was her partner were killed in the Salvador Allende settlement rural area of Baiao municipality, alth…

Dave Lindorff (2019-03-22). The Insanity of a New Hypersonic Nuclear Cruise Missile Arms Race. globalresearch.ca The Bush, Obama and Trump administration have broken two very important promises, or treaties, with Russia and it's going to be very costly and dangerous for us and for the world thanks to them. | The first broken promise was the …

Prof. Marjorie Cohn (2019-03-22). Daniel Ellsberg Calls Chelsea Manning "an American Hero" globalresearch.ca Two years after being released from prison where she had served seven years for exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, Chelsea Manning was jailed once again for refusing to answer questions before a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks and …

Ted Rall (2019-03-22). The Greatest Projects I Never Mad. counterpunch.org She was a terrible boss. But she was wise about work. "We are defined more by the business we refuse to take than the ones we do," she told me. That turned out to be true. My cartoons are notable for what they don't include: symbols like donkeys and elephants, labeled graphic metaphors, a reliance on caricature. More

Stephen Lendman (2019-03-22). Venezuelan Authorities Detain Guaido Henchman for "Terrorist Cell" Involvement. globalresearch.ca Overnight Thursday, Venezuelan police arrested and detained three Guaido henchmen, two now released, the third still held. | Interior Minister Nestor Reverol accused Roberto Marrero of planning armed terrorist attacks in the country, saying the following: | An "investigation carried out by …

Stephen Lendman (2019-03-22). Trump to Recognize Israeli Control over Syria's Golan Heights? Bypassing the UN Security Council. globalresearch.ca Donald Trump. Consistently showing one-sided support for Israel, it appears so. In May 2018, his regime moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem — a world body-designated international city, recognized by nearly all UN member states. | Israel illegally …

Jeffrey St. Clair (2019-03-22). Roaming Charges: Darn That (American) Dream. counterpunch.org + If the Democratic race boils down to Biden and Sanders, you'll have two candidates in their late 70s who voted three times to overthrow Saddam, approved the murderous sanctions on Iraq, supported the illegal war on Serbia, backed the racist and punitive Clinton Crime Bill and fronted a scheme to dump radioactive waste from More

Paul Street (2019-03-22). A Pox on the Houses of Trump and McCain, Huxleyan Media, and the Myth of "The Vietnam War" counterpunch.org Here's something arguably even more disgusting and pathetic than Trump's insane and ridiculous online conduct and his recent Twitter feuds with the House of McCain and George Conway: the constant and ritual outraged repetition of cable news commentators' and bipartisan politicos' claim that John McCain was a great "national war hero" who rose to "defend his country" during "The Vietnam War." More

H. Bruce Franklin (2019-03-22). Trump vs. McCain: an American Horror Story. counterpunch.org Why is Donald Trump deliberately picking a fight with the ghost of John McCain? It might seem he has nothing to gain and much to lose from this battle. Therefore many believe this is just more evidence of his narcissism, impulsiveness, and thoroughly nasty personality. Beware of underestimating Trump's skillful and devious political acumen. As often, the president is speaking in coded language to his base, which regards McCain as the Judas who betrayed all those thousands of American POWs left behind in Vietnam. More

CounterSpin (2019-03-22). Robert Dreyfuss and Diana Duarte on the Media's Role in Iraq War. fair.org

SouthFront (2019-03-22). U.S. Special Operations: The New Face of America's War Machine. mintpressnews.com The U.S. military industrial complex does not desire large winnable wars, but "low-intensity" conflicts that last as long as possible. That is how the system retains power, maintains profits, and remains relevant.

Henry Giroux (2019-03-22). The Ghost of Fascism in the Post-Truth Era. counterpunch.org We do not live in a post-truth world and never have. On the contrary, we live in a pre-truth world where the truth has yet to arrive. As one of the primary currencies of politics, lies have a long history in the United States. For instance, state sponsored lies played a crucial ideological role in pushing the US into wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, legitimated the use of Torture under the Bush administration, and covered up the crimes of the financial elite in producing the economic crisis of 2008. Under Trump, lying has become a rhetorical gimmick in which everything that matters politically is denied, r…

Moshe Adler (2019-03-22). American Workers Should Want to Transfer Technology to China. counterpunch.org The US government is fighting with all it has to keep China behind in technology. In his State of the Union Address, President Trump claimed this is to stop "the theft of American jobs." But in reality this war on technological advancement in China destroys American jobs and hurts American consumers and entrepreneurs. The first More

STAFF (2019-03-22). Community Rallies To Defend Community Garden. therealnews.com The largest community garden in Baltimore is aiming to make Baltimore more sustainable and push the city toward zero-waste, but it is under threat of demolition by the city…

Joseph Grosso (2019-03-22). New York's Hudson Yards: The Revanchist City Lives On. counterpunch.org As is often the case, a spurt of media attention on one event leaves any deeper issues virtually untouched. It was just over a month ago that Amazon announced it was pulling out of its highly subsidized deal to build one of its second headquarters in New York. Three billion in city and state subsidies More

Charles Pierson (2019-03-22). Rick Perry, the Saudis and a Dangerous Nuclear Deal. counterpunch.org Since January 2017, the Trump Administration has been in negotiations to allow a sale of two nuclear reactors designed by American companies to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This is troubling for at least two reasons. First, nuclear reactors may provide the Saudis with a backdoor to a nuclear bomb. Second, a February 19 interim More

Bruce E. Levine (2019-03-22). Right-Wing Psychiatry, Love-Me Liberals and the Anti-Authoritarian Left. counterpunch.org Many self-identified liberals are far more than "ten degrees to the right of center" with regard to psychiatry. With the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan, and then even more so following 9/11 in 2001, the United States has swung so far to the right that many self-identified liberals embrace, often unwittingly, a right-wing view in many aspects of society, including psychiatry. More

Ron Jacobs (2019-03-22). Donald Cox: Tale of a Panther. counterpunch.org Donald Cox was the Black Panther Party's Field Marshal. He trained party members in the use and care of weapons. During the time he was involved with the Party in the United States, he served as a primary strategist for various operations. After he left the US, he went to Algeria where he was a More

Brian Wakamo (2019-03-22). March Madness: Unionize the NCAA. peoplesworld.org When Zion Williamson's foot broke through the sole of his Nike shoe on February 20th, the sporting world stood still. The consensus number one player in college basketball was playing in the biggest game of the season—North Carolina versus Duke—and suffered his startling injury in the opening minute. Williamson's sprained knee cost Nike $1.1 billion …

Miko Peled (2019-03-22). Gaza March of Return Architect Abu Artema Celebrates Its First-Year Anniversary. mintpressnews.com "Why would we die here in silence? We want our message to reach the world. We want to say to the world 'here there is a people. A people searching for a life of dignity, human rights and freedom.'" — Ahmed Abu Artema, architect of The March of Return…

Marco Terrugi (2019-03-22). U.S. steps up diplomatic, economic pressure on Venezuela. workers.org With Jair Bolsonaro standing at his side in Washington [on March 19], Donald Trump repeated the now standard line — all options are on the table — referring to Venezuela. Bolsonaro, who had said it was necessary to "liberate Venezuela," also confirmed what was already known — his refusal to . . . | Continue reading U.S. steps up diplomatic, economic pressure on Venezuela at Workers.org

STAFF (2019-03-22). Might Makes Right: Trump Endorses Israeli Annexation of Golan Heights. therealnews.com Trump tweeted that the US should recognize Israel's annexation of Syria's Golan Heights, which Israel has been occupying for 52 years. TRNN's Shir Hever explores what this means for the region…

Mike "Mish" Shedlock (2019-03-22). Where US Defense Spending Dollars Go: Top Ten States. "Vote Buying: This Is Why People Support Perpetual War" globalresearch.ca A defense report, revised in March 2019 for fiscal year 2017, shows what states benefit the most from defense spending. …

ACLU (2019-03-22). In Boston, People Are Charged With Crimes That Waste Taxpayers' Money and Prosecutors' Time. aclu.org When people in Boston are charged with certain low-level crimes and misdemeanors, prosecutors dismiss the charges nearly 60 percent of the time. | America's growing awareness of mass incarceration and the over-incarceration of people of color has sparked something nationwide: From Birmingham to Boston, voters are electing progressive, reform-minded prosecutors., , Suffolk County District Attorney candidate Rachael Rollins last year announced that, if elected, her office would decline to prosecute 15 misdemeanors and…

STAFF (2019-03-22). Pompeo Is at Odds With Lebanese Officials Over Hezbollah. truthdig.com BEIRUT — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday blasted Lebanon's Hezbollah, which he vowed the U.S. would continue to pressure, and called on the Lebanese people to stand up to the Iran-backed militant group he said was "committed to spreading destruction." | His harsh comments in Beirut were in strong contrast to those of Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil who minutes earlier, while standing next to Pompeo, insisted that Hezbollah is "a Lebanese group that is not a terrorist organization and was elected by the people." | Pompeo, however, warned that "the Lebanese people face a choice: Bravely…

Paul Dobson (2019-03-22). Venezuela President: US Withholding $5bn of Medical Supplies in 'Criminal' Measure. mintpressnews.com The move comes as the UN warned this week that US economic measures against Venezuela will have an "impact on human rights and wellbeing of the people."

Fight Back (2019-03-22). Venezuela builds health sovereignty, in defiance of the U.S. government. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – On March 20, president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro visited Jipana, a large automated warehouse in the state of Miranda. Built with the cooperation of Chinese experts, Jipana – made up of five warehouses across Venezuela – has the capacity to store and distribute 100% of the antibiotic, hypoglycemic, hypertensive and analgesic needs for the tens of thousands of free community clinics that make up Mission Barrio Adentro, as well as all of the anti-malarial, anti-retroviral, anti-parasitic and contraceptive needs of the Mission's nationwide ambulance service. | While at…

Shane Quinn (2019-03-22). European States Destroying Themselves with Servile US Obedience. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published on August 24, 2017 on The Duran. | This century alone has borne witness to former Warsaw Pact members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania not only joining the European Union, but also NATO — an imperial branch …

United Nations (2019-03-22). The sun's impact on Earth and weather celebrated, as planet marks World Meteorological Day. un.org Against a background of serious warnings against the effects of climate change, World Meteorological Day this year celebrates the crucial role played by the sun in powering all life on Earth, and in driving the weather, ocean currents and the hydrological cycle.

John W. Whitehead (2019-03-22). The Growing Epidemic of Cops Shooting Family Dogs. counterpunch.org "In too much of policing today, officer safety has become the highest priority. It trumps the rights and safety of suspects. It trumps the rights and safety of bystanders. It's so important, in fact, that an officer's subjective fear of a minor wound from a dog bite is enough to justify using potentially lethal force, More

Jeff Cohen (2019-03-22). Let's Not Restore or Mythologize Obama. counterpunch.org With former Vice President Joe Biden seemingly ready to join the presidential race, a Washington Post reporter wrote: "Biden and his allies picture an election that poses a choice between four more years of Trump disruption and a chance to restore the Obama administration." Ah, the hope of an Obama restoration! But is a "return to normalcy" More

Martha Rosenberg (2019-03-22). New Study Confirms That Eggs are a Stroke in a Shell. counterpunch.org For years animal agriculture apologists have tried to convince the public that "inflammation, not cholesterol, is the cause of chronic disease." Eat all the eggs, meat and milk you want, they cajole: you won't die from a stroke or heart attack at age 50. We promise. This week a JAMA study reverses the industry-friendly hype, More

Monika Zgustova (2019-03-22). The Masculinity of the Future. counterpunch.org "I hope you've got enough cojones!" George Bush snapped at Tony Blair. The American president then outlined his planned bombardment of Iraq to the British Prime Minister: "I'm gonna kick ass!" Over the last two decades, much of the world has witnessed a wave of masculinization. Ideas about how strong men are an attractive future More

Christy Rodgers (2019-03-22). Achieving Escape Velocity. counterpunch.org I grew up with the idea that leaving Earth was inevitable. The Space Age had arrived and the sky was no limit. Per ardua ad astra was no longer a metaphor; it would happen, it was happening. Invisible radiation traveled through the air every afternoon to bring me indelible images of humans in space, benignly, More

Bob Lord (2019-03-22). There's Plenty of Wealth to Go Around, But It Doesn't. counterpunch.org Get ready to hear a lot about baking this campaign season. When it comes to how wealth is distributed in this country, "pie" is a favorite pundit metaphor. Some politicians want to "re-divide the pie," so everyone's slice is more equal in size. But that's "socialism," some pundits scold. Better to trust our billionaires and More

Nick Pemberton (2019-03-22). The Real Parallels Between Donald Trump and George Orwell. counterpunch.org "I think this was true of George Orwell — whatever the virtues of his political writing, he served for almost 20 years as a policeman of the "Left". He didn't really engage with the arguments of opponents; rather, he tried to close off their views by tagging them as "soggy, half-baked" Socialists, "Fascifists", "quislings", and More

Peter Mayo (2019-03-22). US Higher Education Influence Takes a Different Turn. counterpunch.org The official opening of the American University of Malta (AUM) on Friday 8thMarch foregrounds a new trend in USA Higher Education influence in the Mediterranean and elsewhere. The term 'American' is being applied to universities which are not US-driven at all but which simply adopt the US university style of operation and system. The AUM More

Brian Cloughley (2019-03-22). NATO's Expensive Anniversaries. counterpunch.org "I never asked once what the new NATO headquarters cost. I refuse to do that, but it is beautiful" — President Trump. According to NATO, the cost of its new building in Brussels was 1.1 billion Euros (1.23 billon dollars). 2019 is a year of interesting commemorations, among them the Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of D-Day, the landing of allied More

Jessicah Pierre (2019-03-22). The Real College Admissions Scandal. counterpunch.org In what's being called the largest college admissions scam ever, a number of wealthy parents, celebrities, and college prep coaches have been accused of offering large bribes to get rich students into Ivy League schools, regardless of their credentials. The parents facing charges allegedly paid up to $6.5 million to get their kids into college. More

teleSUR (2019-03-22). Pompeo Says Trump Sent by God to Save Israel. telesurenglish.net United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo proclaimed Thursday that "The Lord is at work here" regarding Trump's meddling in Middle East affairs between Israel and Iran, in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network. | RELATED: | Video: Israeli Troops Arrest 10-year-old at Palestinian School | The question posed, which reveals as much about the interviewer as it does the politics of the religious station, was whether "President Trump right now has been sort of raised…

Irina Slav (2019-03-22). U.S. on the Hunt for Iranian "Ghost Tankers". Targeting Vessels Transporting Iranian Crude Oil. globalresearch.ca When Washington announced the return of economic sanctions against Iran, the main idea was pretty clear: cut exports of vital oil to zero to paralyze the economy and prompt a change in government. Waivers followed, however, as well as reports …

Mike Lofgren (2019-03-22). Seymour Hersh's Anonymous Sources. commondreams.org Oliver North testifies before the Senate's Iran-Contra committee in 1987. (Photo: National Archives) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-03-22_at_11.22.15_am.png

Democracy Now! (2019-03-22). Headlines for March 22, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Tweets Support for Israeli Claim Over Occupied Golan Heights, Democratic Presidential Candidates Plan to Skip AIPAC Conference, House Oversight Chair: Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump Broke Federal Records Laws, Josh Kushner Wooed Saudi Investors Ahead of Jared's Trip to Riyadh, New Zealand Marks One Week Since Mosque Attacks with Call to Prayer, Pipe Bomber Cesar Sayoc, Who Targeted Trump Critics, Pleads Guilty, Boeing Jets That Crashed in Ethiopia, Indonesia Lacked Optional Safety Features, Iraq: 92 Dead in Mosul After Ferry Capsizes in Tigris River, China: Pesticide Plant Explosion Kills 47, Texas: Deer Park…

STAFF (2019-03-22). White House: Islamic State Territory in Syria Eliminated. truthdig.com WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — All Islamic State-held territory in Syria has been eliminated, President Donald Trump announced Friday, though officials said sporadic fighting continued on the ground between coalition forces and the group's holdouts. | The complete fall of the last IS stronghold in Baghouz, Syria, would mark the end of the Islamic State group's self-declared caliphate, which at its height stretched across large parts of Syria and Iraq. Controlling territory gave the group room to launch attacks around the world. | President Donald Trump said Friday "it's about time" that the group no longer control…

United Nations (2019-03-22). Ferry capsizes near Mosul, UN chief offers solidarity, support 'as needed'. un.org As many Iraqis across the country celebrated Norwuz, the first day of spring, a passenger ferry in the Tigris River capsized on Thursday, prompting Secretary-General António Guterres to offer the United Nations' support "as needed".