(2019-04-05). The Syrian American Council's Pressure Campaign to Censor One of Its Major Critics. mintpressnews.com The Syrian American Council and a collection of pro-war lobbyists have led an intimidation campaign aimed at bullying a major Washington-based bookstore, Politics and Prose, into canceling award-winning journalist and author Max Blumenthal's launch event for his new book The Management of Savagery. | And it appears to have worked. Politics and Prose announced that it would "postpone" the event, citing "concerns" over the event's "format, substance, … [and] security" in a tweet. In a testament to the ferocity of the harassment campaign ag…
(2019-04-05). The Globalization of War. America's "Long War" against Humanity. globalresearch.ca America's hegemonic project in…
(2019-04-05). Venezuela Today — Part 2: People power resists U.S. threats. workers.org 
The following is Part 2 of an excerpted talk given March 21 at a Workers World Party meeting in New York City. The writer, the co-director of the International Action Center, was part of the March 9-18 delegation to Venezuela organized by the U.S. Peace Council. Venezuela's conflict with imperialism . . . | Continue reading Venezuela Today — Part 2: People power resists U.S. threats at Workers.org
(2019-04-05). Minnesotans honor MLK and say yes to peace, no to NATO. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – On April 4, 80 people gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol building to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to use his words to analyze the militarism of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Both MLK and NATO are connected to the date of April 4. | On April 4, 1967, Dr. King delivered his "Beyond Vietnam" anti-war speech at the Riverside Church in New York City. He would tragically be assassinated exactly one year later, on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. | On April 4, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed marking the inception of the military allia…
(2019-04-05). Chicago elections and what's coming next. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – The corporate media has missed what is most important about Chicago's April 2 elections. Its focus on the uninspiring mayoral contest between Toni Preckwinkle and Lori Lightfoot helped contribute to the lowest voter turnout ever. Only 29% of registered voters went to the polls. | What this election did see was a record number of young candidates challenging incumbents, and the greatest amount was in the Black wards of the city. According to Aislinn Pulley, an organizer with Black Lives Matter-Chicago, "What was significant were the young activists – mostly Black and Latino – that fought neighborhood…
(2019-04-05). Zionist Campaign Drives Black Jewish Activist Out of UK's Labour Party. truthout.org Anti-racist activist Jackie Walker was expelled from the U.K. Labour Party on March 26, after two-and-a-half years of suspension for allegedly "bringing the party into disrepute." | Walker, a pro-Palestinia…
(2019-04-05). Thinking About Russia: Pigeonholing Doesn't Work. counterpunch.org Black-and-white thinking rarely works and certainly not about Russia. Consider the following. Only days ago, about 100 Russian troops landed in Venezuela to deter a U.S. invasion. At home, Russian security forces continue to repress pro-democracy movements, dissidents and LGBT rights activists. The Russian military has long aided the Bashar al-Assad regime, which is responsible More
(2019-04-05). Saudi Arabia Arrests Supporters of Imprisoned Women Activists. telesurenglish.net Saudi Arabia has arrested eight people, including two dual United States-Saudi citizens, in an apparent crackdown on supporters of women activists whose trial has drawn Western condemnation, rights groups said Friday. | RELATED: | Saudi Arabia Executes Nigerian Woman Over Drug-Related Charges | The 11 women on trial had campaigned for the right to drive and…
(2019-04-05). Lies our Senators Tell Us, or, Whither Congress? counterpunch.org Last month, a group of student activists from various Bay Area climate justice groups visited Senator Feinstein's office in California to deliver a letter urging her to support the Green New Deal. While the students may have held out some hope Feinstein would see the light after agreeing to meet them without a scheduled appointment, More
(2019-04-05). Ecuador Twists Embarrassing INA Papers into Pretext to Oust Assange. globalresearch.ca On 26 March, WikiLeaks' Twitter account announced that President Moreno is being investigated by Ecuador's Congress for corruption, sparked by the INA Papers leak. The same tweet referenced President Moreno's attempt to surrender Assange in exchange for US debt relief, …
(2019-04-05). Protecting Julian Assange: A Must for People of Conscience. globalresearch.ca A high level source within the Ecuadorian state has told Wikileaks that Julian Assange will be expelled within 'hours to days.' — WikiLeaks on Twitter. | The Mueller investigation of an alleged collusion between Donald Trump and Russia to influence the …
(2019-04-05). With Extradition Imminent, the Implications of Assange's Persecution for Journalism and Democracy. mintpressnews.com 
In light of Wikileaks tweeting that Julian Assange will be forcibly removed from the Ecuadorian embassy in a matter of "hours or days, MPN brings you a piece by Whitney Webb first published last June on the dangerous implications of the persecution of the Wikileaks founder.
(2019-04-05). Terms of Asylum and Distraction: Moreno's Assange Problem. counterpunch.org Political asylum is an accepted if often ignored right. It is also at the mercy of those interests that grant it. Ecuador's repeated insistence on conditioning Julian Assange's stay in its London abode is tantamount to corroding the idea of asylum to vacuity. You are granted asylum as a political dissident, but political dissident you More
(2019-04-05). 'The Essence of Being Palestinian': What the Great March of Return is Really About. counterpunch.org The aims of the Great March of Return protests, which began in Gaza on March 30, 2018 are to put an end to the suffocating Israeli siege and implementing the Right of Return for Palestinian refugees who were expelled from their homes and towns in historic Palestine 70 years earlier. But there is much more More
(2019-04-05). Identity Rules: A Report from Reddening Chicago. counterpunch.org 
Fake-Progressive Identity Cloaking Beyond the identity-politicized excitement of Chicago electing its first Black female chief executive and becoming the largest U.S. city to have a Black female mayor (and to have a gay mayor), there wasn't all that much for a leftist to choose from between victor Lori Lightfoot and her opponent Toni Preckwinkle. Mayor-Elect More
(2019-04-05). The Veto: Documentary Film Exposing Western Media Propaganda War Against Syria. globalresearch.ca I met journalist and friend Rafiq Lutf and cameraman Abdul-Mun'aim Arnous in January 2018 and I was honoured when Rafiq asked me to work with him on his film project, The Veto. | As Dr Shaaban said to me in August …
(2019-04-05). "The Owner": The Rise of Eduardo Elsztain and the Coming End of Argentina's Democracy. mintpressnews.com 
With the backing and funding of the global elite, Eduardo Elsztain and his closest associates have taken control of Argentina's real estate, electricity, agriculture, and finance industries. His next target? Argentina's election system.
(2019-04-05). IDF General: Israel Behind Coup That Installed Al-Sisi Dictatorship in Egypt. mintpressnews.com 
Al-Sisi's government, widely considered a military dictatorship despite a pale sheen of democracy, has forged increasingly close ties with Israel ever since he came to power in the 2013 coup.
(2019-04-05). Guaido set to enact uprising rooted in U.S. Regime-change operations manual. mronline.org 
With its hands tied when it comes to military intervention, only covert actions—such as those described in the RED Team document—are likely to be enacted by the U.S. government, at least at this stage of its ongoing "regime change" effort in Venezuela. | Source
(2019-04-05). Global Banks, led by JPMorgan Chase, invested $1.9 Trillion in fossil fuels since Paris climate pact. mronline.org 
The top four banks that invested most heavily in fossil fuel projects are all based in the U.S., and include JPM organ Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi, and Bank of America. Royal Bank of Canada, Barclays in Europe, Japan's MUFG, TD Bank, Scotiabank, and Mizuho make up the remainder of the top 10. | Source
(2019-04-05). Robert Reich: Closing the Border to Mexico is "Insane" therealnews.com 
$1.5 billion dollars per day cross the US-Mexico border and closing it, as Trump has proposed (and recently backtracked), would be "cataclysmic," says former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, whom Laura Carlsen interviewed in Mexico…
(2019-04-05). Iraq's WMDs Found…In Russia. counterpunch.org 
In late 2017, actor Morgan Freeman announced in a video created by a who's who of senior U.S. Intelligence officials that Russia had attacked the United States and that 'we' were at war. Freeman, whose net worth is said to be about a quarter-billion dollars, claimed that ex-Soviet 'authoritarian' Vladimir Putin, bitter about the dissolution of 'his' country, was behind the attack. The terms 'attack' and 'war' were not qualified as metaphors. More
(2019-04-05). The CIA: Surprise, Kill, Vanish. counterpunch.org 
The International Criminal Court (ICC) which prosecutes crimes against humanity is under attack again by the Trump Administration for pursuing Americans. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama supported it. George W. Bush tried to close it down but then decided to cooperate with it. Donald Trump is against it and encouraged John Bolton, his National Security Advisor, to publically More
(2019-04-05). NATO's Mission Creeps into Latin America as Unholy Alliance Turns 70. mintpressnews.com 
"Vladimir Putin harbors dark dreams of imperialism," Mike Pompeo told his NATO audience with his usual lack of self-reflection. Pompeo went on to bemoan Russia's military presence in Venezuela, where 100 military personnel have been stationed in defense of the government of Nicolas Maduro.
(2019-04-05). Trump's "Deal of the Century" To Hand Palestine to Israel Along with Whole Set of New Problems. mintpressnews.com 
Though the Deal of the Century will try to eliminate the Palestinian issue for good, what the architects of the "Deal" in their arrogance fail to see is that this so-called "Deal" is nothing more than an irresponsible, impractical and precarious plan that will fall just as soon as it is raised.
(2019-04-05). With All Israelis IDF Veterans, Public Apathy Over Israeli War Machine is Near Universal. mintpressnews.com 
Most Israelis don't have much sympathy for Palestinians. A recent poll showed that 53 percent of Israelis thought Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent bombardment of Gaza following the rocket attack was "too weak" while only 3 percent believed it to be excessive.
(2019-04-05). As Increasingly Unpopular NATO Turns 70, Has the Organization Reached its Retirement Age? mintpressnews.com 
Like a snake shedding its skin, NATO is attempting to rebrand itself in an effort to remain of service to empire, greatly expanding its remit as it did after the fall of the Soviet Union.
(2019-04-05). Congress orders Trump to get out of Yemen, he refuses. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Congress is ordering GOP President Donald Trump to end U.S. military involvement in Yemen. His advisors are telling him — via a veto — to stay in. Since the Korean War in the early 1950's Congress has ceded to the president its constitutional role of deciding when to go to war. The vote yesterday by …
(2019-04-05). EU Clamps Down on Freedom of Speech in name of Copyright Protection. therealnews.com 
Julia Reda of the Pirate Party warns that the law does not protect creators, but large interest groups. Internet platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter will install filters and ban access to material individuals upload who do not buy the rights for everything they use…
(2019-04-05). Green New Deal pushing climate change into mainstream media. peoplesworld.org 
Climate change coverage in much of the mainstream media was abysmally low in 2018. It's been tilting upward in the first quarter of 2019, thanks in large part to the Green New Deal. The ascending trend is a positive development overall — it's about time media started paying more attention to the existential crisis of …
(2019-04-05). Surface Mining in the Yellowstone to Uintas Connection: What About Wildlife? counterpunch.org 
Here at Kiesha's Preserve near Paris, Idaho we became aware in 2011 that a 2500-acre mineral lease close to the Preserve was undergoing exploration and permitting in order to mine the phosphate ore. We were greatly concerned that the noise from blasting, mining, stockpiling and hauling of ore would adversely affect wildlife and our wildlife More
(2019-04-05). "Corporate Homicide": Ralph Nader Demands Boeing Recall Jets After Ethiopia Crash Kills His Niece. democracynow.org 
A wrongful death case was filed against Boeing on the same day that a preliminary investigation into last month's Ethiopian Airlines crash revealed damning details about the aircraft manufacturer and raised new questions about whether it gave pilots proper instructions for navigating new software. The findings were released Thursday in Ethiopia, based on the analysis of a team of 18 investigators, less than a month after the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash killed all 157 people on board. The report found similarities in the technical issues experienced by pilots on both the Ethiopian Airlines flight and Octob…
(2019-04-05). The Privatization of Wildlife: How Ted Turner Scored Yellowstone Bison. counterpunch.org 
The following is an excerpt from The Big Heat: Earth on the Brink. It is just one more battle in the century-and-a-half-old range wars, where land and wildlife have come into direct conflict with selfish, private interests. It's also a story of privileged ethnocentrism, where a once proud indigenous culture and the wild species it More
(2019-04-05). Calling Racism by Its Real Name. fair.org 
Note that the New York Times' headline ( 1/10/19) was not "Steve King Defends White Supremacy"—though that was surely the most newsworthy aspect of this profile. | It should go without saying that things we don't have names for…go without saying. For years, that's been the deal with corporate media and racism. Actions, policies, statements and ideas that regular people have no trouble identifying as racist become, in elite media hands, "racially tinged," "racially charged," "race-related." And if racism isn…
(2019-04-05). Russiagate is Not Watergate. counterpunch.org 
Trump is quite unlike George W. Bush, another president not entirely shipshape upstairs; Bush understood his limitations. To his credit, he took care to compensate for them, recruiting capable people to work in his administration, and ceding power to them whenever he could. Especially at first, he even let a lesser Nixonian figure, Dick Cheney, a respectable enough villain in his own right, operate as if he were a co-president. Trump is something else altogether. He thinks that he is the smartest person not just in the room but on the planet. It is therefore no surprise that even minimally competent people don't…
(2019-04-05). Tens of thousands demand release of Mueller report with backup evidence. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Shades of Watergate. In late 1973, GOP President Richard Nixon tried to shut down the Watergate investigation by arbitrarily firing Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, padlocking the prosecutor's offices and canning a top official, William Ruckelshaus, who refused to fire Cox. Another Nixonite, Robert Bork, did so. Cox responded that whether the nation would be governed …
(2019-04-05). Venezuela seeks a way out of the emergency. workers.org 
This article was published in pagina12.com.ar on April 2. Translation by Michael Otto. On Sunday, March 31, Nicolás Maduro announced a special 30-day electricity plan to create "a special department of power management that will be able to balance the national electricity system." He declared it Sunday night, after a . . . | Continue reading Venezuela seeks a way out of the emergency at Workers.org
(2019-04-05). The Case Against the CIA's Censors. counterpunch.org 
I have joined in a lawsuit with four former federal employees to end the government's censorship of our writings on national security issues. The current publications review system of our military and intelligence agencies is dysfunctional, inhibiting our ability to participate in national security debates. The government has a legitimate interest in protecting bona fide secrets, but the review system is opaque, exceeding legitimate national security boundaries and compromising free speech. More
(2019-04-05). Good Night Sweet Left. counterpunch.org 
"I speak only one language, and it is not my own." —Jacques Derrida "The stereotype of the public intellectual, from Fareed Zakaria of Newsweek International to Christopher Hitchens, the freelance British gadfly, would offer statements describing US policy, coming out promptly in response to every crisis. This is undoubtedly worthy, often requiring personal courage, but More
(2019-04-05). Something About Butte. counterpunch.org 
Butte, Montana isn't a mining town. It's a mined town. The core of the city is hollow, tunneled out. Beneath the shattered surface of the Hill, there are more than 10,000 miles of underground passages and thousands of shafts, glory holes descending deep feet into the bedrock. Every now and then, holes will open in More
(2019-04-05). Paradise Lost: Reflections on the Camp Fire. counterpunch.org 
I just visited the town of Paradise located on the slopes of the Cascade Range near Chico, California. The Camp Fire burned through Paradise last November (2018) killing 87 people, mostly older residents. Plus destroying 14000 homes and another 4800 structures (like commercial buildings). Another 637 structures were "damaged" bringing the total estimate by CAL More
(2019-04-05). Trump Administration Demands that Turkey Cancel Purchase of Russian S-400 Air Defense Missiles. globalresearch.ca The Trump regime demands Turkey cancel its planned purchase of Russian S-400 air defense missiles. | Technologically superior to US long-range surface-to-air Patriot missiles, nothing in the West matches their effectiveness. | S-400s can destroy multiple hostile aircraft, ballistic missiles, and …
(2019-04-05). Ralph Nader Demands Boeing Recall Jets After Ethiopia Crash Kills His Niece. truthout.org A wrongful death case was filed against Boeing on the same day that a preliminary investigation into last month's Ethiopian Airlines crash revealed damning details about the aircraft manufacturer and raised new questions about whether it gave pilots proper instructions for navigating new software. The findings were released Thursday in Ethiopia, based on the analysis of a team of 18 investigators, less than a month after the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash killed all 157 people on board. The report found similarities in the technical issues experienced by pilots on both the Ethiopian Airlines flight and Oc…
(2019-04-05). Foreign Correspondent: Ukraine Elections, Putin, and Trump. progressive.org Will the next president of Ukraine pursue reconciliation with Russia?
(2019-04-05). Video: Israeli Air Strikes on Syria: Weapons, Effects, Consequences. globalresearch.ca The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) continue their bombing campaign in Syria. In the framework of this campaign, IDF aircraft strike what the Israeli leadership describes as Iranian infrastructure and weapon shipments to Hezbollah and pro-Iranian armed groups. Nonetheless, positions and …
(2019-04-05). Democrats File Suit Against Border Wall Spending. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — The Latest on President Donald Trump and the border (all times local): | 5: 30 p.m. | House Democrats have filed a lawsuit aimed at preventing President Donald Trump from spending more money than Congress has approved to erect barriers along the southwestern border. | Democrats say Trump's attempt to transfer billions of dollars from several programs to wall construction violates the Constitution, which gives Congress control over spending. The 45-page complaint was filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. | House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls Trump's act a "brazen assa…
(2019-04-05). Lawsuit Seeks Records on Trump Administration's OK of Bee-killing Pesticides, GE Crops on National Wildlife Refuges. globalresearch.ca The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today for public records on the Trump administration's decision to allow bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides and genetically engineered crops on national wildlife refuges. | Today's lawsuit follows an August 2018 …
(2019-04-05). Dangerous Plastics Are a Threat to Us and Future Generations. globalresearch.ca Every day people make decisions about what to eat, sometimes opting for colorful fruits and veggies, sometimes finding the smell of bacon irresistible. At the end of the day people are controlling their own health. What is remarkable though, is …
(2019-04-05). Let's Build the Kind of Left that Demands Canada Withdraw from NATO. globalresearch.ca Final in a four-part series on the 70th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. | The first two installments discussed how NATO was set up to blunt the European left and to enable global dominance while the third focused …
(2019-04-05). The Media Smoothed the Path to British Soldiers Using Corbyn as Target Practice. globalresearch.ca It is time to stop believing these infantile narratives the British political and media establishments have crafted for us. Like the one in which they tell us they care deeply about the state of political life, and that they lie …