2019-04-08: News Headlines

Norman Solomon (2019-04-08). Why Is Barbara Lee Helping Fund Our Forever Wars? truthdig.com What Barbara Lee did on the House floor three days after 9/11 — speaking prophetic words and casting t…

Norman Solomon (2019-04-08). Rep. Barbara Lee's Startling Vote to Boost Military Spending. commondreams.org Barbara Lee has been a stalwart opponent of endless war. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/barb.jpeg

Vijay Prashad (2019-04-08). Libya's Incoming Strongman Haftar Will Send the Oil Out to Europe—and Keep Its Migrants In. commondreams.org General Khalifa Haftar attends the Conference for Libya at Villa Igiea on November 12, 2018 in Palermo, Italy. (Photo: Tullio Puglia/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1060719214.jpg

Chris Hedges (2019-04-08). Reckoning With Failure in the War on Terror. commondreams.org The methods used on a wary public by the national security state, especially the FBI and the intelligence agencies, to justify and advance these wars are increasingly unsavory. (Photo: Mr. Fish) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-04-08_at_8.49.05_am.png

Alexander Rubinstein (2019-04-08). The Syrian American Council's Pressure Campaign to Censor One of Its Major Critics. globalresearch.ca 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 …

Democracy Now! (2019-04-08). Kings Bay Plowshares: Peace Activists Face 25 Years for Action at U.S. Nuclear Submarine Base. democracynow.org A group of peace activists have been jailed for over a year before trial for entering the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia last April to protest U.S. nuclear weapons. The action took place on April 4, 2018—the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's assassination. Armed with hammers, crime scene tape and baby bottles containing their own blood, seven anti-nuclear activists secretly entered Kings Bay—one of the largest nuclear submarine bases in the world—under the cover of night. Their goal was to symbolically disarm the six nuclear ballistic missile submarines kept there. Each submari…

Peace Action (2019-04-08). President Moon's Unenviable Task. peaceaction.org This article was originally published on Common Dreams. When President Moon Jae-in of South Korea meets with President Donald Trump at the White House this week, he may find himself fighting the urge to pour cold water all over Trump, because that's what Trump did to the Korea peace process when he met with Kim …

Alvaro Huerta (2019-04-08). Reflections of a MEChista by a Chicano Scholar Activist. counterpunch.org I first learned about MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlán) during UCLA's Freshman Summer Program (FSP) in 1985, as a 17-year-old freshman. Many moons later, when I became a member, I still stand by MEChA's mantra: "Once a MEChista, always a MEChista." (To pretend to be younger, I usually joke that I was "actually" a More

Democracy Now! (2019-04-08). A New Nuclear Arms Race: As NATO Marks 70th Anniversary, Threat of Nuclear Confrontation Grows. democracynow.org Commemorations—as well as protests—were held last week to mark the 70th anniversary of the formation of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. President Trump used the anniversary to push for NATO countries to increase military spending. During an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Trump demanded Germany and other NATO countries increase their military spending from 2 to 4 percent of GDP. The push for more military spending could benefit U.S. weapons manufacturers including Boeing. This comes as Acting Pentagon Chief Patrick Shanahan is under investigation for imp…

Margaret Flowers (2019-04-08). No to NATO: Time to End Aggressive Militarism. globalresearch.ca This week, the Foreign Ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries met in Washington, DC. NATO was greeted with bi-partisan support from Congress and by protesters who held actions and events from Saturday, March 30 through their meeting …

Amee Chew (2019-04-08). It's Time to End U.S. Military Aid to the Philippines. commondreams.org Protestors demonstrate against drug war killings outside the Philippine consulate in New York. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/phili.jpeg

Oscar Grenfell (2019-04-08). Assange Faces Ongoing Threats at Ecuador's London Embassy. globalresearch.ca Over the weekend, the Ecuadorian government issued a statement denying that it was going to "imminently" expel Julian Assange from its London embassy. This followed mounting opposition to its threats to terminate the WikiLeaks founder's political asylum, including from United …

Philip Giraldi (2019-04-08). There's Something Rotten in Virginia: Israel Is a Malignant Force in Local Politics. globalresearch.ca One of the more interesting aspects of the relentless march of the Israel Lobby in the United States is the extent to which it has expanded its reach down into the state and even local level. Previously, the American Israel …

STAFF (2019-04-08). Sec. of State Pompeo Protecting Bush Jr. from War Crimes Prosecution (Pt 1/2). therealnews.com With the revocation of the ICC Chief Prosecutor's US visa, Pompeo and Bolton are trying to make sure that high-level US government officials are never prosecuted for war crimes committed in Afghanistan or elsewhere, says Law Prof. Francis Boyle…

STAFF (2019-04-08). Sec. of State Pompeo Protects Bush Jr. from War Crimes Prosecution (Pt 2/2). therealnews.com With the revocation of the ICC Chief Prosecutor's US visa, Pompeo and Bolton are trying to make sure that no high-level US government officials are ever prosecuted for war crimes in Afghanistan and elsewhere, says Law Prof. Francis Boyle…

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2019-04-08). As House Votes US Out of Yemen, Saudis Bombs Leave Scores of Schoolchildren Dead. mintpressnews.com This latest attack came just two days after the U.S. House of Representatives approved a joint resolution invoking congressional authority under the War Powers Resolution to direct the president to end U.S. participation in the devastating Saudi-led war against Yemen.

Whitney Webb (2019-04-08). Is Trump's Designation of Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps as Terrorist Organization a Set-Up for War? mintpressnews.com With the IRGC now officially labeled a "foreign terrorist organization" by the U.S. government, the march to war with Iran — long a goal of top Trump administration officials — is closer than ever.

Ivan Kesic (2019-04-08). Under Trump, US Pushes"Let 'Em All Die" Policy Towards Iran Flood Victims. mintpressnews.com Since 19 March 19, devastating floods swept across large areas of Iran, triggered by the heaviest downpours in many years. Heavy rainfall began two and a half weeks ago, overflowing rivers, washing away bridges, inundating houses and destroying infrastructural establishments in the northern, western and central parts of the country. According to the Iran Legal Medicine Organization, at least 62 people have been killed nationwide in the natural disaster so far, which has also forced tens of thousands of people, mostly in villages, to evacuate their homes and move to emergency shelters. Hundreds of people have also…

Alexander Rubinstein (2019-04-08). Libya Risks Being Torn to Shreds — Again — by Former CIA Asset Turned Warlord. mintpressnews.com Already, the usual suspects are clamoring for U.S. intervention as Haftar's forces advance on the capital. With not just al-Qaeda, but now ISIS, a threat to stability in the country, the New York Times is calling on the Trump administration to "act fast."

Howard Lisnoff (2019-04-08). The Political Left is Bigger Than Imagined: Ask the Feds. counterpunch.org There has always been official disdain for the political left in the U.S. The suppression of left movements began with the Palmer raids of 1919-1920 in the First Red Scare. Anarchists were deported in a manner similar to the removal of immigrants from the U.S. today, some of whom committed only minor offenses, and some of whom More

Jeremy Lent (2019-04-08). What Will You Say to Your Grandchildren? counterpunch.org Facing oncoming climate disaster, some argue for "Deep Adaptation"—that we must prepare for inevitable collapse. However, this orientation is dangerously flawed. It threatens to become a self-fulfilling prophecy by diluting the efforts toward positive change. What we really need right now is Deep Transformation. There is still time to act: we must acknowledge this moral More

Eds. (2019-04-08). Imperialism after empire. mronline.org A new book reveals the extent of the "Greater United States," but territory is not as important as it used to be. Instead, imperialism endures today in the logic of capitalism. | Source

Brian Mahoney (2019-04-08). Raptors' Siakam makes his case as NBA's most improved player. peoplesworld.org Pascal Siakam confidently launches shots he may not have dared attempt in previous seasons. He makes plays during times of the game when he would have been sitting on the bench. The Toronto Raptors forward might be the leading candidate for the most improved player award and he'd like to win it. But he's already …

Wes Jackson — Robert Jensen (2019-04-08). Let's Get 'Creaturely': a New Worldview Can Help Us Face Ecological Crises. counterpunch.org No farmer has ever gone out to the barn to start the day and discovered that a baby tractor had been born overnight. For farmers who work with horses, the birth of a foal would not be surprising.That observation may seem silly, but it highlights an important contrast: Machines cannot reproduce or maintain themselves. Creatures can. More

John Feffer (2019-04-08). Trump and the Global Rise of the Christian Right. counterpunch.org Trump a representative of God? During the 2016 presidential campaign, evangelical Christians voted in large numbers for Trump not because of his religious convictions but despite his lack of them. They viewed Trump as an imperfect vehicle for God's will, which was presumably expressing itself about the composition of the Supreme Court, government funding for abortion, and the eroding wall between church and state. More

CP Editor (2019-04-08). Artifishal | The Fight to Save Wild Salmon. counterpunch.org

W. T. Whitney (2019-04-08). The Burning of Highlander Center: a Fascist-like Attack. counterpunch.org The deadly racist spree in Charlottesville in 2017 and the killing of 11 congregants at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg in 2018 were fire bells in the night. Another rang out in New Market, Tennessee on March 29 as the main building at the Highlander Research and Education Center burned to the ground, More

James Phillips (2019-04-08). Pardon the Confusion! Aid to Central America and the "Crisis" at the Border. counterpunch.org The Trump Administration says there is a crisis at the U.S. border with Mexico. The President is frustrated with the governments of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador because they have not done enough to stop emigration from their countries, despite U.S. aid. The State Department announced that it will stop some U.S. aid to these countries. News reports indicate that the aid to be cut is economic and humanitarian, but that "security"aid (to police and military) will be maintained. In fact, just before the State Department announcement, the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary signed a joint agreement with the gover…

Judith Deutsch (2019-04-08). Wealth and the Invisibility of Human Life. counterpunch.org Globalists: The End of empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism. Quinn Slobodian. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2018. Quinn Slobodian's masterful exegesis, an old term befitting his subject, tells of the Ur group of thinkers who formulated the assumptions and prescriptions of global neoliberalism. He names this group the Geneva School as distinct from the Chicago More

Jonathan Cook (2019-04-08). This Israeli Election is Between the Right Wing and the Even More Right Wing. counterpunch.org Nazareth. Israel's election campaign, now in its last days, must be the first in which a sitting Israeli prime minister has sought to win over voters by boasting about how much he insulted a president of the United States. One of the last campaign videos by Benjamin Netanyahu spliced together media clips of US analysts More

Democracy Now! (2019-04-08). Headlines for April 8, 2019. democracynow.org Kirstjen Nielsen Steps Down as DHS Secretary, Gov't: It May Take 2 Years to Reunite Separated Migrant Families, NY Man Arrested for Threatening to Murder Rep. Ilhan Omar, Trump Attacks Migrants, Rep. Omar in Speech to Conservative Jewish Group, Arizona: Man Dies in ICE Custody After Exhibiting Flu Symptoms, Yemen: Air Raid Kills At Least 13 Civilians, Incl. 7 Children in Sana'a, Netanyahu Says He Will Annex West Bank Settlements If Re-elected, Libya: 21 People Killed as Renegade Force Advances on Tripoli, Sudan: Security Forces Crack Down on Growing Popular Uprising, U.S. Labels Iran Revolutionary Guard as Terror…

Alexander Rubinstein (2019-04-08). Are Death Threats the New Norm for Zionists and the Rampaging Right? mintpressnews.com Ilhan Omar is not the first prominent politician to challenge Zionism or its methods of shoring up support in the U.S. She is, however, the first Hijabi in Congress.

Stephen Lendman (2019-04-08). Trump Sacks DHS Secretary Nielsen. globalresearch.ca The USA Patriot Act was written months before 9/11, kept on the shelf, ready to be enacted into law following the mother of all false flags. | Numerous other police state laws, executive orders, presidential and homeland security directives, congressional authorization …

Stephen Lendman (2019-04-08). Endless War and Chaos in Libya. globalresearch.ca US-led NATO aggression raped and destroyed Libya, transforming Africa's most developed nation into a cauldron of endless violence, chaos and human misery — what happens virtually wherever US forces show up. | In 2011, Libya was terror-bombed and attacked on the …

Juan Cole (2019-04-08). Why Designating the Iranian Rev. Guards Terrorists Would Paint a Big Red Target on US Troops in Iraq. globalresearch.ca The Trump administration is considering designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organization. This is an old Joe Lieberman idea from 2007, and it is a very bad idea. It keeps being done rhetorically (2007, 2017), and then …

Kate Hudson (2019-04-08). NATO — 70 Years Too Many. globalresearch.ca As we head for NATO's 70th birthday, it's time to assess the nuclear-armed military alliance that came into being to ensure western military superiority during the Cold War. Most strikingly, during its first 40 years of existence — namely …

United Nations (2019-04-08). Yemen: 11 more 'terrible, senseless' civilian deaths reported, following attack in Sana'a – top UN official. un.org The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Lise Grande, has expressed her outrage at the 'terrible, senseless deaths' of 11 civilians in the capital, Sana'a on Sunday, in which scores were also injured.

Randi Nord (2019-04-08). Secret Document Reveals Plans for Civil War in Lebanon, Israeli False Flags, and Invasion. globalresearch.ca During his visit with US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, Lebanese President Michael Aoun reportedly received a US-Israeli document detailing plans for creating a civil war in Lebanon with covert false flag operations and possible Israeli invasion. | Although the …

Tony Cartalucci (2019-04-08). West Finds New Anti-China Puppet in Wake of Thai Elections. globalresearch.ca Western political meddling abroad faced another serious setback — this time in the Southeast Asian country of Thailand. | With a population of 70 million people, the 2nd largest economy in Southeast Asia, and transforming into a key regional partner for …

Jim Miles (2019-04-08). Easternization — Asia's Rise and America's Decline — From Obama to Trump and Beyond. globalresearch.ca Rachman's …

Andrew Korybko (2019-04-08). The US' Plans to Designate the Iran Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as "Terrorists" Aren't Just for Show. globalresearch.ca The US plans to use this possibly impending designation as the basis upon which to "justify" forthcoming Hybrid War measures against the Islamic Republic aimed at dismantling its "deep state" network in the Mideast, including through possible strikes against the …

Richard Galustian (2019-04-08). The Last Battle for Libya. globalresearch.ca The prize is Tripoli, for anyone that can take it and secure it by this summer. That will, it's felt by many, stabilise Libya or, conversely, at worse, make Her descend into a greater quagmire resulting in a new phase …

Prof Susan Babbitt (2019-04-08). Let the People See: Emmett Till, and Why They Don't See. globalresearch.ca A new book about Emmett Till, Let the People See,[i] aims to explore "not just history but memory". Elliott J. Gorn says Emmett Till's story "keeps resurfacing in unexpected times and places … [and] like the dark Tallahatchie river, …

Craig Murray (2019-04-08). On the Pavement with Wikileaks. globalresearch.ca Entirely unexpectedly, I have been down in London this last three days outside and around the Ecuadorean Embassy, following WikiLeaks' announcement that their sources indicate Julian might be expelled within hours or days. Plainly Julian's position within the Embassy has …

Mike Whitney (2019-04-08). Trump's Neocons See Erdogan as Their Ticket to a Region-Wide Middle East War. globalresearch.ca Turkish troops and armored units are massed along Turkey's southern border awaiting orders to invade northern Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to clear a ten mile-deep swath of land east of the Euphrates River in order to remove …

Keith Harmon Snow (2019-04-08). Rwanda: 25 Years On, U.S. Taxpayers Paying Millions for Homeland Security's Sham 'Genocide Fugitive' Trials in Boston. globalresearch.ca On 6 April 1994, the Hutu presidents of Rwanda and Burundi, their top military staff and six French crew members were assassinated when surface-to-air missiles shot down the Rwandan presidential jet on approach to Kigali airport. It is now well …

Mark Taliano (2019-04-08). ISIS/Al Qaeda in the Middle East and Ukraine's "Neo-Nazis": Two Sides of the Imperial Coin. globalresearch.ca Western-supported ISIS/al Qaeda and western-supported neo-Nazis are two sides to the same Imperial coin. | They are the product of the West's moral degradation, its disdain for international law, and its anti-Life core. A rotten apple by any measure. | Imperial strategies …

Hugo Turner (2019-04-08). Venezuela Under Siege. globalresearch.ca America's war on the world continues to escalate. The arrogance of mad emperor Trump and his minions seemingly knows no bounds. The cowardice and insanity of the "resistance" is revealed yet again in their support for Trump's plot to destroy …

Andrew Korybko (2019-04-08). Libya: There's a Reason Why the West Is Portraying Haftar as a "Russian-Backed" Bogeyman. globalresearch.ca The Mainstream Media's deliberate misportrayal of Libyan National Army General Haftar as "Russian-backed" is meant to turn him into a bogeyman for the purpose of discrediting his military gains after he turned on his American patron. | Haftar "Goes Rogue" | Much …

Hans Stehling (2019-04-08). The World Watches as Netanyahu First Annexes Jerusalem, then the Golan, Now the Occupied Territories. globalresearch.ca In an orgy of illegal land expropriations that makes a mockery of the United Nations and treats Europe and the international community, as a bunch of fools. | What will it take to rid politics of this puffed-up, power-seeking politician? | Without …