How the Pentagon and CIA push Venezuela regime-change propaganda in video games
Max Blumenthal | mronline.org | 2019-04-17
The US military and CIA launder coup propaganda through popular first-person shooter video games like Call of Duty, simulating assassinations of Venezeula's socialist leader and sabotage of its electrical infrastructure. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/04/17/how-the-pentagon-and-cia-push-venezuela-regime-change-propaganda-in-video-games/
The Toxic Lure of "Guns and Butter"
Norman Solomon | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-17
The current political brawl over next year's budget is highly significant. With Democrats in a House majority for the first time in eight years, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and most other party leaders continue to support even more largesse for the Pentagon. But many progressive congressmembers are challenging the wisdom of deference to the military-industrial complex…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/17/the-toxic-lure-of-guns-and-butter/
To Ola Bini, a Political Prisoner Caught Up in the Assange Debacle
Vijay Prashad | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-17
Dear Ola, The last time we had a long conversation, it was about the night. We were at a hotel in South America, where the ambient noise near your room was fairly loud. By ambient noise, I mean music. There was a band playing, a bar in motion, people happy for the evening. You said…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/17/to-ola-bini-a-political-prisoner-caught-up-in-the-assange-debacle/
VIPS Fault Mueller Probe, Criticize Refusal To Interview Assange
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2019-04-17
The bug in Mueller's report to be released Thursday is that he accepts that the Russian government interfered in the election. Trump should challenge that, says VIPS. MEMORANDUM FOR: The President FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) SUBJECT: The Fly in… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2019/04/16/vips-fault-mueller-probe-criticize-refusal-to-interview-assange/
Washington's Biggest Fairy Tale: "Truth Will Out"
James Bovard | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-17
The arrest of Julian Assange has produced rapturous cheering from the American political elite. Hillary Clinton declared that Assange "must answer for what he has done." Unfortunately, Assange's arrest will do nothing to prevent the vast majority of conniving politicians and bureaucrats from paying no price for deceiving the American public.
counterpunch.org/2019/04/17/washingtons-biggest-fairy-tale-truth-will-out/
Delegitimising Journalism: The Effort to Relabel Julian Assange
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-17
"Your honour, I represent the United States government". The Westminster Magistrates Court had been left with little doubt by the opening words of the legal team marshalled against the face of WikiLeaks. Julian Assange was being targeted by the imperium itself, an effort now only garnished by the issue of skipping bail in 2012. Would the…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/17/delegitimising-journalism-the-effort-to-relabel-julian-assange/
Moreno: Assange is an 'Informational Terrorist,' Russian Agent
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-04-17
Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno, in an exclusive interview with the BBC, stated that Julian Assange could be an agent of Russia, who has selectively never revealed information about Moscow amid leaking information about other nations. | RELATED: | Julian Assange Wins 2019 EU Journalism Award | Moreno also discredited Assange as a journalist and accused the WikiLeaks chief of working to preserve Russia and expose other countries, as evidenced by his interfering with the Vatican, the United Stat…
telesurenglish.net/news/Moreno-Assange-is-an-Informational-Terrorist-Russian-Agent-20190417-0013.html
Julian Assange's Victory
Andre Vltchek | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-17
Throughout history, dark and reactionary forces have always attempted to control the world; by violence, by deceit, by kidnapping and perverting the mainstream narrative, or by spreading fear among the masses. | Consistently, brave and honest individuals have been standing up, …
globalresearch.ca/julian-assanges-victory/5674692
Trump's Neocon Administration Want War in Venezuela: Gabbard
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-04-17
U.S. congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii sat down for an interview with MSNBC Tuesday to discuss her campaign for the presidency and her views on a number of topics, including the potential military intervention in Venezuela. | RELATED: | Peruvian Journalist Wins Pulitzer Prize For Critiquing Trump | Gabbard told the Hardball host Chris Matthews that U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded by "neocon war hawks" that want war with Venezuela, despite the catastrophic effects t…
telesurenglish.net/news/Trumps-Neocon-Administration-Want-War-in-Venezuela-Gabbard-20190417-0010.html
Nancy Pelosi Denies Accusations that Ilhan Omar is Anti-Semitic
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-04-17
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for politicizing the 9/11 terror attacks in an attempt to harm the image of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. | RELATED: | Progressives, Democrats Slam Trump over 'Disgusting' Video linking Ilhan Omar to 9/11 | Pelosi jumped to Omar's defense during a CNN interview this week, saying that the Minnesota congresswoman is not anti-semitic. | "I don't think the congresswoman is anti-Semitic. I woul…
telesurenglish.net/news/Nancy-Pelosi-Denies-Accusations-that-Ilhan-Omar-is-Anti-Semitic-20190417-0015.html
Preventing the Sale of Venezuelan Oil to Cuba: Killing Two Birds with a Stone
Nino Pagliccia | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-17
Recent US sanctions have been directed at the heart of Venezuela's economy: the oil industry, an industry that has also been crippled by the continued sabotages on the electric power grid of the country. | But when you think that enough …
globalresearch.ca/preventing-the-sale-of-venezuelan-oil-to-cuba-killing-two-birds-with-a-stone/5674676
The Latin American left's setbacks: what does it all mean?
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-04-17
Steve Ellner and Alan Freeman talk about the Pink Tide and what came after in Venezuela and in the Latin American region. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/04/17/the-latin-american-lefts-setbacks-what-does-it-all-mean/
Guaido Takes Credit for Humanitarian Aid Delivery to Venezuela
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-04-17
Juan Guaido of the Venezuelan opposition took to Twitter Tuesday to take credit for the humanitarian aid delivery that was provided by the Red Cross to the people of the Bolivarian Republic. | RELATED: | Venezuelan UN Envoy: Secret Meetings Taking Place to Plan War | Guaido boasted via his Twitter: "They lied to Venezuela and the world, denied the emergency and denied aid to a town that asks for food and medicines. But before our pressure and firmness, they had no choice but to…
telesurenglish.net/news/Guaido-Takes-Credit-for-Humanitarian-Aid-Delivery-to-Venezuela-20190417-0001.html
Iran Officially Adds US Forces to Terrorist List
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-04-17
Iran has officially added the U.S. Armed Forces in the Middle East to their terrorist list, IRNA reported Tuesday. | RELATED: | Iran Calls Pompeo's Accusations of Meddling in Venezuela 'Ridiculous' | Iran's Minister of Defense General Amir Hatami first introduced the bill declaring the U.S. Armed Forces in the Middle East as terrorists shortly after Trump's designation, but it was not approved until recently. | The Iranian lawmakers unanimously supported the bill, IRNA re…
telesurenglish.net/news/Iran-Officially-Adds-US-Forces-to-Terrorist-List-20190417-0003.html
Trump Whacks the Middle Class
Jack Rasmus | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-17
In 2016 Trump promised tax cuts for the middle class. Now it's clear Trump's 2018 tax cut is making the middle class pay for corporations, businesses, investors and the wealthiest 1% households historic tax cuts totaling no less than $4.5 trillion over the next decade. A massive redistribution of income favoring the capitalist class–at the…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/17/trump-whacks-the-middle-class/
Trump Vetoes 'Dangerous' Resolution to End US Military Involvement in Yemen
Middle East Eye | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-17
US President Donald Trump has vetoed a congressional resolution that sought to end US involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen, the White House has said. | "This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the | …
globalresearch.ca/trump-vetoes-resolution-end-us-military-involvement-yemen/5674709
Peru's Ex-President Alan García Shoots Himself Prior to Arrest
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-04-17
Peru's former President Alan García was hospitalized Wednesday after shooting himself when police entered his house to arrest him for a case of bribes from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, a police source told Reuters. | The source, who was not authorized to speak to the press, said Garcia was immediately transferred to the local Casimiro Ulloa hospital, located in a district of Lima. | The local television channel America reported that Garcia was undergoing emergency surgery and was in critical condition. Images from the channel showed the former president's two children entering the hospital.
telesurenglish.net/news/Perus-Ex-President-Alan-Garcia-Shoots-Himself-Prior-to-Arrest-20190417-0016.html
Deposed Sudanese President Transferred to New Prison
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-04-17
The deposed President of Sudan Omar Al-Bashir was transferred to a new prison in the capital city of Khartoum Wednesday, the AFP News Agency reported. | RELATED: | African Union Presses Sudan's Army to Transfer Power in 15 Days | Al-Bashir was reportedly transferred to the notorious Kober Prison, which is a maximum security prison that was once used by the deposed president to detain and execute political dissidents. | "Last night, Bashir was transferred to Kober prison in Kh…
telesurenglish.net/news/Deposed-Sudanese-President-Transferred-to-Prison-He-Used-to-Execute-Political-Dissidents–20190417-0012.html
Pet Deer Kills Man, Badly Injures Woman in Australia's Outback
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-04-17
A man was killed and a woman was left badly injured Wednesday when their pet deer attacked them on their property in Australia's Outback region, local police said. | RELATED: | Great Barrier Reef Severely Damaged By Coral Bleaching | Following the deer attack, emergency services were called to the home to treat the couple, who were identified as Mandi and Paul McDonald. | "The man died at the scene," police said in a statement obtained by the AFP News Agency. "The woman has been airl…
telesurenglish.net/news/Pet-Deer-Kills-Man-Badly-Injures-Woman-in-Australias-Outback-20190417-0008.html
Indonesia Decides: Election Candidates and Complications
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-04-17
Elections are underway in Indonesia, and millions are heading to the polls to vote between the incumbent President Joko Widodo and ex-general Prabowo Subianto in a rematch of the 2014 elections. | RELATED: | Indonesia Probes Possible Overseas Electoral Fraud in Malaysia | Both candidates have already placed their votes this morning. | Polls are scheduled to close at 6 P.M. GMT with exit poll results expected within the next couple of hours. The projected frontrunner is Widodo,…
telesurenglish.net/news/Indonesia-Decides-Election-Candidates-and-Complications–20190417-0004.html
EU Threatens to Legalize Human Harm From Pesticides
Hans Muilerman and Jonathan Latham | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-17
By Hans Muilerman and Jonathan Latham Current EU regulations forbid human exposure to pesticides that are classified as mutagenic, carcinogenic, reprotoxic (toxic for reproduction), persistent or capable of disrupting endocrine systems. By virtue of these and other protective measures EU regulations are considered the gold standard in public protection. However, experts who are closely linked…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/17/eu-threatens-to-legalize-human-harm-from-pesticides/
How to Stop Grazing on Public Lands: Buy Out the Permits
George Wuerthner | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-17
Across the West, it is well documented that livestock grazing is one of the most destructive land uses on public lands. Some 250 million acres of public lands including those administered by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, as well as some national wildlife refuges and even some national park units are…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/17/how-to-stop-grazing-on-public-lands-buy-out-the-permits/
Vote-Trading for Big Coal
George Ochenski | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-17
The closing weeks of Montana's legislative sessions are always perilous. Legislators are worn out from more than three months of hearings, floor debates, and living on chicken wings and bacon-wrapped appetizers at nightly "receptions." To say their judgment is clouded would be a vast understatement. But what's going on in the Montana Senate right now…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/17/vote-trading-for-big-coal/
The Burning Cathedral and the Dead Turtle
Kollibri terre Sonnenblume | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-17
Like many people, I was shocked when I first heard the news that the Cathedral of Notre Dame was on fire and saw the photos of smoke pouring out of the iconic structure. Though I've never been to Paris, I can imagine something of what was lost, since I have visited other architectural wonders in…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/17/the-burning-cathedral-and-the-dead-turtle-2/
The Price of Participating in Society is the Sacrifice of Privacy and Self
John Stanton | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-17
In what is arguably one of the most craven opportunistic moves by a business/media group to increase its circulation/profitability, on 10 April the New York Times (NYT) embarked on what it describes as its Privacy Project. A day later on 11 April, no doubt with the NYT's foreknowledge of what was to come thanks to an…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/17/the-price-of-participating-in-society-is-the-sacrifice-of-privacy-and-self/
Insurgencies in Malaysia and Vietnam: Boyhood Reflections
Kenneth Surin | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-17
The Communist insurgency in British Malaya (as it then was before becoming Malaysia) started in 1948, which happened to be the year I was born, and ended in 1960. The country became independent in 1957. My youthful recollections of the insurgency are confined to the episodic. Travelling in our car to visit relatives in another…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/17/insurgencies-in-malaysia-and-vietnam-boyhood-reflections/
Opening Tombs and Resurrecting Lives
Rev. William Alberts | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-17
Easter is about opening tombs and resurrecting lives. Today's tombs include the Trump administration's walls and bans and lies that confine people, threaten their safety, and block their aspirations and fulfillment. Thus, in this life, Easter is celebrated whenever people, fleeing such oppression, are offered the safety of sanctuary. Here, people of faith not only…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/17/opening-tombs-and-resurrecting-lives/
Hawai'i in Trouble
Evaggelos Vallianatos | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-17
I first visited Hawaii (Oahu and Maui) in the early 1980s. The islands retained some of the glorious beauty of their pre-American life. I remember the mountains in Oahu. They are not tall. They are smooth, green, with deep ridges. It's like the Hawaiian goddess Pele drew her fingers over a soft matter at the…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/17/hawaii-in-trouble/
Pompeo is "Setting the Stage for a War with Iran"
STAFF | therealnews.com | 2019-04-17
In recent congressional testimony, Sec. of State Pompeo linked Iran to al Qaeda and 9/11 and would not say whether he would apply the 2001 war authorization (AUMF) to Iran. Col. Larry Wilkerson discusses the implications…
therealnews.com/stories/pompeo-is-setting-the-stage-for-a-war-with-iran
The British establishment can no longer remain silent over killing children and colluding with terrorists
Peadar O'Cearnaigh | thecanary.co | 2019-04-17
On 15 April 1981, Paul Whitters was shot by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) with a plastic bullet in Derry and died ten days … | Read more The British establishment can no longer remain silent over killing children and colluding with terrorists | By Peadar O'Cearnaigh…
thecanary.co/opinion/2019/04/17/the-british-establishment-can-no-longer-remain-silent-over-killing-children-and-colluding-with-terrorists/
States intensify attacks on reproductive rights
Martha Grevatt | workers.org | 2019-04-17
It's war. Patriarchal diehards in state legislatures across the country are bound and determined to criminalize what should be a private decision between a woman, a girl or a gender-oppressed individual and their doctor. The target of their new legislation is to kill the now-still-legal right to terminate a pregnancy. . . . | Continue reading States intensify attacks on reproductive rights at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/04/16/states-intensify-attacks-on-reproductive-rights/
New Orleans Mayor Visits Cuba to Build Relations
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-04-17
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell traveled to the Cuban capital of Havana on April 2 to meet with officials and to learn about their educational and health systems, ESSENCE magazine reported Tuesday. | RELATED: | US Official Confirms Anti-Cuba Law to Move Forward, Pushing Relations to 'Worst Levels' | According to ESSENCE, the New Orleans Mayor traveled to Cuba wit…
telesurenglish.net/news/New-Orleans-Mayor-Visits-Cuba-to-Build-Relations–20190417-0006.html
Video: Haftar Forces Stalled South of Tripoli. GNA Fighters Shot Down LNA Warplane
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-17
By April 16, the Libyan National Army (LNA) advance on Tripoli has appeared to be dragged into a trench war on the approach to the southern gate of the city. Militias loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) have …
globalresearch.ca/haftar-forces-stalled-south-tripoli-gna-fighters-shot-down-lna-warplane/5674660
Between Yes and No, Heaven and Earth with Albert Camus on a Spring Morning
Edward Curtin | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-17
"To give up beauty and the sensual happiness that comes with it and devote one's self exclusively to unhappiness requires a nobility I lack. However, after all, nothing is true that compels us to make it exclusive. Isolated beauty ends …
globalresearch.ca/yes-no-heaven-earth-albert-camus/5674674
Trump Using Refugees as Pawns and Public Policy for Vengeance
STAFF | therealnews.com | 2019-04-17
San Francisco District Attorney candidate Chesa Boudin calls Trump a coward and a bully who should be held legally accountable…
therealnews.com/stories/trump-using-refugees-as-pawns-and-public-policy-for-vengeance
AXA IM divests from Elbit Systems – involved in Israeli war crimes
patrick | bdsmovement.net | 2019-04-17
AXA IM divests from Elbit Systems – involved in Israeli war crimes: UpdateThe campaign against AXA's problematic investments continues, as AXA remains linked to Elbit Systems through a subsidiary, and AXA maintains investments in five Israeli banks. | Economic BoycottApril 17, 2019 | By: | | SumOfUs …
bdsmovement.net/news/axa-im-divests-elbit-systems-involved-israeli-war-crimes
Advertising Restrictions Smoking Canada's Cannabis Industry
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-04-17
Less than a year after Canada legalized cannabis, industry insiders are conflicted about the sector's current and future performance, in the North American country, with most people leaning toward a pessimistic outcome. | RELATED: | Conservative UN Body Speaks Out Against Cannabis Legalization | Many factors contribute to the underwhelming performance, one of…
telesurenglish.net/news/Advertising-Restrictions-Smoking-Canadas-Cannabis-Industry-20190417-0011.html
A Cathedral and a Mosque Engulfed in Fire; One Ravages the Past, the Other Threatens the Future
Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-17
The world reacted with shock to the fire that engulfed the Notre Dame Cathedral. A symbol of Paris, this 13th Century architectural marvel is home to precious historical religious relics and artwork; made even more famous throughout the world …
globalresearch.ca/cathedral-mosque-fire-one-ravages-past-threatens-future/5674654
Permissible Influences: Israel and the Australian Elections
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-17
So much hullabaloo; so much pent-up anger and, let's face it, so much opportunity for the political classes of Australia. The theme since 2016 is electoral interference; the object: whichever power so happens to afford an opportunity to gather support …
globalresearch.ca/permissible-influences-israel-australian-elections/5674667
Annexation of West Bank May Provide Key to Unlocking Netanyahu's Legal Troubles
Jonathan Cook | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-17
After winning the Israeli election with a slim majority, in a campaign that grew more sordid and vilifying by the day, Benjamin Netanyahu is poised to begin his fifth term as Israeli prime minister. | The culmination of his dirty tricks …
globalresearch.ca/annexation-west-bank-legal-troubles/5674659
Trump Administration Ignores Environmental Impacts of Mining 30 Million Tons of Coal Near Bryce Canyon National Park
NRDC | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-17
A lawsuit against the Trump Administration's approval of Alton Coal's mine expansion near Bryce Canyon National Park was filed today by Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Grand Canyon Trust, Utah Physicians for …
globalresearch.ca/trump-administration-ignores-environmental-impacts-mining-30-million-tons-coal-near-bryce-canyon-national-park/5674711
The Price of Participating in Society Is the Sacrifice of Privacy and Self
John Stanton | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-17
In what is arguably one of the most craven opportunistic moves by a business/media group to increase its circulation/profitability, on 10 April the New York Times (NYT) embarked on what it describes as its Privacy Project. | A day later …
globalresearch.ca/price-participating-society-sacrifice-privacy-self/5674576
Segregated Doctoring: Black Physicians in Augusta, Georgia, 1902–1952
Leslie J. Pollard Sr. | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-17
African American physicians began arriving in post Reconstruction era Augusta, Georgia during the mid-1880s. Initially these black physicians were offered work at the city's only African American public hospital, but as racial prejudices hardened, they were barred from practicing at | …
globalresearch.ca/segregated-doctoring-black-physicians-in-augusta-georgia-1902-1952/5674681
Pentagon ordered to draft military plans to counter Russia and China in Venezuela
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-04-17
The report of active planning for US military intervention followed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's provocative visit to the Venezuelan-Colombian border on Sunday.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/04/17/vene-a17.html
'Policy of scapegoating': Ron Paul speaks against US militarism feasting on China & Russia threats
RT | rt.com | 2019-04-17
The US should step away from belligerent rhetoric and wind down its wasteful militaristic policies, former congressman Ron Paul told RT, after its Secretary of State accused Beijing and Moscow of bankrolling the Venezuelan leader. | …
rt.com/usa/456777-ron-paul-china-us/
Trump Is 'Going To Go Full Animal' Says Steve Bannon
Curt Wechsler | indybay.org | 2019-04-17
Donald Trump's former chief adviser predicted Mr. Trump would "come off the chains" and use the Mueller Report to "bludgeon" his opponents and ignore congressional oversight requests for documents. Attorney General Barr's memorandum on Mueller's report left Trump feeling vindicated, triumphant and unleashed.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/04/15/18822746.php
'Shameful': With Millions on Brink of Famine in Yemen, Trump Vetoes Resolution to End US Complicity
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-04-17
Congress urged to "pull out the stops to confront this president who thinks starving millions of Yemenis is a price worth paying for high arms industry profits." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_pompeo.png…
commondreams.org/news/2019/04/17/shameful-millions-brink-famine-yemen-trump-vetoes-resolution-end-us-complicity?cd-origin=rss
The Financial Market Casino Controls Politics
Ernst Wolff | indybay.org | 2019-04-17
The financial markets seem to be the measure of all things. Corporations are subsidized with trillions. In their "competition," small and medium-size businesses are the fools. The lobby-politicians give only give the trillions to big corporations. This subsidy net has become a kind of heart-lung machine, "socialism for the rich" or "new feudalism."
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/04/15/18822748.php
Trump Vetoes Resolution to End US Support for Saudi-Led Yemen War
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2019-04-17
(ANTIWAR.COM) — On Tuesday, President Trump capped off months of effort in Congress to pass a War Powers Act challenge to the US involvement in the war in Yemen, vetoing the bill and claiming it was a "dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities." The bill, SJ Res 7, was a straightforward bill under the War Powers …
Trump Vetoes Resolution to End US Support for Saudi-Led Yemen War
Factory Farming Awareness Speaker Training
Monica Chen | indybay.org | 2019-04-17
UC Berkeley (Stephens Lounge in the MLK building)…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/04/15/18822761.php