Instagram Acts as Arm of US Govt, Bans Top Iranian Officials After IRGC 'Terrorist' Designation
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2019-04-19
Top Iranian government officials were suspended from Facebook-owned Instagram just hours after Trump dubbed the IRGC a "terrorist" organization. By…
thegrayzone.com/2019/04/18/instagram-us-bans-iranian-officials-irgc-terrorist/
From Jesus Christ to Julian Assange: When Dissidents Become Enemies of the State
John W. Whitehead | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." — George Orwell When exposing a crime is treated as committing a crime, you are being ruled by criminals. In the current governmental climate, where laws that run counter to the dictates of the Constitution are made in secret, passed without debate,…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/from-jesus-christ-to-julian-assange-when-dissidents-become-enemies-of-the-state/
Before Ousting Assange, Moreno Government Spied on the Journalist for Over a Year
Jimmysllama | mintpressnews.com | 2019-04-19
Assange and whistleblower Chelsea Manning brought the U.S. government to its knees by exposing its torture of Guantanamo Bay detainees and war crimes in Iraq. They have been trying to recover ever since and the Trump administration is now more than ever willing to exact full revenge upon those who exposed the truth.
mintpressnews.com/before-ousting-assange-moreno-government-spied-on-the-journalist-for-over-a-year/257621/
Julian Assange as Neuroses
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-19
Julian Assange continues to ripple and roam as a cipher through the political and media scape of the world. Detained in Belmarsh maximum security prison, the sort of stately abode only reserved for the most dangerous of criminals, many with …
globalresearch.ca/julian-assange-as-neuroses/5674957
Venezuela's Arreaza Decries Ecuador's Persecution of Patiño
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-04-19
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza condemned the Ecuadorean government's lawsuit against former Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño. | RELATED: | Ecuador Issues Interpol Red Notice on Ex-Foreign Minister, Critic of Assange Arrest | "The persecution against leaders of the Citizen Revolution in Ecuador has been constituted…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuelas-Arreaza-Decries-Ecuadors-Persecution-of-Patino–20190419-0009.html
UK Blurring Two Very Different Extradition Claims
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2019-04-19
The Swedish and U.S. claims are vastly different, writes Jonathan Cook. But the public conversation in the U.K. is simply about which has first dibs on Assange. By JonathanCook Jonathan-Cook.net In a previous blog post, I warned that the media and political… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2019/04/19/uk-blurring-two-very-different-extradition-claims/
CN Radio–Episode 7: Francis Boyle on Extradition of Julian Assange
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2019-04-19
With Julian Assange facing an extradition hearing on May 2, Consortium News Radio speaks with international law expert Francis Boyle, professor at the University of Illinois. Francis Boyle on the U.S.-UK extradition treaty and the way forward for Assange. (30… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2019/04/19/cn-radio-episode-7-francis-boyle-on-extradition-of-julian-assange/
Yemen Protests Trump Veto of Congressional Resolution to Stop Supporting Saudi War
Ahmed Abdulkareem | mintpressnews.com | 2019-04-19
"My message is only to the American people: is spilling more Yemeni blood acceptable to you?" asked a man in his seventies. "There is no difference between the vampires and Donald Trump. Trump is a real character who insists on sucking more Yemeni blood," a young protester told MintPress.
mintpressnews.com/yemen-protests-trump-veto-of-resolution-to-stop-supporting-saudi-war/257604/
USC Forward ups the ante on Los Angeles campus protest
Eric A. Gordon | peoplesworld.org | 2019-04-19
peoplesworld.org/article/usc-forward-ups-the-ante-on-los-angeles-campus-protest/
US-North Korea Summit 3.0? Pyongyang Accuses Pompeo and Bolton of Creating "An Atmosphere of Hostility and Mistrust"
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-19
Days earlier, Trump said a third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be a good idea. | Two earlier ones achieved virtually nothing toward stepping back from the brink on the Korean peninsula toward regional peace, stability, and normalized …
globalresearch.ca/us-north-korea-summit-3-0-pyongyang-accuses-pompeo-and-bolton-of-creating-an-atmosphere-of-hostility-and-mistrust/5674955
Stephen Moore Gets Something Right: It's Capitalism vs. Democracy
Paul Street | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
Capitalism is a lot more important than democracy. I'm not even a big believer in democracy. — Stephen Moore, a potential future member of the Federal Reserve Board The dominant American ideology has long claimed that capitalism is about democracy. It isn't — and one need not be an anti-capitalist "radical" to know better. My old…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/stephen-moore-gets-something-right-its-capitalism-vs-democracy/
Roaming Charges: Time is Blind, Man is Stupid
Jeffrey St. Clair | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
Some names always seem to resurface in American political scandals, so it was no surprise to stumble across "Ledeen" on page 63 of Mueller's Report, highlighting a scheme by Barbara Ledeen (wife of Iran/contra figure and Mike Flynn pal Michael) to track down HRC's emails at Flynn's request on behalf of the Trump campaign, an operation that funded in part by a $30,000 contribution from the blood-drenched accounts of Erik Prince.
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/time-is-blind-man-is-stupid/
AOC, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib Make the Necessary Call for an Impeachment Inquiry
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2019-04-19
AOC, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib Make the Necessary Call for an Impeachment Inquiry…
thenation.com/article/aoc-ilhan-omar-rashida-tlaib-impeachment-trump-mueller-report/
Aldo Leopold's Land Ethic and the Need for a New Approach to Managing Wildlife
Louisa Willcox | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
Emblematic of his time and education, Aldo Leopold wrote during 1920 that predators were "the common enemy of both the stockman and the conservationist." But, in one of Sand County Almanac's classic essays, Aldo writes about a radical transformation that he underwent just a handful of years later. After shooting into a pack of wolves, he…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/aldo-leopolds-land-ethic-and-the-need-for-a-new-approach-to-managing-wildlife/
The Battle for Latin America: How the U.S. Helped Destroy the "Pink Tide"
T.J. Coles | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
After sponsoring juntas until well into the 1990s, the US went after Central and South America with "free trade" deals before once again working with extremists. The recent elections of Argentina's Mauricio Macri and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro are major blows to socioeconomic and cultural progress. The recent decision of Ecuador's President Lenín Moreno to allow…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/the-battle-for-latin-america-how-the-u-s-helped-destroy-the-pink-tide/
The Strange Success of Russiagate
Nicky Reid | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
It was the popcorn fart heard round the world. After two years of the vilest Russophobic hysteria seen since McCarthy was hauled off to a laughing academy in a straight-jacket, Robert Mueller, patron saint of butt-hurt Dems and indefinite Muslim detention, came to a conclusion on Russiagate only stunning to those of us who don't…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/the-strange-success-of-russiagate/
Ho Chi Minh City: Nguyen Thai Binh Street
Ron Jacobs | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
There's a street in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City called Nguyen Thai Binh Street. The United States had intensified its bombing of both northern and southern Vietnam earlier in April. 1972. Nixon, Kissinger and their henchmen in the Pentagon called the campaign Operation Freedom Porch. The northern cities of Hanoi and Haiphong were carpet-bombed with…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/ho-chi-minh-city-nguyen-thai-binh-street/
U.S. Senate Confirms Oil Lobbyist David Bernhardt as Interior Secretary
Dan Bacher | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
The U.S. Senate on April 11 voted 56-41 to confirm President Trump's nominee David Bernhardt, former oil and gas corporation and Westlands Water District lobbyist David Bernhardt, to be the Secretary of the Interior. Senators Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), as well as Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), joined Senate Republicans…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/u-s-senate-confirms-oil-lobbyist-david-bernhardt-as-interior-secretary/
Notre Dame: We Have Always Belonged to Her
Kenn Orphan | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
Some have expressed dismay that there is so much grief over the loss of a building and not over the loss of nature, or the biosphere, or of human beings. But why does there need be an "either or" response? Why do some human beings feel the need to limit the scope of their grief? The razing…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/notre-dame-we-have-always-belonged-to-her/
What Will It Take For Trump to Get His Due?
Andrew Levine | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
It is hard to recall now but before the 2016 election, blatant contempt for the rule of law and other longstanding (small-r) republican values, public displays of stupidity, extreme character flaws, and irrefutable evidence of psychological instability could wreck a presidential campaign; and it was practically axiomatic that no presidency could be headed by anyone…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/what-will-it-take-for-trump-to-get-his-due/
Top 20 Mueller Report "Findings"
Joshua Frank | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
There are a few things stand out as the most relevant in Robert Mueller's Special Council report on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 campaign, which was released in redacted form on Thursday. After consuming as much of the report as a sane person possibly can (I'm attempting to save you the trouble), here are what I see as the more important Mueller finds.
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/top-20-mueller-report-findings/
Trump's One-Dimensional Gender Identity
David Rosen | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
Khalil Gibran, author of The Prophet, once noted, "Exaggeration is truth that has lost its temper." Donald Trump is a living exaggeration and in no area has he lost his temper more than with those who question his authority, his masculinity. He swaggers like an old-fashioned "man's man," wandering through the political landscape like a reincarnation of…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/trumps-one-dimensional-gender-identity/
My Unforgettable College Stabbings
Stephen Cooper | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
Reacting to Violence: A Personal History Violence can and does occur anywhere at any time to anyone. While our current mass shooting epidemic has thrust this fact of being alive into our daily consciousness, I learned this lesson long ago: First, when I was mugged and stabbed in the early 90s during my freshman…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/my-unforgettable-college-stabbings/
The Blue Ocean Event and Collapsing Ecosystems
Robert Hunziker | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
Sometime in the near future it is highly probable that the Arctic will no longer have sea ice, meaning zero ice for the first time in eons, aka: the Blue Ocean Event. Surely, the world is not prepared for the consequences of such an historic event, which likely turns the world topsy-turvy, negatively impacting agriculture…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/the-blue-ocean-event-and-collapsing-ecosystems/
Why Boeing and Its Executives Should be Prosecuted for Manslaughter
Russell Mokhiber | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
Type the word "manslaughter" into any news search engine and up will come a series of stories of ordinary Americans charged with killing others through criminal negligence or recklessness. One such case that came up this month involved a Pennsylvania man who plead guilty to manslaughter. The man was accused of texting while driving and…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/why-boeing-and-its-executives-should-be-prosecuted-for-manslaughter/
To Never Forget or Never Remember
Nick Pemberton | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
"I do remember, and then when I try to remember, I forget" –Winnie The Pooh The act of "Never Forgetting" is being militarized against Muslims once again. And this is by a President who is popular because of his willful act of forgetting–that is nostalgia. On the heels of China's use of Artificial Intelligence to…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/to-never-forget-or-never-remember/
Jimmy Carter: US 'Most Warlike Nation in History of the World'
Brett Wilkins | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
The only US president to complete his term without war, military attack or occupation has called the United States "the most warlike nation in the history of the world." During his regular Sunday school lesson at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, Jimmy Carter revealed that he had recently spoken with President Donald Trump…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/jimmy-carter-us-most-warlike-nation-in-history-of-the-world/
Fun Fictions in Economics
Dean Baker | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
Economists pride themselves on being the serious social science, the one most deserving of status as an actual science. I will let others make the comparative assessment, but there is an awful lot of nonsense that passes as serious analysis within economics. For cheap fun, I thought I would use a nice spring afternoon to…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/fun-fictions-in-economics/
A Revolutionary Idea to Close the Racial Wealth Divide
Jessicah Pierre | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
The gap between America's ultra-wealthy and the rest of us is growing dramatically as wealth continues to concentrate at the top at the expense of the rest of us. One major symptom of this economic rift is the racial wealth divide, which is greater today than it was nearly four decades ago. The median Black…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/a-revolutionary-idea-to-close-the-racial-wealth-divide/
A Leftist Rejoinder to the "Capitalist Miracle"
Louis Proyect | counterpunch.org | 2019-04-19
There are men who struggle for a day and they are good. There are men who struggle for a year and they are better. There are men who struggle many years, and they are better still. But there are those who struggle all their lives: These are the indispensable ones. — Bertolt Brecht,…
counterpunch.org/2019/04/19/a-leftist-rejoinder-to-the-capitalist-miracle/
Amazon—and 56 Other Corporations—Took Your Tax Dollars
Leo Gerard | commondreams.org | 2019-04-19
"The U.S. Treasury reported that corporations paid $92 billion less in federal taxes in 2018 than they did in 2017, a 31 percent drop off." (Photo: Zhu/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/corporatewelfare-gerard.jpg…
commondreams.org/views/2019/04/19/amazon-and-56-other-corporations-took-your-tax-dollars?cd-origin=rss
It's Time to Transform the Tax Code and Implement a Green New Deal
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-04-19
One area where the two parties of the millionaires and billionaires put in place policies that favor the rich are tax laws. Tax policy has favored the wealthy under both parties, but the Trump-administration has brought this tax corruption to new levels. We need to transform tax policy to build the working class base of the economy, shrink the wealth divide, and confront the climate crisis. An honest analysis of the tax code calls out in stark detail the extreme injustice of the economy in the United States. | The tax system favors the wealthy as low- and middle-income people are hit the hardest while big busi…
truthout.org/articles/its-time-to-transform-the-tax-code-and-implement-a-green-new-deal/
Once-Counterculture 420 Marijuana Holiday Goes Mainstream
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-04-19
LOS ANGELES–Potheads have for decades celebrated their love of marijuana on April 20, but the once counter-culture celebration that was all about getting stoned now is so mainstream Corporate America is starting to embrace it. | No, Hallmark doesn't yet have a card to mark "420." But many other businesses inside and outside the multibillion-dollar cannabis industry are using April 20, or 4/20, to roll out marketing and social media messaging aimed at connecting with consumers driving the booming market. | On Saturday, Lyft is offering a $4.20 credit on a single ride in Colorado and in select cities in the U…
truthdig.com/articles/u-s-corporations-embracing-420-as-pot-legalization-grows/
WikiLeaks: Iraqi Children in U.S. Raid Shot in Head, U.N. Says
Matthew Schofield | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-19
A U.S. diplomatic cable made public by WikiLeaks provides evidence that U.S. troops executed at least 10 Iraqi civilians, including a woman in her 70s and a 5-month-old infant, then called in an airstrike to destroy the evidence, during a …
globalresearch.ca/wikileaks-iraqi-children-in-u-s-raid-shot-in-head-u-n-says/5674959
Two Books for One Price: Combined Special Offers from Global Research Publishers
Global Research | globalresearch.ca | 2019-04-19
Global Research Publishers bring you a number of special offers on two-book combined purchases. Click on a link below to order the combined book offer of your choice: | . | . | | : | *SPECIAL OFFER: Voices from Syria + The Dirty War on : | …
globalresearch.ca/the-dirty-war-on-syria-the-globalization-of-war/5588394
Glenn Greenwald vs. David Cay Johnston on the Mueller Report
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-04-19
The Justice Department has released a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's 448-page report detailing Russian meddling in the 2016 election, the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia and President Trump's attempts to impede the special counsel's investigation. The report states the campaign "expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts," but Mueller concluded, "the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities." Mueller also outli…
truthout.org/video/glenn-greenwald-vs-david-cay-johnston-on-the-mueller-report/
On WikiLeaks Email Releases, Mueller Team Ignored Findings Of Former US Intelligence Officials
Kevin Gosztola | shadowproof.com | 2019-04-19
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on an investigation into alleged Russian efforts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election does not confirm, without a doubt, that Russian intelligence agents or individuals tied to Russian intelligence agencies passed on emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign to WikiLeaks. | Mueller's team highlighted statements from WikiLeaks on Twitter about former Democratic National Committee (DNC) staff member Seth Rich, which seemed to relate to the alleged source of emails and documents the organization published. Yet, more explicit claims from WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Ass…
shadowproof.com/2019/04/19/on-wikileaks-email-releases-mueller-team-ignored-findings-of-former-us-intelligence-officials/
Russia: US Wants to Revive Monroe Doctrine, Persecute Venezuela
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-04-19
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zajárova warned the U.S. government against continuing on the path of antagonism and issuing threats to countries in Latin America. | RELATED: | Maduro: Venezuela to Overcome Sanctions Against Central Bank | "It seems that Washington is looking back on time and plans to return, not even 50 or 60 years ago, but 200, s…
telesurenglish.net/news/Russia-US-Wants-to-Revive-Monroe-Doctrine-Persecute-Venezuela-20190419-0006.html
Mueller report: "Miners for Trump" rally in Pittsburgh was a fake
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2019-04-19
PITTSBURGH–Remember going to a "Miners for Trump" rally in downtown Pittsburgh, a month before the November 2016 general election? If you did, you were fooled by a Russian fake. A poster for the Oct. 2, 2016 rally, featuring a miner on a coal-black background wearing a headlamp-lit hard hat, illustrates the wide range of Russian-generated …
peoplesworld.org/article/mueller-report-miners-for-trump-rally-in-pittsburgh-was-a-fake/
The Mueller Report: Glenn Greenwald vs. David Cay Johnston on Trump-Russia Ties, Obstruction & More
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-04-19
The Justice Department has released a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's 448-page report detailing Russian meddling in the 2016 election, the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia and President Trump's attempts to impede the special counsel's investigation. The report states the campaign "expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts," but Mueller concluded, "the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities." Mueller also outlined…
www.democracynow.org/2019/4/19/the_mueller_report_glenn_greenwald_vs
The Mueller Report Shows How Bad Trump Is. Now What?
Ruth Conniff | progressive.org | 2019-04-19
To get too caught up in Russian interference and the unfairness of the American electoral system is to overlook Trump's power, and to risk not learning the lessons of his popularity.
progressive.org/dispatches/mueller-report-conniff-190419/
What we know so far from the Mueller Report
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-04-19
On Thursday, Special Attorney Robert Mueller's report on alleged "Russian interference" in the 2016 US elections was finally published, albeit partially censored. The report contains information on an investigation into the Donald Trump campaign's alleged connection with Russian authorities, as well as the possible methods of Russian influence in the elections. The document was submitted …
uwidata.com/3154-what-we-know-so-far-from-the-mueller-report/
Mueller Report: A Battle Over Maintaining 'Imperial Hegemony' (Pt 1/2)
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-04-19
Gerald Horne and Kamau Franklin discuss the Mueller Report, Russiagate, and whether alleged Russian interference in the U.S. elections is actually significant…
therealnews.com/stories/mueller-report-a-battle-over-maintaining-imperial-hegemony-pt-1-2
Five Critical Takeaways From the Mueller Report
Bill Blum | truthdig.com | 2019-04-19
After nearly two years of waiting, we have a redacted version of the report of special counsel Robert Mueller. A searchable copy can be found and examined here. | The report is 448 pages long and is divided into two volumes. Volume I, in the words of the report, "describes the factual results of the Special Counsel's investigation of Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election and its interactions with the Trump Campaign." If you are concer…
truthdig.com/articles/five-critical-takeaways-from-the-mueller-report/
No More Excuses. Donald Trump Must Be Impeached
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-04-19
Over the course of more than 400 scalding pages, the Mueller report details the parallel and often cooperative course traveled by Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and the sophisticated Russian operation devoted to his victory. Mueller's report also lays out the myriad ways Trump obstructed justice through his ham-fisted attem…
truthout.org/articles/no-more-excuses-donald-trump-must-be-impeached/
House Escalates Trump Inquiry With Subpoena for Full Mueller Report
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-04-19
WASHINGTON–The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena Friday for special counsel Robert Mueller's report as Congress escalates its investigation of President Donald Trump. | "It now falls to Congress to determine the full scope of that alleged misconduct and to decide what steps we must take going forward," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. He expects the Justice Department to comply by May 1. | While Mueller declined to prosecute Trump on obstruction of justice, he did not exonerate the president, all but leaving the question to Congress. | Mueller's report provides fresh evidence of Tr…
truthdig.com/articles/house-escalates-trump-inquiry-with-subpoena-for-full-mueller-report/
Will the Mueller Report Help Defeat Trump in 2020? (Pt 2/2)
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-04-19
Trump and his base will remain unaffected by the Mueller Report, and it will mainly serve as a "political football" between Republicans and Democrats, say Gerald Horne and Kamau Franklin, but it can still be used against Trump in 2020…
therealnews.com/stories/will-the-mueller-report-help-defeat-trump-in-2020-pt-2-2
The Mueller Report Is a Road Map for Congressional Investigation
Bruce Shapiro | thenation.com | 2019-04-19
The Mueller Report Is a Road Map for Congressional Investigation…
thenation.com/article/mueller-report-roadmap-obstruction-congress-impeachment/
"Red Joan," Promising a Soviet Spy Thriller, Underdelivers
Ed Rampell | progressive.org | 2019-04-19
A the height of the Cold War, five members of Britain's nuclear program passed secrets along to the USSR.
progressive.org/dispatches/red-joan-rampell-190419/
Crossroads: Saving humanity and nature requires global unity against extreme right
John Bachtell | peoplesworld.org | 2019-04-19
People and planet are at a crossroads: Humanity faces existential threats from the climate and ecological crises and militarization and nuclear war. Environmental, economic, and societal disruption on an unprecedented scale will have to be decisively dealt with over the next few decades to avoid catastrophic consequences. The global capitalist system has created unsustainable contradictions …
peoplesworld.org/article/crossroads-saving-humanity-and-nature-requires-global-unity-against-extreme-right/