Finding Private Bell: a Grave That Leads Deep Into Iraq's Bloody Past
Robert Fisk | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
This is the story of an elderly lady in Lincolnshire, a long-dead Scottish shepherd and a kindly Shia Muslim in southern Iraq. First, the lady. Moira Jennings, who is now 87, wrote to me from her home in England when I was covering the aftermath of the disastrous — and illegal — 2003 Anglo-American invasion…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/finding-private-bell-a-grave-that-leads-deep-into-iraqs-bloody-past/
Uber and Lyft drivers in Chicago, New York and California speak out against exploitation of gig economy workers
wsws.org | 2019-05-10
Drivers across the United States spoke out against the classification of Uber drivers as independent contractors as Uber heads into an Initial Public Offering worth billions of dollars.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/05/10/uber-m10.html
Mafia Don Twits another tantrum ahead of crucial trade talks
DLI | indybay.org | 2019-05-10
2 days before the crucial trade talks between China and the USA(the 2 largest economies in the world), "Mafia Don"(ald) T-rump threw another Twitter tantrum, by threatening to charge 10% – 25% tariffs on $200 Billions' worth of imports from China. This additional gouging would be on top of last year's unilateral tariff on $50 Billions' worth of Chinese goods coming into this country. But really, what kind of lunatic would poison the mood of these delicate negotiations–practically at the eleventh hour–by publicly humiliating the incoming Chinese delegation? The world has rarely seen such a blustering buffoon, at…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/05/08/18823361.php
Boondoggle, Inc.: Making Sense of the $1.25 Trillion National Security State Budget
William D. Hartung | globalresearch.ca | 2019-05-10
In its latest budget request, the Trump administration is asking for a near-record $750 billion for the Pentagon and related defense activities, an astonishing figure by any measure. If passed by Congress, it will, in fact, be one of the …
globalresearch.ca/1-25-trillion-national-security-state-budget/5677080
How Wall Street Drives Gender and Racial Inequality
Sarah Anderson | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
The people who sell fancy sports cars and high-end Swiss watches look forward to the time of year when the big Wall Street banks hand out their annual cash bonuses. According to new figures, those bonuses added up a whopping $27.5 billion last year. That's a lot of Rolexes. Unfortunately, this huge payout also means the…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/how-wall-street-drives-gender-and-racial-inequality/
VW workers fight union busting
Martha Grevatt | workers.org | 2019-05-10
With 370,000 workers at 61 plants worldwide, Volkswagen is the world's largest auto company. Last year it made almost 14 billion euros in profit. Yet while VW can well afford to pay union benefits and wages, the company appears hell-bent on keeping its only nonunion factory union-free. Chattanooga VW workers . . . | Continue reading VW workers fight union busting at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/05/09/vw-workers-fight-union-busting/
Drivers United Will Never Be Defeated! Uber/Lyft Global Day of Action in San Francisco
Labor Video Project | indybay.org | 2019-05-10
Hundreds of UBER/Lyft drivers and their supporters joined a global day of protest at the headquarters of UBER in San Francisco on May 8, 2019. Drivers said they are being driven to slave labor conditions while an IPO will make more billionaires from their labor.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/05/08/18823349.php
Manufactured Iranian Threat in the Persian Gulf
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-05-10
The U.S. military is sending an aircraft carrier into the Persian Gulf, claiming there is an unspecified threat from Iran, but this has no basis other than Bolton's desire for regime change, says Col. Larry Wilkerson…
therealnews.com/stories/manufactured-iranian-threat-in-the-persian-gulf
The US and Iran Flex Their Muscles. The Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) One Year after US Withdrawal
Elijah J. Magnier | globalresearch.ca | 2019-05-10
One year after the US unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal (known also as JCPOA- Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action), the US is flexing its muscles by announcing an already previously scheduled departure of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike …
globalresearch.ca/jpoa-us-withdrawal-us-iran/5677066
US Foreign Policy as Bellicose as Ever
Serge Halimi | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
It only took a few months under Donald Trump's presidency for the US to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, impose new sanctions on Russia, reverse the normalisation of diplomatic relations with Cuba, announce its intention to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, warn Pakistan, threaten Venezuela with military intervention, and declare a readiness to…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/us-foreign-policy-as-bellicose-as-ever/
Washington's Dogs of War Are Snarling at Iran and Venezuela
Brian Cloughley | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
What constitutes the bulwark of our own liberty and independence? It is not our frowning battlements, our bristling sea coasts, the guns of our war steamers, or the strength of our gallant and disciplined army . . . Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/washingtons-dogs-of-war-are-snarling-at-iran-and-venezuela/
Sri Lanka: bombings a pretext for intensified repression
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-05-10
The Sri Lankan army and police have used the bombings of churches and hotels on Easter Sunday as a pretext for repression, targeting people who have no connection with the group responsible, the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ — National Monotheism Society). | The NTJ, an extremist Islamic group, is believed to be linked to the Islamic State, based in Iraq and Syria. | Sri Lankan police have been raiding numerous Muslim groups with "Thowheed" in their name, even if they are opposed to the NTJ. As of May 2, at least 130 Muslims had been detained, according to Tamilnet. | Non-Muslims have also been affected. On…
greenleft.org.au/content/sri-lanka-bombings-pretext-intensified-repression
Families Belong Together | Peaceful Action Protest
Roya Brake & Rebekah Padilla | indybay.org | 2019-05-10
WALNUT CREEK: | – South Side corner of Ygnacio Valley Road and N. Civic Drive | – Iron Horse Trail Bridge above Ygnacio Valley Road (please plan to use effectively large signage in this area)…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/05/08/18823324.php
CODEPINK Monthly Golden Gate Bridge Walk for Peace
Toby Blome | indybay.org | 2019-05-10
BE GREEN AND CARPOOL | See http: //tripplanner.transit.511.org for public transit options. | Golden Gate Transit Buses 10, 70, 80 | and SF Muni Bus 28 stop at the bridge (SF side). | Parking available on all 4 "corners", just remember to take the last exit on hwy 101 as you approach the bridge, or the first exit after you leave the bridge. | 11: 45 am: Gather at the SF or Marin end of the eastern walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge. | Noon: Walk on the eastern walkway from the north or south ends to converge in the middle for World Peace. Then march to the SF side for rally.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/05/08/18823318.php
MintPress, Grayzone journalists endure US govt blackout and siege at Venezuelan embassy in DC
Mnar Muhawesh | thegrayzone.com | 2019-05-10
The Trump administration is violating international law and harassing American journalists by cutting electricity to Venezuela's DC embassy. By Mnar…
thegrayzone.com/2019/05/09/mintpress-grayzone-journalists-us-blackout-siege-venezuelan-embassy-dc/
Victory Day Reminds the World About the Evils of Fascism
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2019-05-10
Russia, most of the countries of the former Soviet Union, and Israel all celebrate the end of World War II on 9 May, with this year's commemoration in Moscow being the 74th in history. This solemn day marks the victory …
globalresearch.ca/victory-day-evils-fascism/5677049
IEA: Renewable Energy Growth Is Stalling. Wind and Solar Energy
Nick Cunningham | globalresearch.ca | 2019-05-10
Renewable energy deployment stalled out last year, raising alarm bells about the pace of the clean energy transition. | In 2018, total deployment of renewable energy stood at about 180 gigawatts (GW), which was the same as the previous year. It …
globalresearch.ca/iea-renewables-growth-stalling/5677013
Video: 5G Apocalypse, The Imminent Dangers
debunkified | globalresearch.ca | 2019-05-10
What is 5G? We need to know the dangers of this technology. | A full length documentary by Sacha Stone exposing the 5G existential threat to humanity in a way we never imagined possible! | Scientists, environmental groups, medical doctors and citizens …
globalresearch.ca/video-5g-apocalypse-the-imminent-dangers/5677009
US seizes North Korean ship
wsws.org | 2019-05-10
This week's developments demonstrate that the Trump administration has no intention of striking a deal with Pyongyang unless it involves a total capitulation and embrace of Washington's offensive against China.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/05/10/kore-m10.html
Venezuela's crisis: A view from the communes
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-05-10
Within hours of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó calling for street mobilisations to back his attempted military coup against President Nicolás Maduro on April 30, Guaidó's supporters had looted and set fire to the headquarters of the Indio Caricuao Commune in south-west Caracas. | The building was used for local residents' meetings and housed a commune-run textile enterprise, which funds projects in the community. | Atenea Jiménez, from the National Network of Comuneros (commune activists) said: "Once again attacks on the communes by fascist sectors have begun." | She also noted however that comuneros "a…
greenleft.org.au/content/venezuela-crisis-view-communes
A first-hand account from Caracas from the day of the coup through May Day
Peter Lackowski | mronline.org | 2019-05-10
Today there was a farcical attempt to take a military airport that fizzled. It turned into a dozen or so guys throwing stones and being ignored. The Guardian is shamelessly running video of something that happened weeks ago as though it were today. We were there and it was all normal. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/05/09/a-first-hand-account-from-caracas-from-the-day-of-the-coup-through-may-day/
Venezuela coup enthusiast Rubio says China is secretly propping up Maduro
rt.com | 2019-05-10
Neocon US Senator and Venezuela regime change crusader Marco Rubio claims China is secretly backing President Nicolas Maduro by 'shutting down the internet' to thwart Washington-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido. | …
rt.com/news/458951-rubio-blames-china-internet-venezuela/
Leaked: USA's Feb 2018 plan for coup in Venezuela
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-05-10
This was far more than just a military plan. It was comprehensive–directing military, diplomatic, and propaganda, policies–regarding the Trump Administration's planned "Overthrow" of Venezuela's Government. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/05/10/leaked-usas-feb-2018-plan-for-coup-in-venezuela/
Venezuela tensions mount after arrest of coup leader
wsws.org | 2019-05-10
Washington continues to threaten military intervention in the oil-rich South American country.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/05/10/vene-m10.html
War on Venezuela?
Robert Koehler | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
Mix a little socialism in with the oil and war may be unavoidable. Thus, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, talking about Venezuela: "The president has been crystal clear and incredibly consistent. Military action is possible. If that's what's required, that's what the United States will do." He goes on, demonstrating how we lie about war in…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/war-on-venezuela/
Venezuela: How one local council is working to overcome the crisis through people's power
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-05-10
In the midst of Venezuela's prolonged economic crisis, in which state budgets and support for the governing socialists steadily contract, at least one municipal council is bucking the trend. The key, according to the local mayor, has been focusing on people's power and self-management. | Paéz is a rural municipality located in Apure state, along the tense border with Colombia. Opposition-controlled Tachira state lies to its west. | Despite this conflictive surrounding, José María "Chema" Romero managed to increase the United Socialist Party of Venezuela's (PSUV) vote in the 2017 mayoral elections by 70% from its…
greenleft.org.au/content/venezuela-how-one-local-council-working-overcome-crisis-through-peoples-power
The defense of Venezuela and the struggle for socialism in Latin America
wsws.org | 2019-05-10
We are publishing here the text of the speech to the 2019 International May Day Online Rally delivered by Bill Van Auken.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/05/10/mdbv-m10.html
The Zionist One-Two Propaganda Punch
Yoav Litvin | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
Another round of Israeli violence inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza resulted in devastating consequences: twenty seven dead, including Amani al-Madhoun, a young woman in her final month of pregnancy, as well as 3-month-old infant Maria al-Ghazali and 12-year-old Abd al-Rahman Abu al-Jadyan, both killed alongside their parents. The flare up comes as Palestinians are routinely…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/the-zionist-one-two-propaganda-punch/
Suicide: An American Nightmare
David Rosen | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
The American suicide rate is at a 50-year high. In 2017, 44,193 committed suicide in the U.S. and 1,652 killed themselves in New York State. In 2016, the City's Health Department reported that 525 people committed suicide. Billy G., a neighbor, recently committed suicide. His death went unreported, with no obit in the Times, let alone coverage by the rest of…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/suicide-an-american-nightmare/
CIA Veteran to Chair Kent State 50th May 4 Commemoration Advisory Committee
Russell Mokhiber | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
Kent State has appointed a 25 year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to chair a committee to create plan and execute activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the shootings at the campus that killed four and wounded nine students on May 4, 1970. Stephanie Smith, an associate professor in Kent State's School…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/cia-veteran-to-chair-kent-state-50th-may-4-commemoration-advisory-committee/
Pompeo's Arctic Shipping Lanes
Robert Hunziker | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
America's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking at the prestigious Arctic Council biannual meeting in Finland, christened the Arctic meltdown: "A wonderful economic opportunity for international trade." In a nutshell, here's a critique of the Secretary's advice: An ice-free Arctic reduces travel time for shipping lanes between Asia and the West by three weeks, which qualifies as one of the biggest transport revolutions since cargo planes first crossed the Atlantic in the early 20th century.
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/pompeos-arctic-shipping-lanes/
In Your Face Income Inequality
Howard Lisnoff | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
The delivery trucks have been driving on a driveway next to mine in the rural Berkshires of western Massachusetts for eight months. They drive home (no pun intended here) income inequality in a way that other experiences cannot. The home that I write about here is a second home on well over thirty acres of farmland. There are two…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/in-your-face-income-inequality/
Imperialist war, the working-class upsurge in the Mideast and North Africa, and the strategy of Permanent Revolution
wsws.org | 2019-05-10
We are publishing here the text of the speech to the 2019 International May Day Online Rally delivered by Keith Jones.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/05/10/mdkj-m10.html
We Are All Sandra Bland
Kenn Orphan | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
"People get used to anything. The less you think about your oppression, the more your tolerance for it grows. After a while, people just think oppression is the normal state of things. But to become free, you have to be acutely aware of being a slave." — Assata Shakur, Assata: An Autobiography…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/we-are-all-sandra-bland/
Bezos unveils Moon lander, space colonization dreams after Trump admin moves up Moon base timeline
rt.com | 2019-05-10
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has unveiled an unmanned Moon lander and a new rocket engine developed by his Blue Origin space program with an eye toward getting in on the ground floor of space colonization. | …
rt.com/usa/458950-bezos-blue-origin-moon-colonies/
Oakland VegFest 2019
Factory Farming Awareness Coalition | indybay.org | 2019-05-10
Lake Merritt Amphitheater…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/05/09/18823369.php
Chelsea Manning Has Just Been Released From Jail
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2019-05-10
(ANTIWAR.COM) — Whistleblower Chelsea Manning has been released from jail on Thursday, following months in detention for "contempt" after she refused to testify before a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks. The official reason is that the mandate of the grand jury in question has expired. This explanation is likely a bit of legal sleight of hand on the court's …
The Two Narratives of Palestine: The People Are United, the Factions Are Not
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
The International Conference on Palestine held in Istanbul between April 27-29 brought together many speakers and hundreds of academics, journalists, activists and students from Turkey and all over the world. The Conference was a rare opportunity aimed at articulating a discourse of international solidarity that is both inclusive and forward thinking. There was near consensus that the…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/the-two-narratives-of-palestine-the-people-are-united-the-factions-are-not/
The London Climate Protests: Raising The Alarm
Media Lens | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-05-10
The feeling is often there at night, of course, in the wee small hours. But it can arise at almost any time — looking at someone we care about, listening to birdsong on an unusually warm spring morning, shopping. It is like being trapped on a sinking ship, with the captain and crew refusing to …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/05/the-london-climate-protests-raising-the-alarm/
Trump Continues Obama's War on Whistleblowers
Caitlin Johnstone | theantimedia.com | 2019-05-10
(CJ Opinion) — "New drone whistleblower at The Intercept," tweeted the outspoken CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou in October 2015. "For God's sake don't let @MatthewACole learn his identity." Intercept investigative reporter Matthew Cole has been tied both to Kiriakou's discovery and prosecution and to that of Reality Winner, who leaked classified documents to The Intercept in 2017. Kiriakou's comment came after the …
The Making of a Medical Insurance Spin Doctor — RAI with Wendell Potter (3/7)
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-05-10
Wendell Potter, author of 'Deadly Spin: How Corporate PR is Killing Healthcare and Deceiving Americans', traces his life from growing up poor and Republican in Tennessee, to radicalization during the Vietnam War, to cynical journalist who just wanted to make money — on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay…
therealnews.com/stories/the-making-of-a-medical-insurance-spin-doctor-rai-with-wendell-potter-3-7
Thank Russia for Winning World War II
Abel Cohen | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
Russia celebrates victory over the Third Reich on May 9th; the West celebrated it on May 8th. Separate celebrations make sense because the communists had a different fight against the Nazis than the free world did. The USA fought a quarter of the war that our Soviet allies waged — and we opened fire on…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/thank-russia-for-winning-world-war-ii/
Stop & Shop strike: 'We stuck to our guns'
Dru Maxcy | liberationnews.org | 2019-05-10
When workers — like those at Stop & Shop — struggle together in solidarity, they move towards true emancipation.
liberationnews.org/stop-shop-strike-we-stuck-to-our-guns/
Trump administration takes war on women to the U.N
Sue Davis | workers.org | 2019-05-10
President Donald Trump took his war on the rights of women and gender-nonconforming people to the U.N. the week of April 22. It's bitterly ironic that the Trump administration threatened to veto the U.N. resolution on ending sexual violence during wars and hostile conflicts if the U.N. did not go . . . | Continue reading Trump administration takes war on women to the U.N. at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/05/09/trump-administration-takes-war-on-women-to-the-u-n/
Why Are These Facts So Stubbornly Forbidden?
David Swanson | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-05-10
Like you, I've had countless experiences of pointing out a new fact to someone, and seeing them acknowledge it and incorporate it into their thinking and their talking from that point forward. I've even had this experience with public petitions pushed on powerful people. But, I've also had a different experience. There are some facts …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/05/why-are-these-facts-so-stubbornly-forbidden/
The Wall of No Return
Jeffrey St. Clair | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
Nelson Espinal grew up in a leaky and crowded shack on the violent outskirts of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Espinal turned 28 last summer, but still lived at home with his parents, four sisters and 7-year old son, Yojan.Like many other young men in his decaying neighborhood, Nelson had struggled for years to find steady work, making him especially vulnerable to recruitment into one of the slum's brutal "maras," the youth gangs that patrol the streets of Tegucigalpa and control much of the drug trade across Honduras.
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/the-wall-of-no-return/
Bernie Sanders and the Movement That Might Have Been
Louis Proyect | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
As I gird my loins for a renewed ideological struggle against Bernie Sanders's bid to become the Democratic Party's nominee to run against Donald Trump, I thought it advisable to get up to speed by reading Jeffrey St. Clair's "Bernie & The Sandernistas: Field Notes From a Failed Revolution" that was published in 2016. Since…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/bernie-sanders-and-the-movement-that-might-have-been/
Critical Pedagogy, Fascist Culture, and Hope in Dark Times
Henry Giroux | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
Something sinister and horrifying is happening to liberal democracies all over the globe.Democratic institutions such as the independent media, schools, the legal system, certain financial institutions, and higher education are under siegeworldwide. Some of the latest examples of this can be found in the United States with the resurgence of vigilantes and right-wing militia groups along the southern border and the intrusion of tech-based educational practices into schools producing curricula that some parents claim turn kids into zombies. Trump's continued attack on higher education offers another highly visible…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/critical-pedagogy-fascist-culture-and-hope-in-dark-times/
Partisanship Poison in the United States
Robert Fantina | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
While the election of Donald Trump to the presidency certainly surprised almost everyone on the planet, it is unlikely that anyone was prepared for the circus ushered in by his administration. Partisanship had reached toxic levels before, but today it threatens the very fabric of the nation's pseudo-democracy. Let's look at a few facts. +…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/partisanship-poison-in-the-united-states/
To Be Sick and Not Rich: The Nightmare of Medical Care in America
Beverly Gologorsky | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-10
On this extremely hot summer day, the ear-splitting siren screaming through New York's streets is coming from the ambulance I'm in — on a gurney on my way to the ER. That only makes the siren, loud as it is, all the more alarming. I fell. The pain, its location and intensity, suggests I've probably…
counterpunch.org/2019/05/10/to-be-sick-and-not-rich-the-nightmare-of-medical-care-in-america/