2019-05-16: News Headlines

Mashal Hashem, James Allen (2019-05-16). How to Lobby Washington to Death. commondreams.org For Donald Trump and many congressional Republicans, the well-being of the Saudi royals and of defense contractors matters more than a bus carrying school children destroyed by a laser-guided MK-82 bomb made by Lockheed Martin. (Photo: CNN/Screengrab) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/cnn_0_0.jpeg

pip.hinman (2019-05-16). Refugees seek safe haven in the 'beautiful game'. greenleft.org.au Refugees are using football as a way to build communities of resistance. | "For me it makes no difference where I play as long as it makes me happy." These are words from Mahdi, a 19-year-old refugee from Afghanistan, living in Germany. | Mahdi plays for German football team FC Lampedusa St Pauli in Hamburg, a team made solely out of refugees and migrants. The team name stems from refugees who came to Hamburg via Lampedusa a few years ago. About 380 refugees stayed in the St Pauli church at that time and some of them reached out to coaches to find opportunities to play football. | That is how FC Lampedusa St Paul…

plenglish (2019-05-16). New Protests in Brazil against Education Fund Cuts. plenglish.com Brasilia, May 16 ( Prensa Latina) The National Union of Students (UNE) has scheduled new protests for May 30 in Brazil against the decision of Jair Bolsonaro"s government to cut funds in education, announced leaders of the organization on Thursday.

plenglish (2019-05-16). Over 33 million People Vaccinated against Flu in Brazil. plenglish.com Brasilia, May 16 (Prensa Latina) More than 33 million people were vaccinated against the flu in Brazil and the number now represents 56 percent of the population defined by the Health Ministry for the year ¥s immunization campaign.

Valerie Vande Panne (2019-05-16). The battle for rights of nature heats up in the Great Lakes. nationofchange.org This article was produced by Local Peace Economy, a project | of the Independent Media Institute. | In February, the voters of Toledo, Ohio, passed a ballot initiative that gives Lake Erie and those who rely on the lake's ecosystem a bill of rights. The idea is to protect and preserve the ecosystem so that the life that depends on it — humans included — can have access to safe, fresh drinking water. | On the surface, it seems pretty logical: Humans need water to survive, and if an ecosystem that is relied on for water — in this case, Lake Erie — is polluted (in this case, with algae), t…

Steve Sweeney (2019-05-16). Iranian Communists rally progressive forces to prevent war. peoplesworld.org Iranian Communists have called for unity among the country's progressives striving for peace in response to U.S. saber-rattling intent on provoking war with Tehran. The Tudeh Party noted "a very worrying rise of tensions between the racist, pseudo-fascist, and reactionary Trump administration and the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran" in recent days. It …

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2019-05-16). Towards a Culture of World Peace. globalresearch.ca "Towards a Culture of World Peace" constitutes a commitment to Human Livelihood. It consists in confronting the UU-NATO discourse in support of war and military intervention. It requires reviving a Worldwide anti-war movement, nationally and internationally as well as establishing a resolve by the governments of sovereign nation states to reject this Worldwide process of militarization.

Fight Back (2019-05-16). Meeting with Venezuela's President Maduro. fightbacknews.org Fight Back! interviews noted anti-war activist Sarah Martin, of the Minnesota-based Women Against Military Madness. Martin traveled to Venezuela on a solidarity delegation organized by the U.S. Peace Council, March 11-18. | Fight Back!: The corporate media says Venezuela's government, headed by President Maduro and the national democratic Bolivarian Revolution, has little popular support. What were your impressions? | Sarah Martin: This is one of the many lies told by the media, who once again are spewing the U.S. administration's propaganda for a U.S.-orchestrated coup. Maduro is a democratically elected preside…

Jeb Sprague (2019-05-16). Who's behind the pro-Guaido mob that besieged Venezuela's embassy in Washington? thegrayzone.com The intimidation tactics by the pro-coup embassy besiegers not only failed to deter the peace activists around the embassy, they…

Vaughn (2019-05-16). Police Attacks Berkeley. indybay.org Officer Aranus of UC Berkeley police, grabs peaceful person by neck, throwing them to the ground on UCB campus, March 12, 6pm.

plenglish (2019-05-16). UN Wishes Peaceful Solution at Venezuelan Embassy in Washington. plenglish.com United Nations, May 16 (Prensa Latina) U.N. Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Thursday that the United Nations hopes the situation at the Venezuelan embassy in Washington can be resolved peacefully.

plenglish (2019-05-16). UN Security Council Holds Session on Joint Force in Sahel. plenglish.com United Nations, May 16 (Prensa Latina) The UN Security Council is holding on Thursday a session on peace and security in Africa dedicated to the joint force of the so-called Group of Five for the Sahel States (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger).

United Nations (2019-05-16). 'The time for action is now' senior UN peacekeeping official says, urging support for regional force combating Sahel terrorism. un.org The five-year-old force working to stabilize Africa's Sahel has shown great potential, but needs more support from the international community to reach full operational capacity, a top UN peacekeeping official said on Thursday, calling for enhanced political and economic solutions to help tackle the strife-torn region's myriad challenges.

Lauren Smith (2019-05-16). Venezuelan Embassy: Peace Activists Put US Mission on Notice. globalresearch.ca Yesterday evening activists from the International Action Center (IAC) and No War on Venezuela.org delivered a letter to the United States Mission to the United Nations in NYC from the Embassy Protection Collective (EPC). Telemundo was on the scene and …

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-05-16). Venezuelan Government Denounces US Seizure of Embassy, Arrest of Peace Activists as Violation of Vienna Convention. commondreams.org Venezuelan Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Ron on Thursday urged the Trump administration not to hand over the country's embassy in Washington, D.C. to leaders of an attempted coup after U.S. law enforcement forcibly removed peace activists who have lived there for since last month as guests of President Nicol√°s Maduro's government. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/embassy.jpg

Edward Curtin (2019-05-16). Answering the Mysterious Call of An Artist's Spiritual Vocation. globalresearch.ca "Friend, hope for the Guest while you are alive." — Kabir, "To Be a Slave of Intensity" | Strange how a man | Can enter your life | Just like that: a knock | Out of nowhere | And you've slipped away | To a rendezvous …

Prof. Rut Diamint (2019-05-16). Truth, Justice and Declassification: Secret Archives Show US Helped Argentine Military Wage 'Dirty War' that Killed 30,000. globalresearch.ca History books may never tell the full story of the dictatorship that terrorized Argentina from 1976 to 1984. | But newly declassified United States military and intelligence documents recently delivered to Argentina offer new details about the country's brutal military junta….

Abayomi Azikiwe (2019-05-16). Military and Opposition Forces Reach Agreement in Sudan While Tensions Persist. globalresearch.ca Representatives from the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) and the Forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change have been holding talks with the Transitional Military Council (TMC) for several weeks since the coup against ousted President Omer Hassan al-Bashir on …

Michael Reinemer (2019-05-16). Trump Administration Approves Leases for Toxic Mining Near Minnesota Wilderness, Canada Border. globalresearch.ca Today The Wilderness Society in the U.S. strongly objected to the Trump administration's renewal of two hardrock mining leases near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota that would likely pollute the vast waterways on the U.S.-Canada border. | The …

International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (2019-05-16). These 28 Companies Are Building Nuclear Weapons. globalresearch.ca ICAN and its partner organisation Pax have released a report with full profiles of 28 companies connected to the production of nuclear weapons. | Here are the 28 companies on ICAN's Red Flag list. Download the full report here. | Aecom …

Joyce Nelson (2019-05-16). Monsanto's "Rain of Death" on Canada's Forests. globalresearch.ca First Nations in Ontario have run out of patience. For 43 years, the forest industry has been conducting aerial spraying of glyphosate herbicide on Indigenous lands — a "rain of death" used in forest management practice that has slowly been …

Barbara Nimri Aziz (2019-05-16). A Novel We Can All Relate To: "The Other Americans" globalresearch.ca America is still discovering itself. The rise of Donald Trump alerted those citizens who held that they alone defined our culture and values to the existence of a significant population holding very different views— and the will to back a …

Philip Giraldi (2019-05-16). Something Wrong with Trump: The Insulting Names Are No Longer Welcome. globalresearch.ca Remaining promoters of the concept of Donald Trump as President of the United States cite the fact that he has started no new shooting wars while Russiagate has turned out to be a flop and the economy seems to be …

Andrew Korybko (2019-05-16). Russia's Nord Stream II Concerns Reveal Its Severe Systemic Vulnerabilities. globalresearch.ca Putin actually sounded pretty concerned about the future of Nord Stream II for the first time ever during Tuesday's press conference with his Austrian counterpart, strongly suggesting that Pompeo might have delivered a serious message to him during Monday's meeting …

Press TV (2019-05-16). Trump Considering Replacing John Bolton: Report. globalresearch.ca US media reports suggest that President Donald Trump is considering replacing his hawkish National Security Adviser John Bolton over his plans to push the United States towards a military conflict with Iran, Venezuela and North Korea. | Bolton "is headed for …

South Front (2019-05-16). Video: Syria Al Qaeda Militants Lose More Territory after Failed Counter-attack. globalresearch.ca Clashes between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-led coalition of militant groups continue in northwestern Hama and northern Lattakia. | 4 SAA soldiers were killed and 7 others were injured in a failed attack on Hayat Tahrir …

Philip A Farruggio (2019-05-16). Mother in "WAR" globalresearch.ca It was way back when, right before our nation performed the most horrific act of preemptively attacking and invading Iraq… which was not only illegal, but highly immoral. | I was at the video store rapping with my friend Kenny the …

Global Research (2019-05-16). "The Globalization of War" and "Towards a World War III Scenario" globalresearch.ca The Globalization of War: America's "Long War" against Humanity, by Michel Chossudovsky | America's hegemonic project in…

South Front (2019-05-16). Video: Houthis Strike Key Saudi Oil Pipeline Amid Growing Concern over Nearing US-Iranian Armed Conflict. globalresearch.ca On May 14, Saudi Arabia halted pumping on its 1,200km-long East-West pipeline after it had been targeted by suicide unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). | The kingdom's Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid al-Falih confirmed the attack on the pipeline, …

(2019-05-16). Trump Administration Waives Laws to Build 100 Miles of Border Wall Across Arizona National Monument, Wildlife Refuges. globalresearch.ca The Trump administration will waive dozens of environmental and public health laws to speed border-wall construction through federally protected sites in Arizona and California. | Today's announcement from the Department of Homeland Security says waivers will be used to build walls …

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2019-05-16). Fantasies of Humanity: The Christchurch Pledge and a Regulated Internet. globalresearch.ca It had to come. A massacre, broadcast in real time and then shared with viral automatism; the inevitable shock, and the counter from the authorities. The Christchurch shootings, inflicting fifty-one deaths upon worshippers at two mosques in quiet New Zealand …

Jake Johnson (2019-05-16). Undermining Trump-Bolton War Narrative, British General Says No Evidence of 'Increased Threat' from Iran. globalresearch.ca A British general threw a wrench into the Trump administration's narrative that Iran is plotting attacks on American troops in the Middle East by telling reporters gathered at the Pentagon Tuesday that "there's been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces" …

Whitney Webb (2019-05-16). Leaked Diplomatic Cable Suggests Saudi Foreknowledge of Sri Lanka Easter Bombings. theantimedia.com (MPN) — A leaked Saudi diplomatic memo obtained by Lebanese outlet Alahed News claims that the government of Saudi Arabia had foreknowledge of the Easter bombings that occurred last month in three cities on the island nation of Sri Lanka, killing nearly 300 and wounding over 500 more. The contents of the memo, which additionally suggests …

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2019-05-16). 77 Civilians Killed or Wounded in Sana'a as Saudi Airstrikes Target Yemeni Capital. mintpressnews.com The murderous attacks have enraged local residents, who took to the streets of Raqas to condemn the airstrikes and loss of civilian life, calling for counter-attacks on Coalition forces.

Maj. Danny Sjursen (2019-05-16). Where Is the Democratic Alternative to Forever War? truthdig.com There sure are lots to choose from. By now, more than 20 candidates have announced a run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. And with national security adviser John "Regime Change" Bolton, along with the others in the four Bs cabal—Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates—seem poised to pull President Trump into war with Iran, now would seem the time for D…

William Hartung (2019-05-16). It's Time to Stop Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia. commondreams.org Arms exhibition in Abu Dhabi (Photo: z.o.y.a via Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/arms_0.jpeg

Jason Ditz (2019-05-16). US Continues to Escalate Tensions, Raising Fear of Imminent War With Iran. theantimedia.com (ANTIWAR.COM) — Tensions between the United States and Iran continue to worsen, with the Trump Administration ratcheting up allegations against the Iranians, and even incidents that were plainly nothing to do with this latest round of tensions, like Yemen's Houthis launching drone attacks against Saudi oil pumping stations, have become interlinked in the narrative, if only to …

Democracy Now! (2019-05-16). Headlines for May 16, 2019. democracynow.org Alabama Governor Signs Nation's Most Restrictive Anti-Choice Law, Missouri Senate Votes to Ban Most Abortions After 8 Weeks, Trump Declares National Emergency, Blacklisting Chinese Telecom Huawei, Trump Delays Plans for Tariffs on Foreign Cars and Auto Parts, Trump to Announce "Merit-Based" Immigration Plan to Limit Asylum Cases, Family Reunifications, White House Refuses House Judiciary Committee Request for Documents, U.S. Won't Join "Christchurch Call" Against Online Extremism, Six Civilians Killed in Yemen as Saudi-Led Coalition Bombs Fall on Sana'a, Sudanese Troops Fire on Pro-Democracy Protesters as Militar…

Staff (2019-05-16). A Business Model From Hell and the War in Yemen. truthout.org A springtime wedding in Northern Yemen's Al-Raqah village took place in April 2018, a moment of reprieve from the turmoil and devastation of that war-torn country, a moment to celebrate life, love, and the birth of a new family. From the tents constructed for the event, music flooded into the village and, as at any good wedding, exuberant dancing was a central part of the festivities. | Unbeknownst to the guests, the music masked the buzzing of a warplane overhead. Suddenly, in a horrific turn of events, Saudi-…

Staff (2019-05-16). The Hell We've Unleashed on Yemen. truthdig.com A springtime wedding in Northern Yemen's Al-Raqah village took place in April 2018, a moment of reprieve from the turmoil and devastation of that war-torn country, a moment to celebrate life, love, and the birth of a new family. From the tents constructed for the event, music flooded into the village and, as at any good wedding, exuberant dancing was a central part of the festivities. | Unbeknownst to the guests, the music masked the buzzing of a warplane overhead. Suddenly, in a horrific turn of events, Saudi-led…

Staff (2019-05-16). Saudi Arabia Couldn't Ask for Better Coverage From Corporate Media. truthdig.com A spate of recent articles lays bare the willingness of the press to carry water for the increasingly brutal regime of Mohammed bin Salman.

Peter Koenig (2019-05-16). Trump: From China to Iran to Venezuela, Threats and Sanctions Everywhere. dissidentvoice.org As of May 10, Mr. Trump has arbitrarily increased tariffs on Chinese goods imported into the US, worth about 200 billion dollars, from 10% to 25%. It is an action without any foundation. An action that makes no sense at all, as China can and will retaliate — and retaliate much stronger than what the …

Ben Norton (2019-05-16). Us-Backed Opposition Leader Admits Venezuela 'Is Not a Dictatorship'. mintpressnews.com Opposition leader María Corina Machado, a key figure in the US coup plot, admitted that Venezuela "is not a dictatorship" and only international "humanitarian intervention" can topple Maduro.

plenglish (2019-05-16). President of the Munich Conference Calls for Pact with Iran. plenglish.com Berlin, May 16 (Prensa Latina) The President of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, stated today that only the joint efforts of the countries participating in the nuclear pact with Iran can save the agreement.

Staff (2019-05-16). Trump Proposal Would Change Priorities of Green Card System. truthdig.com WASHINGTON—After years of setbacks and stalemates, President Donald Trump will lay out yet another immigration plan as he tries to convince the American public and lawmakers that the nation's legal immigration system should be overhauled. | The latest effort, spearheaded by Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, focuses on beefing up border security and rethinking the green card system so that it would favor people with high-level skills, degrees and job offers instead of relatives of those already in the country. | A shift to a more merit-based system prioritizing high-skilled workers would…

commondreams (2019-05-16). Fourth Child Has Died After Being Held in U.S. Immigration Custody. commondreams.org ______________________________…

splcenter (2019-05-16). SPLC: Congress should dismiss President Trump's dubious 'merit-based' immigration plan in favor of real reform. splcenter.org President Trump made a speech in The White House Rose Garden today about a plan to move U.S. immigration toward a "merit-based system" that would prioritize high-skilled workers over those with family members who are already in the country.

RT (2019-05-16). 'Envy of the world' or 2020 campaign pitch? Trump immigration plan apparently aims at both. rt.com President Donald Trump has unveiled a sweeping proposal to overhaul legal immigration to make the US "envy of the world," but basically admitted it amounts to a Republican campaign platform for 2020.

WSWS (2019-05-16). Right-wing outcry over student protest against anti-Muslim "headscarf conference" at German university. wsws.org Legitimate criticisms of right-wing and racist positions are criminalised and denounced as "attacks on academic freedom" and "ideological terror."

WSWS (2019-05-16). France hosts "Christchurch call" summit to intensify internet censorship. wsws.org Under the banner of fighting terrorism, the social media giants and capitalist states are seeking to censor social media to banish left-wing and anti-war views.