(2019-05-09). The Militarization of Empathy. counterpunch.org 
The militarizing of empathy is repeatedly employed by mainstream media in their airing of heartstring-pulling stories of soldiers' surprise homecomings. There are the soldiers dressed in disguises: like the father, after a year in Afghanistan, arriving home in a fire truck, decked out in firefighting gear and gas mask. Kneeling before his two daughters, he took off his gas mask, and the surprised daughters cried out, "Daddy!," and hugged him, "with tears of joy," much to the delight of a gathered crowd. More
(2019-05-09). US cuts off power to Venezuelan Embassy with activists besieged inside. rt.com 
The Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC was plunged into darkness after the US authorities shut down power in the building. The anti-coup activists hunkered down inside say they are not leaving despite the blackout.
(2019-05-09). 'Dangerous and Appalling': US Defenders of Venezuelan Embassy Demand Secret Service End Illegal Water and Power Shutoff. commondreams.org What is happening at the embassy, said one activist, is "a microcosm of the what is taking place in Venezuela as the U.S. continues to try and orchestrate a coup." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/codepink_venezuela_0.jpg…
(2019-05-09). Venezuela — A Risk to Dollar Hegemony — Key Purpose Behind "Regime Change" globalresearch.ca After the new coup attempt — or propaganda coup — Venezuela lives in a state of foreign imposed insecurity. The failed coup was executed on 30 April by Juan Guaidó, the self-proclaimed and Washington-trained and endorsed "interim President", and …
(2019-05-09). Chile: House of Reps Approves Same-Sex Couple Adoption. telesurenglish.net Chile's House of Representatives approved a reform to its adoption law Wednesday that could allow same-sex couples to adopt children. | RELATED: | Chile: Ex-Pinochet Agent Gets 10 Years For MIR Leader's Murder | The text was approved by 104 votes, while 35 were against it, and four abstained, say sources within the House. | The Movement of Homosexual…
(2019-05-09). Anti-War Activists Confront Guaido Backers at Venezuela Embassy. telesurenglish.net Clashes ensued Wednesday evening at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington D.C. between representatives of the international NGO Code Pink who have barricaded themselves in the embassy and supporters of the right-wing Venezuelan opposition outside. | RELATED: | Police Arrest Second Top Venezuelan Opposition Lawmaker | Opposition groups prevented basic commodities such as food from entering the embassy on May 8. The Collective of Protection of the Embassy threw a backp…
(2019-05-09). Waging War on Iran without Turkey? Is Turkey Sleeping with the Enemy? The Russia -Turkey -Iran "Triple Entente" globalresearch.ca While US-Turkey military cooperation (including US air force bases in Turkey) dates back to the Cold War, Turkey is sleeping with both Iran and Russia. Trump's response takes the form of both military threats and economic sanctions coupled with financial manipulation of foreign exchange markets directed against Turkey's Lira.
(2019-05-09). Ross Camp Eviction, Santa Cruz, Tuesday 5-7-2019. indybay.org Today with only a couple camp residents now in the area. Heavy equipment is being brought in and the police have closed off the area, including the footbridge!
(2019-05-09). Venezuela: A Risk to Dollar Hegemony. dissidentvoice.org After the new coup attempt — or propaganda coup — Venezuela lives in a state of foreign imposed insecurity. The failed coup was executed on 30 April by Juan Guaidó, the self-proclaimed and Washington-trained and endorsed "interim President", and the opposition leader, Leopoldo López, who was hurriedly freed from house arrest by Guaidó with a …
(2019-05-09). Headlines for May 9, 2019. democracynow.org House Judiciary Votes to Hold Attorney General Barr in Contempt of Congress, Senate Panel Subpoenas Donald Trump Jr. to Testify About Russia, Trump Administration Announces New Sanctions on Iranian Metal Exports, Bodies of 4 Migrants Found in Arizona as Trial of Humanitarian Aid Volunteer Wraps Up, New York Bill Would Allow Congress to Obtain Trump's State Tax Records, Trump Laughs and Jokes as a Supporter Suggests Shooting Migrants, Maryland Judge Approves Supervised Release for White Nationalist Accused of Terror Plot, Five Killed in Kabul, Afghanistan as Taliban Attack U.S. Nonprofit, Pakistani Taliban Claims…
(2019-05-09). More US Pressure on North Korea Is Not the Path to Denuclearization. truthout.org On Friday, when the news broke of North Korea's missile test, two dominant myths immediately circulated in both mainstream and social media. One was that U.S. diplomacy with North Korea was failing, because North Korea had once again proved that it couldn't be trusted to keep its promise. The other was that more pressure was needed to force North Korea's denuclearization. But these narratives — which cut across partisan lines — fail to address an obvious fact: The U.S. policy of maximum pressure has not achieved its desired aim to denuclearize North Korea. To the contrary, U.S. policies of aggressi…
(2019-05-09). Iran Urges Diplomacy as US Ramps Up "Wildly Reckless" Threats of War. theantimedia.com (CD) — In the face of belligerent threats of war from the Trump administration, Iran on Wednesday took what some observers described as rational steps to reduce compliance with the nuclear accord to pressure European nations to live up to their end of the deal. "The path we have chosen today is not the path of war, it is the path of diplomacy," …
(2019-05-09). Iran's Actions Seek Compliance with Nuclear Deal. plenglish.com Tehran, May 9 (Prensa Latina) Iranian Ambassador at the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi said that by withdrawing from parts of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), his country seeks compliance with what the pact establishes.
(2019-05-09). Imagination and Nuclear Weapons. counterpunch.org Einstein believed that knowledge is limited, but imagination is infinite. Imagine the soul-crushing reality of a nuclear war, with billions of humans dead; in essence, a global Hiroshima, with soot from the destruction of cities blocking warming sunlight. There would be darkness everywhere, temperatures falling into a new ice age, with crop failures and mass More
(2019-05-09). Brazilian Court Orders ex-President Michel Temer Back to Prison. telesurenglish.net A Brazilian court on Wednesday ordered that former President Michel Temer be jailed again over an ongoing investigation into allegations of corruption. | RELATED: | Brazil's Temer Closed 130 Community Radios Before Leaving | Temer has been charged six times in connection with various corruption investigations. The court decision on Wednesday relates to an alleged corruption scheme involving a nuclear power plant operated by Eletronuclear, a subsidiary of state-run Centrais Eletricas…
(2019-05-09). Trump Imposes New Sanctions on Iran. theantimedia.com (MEE) — One year after the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, President Donald Trump imposed strict new sanctions on the country, just hours after Tehran announced plans to pull out of parts of the landmark accord. The Trump administration on Wednesday announced a new round of sanctions that will target Iran's metals trade — iron, steel, …
(2019-05-09). When We Were the 'Good Guys': US Keeps Invoking World War II to Validate New Wars. globalresearch.ca Americans are sick of fighting a 20-year war against an undefined enemy they can't seem to beat. With morale and recruitment scraping bottom, the world's best-funded military reckons that, if it can't win, it can at least look like a …
(2019-05-09). A Chinese Caribbean? Washington Not Happy About "New China Focus" in Cuba, Venezuela and Panama. globalresearch.ca As it becomes clear that the Trump Administration support, so far unsuccessful, for regime change in Venezuela is also very much about targeting the huge financial presence of China with the Maduro government, recent news of a major Chinese oil …
(2019-05-09). Moscow Victory Parade, Commemorating May 9, 1945: Surrender of the Government of the Third Reich. globalresearch.ca On February 2nd, 1943, the 6th German Army, under the command of Field Marshall Von Paulus, and elements of the 4th Panzer Army, surrendered to the Red Army at Stalingrad. This stunning victory is considered the turning point in …
(2019-05-09). Venezuela Accuses UK of Denying Venezuelans Food, Healthcare by Blocking Gold Deposits. globalresearch.ca Britain is denying millions of Venezuelans food and healthcare by blocking access to the South American country's gold deposits at the Bank of England, says Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza. | Speaking during a visit to Moscow, the Russian capital, …
(2019-05-09). Why Does Trump Like Communist Vietnam? Because It's Capitalist. globalresearch.ca Before Donald Trump's February summit with Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, Vietnam, The Washington Post ran an article headlined, "The US wants North Korea to follow the 'miracle' of Vietnam's path." | "In light of the once-unimaginable prosperity and partnership …
(2019-05-09). Video: Syrian Army Liberates Another Town in Northwestern Hama. globalresearch.ca By May 8, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies had repelled a series of counter-attacks by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-led forces keeping control of all the positions captured in northwestern Hama. Especially intense clashes took place near Tell Ottman …
(2019-05-09). Government Now Implicitly Accepts Liability for 72 Deaths in Grenfell Tower, West London. globalresearch.ca After two years of denial, evasion and procrastination, this government has finally accepted ultimate responsibility for the atrocity of multiple deaths in Grenfell Tower, North Kensington, West London on 14th June 2017. | The government-controlled fire-regulations to which all buildings in …
(2019-05-09). Bolton's War. Escalating US Hostility against Iran. Seeking a Pretext for War. globalresearch.ca National Security Advisor John Bolton, aided by his comrade-in-arms Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, is doing everything possible to instigate a war with Iran. Naked aggression as a means of starting such a war may be too much …
(2019-05-09). Climate Disruption: It's Not Due to CO2. globalresearch.ca Professor Claudia von Werlhof wrote to Greta Thunberg. In this letter Von Werlhof tells that the disruption of the global climate is not due to CO2. | Following questions arose from this letter for Silvia Terribili, who asked …
(2019-05-09). US and NATO Sink the INF Treaty with Russia. globalresearch.ca The Following text is Section 13 of | The 70 Years of NATO: From War to War, : | by the Italian Committee No War No NATO | * | Documentation presented at the International Conference on the 70th Anniversary of NATO, Florence, April 7, …
(2019-05-09). Pandering to Israel Means War with Iran. globalresearch.ca The United States is moving dangerously forward in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to provoke a war with Iran, apparently based on threat intelligence provided by Israel. The claims made by National Security Advisor John Bolton and …
(2019-05-09). 1,000 Israeli Soldiers to Arrive in Honduras to Train Troops, Police on Border Protection. globalresearch.ca A multilateral military treaty between Honduras, Israel, and the United States will see the deployment of 1000 Israeli soldiers at Honduras. They will train the Armed Forces of Honduras (FFAA) and National Police (PN). | The main mission of the troops …
(2019-05-09). Pompeo in Baghdad to Pressure Iraq to Join Press Against Iran; Iraq Declines. globalresearch.ca US secretary of state Mike Pompeo made a surprise four-hour visit to Baghdad on Tuesday in connection to the panic he is trying to trump up, along with US national security adviser and Sheldon Adelson plant John Bolton about Iran …
(2019-05-09). How Major Banks Turned a Blind Eye to the Theft of Billions of Pounds of Public Money. globalresearch.ca Major banks enabled fraudsters to steal billions of pounds of public money through VAT scams, allege documents obtained by the Bureau. A decade later, tax authorities are still chasing the money through the courts. | Traders in London facilitated the so-called …
(2019-05-09). Analysis: Public Overwhelmingly Wants EPA Ban on Wildlife-killing 'Cyanide Bombs'. globalresearch.ca More than 99.9 percent of people commenting on a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposal to reauthorize sodium cyanide in wildlife-killing devices called M-44s support a ban on these "cyanide bombs," according to an analysis released today. | Cyanide bombs inhumanely and …
(2019-05-09). 'Abhorrent' ambulance attack in Libyan capital imperils life-saving work, warns UN. un.org An attack on an ambulance in Tripoli on Wednesday that has critically injured the head of emergency services in Libya's war-torn capital, along with two paramedics, has been strongly condemned by UN humanitarians.
(2019-05-09). Macron: No Bet on Both Sides, France Supports Sarraj in Libya. telesurenglish.net France's President Emmanuel Macron Wednesday called for an unconditional truce in Libya as Marshal Khalifa Haftar continues his armed offensive against Tripoli's government led by Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj. | RELATED: | …
(2019-05-09). UN Investigating UAE's Role in Libya Airstrikes. telesurenglish.net United Nations officials announced Monday that they are currently conducting an investigation into the United Arab Emirates' role in a missile-strike offensive against Tripoli, Libya launched by the Libyan National Army. | RELATED: | Mayham Plagues Libyan Capital as Death Toll Rises to 432: WHO | An initial report was filed to the agency's Security Council noting that…
(2019-05-09). Why Government Jobs Stats are Inaccurate. counterpunch.org Reply to Doug Henwood's Apology & Defense of Government Reports In his reply to my just published article, 'What's Wrong with Government Job Statistics', Doug Henwood, a 'left' New York intellectual who has for years accepted without question government reported stats as 'gospel truth', has taken the opportunity to challenge my analysis. The nub of More
(2019-05-09). Kick the Cows Out of Point Reyes National Seashore. counterpunch.org Point Reyes National Seashore was established in the 1960s by the purchase of private ranches. The public paid fair market value for these lands. Livestock operations were to removed over a 25-grace period. But time and again the ranchers refused to leave OUR property. Surprisingly Representative Jared Huffman, ordinarily good on environmental issues, has sponsored More
(2019-05-09). A Matter of Independence: Equinor and Drilling the Great Australian Bight. counterpunch.org Such companies advertise themselves as slick and professional, the best in the business, all things to men, women and everyone in between. They insist that we can all have that vast cake of wealth and eat it too. Equinor, a Norwegian multinational beast of an energy company with its headquarters in Stavanger, has been doing More
(2019-05-09). Biden Likes Republicans So Much Because He's So Much Like Them. counterpunch.org Recent criticism of Joe Biden for praising Dick Cheney as "a decent man" and Mike Pence as "a decent guy" merely scratches the surface of what's wrong with the current frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. His compulsion to vouch for the decency of Republican leaders — while calling Donald Trump an "aberration" — is More
(2019-05-09). Metal and Rubber with Your Chicken? No Problem Says Tyson. counterpunch.org Rubber and metal are some of the recent surprise "ingredients" found in Tyson chicken. In January, 36,420 pounds of Tyson chicken nuggets were recalled due to rubber contamination. In March, a recall for possible metal contamination of ready-to-eat Tyson chicken strip products began which continues—now encompassing 12 million pounds. Tyson Foods is the world's second More
(2019-05-09). Boondoggle, Inc.: Making Sense of the $1.25 Trillion National Security State Budget. counterpunch.org 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 largest military budgets in American history, topping peak levels reached during the Korean and Vietnam More
(2019-05-09). The Melting of the Fortress of Solitude. counterpunch.org 
The American dream is the eternal one: wealth by luck, power by wealth, and freedom from responsibility by power. The American nightmare is our most democratized experience: impoverishment by design, powerlessness by impoverishment, and the shackling of the powerless to responsibility for the crimes of wealth.We live in a mediocracy, the mark of failure is success. To be fully human is to fail at being a successfully commodified robot. More
(2019-05-09). The Double Scapegoating of Ilhan Omar. counterpunch.org The Double Scapegoating of Ilhan Omar Nazis scapegoat Jews This isn't news. And neither is this: Scapegoats' deaths Protect the rich, And help the status quo — The order wreaking reeking Rotten poverty for most, And chopping to pieces, And cooking, the globe — Or didn't you know? The rich are protected when rage is More
(2019-05-09). House Panel Votes to Hold AG Barr in Contempt. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — The Latest on Congress and special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report (all times local): | 10: 50 p.m., May 8, 2019 | The House Judiciary Committee has voted to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress. | The vote Wednesday capped a day of ever-deepening dispute between congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump, who invoked executive privilege to block lawmakers from the full report on Robert Mueller's probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election. | Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York declared the action by Trump's Justice Department a clear new sig…
(2019-05-09). Trump ratchets up anti-immigrant campaign. greenleft.org.au 
While much of the media continues to focus on the Mueller report and the squabbles between the White House and the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, US President Donald Trump's real crimes are scarcely addressed or are ignored altogether. | This column will take up one of these crimes, Trump's intensification of his racist war on immigrants. He is not alone on this — the ultra-right throughout Europe and elsewhere have similar anti-immigrant policies. | In recent weeks Trump has appointed new officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
(2019-05-09). AG Barr hit with new subpoena as Dems struggle to extract unredacted Mueller report. rt.com 
Attorney General William Barr is facing a second House subpoena, this one from intelligence committee chair Adam Schiff, as Democrats double down on their quest for the unredacted Mueller report and the evidence behind it.
(2019-05-09). House Panel Holds Barr in Contempt as Trump Claims Executive Privilege. truthout.org The House Judiciary Committee has voted to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress over his refusal to turn over the unredacted Mueller report and the underlying evidence to lawmakers. Meanwhile, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for the unredacted report. This all came after the White House invoked executive privilege to prevent the full report's release to Congress and to bar former White House counsel Don McGahn from providing documents to Congress related to the Mueller probe. We speak with Ian Millhiser, a columnist for Thi…
(2019-05-09). A Constitutional Crisis? House Panel Holds AG Barr in Contempt as Trump Claims Executive Privilege. democracynow.org 
The House Judiciary Committee has voted to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress over his refusal to turn over the unredacted Mueller report and the underlying evidence to lawmakers. Meanwhile, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for the unredacted report. This all came after the White House invoked executive privilege to prevent the full report's release to Congress and to bar former White House counsel Don McGahn from providing documents to Congress related to the Mueller probe. We speak with Ian Millhiser, a columnist for ThinkP…
(2019-05-09). Venezuela's Public, Private Banks To Exchange Currencies. plenglish.com Caracas, May 9 (Prensa Latina) By derogating the Foreign Exchange Law and the new economic policy of opening to free exchange in Venezuela, public and private banks will carry out operations with legal currencies, reported on Thursday MP Jesus Faria.
(2019-05-09). Putin Reiterates Call to Create Global and Indivisible Security (+Photos). plenglish.com Moscow, May 9 (Prensa Latina) President Vladimir Putin on Thursday reiterated his call to the rest of the world to establish cooperation for a global and indivisible security, as well as showing willingness to fight jointly against terrorism and extremism.
(2019-05-09). President Trump's Insatiable Appetite for Regime Change. commondreams.org White House National Security Advisor John Bolton talks to reporters about the security and political turmoil in Venezuela and called for a peaceful transition to a government controlled by acting President Juan Guaido, outside of the White House West Wing on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/TNS) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/bolton_6.jpeg…
