2019-05-17: News Headlines

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-05-17). Countering Trump's Inhumane Proposal, Ilhan Omar Presents 'Only Immigration Plan Worth Hearing About'. commondreams.org "We should be welcoming immigrants into our country and providing them a simple and accessible path to becoming documented, not treating them like criminals or dehumanizing them." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/ilhan_omar_immigration.jpg

susan_p (2019-05-17). United States: Resisting Trump's attacks on migrants. greenleft.org.au Green Left Weekly's Jacob Andrewartha and Zane Alcorn spoke to Justin Akers Chacón, a Mexican-based, US immigrant rights activist, in Melbourne for the Marxism conference in April. | What can you tell us about the current situation in the US regarding immigration, particularly as we enter the second half of US President Donald Trump's term in office? | The situation is really dire in many ways. Trump has ratcheted up the attack on immigrants, including trying to prevent thousands of Central American asylum-seekers from even reaching the border where they could apply for asylum. | He has done this by essentially s…

Democracy Now! (2019-05-17). Immigrant Activists Maru Mora-Villalpando & Ravi Ragbir Keep Speaking Out Despite Deportation Threat. democracynow.org President Trump has unveiled plans for a new, so-called "merit-based" immigration system that would prioritize "highly-skilled" and English-speaking workers, while further restricting asylum seekers and immigrants who have family living in the United States. Although no legislative details for the plan have been revealed, Trump's proposal is likely to hit a wall in Congress, where the Democratically-led House has repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration over immigration policy. Trump's immigration policies have led to dire conditions for asylum seekers to the U.S. On Wednesday, a two-and-a-half year-old m…

WSWS (2019-05-17). More migrant deaths as Trump unveils class-based immigration quota. wsws.org Trump announced the new plan as the military agreed to build six new internment camps along the US-Mexico border.

RT (2019-05-17). 'Don't get comfortable:' Trump announces record detentions, says migrants will be 'sent home'. rt.com Donald Trump has called on Democrats to vote for his immigration reform to fix the 'National Emergency" on the US' border with Mexico, saying that migrants are being detained in record numbers to be repatriated.

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-05-17). As Irish PM Says Public Protest 'Welcome,' Trump Pushes for Private Meeting at His Own Golf Club. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/st._louis_immigration_rally_2-4-2017_31885903174_0.jpg

Democracy Now! (2019-05-17). Headlines for May 17, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Immigration Plan Favors Job Skills Over Asylum Claims and Family Ties, Trump Officials Reportedly Clash Over U.S. Sabre-Rattling With Iran, UNICEF Chief Calls Yemen War "a Test of Our Humanity" That "We Are Badly Failing", Venezuelan Government Blasts U.S. Seizure of Embassy as Vienna Convention Violation, Brazilian Teachers and Students March Against Education Cuts, Mexican Journalist Francisco Romero Killed in Playa del Carmen, Lawyer Says Tennessee Prisoner "Suffered Excruciating Pain" During Execution, Alabama Prisoner Put to Death After "Pro-Life" Governor Denies Reprieve, Senate Confirms Anti-Choice A…

teleSUR (2019-05-17). Venezuela's Arreaza: 'We Have to Reject War, Bet on Dialogue'. telesurenglish.net During an exclusive interview with teleSUR, Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza addressed some of the the highlights of the current political, economic and diplomatic situation his country is going through. | RELATED: | UN Sec-Gen 'Very Much Supportive' of Venezuela Talks in Norway | With regard to the "exploratory phase" of dialogue taki…

plenglish (2019-05-17). Impact of US Blockade against Venezuela Denounced. plenglish.com 17 de mayo de 2019, 16: 28Ankara, May 17 (Prensa Latina) The Venezuelan ambassador to Turkey, José Bracho Reyes, today denounced the consequences of the US blockade against the South American nation, during a keynote address to the Faculty of Economics of the Technical University of the Middle East .

plenglish (2019-05-17). Venezuelan FM Thanks Norway for Promoting Social Dialogue. plenglish.com Caracas, May 17 (Prensa Latina) Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Friday thanked the Government of Norway for supporting dialogue for peace and the country"s sovereignty.

Dave Lindorff (2019-05-17). Who Knows? Who Cares? If the Media Claim 50 Countries Reject Venezuela's Elected President and Repeat It Enough It Must be True. globalresearch.ca American media still refer to Juan Guaidó, America's hand-picked "legitimate leader" or "legitimate president" of Venezuela, as having an "administration." | The truth is that his "administration" — consisting of advisors and other opposition leaders — are all either arrested …

RT (2019-05-17). 'We fight too many wars!' Rev. Jackson denounces US militarism after Venezuela embassy raid. rt.com Renowned American civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson has spoken out against US militaristic foreign policy after delivering food supplies to peace activists at the Venezuelan embassy in DC before their forceful eviction.

Ron Jacobs (2019-05-17). Uncle Sam Needs Our Help Again? counterpunch.org Earlier in 2019, the US Congress utilized its power to wage or not wage war and voted to end US involvement in the Saudi Arabian war in Yemen. Donald Trump vetoed the bill and it died. Meanwhile, the Pentagon and US intelligence agencies were ramping up pressure on the nations of Venezuela and Iran. Other More

Register Peace & Freedom or Green (2019-05-17). 5/16/19: Chelsea Manning Returned to Prison; Illegal Arrests of Embassy Protectors. indybay.org On the same day, May 16, 2019, the remaining 4 Venezuelan Embassy Protectors were falsely arrested by US police who illegally entered the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington D.C. and Chelsea Manning was returned to prison as a political prisoner for refusing to cooperate with the witchhunting grand jury, and this time, the reactionary Judge Anthony Trenga added the threat of daily fines of up to $500 a day after 30 days and rising to $1000 a day after 60 days. We heard not a peep of opposition to these reactionary actions by Nazi Trump from the Democratic Party candidates for president.

Staff (2019-05-17). Trump Admin Breaks and Enters Venezuela's Embassy, Arrests Activists. therealnews.com After more than a month of living in the Venezuelan embassy, DC police and secret service broke open the doors to arrest for activists who had been staying in the embassy to protect it against an opposition take-over. The move sets a dangerous precedent, says Medea Benjamin…

WSWS (2019-05-17). US security forces storm Venezuelan embassy in Washington, D.C. wsws.org The raid of the embassy is of a piece with the reckless and illegal actions taken by the Trump administration in an effort to force a regime change in Venezuela.

Peter Koenig (2019-05-17). Trump — from China to Iran to Venezuela — Threats and Sanctions Everywhere — A Chronicle of Disorganized Chaos Foretold. globalresearch.ca Trump himself, has not only reached a level of incompetence and ignorance which is scary — but he has also surrounded himself with inept, preposterous people, like, Pence, Bolton, Pompeo — who, it appears, have no other means left than running around the world amok, dishing out threats left and right…

plenglish (2019-05-17). Venezuelan President Repeats Willingness to Dialogue with Opposition. plenglish.com Caracas, May 17 (Prensa Latina) The Government of Venezuela is willing to settle the differences with the opposition through dialogue, President Nicolas Maduro said after a meeting with international representatives.

ANSWER Coalition (2019-05-17). Forum: Eyewitness Venezuela with Gloria La Riva. indybay.org 2969 Mission St. near 26th St.

Derek Royden (2019-05-17). The embassy siege in Georgetown. nationofchange.org The American occupiers in the country's Georgetown embassy have mobilized in solidarity with the Venezuelan people and in the hope that they can help to prevent a war, the international left must support them.

Ajamu Baraka (2019-05-17). 2020 Elections: It's Militarism and the Military Budget Stupid! counterpunch.org U.S. ships are involved in provocative "freedom of navigation" exercises in the South China Sea and other ships gather ominously in the Mediterranean Sea while National Security Advisor John Bolton and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo along with convicted war criminal Elliot Abrams conspire to save the people of Venezuela with another illegal "regime change" More

plenglish (2019-05-17). Venezuela Welcomes Norway's Announcement On Beginning of Dialogue. plenglish.com Caracas, May 17 (Prensa Latina) Vice-President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, celebrated on Friday Norway"s pronouncement on a first rapprochement for political dialogue between the Caracas government and the opposition based in the European country.

Jessica Corbett (2019-05-17). Venezuela Denounces US Seizure of Embassy as Violation of Vienna Convention. theantimedia.com (CD) — 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 Nicolás Maduro's government. "We denounce these arrests, as the …

Prof. Marjorie Cohn (2019-05-17). US Illegally Evicts Protectors from Venezuelan Embassy. globalresearch.ca Today, law enforcement agents broke into the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, D.C., and arrested the four remaining members of the Embassy Protection Collective. | "We denounce these arrests, as the people inside were there with our permission, and we consider it …

Mark Gruenberg (2019-05-17). Protests expected at Venezuelan Embassy following ejection of last Maduro supporters. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Demonstrators are expected this Saturday at noon at the Venezuelan Embassy here two days after police — following the orders of the right-wing GOP Trump administration — ejected the last four supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from the building. The eviction, after 38 days, is a proxy for President Donald Trump's ideological effort to …

pip.hinman (2019-05-17). Guaido requests US military cooperation to oust Maduro. greenleft.org.au Self-declared "Venezuelan Interim President" Juan Guaido has ordered the setting up of a meeting with the United States Armed Forces to discuss cooperation in his efforts to oust President Nicolas Maduro. | During a gathering of supporters in the upper-middle class Caracas district of Las Mercedes on May 11, Guaido announced that he instructed his representative in the US, Carlos Vecchio, to establish a "direct relationship" with the US Southern Command (SouthCom), which controls all US overt and covert military operations in Latin America and the Caribbea…

plenglish (2019-05-17). China Calls to Peacefully Resolve Venezuela Issue. plenglish.com Beijing, May 17 (Prensa Latina) China has called on Friday to strengthen efforts between the Venezuela government and opposition to achieve a peaceful resolution to the situation there, by emphasizing its position of non-meddling in the internal affairs of the South American nation.

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-05-17). Sanders Launches Petition Urging Lawmakers to Block Military Action Against Iran Without Congressional Approval. commondreams.org As heightened tension between Washington and Tehran continues to provoke warnings of potential war, Sen. Bernie Sanders released a petition as part of his presidential campaign Thursday calling on federal lawmakers to "pass legislation that would prohibit military action against Iran without congressional approval." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bernie_sanders_big_pharma_greed_drug_prices_0.jpg

Sonali Kolhatkar (2019-05-17). Neocons Won't Stop Until They Get Their War With Iran. commondreams.org Trump's national security adviser John Bolton has made it his mission to spark a war against Iran, and he was part of the apparatus of building the false case for the disastrous 2003 U.S. war against Iraq. (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/bolton_warmonger.jpg

plenglish (2019-05-17). Trump Rejects Media Coverage of Tensions between US and Iran. plenglish.com Washington, May 17 (Prensa Latina) U.S. President Donald Trump criticized on Friday what he calls fake news media on his way of handling tensions between the US and Iran.

Middle East Eye (2019-05-17). How is the Middle East Reacting to Increasing US-Iran Tensions? theantimedia.com (MEE) — With tensions once again ratcheting up in the Gulf, the international community has held its breath as a long-feared conflict between the US and Iran appears to inch increasingly closer. The US has blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf and President Donald Trump warned on Monday that if the Islamic republic …

Mohamed Elmaazi (2019-05-17). Trump is bringing the US closer to a 'very stupid and costly war with Iran', warns Tulsi Gabbard. thecanary.co Donald Trump is on "the brink of launching" the US into war with Iran, warns 2020 presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard. | The military veteran and Major in the US Army National Guard blasted Trump in a new campaign video, slamming the possibility of "a very stupid and costly war with Iran": | #TULSI2020 Alex Emmons (2019-05-17). Democrats Running for President Are Waking Up to the Danger of War With Iran. theintercept.com Four of the seven senators who've joined the 2020 race have signed onto a bill that would prohibit the U.S. military from spending money to attack Iran.

Bob Dreyfuss (2019-05-17). Trump May Not Want War With Iran—But the Coalition of the Killing May Give Him One. thenation.com Trump May Not Want War With Iran—But the Coalition of the Killing May Give Him One…

Kurt Nimmo (2019-05-17). Congress Wants to Steal $1.68 Billion from Iran. globalresearch.ca It's not enough to want untold thousands to die and the country destroyed, now neocons in Congress want to steal more than a billion and a half dollars from Iran as compensation for something somebody else did or didn't do….

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-05-17). Amid Murky Intel, Experts Say Time to Be Clear: Threat of War With Iran "Solely and Unequivocally" Trump's Fault. commondreams.org "Trump action provokes Iran reaction provokes U.S. reaction and suddenly march to another quagmire catastrophic war." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pompeo_trump_bolton_iran.jpg

RT (2019-05-17). 'Fraudulent', 'poorly sourced' & 'DANGEROUS': Trump strikes out against 'fake news' on Iran. rt.com Amid rising tensions between the US and Iran, and rumors of war, President Donald Trump has blasted what he called 'fake news media' coverage of the issue, warning that it could be "dangerous" for the country. |

Paul Pillar (2019-05-17). Only Ones to Blame for Fresh US-Iranian Tensions: Team Trump. commondreams.org U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talk during the group photo at the Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East on February 14, 2019 in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/bibi_pompeo_iran_war.jpg

Juan Cole (2019-05-17). Top Ten Differences Between the Iraq War and Trump's Proposed Iran War. globalresearch.ca 1. Iraq is 168,754 mi ≤ and Iran is 636,400 mi ≤; that is, Iran is geographically 3.77 times bigger than Iraq, almost 4 times as big. | 2. Iraq's population when invaded was 26 million. Iran's population today is 81 million. | 3. …

Mehdi Hasan (2019-05-17). Four Simple Steps the U.S. Media Could Take to Prevent a Trump War With Iran. theintercept.com An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln on May 10, 2019, in the Red Sea. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group has been deployed to U.S. Central Command as tensions with Iran have recently escalated. | helped the Bush administration spread myths and lies about the threat posed by Iraq to the United States and its allies, the Trump administration is spreading similar myths and…

WSWS (2019-05-17). The US war drive against Iran and the conflict with Europe. wsws.org Amid growing conflicts with its strategic rivals, including its European Union "allies," Washington is seeking to reorganize Eurasian geopolitics, beginning with a war drive targeting Iran.

John Mecklin (2019-05-17). War and Peace: Bolton and Trump Tell a Confused Story About Possible Military Action against Iran. globalresearch.ca The New York Times reported earlier in the week that top Trump administration national security officials asked for and received a briefing on military plans that would send some 120,000 US troops to the Middle East should Iran take aggressive …

Whitney Webb (2019-05-17). Newly Released FBI Docs Shed Light on Apparent Mossad Foreknowledge of 9/11 Attacks. mintpressnews.com New information released by the FBI has brought fresh scrutiny to the possibility that the "Dancing Israelis," at least two of whom were known Mossad operatives, had prior knowledge of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

Associated Press (2019-05-17). Chelsea Manning Sent Back to Jail for Refusing to Testify Against Wikileaks. mintpressnews.com Manning already spent two months in jail for refusing a previous subpoena to testify to a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks. She was released last week when that grand jury's term expired, but prosecutors quickly hit her with a new subpoena.

Hans Stehling (2019-05-17). Netanyahu's Acts of Provocation and Destruction Including Violence against Civilians Constitute Both a War Crime and Terrorism. globalresearch.ca United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 was adopted on 23.12.2016. The resolution passed in a 14—0 vote by members of the U.N.S.C. including four parties having power of veto: China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom. | It reaffirmed that Israel's …

Eds. (2019-05-17). Media stenography turns beheaded Saudi protesters into 'terrorism'. mronline.org All three outlets also added gratuitous details about the attack in Sri Lanka and/or other ISIS-related attacks—attacks that there's no suggestion any of the defendants were connected to. In fact, most of these defendants were arrested before ISIS existed. And a majority of those killed, being Shiites, would be viewed by ISIS as heretics. | Source

plenglish (2019-05-17). Russia Denounces Organization of Terrorist Provocation in Syria. plenglish.com Moscow, May 17 (Prensa Latina) The Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria on Friday denounced the organization of a simulated attack with chemical weapons by terrorist groups in Idlib to blame the government.

United Nations (2019-05-17). Repatriation of extremist fighters and families to Kazakhstan, welcomed by UN rights expert. un.org Stressing the need for some Governments to reform their laws and policies on fighting terrorism and extremism, an independent UN human rights expert welcomed on Friday Kazakhstan's repatriation of 231 of its citizens from conflict sites in Syria and Iraq, earlier this month.

Ryan Gallagher (2019-05-17). France Takes Unprecedented Action Against Reporters Who Published Secret Government Document. theintercept.com Journalists in France are facing potential jail sentences in an unprecedented case over their handling of secret documents detailing the country's involvement in the Yemen conflict. | Earlier this week, a reporter from Radio France and the co-founders of Paris-based investigative news organization Disclose were called in for questioning at the offices of the General Directorate for Internal Security, known as the DGSI. The agency is tasked with fighting terrorism, espionage, and other domestic threats, similar in function to the FBI in the United States. | The two news organizations published stories in April [md…

Andrew Korybko (2019-05-17). The Mali-Burkina Faso-Niger Border Triangle Is the New "Syraq" (Syria-Iraq). globalresearch.ca Terrorist groups in West Africa are dangerously trying to transplant the "Syraq" model of transnational destabilization to the Mali-Burkina Faso-Niger border triangle in order to turn it into a similarly lawless region like the frontier between those two aforementioned Mideast …