This celebrated Western-funded nonprofit collaborated with al-Qaeda to wage lawfare on Syria
Max Blumenthal | thegrayzone.com | 2019-06-20
Mainstream reporting on Syria has relied heavily on the work of the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA), a…
thegrayzone.com/2019/06/19/commission-for-international-justice-and-accountability-cija-syria-al-qaeda/

Did Venezuelan coup leaders pocket $70 million from Citgo's stolen US assets?
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2019-06-20
Venezuela's government has claimed the Department of Justice will investigate Citgo's opposition-appointed board for the theft of $70 million. But…
thegrayzone.com/2019/06/19/guaido-vecchio-citgo-theft-investigation/

The 5G War — Technology versus Humanity
Dr. Joseph Mercola | globalresearch.ca | 2019-06-20
Exposure to electromagnetic field (EMF) and radiofrequency (RF) radiation is an ever-growing health risk in the modern world. The Cellular Phone Task Force website1 has a long list of governments and organizations that have issued warnings or banned wireless …
globalresearch.ca/the-5g-war-technology-versus-humanity/5681181

The Jackboots Are Coming: Mass Arrests, Power Grabs and the Politics of Fear
John W. Whitehead | globalresearch.ca | 2019-06-20
globalresearch.ca/jackboots-coming-mass-arrests-power-grabs-politics-fear/5681173

Video: US-Russia Relations and the Expiry of Nuclear Treaties. Global Security in Jeopardy
Makia Freeman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-06-20
Nuclear treaties (mainly between the USA and Russia) have formed the cornerstone of world peace, stability and safety for decades. They have been an essential mechanism in the international security architecture. Nuclear treaties gave assurance to the world that the …
globalresearch.ca/video-us-russia-relations-and-the-expiry-of-nuclear-treaties-global-security-in-jeopardy/5681186

Namibia seeks $1 billion in investments
CGTN Africa | cgtn.com | 2019-06-20
Namibia is to host a two-day economic summit which is expected to attract at least $1 billion worth of investments over the next two years, the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology said on Wednesday. | FILE PHOTO | View of downtown Windhoek, Namibia | Namibia's economy has contracted for the last two years, and the southwest African nation has been ravaged by a drought which the meteorological services estimate to be the deadliest in 90 years. | The economic summit, which will take place from July 31 to Aug. 1 in the capital Windhoek, is aimed at reviving and growing the Namibian economy, creatin…
africa.cgtn.com/2019/06/20/namibia-seeks-1-billion-in-investments/

Iran Shoots Down US Drone Amid Heightened Tensions
telesurenglish.net | 2019-06-20
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran announced on Thursday that their forces downed a U.S. reconnaissance drone in the southern province of Hormozgan. | RELATED: | Rocket Hits Foreign Owned Oil Companies in Southeast Iraq | The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported that the IRGC forces shot down an RQ-4 Global Hawk drone after it was spotted high above the Hormozgan Province on Thursday morning. | "It was shot down when it entered Iran's airspace near the…
telesurenglish.net/news/Iran-Shoots-Down-US-Drone-Amid-Heightened-Tensions-20190620-0002.html

Japanese and German Doubts on U.S. Drumbeat Towards Iran War
Gary Leupp | counterpunch.org | 2019-06-20
Japan since 1945 has been the most abjectly deferential of U.S., even more so than the U.K. Tokyo rarely strays far from Washington's line on any global issue. It notoriously supported the Iraq wars if 1991 and 2003-present, both based on lies. Japan's loyalty, like Britain's is strategic; while all alliances with the U.S. are…
counterpunch.org/2019/06/20/japanese-and-german-doubts-on-u-s-drumbeat-towards-iran-war/

Brazilian unions sabotage one-day general strike
wsws.org | 2019-06-20
After telling workers to "stay home" during the general strike, union officials spoke in favor of the reactionary pension reform Bolsonaro sent to Congress.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/06/20/braz-j20.html

South Sudan lawmakers quit budget presentation over unpaid public salaries
CGTN Africa | cgtn.com | 2019-06-20
South Sudanese lawmakers stormed out of a budget presentation for the 2019/20 financial year by the finance minister on Thursday, with one citing frustrations over non-payment of salaries of civil servants and soldiers. | The disruption highlights issues affecting South Sudan months after the latest peace deal was signed to end a civil war, often fought along ethnic lines and that has crippled oil production, forced millions to flee and killed 400,000 people. | "Our army is cutting down trees to make a living, our foreign missions … it is now almost one year we are unable to pay them. Our teachers are not be…
africa.cgtn.com/2019/06/20/south-sudan-lawmakers-quit-budget-presentation-over-unpaid-public-salaries/

Haiti uprising rekindled after latest corruption report
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-06-20
Thousands took to the streets in towns and cities around Haiti on June 9 to demand President Jovenel MoàØse's resignation and the prosecution of those responsible for looting about US$2 billion from the government's Petrocaribe Fund. | After two buildings and several vehicles were burned in the capital Port-au-Prince, a police spokesperson reported that gunfire killed two demonstrators and wounded four, and a police officer was injured by a thrown rock. But opposition figures and radio stations reported at least seven killed and more than 100 people wounded by gunfire from police and government-aligned gan…
greenleft.org.au/content/haiti-uprising-rekindled-after-latest-corruption-report

U.S. presses Zimbabwe to make political reforms
CGTN Africa | cgtn.com | 2019-06-20
The United States on Wednesday pressed Zimbabwe for political reforms after it cracked down on protesters, in a rare high-level meeting with President Emmerson Mnangagwa. | Tibor Nagy, the top US diplomat for Africa, said he met Mnangagwa in Mozambique on the sidelines of a US-Africa business meeting. | "I stressed the urgent need to hold security forces accountable for acts of violence committed against Zimbabweans including in August 2018 and January/February 2019 and the importance of real political and economic reforms," Nagy wrote on Twitter. | At least 17 people were killed at the start of the year after…
africa.cgtn.com/2019/06/20/u-s-presses-zimbabwe-to-make-political-reforms/

UGANDA: INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (ICC) IS A TOOL BUILT FOR VETO POWERS AND ON THE BRINK OF COLLAPSE-SCHOLAR
By Okumu Langol Livingstone | blackstarnews.com | 2019-06-20
Dr. Phil Clark, launching his new book; "Distant Justice" in Gulu recently | Dr. Phil Clark, a scholar, says his fear about is that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has lost its vision to the interest of powerful countries with veto powers that could have helped to bring peace in Northern Uganda during the failed Juba Peace Talks between 2006 and 2008 during. In northern Uganda the ICC was being used as a tool for the interests of world super powers like Russia, United State of America, Britain, Germany, Franc and China. | | GULU-UGANDA: In his new book, "Distant Justice",Dr. Phil Clark, of the African Ce…
www.blackstarnews.com/global-politics/africa/uganda-international-criminal-court-icc-is-a-tool-built-for

Trump Administration Incoherence Could Lead to War
Jeet Heer | thenation.com | 2019-06-20
Trump Administration Incoherence Could Lead to War…
thenation.com/article/trump-iran-foreign-policy/

Why the risks of war with Iran are real
duncan_roden | greenleft.org.au | 2019-06-20
Neither the United States nor Iran really wants war, we are told, because the reality of such a conflict is too horrific to contemplate. But the Gulf tanker crisis and the US response shows that we are alarmingly close to open hostilities. | It is true that there are voices in the US defence establishment calling for restraint. It appears to be the case, too, that the Iranian government is operating on the assumption that the US does not want a war. But there are several reasons why such assumptions are not a sound basis for judgement. | First, some do want military action against Iran. And they really are not ma…
greenleft.org.au/content/why-risks-war-iran-are-real

Growing war danger as Pentagon presents new "evidence" Iran struck tankers
wsws.org | 2019-06-20
Testimony by top administration officials suggests that the Trump administration is preparing to invoke…
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/06/20/iran-j20.html

Accusing US of 'Intrusion' Into National Airspace, Iran Shoots Down American 'Spy' Drone
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-06-20
"U.S. drone intrusion to the Iranian airspace is clear violation of the U.N. Charter and national sovereignty of the country," said one top Iranian national security official | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/drone_iran.jpg…
commondreams.org/news/2019/06/20/accusing-us-intrusion-national-airspace-iran-shoots-down-american-spy-drone?cd-origin=rss

US-Turkey conflict nears breaking point
wsws.org | 2019-06-20
Ankara's S-400 purchase is a flashpoint for more significant and intractable geopolitical differences with Washington, including over the US war drive against Iran.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/06/20/ustu-j20.html

Your tax dollars at work: Journalists, activists disturbed by State Dept's anti-Iran troll campaign
rt.com | 2019-06-20
Victims of anti-Iran trolling campaign were shocked to learn it was taxpayer- funded by the State Department, but not so shocked to see the government attempting to cover it up or mainstream media giving it little coverage. | …
rt.com/usa/462257-iran-disinfo-trolls-victims-response/

America's Confrontation With Iran Goes Deeper Than Trump
Trita Parsi | thenation.com | 2019-06-20
America's Confrontation With Iran Goes Deeper Than Trump…
thenation.com/article/iran-war-trump/

EU announces €48.5 million aid to South Sudan
Jerry Omondi | cgtn.com | 2019-06-20
The European Union on Thursday announced ‚Ǩ48.5 million in humanitarian assistance to South Sudan, which has been dogged by a civil war for the major part of its post-independence era. | The latest aid grant comes just a week after the EU announced another ‚Ǩ1 million to step up Ebola prevention in the country. | "The EU continues to stand by people in need in South Sudan. Today on World Refugee Day let us not forget the 4 million South Sudanese who remain uprooted, either within their country or as refugees in the region. Our new funding will help partners save lives on the…
africa.cgtn.com/2019/06/20/eu-announces-e48-5-million-aid-to-south-sudan/

87yo woman tasered by Georgia police, excessive force lawsuit pending (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2019-06-20
Harrowing footage has been released showing the arrest of an 87-year-old Syrian woman who was tasered by Georgia police, despite their dispatcher being made aware that she could not speak English. | …
rt.com/usa/462288-87yo-tased-by-police-georgia/

Chinese Ambassador: China values trade partnership with Ghana
CGTN Africa | cgtn.com | 2019-06-20
Ghana is one of China's key trading partners on the African continent, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Wang Shiting said on Wednesday. | Delivering a keynote speech to open the third China Trade Week (CTW) event, Wang said China places a very high value on the bilateral trade relationship with the West African country. | "With the effort of the Ghanaian government to develop the manufacturing industry and the Chinese government to expand import, trade between the two countries is growing towards a more balanced and sustainable direction," the ambassador said. | Last year, bilateral trade between China and Ghana r…
africa.cgtn.com/2019/06/20/chinese-ambassador-china-values-trade-partnership-with-ghana/

Raytheon Technologies and Industry Trends
Christian Sorensen | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-06-20
Last week two giant war corporations, Raytheon and United Technologies, announced they would merge in early 2020. The new behemoth, to be known as Raytheon Technologies, is expected to have a combined value of over $100 billion in capitalist markets. Recent history provides context to understand today's war industry and the nature of this merger. …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/06/raytheon-technologies-and-industry-trends/

'These Are Huge Checks Being Written to Boeing and Lockheed': Rep. Rashida Tlaib Rips Endless War Budget as House Passes $733B in Military Spending
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-06-20
"We should be cutting checks to everyday people struggling to make ends meet." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/rashida_tlaib_military_budget.jpg…
commondreams.org/news/2019/06/20/these-are-huge-checks-being-written-boeing-and-lockheed-rep-rashida-tlaib-rips?cd-origin=rss

UK Broke the Law by Shipping Weapons to Saudi Arabia
telesurenglish.net | 2019-06-20
The United Kingdom broke international law by allowing arms exports to Saudi Arabia that might have been used in Yemen's war, a court ruled on Thursday, after activists argued the weapons were likely operated in violation of human rights legislation. | RELATED: | Saudi Crown Prince Liable for Murder of Khashoggi: UN Expert | While the court's decision does not mean Britain must immediately halt arms exports to Saudi Arabia, it does mean that there is a stay on the granting of new…
telesurenglish.net/news/UK-Broke-the-Law-by-Shipping-Weapons-to-Saudi-Arabia–20190620-0004.html

Laborfest: S.F. Living Wage Coalition Awards Dinner
Laborfest | indybay.org | 2019-06-20
SEIU Local 1021's SF hall, 350 Rhode Island (enter from Kansas between 16th & 17th St.) , San Francisco. 16th St BART. Buses: 19, 22.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/06/19/18824080.php

Thus Spoke the Bond Market
Sabri àñncຠ| counterpunch.org | 2019-06-20
The titles of a few recent articles give some idea about what has been going on in the bond market lately: "The Bond Market Is Giving Ominous Warnings about the Global Economy" (Irwin 2019), "History Tells Us Why the Fed Should Take the Inverted Yield Curve Seriously" (Coppola 2019),…
counterpunch.org/2019/06/20/thus-spoke-the-bond-market/

Centrists within US Democrats fear a leftward political slide if Trump impeached
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-06-20
No matter how reprehensible one considers former US president Bill Clinton's actions to have been in the Monica Lewinsky case, they dwarf in comparison to the actions of Donald Trump. The Republicans impeached Clinton and then moved to remove him from office. Hasn't Pelosi heard of tit for tat? | Similarly, Mitch McConnell, Republican leader of the Senate, has stated that if a Supreme Court vacancy occurs in 2020, the Republicans would fill it — the exact opposite of what the party did in 2016, with the argument that regardless of who former president Barack Obama chose to fill the court's vacancy, let vote…
greenleft.org.au/content/centrists-within-us-democrats-fear-leftward-political-slide-if-trump-impeached

Professor Stuart Rees to speak at SEP rally to defend Julian Assange
wsws.org | 2019-06-20
"The rally must increase public awareness of the outrageous injustice if Julian is extradited to the US to face a possible 170 years in prison."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/06/20/rees-j20.html

At House Hearing, Poor People's Campaign Demands End to 'Systemic Policy Violence Against the Poor'
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-06-20
Not addressing poverty "is constitutionally inconsistent, it is economically insane, and it is morally, morally, morally wrong," said Rev. Dr. William Barber. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/war-poverty-policy-violence.jpg…
commondreams.org/news/2019/06/19/house-hearing-poor-peoples-campaign-demands-end-systemic-policy-violence-against?cd-origin=rss

Global Study Finds Europeans Show Lower Trust in Vaccines
telesurenglish.net | 2019-06-20
A global study on attitudes towards science and medicine reported findings Wednesday showing that vaccines, one of the world's most widely- used medical products, is being confronted by increasing skepticism in high-income countries, especially in Europe. | RELATED: | Japan Battles Country's Largest Measles Outbreak in Decade | Most people in the world think vaccines are safe and efficient at preventing infectious diseases including rubella, diphtheria, smallpox, polio, and whoopin…
telesurenglish.net/news/Global-Study-Finds-Europeans-Show-Lower-Trust-in-Vaccines-20190619-0027.html

Capitalism makes fishing destructive and deadly
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-06-20
Environment, labour and capitalism at sea: 'Working the ground' in Scotland | By Penny McCall Howard | Manchester University Press, 2018 | This is a compelling first-hand study that shows that fishing is a deadly occupation because capitalism forces workers to take terrible risks to survive. | Working at sea in the British fishing industry is 115 times more dangerous than the British average. It is a startling statistic, that is usually explained by the idea that the sea is "dangerous". Penny McCall Howard's important book is a detaile…
greenleft.org.au/content/capitalism-makes-fishing-destructive-and-deadly

Lessons from D.H. : A Soul-based Anarchist Vision for Peace-making
Kim C. Domenico | counterpunch.org | 2019-06-20
"You see, Mexico really is a bit horrible to me. And the black eyes of the people really make my heart contract, and my flesh shrink. There's a bit of horror in it. And I don't want horror in my soul." "Why not?" he said at last.
counterpunch.org/2019/06/20/lessons-from-d-h-a-soul-based-anarchist-vision-for-peace-making/

Venezuelan Opposition Scrambles in Wake of Humanitarian Aid Scandal
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-06-20
An opposition-oriented website uncovered a $125,000 corruption scandal involving associates of Venezuelan opposition leader and self-declared president Juan Guaidó. Independent journalist Dan Cohen tracked down the details of this story…
therealnews.com/stories/venezuelan-opposition-scrambles-in-wake-of-humanitarian-aid-scandal

Chinese President Makes Historical Visit to North Korea
telesurenglish.net | 2019-06-20
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in North Korea on Thursday as Beijing looks to bolster its neighbor, hit by U.N. sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs, a week before Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump meet amid a bitter trade dispute. | RELATED: | China Reiterates Support for North Korea's 'Correct Direction' | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, greeted Xi at the airport, Chinese state TV said. Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, and officials who playe…
telesurenglish.net/news/Chinese-President-Makes-Historical-Visit-to-North-Korea-20190620-0003.html

Denmark: Make Rojava Green Again activist challenges passport confiscation
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-06-20
Anne Dalum, a Danish activist planning to join the work of Make Rojava Green Again (MRGA) in Northern Syria had her passport seized and confiscated by the Danish state in December last year. Dalum objected and took the state to court. The hearing started on June 17 and according to MRGA, Dalum intends to travel to Northern Syria as soon as she gets her passport back. | Make Rojava Green Again is an ecological campaign comprising activists from around the world, inspired by the ecological, f…
greenleft.org.au/content/denmark-make-rojava-green-again-activist-challenges-passport-confiscation

FBI arrests ISIS sympathizer accused of plotting to blow up Christian church
rt.com | 2019-06-20
A Syrian refugee, suspected of planning to bomb a church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been arrested and charged with an attempt to provide material support to the Islamic State and spreading manuals on explosives. | …
rt.com/usa/462254-isis-bomb-plot-church/

The Intellectual Origins of the Trump Presidency and the Construction of Contemporary American Politics
David Schultz | counterpunch.org | 2019-06-20
It is foolish to think that Trumpism and Trumpistas are merely a product of personality. To believe that is to assume that Donald Trump is sui generis, elected under unique circumstances and that the politics and polices produced under him are tied to him. Believing that means also that once Trump leaves office, be in…
counterpunch.org/2019/06/20/the-intellectual-origins-of-the-trump-presidency-and-the-construction-of-contemporary-american-politics/

Humor: Stop These Language Abuses
Martha Rosenberg | counterpunch.org | 2019-06-20
Phone Bots A decade ago, voice mail bots would say "I'll record your message now," and "I'll try that number" as if "they" were real people and there was really an "I." Now voice synthesized bots, especially with airlines and tech companies, want a whole conversation. Elevating the "I" that doesn't exist to a conversational…
counterpunch.org/2019/06/20/humor-stop-these-language-abuses/

In Barcelona, Being a Fearless City Mayor Means Letting the People Decide
Laura Flanders | counterpunch.org | 2019-06-20
Losing Barcelona. That was the headline on the story in Jacobin this week. A local vote in a far-off city; had I not just returned from Barcelona, I might have left it at that. The truth is, US media give us so little coverage of goings-on elsewhere, and so little context as to why Americans…
counterpunch.org/2019/06/20/in-barcelona-being-a-fearless-city-mayor-means-letting-the-people-decide/

The Fragility of Democracy: Hong Kong, China and the Extradition Bill
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2019-06-20
It has been a history of turns and the occasional betrayal, but Hong Kong's experiment with democracy, incubated within the Special Administrative Region, was always going to be contingent on some level. Its colonial past is a poke, a reminder of British bullying, the corruptions of opium and a time when Qing China was torn…
counterpunch.org/2019/06/20/the-fragility-of-democracy-hong-kong-china-and-the-extradition-bill/

Current Farm Crisis Offers Opportunity For Change
Jim Goodman | counterpunch.org | 2019-06-20
JFK, as it turns out, was not correct when he noted 60 years ago that the word 'crisis' is a combination of the Chinese brush strokes meaning danger and opportunity. While he was linguistically incorrect, we get what he was saying. A crisis situation can be the impetus for change, an opportunity to figure out…
counterpunch.org/2019/06/20/current-farm-crisis-offers-opportunity-for-change/

Mobilizing the Poor People's Campaign
Jesse Jackson | counterpunch.org | 2019-06-20
This week in Washington, the powers that be are hearing from a vital new democratic force in this country. For three days, the Poor People's Campaign will bring poor and low-wage Americans to the nation's capital to call for a moral renewal in this nation. They will question many of those who are seeking the…
counterpunch.org/2019/06/20/mobilizing-the-poor-peoples-campaign/

We Need Evidence-Based Decision Making
Wim Laven | counterpunch.org | 2019-06-20
Imagine for a moment that political discussions can assume the same evidence-based knowledge as active components in decision making as treatment pathways do when responding to illness and disease. The impact of care is studied out of a need for protecting and preserving quality of life. Politics should also serve these same ends, but, indeed,…
counterpunch.org/2019/06/20/we-need-evidence-based-decision-making/

The Pope is Wrong on Argentina
Cesar Chelala | counterpunch.org | 2019-06-20
When Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the new Pope after the resignation of his German predecessor, a wave of euphoria shook Argentina. He was not only the first Latin American Pope but also a beloved member of the Argentine Catholic Church. Bergoglio was well-known and respected because of his work as cardinal. At present, however, his…
counterpunch.org/2019/06/20/the-pope-is-wrong-on-argentina/

On the Morning Consult Poll, Margins of Error, and the Undecideds in the Democratic Primary
Doug Johnson | counterpunch.org | 2019-06-20
Morning Consult regularly has Joe Biden a fair bit higher than every other polling firm at this point, and, as they usually have had throughout the 2020 Democratic primary cycle to date, also have Bernie Sanders a little higher than the average. Morning Consult also has, by far and away, the largest sample size each…
counterpunch.org/2019/06/20/on-the-morning-consult-poll-margins-of-error-and-the-undecideds-in-the-democratic-primary/

Health Consequences of Overwork
Cesar Chelala | counterpunch.org | 2019-06-20
Working for long periods under extreme stressful work conditions can lead to sudden death. "Burn out" is now described as an occupational phenomenon, resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. This is a phenomenon that in its most extreme manifestation is described by the Japanese as karàµshi, literally translated as…
counterpunch.org/2019/06/20/health-consequences-of-overwork/

The Dangerous Methane Mystery
Robert Hunziker | counterpunch.org | 2019-06-20
The East Siberian Arctic Shelf ("ESAS") is the epicenter of a methane-rich zone that could turn the world upside down. Still, the ESAS is not on the radar of mainstream science, and not included in calculations by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), and generally not well understood. It is one of the biggest…
counterpunch.org/2019/06/20/the-dangerous-methane-mystery/

Trump's America and Egypt's Dictatorship Deserve Each Other
Maj. Danny Sjursen | truthdig.com | 2019-06-20
He was the first duly elected president in the Arab world and the first in Egyptian history. Now Mohammed Morsi is dead, collapsing on June 17 in his glass cage during his show trial in Cairo–a victim, it seems, of criminal negligence during a brutal six-year stint in prison. His death only highlights the distinct malevolence of a military junta that (illegally) overthrew Morsi in a coup. He languished in an Egyptian prison system that's incarcerated thousands of others–critics of the regime, mostly–in a co…
truthdig.com/articles/trumps-america-and-egypts-dictatorship-deserve-each-other/