WSWS (2019-05-15). UK Tory government maintains benefit sanctions as misery and deaths continue. wsws.org There are almost daily reports of the savage human toll of the austerity agenda imposed by successive Labour and Conservative governments in the UK.

Jason Ditz (2019-05-15). White House Reviews US Military Plan for 120,000 Troops for Iran War. globalresearch.ca John Bolton ordered the Pentagon to come up with an "updated" plan for getting more American troops into the Middle East to fight a war against Iran. The plans are in now, according to officials, who say that the options …

Kurt Nimmo (2019-05-15). President Bolton Plans to Send 120,000 Troops to Middle East. globalresearch.ca President John Bolton has put his signature on a plan to send 120,000 troops to the Middle East in a move all too reminiscent of the invasion of Iraq. The number is close to that during the invasion and destruction …

John Laforge (2019-05-15). Is Emergency Evacuation from Seabrook Reactor Even Possible? Public Hearings Demanded. counterpunch.org Ever wonder if the nuclear reactor near you has an evacuation plan that would work in an emergency? Have you ever been stuck in barely moving traffic on an interstate highway even when there was no crisis, no sirens, and no panic? People driving Interstate-95 near the Seabrook reactor in New Hampshire have, and they More

WSWS (2019-05-15). Sri Lankan austerity measures to deepen after terrorist attack. wsws.org In its efforts to justify spending cuts, the government has adopted the slogan, "national security first."

Vaughn (2019-05-15). 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.

Kenneth Surin (2019-05-15). Israel/America or Netanyahu/Trump? counterpunch.org The late Uri Avnery (1923-2018), the doughty Israeli seeker of peace with the Palestinian people, posted almost weekly on CounterPunch.Avnery was savvy enough to know that the Zionist failure to achieve peace with the Palestinians meant that Israel could never be a "normal" state, no matter how much it pretended, hypocritically, to be a "democracy" adhering to "Western values". More

WSWS (2019-05-15). No to war against Iran! wsws.org The threat of all-out war in the Middle East is greater than at any time since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, and the potential consequences are far graver.

Jake Johnson (2019-05-15). Warnings of 'Gulf of Tonkin 2.0' as US Officials Blame Iran for Oil Tanker Attacks. theantimedia.com (CD) — Is the Trump administration attempting to concoct a false pretext to justify launching a war against Iran? That question has become increasingly common and urgent among anti-war commentators and activists in recent days as U.S. intelligence officials—without citing any concrete evidence—blamed Iran for reported attacks on Saudi and UAE oil tankers in the Strait of …

Yves Engler (2019-05-15). Canadian Green Leader Supports Same Old Pro-Imperialist Foreign Policies. dissidentvoice.org Does Elizabeth May hate Palestinians? Does the Green Party leader want the Trump administration to attack Iran? Does she support efforts to overthrow Venezuela's government? I've been asking myself these questions since reading a Canadian Jewish News story about Paul Manly's recent victory in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith bi-election. In a story titled "Concerns raised over new …

Jon Queally, staff writer (2019-05-15). Bernie Sanders Delivers Online Address: 'We Must Not Go to War With Iran'. commondreams.org Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday came out forcefully against the Trump administration angling the United States into another costly and unnecessary war of choice in the Middle East—this time against Iran—delivering an online address in which he warned that any military action without approval from Congress would be an "unconstitutional and illegal" breach of office. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bernie_no_war_with_iran.jpg…

Jason Ditz (2019-05-15). Trump 'Sort of' Denies Plan to Deploy 120,000 US Troops for War With Iran. theantimedia.com (ANTIWAR.COM) — President Trump sort of denied last night's report that the Pentagon's plan for a war with Iran would see 120,000 US ground troops sent to the Middle East, saying that the report was in the New York Times and therefore must be "fake news." The 120,000 troops plan was attributed to the Pentagon, and said to be …

Binoy Kampmark (2019-05-15). Maximum Pressure in the Strait of Hormuz: The US-Iran Standoff. dissidentvoice.org Hegemons are never going to sound too sensible when they lock horns or joust in spats of childish anger. Power corrupts, not merely in terms of perspective but language, and making sense about the next move, the next statement, is bound to be challenging. Otherwise justified behaviour can be read as provocative; retaliatory moves duly …

RT (2019-05-15). 'Dangerously delusional' Tom Cotton claims US would win Iran war with 'two strikes'. rt.com US Republican Senator Tom Cotton is facing severe criticism from the public after bombastically claiming that the US would win a war against Iran in just "two strikes."

Tony Cartalucci (2019-05-15). Further Evidence US Attacked Syria Based on False Flag. globalresearch.ca Further evidence has emerged indicating that the alleged 2018 Douma, Syria chemical attack was staged by US-backed militants, not the Syrian government. | With the US plotting war from South America to the South China Sea, understanding how US-backed militants staged …

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2019-05-15). Modern Merchants of Death: Spyware and Human Rights. globalresearch.ca Arms manufacturers of old, and many of the current stable, did not care much where their products went. The profit incentive often came before the patriotic one, and led to such dark suspicions as those voiced by the Nye Committee …

ANSWER Coalition (2019-05-15). Protest – Stop U.S. War on Venezuela! Support the Embassy Protection Collective! indybay.org Powell and Market St., by Powell St. BART…

Abolish J.R.O.T.C. (2019-05-15). Pro-War S.F. School Board Intends to Destroy Arnautoff mural. indybay.org The pro-war San Francisco Unified School District's Reflection and Action Working Group voted 12 to 1 to destroy Victor Arnautoff's outstanding, realistic historical mural at Washington High School in the name of promoting SFUSD values, which values certainly include their promotion of the military in our public schools known as Junior Reserve Officer Training or J.R.O.T.C., which has been protested over the years to no avail.

Nicolas J. S. Davies (2019-05-15). How Many Millions of People Have Been Killed in America's Post-9/11 Wars? globalresearch.ca This article was first crossposted in March 2018. | The numbers of casualties of U.S. wars since Sept. 11, 2001 have largely gone uncounted, but coming to terms with the true scale of the crimes committed remains an urgent moral, political …

ILWU (2019-05-15). ILWU Rally To Defend Howard Terminal & Port of Oakland. indybay.org Port Of Oakland Offices | 530 Water St. | Oakland…

Dr. Jack Rasmus (2019-05-15). China-US Trade War: Hiatus or Busted Deal? globalresearch.ca This past week the US and China failed to reach agreement on a new trade deal, despite high level China representative Lie He meeting in Washington on Thursday-Friday, May 9-10. | In the wake of the meeting, Trump and his administration …

RT (2019-05-15). Big Brother backlash? San Francisco becomes first US city to ban facial recognition. rt.com The city of San Francisco has voted to ban the use of facial recognition tech by local law enforcement and other agencies, becoming the first to take such a step toward rolling back the tide of intrusive tech-enabled policing.

Manuel García, Jr. (2019-05-15). Too Many People, or Too Much Greed? counterpunch.org During the dark early morning hours of a September 27 a few years after the Second World War, a passenger ship cruising calm South Atlantic waters struck a drifting forgotten mine, was violently breached, and quickly sank before any distress signal could be broadcast. Daylight found 26 survivors massed in, or floating in the sea More

Manuel E. Yepe (2019-05-15). How Billionaires Define Socialism. counterpunch.org It wasn't surprising to hear multi-billionaires Bill Gates, Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett, interviewed on CNBC-TV on Thursday, May 9, defending capitalism. But it was indeed surprising that Gates made a positive comment about socialism, or at least about what is defined in the United States as socialism. Gates pointed out that the current increase More

WSWS (2019-05-15). Doris Day, prominent postwar American actress and singer, dies at 97. wsws.org Her most compelling performances came in films such as Young Man with a Horn (1950), Love Me or Leave Me (1955) and, above all, Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956).

Thomas Knapp (2019-05-15). Trump's "Trade War" is a War on You. counterpunch.org "It's not China that pays tariffs," Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace pointed out on May 12. "It's the American importers, the American companies that pay what, in effect, is a tax increase and oftentimes passes it on to U.S. consumers." "Fair enough," answered Larry Kudlow, head of US president Donald Trump's National Economic Council, More

Staff (2019-05-15). The Precise Ways Climate Change Is Putting Food at Risk. truthdig.com Climate change is leaving crops at risk. Driven by global warming — and with it ever greater extremes of heat, drought and rainfall — the rising mercury can explain up to half of all variations in harvest yields worldwide. | Unusually cold nights, ever greater numbers of extremely hot summer days, weeks with no rainfall, or torrents of storm-driven precipitation, account for somewhere between a fifth to 49% of yield losses for maize, rice, spring wheat and soy beans. | And once international scientists had eliminated the…

Labor Video Project (2019-05-15). Who's Selling Whom? A's Stadium & The Destruction of Howard Terminal In The Port Of Oakland. indybay.org Maritime workers, supporters of the A's, union officials and Dave Kaval, the manager of the A's spoke at the Oakland Port Board of Directors meeting on May 13, 2019 about the proposal to build an A's stadium on the Howard Terminal at the Port and 4,000 $1 million dollar condos. The Alameda Central Labor Council and the Alameda Build and Constructions Trades Council supported the stadium on Port land despite unanimous opposition by maritime unions. They are also supporting 4,000 million dollar condos on Port land which has been pushed by John Fisher, the owner of the GAP and the A's. He also controls the KIPP and…

James J. Zogby (2019-05-15). Justice Prevailed.Threats Directed against Arab-Americans. globalresearch.ca On May 9, a jury in US District Court for Washington, DC found a former US diplomat guilty on 14 counts of threatening me and other employees of the Arab American Institute (AAI) "because of [our] race and ethnicity" …

Staff (2019-05-15). Guaidó Calls for US Military Cooperation, but few Venezuelans Support the Move. therealnews.com Parallel president and opposition leader Juan Guaidó says he would like to coordinate with the US military, but following his failed April 30th coup attempt, few Venezuelans show interest. Mike Fox reports from Caracas…

Venezuela Analysis (2019-05-15). Guaido Requests U.S. military 'cooperation' to oust Maduro as U.S. vessel violates Venezuelan waters. mronline.org A meeting between Guaido's team and the U.S. Southern Command is being organised. | Source

Staff (2019-05-15). Why Many Venezuelans Are Still Chavistas. therealnews.com Despite the dramatic economic crisis and the constant political conflict in Venezuela, there still is a significant proportion of the population that consider themselves to be "Chavistas." Ed Augustin examined some of the reasons for this in Caracas…

Ramzy Baroud (2019-05-15). Israel's Common Denominator: Why Israel Will Continue to Bomb Gaza. counterpunch.org On May 4, Israel launched a series of deadly airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip, prompting a response from various resistance groups. At least 25 Palestinians were killed and nearly 200 people wounded in the Israeli attacks. Four Israelis were also killed by Palestinian rockets. The clashes were instigated by Israel, when the Israeli military More

Thomas Neuburger (2019-05-15). Why Everyone in the U.S. Who Counts Wants Julian Assange Dead. commondreams.org On April 5, 2010, WikiLeaks released "Collateral Murder," a video showing a July 12, 2007 US Apache attack helicopter attack upon individuals in a Baghdad suburb. Amongst the over twelve people killed by the 30mm cannon fire were two Reuters journalists. (Image: Screenshot) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/collateral-damage-children_0.jpg…

Sam Gordon (2019-05-15). Unionists Defrock Ulster. counterpunch.org The recent gunning down of 29 year old Lyra McKee in the northern Irish city of Derry once again focused widespread attention on that province of the British state. Few would be impressed by her killers' claim; sorry, we really wanted to shoot a police officer and not her. Lyra was a journalist, writer and More

John Feffer (2019-05-15). The Threat of Political Climate Change. counterpunch.org In the Americas, the Trump tsunami has swept across both continents and the "pink tide" of progressivism has all but disappeared from the southern half of the hemisphere. In Europe, with the recent exception of Spain, the left has been banished to the political margins. In Africa and Asia, socialism has devolved into nationalism, authoritarianism, More

Binoy Kampmark (2019-05-15). Cleaning Out the Antti-China Nutters. counterpunch.org Inimitable to a fault, former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating had been fairly quiet on his party's policies till an impromptu press intervention last week. Catching two journalists of the ABC off-guard, Keating took little time to land a few blows against Australia's foreign and domestic intelligence security officers. They had, in Keating's view, "lost their More

George Wuerthner (2019-05-15). The Resilient Forests Act: a Trojan Horse to Accelerate Logging on Public Lands. counterpunch.org We live in an age of Orwellian Doublespeak. Such doublespeak is exemplified by the euphemistically named "Resilient Federal Forests Act" (RFFA) sponsored by Rep. Westerman. Like previous versions, Westerman asserts RFFA will reduce massive wildfires and smoke, and promote more "resilient" forests. In the name of fire reduction, RFFA is a Trojan Horse designed to More

Sufyan Bin Uzayr (2019-05-15). Tashkent, Uzbekistan: The City with 2200+ Years of Written History. counterpunch.org Visiting Central Asia had been on my bucket list for quite a while. So when I finally got the chance to head to Kazakhstan, I decided to take a pit-stop on my way there. This is how I got to Tashkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan, and also the most populous city in former-Soviet Central More

George Ochenski (2019-05-15). Getting Mauled by a Monopoly Utility. counterpunch.org Nearly a half-century ago, the Montana Power Company was determined to turn our state into "the boiler room for the nation" with vast plans for Colstrip's coal-fired power plants and the massive strip mines to feed them. Local ranchers, farmers, landowners and environmentalists teamed up to oppose the mega-mines and pollution-belching plants and the newly More

Staff (2019-05-15). Eurovision Artist Boycott Curbed by Qatari Aid. therealnews.com As'ad Abukhalil discusses the role which Qatar plays in the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Qatar has saved the Palestinian Authority from financial collapse. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abbas has allied himself with Qatar's staunch enemy Saudi Arabia…

Eds. (2019-05-15). Pasqualina Curcio: 'Hyperinflation is a Powerful Imperialist Weapon'. mronline.org "Unilateral coercive measures…[directed by the U.S. against Venezuela] affect the entire population in a deliberate and systematic manner. That is why, in accordance with the Rome Statutes [of the International Criminal Court], they are crimes against humanity." | Source

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-05-15). Undermining Trump-Bolton War Narrative, British General Says No Evidence of 'Increased Threat' From Iran. commondreams.org "Intelligence and military officials in Europe as well as in the United States said that over the past year, most aggressive moves have originated not in Tehran, but in Washington." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/british.png…

W. T. Whitney (2019-05-15). A Criminal Affair: United States Imposes War on the Venezuelan People. counterpunch.org To replace Venezuela's government with one to its liking, the United States uses special war-making tools. The plan is to make Venezuelans suffer enough so that, desperate, they will accept whatever government is presented. Troops and weapons aren't required. That approached worked in Chile in 1973, but so far in Cuba it hasn't – after almost 60 years. More

Staff (2019-05-14). The Plot to Overthrow Venezuela Is Decades in the Making. truthdig.com Washington has wanted to crush the Bolivarian Revolution since Hugo Chavez assumed power, and its sanctions have killed tens of thousands.

Editor (2019-05-14). USA: Hands off Iran! workers.org As if the White House gang felt incomplete simply leveling economic threats against China, making hostile comments about Russia and imposing illegal sanctions — illegal because they amount to collective punishment of the populations — on Venezuela, Cuba and north Korea — they have once again put the Islamic Republic . . . | Continue reading USA: Hands off Iran! at Workers.org

John McEvoy (2019-05-14). US officials discuss sending up to 120,000 troops to Middle East as war propaganda begins over Iran. thecanary.co The Donald Trump administration is edging Washington closer to war with Iran. After pulling out of the Iran deal in 2018, the US once again applied crushing economic sanctions on the country. And recent reports show that top US officials are now drafting plans for war that c…

Ben Armbruster (2019-05-14). The Media's Handling of Bolton's Iran Threats, Recalls the Run-Up to the Iraq War. globalresearch.ca Media-savvy U.S. government officials, political operatives, and lawmakers and their staffs from all political parties and ideological persuasions have no doubt, throughout the history of our great country, duped a fair-minded but unwitting reporter into writing a juicy story in …

Democracy Now! (2019-05-14). Will John Bolton's Dream to Bomb Iran Come True? Ex-Iranian Ambassador Warns About U.S. Escalation. democracynow.org The Pentagon has reportedly drawn up a plan to send as many as 120,000 troops to the Middle East if President Trump decides to take military action against Iran. The New York Times reports the Pentagon presented the proposal on Thursday after National Security Advisor John Bolton requested a revision to an earlier plan. Bolton has long advocated for attacking Iran. According to the Pentagon, far more than 120,000 troops would be needed if a ground invasion was ordered. This comes as tension continues to escalate between the United States and Iran. The United States recently deployed the Abraham Lincoln Carrier St…

Robert Hunziker (2019-05-14). Venezuelan Communes Protect the State. dissidentvoice.org Direct democracy works like a charm. Check out Venezuela's Communes…. Venezuela's ubiquitous Communes are proof that direct democracy works. And, interestingly enough, those same Communes are powerful buffers to attempted coups, protecting the sanctity of direct democracy in their country. In all likelihood, John Bolton and Trump and Pence and Pompeo and Rubio were shocked …