The Deep State's Long Enmity Toward the People of Iran
Jacob G. Hornberger | mintpressnews.com | 2018-08-13
Neither Iran nor Iraq has ever attacked the United States. Iran is not over here. It is the U.S. deep state that is over there. | The post The Deep State's Long Enmity Toward the People of Iran appeared first on MintPress News.
mintpressnews.com/the-deep-states-long-enmity-toward-the-people-of-iran/247573/

US Provided "Intelligence" and Bomb Used in Massacre of Yemeni Schoolchildren
Whitney Webb | mintpressnews.com | 2018-08-13
The involvement of U.S. military intelligence in "fine-tuning" the targets of coalition airstrikes is likely the main factor explaining why the U.S. government has refused to condemn the strike and has refused to support an independent investigation into the atrocity. | The post US Provided "Intelligence" and Bomb Used in Massacre of Yemeni Schoolchildren appeared first on MintPress News.
mintpressnews.com/bomb-yemen-school-bus-lockheed-martin/247536/

Can Big Internet Security Problems Be Fixed Retroactively? (2/2)
Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-08-13
Cybersecurity, affordable Internet access for all, market share concentration in US & Chinese Internet giants, e-commerce and cross-border free flow of data, ownership of citizens' collective data and the value-added of artificial intelligence are all material in a wide ranging discussion on global Internet governance issues with Richard Hill | The post Can Big Interne…
therealnews.com/stories/can-big-internet-security-problems-be-fixed-retroactively-2-2

Secret Report Details How Israel Used Armed Drone to Kill Gazan Children
(Re)posted by Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-08-13
A secret report by the Israeli military police — obtained by The Intercept's Robert Mackey — reveals that a week into Israel's Operation Protective Edge in 2014, "air force, naval, and intelligence officers" mistook four 10- and 11-year-old boys who were playing on a beach in Gaza for Hamas militants and killed them by firing missiles from an armed drone. | While " hacked Israeli surveillance images provided to The Intercept by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden showed an Israeli drone armed with missiles in 2010," Mackey notes that "the Israeli government maintains an official stance of secrecy around its use of drones to carry out airstrikes" — meaning this report provides perhaps "the most direct evidence to date that Israel has used armed drones to launch attacks in Gaza." | The 2014 attack on the four boys, which…
truthout.org/articles/secret-report-details-how-israel-used-armed-drone-to-kill-gazan-children/

Lifelong Republican Explains Why Nunes Tape Was the Tipping Point for Him Voting Democrat: GOP's Only Goal Is 'to Defend the President'
Elizabeth Preza, AlterNet | alternet.org | 2018-08-13
Paul Rosenzweig said the tape of Rep. Devin Nunes drains the GOP "of their moral authority. " | Paul Rosenzweig, a lifelong Republican who worked with Kenneth Starr during the investigation of Bill Clinton, on Monday said he will now vote for a Democrat in the presidential election, arguing a clip of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) voicing the need to protect Donald Trump proves the party "no longer deserves [his] support. "In a tape released. . .
alternet.org/lifelong-republican-explains-why-nunes-tape-was-tipping-point-him-voting-democrat-gops-only-goal

Senator Richard Burr: a Longtime Fan of Torture
Ray McGovern | mintpressnews.com | 2018-08-13
Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Richard Burr allowed Gina Haspell her to "classify" her own direct role in waterboarding and other torture techniques so that it could be kept from the public and secure her confirmation | The post Senator Richard Burr: a Longtime Fan of Torture appeared first on MintPress News.
mintpressnews.com/senator-richard-burr-a-longtime-fan-of-gina-haspell-and-torture/247583/

Here's Why You Shouldn't Feel Bad About Being Sad
Dinsa Sachan, Aeon | alternet.org | 2018-08-13
Experiencing negative feelings can promote psychological wellbeing | In a Twitter account called So Sad Today, the American writer Melissa Broder has been sending out snippets of her daily inner life since 2012. Broder writes about mundane sadness — 'waking up today was a disappointment' or 'what you call a nervous breakdown i call oops, accidentally saw things as they are'– and she is brutally honest about her own shortcomings ('whoops, hurt myself co. . .
alternet.org/heres-why-you-shouldnt-feel-bad-about-being-sad

Gina Haspel CIA Torture Cables Declassified
TNSA | globalresearch.ca | 2018-08-13
The following text is from the National Security Archive | Current CIA director Gina Haspel described graphic acts of deliberate physical torture including the waterboarding of a suspected Al-Qa'ida terrorist under her …
globalresearch.ca/gina-haspel-cia-torture-cables-declassified/5650424

Business Models of NSA & Companies Like Google Are About the Same? (1/2)
Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-08-13
In a wide ranging discussion on global Internet governance issues, Richard Hill explains that at the international level the US is deliberately structuring Internet governance to ensure unrestricted corporate freedom and to favor its own surveillance apparatus and largely denies certain Internet services should be public services or public goods | The post Busine…
therealnews.com/stories/business-models-of-nsa-companies-like-google-are-about-the-same-1-2

Mueller Should Subpoena Trump to Trigger Constitutional Showdown: Republicans for the Rule of Law Adviser
Chris Sosa, AlterNet | alternet.org | 2018-08-13
Acquiescing to Trump out of fear the president will trigger a constitutional crisis is harming our system of checks and balances. | A USA Today opinion piece by Chris Truax is suggesting special counsel Robert Mueller should subpoena President Donald Trump rather than negotiating for a voluntary interview. The op-ed argues that acquiesci. . .
alternet.org/news-amp-politics/mueller-should-subpoena-trump-trigger-constitutional-showdown-republicans-rule-law

FBI Fires Agent Peter Strzok Over Anti-Trump Text Messages
Chris Sosa, AlterNet | alternet.org | 2018-08-13
The president has repeatedly railed against the agent on Twitter. | FBI Agent Peter Strzok has been fired for sending text messages critical of President Donald Trump, despite a finding from the FBI's employee discipline department that found he should only be demoted and suspended for 60 days. Strzok's lawyer: "The decision to fire Special Agent Strzok is not only a departure from typical Bureau practice, but also contradicts Director Wray's testimony to Congress and his assurances that the FBI intended to follow its regular process in this and all personnel matters. "– NBC News (@NBCNews) August 13, 2018Strzok helped lead the investigation into Russian meddling during the 2016 election. Trump has railed at Strzok on Twitter for his alleged bias. The FBI declined to comment to the Washington Post about the firing. | Related Stories: FBI Fires Agent Peter Strzok Over Sending Anti-Trump Text MessagesMueller Should Subpoena Trump to Trigger Constitutional Showdown: Republicans for the Rule of Law AdviserThis Harrowing Video Shows Schoolchildren Just Moments Before Being Massacred by US-Backed Saudi Bombing…
alternet.org/news-amp-politics/fbi-fires-agent-peter-strzok-over-anti-trump-text-messages

Will Trump Be Charged With Conspiracy to Violate Federal Election Law?
(Re)posted by Merula Furtado | truthout.org | 2018-08-13
In addition to the case for Donald Trump's obstruction of justice by firing former FBI Director James Comey, evidence is mounting that the president participated in a conspiracy to violate the federal election law. Mueller could either ask a grand jury to indict Trump as a co-conspirator or to name the president as an unindicted co-conspirator. | Federal Election Law: | Trump's August 5 tweet that the purpose of the June 9, 2016, Trump Tower meeting between Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort and Russian operative Natalia Veselnitskaya "was to get information on an opponent" was tantamount to an admission of a conspiracy to violate federal election law. | Although the president added it was "totally legal and done all the time in politics," he was mistaken about the "totally legal" part. | The federal election law says it…
truthout.org/articles/will-trump-be-charged-with-conspiracy-to-violate-federal-election-law/

For Republicans, the Mueller Probe Isn't Watergate: It's Ken Starr in Reverse
(Re)posted by Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-08-13
Virtually every day now we have former Watergate prosecutors and historians weighing in on the parallels between that seminal scandal and the Russia investigation, and for good reason. President Trump, like Richard Nixon before him, is suspected of obstructing justice. With Nixon, the ultimate downfall came from the revelation that he had taped conversations in the Oval Office that would back up the testimony of former White House counsel John Dean that he had personally ordered a cover-up. | With Trump it's much more straightforward. He has admitted to obstruction of justice on national television and has been obviously engaged in a cover-up on his public Twitter feed. What they have in common is hubris and an inordinate amount of faith that they are too clever to ever be caught. | In the course of the Watergate investigations and because of superb journalism…
truthout.org/articles/for-republicans-the-mueller-probe-isnt-watergate-its-ken-starr-in-reverse/

Trump-Appointed Judge Becomes Fourth to Uphold Mueller's Authority to Prosecute Russia Investigation
David Edwards, Raw Story | alternet.org | 2018-08-13
District Court Judges T. S. Elliot, Amy Berman Jackson and Beryl A. Howell have all previously rejected attempts to undermine Mueller's investigative powers. | District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich rejected an attempt to have special counsel Robert Mueller removed from the Russia investigation. Attorneys for Russian oligarch-owned Concord Management and Consulting LLC, which has been indic. . .
alternet.org/trump-appointed-judge-becomes-fourth-uphold-muellers-authority-prosecute-russia-investigation

This week in history: August 13-19
wsws.org | wsws.org | 2018-08-13
25 years ago: Clinton unveils health care "reform" to cut costs for corporate employersIn a speech to the National Governors Association on August 16, 1993, President Bill Clinton outlined the substance of his proposed health care reform program. Speaking to the group that he previously headed while governor of Arkansas, Clinton largely dropped the reformist pretenses associated with his promises to working people and explained in blunt language that the purpose of the "reform" was to cut costs for the government and corporate employers.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/08/13/twih-a13.html

'Hulking muscled guards': CIA cable gives steamy description of 'enhanced' interrogation
RT | rt.com | 2018-08-13
A declassified cable detailing torture at a CIA blacksite in Thailand operated by now-CIA Director Gina Haspel employed hokey language perhaps better suited for an erotic novel — as opposed to documenting the agency's actions.
rt.com/usa/435841-cia-cable-fifty-shades-torture/

Workers and youth in UK speak out against continued persecution of Julian Assange
wsws.org | wsws.org | 2018-08-13
August 16 will mark six years since WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange was granted political asylum by the Ecuadorian government.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/08/13/ints-a13.html

Secret Israeli Report Reveals Armed Drone Killed Four Boys Playing on Gaza Beach in 2014
Robert Mackey | globalresearch.ca | 2018-08-12
A confidential report by Israeli military police investigators seen by The Intercept explains how a tragic series of mistakes by air force, naval, and intelligence officers led to an airstrike in …
globalresearch.ca/secret-israeli-report-reveals-armed-drone-killed-four-boys-playing-on-gaza-beach-in-2014/5650336

US Jury Rules Against Monsanto. Glyphosate Residues Found in Western Foods and Drinks
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2018-08-12
Monsanto puts profits over human health. The company has been selling carcinogenic glyphosate to farmers since 1974 — under the trade name Roundup, used to kill weeds without killing crops. | It's …
globalresearch.ca/us-jury-rules-against-monsanto-glyphosate-residues-found-in-western-foods-and-drinks/5650300

Nuclear Deal: Is The MEK Playing Into Anti-Iranian Sentiments?
Catherine Shakdam | iranian.com | 2018-08-12
Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Library in July, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a scathing critique of Iran and its policies — a knee-jerk reaction, one could argue, to Washington's debacle in both Iraq and Syria. If America's distaste for the Islamic Republic has always run deep, Washington's grandstanding on national security and […] | The post Nuclear Deal: Is The MEK Playing Into Anti-Iranian Sentiments? appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/08/11/mek-anti-iranian/

Senator Richard Burr: a Longtime Fan of Torture
Consortiumnews.com | consortiumnews.com | 2018-08-11
Newly released declassified documents prove once and for all that CIA Director Gina Haspel oversaw torture in Thailand, which the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee knew all along, as Ray McGovern explains. By Ray McGovern Special to Consortium News… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2018/08/11/senator-richard-burr-a-longtime-fan-of-torture/

South Korean government begins phony reform of military intelligence agency
wsws.org | wsws.org | 2018-08-11
The basic framework of a police state will remain in place regardless of the cosmetic changes made by Moon Jae-in's administration.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/08/11/skor-a11.html

Declassified cables sent by CIA Director Gina Haspel reveal extreme torture of al-Qaeda suspect
RT | rt.com | 2018-08-11
The extreme torture of a suspected al-Qaeda terrorist, including waterboarding, forced nudity and a "walling technique," have been detailed in newly declassified cables sent by a current CIA director Gina Haspel.
rt.com/usa/435735-gina-haspel-cia-torture/

Neocons Concoct Threat Of "Iranian Hackers" To Justify Preemptive "Counterattack" Against Iran
Whitney Webb | iranian.com | 2018-08-10
Recent warnings of an imminent Iranian cyberattack on the U.S. are dubious at best — aimed at ending the U.S.' isolation through dishonest intelligence, while justifying a U.S. "preemptive counterattack" on Iran's infrastructure in a bid to further destabilize the nation. [dropcap]S[/dropcap]everal reports in both American and Israeli media have recently been circulating the claim that Iran is increasingly […] | The post Neocons Concoct Threat Of "Iranian Hackers" To Justify Preemptive "Counterattack" Against Iran appeared…
iranian.com/2018/08/09/iranian-hackers-threat/

On the Iraqi Protests, Now in Their Second Month
Mundher Al Adhami | counterpunch.org | 2018-08-10
Friends keep asking for comments on the continuous popular protests in the Iraqi southern provinces. It feels unsafe for activists in the Iraqi Anti-Occupation movement to give a worthy account of events on the ground. Less so to analyze their significance and potential beyond recognizing that a huge psychological shift is underway amongst the youth.
counterpunch.org/2018/08/10/on-the-iraqi-protests-now-in-their-second-month/

Banning Alex Jones and Infowars
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2018-08-10
He is treated as the bogeyman of conspiracy entertainment, and Alex Jones has become a prominent figure for advancing a host of unsavoury views. High on his list of incendiaries is the claim that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting never took place and was the work of paid fantasists, with the victims' parents being…
counterpunch.org/2018/08/10/banning-alex-jones-and-infowars/

Jury orders Monsanto to pay California man $289mn in 'probably carcinogenic' Roundup trial
RT | rt.com | 2018-08-10
A groundskeeper who developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after using Monsanto's weed-killers for years is entitled to $39 million in compensation and $250 million in punitive damages, a California jury has decided.
rt.com/usa/435693-monsanto-roundup-cancer-trial/

Assange should secure immunity before taking risk of testifying to Senate — whistleblower Kiriakou
RT | rt.com | 2018-08-09
Julian Assange should ensure he's granted immunity from prosecution before testifying to the Senate Intelligence Committee, former CIA officer John Kiriakou told RT, citing previous US attempts to charge those who did testify.
rt.com/usa/435543-assange-senate-testimony-kiriakou/

VIPS Asks Twitter to Restore Van Buren's Account
Consortiumnews.com | consortiumnews.com | 2018-08-08
The Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity in a memo to the Twitter board of directors questions its decision to suspend the account of one of its members without due process. August 8, 2018 TO: Twitter Board of Directors FROM: Veteran… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2018/08/07/vips-asks-twitter-to-restore-van-burens-account/

Do Historic Victories & Tight Races in Primaries Mean Dems Could Retake Senate & House in November?
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-08
Voters headed to the polls Tuesday for a special election in Ohio and primaries in Michigan, Kansas, Missouri and Washington. A special election in Ohio's 12th Congressional District remains too close to call, but Republican Troy Balderson has already claimed victory over Democrat Danny O'Connor to serve the remainder of former Republican Congressmember Pat Tiberi's term. Balderson leads by just 1,754 votes, and thousands of absentee and provisional ballots still need to be counted. O'Connor is hoping to pull off a major upset. President Trump won the district in 2016 by a margin of more than 11 percent. In Michi…
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/8/do_historic_victories_tight_races_in

Notorious Ferguson Prosecutor Ousted in a Night of Victories and Disappointments for Insurgent Candidates
Ryan Grim | theintercept.com | 2018-08-08
Progressive activists came away from Tuesday with a slew of wins and a handful of losses, with some too close to call. | The post Notorious Ferguson Prosecutor Ousted in a Night of Victories and Disappointments for Insurgent Candidates appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2018/08/08/primary-results-kansas-michigan-missouri/

US Senate Intelligence Committee calls Julian Assange to testify – WikiLeaks
RT | rt.com | 2018-08-08
The US Senate Intelligence Committee has requested that persecuted WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange testify before committee staff. The committee is investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.
rt.com/usa/435433-us-senate-intelligence-committee-calls/

Assange's Senate testimony could 'destroy conspiracy theory that Russia hacked DNC' — journalist
RT | rt.com | 2018-08-08
If he accepts the Senate's request to testify, Julian Assange may provide evidence that would upend allegations that Russia hacked the DNC, putting to rest two years of Russiagate hysteria, journalist Patrick Henningsen told RT.
rt.com/usa/435463-assange-senate-testimony-destroy-russiagate/

VIPS Plead for Humanitarian Asylum for Julian Assange
Consortiumnews.com | consortiumnews.com | 2018-08-07
Memorandum for: The US Embassies of Ecuador and the United Kingdom, and the U.S. State Department From: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity Subject: Humanitarian Asylum for Julian Assange For six years, WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange has been effectively imprisoned without… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2018/08/06/vips-plead-for-humanitarian-asylum-for-julian-assange/

Pilger Excoriates Media on Assange Silence
Consortiumnews.com | consortiumnews.com | 2018-08-07
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and investigative reporter John Pilger takes the gloves off on the continuing attempts to upend WikiLeaks and arrest its founding publisher, Julian Assange, in this interview with Dennis Bernstein and Randy Credico. Pilger talks about Assange's deteriorating… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2018/08/07/pilger-excoriates-media-on-assange-silence/

'Impostor!' Voters baffled as Ron Estes faces Ron Estes in Kansas primary
RT | rt.com | 2018-08-07
Kansas voters who haven't done their research might regret it when they go to vote in the state's 4th Congressional District Republican primary today and find two candidates named Ron Estes listed on the same ballot.
rt.com/usa/435359-ron-estes-kansas-ballot/

'Not Good for a Democracy'
Bill Lueders | progressive.org | 2018-08-01
James Clapper, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency under George H. W. Bush and Director of National Intelligence under President Barack Obama speaks out against the current President.
progressive.org/magazine/not-good-for-a-democracy-james-clapper/