Trump Slurs Omarosa As 'That Dog' in Deranged Morning Attack on Former White House Aide
Travis Gettys, Raw Story | alternet.org | 2018-08-14
The president continues to viciously go after any prominent person of color who criticizes him. | President Donald Trump compared former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault-Newman to an animal in his ongoing feud with the reality TV star. Trump's three-time "Apprentice" castmate has been releasing secret White House recordings as she promotes her new tell-all book, and the president has been attacking Manigault's intelligence and credentia. . .
alternet.org/news-amp-politics/trump-slurs-omarosa-dog-deranged-morning-attack-former-white-house-aide

How Monsanto Plants Stories, Suppresses Science & Silences Dissent to Sell a Cancer-Linked Chemical
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-14
As Monsanto comes under scrutiny for allegedly hiding the dangers of its weed killer, Roundup, we talk to a reporter who says the company attempted to censor and discredit her when she published stories on their product that contradicted their business interests. Carey Gillam is a veteran investigative journalist and author of "Whitewash – The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer and the Corruption of Science."
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/14/how_monsanto_plants_stories_suppresses_science

Bayer Shares Crash Most on Record After Monsanto Cancer Trial Loss
Zero Hedge | globalresearch.ca | 2018-08-14
Bayer AG shares are down over 12% this morning — the biggest drop ever — to the lowest levels since October 2013, amid investor anxiety over the potential future legal costs …
globalresearch.ca/bayer-shares-crash-most-on-record-after-monsanto-cancer-trial-loss/5650481

Iraq To Respect Dollar Ban But Not All US Sanctions On Iran
Middle East Monitor | iranian.com | 2018-08-14
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi stepped back from his commitment to abide by new US sanctions on Iran on Monday, saying his government would only respect the dollar ban in transactions with Iran. "I did not say we abide by the sanctions, I said we abide by not using dollars in transactions. We have no […] | The post Iraq To Respect Dollar Ban But Not All US Sanctions On Iran appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/08/13/iraq-sanctions-on-iran/

How Monsanto Plants Stories, Suppresses Science and Silences Dissent
Shared by Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-08-14
As Monsanto comes under scrutiny for allegedly hiding the dangers of its weed killer, Roundup, we talk to a reporter who says the company attempted to censor and discredit her when she published stories on their product that contradicted their business interests. Carey Gillam is a veteran investigative journalist and author of "Whitewash–The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer and the Corruption of Science." | Please check back later for full transcript. | The post How Monsanto Plants Stories, Suppresses Science and Silences Dissent appeared first on Truthout.
truthout.org/video/how-monsanto-plants-stories-suppresses-science-and-silences-dissent/

Historic Ruling Against Monsanto Finds Company Acted with "Malice" Against Groundskeeper with Cancer
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-14
California jurors have awarded $289 million in a historic verdict against Monsanto in the case of a school groundskeeper who developed cancer after using its weed killer, Roundup. We speak with Brent Wisner, the lead trial counsel for Dewayne Lee Johnson, who has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Doctors say he is unlikely to live past 2020. Johnson's was the first lawsuit to go to trial alleging glyphosate causes cancer. Filed in 2016, it was fast-tracked for trial due to the severity of his illness.
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/14/historic_ruling_against_monsanto_finds_company

As Monsanto Pays $289 Million to Cancer Victim, Bayer Shares Plunge
Shared by Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-08-14
Shares in Bayer took a nosedive on Monday — just days after newly-acquired Monsanto was ordered to pay $289 million in damages to a man who alleged that the company's glyphosate-based herbicides, including the widely used weedkiller Roundup, caused his cancer. | At one point the German pharmaceutical giant's shares fell by as much as 14 percent, Reuters reported, marking a loss in value of roughly $14 billion. | It capped off the US trading day as one of the " biggest losers," ending at a 10-percent loss. | Friday was also a losing day for Monsanto, which Bayer AG controversially acquired for $62.5 billion in June. In a landmark trial, a San Francisco jury unanimously found that the company failed to warn school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson, who's suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and other consumers of the cancer…
truthout.org/articles/as-monsanto-to-pays-289-million-to-cancer-victim-bayer-shares-plunge/

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

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

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

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

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/

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/

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/

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

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/

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/