The Democrats and "Socialism"
Carl Boggs | counterpunch.org | 2018-10-11
One sign of the falling rate of intelligence in American public discourse is the wildly inaccurate use of political labels. Listening to the political noise, one might think the country is being overrun by a horde of "neo-fascists", "fascists", and bonafide "Nazis". In a world riddled with imagined threats to U.S. imperial power, new Hitlers (or…
counterpunch.org/2018/10/11/the-democrats-and-socialism/

The Two Brett Kavanaugh Stories
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2018-10-11
There were two simultaneous Brett Kavanaugh stories. Together, as part of the confirmation process regarding his nomination as Supreme Court Justice, they revealed how political discourse in the United States has reached a new low, with debate over the man's … | The post The Two Brett Kavanaugh Stories appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/the-two-brett-kavanaugh-stories/5656733

The Post-US Midterm Elections Bombshell
Jack Rasmus | counterpunch.org | 2018-10-11
Liberals and the left were shocked by the Kavanaugh confirmation this past weekend. They may experience an even greater shock to their political consciousness should the Democrats fail to take the House in the upcoming midterm elections. The traditional media has been promoting the message that a 'blue wave' will occur on November 9. Polls…
counterpunch.org/2018/10/11/the-post-us-midterm-elections-bombshell/

Ex-GOP Congressman Rips Trump's Claim Devin Nunes 'Should Get the Medal of Honor' for Giving Him Cover in Mueller's Russia Probe
Elizabeth Preza, AlterNet | alternet.org | 2018-10-11
Nunes has played a notorious role in the Republican effort to discredit Mueller's Russia investigation. | Former Republican congressman Joe Walsh, a Tea Party activist and conservative talk radio host, on Thursday slammed Donald Trump after the president claimed Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) "should get the Medal of Honor"–despite having never been in the U. S. military (a necessary precursor to receiving said hono‚Ä®Trump made the. . .
alternet.org/ex-gop-congressman-rips-trumps-claim-devin-nunes-should-get-medal-honor-giving-him-cover-muellers

Women's Anger–and Kavanaugh's Rage
Start Making Sense, Jon Wiener | thenation.com | 2018-10-11
Women's Anger–and Kavanaugh's Rage…
thenation.com/article/womens-anger-and-kavanaughs-rage/

The Supreme Court Just Bulldozed Precedent to Make It Harder for Native Americans to Vote
Rebecca Pilar Buckwalter Poza, Daily Kos | alternet.org | 2018-10-11
Native American rights and franchise won't fare well under Trump's Supreme Court. | When a voter ID law makes it tougher to vote, conservatives are all for it. Even the Supreme Court's conservatives. Turns out, they won't so much as uphold a lower court's decision to temporarily forestall changes that will make voting harder, no matter how strongly precedent suggests they should. In Brakebill, et al. v. Jaeger, Native American voters challenged North Da. . .
alternet.org/supreme-court-just-bulldozed-precedent-make-it-harder-native-americans-vote

The FBI/White House Supplemental Background Check on Brett Kavanaugh
Calvin Trillin | thenation.com | 2018-10-11
The FBI/White House Supplemental Background Check on Brett Kavanaugh…
thenation.com/article/the-fbi-white-house-supplemental-background-check-on-brett-kavanaugh/

Students denounce CIA partnership with University of Illinois Chicago
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-10-11
Among the many students who oppose the school's partnership with the CIA is a medical student who told the IYSSE, "The CIA is the greatest terrorist organization in the world, and now it wants its tentacles on our campus."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/10/11/iyss-o11.html

NYU's Washington DC campus: Academia aligns with the Department of Defense
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-10-11
New York University's DC campus, heavily funded by the Department of Defense and military-affiliated philanthropists, operates as a conference hall and recruitment center for the intelligence agencies and armed forces.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/10/11/nyuw-o11.html

Trump, Kavanaugh and the Path to Neoliberal Fascism
Shared by britney | truthout.org | 2018-10-11
Even in the darkest of times we have the right to some illumination. –Hannah Arendt | The threads of a general political and ideological crisis run deep in American history, and with each tweet and policy decision Donald Trump pushes the United States closer to a full-fledged fascist state. His words sting, but his policies can kill people. Trump's endless racist taunts, dehumanizing expressions of misogyny, relentless attacks on all provisions of the social state and ongoing contempt for the rule of law serve to normalize a creeping fascist politics. Moreover, his criminogenic disdain for any viable sen…
truthout.org/articles/trump-kavanaugh-and-the-path-to-neoliberal-fascism/

Trump, McConnell and Kavanaugh Have Changed the Game: There Will Be No More Business As Usual
Lucian K. Truscott IV, Salon | alternet.org | 2018-10-11
An illegitimate president appointed an illegitimate justice. Show him the contempt he deserves | Not so long ago, if a journalist working for a major American news organization was murdered by the government of one dictator, inside the country of another dictator, the United States of America would have taken action, or at least had something to say about it. Those days are gone. There was a time, not so long ago, when t. . .
alternet.org/trump-mcconnell-and-kavanaugh-have-changed-game-there-will-be-no-more-business-usual

No More Senate Enablers! Dance and Scream Therapy Upon Hearing Kavanaugh Confirmed
NGTIA | indybay.org | 2018-10-11
Includes photos and two videos, 20 seconds and 11 seconds. San Mateo, California.
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/10/09/18818117.php

No Fascist America Emergency Protest Against Kavanaugh
via Refuse Fascism | indybay.org | 2018-10-11
On October 5, street protests in the San Francisco Bay Area arose from fears that Brett Kavanaugh would be confirmed as a justice of the Supreme Court. They included a rally and march that started at 5: 30 pm from Market and Powell in San Francisco.
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/10/08/18818096.php

US won't give 'one single dollar' for Syria reconstruction until Iranian forces are out — Pompeo
RT | rt.com | 2018-10-11
The US will spend no more money on the reconstruction of war-ravaged Syria if it does not see off Iranian troops, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said. The US previously said it would stay in Syria as long as Iran is there.
rt.com/usa/440946-pompeo-iran-troops-withdrawl-reconstruction/

Investigative Reporter Explains Trump's Role As a 'Russian Asset': He's 'Had Contacts with the Russian Mafia for 35 Years'
Chauncey DeVega, Salon | alternet.org | 2018-10-11
Ultimately, Trump's involvement with Russia's criminal underworld may have created an opening for Putin. | While the American public was distracted by the spectacle of Brett Kavanaugh's nomination and eventual confirmation to the Supreme Court, special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the Trump-Russia scandal continued. In recent weeks Mueller has issued more indictments against Russian cyber-spies. The. . .
alternet.org/investigative-reporter-explains-trumps-role-russian-asset-hes-had-contacts-russian-mafia-35-years

Pacifica Radio Network Stands with Wikileaks and Julian Assange
Repost | indybay.org | 2018-10-11
Pacifica passed a resolution to defend Julian Assange who is the founder of Wikileaks. "The mainstream media has basically been silent about the harassment of Julian Assange and the attempt to imprison him. And even some so-called progressive outlets have been silent. I think that if Pacifica makes a statement, it will be very important and will serve to educate many people in this country and beyond."
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/10/10/18818151.php

Pompeo complained that North & South Korea talk peace without him — South FM
RT | rt.com | 2018-10-11
The US Secretary of State expressed "discontent" with peaceful negotiations between North and South Korea, which signed a military pact during last month's summit without consulting him.
rt.com/usa/440933-pompeo-pouts-korean-peace/

Lithuania Blocks the Sensational Investigation into a Torture Issue in the EU
Steve Eriksson | indybay.org | 2018-10-11
In 2006, the European Parliament initiated creation of a commission to check out the information about functioning of secret CIA prisons in Europe. Later, about 130 witnesses were examined.
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/10/11/18818154.php

Is the U.S. Complicit in Saudi Journalist's Disappearance?
Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2018-10-11
President Trump says the US is pressing Saudi Arabia for answers on the fate of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But new questions are being raised about the US role after a Washington Post report that U.S. intelligence intercepted communications of Saudi officials discussing a plan to capture and "lay hands on" Khashoggi. We speak to… | The post Is the U.S. Complicit in Saudi Journalist's Disappearance?
therealnews.com/stories/is-the-u-s-complicit-in-saudi-journalists-disappearance

First ever 'Chinese spy' extradited to stand trial in US
RT | rt.com | 2018-10-11
A man the US claims is a Chinese intelligence officer stood before a court on Wednesday, after being flown to the US from Belgium in an "unprecedented" extradition.
rt.com/usa/440929-chinese-spy-aviation-secrets-extradited/

Donald Trump, Brett Kavanaugh, and the Rule of Pampered Princelings
Naomi Klein | theintercept.com | 2018-10-10
Donald Trump and Brett Kavanaugh are what we get when a country is ruled by coddled, overconfident men who have never been permitted to fail. | The post Donald Trump, Brett Kavanaugh, and the Rule of Pampered Princelings appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2018/10/10/donald-trump-inherited-wealth/

The Supreme Court Is Broken. Here's How to Fix It
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2018-10-10
The Supreme Court Is Broken. Here's How to Fix It.
thenation.com/article/the-supreme-court-is-broken-heres-how-to-fix-it/

Edward Snowden to Address Select Audience in Israel: Will He Take On Israel's Surveillance State?
Whitney Webb | mintpressnews.com | 2018-10-10
Since having gained prominence as a whistleblower, Snowden has been a vocal advocate for free speech, freedom of the press, and privacy. However, the Israeli government routinely violates these rights for Palestinians as well as Israelis. | The post Edward Snowden to Address Select Audience in Israel: Will He Take On Israel's Surveillance State? appeared first on MintPress News.
mintpressnews.com/edward-snowden-to-address-audience-in-israel-will-he-take-on-israels-surveillance-state/250571/

How Kavanaugh Punkd #MeToo
Ted Rall | counterpunch.org | 2018-10-10
Innocent until proven guilty. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell floated a lot of arguments to defend Brett Kavanaugh, but that's the one that carried the day: "We owe it to the American people to underscore that you're innocent until proven guilty." The Kavanaugh confirmation battle was a grenade wrapped in an onion covered with more…
counterpunch.org/2018/10/10/how-kavanaugh-punkd-metoo/

For Brett Kavanaugh: Beer and Sympathy
Susie Day | counterpunch.org | 2018-10-10
Dear Brett, Now that you're a confirmed Supreme Court justice, it must be a huge relief to realize that whatever you did or did not do to Christine Blasey Ford never really mattered. Thing is, I actually do believe Christine Blasey Ford. But I'm not sure that makes me, as a woman, any safer. People like me…
counterpunch.org/2018/10/10/for-brett-kavanaugh-beer-and-sympathy/

Firm Linked to Israeli Intelligence Ran Pro-Trump Propaganda During Presidential Election
SouthFront | mintpressnews.com | 2018-10-10
Rick Gates, the former deputy chairman of the Trump Campaign was allegedly in contact with an Israeli intelligence firm about a social-media disinformation campaign. | The post Firm Linked to Israeli Intelligence Ran Pro-Trump Propaganda During Presidential Election appeared first on MintPress News.
mintpressnews.com/firm-linked-to-israeli-intelligence-ran-pro-trump-propaganda-during-presidential-election/250556/

Hell Hath No Fury
George Ochenski | counterpunch.org | 2018-10-10
Brett Kavanaugh, the most controversial and unpopular U.S. Supreme Court nominee in recent history, was confirmed by a narrow Republican Senate majority for a lifetime appointment to the court. This display of raw political power is unprecedented in our democracy and has left most Americans wondering how such a blatant manipulation of longstanding judicial confirmation…
counterpunch.org/2018/10/10/hell-hath-no-fury/

Mike Pompeo's Iran Obsession
Daniel R. DePetris | iranian.com | 2018-10-10
Once upon a time, the United States and Iran were relatively solid security partners. In 1955, President Dwight Eisenhower and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi struck a 17-page accord designed to usher in a long-term relationship between their two countries. The document was referred to as the Treaty of Amity, it's goal codified in the very first article: "There […] | The post Mike Pompeo's Iran Obsession appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/10/10/mike-pompeos-iran-obsession/

'Pretending they're enslaved': Kavanaugh protesters outside Supreme Court mocked on Twitter
RT | rt.com | 2018-10-10
Protesters continued to take a stand against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh this week, but came in fewer numbers and were mocked online. Meanwhile, Democrats are still bitter about Kavanaugh's confirmation.
rt.com/usa/440873-kavanaugh-protesters-supreme-court/

Pompeo visit heightens US-China rift
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-10-10
Testifying to the fraught state of relations, China's foreign minister publicly lambasted the United States.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/10/10/pomp-o10.html

'With Kavanaugh on the Court, Checking and Balancing Is Not Going to Happen'
Janine Jackson | fair.org | 2018-10-09
Janine Jackson interviewed Marjorie Cohn about the Brett Kavanaugh nomination for the October 5, 2018, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
fair.org/home/with-kavanaugh-on-the-court-checking-and-balancing-is-not-going-to-happen/

Rape Culture Finds Its All-American Poster Boy
Charles Pierson | counterpunch.org | 2018-10-09
I don't know if it's irony, synchronicity, or just a coincidence. Whatever it is, there it was on the front page of Saturday's New York Times. At the top of the page was the headline: "Votes Secured to Confirm Kavanaugh." Sure enough, by early Saturday afternoon, the US Senate had narrowly confirmed President Donald Trump's nominee…
counterpunch.org/2018/10/09/rape-culture-finds-its-all-american-poster-boy/

On the far right, neo-Nazis, racists hail Brett Kavanaugh's elevation to Supreme Court as open season on women, minority rights in America
splcenter | splcenter.org | 2018-10-09
To neo-Nazi-in-hiding Andrew Anglin, the elevation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court is a milestone, one that he hopes will result in an end to women's rights across the country.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/10/09/far-right-neo-nazis-racists-hail-brett-kavanaughs-elevation-supreme-court-open-season-women

2017 Nobel Peace Laureate: Amid Talks with North Korea, It's Time for U.S. to Abandon Nukes, Too
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-09
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang over the weekend in talks meant to further steps toward nuclear disarmament. Pompeo hailed the meeting as a success, saying both sides were "pretty close" to agreeing to details for a second summit between Kim and President Donald Trump. He also told reporters Kim has agreed to let international inspectors into a North Korean missile engine test facility and nuclear testing site where the country conducted its six nuclear tests. However, Pompeo did not say whether North Korea would allow inspectors to visit a site where the count…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/9/2017_nobel_peace_laureate_amid_talks

Justices Go to Cocktail Parties and Brett Kavanaugh's Confirmation
Daniel Warner | counterpunch.org | 2018-10-09
The emotional outrage over the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court raised numerous questions about who determines what is right or wrong. Kavanaugh's defense — superbly satirized by Matt Damon on Saturday Night Live– was an equally emotional counter-attack to defend his reputation. After Kavanaugh had passed examination of his legal qualifications, allegations…
counterpunch.org/2018/10/09/justices-go-to-cocktail-parties-and-brett-kavanaughs-confirmation/

Food, Justice, Violence and Capitalism
Colin Todhunter | counterpunch.org | 2018-10-09
In 2015, India's internal intelligence agency wrote a report that depicted various campaigners and groups as working against the national interest. The report singled out environmental activists and NGOs that had been protesting against state-corporate policies. Those largely undemocratic and unconstitutional policies were endangering rivers, forests and local ecologies, destroying and oppressing marginalised communities, entrenching…
counterpunch.org/2018/10/09/food-justice-violence-and-capitalism/

Obama's Resistance to Investigating the Bush Administration Allowed Brett Kavanaugh to Skate Onto the Supreme Court
Eoin Higgins | theintercept.com | 2018-10-09
One of Barack Obama's first decisions after being elected president continued to haunt the country as Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in. | The post Obama's Resistance to Investigating the Bush Administration Allowed Brett Kavanaugh to Skate Onto the Supreme Court appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2018/10/09/brett-kavanaugh-supreme-court-bush-administration/

Sports, Rape Culture, and Brett Kavanaugh
Dave Zirin | thenation.com | 2018-10-09
Sports, Rape Culture, and Brett Kavanaugh…
thenation.com/article/sports-rape-culture-brett-kavanaugh/

Anarchism and Kavanaugh
Sheldon Richman | counterpunch.org | 2018-10-09
Regarding Brett Kavanaugh, I've been wondering how I can blame the state for what we've endured these past weeks. I can safely say that without the state, we would have been spared the Kavanaugh episode. Natural-law, pro-market anarchists are not utopians. To paraphrase the old hit: we beg your pardon; we never promised you a…
counterpunch.org/2018/10/09/anarchism-and-kavanaugh/

Brett Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court, and the End of Legal Neutrality
David Schultz | counterpunch.org | 2018-10-09
One thing that the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearings destroyed was the myth of legal neutrality. That may be a good thing because it is time to recognize both that the Supreme Court and its Justices are not politically neutral and that neither should be. An enduring myth of American politics is that the Supreme Court…
counterpunch.org/2018/10/09/brett-kavanaugh-the-supreme-court-and-the-end-of-legal-neutrality/

Kavanaugh Lied, A Truncated FBI Investigation, & Democrats Search for a Backbone
Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2018-10-09
Why did Democrats not push the fight to the America against Kavanaugh's appointment? What do we face in the future? What should be our response? Current Affairs politics editor Briahna Joy Gray makes some suggestions | The post Kavanaugh Lied, A Truncated FBI Investigation, & Democrats Search for a Backbone appeared first on The Real Ne…
therealnews.com/stories/kavanaugh-lied-a-truncated-fbi-investigation-democrats-search-for-a-backbone

The Kavanaugh confirmation and the US midterm elections
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-10-09
The thoroughly right-wing campaign waged by the Democratic Party over the Kavanaugh nomination, focused solely on allegations of sexual assault, has set the tone for the US congressional elections.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/10/09/pers-o09.html

Meet Brett Kavanagh, the unfortunate Twitter namesake of the moment
RT | rt.com | 2018-10-09
With the nation's eyes glued to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's bitter confirmation fight in recent weeks, spare a thought for Brett Kavanagh, a man who shares nothing with the judge except a closely-spelled last name.
rt.com/usa/440809-man-called-brett-kavanaugh/

Voters unimpressed with Democrats' Kavanaugh performance, dashing hopes for midterm boost – poll
RT | rt.com | 2018-10-09
Democrats thought they would capitalize on outrage over Kavanaugh's confirmation, but they were wrong, a new poll shows.
rt.com/usa/440747-kavanaugh-democrats-independents-poll/

'F*CK. YOU. ALL': Google 'design lead' wishes for Republicans to burn in hell in Twitter outburst
RT | rt.com | 2018-10-09
An apparent senior Google employee went on an expletive-laden rant against GOP lawmakers who'd voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court. 'F*CK. YOU. ALL. TO. HELL,' the designer wrote, before deleting the tweet.
rt.com/usa/440721-google-designer-kavanaugh-rant/

Kavanaugh Lied, A Truncated FBI Investigation, & Democrats Search for a Backbone
Shared by Marc Steiner | therealnews.com | 2018-10-09
Why did Democrats not push the fight to the America against Kavanaugh's appointment? What do we face in the future? What should be our response? Current Affairs politics editor Briahna Joy Gray makes some suggestions | The post Kavanaugh Lied, A Truncated FBI Investigation, & Democrats Search for a Backbone appeared first on The Real Ne…
therealnews.com/stories/kavanaugh-lied-a-truncated-fbi-investigation-democrats-search-for-a-backbone

Top Trump aide sought Israeli help in online manipulation during 2016 election – report
RT | rt.com | 2018-10-09
An Israeli private intelligence firm produced three separate proposals to manipulate social media in the US and spread misinformation for the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential elections, according to a new report.
rt.com/usa/440768-trump-aide-sought-israeli-help/

Yale Legacy Admission Brett Kavanaugh Is Now the Swing Vote on Affirmative Action at Universities
Eoin Higgins | theintercept.com | 2018-10-08
A decades-old policy is now facing a legal challenge from the same conservative movement that shaped the ideology of Yale graduate Brett Kavanaugh. | The post Yale Legacy Admission Brett Kavanaugh Is Now the Swing Vote on Affirmative Action at Universities appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2018/10/08/brett-kavanaugh-affirmative-action-at-universities/

"They Did Not Care": How the GOP Dismissed Assault Accusations & Confirmed Kavanaugh
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-08
Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in Saturday as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, just hours after the Senate voted to confirm him amid massive protests outside the Capitol. He will begin hearing cases Tuesday and could vote as early as Tuesday or Wednesday on a case that tests how much power courts would wield over the executive branch. His nomination came under intense public scrutiny after accusations of attempted rape and sexual assault surfaced. We begin our coverage with Jodi Jacobson, president and editor-in-chief of Rewire, who wrote a piece this weekend headlined "A 'Titanic Fraud': Susan…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/8/they_did_not_care_how_the

Kavanaugh's Covfefe
Peter Kuper | thenation.com | 2018-10-08
Kavanaugh's Covfefe…
thenation.com/article/kavanaughs-covfefe/