2018-10-14: News Headlines

RT (2018-10-14). It's not 'light v dark' if Obama and Trump Supreme Court picks agree 93% of the time — Lee Camp. rt.com Lee Camp delves into 50 shades of darkness as he explains why Obama and Trump's Supreme Court picks vote shockingly similarly and why the Pentagon didn't actually believe in the triumph of democracy in Syria.

Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski (2018-10-14). How Obama Paved the Way for the Kavanaugh Appointment. therealnews.com Eoin Higgins of The Intercept argues that had Obama investigated and prosecuted Bush administration officials, Brett Kavanaugh would probably never have made it to the Supreme Court

Shared by therealnews (2018-10-14). How Obama Paved the Way for the Kavanaugh Appointment. therealnews.com Eoin Higgins of The Intercept argues that had Obama investigated and prosecuted Bush administration officials, Brett Kavanaugh would probably never have made it to the Supreme Court

Shared by Anton Woronczuk (2018-10-14). How Genetics and Pollution Are Threatening Wild Dolphins. truthout.org Dolphins are beautiful, highly intelligent and uncannily human in their interactions. Yet, they also have a language we humans cannot fully hear, and a culture that is in some ways similar to our own, and in others, a complete mystery. | Like us, they have circles of friends and acquaintances, with different greetings for different individuals, as if by name. They travel swiftly within a home range of about 100-square kilometers but can go further when they want to. They have the sleek design of a jet plane fuselage and the intelligence that comes with a Repost (2018-10-14). Pacifica Radio Network Stands with Wikileaks and Julian Assange. indybay.org 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."

wsws (2018-10-13). Daniel Ellsberg's The Doomsday Machine: A prescient warning of the danger of nuclear war. wsws.org The famous whistleblower of the "Pentagon Papers" provides a disturbing and timely memoir of his days preparing nuclear war policies for the Pentagon.

Shared by Anton Woronczuk (2018-10-13). Election 2018: What's at Stake for Families. truthout.org The United States is experiencing an extraordinary political moment. Apart from the omnipresent chaos that surrounds the Trump presidency itself — the near-daily stress test on the country's democratic institutions — there's also contention around how the economy functions, around social benefits, around civil rights, around gender relations, immigration policy, the environment, the composition of the US Supreme Court (not to mention a slew of lower federal courts), voting rights and myriad other big-ticket items. | "We're at a crossroads," says Brigid Flaherty, the co-founder and co-director of

David Yearsley (2018-10-12). Tenor Madness: Kavanaugh Hearings as Opera "Boof" counterpunch.org Grassley the baritone bombed. No bouquets were thrown at the feet of contralto Feinstein, the prima donna of mediocrity. Mezzo Murkowski chewed the scenario, bleated sparsely, then scuttled into the wings to a chorus of boos. Collins cracked in her coloratura. It was the two tenors who stole the show. Brett Kavanaugh relished his Wagnerian More

David Rosen (2018-10-12). Packing the Supreme Court in the 21stCentury. counterpunch.org The Senate hearings on the nomination and appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court was a classic "show trial" — that almost got derailed by Christine Blasey Ford's unexpected and courageous testimony. If recalled at all, "show trials" were well-choreographed trials instigated by Joseph Stalinbetween 1936 and 1938 against those who represented challenges to his increasing autocratic control over More

Ralph Nader (2018-10-12). Let's Start a Kavanaugh Watch to Check All Five Corporate Judges. counterpunch.org Brett Kavanaugh, the new Injustice of the Supreme Court of the United States, must be pleased by the leading news stories on Monday and Tuesday regarding his swift swearing-in on Saturday. The multiple perjurer, corporate supremacist, presidential power-monger, and a past fugitive from justice (regarding credible claims of sexual assault), Kavanaugh saw critical media coverage More

splcenter (2018-10-12). Weekend Read: For immigrant survivors of sexual assault, support is off the books. splcenter.org President Trump has now appointed two men to the Supreme Court. During an oral argument this week, one of them, Justice Neil Gorsuch, seemed concerned about the expansive use of government power to detain immigrants.

Robert Koehler (2018-10-12). Climate Change and Collective Salvation. counterpunch.org In the wake of the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation, as white male privilege reclaims its desperate grip on our future, the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report comes out, informing us that we haven't got much future left in which to avoid . . . I mean implement . . . serious change Meanwhile, the More

aclu (2018-10-12). Supreme Court Enables Mass Disenfranchisement of North Dakota's Native Americans. aclu.org A restrictive law will make it hard to vote for people who live on reservations in rural areas and don't have street addresses. | On Tuesday, the Supreme Court chose to stand by and allow the war against voting to continue. Just a little less than a month before midterm elections that will determine control of Congress, the court decided not to block North Dakota's restrictive voter ID law, which will make it harder for people in that state to cast their ballots. | Republicans in the state legislature insist that the l…

Julia Conley (2018-10-12). American College Student Considers Taking BDS Detention Case to Israel's Supreme Court. mintpressnews.com After her legal challenge to end her detention was rejected by an Israeli district court on Friday, academics and activists pledged their support on Friday for Lara Alqasem, the 22-year-old U.S. graduate student who has been held for 10 days by Israel over accusations she has supported the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement that demands rights and freedom for Palestinians. | #LaraAlqasem's case exposed much: #Israel racially profiles those entering & the Brian Cloughley (2018-10-12). Trump's Threats of Death and Destruction. counterpunch.org The squalid charade in the US Senate over the appointment of Supreme Court Judge Kavanaugh and the comic opera performance by President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly in September were deeply embarrassing for many Americans — but far from all Americans, because substantial numbers support the flawed Court appointee and strongly endorse Trump's More

Ralph E. Shaffer (2018-10-12). Could Kavanaugh's Confirmation Hearing Ended Differently? counterpunch.org Considering the ages of the five conservative—perhaps reactionary is a better description—justices who now rule the Supreme Court, we are left to wonder what might have been the outcome of Justice Kennedy's retirement had it occurred under other circumstances. What if Kennedy had delayed his retirement until next January? If the Democrats failed to take More

Paul Street (2018-10-12). For Popular Sovereignty, Beyond Absurdity. counterpunch.org Troubling as the noxious Kavanaugh's personal history and untruthfulness are, however, it was even more depressing to see the highly personalized soap opera over his past behavior trump momentous questions of law and policy (including sexist and patriarchal law and policy) — abortion rights, presidential immunity from prosecution, torture, and more in his nomination fight. More

Ed Meek (2018-10-12). White Victimhood: Brett Kavanaugh and the New GOP Brand. counterpunch.org Brett Kavanaugh is now the brand of the Republican Party. Up until recently, with Trump is President, many Republicans have been able to maintain a certain amount of distance as exemplified by the op-ed in the New York Times by Anonymous that expressed the idea that everyone knows Trump is crazy but there are adults More

RT (2018-10-12). Brooklyn 'witches' want to stop Justice Kavanaugh with 'occult magic'. rt.com After unproven rape allegations and street protests failed, a group of self-described 'witches' plan on stopping Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh the only way they know how: with magic spells and witchcraft. Really. |

RT (2018-10-12). 'Entire Middle East' should look like Israel — Pompeo. rt.com Israel is everything the US wishes the Middle East would be, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared in a speech, while bashing the Obama administration's approach to Iran as resembling a "Disney movie." |

Cody Fenwick, AlterNet (2018-10-12). Most Americans Don't Think Kavanaugh Should Be on the Supreme Court — And They Want Congress to Investigate Whether He Should Be Removed. alternet.org This is a terrible sign of the Supreme Court. | A new ABC News/Washington Post poll found Friday that a majority of Americans are unhappy with Justice Brett Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court — and most want to see him become the subject of a congressional investigation that could result in impeachment. The dissatisfacti. . .

aclu (2018-10-11). Washington Supreme Court Abolishes the Death Penalty. aclu.org Washington is now the 20th state to abolish capital punishment as the public continues to sour on the barbaric practice. | On Oct. 11, the Washington State Supreme Court unanimously struck down the death penalty as unconstitutional, ruling the "death penalty is invalid because it is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased matter" and "it fails to serve any legitimate penological goal." The death penalty is a punishment that is as flawed as it is final, and as the Washington high court acknowledges, one plagued by racial bias and arbitrariness.

Start Making Sense, Jon Wiener (2018-10-11). Women's Anger—and Kavanaugh's Rage. thenation.com Women's Anger—and Kavanaugh's Rage…

Calvin Trillin (2018-10-11). The FBI/White House Supplemental Background Check on Brett Kavanaugh. thenation.com The FBI/White House Supplemental Background Check on Brett Kavanaugh…

wsws (2018-10-11). Students denounce CIA partnership with University of Illinois Chicago. wsws.org 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."

RT (2018-10-11). Pompeo complained that North & South Korea talk peace without him — South FM. rt.com 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.

Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski (2018-10-11). Is the U.S. Complicit in Saudi Journalist's Disappearance? therealnews.com 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…

wsws (2018-10-11). NYU's Washington DC campus: Academia aligns with the Department of Defense. wsws.org 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.

RT (2018-10-11). First ever 'Chinese spy' extradited to stand trial in US. rt.com 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.

Shared by Aaron Maté (2018-10-11). Is the U.S. Complicit in Saudi Journalist's Disappearance? therealnews.com 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…

RT (2018-10-11). Washington Supreme Court rules death penalty unconstitutional, changes death sentences to life. rt.com Washington State's Supreme Court has ruled that the death penalty is unlawful under the state constitution and has converted all eight current death sentences to life in prison.

RT (2018-10-11). US won't give 'one single dollar' for Syria reconstruction until Iranian forces are out — Pompeo. rt.com 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.

John Nichols (2018-10-10). The Supreme Court Is Broken. Here's How to Fix It. thenation.com The Supreme Court Is Broken. Here's How to Fix It.

RT (2018-10-10). 'Pretending they're enslaved': Kavanaugh protesters outside Supreme Court mocked on Twitter. rt.com 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. |

Democracy Now! (2018-10-09). Headlines for October 9, 2018. democracynow.org Hurricane Michael Kills 13 in Central America, Approaches U.S. Coast, Trump Apologizes to Kavanaugh During Ceremonial SCOTUS Swearing-In, Beijing Strikes Hostile Tone at Pompeo Visit Amid U.S.-China Tensions, China Detains Interpol Police Chief, Accusing Him of Corruption, NYT: Ex-Trump Campaign Aide Rick Gates Was In Touch with Israeli Psy-Group, Turkey Searching for Van in Case of Missing Saudi Journalist, Social Network Google+ to Shut Down After Massive Data Breach, NYC Vigil Held for Uber Driver Who Died by Suicide, Owner of Company Behind Deadly NY Limo Crash Was FBI Informant, New York Governor Cuomo, Pres…

splcenter (2018-10-09). 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.org 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.

aclu (2018-10-09). Trump Administration Seeks to Stifle Protests Near White House and on National Mall. aclu.org A government proposal mirrors Trump's hostility to the First Amendment. | President Trump has a record of attacking the rights of protesters, from suggesting that protest be illegal to praising dictators who crush any kind of dissent. | Now, the Trump administration Democracy Now! (2018-10-09). 2017 Nobel Peace Laureate: Amid Talks with North Korea, It's Time for U.S. to Abandon Nukes, Too. democracynow.org 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…

Dave Zirin (2018-10-09). Sports, Rape Culture, and Brett Kavanaugh. thenation.com Sports, Rape Culture, and Brett Kavanaugh…

Janine Jackson (2018-10-09). 'With Kavanaugh on the Court, Checking and Balancing Is Not Going to Happen'. fair.org 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…

Shared by Marc Steiner (2018-10-09). Kavanaugh Lied, A Truncated FBI Investigation, & Democrats Search for a Backbone. therealnews.com 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

Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski (2018-10-09). Kavanaugh Lied, A Truncated FBI Investigation, & Democrats Search for a Backbone. therealnews.com 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

RT (2018-10-09). Meet Brett Kavanagh, the unfortunate Twitter namesake of the moment. rt.com 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. |

Democracy Now! (2018-10-08). Headlines for October 8, 2018. democracynow.org Kavanaugh Confirmed and Sworn In to SCOTUS After Bitter Fight, Mass Anti-Kavanaugh Protests Continue, with 164 Arrested in D.C., U.N. Climate Panel: Only 12 Years Left to Mitigate Climate Catastrophe, Indonesia Tsunami Death Toll Tops 1,900 with 5,000 Still Missing, Haiti: 12 Dead, 200 Injured After 5.9 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Island, Brazil: Far-Right Bolsonaro Wins First Round of Presidential Election, Turkey Believes Missing Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi Was Murdered, Afghanistan: 54 People Killed on 17th Anniversary of U.S. Invasion, Israeli Forces Kill 3 as Palestinians Protest Near Gaza Barrier, Sara N…

Democracy Now! (2018-10-08). Where Does #MeToo Go from Here? Women Are "On Fire" with Rage as Kavanaugh Joins Supreme Court. democracynow.org Thousands of women protested outside the U.S. Capitol and across the country on Saturday as Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, just hours after the Senate voted to confirm him. "I hope that it is deep enough that it is forming a strong, cohesive movement among people that will resonate through this country and change the culture," says Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, who joined the protests. We also speak with longtime feminist activist and writer Soraya Chemaly, author of the new book, "Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger." She says conservat…

Democracy Now! (2018-10-08). "They Did Not Care": How the GOP Dismissed Assault Accusations & Confirmed Kavanaugh. democracynow.org 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…

Hatewatch Staff (2018-10-07). Hatewatch Headlines 10/8/2018. splcenter.org CNP retreat celebrates Kavanaugh ascension; UDC's past continues to haunt it; Providence protesters brawl near state capital; and more.

Consortiumnews (2018-10-07). Five Reasons Why the GOP Rushed to Confirm Kavanaugh. consortiumnews.com After Donald Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, Trump and the GOP leadership mounted a full-court press to ram through his confirmation before October 1, the first day of the Court's new term, for five good reasons, says… Read more →

splcenter (2018-10-07). It's time to fight the battle for justice on more fronts. splcenter.org Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court is a devastating blow to the values you and I share.

Aba Blankson (2018-10-06). Statement on Kavanaugh Senate Confirmation. naacp.org NAACP President Calls Kavanaugh Confirmation "Devasting Blow" Move Signals Dark Days Ahead for Civil Rights Communities — America Deserves Better BALTIMORE (October 6, 2018)—NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson released the following remarks regarding the Senate confirmation of nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The U.S. Senate's decision today to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme […]