Daily Archives: November 14, 2018

2018-11-14: News Headlines

Andrew Hobbs (2018-11-14). Another "Mueller Commission" Is Suggested To Be Created in Sweden. indybay.org In recent years, international media has been full of headlines about external influence at the election process in different countries.

Shared by Cherise (2018-11-14). Trump's Attorney General Pick Is a Menace to More Than Mueller. truthout.org On the surface, acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker has a fairly respectable resume. He earned masters and law degrees at the University of Iowa, and even caught a touchdown pass for the Hawkeyes during the 1991 Rose Bowl. He was the US Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa from 2004 to 2009, when he resigned after the election of Barack Obama. Whitaker ran against Joni Ernst in the 2014 Republican Senate primary but was …

Ann Garrison (2018-11-14). Has Time Run Out For Julian Assange? Signs Point to Imminent Extradition. mintpressnews.com It appears increasingly likely Wikileaks founder and publisher Julian Assange will wind up in the clutches of the U.S. government. | It's hardly surprising, given that in ten years' time, Wikileaks published more classified information than all other media combined. It exposed human rights abuses, government spying, torture, and war crimes on an unprecedented scale. | WikiLeaks put the government, corporations and even the Pentagon, the FBI, the CIA and other intel agencies on notice that they could no longer count on operating in secret. | It created a trove of primary source material that serious journalists an…

Tehran Times (2018-11-14). Zarif Calls Out Pompeo: Says He Must Take Responsibility For Saying He Wants To Starve Iranians. iranian.com Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo must take responsibility for his own words by announcing that the U.S. is seeking to starve Iranians through sanctions. The remarks by Zarif came after Pompeo made a sharp attack on Newsweek magazine that published his words to starve the […]

Kambaiz Rafi (2018-11-14). Why A Strategic Port In Iran Was Exempted From Sanctions. iranian.com For the US, it makes more sense to allow India to continue developing Chabahar port than for China to 'hijack' yet another strategically important port A port in Chabahar, Iran's southernmost city, was exempted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from sanctions, which he called "the toughest ever put in place", in a move to help […]

wsws (2018-11-14). Facebook deletes WSWS post on Sri Lanka. wsws.org Facebook is acting as an agent of the US intelligence agencies, which see the growing audience for international socialism as an obstacle to their efforts to exploit ethnic divisions in developing countries.

IMEMC News (2018-11-14). Soldiers Storm Red Crescent In Jerusalem, Abducts Two Medics. imemc.org Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers invaded, on Wednesday morning, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) building in the Suwwana neighborhood, in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, and abducted two medics. The PRCS in Jerusalem said the soldiers abducted the two medics, identified as Rajeh Hawarin and Mohammad Odah from …

Dana E. Abizaid (2018-11-14). The Government is Our Teacher. counterpunch.org "Our government is the potent, omnipresent teacher." At his death sentencing in 1997 Timothy McVeigh, the infamous Oklahoma City bomber, spoke words that every American should take to heart when confronted with violence perpetrated by US veterans. Quoting Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, McVeigh stated, "Our government is the potent, omnipresent teacher. For good or ill it teaches More

wsws (2018-11-14). Sri Lanka crisis escalates as Supreme Court overturns Sirisena's dissolution of parliament. wsws.org The Supreme Court made its ruling after hearing 12 fundamental rights petitions challenging Sirisena's dissolution of parliament on November 9.

TRPLL (2018-11-14). Alamedans Say Protect Mueller's Investigation. indybay.org On November 8, a rapid response action in Alameda called for the protection of Special Counsel Robert Mueller who is overseeing the investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Photos by Lynn LaRocca, please credit the photographer.

RT (2018-11-14). Truth serum? New CIA 'torture program' docs shed light on post-9/11 'Project Medication'. rt.com A CIA report obtained by the ACLU lays bare the details of the agency's "enhanced interrogation" program, including tactics so disturbing even CIA agents were reluctant to implement them.

Consortiumnews (2018-11-14). COMMENTARY: US Intel Will Bring Assange to US in Chains. consortiumnews.com It appears increasingly likely Wikileaks founder and publisher Julian Assange will wind up in the clutches of the U.S. government, says Ann Garrison. United States Will Bring Assange to US in Chains By Ann Garrison Special to Consortium News It… Read more →

Democracy Now! (2018-11-13). Acting AG Matt Whitaker Scrutinized over His Radical Judicial Beliefs & Past Dirty Work for GOP. democracynow.org Controversy is growing over President Trump's selection of Matt Whitaker to serve as acting attorney general following the ousting of Jeff Sessions. The state of Maryland is heading to court today to challenge the legality of Whitaker's appointment. The state contends that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should have been named acting attorney general instead of Whitaker, who was not confirmed by the Senate for his previous post—chief of staff to Sessions. Meanwhile, pressure is growing on Whitaker to recuse himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling i…

Stephen Lendman (2018-11-13). China-US Dialogue: Polite Diplomacy, Illegal Sanctions, Washington's Unspoken Intent is to "Contain" China. globalresearch.ca Washington has interests, not allies. China and Russia are rivals, not partners. | After Beijing cancelled last month's high-level security talks with Trump regime officials, Pompeo and Mattis met with China's Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office director Yang Jiechi and Defense …

Ron Paul (2018-11-13). President Trump's Iran Policy — Is It 'Normal'? iranian.com It's not often that US Government officials are honest when they talk about our foreign policy. The unprovoked 2003 attack on Iraq was called a "liberation." The 2011 US-led destruction of Libya was a "humanitarian intervention." And so on. So, in a way, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was refreshingly honest last week when, speaking […]

Whitney Webb (2018-11-13). Saudi Intelligence Met with Trump Admin and Mossad To Discuss Iran Sabotage and Assassinations. mintpressnews.com A plan to use private intelligence operatives to sabotage Iran was developed by Trump confidant George Nade and Joel Zamel, an Israeli known for his "deep ties" to Israeli intelligence and security agencies.

Ed Meek (2018-11-13). The Kavanaugh Hearings: Text and Subtext. counterpunch.org When OJ was acquitted the reactions of white Americans and black Americans illustrated how divergent our world views were. White America was appalled that someone who seemed so obviously to be guilty had gotten off, where black America saw an African-American finally beating a justice system that was rigged against them. The Kavanaugh hearings provided More

aclu (2018-11-13). Secret CIA Document Shows Plan to Test Drugs on Prisoners. aclu.org New documents reveal the detailed, first-person account of the top CIA medical professional responsible for torturing prisoners. | Thanks to an ACLU victory in federal court, we know much more about how CIA doctors violated the medical oath to "do no harm." | One of the most important lessons of the CIA's torture program is the way it corrupted virtually every individual and institution associated with it. Over the years, we have learned how lawyers …

Eric Ortiz (2018-11-11). Brennan and Clapper Should Not Escape Prosecution. consortiumnews.com Recently declassified documents show that the former CIA director and former director of national intelligence approved illegal spying on Congress and then classified their crime. They need to face punishment, writes John Kiriakou. By John Kiriakou Special to Consortium News… Read more →

Consortium News (2018-11-11). James Clapper and John Brennan Should Not Escape Prosecution. theantimedia.com Recently declassified documents show that the former CIA director and former director of national intelligence approved illegal spying on Congress and then classified their crime. They need to face punishment, writes John Kiriakou. (CN Opinion) — Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa made a dramatic announcement this month that almost nobody in America paid any attention to. Grassley released …

Middle East Monitor (2018-11-11). Snowden: Saudi Arabia Used Israeli Spyware to Target Khashoggi. theantimedia.com (MEMO) — US whistle-blower Edward Snowden yesterday claimed that Saudi Arabia used Israeli spyware to target murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Addressing a conference in Tel Aviv via a video link, Snowden claimed that software made by an Israeli cyber intelligence firm was used by Saudi Arabia to track and target Khashoggi in the lead up to his murder on …

Democracy Now! (2018-11-09). Headlines for November 9, 2018. democracynow.org SoCal Mass Shooter Was Veteran with History of Mental Health Issues, Wildfires Rage In Northern and Southern California, Judge Halts Construction of Keystone XL Pipeline, Congressional Responses to Sessions Firing Seek to Protect Mueller, Protesters Take to the Streets to Call for Protection of Mueller Probe, Trump to End Asylum for Migrants Entering U.S. Outside of Ports of Entry, Court Rules Trump Cannot End DACA, Key Midterm Races Still Uncalled, FL Races Likely Headed to Recounts, WH Press Secretary Shares Doctored Video of CNN Reporter Acosta, North Korea-U.S. Talks Postponed, Gaza: Israeli Forces Shoot and…

pip.hinman (2018-11-09). Civil rights under threat in name of national security. greenleft.org.au One of the usual threats trotted out by governments proposing what would otherwise be considered radical attacks on civil liberties is national security. | The Australian newspaper reported on June 8 that Attorney-General Christian Porter was demanding urgent passage of two separate espionage and foreign interference bills following "intelligence advice of an accelerated escalation in hostile foreign activity over the past 12 months". | The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security had just published a 400-page report containing 60 recommendations, giving the green light to the first bill, the Es…

Fred_F (2018-11-09). Spanish law on trial as Catalan leaders face jail. greenleft.org.au In recent weeks, senior judges in the loftiest halls of the Spanish legal system — the Supreme Court, the National High Court and the Constitutional Court — have been exposed as subverters of a fair legal process, lackeys of Spain's almighty banking elite and bumbling incompetents, writes Dick Nichols from Barcelona. | The revelations of their unfitness to judge guarantees the Spanish legal establishment's impending show trials of Catalan political leaders and law officers will be the most politically explosive since the transition from the Franco dictatorship in the late 1970s. | Next January, 18 for…

Democracy Now! (2018-11-08). Trump Fires AG Sessions, Installs New Loyalist Whitaker to Oversee Mueller Probe. democracynow.org President Donald Trump has fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions, replacing him with a Trump loyalist who has called special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation a "witch hunt." Matthew Whitaker, formerly Jeff Sessions's chief of staff, will now take charge of the Russia inquiry, prompting questions about the future of the Russia investigation and whether Trump will target Robert Mueller next. Some experts are raising questions about the legality of putting Whitaker in charge rather than Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who had been overseeing the Russia probe. The ACLU wrote in a statement, "Jeff…

Democracy Now! (2018-11-08). Headlines for November 8, 2018. democracynow.org California: Mass Shooter Kills At Least 12 at Student-Filled Bar, Trump Fires AG Sessions, Puts New Loyalist in Charge of Mueller Probe, WH Bans CNN Reporter Acosta as Trump Spars with Reporters, At Least 15 Midterm Races Still Uncalled, GOP Congressmembers Facing Indictments Re-elected, Voters Weighed In on Abortion Rights Measures in WV, AL, OR, Philippines: Lawyer Fighting Duterte's Drug War Shot Dead, Poland: Warsaw Mayor Bans Annual Far-Right March, Cameroon: Almost 80 Kidnapped Students Released…

Consortiumnews (2018-11-06). The West is Failing Julian Assange. consortiumnews.com While media focused on Julian Assange's cat rather than his continuing arbitrary detention, evidence shows Britain worked hard to force his extradition to Sweden where Assange feared he'd be turned over to the U.S., as Stefania Maurizi explains. By Stefania… Read more →

Joe Emersberger (2018-11-03). Assange Case Shows Support for Free Speech Depends on Who's Talking. fair.org by Joe Emersberger Julian Assange, whom the UN has declared to be "arbitrarily detained" by Britain and Sweden, is used by the Guardian ( 10/17/18) to illustrate a gag story on "nightmare flatmates." | The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded in February 2016 that the governments of the UK and Sweden had forced WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange into a condition of arbitrary detention in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has been since 2012. The group's …

2018-11-14: Social Media Postees

Another "Mueller Commission" Is Suggested To Be Created in Sweden
Andrew Hobbs | indybay.org | 2018-11-14
In recent years, international media has been full of headlines about external influence at the election process in different countries.
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/11/14/18819120.php

Has Time Run Out For Julian Assange? Signs Point to Imminent Extradition
Ann Garrison | mintpressnews.com | 2018-11-14
It appears increasingly likely Wikileaks founder and publisher Julian Assange will wind up in the clutches of the U.S. government. | It's hardly surprising, given that in ten years' time, Wikileaks published more classified information than all other media combined. It exposed human rights abuses, government spying, torture, and war crimes on an unprecedented scale. | WikiLeaks put the government, corporations and even the Pentagon, the FBI, the CIA and other intel agencies on notice that they could no longer count on operating in secret. | It created a trove of primary source material that serious journalists an…
mintpressnews.com/has-time-run-out-for-julian-assange-signs-point-to-imminent-extradition/251837/

Zarif Calls Out Pompeo: Says He Must Take Responsibility For Saying He Wants To Starve Iranians
Tehran Times | iranian.com | 2018-11-14
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo must take responsibility for his own words by announcing that the U.S. is seeking to starve Iranians through sanctions. The remarks by Zarif came after Pompeo made a sharp attack on Newsweek magazine that published his words to starve the […] | The post Zarif Calls Out Pompeo: Says He Must Take Responsibility For Saying He Wants To Starve Iranians appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/11/14/zarif-calls-out-pompeo-starve-iranians/

Why A Strategic Port In Iran Was Exempted From Sanctions
Kambaiz Rafi | iranian.com | 2018-11-14
For the US, it makes more sense to allow India to continue developing Chabahar port than for China to 'hijack' yet another strategically important port A port in Chabahar, Iran's southernmost city, was exempted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from sanctions, which he called "the toughest ever put in place", in a move to help […] | The post Why A Strategic Port In Iran Was Exempted From Sanctions appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/11/13/why-a-strategic-port-in-iran-was-exempted-from-sanctions/

Facebook deletes WSWS post on Sri Lanka
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-11-14
Facebook is acting as an agent of the US intelligence agencies, which see the growing audience for international socialism as an obstacle to their efforts to exploit ethnic divisions in developing countries.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/11/14/pers-n14.html

Soldiers Storm Red Crescent In Jerusalem, Abducts Two Medics
IMEMC News | imemc.org | 2018-11-14
Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers invaded, on Wednesday morning, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) building in the Suwwana neighborhood, in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, and abducted two medics. The PRCS in Jerusalem said the soldiers abducted the two medics, identified as Rajeh Hawarin and Mohammad Odah from …

Soldiers Storm Red Crescent In Jerusalem, Abducts Two Medics

Sri Lanka crisis escalates as Supreme Court overturns Sirisena's dissolution of parliament
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-11-14
The Supreme Court made its ruling after hearing 12 fundamental rights petitions challenging Sirisena's dissolution of parliament on November 9.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/11/14/sril-n14.html

The Government is Our Teacher
Dana E. Abizaid | counterpunch.org | 2018-11-14
"Our government is the potent, omnipresent teacher." At his death sentencing in 1997 Timothy McVeigh, the infamous Oklahoma City bomber, spoke words that every American should take to heart when confronted with violence perpetrated by US veterans. Quoting Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, McVeigh stated,…
counterpunch.org/2018/11/14/the-government-is-our-teacher/

Alamedans Say Protect Mueller's Investigation
TRPLL | indybay.org | 2018-11-14
On November 8, a rapid response action in Alameda called for the protection of Special Counsel Robert Mueller who is overseeing the investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Photos by Lynn LaRocca, please credit the photographer.
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/11/11/18818996.php

Truth serum? New CIA 'torture program' docs shed light on post-9/11 'Project Medication'
RT | rt.com | 2018-11-14
A CIA report obtained by the ACLU lays bare the details of the agency's "enhanced interrogation" program, including tactics so disturbing even CIA agents were reluctant to implement them. | …
rt.com/usa/443898-cia-torture-drugs-program/

COMMENTARY: US Intel Will Bring Assange to US in Chains
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2018-11-14
It appears increasingly likely Wikileaks founder and publisher Julian Assange will wind up in the clutches of the U.S. government, says Ann Garrison. United States Will Bring Assange to US in Chains By Ann Garrison Special to Consortium News It… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2018/11/14/us-intel-will-bring-assange-to-us-in-chains/

Acting AG Matt Whitaker Scrutinized over His Radical Judicial Beliefs & Past Dirty Work for GOP
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-11-13
Controversy is growing over President Trump's selection of Matt Whitaker to serve as acting attorney general following the ousting of Jeff Sessions. The state of Maryland is heading to court today to challenge the legality of Whitaker's appointment. The state contends that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should have been named acting attorney general instead of Whitaker, who was not confirmed by the Senate for his previous post–chief of staff to Sessions. Meanwhile, pressure is growing on Whitaker to recuse himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling i…
www.democracynow.org/2018/11/13/acting_ag_matt_whitaker_scrutinized_over

China-US Dialogue: Polite Diplomacy, Illegal Sanctions, Washington's Unspoken Intent is to "Contain" China
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2018-11-13
Washington has interests, not allies. China and Russia are rivals, not partners. | After Beijing cancelled last month's high-level security talks with Trump regime officials, Pompeo and Mattis met with China's Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office director Yang Jiechi and Defense … | The post China-US Dialogue: Polite Diplomacy, Illegal Sanctions, Washington's Unspoken Intent is to "Contain" China appeared first on …
globalresearch.ca/china-us-dialogue-polite-diplomacy-illegal-sanctions-washingtons-unspoken-intent-is-to-contain-china/5659692

President Trump's Iran Policy — Is It 'Normal'?
Ron Paul | iranian.com | 2018-11-13
It's not often that US Government officials are honest when they talk about our foreign policy. The unprovoked 2003 attack on Iraq was called a "liberation." The 2011 US-led destruction of Libya was a "humanitarian intervention." And so on. So, in a way, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was refreshingly honest last week when, speaking […] | The post President Trump's Iran Policy — Is It 'Normal'? appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/11/13/president-trumps-iran-policy-is-it-normal/

Saudi Intelligence Met with Trump Admin and Mossad To Discuss Iran Sabotage and Assassinations
Whitney Webb | mintpressnews.com | 2018-11-13
A plan to use private intelligence operatives to sabotage Iran was developed by Trump confidant George Nade and Joel Zamel, an Israeli known for his "deep ties" to Israeli intelligence and security agencies. | The post Saudi Intelligence Met with Trump Admin and Mossad To Discuss Iran Sabotage and Assassinations appeared first on MintPress News.
mintpressnews.com/saudi-officials-met-with-trump-mossad-to-discuss-iran-sabotage-and-assassinations/251804/

The Kavanaugh Hearings: Text and Subtext
Ed Meek | counterpunch.org | 2018-11-13
When OJ was acquitted the reactions of white Americans and black Americans illustrated how divergent our world views were. White America was appalled that someone who seemed so obviously to be guilty had gotten off, where black America saw an African-American finally beating a justice system that was rigged against them. The Kavanaugh hearings provided…
counterpunch.org/2018/11/13/the-kavanaugh-hearings-text-and-subtext/

James Clapper and John Brennan Should Not Escape Prosecution
Consortium News | theantimedia.com | 2018-11-11
Recently declassified documents show that the former CIA director and former director of national intelligence approved illegal spying on Congress and then classified their crime. They need to face punishment, writes John Kiriakou. (CN Opinion) — Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa made a dramatic announcement this month that almost nobody in America paid any attention to. Grassley released …

James Clapper and John Brennan Should Not Escape Prosecution

Brennan and Clapper Should Not Escape Prosecution
Eric Ortiz | consortiumnews.com | 2018-11-11
Recently declassified documents show that the former CIA director and former director of national intelligence approved illegal spying on Congress and then classified their crime. They need to face punishment, writes John Kiriakou. By John Kiriakou Special to Consortium News… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2018/11/11/john-brennan-and-james-clapper-should-be-prosecuted-for-breaking-the-law/

Snowden: Saudi Arabia Used Israeli Spyware to Target Khashoggi
Middle East Monitor | theantimedia.com | 2018-11-11
(MEMO) — US whistle-blower Edward Snowden yesterday claimed that Saudi Arabia used Israeli spyware to target murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Addressing a conference in Tel Aviv via a video link, Snowden claimed that software made by an Israeli cyber intelligence firm was used by Saudi Arabia to track and target Khashoggi in the lead up to his murder on …

Snowden: Saudi Arabia Used Israeli Spyware to Target Khashoggi

Civil rights under threat in name of national security
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2018-11-09
One of the usual threats trotted out by governments proposing what would otherwise be considered radical attacks on civil liberties is national security. | The Australian newspaper reported on June 8 that Attorney-General Christian Porter was demanding urgent passage of two separate espionage and foreign interference bills following "intelligence advice of an accelerated escalation in hostile foreign activity over the past 12 months". | The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security had just published a 400-page report containing 60 recommendations, giving the green light to the first bill, the Es…
greenleft.org.au/content/civil-rights-under-threat-name-national-security

Spanish law on trial as Catalan leaders face jail
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2018-11-09
In recent weeks, senior judges in the loftiest halls of the Spanish legal system — the Supreme Court, the National High Court and the Constitutional Court — have been exposed as subverters of a fair legal process, lackeys of Spain's almighty banking elite and bumbling incompetents, writes Dick Nichols from Barcelona. | The revelations of their unfitness to judge guarantees the Spanish legal establishment's impending show trials of Catalan political leaders and law officers will be the most politically explosive since the transition from the Franco dictatorship in the late 1970s. | Next January, 18 for…
greenleft.org.au/content/spanish-law-trial-catalan-leaders-face-jail

Trump Fires AG Sessions, Installs New Loyalist Whitaker to Oversee Mueller Probe
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-11-08
President Donald Trump has fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions, replacing him with a Trump loyalist who has called special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation a "witch hunt." Matthew Whitaker, formerly Jeff Sessions's chief of staff, will now take charge of the Russia inquiry, prompting questions about the future of the Russia investigation and whether Trump will target Robert Mueller next. Some experts are raising questions about the legality of putting Whitaker in charge rather than Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who had been overseeing the Russia probe. The ACLU wrote in a statement, "Jeff…
www.democracynow.org/2018/11/8/trump_fires_ag_sessions_installs_new

The West is Failing Julian Assange
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2018-11-06
While media focused on Julian Assange's cat rather than his continuing arbitrary detention, evidence shows Britain worked hard to force his extradition to Sweden where Assange feared he'd be turned over to the U.S., as Stefania Maurizi explains. By Stefania… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2018/11/06/the-west-is-failing-julian-assange/