(2018-12-21). Saudi Arabia modifies intelligence service after Khashoggi murder. aljazeera.com New departments to be formed to ensure operations are in line with national security policy and human rights law.
(2018-12-21). Watch the 9th Vigil for Assange Live Here Tonight. consortiumnews.com Consortium News will broadcast live the 9th Online Vigil for Julian Assange as the pressure continues to mount on the WikiLeaks publisher. Among the special guests tonight will be journalist and filmmaker John Pilger, who has just visited Assange at… Read more →
(2018-12-21). Headlines for December 21, 2018. democracynow.org Secretary of Defense Mattis Resigns in Rebuke of Trump Foreign Policy, Trump & Senate at Impasse over Border Wall Funding as Shutdown Looms, Acting AG Whitaker Rejected Advice of DOJ to Recuse Himself from Mueller Probe, U.S. Plans to Send Asylum Seekers Back to Mexico While Awaiting Claims Processing, Treasury Dept. Lifts Sanctions on Russian Oligarch's Business Empire, DOJ Charges 2 Chinese Nationals over Massive Hacking Campaign, Yemeni Mother Reunites with Dying Son After Travel Ban Waiver, Egypt: Court Acquits 40 NGO Workers over 2013 Illegal Funding Charges, Pope Francis: Catholic Church Will "Never Again"
(2018-12-21). Supreme Court Shoots Down Trump Asylum Ban. truthdig.com WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court won't let the Trump administration begin enforcing a ban on asylum for any immigrants who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border. | Chief Justice John Roberts joined his four more liberal colleagues Friday in ruling against the administration in the very case in which President Donald Trump had derided the "Obama judge" who first blocked the asylum policy. | New Justice Brett Kavanaugh and three other conservative justices sided with the administration. | There were no opinions explaining either side's votes. | The court's order leaves in place lower court rulings that blocked T…
(2018-12-21). SPLC statement on Supreme Court's denial of Trump administration's request to immediately enforce asylum ban. splcenter.org …
(2018-12-21). Ruth Bader Ginsburg Undergoes Cancer Surgery. truthdig.com WASHINGTON—Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery Friday to remove two malignant growths in her left lung, the Supreme Court said. | It is the 85-year-old Ginsburg's third bout with cancer since joining the court in 1993. | Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York found "no evidence of any remaining disease" and scans taken before the surgery showed no cancerous growths elsewhere in her body, the court said in a statement. No additional treatment is currently planned, the court said. | Ginsburg, who leads the court's liberal wing, is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days, t…
(2018-12-21). In Defeat for Trump's Xenophobic Agenda, Supreme Court Rejects 'Immoral' Anti-Asylum Policy. commondreams.org In what immigrant rights groups celebrated as a major victory over President Donald Trump's xenophobic agenda, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the White House cannot automatically deny asylum to those who don't enter the country through an "official" border crossing. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/asylum.png…
(2018-12-21). United Arab Emirates: Further Information: Possible Verdict For Human Rights Defender: Ahmed Mansoor. amnesty.org On 24 December 2018 the Federal Supreme Court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to hear the appeal of prominent human rights defender and prisoner of conscience, Ahmed Mansoor. The court may issue a final verdict. On 29 May 2018, Ahmed Mansoor was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges including "insulting the UAE and its symbols".
(2018-12-21). Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Undergoes Surgery for Early-Stage Lung Cancer. commondreams.org The Supreme Court's public information office announced in a statement that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent surgery on Friday to remove early stage lung cancer, which was discovered incidentally after she fractured three ribs in a fall last month. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/ginsburg_0.jpg…
(2018-12-21). Trump's Syrian Pullout Is A Game Changer. iranian.com The US President Donald Trump's announcement on Wednesday regarding the withdrawal of American military from Syria has predictably run into strong headwinds in the Washington Beltway. A formidable coalition appeared overnight — comprising the Deep State, US defence and security establishment, leading members of the Congress, major media organs —branding Trump as a maverick. However, the fact of […]
(2018-12-21). 'Terrorism exists when foreign powers occupy': US better off out of Syria, Ron Paul tells RT. rt.com 
If you contrast the money the US spends to support its military industrial complex with what the other countries spend, Americans shouldn't be afraid to be attacked, it is unrealistic, former US congressman Ron Paul said.
(2018-12-21). Twitterstorm as bombshell Russiagate report suggests SEX TOYS penetrate US democracy. rt.com 
How deep does Russiagate go? According to an NSA-linked research firm, Russian trolls penetrated American democracy by promoting dildos on Instagram. The Pearl Harbor-like attack on the US homeland has left Twitter shaking.
(2018-12-20). Documentary: 'The Lobby — USA'. America's "Special Relationship with Israel" globalresearch.ca Imagine, for a moment, a foreign government spying on U.S. citizens, using the most sophisticated cyber-intelligence software available. This government particularly targets students and, through the use of fake Facebook accounts and other means, smears those that criticize its policies. …
(2018-12-20). New York Times: Back to the good days before Edward Snowden! wsws.org In a revealing comment, the New York Times argues that the present hysteria over Russian "subversion" can roll back the impact of Edward Snowden's revelation of illegal mass government surveillance.
(2018-12-20). Headlines for December 20, 2018. democracynow.org Trump Announces Withdrawal of U.S. Troops from Syria, Senates Passes Stopgap Spending Measure in Hopes of Averting Shutdown, WSJ: AG Nominee Barr Sent Memo to Justice Dept. Critical of Mueller Probe, Trump Signed "Trump Tower Moscow" Letter of Intent, Contradicting Giuliani Claim, Blackwater Guard Found Guilty of Murder in 2007 Nisoor Sq. Massacre, D.C. Attorney General Sues Facebook over User Privacy Violations, U.K. and EU Leaders Prepare for Possible "No-Deal Brexit", Mexico: 2 Honduran Teenagers Who Traveled with Migrant Caravan Killed, Five-Month-Old Girl Who Traveled with Migrant Caravan Hospitalized in Cal…
(2018-12-19). Michael Isikoff Cuts His Losses at 'Russian Roulette'. consortiumnews.com Michael Isikoff, one of the biggest proponents of the Russia-gate story now says that Robert Mueller's investigation is "not where a lot of people would like it to be," says Ray McGovern. By Ray McGovern Special to Consortium News Last… Read more →
(2018-12-17). Will the Supreme Court Overturn Roe v. Wade After All? aclu.org Reading the tea leaves on abortion rights. | This piece was originally published in The New York Times. | When the Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear cases brought by Louisiana and Kansas attempting to exclude Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from their Medicaid programs, legal soothsayers were out in full force opining about what it means for the future of abortion rights un…
(2018-12-14). Watch New Julian Assange Vigil Featuring Whistleblower Dan Ellsberg and Former US Senator Mike Gravel. consortiumnews.com An online vigil for WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange was broadcast live on Consortium News on Friday night. If you missed it, watch the replay here. Among the featured guests were famed whistleblower Dan Ellsberg, former U.S. Senator Mike Gravel, CIA whistleblower… Read more →
(2018-12-13). SCOTUS Just Voted in Favor of Planned Parenthood. But Roe Is Far From Safe. progressive.org This is a moment anti-choice politicians and activists have been working toward for years. With Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, state-level activism will be front-and-center for protecting reproductive rights in 2019.
(2018-12-11). Unequal Justice: Will the Supreme Court Change the Rules of Double Jeopardy to Benefit Trump and Manafort? progressive.org "No person shall be…subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb…"—the Fifth Amendment.
(2018-12-08). How George HW Bush's 1989 invasion of Panama set the stage for US wars to come. greenleft.org.au 
The death of George H.W. Bush has dominated the U.S. news for days, but little attention has been paid to the defining event of Bush's first year in office: the invasion of Panama. On December 19, 1989, Bush Sr. sent tens of thousands of troops into Panama, ostensibly to execute an arrest warrant against its leader, Manuel Noriega, on charges of drug trafficking. General Noriega was once a close ally to Washington and on the CIA payroll. | In a nationally televised address, Bush claimed the invasion was needed to defend democracy in Panama. During the attack, the U.S. unleashed a force of 24,000 troops equipped w…
(2018-12-07). Jury fails to agree on verdict in trial of Kurdish journalist. greenleft.org.au 
NSW Supreme Court judge Lucy McCallum discharged the jury on December 6 after it failed to agree on a verdict in the trial of Kurdish journalist Renas Lelikan on "foreign fighter" charges under Australia's draconian "anti-terrorism" laws. | Lelikan denied this charge, insisting he was not a combatant but a journalist reporting on the Kurdish liberation struggle. | A February 15 hearing will be told if the prosecution intends to ask for a re-trial. Lelikan remains free on bail, with relaxed conditions. | The case had been going on for nine weeks, four of which have been taken up with the jury's deliberation. | Phi…
(2018-12-04). With INF Ultimatum, Trump's Maximalist Approach Strikes Again. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — December 4, 2018 — In response to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's announcement that the U.S. will formally announce its intention to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 60 days if Russia does not come into compliance with the treaty by then, Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy […]
(2018-11-29). On Julian Assange and the Political Economy & future of Europe. zcomm.org Interview on the socio-economic transformations taking place within the core of the European Union and how much time is left until it disintegrates…
(2018-11-26). Crucifying Julian Assange. zcomm.org Chris Hedges and Joe Lauria, journalist and editor-in-chief, Consortium, discuss efforts to force #WikiLeaks publisher, #JulianAssange, out of the Ecuador Embassy in London and extradite him to the USA to stand trial.