US National Intelligence deputy director Gordon resigns, clearing way for Trump-appointed successor
rt.com | 2019-08-08
Sue Gordon, the Deputy Director of National Intelligence, will be leaving at the same time as her boss Dan Coats, allowing President Donald Trump to appoint an acting replacement. | …
rt.com/usa/466113-intelligence-deputy-gordon-resigns/

Australian spy and police chiefs say raids on journalists must continue
wsws.org | 2019-08-08
In a blunt intervention, Director-General of National Intelligence Nick Warner used the language of war to defend the targeting of journalists.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/08/poli-a08.html

Court upholds shonky uranium approval
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-08
The Traditional Owners of the Tjiwarl native title claim lost their Supreme Court appeal to have the approval for the Yeelirrie uranium mine revoked on July 31. | The proposed mine site, 500 kilometres north of Kalgoorlie, was given approval in 2017 by then-state Coalition environment minister Albert Jacob just 16 days before the government entered into a pre-election caretaker period. | The election that followed produced a resounding defeat for the Coalition in an election in which environmental issues ranked high on the political agenda. | The mine's federal approval application was subsequently finalised by t…
greenleft.org.au/content/court-upholds-shonky-uranium-approval

Critics Say Monsanto's Spying and Intimidation Operation Show Why BioTech Giant 'Needs To Be Destroyed Now'
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-08
A non-profit food safety watchdog on Thursday revealed the lengths the chemical company Monsanto has gone to in order to keep the dangers of its products secret—monitoring journalists and attempting to discredit them, identifying a progressive musician and activist as a threat, and crafting a plan to counter the watchdog's public information requests about the company. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/monsanto-factory_0.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/08/critics-say-monsantos-spying-and-intimidation-operation-show-why-biotech-giant-needs?cd-origin=rss

Protests in Australia continue to break official silence on Julian Assange
wsws.org | 2019-08-07
The sentiments of ordinary people stand in stark contrast to the refusal of all of the official parties to take any action in defence of the WikiLeaks founder.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/07/assa-a07.html

Chelsea Manning jailed for a YEAR for refusing to testify against Assange
rt.com | 2019-08-07
Refusal to testify against WikiLeaks is costing whistleblower Chelsea Manning over $400,000 in fines and another year in jail, after a federal judge ruled that she must pay for what he called contempt of court. | …
rt.com/usa/466018-manning-year-jail-fine/

Spooks behind Patriot Act, drone & torture programs unite to 'secure' US elections, free of charge
rt.com | 2019-08-07
A group of former intelligence agency directors and other trustworthy cybersecurity pros has launched a charitable initiative to protect US elections against foreign interference. So who are these noble guardians of democracy? | …
rt.com/usa/465938-cyberdome-election-meddling-cia-dhs/

The Skripal Poisoning: Anonymous' Revelations Point to UK Intelligence Motives
Karin Brothers | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-07
Sergei Skripal was a former Russian double agent for Britain. After a high-profile spy swap in 2010, he lived in Salisbury, England, near his former MI6 handler, Pablo Miller, who he reportedly kept in touch with. | Late in the …
globalresearch.ca/skripal-poisoning-anonymous-revelations-point-uk-intelligence-motives/5685778

House Committee Sues to Force Don McGahn to Testify
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-07
WASHINGTON–The House Judiciary Committee took another step toward possible impeachment proceedings, filing a lawsuit in federal court on Wednesday aimed at forcing former White House counsel Donald McGahn to testify about his interactions with President Donald Trump. | McGahn was a star witness in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation who — under Trump's orders — has refused to testify before the panel. The Democratic lawsuit challenges the White House rationale that McGahn and other witnesses have "absolute immunity" from appearing and can defy subpoenas. | The legal action comes at a…
truthdig.com/articles/house-committee-sues-to-force-don-mcgahn-to-testify/

Vazquez Sworn In, As Puerto Rico Gets Third Governor in 6 Days
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-07
Puerto Rico's Secretary of Justice Wanda Vazquez was sworn in as the island's third governor in less than a week Wednesday just hours after Pedro Pierluisi's appointment was invalidated by the Supreme Court. | RELATED: | Puerto Rico Top Court Votes Against Pedro Pierluisi Governorship, Says Unconstitutional | "I am willing to assume with the responsibility and seriousness the position of Governor of Puerto Rico, as the island needs certainty and stabili…
telesurenglish.net/news/Vazquez-Sworn-In-As-Puerto-Rico-Gets-3rd-Governor-in-6-Days-20190807-0023.html

Puerto Rico Top Court Votes Against Pierluisi Governorship
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-07
The Puerto Rico Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that last week's swearing-in of Pedro Pierluisi as governor was unconstitutional and that he must leave office later in the day, paving the way for Justice Secretary Wanda Vazquez to succeed him. | RELATED: | Replacement for Puerto Rico's Governor Doesn't Want the Job | In a unanimous decision, the nine-member high court nullified his governorship based on the fact his earlier appointment as secretary of state and next in lin…
telesurenglish.net/news/Puerto-Rico-Top-Court-Votes-Against-Pedro-Pierluisi-Governorship-Says-Unconstitutional–20190807-0010.html

Assange's father speaks to the WSWS: "Julian's resolve is fierce"
WSWS Repost | indybay.org | 2019-08-07
John Shipton tells the World Socialist Web Site: ordinary people can take a stand in the defence of his son, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/05/18825220.php

US Secretary of State demands greater Australian involvement in war drive against China
wsws.org | 2019-08-06
The support for Pompeo's aggressive remarks in Canberra is a warning that behind its back, the Australian population has been placed on the frontline of a confrontation with China that threatens a catastrophic nuclear war.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/06/ausm-a06.html

'This Is Big': House Democrats Praised for Requesting Kavanaugh's Concealed Bush Admin Records
commondreams.org | 2019-08-06
Progressive activists and groups praised two House Democrats Tuesday for formally requesting that the National Archives and Records Administration release records related to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's service in the George W. Bush White House which were not part of Kavanaugh's Senate confirmation process last year. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/snarl_kavanaugh_0.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/06/big-house-democrats-praised-requesting-kavanaughs-concealed-bush-admin-records?cd-origin=rss

The Supreme Court May Be Lost for a Generation
Bill Blum | truthdig.com | 2019-08-06
John Robert is the newest swing vote, but he's still a conservative. And if Trump is reelected, the GOP will likely get a sixth justice.
truthdig.com/articles/the-supreme-court-may-be-lost-for-a-generation/

Public service unions still strong a year after Janus
Associated Press | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-06
CHICAGO — Anticipating that the U.S. Supreme Court might end mandatory union fees for public employees, some labor-friendly states enacted laws last year to protect membership rolls while unions redoubled their recruitment efforts. Those steps appear to have paid off, at least initially. Union membership among public employees has fallen only slightly in the nation's …
peoplesworld.org/article/public-service-unions-still-strong-a-year-after-janus/

Mueller time is over, Russia-hate is here to stay
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-04
Stephen F. Cohen says that while Robert Mueller has closed up shop, dangerous U.S. fear-mongering about Russia remains. Guest: Stephen…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/04/mueller-time-is-over-russia-hate-is-here-to-stay/

The Trump Administration Is Using the Full Power of the U.S. Surveillance State Against Whistleblowers
Micah Lee | theintercept.com | 2019-08-04
An examination of the court filings in all seven leak cases filed under Trump yields a detailed picture of the methods the government uses to unmask confidential sources.
theintercept.com/2019/08/04/whistleblowers-surveillance-fbi-trump/

Weekend Read: The SPLC fights an internal threat to our democracy
splcenter.org | 2019-08-03
In his recent testimony before Congress, Special Counsel Robert Mueller pointedly warned the nation about Russia's ongoing attempts to meddle in our nation's elections.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/03/weekend-read-splc-fights-internal-threat-our-democracy

US Withdrawal from INF Treaty Creates Greater Nuclear Instability
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-02
Sec. of State Mike Pompeo announced that the US is unilaterally withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which could have been re-negotiated if the US had acknowledged its own responsibility for the treaty's problems…
therealnews.com/stories/us-withdrawal-from-inf-treaty-creates-greater-nuclear-instability

Supreme Court Order No 'Big Victory' For Trump's Border Wall. The Fight Continues
aclu.org | 2019-07-29
The Supreme Court has not yet decided the case, or given Trump's abuse of emergency powers the stamp of approval. | Late Friday evening, the Supreme Court gave the Trump administration a temporary green light to begin construction of the border wall using military funds Congress denied. The order, while temporary and limited to specific wall projects where fencing already exists, threatens to permanently damage border communities, the environment, and our Constitution's separation of powers. | But it's not the "big victory" President Trump q…
aclu.org/blog/national-security/supreme-court-order-no-big-victory-trumps-border-wall-fight-continues

Venezuela: 'Progress' Reported in Gov't-Opposition Talks as US Sanctions Counter-Intelligence Agency
Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-07-12
The agenda of the talks has not been disclosed but the topic of elections is reportedly being left for last.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14584

Pompeo's New 'Human Rights' Commission is Up To No Good
aclu.org | 2019-07-12
The Trump administration appears to be trying to find new moral footing for the president's discriminatory policies. | This week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally announced the creation of a "Commission on Unalienable Rights." Its stated purpose, according to a notice published in the Federal Register in May, is to provide "fresh thinking about human rights discourse where such discourse has departed from our nation's founding principles of natural law and natural rights." | Th…
aclu.org/blog/human-rights/pompeos-new-human-rights-commission-no-good