2019-10-07: News Headlines

The Canary (2019-10-07). Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe questions detention as Australians freed from Iran. thecanary.co Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has asked why she is still incarcerated in Iran more three years after being detained — after Australia secured the release of two citizens from the country last week.Jolie King, a dual British-Australian citizen, and her Australian boyfriend Mark Firkin were returned to Australia last week, some three months after being arrested.The couple, who had been blogging and vlogging on their extended journey across Asia, were arrested on spying charges after flying a drone near a military base, Iranian officials confirmed.Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian woman jailed in Iran…

RT (2019-10-07). Ukrainegate goes to Pentagon: House Democrats subpoena DoD & OMB as part of Trump impeachment probe. rt.com Seeking to impeach President Donald Trump over allegedly using military aid to pressure Ukraine, House Democrats are demanding documents from the Pentagon and the Office of Management and Budget. | Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees of the US House of Representatives have sent out subpoenas, giving the Pentagon and the OMB a week to produce documents related to Trump's decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine. The deadline for compliance is October 15. | Trump "jeopardized national security by pressing Ukraine to interfere with our 2020 election and by withholding military assistance prov…

Chris Williamson (2019-10-07). Why I tabled an Early-day Motion Calling for the U.K Government to Free Julian Assange. globalresearch.ca The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) recently published a video entitled "Journalism is not a crime." It boldly states that "you can't kill the truth," that "everyone deserves access to information," that "it's vital to hold governments to account" and …

WSWS (2019-10-07). Julian Assange's life is in danger! wsws.org John Shipton, the father of WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange, has warned that his son "may die" as a result of the conditions under which he is being imprisoned in Belmarsh Prison in London.

John W. Whitehead (2019-10-07). John Lennon vs. the Deep State: One Man Against the 'Monster'. globalresearch.ca "You gotta remember, establishment, it's just a name for evil. The monster doesn't care whether it kills all the students or whether there's a revolution. It's not thinking logically, it's out of control."—John Lennon (1969) | John Lennon, born …

WSWS (2019-10-07). Pompeo signs US-Greek military alliance and threatens Iran, Russia, China. wsws.org Aggressive US and European foreign policy is intensifying the risk that great-power conflict over the Balkans and the Middle East can trigger a global war.

Targeted Justice (2019-10-07). Vircator Microwave Beams from Satellites against Targeted Individuals: Stop Torture and Experimentation on Citizens' Protest. globalresearch.ca There is a lot more corruption and crimes against humanity happening that people are not aware of. The hidden torture of unconsenting citizens leading us into modern day slavery. The CIA has taken control of the Military-Industrial complex and are …

WSWS (2019-10-07). US impeachment campaign escalates with claim of second whistleblower. wsws.org The Democratic Party continues to draw support from the intelligence agencies for its anti-Trump effort.

Staff (2019-10-07). "We Have to Mass Mobilize": Laverne Cox & Chase Strangio Sound the Alarm on Major LGBTQ SCOTUS Cases. democracynow.org At the start of its new term, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday in three cases to determine whether LGBTQ people can be fired from their jobs due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employers cannot discriminate against employees on the basis of sex, as well as race, color, national origin and religion, but the Trump administration claims the law does not cover discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The cases mark the first time the Supreme Court will rule on LGBTQ rights since conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh re…

Staff (2019-10-07). Supreme Court Takes First Abortion Rights Case With Kavanaugh on the Bench. truthout.org | | The U.S. Supreme Court announced Friday it would hear its first major abortion rights case since Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the bench, in a case challenging a clinic shutdown law in Louisiana. | The case threatens to upend the 2016 decision in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, which struck down parts of a Texas law meant to shut down abortion clinics. It could also affect the ability of clinics and doctors to sue on behalf of their patients to block abortion rights restrictions.

Staff (2019-10-07). Headlines for October 7, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Orders U.S. Troops to Step Aside for Turkish Assault on Kurdish Forces, 109 Killed and 6,000 Wounded as Anti-Government Protests Rage in Iraq, Second Whistleblower Has Firsthand Knowledge of Trump-Ukraine Scandal, Secretary of State Pompeo Calls Impeachment Inquiry "Silly Gotcha Game", Trump Calls GOP Senator Mitt Romney "Pompous" over Ukraine Rebuke, North Korea Calls Off Denuclearization Talks with the U.S., U.S. Meets with Taliban for First Time Since Trump Canceled Afghan Peace Talks, Israeli Forces Fire on Gaza Protesters, Killing One and Injuring Dozens, Protesters Call for Kavanaugh's Removal One Yea…

Albert Bender (2019-10-07). Waiting on the Supreme Court to return eastern Oklahoma to Indigenous nations. peoplesworld.org All of Indian Country is waiting on the U.S. Supreme to do what is morally and legally right and return to reservation status the lands of the forcibly removed southern nations, the "Five Civilized Tribes"—Cherokees, Muscogee Creeks, Choctaws, Seminoles, and Chickasaws—in Eastern Oklahoma. These are lands that were illegally taken from those nations in 1907 …

Mark Gruenberg (2019-10-07). Unions to Supreme Court: Ban all employers' discrimination against LGBTQ people. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—The nation's largest unions and the nation's largest labor federation are backing a ban on employer discrimination against lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender people — a ban bosses are challenging in top cases at the U.S. Supreme Court. And the Oct. 8 argument over whether bosses can discriminate against and fire LGBTQ people solely because of their sexual orientation …

Staff (2019-10-07). Supreme Court Will Decide If Workers Can Be Fired for Being Trans or LGBQ. truthout.org | | On October 8, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether it is legal to fire workers for being trans, and whether it is legal to fire workers for being LGBQ. | Aimee Stephens, a funeral director, lost her job when she told her boss she was a transgender woman. Don Zarda, a sky diving instructor, and Gerald Bostock, an advocate for abused and neglected children, were both fired for being gay…

Staff (2019-10-07). Laverne Cox and Chase Strangio Sound Alarm on Major LGBTQ Supreme Court Cases. truthout.org | | At the start of its new term, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday in three cases to determine whether LGBTQ people can be fired from their jobs due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employers cannot discriminate against employees on the basis of sex, as well as race, color, national origin and religion, but the Trump administration claims the law does not cover discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender i…

The Canary (2019-10-06). Second whistleblower backs complaint in Trump inquiry. thecanary.co A second whistleblower has come forward in the impeachment case against US President Donald Trump, according to a lawyer representing the original whistleblower.Mark Zaid — who filed a formal complaint with the inspector general last month, triggering the impeachment inquiry — told The Associated Press that the second whistleblower, who also works in intelligence, had not filed a complaint with the inspector general but had "firsthand knowledge that supported" the original whistleblower.The original whistleblower complained that Trump was "using the power of his office to solicit interference from a for…

RT (2019-10-06). 2nd whistleblower 'comes forward' with more Ukrainegate 'proof' in Trump impeachment saga — report. rt.com The lawyer representing a whistleblower, whose complaint fueled the Democrats' attempt to impeach Trump for "pressuring" Ukraine, said that a second intelligence officer with "first-hand knowledge" of allegations has spoken up. | Attorney Mark Zaid told ABC News that he is now representing the second whistleblower, who had already been interviewed by Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Michael Atkinson. | Earlier, the New York Times reported that a second person may come forward and testify about the case, but it was not immediately clear whether Zaid's new client is the same person. | Zaid told me…

teleSUR (2019-10-06). 2nd Whistleblower in Trump-Ukraine Scandal Comes Forward. telesurenglish.net A second whistleblower has come forward with first-hand knowledge of United States President Donald Trump's attempts to get his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate political rival Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, lawyers for the intelligence official informed Sunday. | RELATED: | More Than Half in US Approve of Trump Impeachment Inquiry: Poll

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-10-06). 'Unfit to Sit': Rallies Demand Kavanaugh Impeachment on One-Year Anniversary of Senate Confirmation. commondreams.org "The public deserves to know the truth about whether Kavanaugh lied under oath, whether he committed sexual assault, and whether he really deserves to be on the Supreme Court." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/impeach_kavanaugh_1.jpg

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-10-06). Attorneys Say They Now Represent 'Multiple Whistleblowers' With Knowledge of Trump-Ukraine Call. commondreams.org One of the whistleblowers has "first-hand knowledge" about Trump's call with Ukraine's leader, according to attorney Mark Zaid. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_whistleblowers.jpg

RT (2019-10-05). Dems fishing for State Dept leakers? Pompeo warns Congress against 'HARASSING' his employees over Trump impeachment probe. rt.com Mike Pompeo says the State Department will cooperate with a congressional probe seeking the impeachment of Donald Trump — but he will not allow his employees to be coerced into leaking documents as part of a "silly gotcha game." | Read more | | The Ukraine affair is damning, all right — just not in the way you're being told to think | Pompeo said on Saturday that his department had responded in writing to a congressional request for documents linked to the probe into whether US President Donald Trump tried to pressure Ukraine to investi…

WSWS (2019-10-05). Trump continues to defy Democrats' impeachment inquiry. wsws.org On Friday, President Donald Trump stepped up his defiance of the impeachment inquiry launched by the Democrats with the support of the intelligence agencies.

David Rosen (2019-10-04). How the U.S. Military Undermines the American Economy. counterpunch.org On January 17, 1961, President Dwight Eisenhower gave his now-famous farewell address, warning the nation: In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let More

RT (2019-10-04). Shot down? Testimony by Trump's Ukraine envoy seems to skewer Democrats' impeachment narrative. rt.com Another transcript has poked a hole in the narrative of House Democrats trying to impeach President Donald Trump, as former US special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker testified he never pushed Kiev for 'dirt' on former VP Joe Biden. | Volker was grilled for nine hours in a closed-doors session of the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence, and Oversight committees on Thursday. Democrats on the committees claimed that he was instrumental in pushing the Ukrainian government to reopen a corruption investigation into Joe Biden's son Hunter's business dealings in Ukraine. | House Intelligence chair Adam Schiff (D-Califor…

CounterSpin (2019-10-04). Dana Gold on Whistleblower Protections, Craig Aaron on Net Neutrality Setback. fair.org Media…

Staff (2019-10-04). US Supreme Court to Decide Fate Of Baltimore v. Big Oil Suit. therealnews.com The city sued 26 oil and gas companies over their role in the climate crisis, but the companies have appealed to the Supreme Court to stop the case from proceeding at the state level.

Staff (2019-10-04). Headlines for October 4, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Publicly Calls on Ukraine and China to Investigate the Bidens, Trump Discussed Campaign Rivals in June Call with China's Xi Jinping, FEC Chair: Illegal for Candidates to Solicit Foreign Help in U.S. Elections, Messages Detail How U.S. Officials Pressured Ukraine on Trump's Behalf, IRS Whistleblower: Treasury Official Tried to Interfere with Trump or Pence Tax Audit, Trump Administration to Collect DNA of All Immigrants Jailed in U.S., Iraq Death Toll at 44 as Violent Repression of Protests Continues, Honduran President Denies Narcotrafficking Ties as His Brother Faces U.S. Trial, Protests Rock Ecuador as IM…

Joan Walsh (2019-10-03). The Impeachment Crisis Just Got Worse for the GOP. thenation.com Donald Trump is laying the groundwork to bring Pompeo and Pence down with him.

Fight Back (2019-10-03). Young Lords remember martyrs and march for the future. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – A standing room only crowd filled the Holy Covenant United Methodist Church on September 29 to commemorate Reverend Bruce Johnson and Eugenia Johnson. The reverend and his wife Eugenia were remembered for supporting the Young Lords and their role in the struggle against poverty, war and oppression. They were savagely murdered in their own home 50 years ago, stabbed to death, during a U.S. government campaign of repression known as COINTELPRO or the Counterintelligence Program. | Ministers of the United Methodist Church, the Bishop of Chicago's Episcopal Church and leaders from the Presbyterian McCo…

Staff (2019-10-03). Why Do Black People Always Have to Forgive? therealnews.com As Botham Jean's brother makes headlines for "forgiving" Amber Guyger, Real News hosts Jacqueline Luqman and Lisa Snowden-McCray discuss what Christian forgiveness in the face of oppression means.

Staff (2019-10-02). Headlines for October 2, 2019. democracynow.org Report: Trump Pushed for Shooting Migrants and Placing Alligators & Snakes Along Border, Trump Claims Impeachment Inquiry Is "Coup" as Pompeo Blocks Officials from Testifying, Sen. Grassley Breaks from Trump to Support Protection of Whistleblower, In "Victory for Black People in America," Dallas Officer Convicted of Murdering Black Man Inside His Own Home, Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Georgia Abortion Law, U.S.-N. Korea Talks to Resume as Pyongyang Carries Out New Missile Test, Hong Kong Protesters Stage Sit-in Outside School of Student Shot by Police, Pretrial Hearings Begin in Netanyahu Corruption Case, Per…

Staff (2019-10-01). To Impeach or Not to Impeach? Chris Hedges & John Bonifaz Debate What Congress Should Do Next. democracynow.org House Democrats subpoenaed President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani Monday, seeking documents related to his work in Ukraine. Last week, Guliani admitted on television that he had urged the Ukrainian government to investigate Trump's political rival and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. This comes as House Democrats continue to build their case for impeaching the president, following a whistleblower complaint focused on a phone call in which Trump asked the Ukranian president to do him a "favor" investigating the actions of Democrats, including Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Meanwhile, Trump…

Staff (2019-10-01). Headlines for October 1, 2019. democracynow.org House Democrats Subpoena Giuliani over Ukraine Work, Report: Trump Pressured Australia, Italy & U.K. to Help with Political Probes, Trump Renews Threats Against Schiff and Intelligence Whistleblower, Hong Kong Protests Escalate as Beijing Marks 70th Anniversary of People's Republic of China, Four Die in Ongoing Anti-Government Protests in Haiti, Somali Militants Attack U.S. Drone Base & Italian Military Convoy, Nigerian Journalist Omoyele Sowore Pleads Not Guilty, Remains Locked Up, U.S. Blocks Cuban Health Minister from Attending Regional WHO Meeting in D.C., GOP Congressmember Chris Collins Resigns over Insider…

Jimmysllama (2019-09-30). How the Trump Admin Used a Secret Livestream to Spy on Julian Assange. mintpressnews.com Working directly with Ecuador's corrupt government, the U.S. government abandoned all sense of legality and moral decency by spying on Assange twenty-four hours a day via an illegal livestream surveillance operation set up by a private security firm and approved by Ecuador's president.

Staff (2019-09-30). Snowden Reveals How He Secretly Exposed NSA Criminal Wrongdoing Without Getting Arrested. democracynow.org Edward Snowden talks about his decision to leak documents to journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras rather than WikiLeaks, and the issues with the U.S. government's response to whistleblower disclosures. His recently published memoir, "Permanent Record," tells the story of his decision to expose the system of mass surveillance. "I think it's so obvious that no harm to national security has resulted from this process of disclosure. And yet, the same criticisms, the same allegations are made to me as have been every other whistleblower," Snowden says. "What we need to understand here is not my model of publi…

Staff (2019-09-30). Whistleblower Edward Snowden on Trump, Obama & How He Ended Up in Russia to Avoid U.S. Extradition. democracynow.org We conclude our interview with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, who has just published his memoir titled "Permanent Record." In 2013, after quitting his job at the NSA, Snowden attempted to fly from Hong Kong to Latin America in order to avoid being extradited to the United States. But the U.S. revoked his passport when he stopped through Russia, effectively stranding him there. Snowden has lived as an exile in Moscow ever since. He tells us his story.

Staff (2019-09-30). Edward Snowden: Private Contractors Play Key Role in U.S. Intelligence's "Creeping Authoritarianism" democracynow.org As a whistleblower complaint against President Trump rocks Washington, Democrats begin an impeachment inquiry and Trump threatens "big consequences" for the person who came forward, we continue our conversation with one of the world's most famous whistleblowers: Edward Snowden, now in exile in Russia. Six years ago, he shocked the world when he leaked a trove of secret documents about how the United States had built a massive surveillance apparatus to collect every single phone call, text message and email, and pry into the private lives of every person on Earth. He has just published a memoir titled "Permanent R…

Staff (2019-09-30). Headlines for September 30, 2019. democracynow.org Facing Threats from Trump, Anonymous Whistleblower to Testify on Capitol Hill, Trump Warns Impeachment Could Lead to Civil War, Calls Critics "Savages", Pompeo Subpoenaed over Ukraine; Trump Envoy for Ukraine Resigns, More Than 2 Million Take Part in Global Climate Strike, Nearly 70 Arrested at New Hampshire Coal Plant Protest, Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration Effort to Indefinitely Detain Migrant Children, Low Turnout Reported on Election Day in Afghanistan, Egyptian Dissident Alaa Abd El-Fattah Arrested Amid Growing Crackdown, Houthis Claim to Have Killed 500 Saudi Soldiers in August Attack, El País: S…

Patrick Anderson (2019-09-27). Edward Snowden's Julian Assange is an Unfamiliar Julian Assange. mintpressnews.com NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks' former editor Julian Assange have a complicated relationship. On the one hand, they share important similarities: both are perceived as dangerous enemies by the United States government, and both have been documentary subjects of filmmaker Laura Poitras. On the other hand, they clearly disagree when it comes to the means of achieving government transparency and accountability. After all, if Snowden had agreed with Assange a…

Staff (2019-09-27). James Risen: Whistleblower Complaint Shows "Trump Is a Habitual Criminal" Abusing His Office. democracynow.org Democrats are ramping up efforts to impeach President Trump for pressing the president of Ukraine to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Nearly 90% of House Democrats now support impeachment. On Thursday, a declassified version of a complaint by an anonymous whistleblower was released, detailing his concerns about Trump's July phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky. In the complaint, the unnamed whistleblower — who has been identified as a CIA official — accused the president of "using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 202…

Staff (2019-09-27). Headlines for September 27, 2019. democracynow.org Whistleblower Warned White House Tried to "Lock Down" Ukraine Call Details, Acting DNI Maguire Says Whistleblower "Acted in Good Faith", Trump Suggests Whistleblower Should Get Death Sentence for Treason, Global Youth-Led Strikes Demand Action on Climate Crisis, Study Finds Climate Crisis May Threaten 60% of World's Wheat Crop by 2100, States Challenge Trump's Rollback of Endangered Species Act, Senate Advances Confirmation of Ex-Monsanto Executive to Lead Wildlife Agency, EPA Chief Blames California's Homeless Population for Poor Water Quality, Protesters Defy Security Crackdown in Egypt, Demanding Ouster of Pre…

ACLU (2019-09-26). Kentucky's Abortion Law Forces Me to Humiliate My Patients. aclu.org H.B. 2 is cruel, offensive, and the Supreme Court should strike it down. | I'm a doctor at the only abortion clinic in Kentucky. Providing safe, compassionate medical care has been my life's calling, and my patients' well-being is always my first priority. But Kentucky politicians — determined as usual to interfere with access to reproductive healthcare — are trying to force me to harm and humili…

Finian Cunningham (2019-09-25). They're Murdering My Son: Father of Julian Assange Tells of Pain and Anguish. mintpressnews.com John Shipton, the father of imprisoned whistleblower Julian Assange, says that if his son is extradited to the US, "They will murder Julian one way or the other."

Ricardo Vaz (2019-08-14). Venezuela's Maduro Reshuffles Cabinet as Supreme Court Strips Three Opposition Lawmakers of Immunity. venezuelanalysis.com The National Constituent Assembly will also evaluate bringing forward legislative elections.