2019-10-08: News Headlines

Janine Jackson (2019-10-08). 'Political Interference in the Whistleblower Disclosure Process Is Horrifying' – CounterSpin interview with Dana Gold on whistleblower protection. fair.org Janine Jackson interview the Government Accountability Project's Dana Gold about whistleblower protection for the October 4, 2019, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…

WSWS (2019-10-08). Australia's prisoner swap with Iran contrasts with persecution of Julian Assange. wsws.org The deal exposes the denial of basic legal and democratic rights by the Australian, British and US governments in the continued detention and psychological torture of the WikiLeaks founder.

Patrick Martin (2019-10-08). US Impeachment Campaign Escalates with Claim of Second Whistleblower. globalresearch.ca The conflict between President Trump and congressional Democrats escalated over the weekend, with attorneys for the CIA officer who triggered an impeachment inquiry declaring that there were other "whistleblowers" coming forward to provide testimony in support of his allegations against …

Elijah J. Magnier (2019-10-08). Can the US Starve Hezbollah of Funds? globalresearch.ca Over the years, researchers have copied and parroted inaccurate declassified US intelligence reports on Hezbollah's sources of income around the world. These documents claim Hezbollah lives off selling smuggled cigarettes and illegally copied CDs or on income generated by selling …

Staff (2019-10-08). State Department Blocks EU Ambassador's Deposition in Impeachment Inquiry. truthout.org | | The State Department directed U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland not to appear Tuesday morning for a scheduled hearing about President Donald Trump's communications with Ukraine. | Sondland, a key figure in the burgeoning scandal at the heart of the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry, had previously agreed to appear voluntarily before the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight committees behind closed-doors. | The decision to block the top diplomat from speaki…

Staff (2019-10-08). New Poll Shows Nearly 60 Percent of Americans Support Trump Impeachment Inquiry. truthout.org | | A new Washington Post/Schar School poll released Tuesday showed a majority of Americans approve of House Democrats' impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, a dramatic jump in support for the proceedings in the wake of the whistleblower complaint over Trump's talks with Ukrai…

Scott Ritter (2019-10-08). Donald Trump's Iran Humiliation. truthdig.com Exactly 17 months have passed since President Donald Trump precipitously withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Program of Action, or JCPOA. Two and a half months later, on July 22, 2018, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a speech to a group of Irani…

The Canary (2019-10-08). Longest UK parliamentary session comes to an end — for good. thecanary.co The longest parliamentary session in the history of the United Kingdom ends on Tuesday night — and this time for good.The session initially came to an end in the early hours of 10 September, when parliament was thought to have been prorogued — or suspended — until 14 October.But the supreme court then ruled the prorogation was unlawful, meaning the session had not technically ended at all.Instead, MPs returned to the house of commons on 25 September to resume parliamentary business.The current session formally began on 21 June 2017 with the State Opening of Parliament, including the Queen's Speech.

World Rainforest Movement (2019-10-08). Compensating for Forest Loss or Advancing Forest Destruction? globalresearch.ca The government of India, hand-in-hand with companies and conservationist NGOs, keeps pushing to expand their control over forests and evict forest-dependent communities. The February 2019 Supreme Court eviction order and a proposal for amendments to the colonial Indian Forest

commondreams (2019-10-08). Supreme Court Has An Opportunity To Uphold Equality in Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Cases. commondreams.org ______________________________…

teleSUR (2019-10-08). Colombia's Uribe Appears At Supreme Court On Multiple Charges. telesurenglish.net Colombia's former right-wing President Alvaro Uribe made an appearance before Colombia's supreme court on Tuesday, facing 14 charges, including human rights abuses, fraud and tampering with a witness. | RELATED: | Colombia: Court Ratifies Evidence Against Former President Uribe | The court will have 10 days to determine whether or not to press on with the…

ACLU (2019-10-08). What You Need to Know About Today's LGBTQ Rights Arguments Before SCOTUS. aclu.org In three cases at the Supreme Court, the Trump administration is arguing it's legal to fire workers for being LGBTQ. | Today, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in three cases in which the Trump administration is urging the court to rule that it's legal to fire workers for being LGBTQ. | For the LGBTQ civil rights movement, this is a big moment. These cases will affect more people than the Supreme Court's decision about the freedom to marry, and they potentially implicate a broader range of contexts in which LGBTQ people may face harm, if the Court green-lights discrimination. Worse still, a bad ruling would s…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-10-08). LGBTQ Advocates Flood Capitol Hill on Day One of Supreme Court's First Trans Civil Rights Case in US History. commondreams.org Civil rights advocates rallied on Capitol Hill Tuesday as the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for three related cases—including its first on trans rights—in which, as the ACLU put it, "the Trump administration is urging the court to rule that it's legal to fire workers for being LGBTQ." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-117449372511.jpg

Staff (2019-10-08). Headlines for October 8, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Touts "Great and Unmatched Wisdom" as U.S. Abandons Kurdish Allies, State Dept. Orders Ambassador Gordon Sondland Not to Testify to Impeachment Inquiry, Federal Judge Rejects Trump's "Repugnant" Argument Against Turning Over Tax Records, Ecuador's President Moves Government From Capital as Anti-Austerity Protests Grow, Bolivia Rains Quell Fires After 10 Million Amazon Acres Burn, 700+ Arrested as Extinction Rebellion Protests Demand Climate Action, Swedish Climate Activist Greta Thunberg to Visit Standing Rock Reservation, Supreme Court Opens New Term with Justice Clarence Thomas Absent, Asylum Seekers Esco…

Manlio Dinucci (2019-10-08). L'F-35 nell'agenda segreta di Pompeo a Roma. globalresearch.ca Il caccia stealth F-35 si rende invisibile non solo ai radar ma anche alla politica: nei comunicati degli incontri del segretario di stato Usa Mike Pompeo a Roma non ce n'è traccia. Il Corriere della Sera rivela perà≤ che Pompeo …

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…

Mark Gruenberg (2019-10-07). Campaign to impeach Trump accelerates. peoplesworld.org Behind closed doors and out in the streets, the campaign to get the U.S. House to officially impeach GOP President Donald Trump on national security grounds is accelerating, with one exception: Republicans, in polls, in the legislative houses, and in campaign cash. New strides toward impeachment will come this week, when the House Intelligence Committee …

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…

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.

teleSUR (2019-10-07). Kosovo Opposition Triumphs in Legislative Elections. telesurenglish.net Kosovo opposition parties Self-determination (Vetevendosje) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) triumphed in Sunday's legislative elections in the small East European country, according to figures from the Central Electoral Commission with more than 80 percent of the ballots counted. | RELATED: | 2nd Whistleblower in Trump-Ukraine Scandal Comes Forward | The Democratic Party of Kosovo, the largest political force in the outgoing government, came in in third place in the voting…

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.

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). 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…

teleSUR (2019-10-07). India: Top Court Orders Halt Cutting Trees for Metro Project. telesurenglish.net India's Supreme Court asked officials of the eastern state of Maharasthra to stop cutting the Aarey forest area after widespread protests which ended in police brutality and arrest of activists. | RELATED: | Heavy Rainfall in India Kills Over 1,600 People Since June | The trees were cut in the financial capital Mumbai for an ambitious subway project that has sparked protests from activists opposed to the felling to build a train parking shed. | "We direct the Maharashtra Government…

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…

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…

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…

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). 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). 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). 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…

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…