Daily Archives: January 15, 2019

2019-01-15: News Headlines

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2019-01-15). Trump, Bolton and the Syrian Confusion. globalresearch.ca It's a messy, though typical picture. US President Donald Trump wants to pull out forces in Syria. When announced in December, jaws drooped and sharp intakes of breath were registered through the Washington establishment. Members of the military industrial complex …

David William Pear (2019-01-15). Media Reports "Good News": Kids Are Dying in Venezuela, Sanctions are Working… globalresearch.ca The Guardian's Tom Phillips' article Venezuela Crisis Takes Deadly Toll on Buckling Health System (January 06, 2019) is more good news for US psychopaths, such as Trump, Bolton and Pompeo. Children are dying in Venezuela. Sanctions are working! | Tom is …

aljazeera (2019-01-15). Pompeo and MBS agree on 'importance' of Yemen de-escalation. aljazeera.com Top US diplomat and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meet in Riyadh for talks on range of issues.

Democracy Now! (2019-01-15). Will Trump's AG Pick William Barr Face Questions over Gitmo, Mass Incarceration & NSA Surveillance? democracynow.org Senate confirmation hearings begin today for William Barr, President Trump's nominee for attorney general to replace Jeff Sessions, who was fired in November. Barr served as attorney general for George H.W. Bush from 1991 to 1993. During that time, he was involved in the pardon of six Reagan officials for the Iran-Contra scandal and oversaw the opening of the Guantánamo Bay military prison, which was initially used to indefinitely detain HIV-positive asylum seekers from Haiti. Barr also openly backed mass incarceration at home and helped develop a secret Drug Enforcement Administration program which became a "blu…

John Washington (2019-01-15). William Barr May Be Worse on Immigration Than Jeff Sessions. theintercept.com Though a lot of attention will be on attorney general nominee William Barr's stance on executive power, and how it could affect the Mueller investigation, during the Senate confirmation hearings starting today, his legacy on immigration also merits strict scrutiny. Since he likely will be confirmed, Barr's hard-line immigration stance, which runs lockstep with President Donald Trump's, may set the stage for a new volley of attacks against immigrants and asylum-seekers. Migrants, attorneys, and advocates should be prepared. | Although former Attorney General Jeff Sessions was a hawk as well, Barr has a history of…

Shared by candice (2019-01-15). The Republican Party Is a Pack of Cowards. truthout.org Let me see if I have this straight: Over the course of this past weekend, the president of the United States of America was exposed as being the target of a 2017 counter-intelligence investigation by the FBI. The FBI initiated its unprecedented investigation after Donald Trump fired then-Director James Comey but before Robert Mueller was tapped to begin his own investigation, because the agency feared the president might be wo…

Randi Nord (2019-01-15). Yemen's Houthis Are Doxxing the US Troops Working With the Saudis. theantimedia.com (GPA) — In efforts to expose the criminals responsible for the ongoing genocide against Yemeni civilians, Yemeni Intelligence has started publishing the names and personal information of the US troops in charge of the Saudi command centers where airstrikes are ordered. Washington tries to keep a tight lid on the extent of its involvement in Yemen. However, …

Democracy Now! (2019-01-15). Headlines for January 15, 2019. democracynow.org Over 30,000 Los Angeles Teachers Walk Out in First Strike in 30 Years, Barr Pledges to Protect Mueller Probe as He Faces Senate AG Hearings, NYC Prisoners Go on Hunger Strike, Feel Effect of Gov't Shutdown, Poland Mayor, Defender of Immigrant Rights, Dies After Public Stabbing, Afghanistan: Taliban Car Bomb Kills 5, Injures Over 100, Afghanistan: New Defense Minister Accused of War Crimes, Human Rights Abuses, Brexit: Lawmakers Set to Vote on Contested Brexit Deal, Pennsylvania Judge Blocks Trump's Birth Control Restrictions Nationwide, Justice Ginsburg Declared Cancer-Free, Reviews SCOTUS Cases from Home, SCOTUS…

amnesty (2019-01-15). India: Administrative detention for facebook posts: Kishorchandra Wangkhem. amnesty.org Kishorchandra Wangkhem, a journalist based in Manipur, India, was arrested in August, and again in November 2018, because of Facebook posts where he criticised the government. While he was released on bail in both cases, on 27 November, he was arrested under the National Security Act (NSA). This draconian administrative detention law allows for him to be imprisoned for 12 months without charge or trial, in violation of regular criminal justice safeguards. The High Court of Manipur will hear his challenge to his detention under the NSA on 1 February 2019.

Democracy Now! (2019-01-14). Headlines for January 14, 2019. democracynow.org Gov't Shutdown Now Longest in U.S. History, Trump Admin Considered Disaster Relief Funds to Build Border Wall, Interior Dept. Pushes Ahead Plans for New Arctic Drilling Leases, Texas: Tornillo Immigrant Prison Camp Shuts Down, Los Angeles: Public Teachers Go on Strike, Dems Vow to Investigate After 2 New Reports on Trump's Relationship with Russia, WSJ: Nat'l Sec. Council Asked About Possible Military Strike on Iran in 2018, Trump Threatens to "Devastate Turkey Economically" If Syrian Kurds Targeted, Saudi Arabia: Sec. of State Pompeo Meets with Crown Prince 3 Months After Khashoggi Killing, Canada Grants Asylum…

Stephen Lendman (2019-01-14). Grim Middle East Reality. Permanent US Occupation. American Forces will Stay Indefinitely. globalresearch.ca US forces came to Syria, Iraq, elsewhere in the region, and virtually everywhere else worldwide to stay. Bolton and Pompeo made similar comments on Syria, indicating no timeline for withdrawal. | US forces will stay indefinitely — on the phony pretext …

Consortiumnews (2019-01-14). The Twitter Smearing of Corbyn and Assange. consortiumnews.com Historian and U.K. analyst Mark Curtis checks out the Twitter accounts of journalists whose names have been associated with the Integrity Initiative, a British "counter disinformation" program. By Mark Curtis British Foreign Policy Declassified The U.K.-financed Integrity Initiative, managed by… Read more →

Julia Conley, staff writer (2019-01-14). 'Not Qualified': Critics Decry Bigoted Views of Trump's Pick to Replace Kavanaugh on DC Circuit Court. commondreams.org President Donald Trump is hoping to fill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's former seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit with a former law professor whose early writings on the government and justice betrayed misogynist and bigoted views—leaving critics concerned on Monday that the president is remaking the country's second-highest court in his own image. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-01-14_at_3.25.43_pm.jpg

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-01-14). 'Shameful': Colorado Supreme Court Denounced for Siding With Big Oil Profits Over Public Health in Youth-Led Suit. commondreams.org The court's ruling was condemned by one environmentalist as "hard proof that the law is written against the best interests of the people, and in favor of oil and gas industry profits" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/colorado.jpg

commondreams (2019-01-14). CO Supreme Court Hands Another Victory to Oil and Gas Industry. commondreams.org ______________________________…

teleSUR (2019-01-14). Poland: Mayor of Gdansk Dies After Stabbing. telesurenglish.net The mayor of Gdansk, Pawel Adamovicz, was stabbed Monday while participating in a charity event attended by thousands. | RELATED: | Poland Reverses Anti-Democratic Supreme Court Reform | Adamovicz died in the hosptial from the abdominal injuries he sustained after several hours of surgery trying save him failed. The assailant stabbed the mayor, seriously wounding him in the heart, diaphragm, and other major organs said the surgeon who who treated him. | Pawel Adamowicz has become a well-kn…

Middle East Monitor (2019-01-13). Israel to Deport Human Rights Watch Director for Supporting BDS. theantimedia.com (MEMO) — Israel will deport the Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW)'s regional office, Omar Shakir, refusing a Supreme Court petition. On Thursday the Israeli government submitted its response to a Supreme Court petition previously filed by Shakir in a bid to fight the deportation order against him. The response stated that: "[Shakir] promoted the boycott of …

Consortiumnews (2019-01-11). Watch the 12th Vigil for Julian Assange Here. consortiumnews.com Consortium News broadcast the 12th Unity4J online vigil for WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange on Friday, hosted by Consortium News Editor Joe Lauria. Julian Assange is a wanted man because he published classified information that revealed the crimes and corruption of… Read more →

ACLU (2019-01-11). William Barr's Unsolicited Memo to Trump About Obstruction of Justice. aclu.org Barr's critique of the Mueller investigation raises serious questions about his views of presidential power. Senators should demand answers. | Last month, news broke that in June 2018, President Trump's current nominee for attorney general, William P. Barr, sent an unsolicited 20-page memo to the Justice Department critiquing special counsel Robert Mueller's current investigation into Russian election interference. | Barr, who previously served as attorney general under Preside…

Democracy Now! (2019-01-11). Headlines for January 11, 2019. democracynow.org Protests Target Shutdown as Federal Employees Miss First Paycheck, Trump May Raid Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief Funds for Border Wall, Protesters Gather on Both Sides of U.S.-Mexico Border as Trump Visits, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell Blocks Vote on Bill to Fund Government, Study Finds Oceans Are Absorbing Far More Heat Than Previously Known, Pentagon Says It's Withdrawing from Syria as Turkey Readies Invasion, In Cairo, U.S. Secretary of State Rebukes Obama and Threatens Iran, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Calls Jamal Khashoggi Murder an "Atrocity", Protests Outside Supreme Court Demand Closure of Guantánamo Prison…

Mehdi Hasan (2019-01-11). Mike Pompeo Lied About the U.S. and the Middle East. Here's the Truth. theintercept.com Trump's secretary of state gave a speech in Cairo that obscured the U.S. role in the Middle East. America has not been a force for good.

Democracy Now! (2019-01-10). Headlines for January 10, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Walks Out of Shutdown Negotiations After "Temper Tantrum", Unions for Federal Workers to Protest as Shutdown Enters 20th Day, Donald Trump Jr. Compares Immigrants to Zoo Animals, Trump Nominates Ex-Coal Lobbyist Andrew Wheeler as Permanent EPA Head, Congo: Felix Tshisekedi Declared Provisional President-Elect, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Meets Egyptian Leader el-Sisi, Campaigners Mark 100 Days Since Jamal Khashoggi's Assassination, After Weeks Stranded at Sea, Asylum Seekers Granted Access to Malta, Lebanon: Winter Storms Bring Death and Misery to Syrian Refugees, Police Issue Arrest Warrant for Ex-Manag…

Dave Markland (2019-01-10). Farewell to bblum6. zcomm.org Bill Blum passed away early last month in Virginia. Many Z Net readers will know his canonical book, Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since WWII, or remember his regular newsletter Anti-Empire Report. My first contact with Bill came in 1995 when I wrote him about something he had written on the Cold War. Read more…

ACLU (2019-01-10). What Are Federal Employees' Rights to Protest the Government Shutdown? aclu.org People don't lose their First Amendment rights if they work for the government. | Standing up for your First Amendment right to protest can be challenging — especially if you're a government employee. | Since Dec. 22, nearly 800,000 government employees nationwide have been affected by the partial federal government shutdown, putting a stop to work and paychecks. Despite President Trump's claim that federal workers " agree 100 percent with what I'm doing," many have wond…

ACLU (2019-01-10). Pennsylvanians Should Know How the State Police Is Monitoring Social Media. aclu.org The Pennsylvania State Police is blocking access to its social-media-monitoring policy by claiming it could harm "public safety." | "Sunshine is the best disinfectant.", , That's a line that is used so much that it's become almost trite. But it's oft-repeated because it is so true. And here in the Keystone State, the Pennsylvania State Police is doing everything in its power to block access to its policy on monitoring social media. So we're headed to the state Supreme Court to get it. | The ACLU of Pennsylvania's attempt to obtain the st…

Max Blumenthal (2019-01-09). New Documents Reveal a Covert British Military-Intelligence Smear Machine Meddling In American Politics. grayzoneproject.com The Integrity Initiative has mobilized an international disinformation campaign across Europe. Now, with government and right-wing foundation money, this massive…

Democracy Now! (2019-01-09). William Arkin on Homeland Security's Creeping Fascism and Why the CIA & FBI Won't Save Us from Trump. democracynow.org Longtime NBC reporter and analyst William Arkin announced he was leaving the network last week in a blistering letter that took aim at the mainstream media for encouraging perpetual warfare and bolstering the national security state. In his letter, Arkin writes of Trump, "Of course he is an ignorant and incompetent impostor. And yet I'm alarmed at how quick NBC is to mechanically argue the contrary, to be in favor of policies that just spell more conflict and more war. Really? We shouldn't get out Syria? We shouldn't go for the bold move of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula? Even on Russia, though we should be…

Paul Dobson (2019-01-07). Venezuelan Ex-Magistrate Flees to Miami, Pledges to 'Collaborate' with US Authorities. venezuelanalysis.com Venezuela's Supreme Court claims Christian Zerpa fled a sexual harassment investigation.

Ricardo Vaz (2019-01-03). US Secretary of State Pompeo Enlists Allies to 'Return Democracy' to Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com US allies Brazil and Colombia have repeatedly voiced support for regime change efforts.

Melissa Crow, Senior Supervising Attorney of the SPLC's Immigrant Justice Project (2018-12-21). SPLC statement on Supreme Court's denial of Trump administration's request to immediately enforce asylum ban. splcenter.org

stuart_m (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…

peter_b (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…

Paul Kawika Martin (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 […]

Yanis Varoufakis (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…

Chris Hedges (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.

2019-01-15: Social Media Postees

Pompeo and MBS agree on 'importance' of Yemen de-escalation
aljazeera | aljazeera.com | 2019-01-15
Top US diplomat and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meet in Riyadh for talks on range of issues.
aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/pompeo-mbs-agree-importance-yemen-de-escalation-190114085552762.html

Will Trump's AG Pick William Barr Face Questions over Gitmo, Mass Incarceration & NSA Surveillance?
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-01-15
Senate confirmation hearings begin today for William Barr, President Trump's nominee for attorney general to replace Jeff Sessions, who was fired in November. Barr served as attorney general for George H.W. Bush from 1991 to 1993. During that time, he was involved in the pardon of six Reagan officials for the Iran-Contra scandal and oversaw the opening of the Guantánamo Bay military prison, which was initially used to indefinitely detain HIV-positive asylum seekers from Haiti. Barr also openly backed mass incarceration at home and helped develop a secret Drug Enforcement Administration program which became a "blu…
www.democracynow.org/2019/1/15/will_trumps_ag_pick_william_barr

Media Reports "Good News": Kids Are Dying in Venezuela, Sanctions are Working
David William Pear | globalresearch.ca | 2019-01-15
The Guardian's Tom Phillips' article Venezuela Crisis Takes Deadly Toll on Buckling Health System (January 06, 2019) is more good news for US psychopaths, such as Trump, Bolton and Pompeo. Children are dying in Venezuela. Sanctions are working! | Tom is … | The post Media Reports "Good News": Kids Are Dying in Venezuela, Sanctions are Working… appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/media-reports-good-news-kids-are-dying-in-venezuela-sanctions-are-working/5665440

Trump, Bolton and the Syrian Confusion
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2019-01-15
It's a messy, though typical picture. US President Donald Trump wants to pull out forces in Syria. When announced in December, jaws drooped and sharp intakes of breath were registered through the Washington establishment. Members of the military industrial complex … | The post Trump, Bolton and the Syrian Confusion appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/trump-bolton-syrian-confusion/5665559

William Barr May Be Worse on Immigration Than Jeff Sessions
John Washington | theintercept.com | 2019-01-15
Though a lot of attention will be on attorney general nominee William Barr's stance on executive power, and how it could affect the Mueller investigation, during the Senate confirmation hearings starting today, his legacy on immigration also merits strict scrutiny. Since he likely will be confirmed, Barr's hard-line immigration stance, which runs lockstep with President Donald Trump's, may set the stage for a new volley of attacks against immigrants and asylum-seekers. Migrants, attorneys, and advocates should be prepared. | Although former Attorney General Jeff Sessions was a hawk as well, Barr has a history of…
theintercept.com/2019/01/15/william-barr-confirmation-hearings-immigration/

The Republican Party Is a Pack of Cowards
Shared by candice | truthout.org | 2019-01-15
Let me see if I have this straight: Over the course of this past weekend, the president of the United States of America was exposed as being the target of a 2017 counter-intelligence investigation by the FBI. The FBI initiated its unprecedented investigation after Donald Trump fired then-Director James Comey but before Robert Mueller was tapped to begin his own investigation, because the agency feared the president might be wo…
truthout.org/articles/the-republican-party-is-a-pack-of-cowards/

Yemen's Houthis Are Doxxing the US Troops Working With the Saudis
Randi Nord | theantimedia.com | 2019-01-15
(GPA) — In efforts to expose the criminals responsible for the ongoing genocide against Yemeni civilians, Yemeni Intelligence has started publishing the names and personal information of the US troops in charge of the Saudi command centers where airstrikes are ordered. Washington tries to keep a tight lid on the extent of its involvement in Yemen. However, …

Yemen's Houthis Are Doxxing the US Troops Working With the Saudis

India: Administrative detention for facebook posts: Kishorchandra Wangkhem
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2019-01-15
Kishorchandra Wangkhem, a journalist based in Manipur, India, was arrested in August, and again in November 2018, because of Facebook posts where he criticised the government. While he was released on bail in both cases, on 27 November, he was arrested under the National Security Act (NSA). This draconian administrative detention law allows for him to be imprisoned for 12 months without charge or trial, in violation of regular criminal justice safeguards. The High Court of Manipur will hear his challenge to his detention under the NSA on 1 February 2019.
amnesty.org/en/documents/asa20/9687/2019/en/

Grim Middle East Reality. Permanent US Occupation. American Forces will Stay Indefinitely
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-01-14
US forces came to Syria, Iraq, elsewhere in the region, and virtually everywhere else worldwide to stay. Bolton and Pompeo made similar comments on Syria, indicating no timeline for withdrawal. | US forces will stay indefinitely — on the phony pretext … | The post Grim Middle East Reality. Permanent US Occupation. American Forces will Stay Indefinitely appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/grim-middle-east-reality-permanent-us-occupation-american-forces-will-stay-indefinitely/5665399

The Twitter Smearing of Corbyn and Assange
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2019-01-14
Historian and U.K. analyst Mark Curtis checks out the Twitter accounts of journalists whose names have been associated with the Integrity Initiative, a British "counter disinformation" program. By Mark Curtis British Foreign Policy Declassified The U.K.-financed Integrity Initiative, managed by… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2019/01/14/the-twitter-smearing-of-corbyn-and-assange/

'Not Qualified': Critics Decry Bigoted Views of Trump's Pick to Replace Kavanaugh on DC Circuit Court
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-01-14
President Donald Trump is hoping to fill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's former seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit with a former law professor whose early writings on the government and justice betrayed misogynist and bigoted views—leaving critics concerned on Monday that the president is remaking the country's second-highest court in his own image. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-01-14_at_3.25.43_pm.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/01/14/not-qualified-critics-decry-bigoted-views-trumps-pick-replace-kavanaugh-dc-circuit?cd-origin=rss

'Shameful': Colorado Supreme Court Denounced for Siding With Big Oil Profits Over Public Health in Youth-Led Suit
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-01-14
The court's ruling was condemned by one environmentalist as "hard proof that the law is written against the best interests of the people, and in favor of oil and gas industry profits" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/colorado.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/01/14/shameful-colorado-supreme-court-denounced-siding-big-oil-profits-over-public-health?cd-origin=rss

Poland: Mayor of Gdansk Dies After Stabbing
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-01-14
The mayor of Gdansk, Pawel Adamovicz, was stabbed Monday while participating in a charity event attended by thousands. | RELATED: | Poland Reverses Anti-Democratic Supreme Court Reform | Adamovicz died in the hosptial from the abdominal injuries he sustained after several hours of surgery trying save him failed. The assailant stabbed the mayor, seriously wounding him in the heart, diaphragm, and other major organs said the surgeon who who treated him. | Pawel Adamowicz has become a well-kn…
telesurenglish.net/news/Poland-Mayor-of-Gdansk-Dies-After-Stabbing-20190114-0003.html

CO Supreme Court Hands Another Victory to Oil and Gas Industry
commondreams | commondreams.org | 2019-01-14
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/01/14/co-supreme-court-hands-another-victory-oil-and-gas-industry?cd-origin=rss

Israel to Deport Human Rights Watch Director for Supporting BDS
Middle East Monitor | theantimedia.com | 2019-01-13
(MEMO) — Israel will deport the Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW)'s regional office, Omar Shakir, refusing a Supreme Court petition. On Thursday the Israeli government submitted its response to a Supreme Court petition previously filed by Shakir in a bid to fight the deportation order against him. The response stated that: "[Shakir] promoted the boycott of …

Israel to Deport Human Rights Watch Director for Supporting BDS

William Barr's Unsolicited Memo to Trump About Obstruction of Justice
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-01-11
Barr's critique of the Mueller investigation raises serious questions about his views of presidential power. Senators should demand answers. | Last month, news broke that in June 2018, President Trump's current nominee for attorney general, William P. Barr, sent an unsolicited 20-page memo to the Justice Department critiquing special counsel Robert Mueller's current investigation into Russian election interference. | Barr, who previously served as attorney general under Preside…
aclu.org/blog/executive-branch/william-barrs-unsolicited-memo-trump-about-obstruction-justice

Watch the 12th Vigil for Julian Assange Here
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2019-01-11
Consortium News broadcast the 12th Unity4J online vigil for WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange on Friday, hosted by Consortium News Editor Joe Lauria. Julian Assange is a wanted man because he published classified information that revealed the crimes and corruption of… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2019/01/11/watch-the-12th-vigil-for-assange-here-live-at-4-pm-today/

Mike Pompeo Lied About the U.S. and the Middle East. Here's the Truth
Mehdi Hasan | theintercept.com | 2019-01-11
Trump's secretary of state gave a speech in Cairo that obscured the U.S. role in the Middle East. America has not been a force for good. | The post Mike Pompeo Lied About the U.S. and the Middle East. Here's the Truth. appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2019/01/11/mike-pompeo-speech-cairo/

What Are Federal Employees' Rights to Protest the Government Shutdown?
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-01-10
People don't lose their First Amendment rights if they work for the government. | Standing up for your First Amendment right to protest can be challenging — especially if you're a government employee. | Since Dec. 22, nearly 800,000 government employees nationwide have been affected by the partial federal government shutdown, putting a stop to work and paychecks. Despite President Trump's claim that federal workers " agree 100 percent with what I'm doing," many have wond…
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/employee-speech-and-whistleblowers/what-are-federal-employees-rights-protest

Farewell to bblum6
Dave Markland | zcomm.org | 2019-01-10
Bill Blum passed away early last month in Virginia. Many Z Net readers will know his canonical book, Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since WWII, or remember his regular newsletter Anti-Empire Report. My first contact with Bill came in 1995 when I wrote him about something he had written on the Cold War. Read…
zcomm.org/zblogs/farewell-to-bblum6/

Pennsylvanians Should Know How the State Police Is Monitoring Social Media
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-01-10
The Pennsylvania State Police is blocking access to its social-media-monitoring policy by claiming it could harm "public safety." | "Sunshine is the best disinfectant.", , That's a line that is used so much that it's become almost trite. But it's oft-repeated because it is so true. And here in the Keystone State, the Pennsylvania State Police is doing everything in its power to block access to its policy on monitoring social media. So we're headed to the state Supreme Court to get it. | The ACLU of Pennsylvania's attempt to obtain the st…
aclu.org/blog/privacy-technology/surveillance-technologies/pennsylvanians-should-know-how-state-police

William Arkin on Homeland Security's Creeping Fascism and Why the CIA & FBI Won't Save Us from Trump
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-01-09
Longtime NBC reporter and analyst William Arkin announced he was leaving the network last week in a blistering letter that took aim at the mainstream media for encouraging perpetual warfare and bolstering the national security state. In his letter, Arkin writes of Trump,…
www.democracynow.org/2019/1/9/william_arkin_on_homeland_securitys_creeping

New Documents Reveal a Covert British Military-Intelligence Smear Machine Meddling In American Politics
Max Blumenthal | grayzoneproject.com | 2019-01-09
The Integrity Initiative has mobilized an international disinformation campaign across Europe. Now, with government and right-wing foundation money, this massive… | The post New Documents Reveal a Covert British Military-Intelligence Smear Machine Meddling In American Politics appeared first on Grayzone Project.
grayzoneproject.com/2019/01/08/new-documents-reveal-a-covert-british-military-intelligence-smear-machine-meddling-in-american-politics/

Venezuela: Suspected Plotters Tortured
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-01-09

| January 9, 2019 Video | Video: Venezuelan Military Officers and Families Detained, Tortured: | Venezuelan intelligence and security forces have detained and tortured military personnel suspected of plotting against the government. |

| (Washington, DC) — Venezuelan intelligence and security forces have detained a…
hrw.org/news/2019/01/09/venezuela-suspected-plotters-tortured

Venezuelan Ex-Magistrate Flees to Miami, Pledges to 'Collaborate' with US Authorities
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-01-07
Venezuela's Supreme Court claims Christian Zerpa fled a sexual harassment investigation.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14208

A Tough Time to Be a Spy, NPR Reports – Current and former CIA officials are only sources for story on espionage getting harder
Belen Fernandez | fair.org | 2019-01-06
NPR ( 1/3/19) reports on the CIA finding it harder to sneak into other countries to commit espionage. | Imagine, for a moment, that a prominent media outlet in Iran decided to produce a story about the trials of being an Iranian spy in this technological day and age–in which the all-pervasiveness of surveillance mechanisms and social media complicates slightly the process of entering other countries under false identities. | It's safe to assume that the United States would find this…
fair.org/home/a-tough-time-to-be-a-spy-npr-reports/

US Secretary of State Pompeo Enlists Allies to 'Return Democracy' to Venezuela
Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-01-03
US allies Brazil and Colombia have repeatedly voiced support for regime change efforts.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14202

SPLC statement on Supreme Court's denial of Trump administration's request to immediately enforce asylum ban
Melissa Crow, Senior Supervising Attorney of the SPLC's Immigrant Justice Project | splcenter.org | 2018-12-21
splcenter.org/news/2018/12/21/splc-statement-supreme-court-denial-asylum-ban