Monthly Archives: February 2019

2019-02-28: News Headlines

William Walter Kay (2019-02-28). The Venezuelan War Council: Pence, Pompeo, Bolton, Abrams and Green LLP. globalresearch.ca Do personalities matter; or do they dissolve in the sea of circumstance? | The Atlantic alliance set sail on a collision course with Venezuela before Trump's improbable election; then Trump's dilettantish, dreadful selection of subordinates generated an additional, autonomous impetus to …

Binoy Kampmark (2019-02-28). Shifting the Centre of Gravity: Julian Assange Receives His Passport. counterpunch.org In March 2008, one Michael Horvath of the US Army Counterintelligence Center within the Cyber Intelligence Assessments Branch considered the risks posed by WikiLeaks in a 32 page document. Created under the auspices of the Department of Defence's Intelligence Analysis Program. The overview suggests, importantly, the interest shown in Assange by the defence wing of More

WSWS (2019-02-28). Australian filmmaker Curtis Levy demands freedom for Julian Assange. wsws.org Veteran documentarian Curtis Levy speaks out in defence of the WikiLeaks publisher and freedom of the press.

WSWS (2019-02-28). Cohen assertions are not evidence of WikiLeaks "collusion" with Trump or Russia. wsws.org If Roger Stone did tell Trump he talked with Julian Assange, then Stone was lying.

EarthRights International (2019-02-28). Historic Supreme Court Win: World Bank Group Is Not Above the Law. globalresearch.ca In a historic 7-1 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court decided today in Jam v. International Finance Corporation (IFC) that international organizations like the World Bank Group can be sued in U.S. courts. | The Court's decision marks a defining moment for …

WSWS (2019-02-28). Australian workers and youth support March 3 and March 10 rallies demanding freedom for Assange. wsws.org "I'm going on March 3 and I think everyone should come because we need to take action to free Assange and end war."

Gareth Porter (2019-02-27). The Right May Finally Get Its War on Iran. truthdig.com Like Dick Cheney before them, Mike Pompeo and John Bolton seek to manufacture a Middle East crisis that could lead to armed conflict.

commondreams (2019-02-27). Historic Supreme Court Win: World Bank Group Is Not Above The Law. commondreams.org ______________________________…

James Risen (2019-02-27). The Leaks That Trump's Justice Department Prosecutes Are Mostly About Trump, His Cronies, and Russia. theintercept.com President Donald Trump during an executive order signing in the Oval Office on Jan. 31, 2019, in Washington, D.C. | , who may soon release a report on his findings. | Yet Trump's constant pressure has clearly had an impact in a way that few have recognized. Two of Trump's most frequent public complaints — that the Russia investigation is a hoax ginned up by Democrats and the so-called deep state, and that leakers are feeding the "fake news" media negative stories about him — have clearly se…

Shared by williampitt (2019-02-27). Michael Cohen and Donald Trump Are Exactly the Same Person. truthout.org From a strictly legal standpoint, we don't know much more today than we did before Donald Trump's disgraced, disbarred former attorney and bagman Michael Cohen began testifying before the House Oversight Committee Wednesday morning. An arrangement between Cohen and special counsel Robert Mueller precluded the witness from holding forth on what he might know about collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian agents. That agreement may not have even been necessary. "Questions have been raised about…

RT (2019-02-26). 'Ask Snowden': Huawei exec pokes fun at US spying during tech show. rt.com A Huawei executive hit the US where it hurts by making fun of the NSA and bringing up whistleblower Edward Snowden during a no-holds-barred speech at the world's biggest mobile conference.

Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski (2019-02-26). The "Permanent War State" Aims to Plunder Venezuela — Wilkerson and Jay. therealnews.com Trump promises "democracy and freedom" to Venezuela, delivered by Elliott Abrams who brought you illegal wars, coups, and support for dictatorships; and Mike Pompeo and VP Pence, both with deep ties to the Koch brothers who need Venezuelan heavy crude to feed their Texas refinery — Col. Larry Wilkerson joins TRNN's Paul Jay…

Janaina Cesar (2019-02-25). The Secret History of Fiat Brazil's Internal Espionage Network and Collaboration With the Military Dictatorship. theintercept.com The workers were a threat to the company's bottom line, so Fiat Brazil suppressed labor organizing through an internal spy ring.

ACLU (2019-02-25). The Supreme Court Rightly Cited the Black Codes in Ruling Against Excessive Fines, Fees, and Forfeitures. aclu.org The justices held that the Eighth Amendment protects people from state and local authorities' abusive reliance on monetary penalties to raise money. | Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a rare unanimous ruling in Timbs v. Indiana, holding for the first time that the Eighth Amendment's Excessive Fines Clause applies to state and local governments — not just federal authorities. | The fact that this landmark decision is unanimous is itself remarkable. But it bears noting that in…

Ronald Katz (2019-02-25). The Supreme Court Has Undone a Century of American Opposition to Sports Gambling. thenation.com The Supreme Court Has Undone a Century of American Opposition to Sports Gambling…

susan_p (2019-02-22). Philippines: Break the culture of silence, violence and impunity. greenleft.org.au The following statement on the February 13 arrest of Filipino journalist Maria Ressa was issued by the Filipino human rights movement, iDefend. | iDefend condemns the arrest of Maria Ressa by the National Bureau of Investigation on February 13 on charges of cyber-libel. | Ressa's arrest is the latest demonstration of how government critics are silenced in a manner which mirrors a familiar style of the late Marcos dictatorship. | For two years, Senator Leila de Lima remains incarcerated on unproven drug charges; former Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was removed from her post in a Quo Waranto proc…

Democracy Now! (2019-02-21). Ending the Punishment of Poverty: Supreme Court Rules Against High Fines & Civil Asset Forfeiture. democracynow.org In a major victory for civil liberties advocates, the Supreme Court has unanimously ruled to limit the practice of civil asset forfeiture—a controversial practice where police seize property that belongs to people suspected of crimes, even if they are never convicted. On Wednesday, the court ruled the Eighth Amendment protects people from state and local authorities imposing onerous fines, fees and forfeitures to generate money. The case centered on an Indiana man named Tyson Timbs, whose Land Rover was seized when he was arrested for selling drugs. The vehicle was worth $42,000—more than four times t…

ACLU (2019-02-20). A Supreme Court Milestone for Students' Free Speech Rights. aclu.org In 1969, a group of public school students protesting the Vietnam War made First Amendment history that stands strong to this day. | This month marks 50 years since the landmark Supreme Court ruling that cemented students' rights to free speech in public schools, Tinker v. Des Moines. We're inspired to see that students still take advantage of their First Amendment rights and speak out on political issues today. | We grew up in Iowa, where our father was a Methodist minister. Believing that faith s…

Democracy Now! (2019-02-20). Saudis Facing Criminal Charges in the U.S. Keep Disappearing. Is the Kingdom Helping Them Escape? democracynow.org A growing number of Saudi students are vanishing while facing serious criminal charges in the U.S. Federal law enforcement officials are now launching an investigation into the suspicious disappearances to probe if the Saudi government was involved and how. We speak with Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, The Oregonian reporter who broke the story about the spate of Saudi student disappearances. He found that in at least four cases the Saudi government paid a defendant's bail and legal fees before he disappeared. In one case, police believe Saudi officials snuck a Saudi national out of the country on a private plane using a…

splcenter (2019-02-19). New hate map helps users explore landscape of hate. splcenter.org The Southern Poverty Law Center has introduced an updated, interactive hate map equipped with new features to help people better understand the hate groups operating in their state and across the country.

Bill Blum (2019-02-16). Unequal Justice: Kavanaugh's Vote on Abortion Access Bodes Ill for Roe. progressive.org It hasn't taken Kavanaugh long to show his true colors. The big reveal came on February 7, when he voted against a "stay" that will keep a draconian Louisiana abortion law from taking effect.

Melissa Crow, Senior Supervising Attorney of the SPLC's Immigrant Justice Project (2019-02-15). SPLC statement on Supreme Court's denial of Trump administration's request to immediately enforce asylum ban. splcenter.org The U.S. Supreme Court today denied the Trump administration's request to immediately enforce a new policy of denying asylum to migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border between ports of entry.

Joe Emersberger (2019-01-16). Was that the Onion or Reuters Quoting Mike Pompeo on Venezuela? zcomm.org This Reuters article says "The Maduro regime is illegitimate and the United States will work diligently to restore a real democracy to that country," Pompeo told reporters in Abu Dhabi, where he is on a tour of Middle East countries. " [emphasis added] The Onion might have simply changed "countries" above to "dictatorships" or, Read more…

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.

2019-02-28: Social Media Postees

The Venezuelan War Council: Pence, Pompeo, Bolton, Abrams and Green LLP
William Walter Kay | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-28
Do personalities matter; or do they dissolve in the sea of circumstance? | The Atlantic alliance set sail on a collision course with Venezuela before Trump's improbable election; then Trump's dilettantish, dreadful selection of subordinates generated an additional, autonomous impetus to …
globalresearch.ca/pence-pompeo-bolton-abrams-venezuelan-war/5669957

Shifting the Centre of Gravity: Julian Assange Receives His Passport
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2019-02-28
In March 2008, one Michael Horvath of the US Army Counterintelligence Center within the Cyber Intelligence Assessments Branch considered the risks posed by WikiLeaks in a 32 page document. Created under the auspices of the Department of Defence's Intelligence Analysis Program. The overview suggests, importantly, the interest shown in Assange by the defence wing of…
counterpunch.org/2019/02/28/shifting-the-centre-of-gravity-julian-assange-receives-his-passport-2/

Australian workers and youth support March 3 and March 10 rallies demanding freedom for Assange
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-02-28
"I'm going on March 3 and I think everyone should come because we need to take action to free Assange and end war."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/02/28/jain-f28.html

Australian filmmaker Curtis Levy demands freedom for Julian Assange
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-02-28
Veteran documentarian Curtis Levy speaks out in defence of the WikiLeaks publisher and freedom of the press.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/02/28/curt-f28.html

Historic Supreme Court Win: World Bank Group Is Not Above the Law
EarthRights International | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-28
In a historic 7-1 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court decided today in Jam v. International Finance Corporation (IFC) that international organizations like the World Bank Group can be sued in U.S. courts. | The Court's decision marks a defining moment for …
globalresearch.ca/world-bank-group-not-above-law/5669991

Cohen assertions are not evidence of WikiLeaks "collusion" with Trump or Russia
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-02-28
If Roger Stone did tell Trump he talked with Julian Assange, then Stone was lying.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/02/28/wiki-f28.html

The Right May Finally Get Its War on Iran
Gareth Porter | truthdig.com | 2019-02-27
Like Dick Cheney before them, Mike Pompeo and John Bolton seek to manufacture a Middle East crisis that could lead to armed conflict.
truthdig.com/articles/the-right-may-finally-get-its-war-on-iran/

The Leaks That Trump's Justice Department Prosecutes Are Mostly About Trump, His Cronies, and Russia
James Risen | theintercept.com | 2019-02-27
President Donald Trump during an executive order signing in the Oval Office on Jan. 31, 2019, in Washington, D.C. | , who may soon release a report on his findings. | Yet Trump's constant pressure has clearly had an impact in a way that few have recognized. Two of Trump's most frequent public complaints — that the Russia investigation is a hoax ginned up by Democrats and the so-called deep state, and that leakers are feeding the "fake news" media negative stories about him — have clearly se…
theintercept.com/2019/02/27/trump-russia-leaks-mueller-investigation/

Michael Cohen and Donald Trump Are Exactly the Same Person
Shared by williampitt | truthout.org | 2019-02-27
From a strictly legal standpoint, we don't know much more today than we did before Donald Trump's disgraced, disbarred former attorney and bagman Michael Cohen began testifying before the House Oversight Committee Wednesday morning. An arrangement between Cohen and special counsel Robert Mueller precluded the witness from holding forth on what he might know about collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian agents. That agreement may not have even been necessary. "Questions have been raised about…
truthout.org/articles/michael-cohen-and-donald-trump-are-exactly-the-same-person/

Historic Supreme Court Win: World Bank Group Is Not Above The Law
commondreams | commondreams.org | 2019-02-27
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/02/27/historic-supreme-court-win-world-bank-group-not-above-law?cd-origin=rss

'Ask Snowden': Huawei exec pokes fun at US spying during tech show
RT | rt.com | 2019-02-26
A Huawei executive hit the US where it hurts by making fun of the NSA and bringing up whistleblower Edward Snowden during a no-holds-barred speech at the world's biggest mobile conference. | …
rt.com/usa/452478-huawei-snowden-us-ban/

The "Permanent War State" Aims to Plunder Venezuela — Wilkerson and Jay
Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2019-02-26
Trump promises "democracy and freedom" to Venezuela, delivered by Elliott Abrams who brought you illegal wars, coups, and support for dictatorships; and Mike Pompeo and VP Pence, both with deep ties to the Koch brothers who need Venezuelan heavy crude to feed their Texas refinery — Col. Larry Wilkerson joins TRNN's Paul Jay…
therealnews.com/stories/the-permanent-war-state-aims-to-plunder-venezuela-wilkerson-and-jay

The Supreme Court Rightly Cited the Black Codes in Ruling Against Excessive Fines, Fees, and Forfeitures
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-02-25
The justices held that the Eighth Amendment protects people from state and local authorities' abusive reliance on monetary penalties to raise money. | Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a rare unanimous ruling in Timbs v. Indiana, holding for the first time that the Eighth Amendment's Excessive Fines Clause applies to state and local governments — not just federal authorities. | The fact that this landmark decision is unanimous is itself remarkable. But it bears noting that in…
aclu.org/blog/racial-justice/race-and-criminal-justice/supreme-court-rightly-cited-black-codes-ruling-against

The Supreme Court Has Undone a Century of American Opposition to Sports Gambling
Ronald Katz | thenation.com | 2019-02-25
The Supreme Court Has Undone a Century of American Opposition to Sports Gambling…
thenation.com/article/sports-gambling-supreme-court-betting/

The Secret History of Fiat Brazil's Internal Espionage Network and Collaboration With the Military Dictatorship
Janaina Cesar | theintercept.com | 2019-02-25
The workers were a threat to the company's bottom line, so Fiat Brazil suppressed labor organizing through an internal spy ring.
theintercept.com/2019/02/25/fiat-brazil-spying-workers-collaborated-dictatorship/

Philippines: Break the culture of silence, violence and impunity
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-02-22
The following statement on the February 13 arrest of Filipino journalist Maria Ressa was issued by the Filipino human rights movement, iDefend. | iDefend condemns the arrest of Maria Ressa by the National Bureau of Investigation on February 13 on charges of cyber-libel. | Ressa's arrest is the latest demonstration of how government critics are silenced in a manner which mirrors a familiar style of the late Marcos dictatorship. | For two years, Senator Leila de Lima remains incarcerated on unproven drug charges; former Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was removed from her post in a Quo Waranto proc…
greenleft.org.au/content/philippines-break-culture-silence-violence-and-impunity

Ending the Punishment of Poverty: Supreme Court Rules Against High Fines & Civil Asset Forfeiture
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-21
In a major victory for civil liberties advocates, the Supreme Court has unanimously ruled to limit the practice of civil asset forfeiture–a controversial practice where police seize property that belongs to people suspected of crimes, even if they are never convicted. On Wednesday, the court ruled the Eighth Amendment protects people from state and local authorities imposing onerous fines, fees and forfeitures to generate money. The case centered on an Indiana man named Tyson Timbs, whose Land Rover was seized when he was arrested for selling drugs. The vehicle was worth $42,000–more than four times t…
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/21/ending_the_punishment_of_poverty_supreme

Saudis Facing Criminal Charges in the U.S. Keep Disappearing. Is the Kingdom Helping Them Escape?
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-20
A growing number of Saudi students are vanishing while facing serious criminal charges in the U.S. Federal law enforcement officials are now launching an investigation into the suspicious disappearances to probe if the Saudi government was involved and how. We speak with Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, The Oregonian reporter who broke the story about the spate of Saudi student disappearances. He found that in at least four cases the Saudi government paid a defendant's bail and legal fees before he disappeared. In one case, police believe Saudi officials snuck a Saudi national out of the country on a private plane using a…
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/20/saudis_facing_criminal_charges_in_the

A Supreme Court Milestone for Students' Free Speech Rights
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-02-20
In 1969, a group of public school students protesting the Vietnam War made First Amendment history that stands strong to this day. | This month marks 50 years since the landmark Supreme Court ruling that cemented students' rights to free speech in public schools, Tinker v. Des Moines. We're inspired to see that students still take advantage of their First Amendment rights and speak out on political issues today. | We grew up in Iowa, where our father was a Methodist minister. Believing that faith s…
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/student-speech-and-privacy/supreme-court-milestone-students-free-speech-rights

New hate map helps users explore landscape of hate
splcenter | splcenter.org | 2019-02-19
The Southern Poverty Law Center has introduced an updated, interactive hate map equipped with new features to help people better understand the hate groups operating in their state and across the country.
splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2019/new-hate-map

Can Turkey and Syria actually come to an agreement?
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-02-17
Ankara, who is now shifting away from the USA and towards the regional powers, is expected to begin negotiations with Damascus. Of course right now a low level exterior politics is underway with Syria. At this situation, intelligence agencies cannot just say "We execute whatever our leader orders.". Many times leaders are off the grid, …
uwidata.com/2245-can-turkey-and-syria-actually-come-to-an-agreement/

Unequal Justice: Kavanaugh's Vote on Abortion Access Bodes Ill for Roe
Bill Blum | progressive.org | 2019-02-16
It hasn't taken Kavanaugh long to show his true colors. The big reveal came on February 7, when he voted against a "stay" that will keep a draconian Louisiana abortion law from taking effect.
progressive.org/dispatches/unequal-justice-dear-brett-your-ideology-is-showing-blum-190216/

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 | 2019-02-15
The U.S. Supreme Court today denied the Trump administration's request to immediately enforce a new policy of denying asylum to migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border between ports of entry.
splcenter.org/news/2019/02/15/splc-statement-supreme-court%25E2%2580%2599s-denial-trump-administration%25E2%2580%2599s-request-immediately-enforce