(2019-02-08). Forward Left: An Interview with Matt Christman of Chap Trap House. counterpunch.org 
Matt Christman is one host of the popular leftist podcast Chapo Trap House, which has been "on-air" (meaning online) for nearly three years. The podcast has been profiled in the New Yorker and elsewhere, and is either a revolting or a cathartic dose of political wit and irreverence, depending on who you ask. Christman is More
(2019-02-08). After Dissent in Louisiana Abortion Case, Warnings That 'Kavanaugh Has Declared War on Roe v. Wade'. commondreams.org While relieved that the Supreme Court temporarily blocked state's anti-abortion law, NARAL says "it's a sobering reminder that our rights hang by a dangerously thin thread." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/kavanaugh_abortion_roe_wade.jpg…
(2019-02-07). Rand Paul: The Fairweather Libertarian. commondreams.org With Sen. Rand Paul's resistance hardening and nine of the 10 Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee already opposed, Mike Pompeo is likely to get an unfavorable vote in the panel. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/rand_paul_fairweather_libertarian.jpg…
(2019-02-07). Trump Withdrawing from Old Wars While Threatening Iran with New One. therealnews.com 
While Trump is withdrawing US troops from Syria and Afghanistan, he is ramping up aggression against Iran — acting both less and more hawkish than his intelligence agencies. Trita Parsi says Washington is violating international law in its campaign to isolate and strangle Tehran
(2019-02-07). Pompeo: US Military Obligated to "Take Down" the Iranians in Venezuela. theantimedia.com 
(CD) — As a U.S.-backed effort to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro continues,U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said late Wednesday that Hezbollah "has active cells" in Venezuela—a claim that was immediately scrutinized and compared with the second Bush administration's lies to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Hezbollah, a political and militant Shi'ite Muslim group based …
(2019-02-07). Trump Has Bigger Legal Problems Than Mueller. truthout.org Way back in May of 2018, I ruminated upon the idea that, for his own sake at least, Donald Trump really shouldn't have run for president. "No one cared about his tax returns before the campaign," I argued. "His lawyers weren't coughing up file cabinets filled with all the dirty deeds done dirt cheap over the years, and it didn't cost people 500 grand in legal fees to be his friend." | What was true nine months ago is now almost aggressively axiomatic. Trump's five-front war in 2018 — against the Robert Muell…
(2019-02-07). 'Unlimited Presidential Harassment': Trump blasts House Intel chair for financial investigation. rt.com 
President Trump unloaded on House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff, after Schiff announced a new investigation into the president's finances. The investigation is one of several Democrat-led probes targeting the president.
(2019-02-07). Spanish state vs Catalonia: putting a political trial on trial. greenleft.org.au 
On February 12, the trial of 12 Catalan politicians and social movement leaders involved in the October 1, 2017 independence referendum is set to begin in the Spanish Supreme Court. | The leaders face sanctions as harsh as 25 year's jail for their alleged offences — rebellion, sedition and embezzlement of public funds. | It is the first of three trials. Other defendants, including former police chief, José Lluís Trapero, will face the National High Court. Those members of the Catalan parliament who allowed discussion and voting on the referendum enabling law will face the High Court of Justice of Catalonia…
(2019-02-06). How to Shine a Light on U.S. Government Surveillance of Americans. aclu.org Before Congress votes to reauthorize key spying laws, it must demand answers. | This year, Congress must vote on reauthorizing provisions of the Patriot Act that are due to expire — including Section 215, which the government abused for years to illegally collect Americans' phone records in bulk. As this debate gets underway, both Congress and the public need some answers. | In 2015, Congress passed the USA Freedom Act to reform parts of the Patriot Act and make other much-needed changes to the government's surveil…
(2019-02-06). Ana María Archila: Brett Kavanaugh's Presence at SOTU Represented Failure of U.S. Democracy. democracynow.org 
As we continue to discuss President Trump's State of the Union, we are joined by Ana María Archila, co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy. She attended the address as a guest of New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In September, Archila made headlines when she, along with another woman, Maria Gallagher, confronted Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona in an elevator after he announced his support for Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. Shortly after the confrontation, Sen. Flake called for a delay of the Senate vote pending a limited FBI investigation.
(2019-02-06). 63% of a British Audience Would Prefer to Cut Ties With Saudi Arabia. theantimedia.com 
(MEMO) — A night of compelling debate at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster on Monday evening concluded with 63 percent of the 1,000-strong audience voting for the motion that "The West should cut ties with Saudi Arabia". The debate was organised by Intelligence Squared and began with a not insignificant 37 percent of those present admitting that …
(2019-02-05). Trial of El Chapo Highlights Failure of U.S. War on Drugs, But Will U.S. Ever Be Held to Account? democracynow.org 
Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, the notorious Mexican drug kingpin, has been on trial in New York City for 11 weeks. A federal jury headed into deliberations yesterday after more than 200 hours of testimony at the Federal District Court in Brooklyn revealing the inner workings of the Sinaloa Cartel, the major drug trafficking organization run by El Chapo. Fifty-six witnesses took to the stand with stories of murder, violence, spying, widespread corruption and even one tale of the drug lord escaping arrest in 2014 by climbing naked through a sewer alongside a former lover. El Chapo faces 10 charges, including leading a…
(2019-02-05). Louisiana Tests the New Supreme Court on Abortion. theintercept.com The U.S. Supreme Court will decide this week whether to intervene in a case that could lead to the closure of all but one abortion clinic in Louisiana.
(2019-02-04). Google Hired Gig Economy Workers to Improve Artificial Intelligence in Controversial Drone-Targeting Project. theintercept.com 
Millions of gig economy workers around the world now earn a living on so-called crowd worker websites — work that falls under the umbrella of crowdsourcing, or dividing up tasks into minuscule portions to spread over a large number of people. The sites pay as little as $1 an hour for individuals to perform short, repetitive tasks, such as identifying images seen in pictures and churning out product reviews. | Some of these crowd workers were unknowingly helping to build out the Pentagon's battlefield drone capability. | The work was done as part of a Defense Department initiative called Project Maven. Last…
(2019-02-04). Neomi Rao, Nominee to Replace Brett Kavanaugh, Heads Agency That's Been Stalling Sexual Harassment Guidance. theintercept.com Neomi Rao has been tapped for the D.C. Circuit, and is already on the GOP shortlist for a future Supreme Court spot.
(2019-02-04). The Supreme Court Is Considering Whether the Government Can Dodge the First Amendment by Outsourcing Its Power. aclu.org A case about a video banned from public access cable TV could have important implications for our constitutional rights. | The First Amendment bars the government from censoring speech that it doesn't like. That rule also goes for a private organization that takes on a government role. But when exactly is an organization considered a stand-in for the government? The Supreme Court will soon hear a case to decide. | Before smartphones, the internet, and digital cameras, it wasn't easy to get your videos in front of…
(2019-02-03). CN Radio: Australian Ambassador Tony Kevin's Plan to Free Assange. consortiumnews.com Tony Kevin, a former Australian ambassador, defends Julian Assange & WikiLeaks & reveals a plan to get him safely from Ecuador's London embassy back to Australia. He is interviewed by CN Editor Joe Lauria for Unity4J. Read more →
(2019-01-31). Headlines for January 31, 2019. democracynow.org Venezuela: U.S. Urges Military to Back Guaidó as Protesters Take to Streets, Reuters: UAE Hired Ex-NSA Agents to Spy on Opponents and Critics, Congress Reintroduces War Powers Resolution to End War on Yemen, Trump Hits Back After Intelligence Chiefs Contradict Him on Iran, N. Korea, Israeli Forces Kill Teenage Palestinian Girl at West Bank Checkpoint, Israel: Thousands of Israeli Ethiopians Protest Racism, Police Brutality, Migrants: Scores Killed in 2 Boat Wrecks Off Djibouti Coast, Humanitarian Ship Docks in Italy After European Nations Agree to Process Migrants, Colombia: 2 Community Leaders Killed Amid Mounti…
(2019-01-31). "RBG" Documentary Nominated for Academy Award as Supreme Court Justice Recovers from Lung Surgery. democracynow.org 
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently missed oral arguments as she continues to recover after having two tumors removed from her lung last month. But the Supreme Court has said she is cancer-free and that the 85-year-old, now three-time cancer-surviving justice, has been reviewing arguments and weighing in on cases from home. Meanwhile, the documentary "RBG" about her life has been nominated for an Academy Award. At the Sundance Film Festival, we speak with Julie Cohen, one of the film's directors.
(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.
(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.