Daily Archives: February 11, 2019

2019-02-11: News Headlines

Whitney Webb (2019-02-11). Pompeo Attempts to Link Iran, Hezbollah to Crisis in Venezuela. globalresearch.ca "People don't recognize that Hezbollah has active cells — the Iranians are impacting the people of Venezuela and throughout South America. We have an obligation to take down that risk for America and [what we'll talk about is] how we …

Lawrence Wu (2019-02-11). How The CIA Overthrew Iran's Democracy In 4 Days. zcomm.org Over the course of four days in August 1953, Roosevelt would orchestrate not one, but two attempts to destabilize the government of Iran…

Prof. Elias Samo (2019-02-11). Pompeo Cairo Speech: Misreading History. globalresearch.ca Mike Pompeo, the current American Secretary of State, gave a speech at the American University in Cairo on January 10, 2019. He started the speech identifying himself an evangelical Christian, that is also a Christian Zionist, and said, "In …

Bill Blum (2019-02-11). Should 'Dirty Trickster' Roger Stone Be Silenced? truthdig.com Roger Stone, who has been charged with lying to Congress, obstruction of justice and witness tampering in the ongoing investigation of Russia's ties to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, will go on trial later this year in Washington, D.C. Any day now, federal District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who is presiding over Stone's case, will rule on special counsel Robert Mueller's request that she place a gag order on Stone and his attorneys. Such a move would prohibit Stone and his counsel from making public statements ab…

WSWS (2019-02-11). Acclaimed musician Roger Waters calls on people to demonstrate in Australia to defend Julian Assange. wsws.org Roger Waters, the iconic voice of Pink Floyd and renowned solo artist, has called for action to free Julian Assange.

SWI (2019-02-10). Geneva Politicians Vote to Propose Julian Assange Asylum. globalresearch.ca The Geneva city parliament has adopted a motion demanding that the Swiss government offer asylum to controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. | The somewhat surprising resolution was the result of an hour-long debate on Wednesday evening, framed in the context …

Human Rights Watch (2019-02-09). Will the US Speak Out on Hungary's Rights Crisis? hrw.org | | Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban addresses the supporters after the announcement of the partial results of parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, April 8, 2018. | © 2018 Reuters | When he visits Hungary next week, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo should raise the alarm in light of Hungary's deteriorating human rights situation. | Instead of sending a message of business as usual, he should make clear that Hungary's backsliding on human rights has implications for its relations with the US. | Undermin…

Whitney Webb (2019-02-08). Pompeo Attempts to Link Iran, Hezbollah to Crisis in Venezuela. mintpressnews.com "People don't recognize that Hezbollah has active cells — the Iranians are impacting the people of Venezuela and throughout South America. We have an obligation to take down that risk for America and [what we'll talk about is] how we do that in South America and all across the globe." — Mike Pompeo

Consortiumnews (2019-02-08). Watch the 16th Julian Assange Vigil. consortiumnews.com Unity4J presented the 16th online vigil for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Friday. You can watch the replay here. Guests: Mike Gravel, Arthur Chesterfield-Evans, Brian Becker, Teodrose Fikre and more. Among the topics discussed were the Geneva city parliament voting… Read more →

Democracy Now! (2019-02-08). Planned Parenthood: SCOTUS Halts Louisiana Abortion Law for Now, But Roe v. Wade Fate Uncertain. democracynow.org The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a restrictive Louisiana anti-choice law from going into effect Thursday, in a major victory for reproductive rights advocates. The case was seen as a litmus test for determining whether millions of women across the nation will continue to have access to abortions. The divided court ruled 5 to 4 in favor of an emergency appeal by a Louisiana-based abortion provider, Hope Medical Group for Women, to temporarily block a Republican-backed law that could have left the state with just a single doctor legally allowed to perform abortions. The law requires doctors who perform abo…

ACLU (2019-02-08). In Alabama, a Muslim Man Was Denied the Presence of His Imam During His Execution. aclu.org The Supreme Court's ruling to move forward with Domineque Ray's execution violates the Establishment Clause's principle of religious neutrality. | Domineque Ray was pronounced dead last night at 10: 12 p.m. Thirty minutes prior, his execution by lethal injection began. | His last words were a proclamation of his Muslim faith in Arabic. But Ray's imam was missing from the room, despite Ray's repeated requests to the state for his imam's presence. In the days leading up to his death, Ray w…

Elie Mystal (2019-02-08). Brett Kavanaugh Is Already Done Pretending He Respects Abortion Rights. thenation.com Brett Kavanaugh Is Already Done Pretending He Respects Abortion Rights…

Democracy Now! (2019-02-08). Headlines for February 8, 2019. democracynow.org Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Louisiana Abortion Law, Green New Deal: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez & Sen. Markey Introduce Landmark Resolution, U.S. Spy Agencies: Saudi Crown Prince Said He Would Go After Khashoggi "With a Bullet", Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Accuses National Enquirer of "Extortion and Blackmail", Report: U.S.-Based Plane Caught Bringing Arms into Venezuela, U.S. Special Envoy Elliott Abrams Rules Out Negotiations with Maduro, Senate Judiciary Committee Narrowly Backs William Barr to Become Attorney General, Acting AG Matthew Whitaker to Testify on Capitol Hill, Arizona Prisoner Dies Weeks After Warning "I Am…

stuart_m (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…

Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski (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

Jessica Corbett (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 …

ACLU (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…

Democracy Now! (2019-02-06). "Liar-in-Chief": Rep. Ilhan Omar Slams Trump's SOTU Remarks on Border, Venezuela, Israel & More. democracynow.org In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Trump called for bipartisan unity while he attacked Democrats and the Robert Mueller investigation, denounced efforts to expand abortion rights in Virginia and New York, attacked immigrants and reiterated his demand for a border wall—with no mention of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which delayed his address by a week. Women in Congress wore all white to the speech in a nod to the movement for women's suffrage. After the address, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams made history, becoming the first African-Americ…

Democracy Now! (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.

ACLU (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…

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…

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…

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.

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.

2019-02-11: Social Media Postees

Pompeo Attempts to Link Iran, Hezbollah to Crisis in Venezuela
Whitney Webb | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
"People don't recognize that Hezbollah has active cells — the Iranians are impacting the people of Venezuela and throughout South America. We have an obligation to take down that risk for America and [what we'll talk about is] how we … | The post Pompeo Attempts to Link Iran, Hezbollah to Crisis in Venezuela appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/pompeo-attempts-to-link-iran-hezbollah-to-crisis-in-venezuela/5668244

How The CIA Overthrew Iran's Democracy In 4 Days
Lawrence Wu | zcomm.org | 2019-02-11
Over the course of four days in August 1953, Roosevelt would orchestrate not one, but two attempts to destabilize the government of Iran…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/how-the-cia-overthrew-irans-democracy-in-4-days/

Pompeo Cairo Speech: Misreading History
Prof. Elias Samo | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
Mike Pompeo, the current American Secretary of State, gave a speech at the American University in Cairo on January 10, 2019. He started the speech identifying himself an evangelical Christian, that is also a Christian Zionist, and said, "In … | The post Pompeo Cairo Speech: Misreading History appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/pompeo-cairo-speech-misreading-history/5668261

Should 'Dirty Trickster' Roger Stone Be Silenced?
Bill Blum | truthdig.com | 2019-02-11
Roger Stone, who has been charged with lying to Congress, obstruction of justice and witness tampering in the ongoing investigation of Russia's ties to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, will go on trial later this year in Washington, D.C. Any day now, federal District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who is presiding over Stone's case, will rule on special counsel Robert Mueller's request that she place a gag order on Stone and his attorneys. Such a move would prohibit Stone and his counsel from making public statements ab…
truthdig.com/articles/should-dirty-trickster-roger-stone-be-silenced/

Acclaimed musician Roger Waters calls on people to demonstrate in Australia to defend Julian Assange
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-02-11
Roger Waters, the iconic voice of Pink Floyd and renowned solo artist, has called for action to free Julian Assange.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/02/11/rwed-f11.html

Geneva Politicians Vote to Propose Julian Assange Asylum
SWI | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-10
The Geneva city parliament has adopted a motion demanding that the Swiss government offer asylum to controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. | The somewhat surprising resolution was the result of an hour-long debate on Wednesday evening, framed in the context … | The post Geneva Politicians Vote to Propose Julian Assange Asylum appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/geneva-politicians-vote-to-propose-julian-assange-asylum/5668163

Will the US Speak Out on Hungary's Rights Crisis?
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-09
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban addresses the supporters after the announcement of the partial results of parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, April 8, 2018. | © 2018 Reuters | When he visits Hungary next week, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo should raise the alarm in light of Hungary's deteriorating human rights situation. | Instead of sending a message of business as usual, he should make clear that Hungary's backsliding on human rights has implications for its relations with the US. | Undermin…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/09/will-us-speak-out-hungarys-rights-crisis

Pompeo Attempts to Link Iran, Hezbollah to Crisis in Venezuela
Whitney Webb | mintpressnews.com | 2019-02-08
"People don't recognize that Hezbollah has active cells — the Iranians are impacting the people of Venezuela and throughout South America. We have an obligation to take down that risk for America and [what we'll talk about is] how we do that in South America and all across the globe." — Mike Pompeo | The post Pompeo Attempts to Link Iran, Hezbollah to Crisis in Venezuela appeared first on MintPress News.
mintpressnews.com/pompeo-attempts-to-link-iran-hezbollah-to-crisis-in-venezuela/254903/

Watch the 16th Julian Assange Vigil
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2019-02-08
Unity4J presented the 16th online vigil for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Friday. You can watch the replay here. Guests: Mike Gravel, Arthur Chesterfield-Evans, Brian Becker, Teodrose Fikre and more. Among the topics discussed were the Geneva city parliament voting… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2019/02/08/join-the-16th-assange-vigil-webcast-here-at-4pm-est/

In Alabama, a Muslim Man Was Denied the Presence of His Imam During His Execution
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-02-08
The Supreme Court's ruling to move forward with Domineque Ray's execution violates the Establishment Clause's principle of religious neutrality. | Domineque Ray was pronounced dead last night at 10: 12 p.m. Thirty minutes prior, his execution by lethal injection began. | His last words were a proclamation of his Muslim faith in Arabic. But Ray's imam was missing from the room, despite Ray's repeated requests to the state for his imam's presence. In the days leading up to his death, Ray w…
aclu.org/blog/religious-liberty/alabama-muslim-man-was-denied-presence-his-imam-during-his-execution

Planned Parenthood: SCOTUS Halts Louisiana Abortion Law for Now, But Roe v. Wade Fate Uncertain
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-08
The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a restrictive Louisiana anti-choice law from going into effect Thursday, in a major victory for reproductive rights advocates. The case was seen as a litmus test for determining whether millions of women across the nation will continue to have access to abortions. The divided court ruled 5 to 4 in favor of an emergency appeal by a Louisiana-based abortion provider, Hope Medical Group for Women, to temporarily block a Republican-backed law that could have left the state with just a single doctor legally allowed to perform abortions. The law requires doctors who perform abo…
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/8/planned_parenthood_scotus_halts_louisiana_abortion

Brett Kavanaugh Is Already Done Pretending He Respects Abortion Rights
Elie Mystal | thenation.com | 2019-02-08
Brett Kavanaugh Is Already Done Pretending He Respects Abortion Rights…
thenation.com/article/susan-collins-brett-kavanaugh-louisana-abortion/

Spanish state vs Catalonia: putting a political trial on trial
stuart_m | greenleft.org.au | 2019-02-07
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…
greenleft.org.au/content/spanish-state-vs-catalonia-putting-political-trial-trial

Pompeo: US Military Obligated to "Take Down" the Iranians in Venezuela
Jessica Corbett | theantimedia.com | 2019-02-07
(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 …

Pompeo: US Military Obligated to "Take Down" the Iranians in Venezuela

Trump Withdrawing from Old Wars While Threatening Iran with New One
Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2019-02-07
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 | The post Trump Withdrawing from Old Wars While Threatening Iran with New One appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/trump-withdrawing-from-old-wars-while-threatening-iran-with-new-one

How to Shine a Light on U.S. Government Surveillance of Americans
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-02-06
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…
aclu.org/blog/national-security/privacy-and-surveillance/how-shine-light-us-government-surveillance-americans

"Liar-in-Chief": Rep. Ilhan Omar Slams Trump's SOTU Remarks on Border, Venezuela, Israel & More
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-06
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Trump called for bipartisan unity while he attacked Democrats and the Robert Mueller investigation, denounced efforts to expand abortion rights in Virginia and New York, attacked immigrants and reiterated his demand for a border wall–with no mention of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which delayed his address by a week. Women in Congress wore all white to the speech in a nod to the movement for women's suffrage. After the address, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams made history, becoming the first African-Americ…
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/6/liar_in_chief_rep_ilhan_omar

Ana María Archila: Brett Kavanaugh's Presence at SOTU Represented Failure of U.S. Democracy
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-06
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.
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/6/ana_maria_archila_brett_kavanaughs_presence

Trial of El Chapo Highlights Failure of U.S. War on Drugs, But Will U.S. Ever Be Held to Account?
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-05
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…
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/5/trial_of_el_chapo_highlights_failure

The Supreme Court Is Considering Whether the Government Can Dodge the First Amendment by Outsourcing Its Power
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-02-04
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…
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/supreme-court-considering-whether-government-can-dodge-first-amendment-outsourcing

Was that the Onion or Reuters Quoting Mike Pompeo on Venezuela?
Joe Emersberger | zcomm.org | 2019-01-16
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…
zcomm.org/zblogs/was-that-the-onion-or-reuters-quoting-mike-pompeo-on-venezuela/