(2019-02-12). Why Does the United States of America Want to Overthrow the Government of Venezuela? commondreams.org White House National Security Advisor John Bolton, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence talk before the start of a joint news conference with President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Rose Garden at the White House June 7, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-9692172601.jpg…
(2019-02-12). Is America's "Deep State" Divided over the Taliban Peace Talks? globalresearch.ca Not everyone in America's permanent military, intelligence, and diplomatic bureaucracies ("deep state") is on the same page regarding the ongoing Taliban peace talks, especially when it comes to the official role of increasingly irrelevant Kabul in this process. | Acting Defense …
(2019-02-12). Anti-war labor group opposes Trump attacks on Venezuela. peoplesworld.org 
The U.S. has no legitimate claim to intervene in the internal affairs of other countries, to take sides in internal political disputes, or to undermine governments elected by the people. We have seen the disastrous consequences of recent U.S. interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and, through its alliance with Saudi Arabia, in Yemen. U.S. intervention …
(2019-02-12). Will Trump Resign Before the 2020 Election? counterpunch.org As Donald Trump gave his 2019 "State of the (Dis)Union" speech, an unasked question haunted the event — will he be forced to resign before the 2020 election? Much media attention is focused on "Russia Gate" and the Mueller investigation as well as the dozen or so investigations getting underway by the new Democrat-controlled Congress. However, Trump's More
(2019-02-12). Unions See an Opening in the Wake of a Ruling That Was Supposed to Finish Them Off. theintercept.com 
At a conference in Washington, labor leaders said their losses following the Supreme Court's decision in Janus were not as severe as they had feared.
(2019-02-12). Australian government claims credit for release of detained Bahraini footballer, but refuses to assist Julian Assange. wsws.org Politicians who have abrogated the right to seek asylum and joined the persecution of Julian Assange have postured as champions of persecuted refugees.
(2019-02-12). Trump orders US agencies to turbocharge AI research and ensure American dominance. rt.com 
President Donald Trump has compelled federal agencies to step up research and development of artificial intelligence (AI) with a new order, calling the US lead in AI of "paramount importance" to America's national security.
(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 …
(2019-02-11). Chile and the U.S: Declassified Documents Relating to the Military Coup, September 11, 1973. globalresearch.ca GR Editor's Note | I lived through the September 11, 1973 military coup in Chile. I was a Visiting Professor at the Catholic University of Chile in Santiago. | Project FUBELT" was the codename for CIA covert operations to promote a military …
(2019-02-11). The Supreme Court Is Playing Favorites With Religion. aclu.org The court's recent decisions threaten religious neutrality — the "clearest command" of the Establishment Clause. | Last week, the Supreme Court permitted the state of Alabama to execute a Muslim man, Domineque Ray, without his religious advisor present. The court's 5-4 decision reversed an emergency lower-court order that had temporarily delayed the execution because of grave concerns that Alabama's pr…
(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…
(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
(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 →
(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…
(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…
(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…
(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). 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). "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…
(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.
(2019-01-16). 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…
(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…
(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.
(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…
(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.