(2019-02-15). What it Really Takes to Secure Peace in Afghanistan. counterpunch.org Constant military surveillance of Afghans yields almost no real intelligence about the problems they face each day. An unusual group of volunteers uses a far different approach. Hossein, a member of the Afghan Peace Volunteers, (APV), which hosted my recent visit to Afghanistan, rolled up his sleeve to show me a still-healing three-inch wound. Thieves More
(2019-02-15). Live Webcast of 17th Assange Vigil Today at 4pm EST. consortiumnews.com The 17th vigil for Julian Assange, now a weekly event every Friday, will air from 4 pm to 7pm EST today. The vigils will continue until Assange is free. Please join us today for the 17th Assange vigil. Among the… Read more →
(2019-02-15). Headlines for February 15, 2019. democracynow.org Trump to Use National Emergency Declaration to Build Border Wall, "It's Incredible": Rep. Ocasio-Cortez on Amazon Scrapping NYC Project After Grassroots Protests, Report: Amazon to Pay No Federal Taxes Despite Making $11 Billion in Reported Profits, Denver Teachers Declare Victory After 3-Day Strike, More U.S. Workers Went on Strike in 2018 Than in Any Year in Three Decades, Parkland Shooting Survivor Emma González: "We Fight Our Trauma by Fighting Against Gun Violence", William Barr Sworn In as Attorney General After Senate Confirmation, Former Deputy FBI Director Speaks Out on Launching Counterintelligence Prob…
(2019-02-15). Warsaw Summit Was a Failure for Trump—But a Win for Netanyahu. commondreams.org Israel's Prime minister of Benjamin Netanyahu (L) shakes hands with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on 14 February, 2019 (Photo: AFP) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gross_1.jpeg…
(2019-02-15). In Libya, "We Came, We Saw, He Died." Now, Maduro? counterpunch.org "Now it is time for every other nation to pick a side. No more delays, no more games. Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you're in league with Maduro and his mayhem." — US Secretary of State Pompeo addresses the UN Security Council on January 26, 2019. Libya is in a state of anarchic More
(2019-02-15). Politically Charged Show Trial of Catalan Independence Supporters. globalresearch.ca What's billed as Spain's "trial of the century" began in Madrid before the nation's Supreme Court on Tuesday. | On trial are 12 activist Catalan politicians — falsely charged with rebellion, misuse of public funds, and civil disobedience. | They justifiably support …
(2019-02-15). National Civil Rights Group Responds to Supreme Court's Decision to Hear Census Case. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-02-15). SEP (Australia) national secretary James Cogan to speak tomorrow on Unity4J online vigil. wsws.org Cogan will be interviewed about the demonstrations called by the Socialist Equality Party to demand the freedom of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange, and the broader campaign being waged by the WSWS against internet censorship.
(2019-02-15). The Supreme Court Will Decide if Census Citizenship Question Is Legal. Democrats Should Also Work to Block It. theintercept.com 
House Democrats should use their oversight power to expose the Trump administration's nefarious reasons for asking about citizenship on the 2020 census.
(2019-02-15). Human rights advocate Professor Stuart Rees supports rallies for the freedom of Julian Assange. wsws.org "Julian Assange follows in the footsteps of a long tradition of journalists and whistleblowers who have made significant contributions to civil societies."
(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.
(2019-02-15). Sydney meeting opposes persecution of Julian Assange. wsws.org The event was addressed by Consortium News editor Joe Lauria, SEP national secretary James Cogan and other prominent WikiLeaks defenders.
(2019-02-14). Deadly US Applications of Artificial Intelligence. hrw.org 
| | In the United States and around the world, public concern is rising at the prospect of weapons systems that would select and attack targets without human intervention. | © 2018 Campaign to Stop Killer Robots | As the United States Department of Defense releases a strategy on artificial intelligence (AI), questions loom about whether the US government intends to accelerate its investments in weapo…
(2019-02-14). CIA says MBS ordered Khashoggi hit, but don't expect Saudi-US relations to change — John Kiriakou. rt.com 
The CIA concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered journalist Jamal Khashoggi killed, but the young ruler is there to stay, and so is the cosy US-Saudi relationship, a prominent CIA whistleblower told RT. |
(2019-02-13). Peru: Supreme Court confirms annulment of Fujimori's pardon and supports victims' rights. amnesty.org The Special Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice has confirmed an earlier ruling that the pardon granted to former President Alberto Fujimori on 24 December 2017 has no legal effect. In an initial response to the decision, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said: | "This decision represents the closure that victims of the crimes against humanity and serious human rights violations — crimes for which former President Fujimori was sentenced to 25 years in prison — have been waiting for. It comes after wounds were unnecessarily reopened by the decision to grant F…
(2019-02-12). What it Really Takes to Secure Peace in Afghanistan. progressive.org Constant military surveillance of Afghans yields almost no real intelligence about the problems they face each day. An unusual group of volunteers uses a far different approach.
(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…
(2019-01-16). 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…
(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.