Daily Archives: March 20, 2019

2019-03-20: News Headlines

Consortiumnews (2019-03-20). Twitter Restricts Account of Julian Assange's Mother. consortiumnews.com The social media giant has given no reason to Christine Assange who had turned to Twitter to campaign for the liberty of her son. By Joe Lauria Special to Consortium News The Twitter account of Christine Assange, the mother of… Read more →

Caitlin Johnstone (2019-03-20). America's Venezuela Strategy: Coup by Sheer Narrative Control. theantimedia.com (CJ Opinion) — The Trump administration is working to overthrow the government of Venezuela. They are not at this time doing this by military invasion, nor by funneling thousands of armed militants into the country, nor even solely with starvation sanctions and CIA ops. The first and foremost means of overthrowing Venezuela's government currently being utilized by …

WSWS (2019-03-20). Warnings of New Zealand neo-Nazi attack were ignored. wsws.org The question must be raised: has the far-right been allowed to operate freely because it enjoys sympathy and support from the police and intelligence agencies in Australia and New Zealand?

Elie Mystal (2019-03-20). The Time Has Come for Democrats to Impeach Brett Kavanaugh. thenation.com The Time Has Come for Democrats to Impeach Brett Kavanaugh…

WSWS (2019-03-20). US Supreme Court rules government can indefinitely detain immigrants years after release from criminal custody. wsws.org The ruling emboldens the Trump administration in its fascistic war on immigrants, giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement a free hand to detain any migrant who has served time for an offense.

Democracy Now! (2019-03-19). ACLU: The U.S. Is Acting Like an Authoritarian Regime by Barring ICC Officials Probing War Crimes. democracynow.org The Trump administration has barred International Criminal Court investigators from entering the United States. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Friday that the U.S. will start denying visas to members of the ICC who may be investigating alleged war crimes by the U.S. military in Afghanistan. In September, national security adviser John Bolton threatened U.S. sanctions against ICC judges if they continued to investigate alleged war crimes committed by U.S. troops in Afghanistan. A 2016 ICC report accused the U.S. military of torturing at least 61 prisoners in Afghanistan during the ongoing war. The report…

Consortiumnews (2019-03-19). PATRICK LAWRENCE: Why the Dust Won't Settle After Mueller's Report. consortiumnews.com It won't be "full and thorough" and Democrats will continue to look for political payoff from Russia-gate, writes Patrick Lawrence. By Patrick Lawrence Special to Consortium News Last week gave us mounting indications that Robert Mueller has finished his two-year… Read more →

STAFF (2019-03-19). Special Counsel Zeroed In on Cohen Early, Documents Show. truthdig.com NEW YORK—Hundreds of pages of court records made public Tuesday revealed that special counsel Robert Mueller quickly zeroed in on Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney and fixer, in the early stages of his Russia probe. | The heavily blacked-out records, released by a judge at the request of news organizations, show that Mueller was investigating Cohen by July 2017 — much earlier than previously known. | That was two months after Mueller was appointed to investigate Moscow's election interference and practically a year before an FBI raid on Cohen's home and office. | The ful…

Elijah J. Magnier (2019-03-19). The US Is Pushing Lebanon into the Arms of Iran and Russia: US Sanctions Affect the Local Economy. globalresearch.ca Lebanon is expecting the visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week at a time when the Lebanese economic-political map is being redrawn and while Lebanon is suffering its most serious economic downturnin recent history. | Reasons for the …

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-03-19). Among Questions Raised by Pompeo's Faith-Based Only Press Call: 'How Many Muslim Reporters Invited?'. commondreams.org A secretive State Department briefing for faith-based reporters is raising questions among reporters about access and secrecy."Usually we see a transcript or at least know who was invited. Why not this time?" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pompeo.press_.christian.jpg

Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski (2019-03-19). Venezuela Tops CIA's Agenda for Brazil's President. therealnews.com On his first visit to the U.S., President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro eagerly receives his instructions from the CIA and Trump's foreign policy team. Alex Main of CEPR analyzes the visit…

commondreams (2019-03-19). ACLU Comment on Supreme Court Immigration Detention Ruling. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-03-19). 'Terrible News': US Supreme Court Rules for Indefinite Detention of Immigrants. commondreams.org A Supreme Court ruling Tuesday stating undocumented immigrants with criminal records can be detained at any time after their arrest—even years later—generated outrage and disappointment from advocacy groups around the country. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/scotus.immigration.decision.jpg

Shared by Samantha Borek (2019-03-19). US Decision to Deny Visas to ICC Officials Is an Authoritarian Act. truthout.org The Trump administration has barred International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators from entering the United States. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Friday that the U.S. will start denying visas to members of the ICC who may be investigating alleged war crimes by the U.S. military in Afghanistan. In September, National Security Adviser John Bolton threatened U.S. sanctions against ICC judges if they continued to investigate alleged war crimes committed by U.S. troops in Afghanistan. A 2016 ICC report accused the U.S. military of torturing at least 61 prisoners in Afghanistan during the ongoing war. T…

RT (2019-03-19). Mueller had search warrant for Michael Cohen's emails a year before FBI office raid. rt.com Special Counsel Robert Mueller obtained search warrants to read former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's emails nearly a year before his office was raided by the FBI, newly unsealed court documents have revealed.

Sarah St.Vincent (2019-03-18). NSA's Domestic Spying Program Needs to End—Permanently. progressive.org The U.S. National Security Agency has reportedly mothballed a large domestic spying program, but discontinuation of is not necessarily permanent. Now's a good time to look at the program's potential for abuse.

Consortiumnews (2019-03-18). JOHN KIRIAKOU: Another Whistleblower in Solitary Confinement. consortiumnews.com Marty Gottesfeld is a reminder of the Justice Department's determination to silence truthtellers, writes John Kiriakou. By John Kiriakou Special to Consortium News Last year I wrote about a whistleblower from New England who took direct action to save a child's… Read more →

ACLU (2019-03-18). Can Prosecutors Dismiss Jurors for Agreeing With the O.J. Simpson Verdict? aclu.org California's highest court ruled that the O.J. verdict question was "race neutral." The Supreme Court now has a chance to weigh in. | Gov. Gavin Newsom's moratorium on executions in California has highlighted the pernicious role race has played in who gets the death penalty in that state. In a case now awaiting review, the U.S. Supreme Court will have an opportunity to examine whether discriminatory tactics in jury selection in a California capital case can stand. | It has long been settled that prosecutors may not dismiss cit…

Consortiumnews (2019-03-15). Misguided Spying and the New Zealand Massacre. consortiumnews.com While intelligence agencies were looking in all the wrong places, a conspicuous target slipped through the cracks, writes Suzie Dawson. By Suzie Dawson Special to Consortium News Now that the bodies of 49 innocent human beings are lying in a… Read more →

Democracy Now! (2019-03-15). Headlines for March 15, 2019. democracynow.org 49 Dead as Far-Right Shooter Opens Fire on New Zealand Mosques, President Trump Threatens Political Opponents with Violence, Connecticut Court Allows Sandy Hook Parents to Sue Gun Maker, Students Walk Out of Schools to Protest Gun Violence, Senate Rebukes Trump's Border Emergency Declaration, House Votes 420 to 0 to Make Mueller Report Public, Schoolchildren in Over 100 Countries Strike to Demand Climate Action, Swedish Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Nominated for Nobel Prize, NYC to Spend $500 Million Protecting Manhattan from Climate Change, Interior Official Hails Trump for Distracting Media from Drilling Pla…

Consortiumnews (2019-03-15). Watch the 20th Vigil for Assange. consortiumnews.com With Chelsea Manning still in jail for refusing to testify about Julian Assange, who remains arbitrarily detained in London, the 20th webcast vigil for Assange took place on Friday. Among the guests were Australian broadcaster Mary Kostakidis, James Cogan of the… Read more →

Democracy Now! (2019-03-14). Headlines for March 14, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Orders Boeing 737 MAX Planes Grounded After Fatal Crashes, Senate Votes to End U.S. Support for Saudi-Led War on Yemen, Pompeo Defends Support for Saudi Arabia Amid Reports of Torture, Senate Poised to Block Trump's National Emergency Declaration, Former Trump Campaign Chair Sentenced to 43 More Months in Prison, U.N. Warns Arctic on Pace to Warm by 5 Degrees Celsius by 2050, Spanish Investigators Link CIA to Attack on North Korean Embassy, Brazil: Two Gunmen Kill 8, Reportedly Inspired by Columbine Massacre, Nigeria: Lagos Building Collapse Kills 10 and Traps Schoolchildren, British MPs Reject "No-Deal" Br…

pip.hinman (2019-03-14). Chelsea Manning jailed again and not a squeak from the Democrats. greenleft.org.au Chelsea Manning, a transgender soldier who blew the whistle on US war crimes, and spent four years in an army stockade from 2013 as a result, is back in prison again. | This time it is because she refuses to join a bipartisan campaign against Wikileaks that seeks to bring its founder Julian Assange from his refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to the US to put him on trial and send him to prison. | In 2010, Manning leaked hundreds of thousands of documents about the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. She first tried to get mainstream media to publish them, to no avail, before turning to Wikileaks, which did p…

pip.hinman (2019-03-14). WestConnex ground slippage another headache for Berejiklian. greenleft.org.au Satellite imaging analysis released for the first time on March 13 shows much greater ground settlement and potential property damage from WestConnex tunnelling than predicted by the NSW Coalition government and the environmental impacts statements for the project. | The data from tech start-up Otus Intelligence Group shows tunnelling for the controversial toll road has damaged homes and land up to 300 metres away from construction sites. Previously the government claimed the zone of influence was only 50 metres. | Of particular concern is the land beneath the gas tanks at Sydney Airport's international terminal,…

splcenter (2019-03-07). SPLC joins civil rights groups in friend-of-the-court brief urging Supreme Court to uphold fair, non-partisan redistricting principles. splcenter.org The U.S. Supreme Court this month will hear oral arguments in two cases that will test the court's readiness to tackle the issue of partisan gerrymandering.

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.

2019-03-20: Social Media Postees

Twitter Restricts Account of Julian Assange's Mother
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2019-03-20
The social media giant has given no reason to Christine Assange who had turned to Twitter to campaign for the liberty of her son. By Joe Lauria Special to Consortium News The Twitter account of Christine Assange, the mother of… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2019/03/19/twitter-restricts-account-of-julian-assanges-mother/

Warnings of New Zealand neo-Nazi attack were ignored
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-03-20
The question must be raised: has the far-right been allowed to operate freely because it enjoys sympathy and support from the police and intelligence agencies in Australia and New Zealand?
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/03/20/fasc-m20.html

The Time Has Come for Democrats to Impeach Brett Kavanaugh
Elie Mystal | thenation.com | 2019-03-20
The Time Has Come for Democrats to Impeach Brett Kavanaugh…
thenation.com/article/impeach-brett-kavanaugh-supreme-court/

America's Venezuela Strategy: Coup by Sheer Narrative Control
Caitlin Johnstone | theantimedia.com | 2019-03-20
(CJ Opinion) — The Trump administration is working to overthrow the government of Venezuela. They are not at this time doing this by military invasion, nor by funneling thousands of armed militants into the country, nor even solely with starvation sanctions and CIA ops. The first and foremost means of overthrowing Venezuela's government currently being utilized by …

America’s Venezuela Strategy: Coup by Sheer Narrative Control

US Supreme Court rules government can indefinitely detain immigrants years after release from criminal custody
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-03-20
The ruling emboldens the Trump administration in its fascistic war on immigrants, giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement a free hand to detain any migrant who has served time for an offense.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/03/20/cour-m20.html

Special Counsel Zeroed In on Cohen Early, Documents Show
STAFF | truthdig.com | 2019-03-19
NEW YORK–Hundreds of pages of court records made public Tuesday revealed that special counsel Robert Mueller quickly zeroed in on Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney and fixer, in the early stages of his Russia probe. | The heavily blacked-out records, released by a judge at the request of news organizations, show that Mueller was investigating Cohen by July 2017 — much earlier than previously known. | That was two months after Mueller was appointed to investigate Moscow's election interference and practically a year before an FBI raid on Cohen's home and office. | The ful…
truthdig.com/articles/special-counsel-zeroed-in-on-cohen-early-in-probe-documents-show/

PATRICK LAWRENCE: Why the Dust Won't Settle After Mueller's Report
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2019-03-19
It won't be "full and thorough" and Democrats will continue to look for political payoff from Russia-gate, writes Patrick Lawrence. By Patrick Lawrence Special to Consortium News Last week gave us mounting indications that Robert Mueller has finished his two-year… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2019/03/19/patrick-lawrence-why-the-dust-wont-settle-after-muellers-report/

Marty Gottesfeld: Another Whistleblower in Solitary Confinement
John Kiriakou | mintpressnews.com | 2019-03-19
Last year I wrote about a whistleblower from New England who took direct action to save a child's life and who paid for it with his freedom. Marty Gottesfeld is now serving 10 years in prison for trying to save Justina Pelletier from abuse at the hands of her doctors at Children's Hospital in Boston. | At the age of 14, Justine developed searing stomach pain and inexplicable digestive problems. Her parents took her to a series of doctors until a metabolic geneticist at…
mintpressnews.com/marty-gottesfeld-another-whistleblower-in-solitary-confinement/256331/

The US Is Pushing Lebanon into the Arms of Iran and Russia: US Sanctions Affect the Local Economy
Elijah J. Magnier | globalresearch.ca | 2019-03-19
Lebanon is expecting the visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week at a time when the Lebanese economic-political map is being redrawn and while Lebanon is suffering its most serious economic downturnin recent history. | Reasons for the …
globalresearch.ca/us-lebanon-iran-russia-us-sanctions-affect-local-economy/5671929

ACLU: The U.S. Is Acting Like an Authoritarian Regime by Barring ICC Officials Probing War Crimes
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-03-19
The Trump administration has barred International Criminal Court investigators from entering the United States. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Friday that the U.S. will start denying visas to members of the ICC who may be investigating alleged war crimes by the U.S. military in Afghanistan. In September, national security adviser John Bolton threatened U.S. sanctions against ICC judges if they continued to investigate alleged war crimes committed by U.S. troops in Afghanistan. A 2016 ICC report accused the U.S. military of torturing at least 61 prisoners in Afghanistan during the ongoing war. The report…
www.democracynow.org/2019/3/19/aclu_the_us_is_acting_like

Among Questions Raised by Pompeo's Faith-Based Only Press Call: 'How Many Muslim Reporters Invited?'
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-03-19
A secretive State Department briefing for faith-based reporters is raising questions among reporters about access and secrecy."Usually we see a transcript or at least know who was invited. Why not this time?" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pompeo.press_.christian.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/03/19/among-questions-raised-pompeos-faith-based-only-press-call-how-many-muslim-reporters?cd-origin=rss

Venezuela Tops CIA's Agenda for Brazil's President
Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2019-03-19
On his first visit to the U.S., President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro eagerly receives his instructions from the CIA and Trump's foreign policy team. Alex Main of CEPR analyzes the visit…
therealnews.com/stories/venezuela-tops-cias-agenda-for-brazils-president

ACLU Comment on Supreme Court Immigration Detention Ruling
commondreams | commondreams.org | 2019-03-19
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/03/19/aclu-comment-supreme-court-immigration-detention-ruling?cd-origin=rss

'Terrible News': US Supreme Court Rules for Indefinite Detention of Immigrants
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-03-19
A Supreme Court ruling Tuesday stating undocumented immigrants with criminal records can be detained at any time after their arrest—even years later—generated outrage and disappointment from advocacy groups around the country. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/scotus.immigration.decision.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/03/19/terrible-news-us-supreme-court-rules-indefinite-detention-immigrants?cd-origin=rss

US Decision to Deny Visas to ICC Officials Is an Authoritarian Act
Shared by Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2019-03-19
The Trump administration has barred International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators from entering the United States. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Friday that the U.S. will start denying visas to members of the ICC who may be investigating alleged war crimes by the U.S. military in Afghanistan. In September, National Security Adviser John Bolton threatened U.S. sanctions against ICC judges if they continued to investigate alleged war crimes committed by U.S. troops in Afghanistan. A 2016 ICC report accused the U.S. military of torturing at least 61 prisoners in Afghanistan during the ongoing war. T…
truthout.org/video/us-decision-to-deny-visas-to-icc-officials-is-an-authoritarian-act/

Mueller had search warrant for Michael Cohen's emails a year before FBI office raid
RT | rt.com | 2019-03-19
Special Counsel Robert Mueller obtained search warrants to read former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's emails nearly a year before his office was raided by the FBI, newly unsealed court documents have revealed. | …
rt.com/usa/454208-mueller-search-warrant-cohen/

NSA's Domestic Spying Program Needs to End–Permanently
Sarah St.Vincent | progressive.org | 2019-03-18
The U.S. National Security Agency has reportedly mothballed a large domestic spying program, but discontinuation of is not necessarily permanent. Now's a good time to look at the program's potential for abuse.
progressive.org/op-eds/nsa-domestic-spying-must-end-st.vincent-190318/

JOHN KIRIAKOU: Another Whistleblower in Solitary Confinement
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2019-03-18
Marty Gottesfeld is a reminder of the Justice Department's determination to silence truthtellers, writes John Kiriakou. By John Kiriakou Special to Consortium News Last year I wrote about a whistleblower from New England who took direct action to save a child's… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2019/03/18/another-whistleblower-in-solitary-confinement/

Can Prosecutors Dismiss Jurors for Agreeing With the O.J. Simpson Verdict?
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-03-18
California's highest court ruled that the O.J. verdict question was "race neutral." The Supreme Court now has a chance to weigh in. | Gov. Gavin Newsom's moratorium on executions in California has highlighted the pernicious role race has played in who gets the death penalty in that state. In a case now awaiting review, the U.S. Supreme Court will have an opportunity to examine whether discriminatory tactics in jury selection in a California capital case can stand. | It has long been settled that prosecutors may not dismiss cit…
aclu.org/blog/capital-punishment/racial-disparities-and-death-penalty/can-prosecutors-dismiss-jurors-agreeing

Misguided Spying and the New Zealand Massacre
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2019-03-15
While intelligence agencies were looking in all the wrong places, a conspicuous target slipped through the cracks, writes Suzie Dawson. By Suzie Dawson Special to Consortium News Now that the bodies of 49 innocent human beings are lying in a… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2019/03/15/misguided-spying-and-the-new-zealand-massacre/

Watch the 20th Vigil for Assange
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2019-03-15
With Chelsea Manning still in jail for refusing to testify about Julian Assange, who remains arbitrarily detained in London, the 20th webcast vigil for Assange took place on Friday. Among the guests were Australian broadcaster Mary Kostakidis, James Cogan of the… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2019/03/15/watch-the-20th-vigil-for-assange-here-live-at-4-pm-est/

WestConnex ground slippage another headache for Berejiklian
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-03-14
Satellite imaging analysis released for the first time on March 13 shows much greater ground settlement and potential property damage from WestConnex tunnelling than predicted by the NSW Coalition government and the environmental impacts statements for the project. | The data from tech start-up Otus Intelligence Group shows tunnelling for the controversial toll road has damaged homes and land up to 300 metres away from construction sites. Previously the government claimed the zone of influence was only 50 metres. | Of particular concern is the land beneath the gas tanks at Sydney Airport's international terminal,…
greenleft.org.au/content/westconnex-ground-slippage-another-headache-berejiklian

Chelsea Manning jailed again and not a squeak from the Democrats
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-03-14
Chelsea Manning, a transgender soldier who blew the whistle on US war crimes, and spent four years in an army stockade from 2013 as a result, is back in prison again. | This time it is because she refuses to join a bipartisan campaign against Wikileaks that seeks to bring its founder Julian Assange from his refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to the US to put him on trial and send him to prison. | In 2010, Manning leaked hundreds of thousands of documents about the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. She first tried to get mainstream media to publish them, to no avail, before turning to Wikileaks, which did p…
greenleft.org.au/content/chelsea-manning-jailed-again-and-not-squeak-democrats

SPLC joins civil rights groups in friend-of-the-court brief urging Supreme Court to uphold fair, non-partisan redistricting principles
splcenter | splcenter.org | 2019-03-07
The U.S. Supreme Court this month will hear oral arguments in two cases that will test the court's readiness to tackle the issue of partisan gerrymandering.
splcenter.org/news/2019/03/07/splc-joins-civil-rights-groups-friend-court-brief-urging-supreme-court-uphold-fair-non