Daily Archives: August 2, 2019

2019-08-02: News Headlines

John Wojcik (2019-08-02). Trump kills Cold War missile treaty, setting stage for a new arms race. peoplesworld.org Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who came to the Trump administration from the Tea Party wing of the Republicans, announced in February that the president intended to suspend U.S. participation in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and was beginning the process of total U.S. withdrawal in six months. The pullout from this Cold War-era missile …

Melvin Goodman (2019-08-02). The Last of the Adults on Trump's National Security Team. counterpunch.org The first 24 hours of the Trump presidency were marked by a bizarre inauguration speech ("American Carnage"), frenzied claims of record inauguration crowds, and an unusual appearance at the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency where the new president proclaimed his political brilliance. The shock of these 24 hours led pundits and politicians alike to More

Norman Solomon (2019-08-02). There's nothing moderate about "moderates." A primary example is Joe Biden. nationofchange.org The comedian George Carlin liked to marvel at oxymorons like "jumbo shrimp" and "military intelligence." Now, as the race for the Democratic presidential nomination intensifies, reporters and pundits at corporate media outlets are escalating their use of a one-word political oxymoron — "moderate." As a practical matter, in the routine lexicon of U.S. mass media, …

Eric London (2019-08-02). US Federal Court Exposes Democratic Party Conspiracy Against Assange and WikiLeaks. Judge Dismisses DNC Lawsuit. globalresearch.ca In a ruling published late Tuesday, Judge John Koeltl of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York delivered a devastating blow to the US-led conspiracy against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. | In his ruling, Judge Koeltl, …

Dave Lindorff (2019-08-02). Let's Just Let Trump Spend the Whole War Department Budget on Building Walls. counterpunch.org Liberals are upset that the new Supreme Court, packed with conservatives, has decided President Trump can have $2.6 billion of the Pentagon's new FY 2020 $738 billion budget to build some wall along the Mexican border. But I think they're thinking all wrong about this. Instead of complaining and fighting a losing battle against Trump's More

WSWS Repost (2019-08-02). Media silent on dismissal of DNC suit against Julian Assange. indybay.org Efforts by the mainstream news outlets to bury a court ruling dismissing a Democratic National Committee (DNC) civil suit against Julian Assange presents a clear example of the type of media manipulation that has led millions of people to seek alternative sources of news on the internet.

RT (2019-08-02). Comey to dodge charges over Trump memos, but justice still possible. rt.com While former FBI chief James Comey looks set to dodge charges over memos that were leaked to kick-start a special counsel probe of the US president, he is not out of the woods yet regarding spying on Donald Trump's campaign.

WSWS (2019-08-02). Media silent on dismissal of DNC suit against Julian Assange. wsws.org Having trumpeted the slander that Assange is a "Russian agent" for the past three years, the New York Times, the Washington Post and other corporate outlets have blacked out a court decision refuting their lies.

Orion Edmonson (2019-08-02). Basta!!! Free Chelsea Manning & Julian Assange Oakland Weekly Friday tabling. indybay.org MacArthur and Fruitvale | Oakland 94602…

Norman Solomon (2019-08-01). Joe Biden Proves That There's Nothing Moderate About 'Moderates'. truthdig.com The comedian George Carlin liked to marvel at oxymorons like "jumbo shrimp" and "military intelligence." Now, as the race for the Democratic presidential nomination intensifies, reporters and pundits at corporate media outlets are escalating their use of a one-word political oxymoron—"moderate." | As a practical matter, in the routine lexicon of U.S. mass media, "moderate" actually means pro-corporate and reliably unwilling to disrupt the dominant power structures. | "Moderate" is a term of endearment in elite circles, a label conferred on politicians who won't rock establishment boats. | "Moderate" sounds…

Andrew Korybko (2019-08-01). Trump's Afghan Drawdown Plans. Reducing US Military Presence in Afghanistan Before 2020 Elections? globalresearch.ca Secretary of State Pompeo's surprise announcement that President Trump ordered him to reduce the US military presence in Afghanistan before the 2020 elections immediately raised the ire of the Mainstream Media and will probably see his domestic foes' hostile narratives …

WSWS (2019-08-01). Julian Assange's lawyer briefs Australian parliamentarians on his persecution. wsws.org The event reflected concerns within the ruling elite over popular opposition to the Trump administration's bid to prosecute the WikiLeaks founder.

WSWS (2019-07-31). US federal court exposes Democratic Party conspiracy against Assange and WikiLeaks. wsws.org The decision exposes the Democratic Party in a conspiracy to attack free speech and cover up the crimes of US imperialism and the two parties of Wall Street.

Trevor Aaronson (2019-07-30). Trump's Pick for Top Intelligence Job Bragged of Experience as Terror Prosecutor — But He Doesn't Have Any. theintercept.com Texas Congressman John Ratcliffe has long exaggerated his role in the Holy Land prosecution as a way of bolstering his national security bona fides.

James Risen (2019-07-29). Mike Pompeo Is Donald Trump's De Facto Intelligence Czar. theintercept.com Haspel has little room to maneuver to maintain her independence from Trump, or even from Pompeo. The CIA's independence and integrity have been threatened as a result. | Haspel, whose ties to the CIA's torture program made her anathema to Democrats, has been in an unfavorable political position since she became CIA director. She was chief of base at a secret CIA black-site prison in Thailand in 2002, when a detainee was subjected to waterboarding and other torture tactics. In 2005, w…

Staff (2019-07-29). Headlines for July 29, 2019. democracynow.org Baltimore Pushes Back After Trump Calls City "Rodent Infested Mess" and Attacks Rep. Cummings, Gunman Kills 3, Injures 15 at Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California, Shooting at Brownsville, Brooklyn, Block Party Kills 1, Injures 11, SCOTUS OKs Trump Plan to Use Military Funds for Border Wall, U.S. and Guatemala Sign Controversial Immigration Deal Despite Widespread Opposition, Dir. of National Intelligence Dan Coats Resigns, Brazilian President Bolsonaro Threatens Glenn Greenwald with Imprisonment, Miners Raid Tribe in Brazil, Killing Leader as Amazon Suffers Mass Deforestation by Illegal Loggers, Russian…

Whitney Webb (2019-07-29). MintCast Interviews Doug Valentine, Author of The Phoenix Program and The CIA as Organized Crime. mintpressnews.com Douglas Valentine joins the MintCast to discuss his extensive work investigating CIA covert operations and current CIA efforts to undermine independent media.

ACLU (2019-07-29). Supreme Court Order No 'Big Victory' For Trump's Border Wall. The Fight Continues. aclu.org The Supreme Court has not yet decided the case, or given Trump's abuse of emergency powers the stamp of approval. | Late Friday evening, the Supreme Court gave the Trump administration a temporary green light to begin construction of the border wall using military funds Congress denied. The order, while temporary and limited to specific wall projects where fencing already exists, threatens to permanently damage border communities, the environment, and our Constitution's separation of powers. | But it's not the "big victory" President Trump q…

Mark Fiore (2019-07-26). The Acid-Washed Witch Hunt Hoax Apple. progressive.org Mueller? Boring! The real story is the psycho lovers . . .

Aaron Maté (2019-07-25). Mueller hearing is another Russiagate dud. thegrayzone.com Aaron Maté recaps Robert Mueller's Congressional appearance, which delivered no new bombshells; more unhinged Russia-baiting; and only more doubts about…

Aaron Maté (2019-07-23). Aaron Maté's questions for Mueller. thegrayzone.com On the eve of the Robert Mueller hearings, Aaron Maté shares his top questions for the now former Special Counsel…

Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz (2019-07-12). Venezuela: 'Progress' Reported in Gov't-Opposition Talks as US Sanctions Counter-Intelligence Agency. venezuelanalysis.com The agenda of the talks has not been disclosed but the topic of elections is reportedly being left for last.

ACLU (2019-07-12). Pompeo's New 'Human Rights' Commission is Up To No Good. aclu.org The Trump administration appears to be trying to find new moral footing for the president's discriminatory policies. | This week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally announced the creation of a "Commission on Unalienable Rights." Its stated purpose, according to a notice published in the Federal Register in May, is to provide "fresh thinking about human rights discourse where such discourse has departed from our nation's founding principles of natural law and natural rights." | Th…

Paul Dobson (2019-06-26). Abrams Welcomes Venezuela's Former Intelligence Chief to the US, Reaffirms Trump's Commitment to Ousting Maduro. venezuelanalysis.com The press conference came as the Venezuelan military called for respect from those looking to fracture it.

2019-08-02: Social Media Postees

US Federal Court Exposes Democratic Party Conspiracy Against Assange and WikiLeaks. Judge Dismisses DNC Lawsuit
Eric London | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-02
In a ruling published late Tuesday, Judge John Koeltl of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York delivered a devastating blow to the US-led conspiracy against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. | In his ruling, Judge Koeltl, …
globalresearch.ca/judge-dismisses-dnc-lawsuit-us-federal-court-exposes-democratic-party-conspiracy-against-assange-wikileaks/5685410

There's nothing moderate about "moderates." A primary example is Joe Biden
Norman Solomon | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-02
The comedian George Carlin liked to marvel at oxymorons like "jumbo shrimp" and "military intelligence." Now, as the race for the Democratic presidential nomination intensifies, reporters and pundits at corporate media outlets are escalating their use of a one-word political oxymoron — "moderate." As a practical matter, in the routine lexicon of U.S. mass media, …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/02/theres-nothing-moderate-about-moderates-a-primary-example-is-joe-biden/

Trump kills Cold War missile treaty, setting stage for a new arms race
John Wojcik | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-02
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who came to the Trump administration from the Tea Party wing of the Republicans, announced in February that the president intended to suspend U.S. participation in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and was beginning the process of total U.S. withdrawal in six months. The pullout from this Cold War-era missile …
peoplesworld.org/article/trump-kills-cold-war-missile-treaty-setting-stage-for-a-new-arms-race/

The Last of the Adults on Trump's National Security Team
Melvin Goodman | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-02
The first 24 hours of the Trump presidency were marked by a bizarre inauguration speech ("American Carnage"), frenzied claims of record inauguration crowds, and an unusual appearance at the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency where the new president proclaimed his political brilliance. The shock of these 24 hours led pundits and politicians alike to…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/02/the-last-of-the-adults-on-trumps-national-security-team/

Let's Just Let Trump Spend the Whole War Department Budget on Building Walls
Dave Lindorff | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-02
Liberals are upset that the new Supreme Court, packed with conservatives, has decided President Trump can have $2.6 billion of the Pentagon's new FY 2020 $738 billion budget to build some wall along the Mexican border. But I think they're thinking all wrong about this. Instead of complaining and fighting a losing battle against Trump's…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/02/lets-just-let-trump-spend-the-whole-war-department-budget-on-building-walls/

Basta!!! Free Chelsea Manning & Julian Assange Oakland Weekly Friday tabling
Orion Edmonson | indybay.org | 2019-08-02
MacArthur and Fruitvale | Oakland 94602…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/01/18825139.php

Media silent on dismissal of DNC suit against Julian Assange
wsws.org | 2019-08-02
Having trumpeted the slander that Assange is a "Russian agent" for the past three years, the New York Times, the Washington Post and other corporate outlets have blacked out a court decision refuting their lies.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/02/pers-a02.html

Comey to dodge charges over Trump memos, but justice still possible
rt.com | 2019-08-02
While former FBI chief James Comey looks set to dodge charges over memos that were leaked to kick-start a special counsel probe of the US president, he is not out of the woods yet regarding spying on Donald Trump's campaign. | …
rt.com/usa/465614-comey-memos-charges-trump/

Media silent on dismissal of DNC suit against Julian Assange
WSWS Repost | indybay.org | 2019-08-02
Efforts by the mainstream news outlets to bury a court ruling dismissing a Democratic National Committee (DNC) civil suit against Julian Assange presents a clear example of the type of media manipulation that has led millions of people to seek alternative sources of news on the internet.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/02/18825144.php

Joe Biden Proves That There's Nothing Moderate About 'Moderates'
Norman Solomon | truthdig.com | 2019-08-01
The comedian George Carlin liked to marvel at oxymorons like "jumbo shrimp" and "military intelligence." Now, as the race for the Democratic presidential nomination intensifies, reporters and pundits at corporate media outlets are escalating their use of a one-word political oxymoron–"moderate." | As a practical matter, in the routine lexicon of U.S. mass media, "moderate" actually means pro-corporate and reliably unwilling to disrupt the dominant power structures. | "Moderate" is a term of endearment in elite circles, a label conferred on politicians who won't rock establishment boats. | "Moderate" sounds…
truthdig.com/articles/joe-biden-proves-that-theres-nothing-moderate-about-moderates/

Trump's Afghan Drawdown Plans. Reducing US Military Presence in Afghanistan Before 2020 Elections?
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-01
Secretary of State Pompeo's surprise announcement that President Trump ordered him to reduce the US military presence in Afghanistan before the 2020 elections immediately raised the ire of the Mainstream Media and will probably see his domestic foes' hostile narratives …
globalresearch.ca/will-mainstream-media-india-team-up-oppose-trumps-afghan-drawdown-plans/5685291

Julian Assange's lawyer briefs Australian parliamentarians on his persecution
wsws.org | 2019-08-01
The event reflected concerns within the ruling elite over popular opposition to the Trump administration's bid to prosecute the WikiLeaks founder.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/01/robi-a01.html

US federal court exposes Democratic Party conspiracy against Assange and WikiLeaks
wsws.org | 2019-07-31
The decision exposes the Democratic Party in a conspiracy to attack free speech and cover up the crimes of US imperialism and the two parties of Wall Street.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/01/assa-j31.html

Trump's Pick for Top Intelligence Job Bragged of Experience as Terror Prosecutor — But He Doesn't Have Any
Trevor Aaronson | theintercept.com | 2019-07-30
Texas Congressman John Ratcliffe has long exaggerated his role in the Holy Land prosecution as a way of bolstering his national security bona fides.
theintercept.com/2019/07/30/john-ratcliffe-director-of-national-intelligence/

Mike Pompeo Is Donald Trump's De Facto Intelligence Czar
James Risen | theintercept.com | 2019-07-29
Haspel has little room to maneuver to maintain her independence from Trump, or even from Pompeo. The CIA's independence and integrity have been threatened as a result. | Haspel, whose ties to the CIA's torture program made her anathema to Democrats, has been in an unfavorable political position since she became CIA director. She was chief of base at a secret CIA black-site prison in Thailand in 2002, when a detainee was subjected to waterboarding and other torture tactics. In 2005, w…
theintercept.com/2019/07/29/mike-pompeo-is-donald-trumps-de-facto-intelligence-czar/

MintCast Interviews Doug Valentine, Author of The Phoenix Program and The CIA as Organized Crime
Whitney Webb | mintpressnews.com | 2019-07-29
Douglas Valentine joins the MintCast to discuss his extensive work investigating CIA covert operations and current CIA efforts to undermine independent media.
mintpressnews.com/mintcast-interviews-doug-valentine-expert-on-cia-covert-operations/260810/

Headlines for July 29, 2019
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-07-29
Baltimore Pushes Back After Trump Calls City "Rodent Infested Mess" and Attacks Rep. Cummings, Gunman Kills 3, Injures 15 at Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California, Shooting at Brownsville, Brooklyn, Block Party Kills 1, Injures 11, SCOTUS OKs Trump Plan to Use Military Funds for Border Wall, U.S. and Guatemala Sign Controversial Immigration Deal Despite Widespread Opposition, Dir. of National Intelligence Dan Coats Resigns, Brazilian President Bolsonaro Threatens Glenn Greenwald with Imprisonment, Miners Raid Tribe in Brazil, Killing Leader as Amazon Suffers Mass Deforestation by Illegal Loggers, Russian…
www.democracynow.org/2019/7/29/headlines

Supreme Court Order No 'Big Victory' For Trump's Border Wall. The Fight Continues
aclu.org | 2019-07-29
The Supreme Court has not yet decided the case, or given Trump's abuse of emergency powers the stamp of approval. | Late Friday evening, the Supreme Court gave the Trump administration a temporary green light to begin construction of the border wall using military funds Congress denied. The order, while temporary and limited to specific wall projects where fencing already exists, threatens to permanently damage border communities, the environment, and our Constitution's separation of powers. | But it's not the "big victory" President Trump q…
aclu.org/blog/national-security/supreme-court-order-no-big-victory-trumps-border-wall-fight-continues

The Acid-Washed Witch Hunt Hoax Apple
Mark Fiore | progressive.org | 2019-07-26
Mueller? Boring! The real story is the psycho lovers . . .
progressive.org/dispatches/the-acid-washed-witch-hunt-hoax-apple-fiore-190726/

Mueller hearing is another Russiagate dud
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-07-25
Aaron Maté recaps Robert Mueller's Congressional appearance, which delivered no new bombshells; more unhinged Russia-baiting; and only more doubts about…
thegrayzone.com/2019/07/24/mueller-hearing-is-another-russiagate-dud/

Aaron Maté's questions for Mueller
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-07-23
On the eve of the Robert Mueller hearings, Aaron Maté shares his top questions for the now former Special Counsel…
thegrayzone.com/2019/07/23/aaron-mates-questions-for-mueller/

Venezuela: 'Progress' Reported in Gov't-Opposition Talks as US Sanctions Counter-Intelligence Agency
Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-07-12
The agenda of the talks has not been disclosed but the topic of elections is reportedly being left for last.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14584

Pompeo's New 'Human Rights' Commission is Up To No Good
aclu.org | 2019-07-12
The Trump administration appears to be trying to find new moral footing for the president's discriminatory policies. | This week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally announced the creation of a "Commission on Unalienable Rights." Its stated purpose, according to a notice published in the Federal Register in May, is to provide "fresh thinking about human rights discourse where such discourse has departed from our nation's founding principles of natural law and natural rights." | Th…
aclu.org/blog/human-rights/pompeos-new-human-rights-commission-no-good