Daily Archives: August 12, 2019

2019-08-12: News Headlines

WSWS (2019-08-12). The ABC documentary "Hero or Villain": Undermining the defence of Julian Assange. wsws.org The program's pernicious subtext was that Assange should be viewed as dubious, at best, and undeserving of sympathy, let alone active political support.

Frank Scott (2019-08-12). Bulletin For The Comfortable Class: Mass Murder Was Americana Before Trump Was Born! dissidentvoice.org The U.S. air war in Japan was one of the most ruthless and barbaric killings of non-combatants in all history. — General Bonner Fellers, MacArthur's Intelligence Chief, from Cultures Of War: Pearl Harbour/Hiroshima/9-11/Iraq by John W. Dower, 2011, pp. 195-96. The recent anniversary of the mass murder that took place in Hiroshima, followed three days …

Aaron Maté (2019-08-12). What do we know about Russia's alleged influence campaign? thegrayzone.com What have US intelligence officials proven to date about their claims of a sweeping Russian interference effort and Russian government…

Aaron Maté (2019-08-12). Trump's intel shake-up reveals lingering tensions. thegrayzone.com With the resignation of Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and the withdrawal of President Trump's chosen replacement, Rep. John…

Andrew Korybko (2019-08-11). Did Indian Intelligence Invent a Russian Diplomatic Statement to Pressure Moscow on Kashmir? globalresearch.ca It remains unclear at the time of writing whether the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs really did back India's unilateral actions in Kashmir or not, with the mysterious circumstances surrounding its now-viral alleged statement of support suggesting that it might …

WSWS (2019-08-10). Australian investigative journalist exposes Guardian/New York Times betrayal of Assange. wsws.org Mark Davis made clear that the corporate media cynically exploited WikiLeaks, before ruthlessly turning on its founder Julian Assange and joining the state campaign against him.

John Shafthauer (2019-08-10). Government denies large power outages part of no-deal planning. thecanary.co Power outages hit England and Wales on 9 August. Coincidentally, the government has recently been planning for a no-deal Brexit. | But is it a coincidence? | Or is it part of what the government is expecting after they open the Brexit hell mouth? | Lights out: | According to a leaked memo, the government is planning the following tests: | Closing the Irn Bru factory for a week to see how long it takes before Scotland starts rioting. | Replacing people's medicine with tic tacs to see if the placebo effect kicks in. | Redirecting all outward-bound British tourists to Skegness. | A whistleblower came forward…

David Price (2019-08-09). Militarized Observers: Institutional Daydreams of Ethics End Runs to Weaponize Culture. counterpunch.org A significant limitation facing scholars studying US military uses of anthropology and other social sciences is that while the existence and activities of various military programs are known, and some related documents are available, there is much about these programs that remains unknown to outsiders. Yet, even with these gaps in knowledge, it is possible More

Margot Patterson (2019-08-09). U.S. Imperialism, Iran and the Context for War. counterpunch.org The Trump administration's efforts to collapse Iran's economy can't be divorced from the history of U.S. imperialism. If Americans remember the 1979 student takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and the 444 days in which 52 U.S. diplomats and embassy staff were held hostage, Iranians remember the 1953 CIA coup that brought down the More

Michelle Zacarias (2019-08-09). Wanda Vásquez, Puerto Rico's third governor in a week, facing criticism. peoplesworld.org After public outcry and protests brought on the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló, Puerto Rico received its third governor in less than a week. Rosselló's initial successor, Pedro Pierluisi, was forced to step down after Puerto Rico Supreme Court unanimously decided that an appointment as governor without Senate confirmation was unconstitutional. Now, the former secretary …

pip.hinman (2019-08-08). Court upholds shonky uranium approval. greenleft.org.au The Traditional Owners of the Tjiwarl native title claim lost their Supreme Court appeal to have the approval for the Yeelirrie uranium mine revoked on July 31. | The proposed mine site, 500 kilometres north of Kalgoorlie, was given approval in 2017 by then-state Coalition environment minister Albert Jacob just 16 days before the government entered into a pre-election caretaker period. | The election that followed produced a resounding defeat for the Coalition in an election in which environmental issues ranked high on the political agenda. | The mine's federal approval application was subsequently finalised by t…

Sapphira Lurie (2019-08-08). Fordham U students win fight to have Palestine rights club. liberationnews.org On Aug. 5, Justice Nancy Bannon of the Supreme Court of the State of New York annulled Fordham University's decision to ban Students for Justice in Palestine from its campus.

Trevor Timm (2019-08-08). Brazil Supreme Court Minister Rules to Protect Press Freedom for Glenn Greenwald and The Intercept. theintercept.com In a crucial victory for press freedom in Brazil, Minister Gilmar Mendes, a member of Brazil's Supreme Court, has barred the Bolsonaro administration and Justice Minister Sergio Moro from investigating The Intercept Brasil and journalist Glenn Greenwald for its reporting on unethical and potentially illegal conduct involving Moro. | Mendes, in a sweeping decision, wrote that any attempt to investigate journalists…

Aaron Maté (2019-08-04). Mueller time is over, Russia-hate is here to stay. thegrayzone.com Stephen F. Cohen says that while Robert Mueller has closed up shop, dangerous U.S. fear-mongering about Russia remains. Guest: Stephen…

splcenter (2019-08-03). Weekend Read: The SPLC fights an internal threat to our democracy. splcenter.org In his recent testimony before Congress, Special Counsel Robert Mueller pointedly warned the nation about Russia's ongoing attempts to meddle in our nation's elections.

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…

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.

2019-08-12: Social Media Postees

The ABC documentary "Hero or Villain": Undermining the defence of Julian Assange
wsws.org | 2019-08-12
The program's pernicious subtext was that Assange should be viewed as dubious, at best, and undeserving of sympathy, let alone active political support.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/12/abcd-a12.html

Bulletin For The Comfortable Class: Mass Murder Was Americana Before Trump Was Born!
Frank Scott | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-12
The U.S. air war in Japan was one of the most ruthless and barbaric killings of non-combatants in all history. — General Bonner Fellers, MacArthur's Intelligence Chief, from Cultures Of War: Pearl Harbour/Hiroshima/9-11/Iraq by John W. Dower, 2011, pp. 195-96. The recent anniversary of the mass murder that took place in Hiroshima, followed three days …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/bulletin-for-the-comfortable-class-mass-murder-was-americana-before-trump-was-born/

What do we know about Russia's alleged influence campaign?
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-12
What have US intelligence officials proven to date about their claims of a sweeping Russian interference effort and Russian government…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/12/what-do-we-know-about-russias-alleged-influence-campaign/

Trump's intel shake-up reveals lingering tensions
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-12
With the resignation of Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and the withdrawal of President Trump's chosen replacement, Rep. John…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/12/trumps-intel-shake-up-reveals-lingering-tensions/

Did Indian Intelligence Invent a Russian Diplomatic Statement to Pressure Moscow on Kashmir?
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-11
It remains unclear at the time of writing whether the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs really did back India's unilateral actions in Kashmir or not, with the mysterious circumstances surrounding its now-viral alleged statement of support suggesting that it might …
globalresearch.ca/did-indian-intelligence-invent-russian-diplomatic-statement-pressure-moscow-kashmir/5686115

Australian investigative journalist exposes Guardian/New York Times betrayal of Assange
wsws.org | 2019-08-10
Mark Davis made clear that the corporate media cynically exploited WikiLeaks, before ruthlessly turning on its founder Julian Assange and joining the state campaign against him.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/10/assa-a10.html

Government denies large power outages part of no-deal planning
John Shafthauer | thecanary.co | 2019-08-10
Power outages hit England and Wales on 9 August. Coincidentally, the government has recently been planning for a no-deal Brexit. | But is it a coincidence? | Or is it part of what the government is expecting after they open the Brexit hell mouth? | Lights out: | According to a leaked memo, the government is planning the following tests: | Closing the Irn Bru factory for a week to see how long it takes before Scotland starts rioting. | Replacing people's medicine with tic tacs to see if the placebo effect kicks in. | Redirecting all outward-bound British tourists to Skegness. | A whistleblower came forward…
thecanary.co/off-the-perch/2019/08/10/government-denies-large-power-outages-part-of-no-deal-planning/

U.S. Imperialism, Iran and the Context for War
Margot Patterson | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-09
The Trump administration's efforts to collapse Iran's economy can't be divorced from the history of U.S. imperialism. If Americans remember the 1979 student takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and the 444 days in which 52 U.S. diplomats and embassy staff were held hostage, Iranians remember the 1953 CIA coup that brought down the…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/09/u-s-imperialism-iran-and-the-context-for-war/

Wanda Vásquez, Puerto Rico's third governor in a week, facing criticism
Michelle Zacarias | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-09
After public outcry and protests brought on the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló, Puerto Rico received its third governor in less than a week. Rosselló's initial successor, Pedro Pierluisi, was forced to step down after Puerto Rico Supreme Court unanimously decided that an appointment as governor without Senate confirmation was unconstitutional. Now, the former secretary …
peoplesworld.org/article/wanda-vasquez-puerto-ricos-third-governor-in-a-week-facing-criticism/

Court upholds shonky uranium approval
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-08
The Traditional Owners of the Tjiwarl native title claim lost their Supreme Court appeal to have the approval for the Yeelirrie uranium mine revoked on July 31. | The proposed mine site, 500 kilometres north of Kalgoorlie, was given approval in 2017 by then-state Coalition environment minister Albert Jacob just 16 days before the government entered into a pre-election caretaker period. | The election that followed produced a resounding defeat for the Coalition in an election in which environmental issues ranked high on the political agenda. | The mine's federal approval application was subsequently finalised by t…
greenleft.org.au/content/court-upholds-shonky-uranium-approval

Fordham U students win fight to have Palestine rights club
Sapphira Lurie | liberationnews.org | 2019-08-08
On Aug. 5, Justice Nancy Bannon of the Supreme Court of the State of New York annulled Fordham University's decision to ban Students for Justice in Palestine from its campus.
liberationnews.org/fordham-u-students-win-fight-to-have-palestine-rights-club/

Brazil Supreme Court Minister Rules to Protect Press Freedom for Glenn Greenwald and The Intercept
Trevor Timm | theintercept.com | 2019-08-08
In a crucial victory for press freedom in Brazil, Minister Gilmar Mendes, a member of Brazil's Supreme Court, has barred the Bolsonaro administration and Justice Minister Sergio Moro from investigating The Intercept Brasil and journalist Glenn Greenwald for its reporting on unethical and potentially illegal conduct involving Moro. | Mendes, in a sweeping decision, wrote that any attempt to investigate journalists…
theintercept.com/2019/08/08/brazil-supreme-court-glenn-greenwald/

Mueller time is over, Russia-hate is here to stay
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-04
Stephen F. Cohen says that while Robert Mueller has closed up shop, dangerous U.S. fear-mongering about Russia remains. Guest: Stephen…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/04/mueller-time-is-over-russia-hate-is-here-to-stay/

Weekend Read: The SPLC fights an internal threat to our democracy
splcenter.org | 2019-08-03
In his recent testimony before Congress, Special Counsel Robert Mueller pointedly warned the nation about Russia's ongoing attempts to meddle in our nation's elections.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/03/weekend-read-splc-fights-internal-threat-our-democracy

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

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