(2019-11-20). Pompeo Casts International Law Aside On Israeli Settlement Policy. commondreams.org The Israeli West Bank settlement of Beitar Ilit (Photo: Yoninah via Wikimedia Commons) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/westbank.jpeg …
(2019-11-20). So much for the #Resistance! While all eyes were on impeachment hearing, House re-authorized PATRIOT Act. rt.com 
House Democrats have slipped an unqualified renewal of the draconian PATRIOT Act into an emergency funding bill — voting near-unanimously for sweeping surveillance carte blanche that was the basis for the notorious NSA program. | A three-month reauthorization of the notorious PATRIOT Act was shoehorned into a last-minute continuing resolution (CR) funding the US government, bundling measures needed to avert yet another government shutdown with a continuation of the wildly-intrusive surveillance powers passed after the 9/11 terror attacks. Democrats voted almost unanimously for it, granting the far-reachi…
(2019-11-20). Trump's million-dollar donor Sondland testifies: "We followed the president's orders." peoplesworld.org 
I was only following orders. It's the classic defense offered by someone further down the chain of command who gets caught up in the nefarious deeds of their superiors. And it's exactly the mea culpa offered by Gordon Sondland, Trump's Ambassador to the European Union, when he testified at the House Intelligence Committee's public impeachment …
(2019-11-20). The Folly of the Iraq War Has Never Been Clearer. truthdig.com 
New Iranian intelligence leaks have laid bare just how pointless the invasion truly was. As a former soldier, it's almost too much to bear.
(2019-11-20). Impeachment hearing gets more bizarre with Sondland confirming 'Zelensky loves Trump's ass' , but vague on quid pro quo. rt.com 
House Democrats tried repeatedly to goad their diplomatic witness into "admitting" the elusive quid pro quo of aid withheld pending a probe, but the best they could get was confirmation he told Trump "Zelensky loves your ass." | US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland played the 'can't recall exactly' card as Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff and Democratic Counsel Daniel Goldman pushed him to confirm President Donald Trump had made the release of foreign aid to Ukraine contingent upon President Volodymyr Zelensky's launch of a corruption investigation. Sondland did say he believed that there was a quid…
(2019-11-20). Putin's plan: Wait for US' most-advanced shale oil know-how and SNATCH IT! (Spoiler: it was a joke). rt.com 
Acquiring top-notch US technology to extract shale oil might be challenging, but not for the world's best-known KGB intelligence veteran who (jokingly) told a Russian investment forum how (not) to do it. | Vladimir Putin provided his vision on extracting shale oil — a type of crude found in underground deposits — at the 'Russia Calling' investment forum, which at first sounded like veiled nostalgia for his much-talked about KGB career in the 1980s. | "Let us wait for the Americans to spend money on new extraction technologies," he said, adding that the moment will come to snatch it all. "Let's see if…
(2019-11-20). 'No evidence of meddling': Boris Johnson defends decision not to publish Russian influence report before election. rt.com 
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he has never seen "any" evidence of Russian interference in British democracy and defended his decision not to publish a parliamentary report into the subject before the December 12 election. | Asked Wednesday about his decision to wait until after the election to publish the controversial report, Johnson said he saw no reason to change the timeline for publication. | There's absolutely no evidence that I've ever seen of any Russian interference in UK democratic processes. | Johnson's decision to shelve the 50-page report compiled by the Intelligence and Security Committee…
(2019-11-20). Freedom, Valor, Love: On Snowden's Permanent Record. counterpunch.org 
"The computer guy [sic]…can know everything…" —Edward Snowden, Permanent Record We all know someone who has suffered explicit privacy violations through data breaches, has been censored, or has valiantly fought for press, Internet, and telecommunications freedoms at a time of deep political polarities and culture war divisions. Edward Snowden's life reveals it's not just "the More
(2019-11-20). 'Death sentence for telling the truth': Fashion icon Joe Corré urges immediate action to prevent Assange's extradition to US. rt.com 
Julian Assange is being persecuted for speaking the truth, and the UK public must mobilize to shield him from the 'death sentence' awaiting him in the United States, activist and Agent Provocateur co-founder Joe Corré told RT. | The politically-active entrepreneur, and son of another fashion icon Vivienne Westwood, has been an outspoken advocate for Assange. The imprisoned Wikileaks chief is currently battling his extradition to the United States, where he faces 175 years in prison for obtaining and publishing secret documents. Recounting a recent visit he made to Belmarsh prison, Corré told Going Under…
(2019-11-20). The law is thrown out of the window in Assange's case, Roger Waters tells RT (VIDEO). rt.com 
Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters has condemned Swedish prosecutors who yesterday dropped a rape investigation into WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange, saying the whole thing was "a complete bogus set-up" from the beginning. | Rogers told RT that the statement from Swedish prosecutors claiming that the evidence against Assange had "weakened" since 2010 was a "mealy-mouthed bunch of bullsh*t" and that there was "no evidence to support the idea that [Assange] injured anybody." | It's partly because of this whole "set-up" that Assange is still suffering in London's Belmarsh Prison with no real process of law…
(2019-11-20). Arab League to hold urgent meeting over US support for Israeli settlements. rt.com 
The Arab League said it will hold an urgent meeting Monday on the US announcement that it no longer considers Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal. | Hossam Zaki, the pan-Arab body's deputy secretary general, said several members had backed a Palestinian Authority call for a ministerial meeting. | The PA's permanent representative to the Arab League has condemned Washington's change of position — announced by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — as "illegal." | Pompeo said on Monday that, after legal consultations, the US had concluded the establishment of settlements was "not, per se…
(2019-11-20). Collapse of Swedish "sexual misconduct" frame-up exposes political conspiracy against Assange. wsws.org The discrediting of the Swedish investigation, which played a linchpin role in the US-led pursuit of Assange, exposes the lawless character of the entire operation against the WikiLeaks founder.
(2019-11-20). Chemical Watchdog Manipulated Douma Attack Report — Whistleblower. dissidentvoice.org The head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has signed an open letter urging his own watchdog to give two whistleblowers a platform at its next conference. They claim the #OPCW suppressed evidence when conducting a probe into an alleged #chemicalattack on the Syrian city of #Douma in April 2018.
(2019-11-20). House Lawmakers Extend Illegal Collection of Americans' Sensitive Data. truthout.org With federal agencies set to run out of money this week, House lawmakers yesterday passed a short—term funding bill that contained a nasty surprise. Tucked into the end of this must—pass legislation, in a section titled "Other Matters," is language reauthorizing three Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorities currently set to expire on December 15, 2019. The new expiration date would…
(2019-11-20). Some Midday Thoughts About Sondland Testimony and Impeachment. commondreams.org US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland testifies during the House Intelligence Committee hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry into US President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on November 20, 2019. – The US ambassador to the European Union told an impeachment hearing Wednesday that he was following the orders of President Donald Trump in seeking a "quid pro quo" from Ukraine. Gordon Sondland — whose appearance before Congress is being watched especially closely as he was a Trump ally — said he believed the president was pressing Ukraine to investigate his potential 2020 riva…
(2019-11-20). Israeli Prime Minister Approves Settlement Expansion in Jordan Valley Following US Announcement. imemc.org After Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, made a statement Monday reversing decades of US policy, and contradicting international law, by saying that the US did not consider Israel's colonial takeovers of Palestinian land to be illegal, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu approved a massive expansion of colonial settlements. …
(2019-11-20). US puts new Sri Lankan president on notice. wsws.org While Pompeo couched his message to Rajapakse in terms of "human rights," Washington's real concern is that the new president will re-orient Sri Lanka towards China.
(2019-11-20). Raising the Stakes in the Struggle Over Immigration Detention. counterpunch.org As the struggle for immigrant rights continues to be fought across America, new battlegrounds may come into view, then fade from public attention. For many months, our border drew intense scrutiny, as family separations shocked and horrified millions. Recently, the fate of DACA and 700,000 Dreamers moved back briefly into headlines, as the Supreme Court More
(2019-11-20). How Trump is Warping the Federal Courts: the Case Against Lawrence VanDyke. counterpunch.org President Donald Trump's nominations to the federal courts are deteriorating faster than his party can lower its standards to approve his picks. Case in point—Lawrence VanDyke, former Montana solicitor general and failed candidate for the Montana Supreme Court. Mr. Trump has nominated Mr. VanDyke to serve as a judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of More
(2019-11-20). Dropped Investigations: Julian Assange, Sex and Sweden. globalresearch.ca Sex, the late Gore Vidal astutely observed, is politics, and not merely from the vantage point of those who wish to police it. In the case of whistleblowers, claims of aberrant, unlawful sex serves the purpose of diminishing credibility, tarring …
(2019-11-20). Headlines for November 20, 2019. democracynow.org 4 Key Witnesses Testify in Impeachment Hearings, Amnesty Says Iranian Security Forces Killed Over 100 Protesters, Bolivian Military Carries Out Second Massacre Against Morales Supporters, Senate Approves Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, U.N. Affirms It Still Considers Israeli Settlements Violation of International Law, Pentagon Says ISIS Is Rebuilding in Northern Syria, NYT: Navy SEALs Expected to Oust Gallagher, Despite Trump Restoring His Rank, Report: Mike Pompeo Planning to Resign as Secretary of State, Trump Administration Can Now Send Asylum Seekers to Guatemala, Sweden Drops Sexual Assault Investi…
(2019-11-20). The Walls are Closing in on Donald Trump. counterpunch.org 
As witness after credible witness appears before the House Intelligence Committee's impeachment inquiry, the walls are closing in on Donald Trump and he knows it. If any more proof was needed, he actually tried to intimidate one of the witnesses, former Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, by posting a derogatory tweet about her while she More
(2019-11-20). The Trumpists' Attempts at Snark Define Their Day: Impeachment Day Three. counterpunch.org 
Monday AM. Trump says he might consider testifying in writing. I'm not sure how that is testifying and it seems that it's just a way for Trump to try and control the conversation. More delightful news involved a newly released poll that says 58% of voters between 18 and 30 years of age want Trump impeached and removed from office. At least the youngsters don't have their heads where the sun don't shine. Soon after this news comes a story that Trump is being investigated for lying to Congress in the written testimony he provided to the Mueller investigators. It's not like he's going to change his stripes this time…
(2019-11-20). The Prosecution of Julian Assange Calls for the Public's Defense of Free Speech. commondreams.org The US government has been waging a war against the First Amendment. Assange has become a political prisoner of this war. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-11-20_at_1.40.32_pm_0.png …
(2019-11-19). 'We should thank & cherish CIA,' says star of 'Jack Ryan' — just maybe not for torture, coups & mind control. rt.com 
Americans should be thankful for the services the CIA provides, 'Jack Ryan' actor John Krasinski says. After all, without the agency, who would prop up foreign dictators, stage coups and 'play' with mind-control drugs? | In three decades between the publication of 'The Hunt for Red October' in 1984 and his death in 2013, Tom Clancy pumped out more than 20 books, giving lots of material for spy agency fanboys. | At long last though, there's someone out there who gets even more tumescent at the thought of clandestine criminality than Clancy himself. Actor John Krasinski — star of 'The Office' and now 'Tom C…
(2019-11-19). Saving Julian Assange is Saving Ourselves. dissidentvoice.org 
The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner issued a statement based on special-rapporteur-on-torture Nils Melzer's fact-finding mission into the incarceration of WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange. The facts were a scathing indictment of those nations behind the targeting of Assange. 'The evidence is overwhelming and clear,' the expert said. 'Mr. Assange …
(2019-11-19). Julian Assange appears in court via video link: Legal rights denied by judge. wsws.org The British ruling class has no intention of providing even the appearance of a fair trial of Assange, after which they intend to railroad him to his persecutors in the United States.
(2019-11-19). Sweden drops investigation into bogus sexual misconduct allegations against Julian Assange. wsws.org The action confirms that the incessant media claims of "rape" and "sexual assault" by the WikiLeaks founder are a politically motivated fraud.
(2019-11-19). Fifth Generation (5G) Cell Phone Systems Threatens Human Health and Intelligence. globalresearch.ca In 1960 Allan H. Frey was 25 years old, he had graduated in biophysics and worked at General Electric's Advanced Electronics Center at Cornell University. When a radar technician invited him to come and listen to a clicking sound of …
(2019-11-19). PCHR: "Pompeo's Comments on Israeli Settlements are in Contempt of International Law and Abort Peace Prospects" imemc.org The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns in the strictest terms the remarks made by the United States' State Secretary, Mike Pompeo, on Israeli settlements, claiming that they are not in contrast with international law. PCHR reiterates that settlements are a war crime under international law and United Nations …
(2019-11-19). 'Orwellian Absurdity': US Reversal on Israel's Settlements Draws International Outrage. globalresearch.ca US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Monday that the US was softening its position on Israel's network of settlements in the occupied Palestinain territory, saying it was revoking the notion that settlements are illegal under international law — …
(2019-11-19). Russia Denounces US Decision on Israel Settlements in West Bank. telesurenglish.net The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday denounced a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the U.S. authorities no longer treat Israeli settlements in the West Bank as inconsistent with international law. | RELATED: | US Says Israel Settlements Not Illegal Under International Law | "We regard this decision of Washington as another step aimed at scrapping the international legal base of the Middle East settlement,…
(2019-11-19). Noura Erakat: U.S. Recognition of Israeli Settlements Is "Entrenchment of an Apartheid Regime" democracynow.org 
The Trump administration has announced it no longer views Israel settlements in the occupied West Bank to be a violation of international law, in another blow to possible Israel-Palestine peace negotiations. On Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a reversal to the U.S. position, putting the U.S. at odds with the international community. A U.N. resolution in 2016 declared the settlements a "flagrant violation" of international law. Israel's embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Pompeo's announcement as a historic day for Israel, but Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat condemned the…
(2019-11-18). Iran's Quds Force and the Muslim Brotherhood Considered an Alliance Against Saudi Arabia. theintercept.com 
An Iranian intelligence document describes a meeting between Iran's Quds Force and the Muslim Brotherhood in a Turkish hotel. It didn't go well.
(2019-11-18). Whistleblower: OPCW suppressed Syria chemical evidence after US pressure. thegrayzone.com A second whistleblower from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has come forward to accuse top OPCW officials…
(2019-11-18). The Story Behind the Iran Cables. theintercept.com The source said they wanted to "let the world know what Iran is doing in my country Iraq." They sent The Intercept 700 pages of secret intelligence reports from Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, or MOIS, but never revealed their own identity. This kind of leak is unprecedented for Iran, a country with a highly secretive government and spy agencies that guard their confidential information zealously. | In the months after we received the intelligence reports, which are written in a highly bureaucratic and opaque style, we had them translated from Persian into English and then had the translations cross…
(2019-11-18). Leaked Iranian Intelligence Reports Expose Tehran's Vast Web of Influence in Iraq. theintercept.com In mid-October, with unrest swirling in Baghdad, a familiar visitor slipped quietly into the Iraqi capital. The city had been under siege for weeks, as protesters marched in the streets, demanding an end to corruption and calling for the ouster of the prime minister, Adil Abdul-Mahdi. In particular, they denounced the outsize influence of their neighbor Iran in Iraqi politics, burning Iranian flags and attacking an Iranian consulate. | The visitor was there to restore order, but his presence highlighted the protesters' biggest grievance: He was Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, head of Iran's powerful Quds Force, and h…
(2019-11-18). Pompeo Issues Historic US Policy Reversal: Israeli West Bank Settlements "Not Illegal" theantimedia.com The Trump administration is reversing the official US stance on the illegality of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
(2019-11-18). Leaked Cables Show Depth of Iranian Influence in Iraq After U.S. Invasion "Shattered" the Country. democracynow.org 
An unprecedented leak of secret intelligence reports from inside the Iranian government has shed new light on how Iran has taken control of much of the Iraqi government in the wake of the 2003 U.S. invasion. The documents from Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security were leaked to The Intercept, which then partnered with The New York Times on reporting the story. The leak includes 700 pages of intelligence documents from 2014 to 2015. The documents reveal that a number of Iraqis who once worked with the CIA went on to work with Iranian intelligence. We speak with Murtaza Hussain, a reporter at The Intercept…
(2019-11-16). Syria scandal: New whistleblower claims chemical weapons watchdog OPCW suppressed Douma evidence. thegrayzone.com A whistleblower from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is accusing top officials of tampering with evidence…
(2019-11-16). Weekend Read: The importance of documenting racism in the White House. splcenter.org Earlier this week, the SPLC's Intelligence Project released the first two installments of an explosive four-part series examining more than 900 leaked emails between White House senior adviser Stephen Miller and an editor at the Breitbart News Network, a far-right website that its co-founder once dubbed the "platform for the alt-right."
(2019-11-15). Whistleblowers Are Public Servants. We Must Protect Them. aclu.org President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine spoke on the phone. The president insists the call was " perfect." Others are concerned that, during the call, the president intimated he would withhold financial aid appropriated to Ukraine unless the Ukrainian president agreed to investigate former-Vice President Joe Biden, a political rival of the president. | How do we even know about any of this? A…
(2019-11-15). "This Is My Home": Meet the Lead Plaintiff in the Supreme Court Case to Save DACA. democracynow.org 
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments from three lawsuits demanding the Trump administration preserve Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. The Obama-era program has granted protection from deportation and a work permit to at least 700,000 undocumented people who were brought to the United States as children. The court's conservative majority appeared poised to side with President Trump in ending the program, while some of the court's liberal justices seemed skeptical of Trump's efforts. In September 2017, the Trump administration announced it planned to terminate DACA, arguing the program…
(2019-11-15). Justice for Rodney Reed: Millions Urge Texas to Halt Execution Amid New Evidence of His Innocence. democracynow.org 
The Supreme Court considers Friday whether to take up the case of Rodney Reed, an African-American death row prisoner in Texas who is scheduled to be executed in less than a week for a murder he says he did not commit. On Thursday, Reed's family braved the cold to camp outside the Supreme Court for a vigil asking the justices to help halt the execution. Millions of people around the country have joined their cause in recent weeks amid mounting evidence that another man may be responsible for the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites, a 19-year-old white woman. In 1998, an all-white jury sentenced Reed to die for Stites's…
(2019-11-14). Social Media Censorship Reaches New Heights as Twitter Permanently Bans Dissent. mintpressnews.com 
| | It's an open secret. The deep state is wo…
(2019-11-14). Trump Administration Forgoes Petition to Supreme Court in Jane Doe Case. aclu.org For more | than two years, the ACLU has been fighting a Trump administration policy that | prevents unaccompanied immigrant minors in federal care from accessing | abortion. We had previously won in the lower court, securing a preliminary block on | the policy. And last week, the Trump administration chose not to challenge that | ruling and ask the Supreme Court to review the case—a real victory in our fight | for justice for the Janes. | We first filed | the case in Octobe…
(2019-11-14). In First Public Impeachment Hearing, Trump Implicated in Effort to Pressure Ukraine to Probe Bidens. democracynow.org 
The first public hearing of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump was held Wednesday. Trump is just the fourth president in U.S. history to face impeachment. Two witnesses testified before the House Intelligence Committee: George Kent, a deputy assistant secretary of state, and William Taylor, a former ambassador and the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine. They both said President Trump withheld aid to Ukraine in an attempt to pressure the country to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas company. We play highlights from the hearing.
(2019-11-13). Headlines for November 13, 2019. democracynow.org Televised Impeachment Hearings Begin Today, Right-Wing Senator Declares Herself President of Bolivia, Turkish President Erdogan Visiting Trump at White House, Supreme Court Heard Oral Arguments over DACA Program, Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Case of Mexican Teen Killed by U.S. Border Agent, Supreme Court Clears Way for Sandy Hook Families to Sue Gun Manufacturer, Federal Court Rules Warrantless Searches of Phones at Airport Are Unconstitutional, HHS Probes Google's Program to Collect Healthcare Data of Americans, U.S. Government Detained Record Number of Migrant Children in 2019, SPLC: Stephen Miller Sought t…
(2019-11-13). Democracy on Trial: Bill Moyers on Impeachment Inquiry & Why PBS Should Air Hearings in Primetime. democracynow.org 
Televised impeachment hearings begin today in the inquiry into whether President Trump withheld military aid from Ukraine to pressure the Ukrainian president to investigate his political rivals. Two witnesses are testifying today before the House Intelligence Committee: George Kent, a deputy assistant secretary of state, and William Taylor, a former ambassador and the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine. Both officials have privately told congressional investigators that Trump withheld aid to Ukraine in an attempt to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Donald Trump is just the fourth U.S. presi…
(2019-11-12). Pompeo's Iran Nuclear Lies Exposed Using Clear Evidence & The JCPOA Document Itself. thelastamericanvagabond.com Mike Pompeo continues to lead the propaganda push to get the public panicking about an Iran "nuclear breakout" even when all evidence shows that Iran is nowhere near capable of being a nuclear threat. Of course many other countries have far more robust nuclear programs, but because it's Iran we have to come together as …