(2020-07-03). Connecting the Dates — US Media Used To Stop The 'Threat' of Peace. counterpunch.org This is not a column defending Donald Trump. Across my career I have said more positive words about the scolex family of intestinal tapeworms than I have said about Donald Trump. (Scolex have been shown to read more.) No, this is a column about context. When The New York Times reports anonymous sources from the intelligence community
(2020-07-03). Bounty-Hunter Hoax to Kill U.S.-Russia Relations. strategic-culture.org Relations between the United States and Russia have already been badly wounded during recent years, largely as a result of baseless allegations such as Moscow interfering in American elections, colluding with President Donald Trump, or regarding other international developments, from the downing of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine, to purported war crimes in Syria, to the alleged poisoning of British double-agent Sergei Skripal in England. | But the latest U.S. media effort claiming Russian military intelligence involvement in sponsoring Taliban assassins or "bounty hunters" to target American troops in Afghanis…
(2020-07-03). The Incredible Stitch-up of Julian Assange. zcomm.org What the US and Britain are attempting is not a legal form of extradition, it is extraordinary rendition — the ILLEGAL transfer of a person from one country to another…
(2020-07-03). World Rebukes US Over Iran. popularresistance.org Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday sought to reassert America's waning influence on the world stage, challenging the U.N. Security Council to extend a U.N. arms embargo that is due to expire in October. Instead, America's top diplomat received a scolding from friends and foes alike in the 15-nation council, which roundly criticized Washington for withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal two years ago without a clear plan to limit Tehran's nuclear activities. | On a day when the European Union pointedly excluded the United States from a "safe list" of countries permitted to travel to the 27-member bloc, the c…
(2020-07-02). "Russia is Paying the Taliban": Afghan Bounty Scandal Comes at Suspiciously Important Time for US Military Industrial Complex. globalresearch.ca The latest scandal, like others before it, is based on scant testimony by anonymous officials and has had the effect of pushing liberal opinion on US foreign policy into a far more hawkish direction. | *** | Based on anonymous intelligence …
(2020-07-02). Mueller report redactions unlikely to be revealed before presidential election after Supreme Court agrees to hear Trump appeal. rt.com 
The US Supreme Court agreed to hear the Trump administration's bid to keep parts of prosecutor Robert Mueller's report on alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election redacted, likely ensuring the material won't sway 2020 votes. | Tuesday's Supreme Court decision hands congressional Democrats at least a temporary defeat in their effort to force disclosure of secrets that they hope can be used to damage President Donald Trump politically. The case won't be heard until the court's next term, which begins in October, so it won't likely be decided until after the November 3 election. | The Democrat-controlled US…
(2020-07-02). Canada's Supreme Court dismisses indigenous appeal against Trans Mountain pipeline. rt.com 
The Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday dismissed an appeal from British Columbia First Nations against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. It would nearly triple the flow of oil from the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific Coast. | The court dismissed the appeal from the Squamish Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, the Ts'elxweyeqw Tribes and Coldwater Indian Band, effectively ending the years-long legal battle over the project, AP reports. | The pipeline would end at a terminal outside Vancouver, resulting in a sevenfold increase in the number of tankers in the shared waters between Canada and Washington state.
(2020-07-02). Wednesday 7/1: The Fight for Reproductive Rights: A Supreme Court Briefing. indybay.org Online via Zoom & livestream…
(2020-07-02). Lee Camp: How the Media Used the Bounty Scandal to Stop the 'Threat' of Peace in Afghanistan. mintpressnews.com This is not a column defending Donald Trump. | Across my career, I have said more positive words about the scolex family of intestinal tapeworms than I have said about Donald Trump. (Scolex have been shown to read more.) | No, this is a column about context. When The New York Times reports anonymous sources from the intelligence community say Russia paid Taliban fighters to kill American soldiers, context is very important. | Some of that context is that
(2020-07-02). The Kafkaesque Imperium: Julian Assange and the Second Superseding Indictment. counterpunch.org 
The Kafkaesque Imperium has taken yet another absurd step towards mean absurdity with another superseding indictment against Julian Assange. This move by the US Department of Justice seems to have surprised those involved in his extradition proceedings. Mark Summers QC, one of the members of the Assange legal team, did not conceal his astonishment at
(2020-07-02). Pelosi calls for new sanctions on Moscow, amid 'Russian bounties' allegations. rt.com 
As the fallout from dubiously sourced allegations about 'Russian bounties' on US troops in Afghanistan continues, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for fresh sanctions against Russia's defense and intelligence sectors. | Moscow paid Taliban fighters bounties to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan, and President Donald Trump ignored intelligence briefings on the matter, an anonymously sourced New York Times report claimed last Friday. Trump called the story a "phony hit job" against him, his Defense Department found no corroborating evidence, and National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said on Wednesday that…
(2020-07-02). Moscow hits back at Pompeo's 'Russia arming Taliban' jibe, says Afghan government has been only recipient of Russian weapons. rt.com 
The sovereign government in Kabul is the sole entity on Afghan soil that has received Russian weaponry, Moscow has insisted. The statement comes after Mike Pompeo bluntly accused it of funnelling weapons to Taliban militants. | "Russia has only supplied arms to the legitimate government of Afghanistan — something that is well known", Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Thursday. | The diplomat was taking aim at US Secretary of State Pompeo, who pulled no punches when talking about Russia this Wednesday. | "The Russians have been providing weapons to the Taliban for an awful lot…
(2020-07-02). Anti-Russia War Fever Spreads On Capitol Hill. popularresistance.org Groups of congressional Republicans and Democrats have visited the White House over the past two days for briefings on allegations that the Russian military intelligence agency GRU offered bounties to Taliban fighters who killed American soldiers in Afghanistan. | They have emerged bristling with demands for retaliation, with one Republican senator declaring, "I want to hear their plan for Taliban and GRU agents in body bags"—in other words, for military action by the United States against Russia, possessor of the world's second largest stockpile of nuclear weapons. | The "Russian bounties" campaign is a fa…
(2020-07-02). US Media Used To Stop The 'Threat' Of Peace. popularresistance.org This is not a column defending Donald Trump. | Across my career I have said more positive words about the scolex family of intestinal tapeworms than I have said about Donald Trump. (Scolex have been shown to read more.) | No, this is a column about context. When The New York Times reports anonymous sources from the intelligence community say Russia paid Taliban fighters to kill American soldiers, context is very important. | Some of that context is that Mike Pompeo said, "I was the CIA director — We lied, we cheated, we stole. We had entire training courses." So we know for certain that U.S. intelligence ag…
(2020-07-01). US Supreme Court Ruling that Children of Asylum-Seekers Must be Released from Detention Lacks Necessary Provisions for Parents; Risks Further Family Separation. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-07-01). Teachers: High Court opens way for taxpayer dollars for religious schools. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 decision allowing Montanans tax credits to pay for tuition at private — read "religious" — schools will cut dollars available to public schools and kids, the nation's two big teachers unions say. And the June 30 ruling, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, just re-emphasizes the importance of courts — …
(2020-07-01). Four Giant Reasons To Remove The Statues. popularresistance.org I'm a descendant of General Robert E. Lee. | My family also descends from George Washington and John Marshall, the fourth chief justice of the Supreme Court. (The oligarchy was a rather small club back in the day.) And I, along with many other Lee descendants, say: Remove the statues. | Yet, this week President Donald Trump has made it his mission to catch and prosecute those who have taken down statues. I'm positive he's not doing it out of any racist ideology, although it doesn't help that he also retweeted a white power message soon afterwards. | With that said, here are four exceedingly stupid reasons to keep…
(2020-07-01). Afghan Bounty Scandal Comes at Suspiciously Important Time for US Military Industrial Complex. mintpressnews.com 
The latest scandal, like others before it, is based on scant testimony by anonymous officials and has had the effect of pushing liberal opinion on US foreign policy into a far more hawkish direction.
(2020-07-01). Career CIA officer made 'the right call' not to brief Trump on 'Russian bounties' — NSA O'Brien. rt.com 
A career CIA officer decided not to brief President Donald Trump about intelligence speculation that Russia was paying bounties for deaths of US troops in Afghanistan, his national security adviser Robert O'Brien has revealed. | "She made that decision because she didn't have the confidence in the intelligence that came up," O'Brien told reporters on Wednesday. "She made that call and you know what? She made the right call. And knowing the facts I know now, I stand behind that call," he added. | The New York Times published a story last week, sourced to anonymous intelligence officials, claiming that the "asse…
(2020-07-01). Career CIA officer made 'the right call' by not briefing Trump on 'Russian bounties' — NSA O'Brien. rt.com A career CIA officer decided not to brief President Donald Trump about intelligence speculation that Russia was paying bounties for the deaths of US troops in Afghanistan, National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien has revealed. | "She made that decision because she didn't have the confidence in the intelligence that came up," O'Brien told reporters on Wednesday. "She made that call and you know what? She made the right call. And knowing the facts I know now, I stand behind that call," he added. | The New York Times published a story last week, citing anonymous intelligence sources, claiming that Trump was brief…
(2020-07-01). Three Glaring Problems With the Russian Taliban 'Bounty' Story. strategic-culture.org There seems to be a lack of sourcing and a big whiff of politics, say former intelligence officers. | Barbara BOLAND | Abombshell The article alleges that GRU, a top-secret unit of Russian military intelligence, offered the bounty in payment for every…
(2020-06-30). Supreme Court tosses Louisiana anti-abortion law, drawing cheers. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—By a 5-4 margin, with GOP-named Chief Justice John Roberts casting the deciding vote, the U.S. Supreme Court on June 29 threw out a restrictive Louisiana anti-abortion law. That drew cheers from pro-choice and women's rights groups, who warned, however, that the fight over the right to choose continues, both in the courts and at …
(2020-06-30). A win for women's rights win at the Supreme Court. liberationnews.org 
On June 29, the Supreme Court overturned an abortion restriction law in its decision in June Medical Services LLC v. Russo. The case posed a direct threat to abortion rights in the United States, and the decision is a win for women's rights. Although the court has a conservative, anti-abortion majority, this decision was no …
(2020-06-30). Taxpayers Shouldn't Have to Fund Religious Education: How Today's Supreme Court Decision Further Erodes the Separation of Church and State. aclu.org Today, in an unprecedented decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the state of Montana must provide funding for religious education as part of its school voucher tax credit program — despite the fact that the Montana Constitution forbids government aid for religious education and activities. The court's
(2020-06-30). "Moment of Elation": In 1st Big Abortion Case of Trump Era, SCOTUS Strikes Down Strict Louisiana Law. democracynow.org 
In the first big ruling on abortion in the Trump era, the Supreme Court has struck down a restrictive abortion law in Louisiana that would have left the state with just one abortion clinic. The 2014 law required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic, an onerous requirement that often made it impossible for abortion providers to continue to operate. "It was a moment of elation," says Lakeesha Harris, director of reproductive health and justice at Women with a Vision, a women's rights organization based in New Orleans. "Many of us have been working…
(2020-06-30). Stir Crazy! Episode #61: COVID & Cops: We Are Under Attack. therealnews.com 
On today's show: Activist and recording artist Eze Jackson and TRNN Executive Producer Lisa Snowden-McCray. Hosted by Kim Brown. If you have questions/comments/suggestions for the show email us at stircrazy@therealnews.com…
(2020-06-30). Afghanistan Bounties: Pot, Meet Kettle (and Turn Off the Stove!). counterpunch.org "American intelligence officials have concluded that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan," claims the New York Times. More controversially, the authors write that US president Donald Trump was briefed on the assessment (he denies it) and the piece's tag line says that his administration
(2020-06-30). Pompeo: US told Taliban not to attack Americans. yenisafak.com US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo had a video conference with Taliban Deputy and chief negotiator Mullah Baradar, the State Department said Tuesday.The two men discussed Monday the implementation of the US-Taliban peace agreement, according to a statement by spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus."The Secretary made clear the expectation for the Taliban to live up to their commitments, which include not attacking Americans," said Ortagus, who did not provide information about reports of Russian payments to Taliban militants for targeting American troops in Afghanistan.The New York Times reported late last week that a Russ…
(2020-06-30). Trump Is Either Lying or Out of the Loop on Afghanistan. Both Are Bad. truthout.org The corporate media has been straining at its collective leash since the weekend, firing a volley of barks our way about Russian intelligence agents paying the Taliban to kill U.S. soldiers, and my God, did Donald Trump know? The high dudgeon in these reports is unmistakable; one CNN It's a story that has everything, if you l…
(2020-06-30). This Russia-Afghanistan Story Is Western Propaganda at Its Most Vile. strategic-culture.org It really is funny how the most influential news outlets in the western world will uncritically parrot whatever they're told to say by the most powerful and depraved intelligence agencies on the planet, and then turn around and tell you without a hint of self-awareness that Russia and China are bad because they have state media.