Daily Archives: February 14, 2020

2020-02-14: News Headlines

Whitney Webb (2020-02-14). NYC Taxpayers Spending Millions on Cyber Center with Controversial Ties to Israeli Intelligence. mintpressnews.com New York City taxpayers are on the hook for a multi-million dollar cyber center in the heart of Manhattan with deep ties to Israel's high-tech intelligence apparatus.

RT (2020-02-14). US & Taliban reach reduction of violence deal that 'could lead to troop withdrawal' — official. rt.com The United States has reached a reduction of violence agreement with the Taliban that could lead to a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, Reuters quoted a senior administration official as saying on Friday. | The agreement for a seven-day "reduction in violence" to be followed by the start of all-Afghan peace talks within 10 days is "very specific" and covers the entire country including Afghan forces, AP reported. | The developments come as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper met Friday in Munich, Germany with Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani. They spoke on the sidelines o…

RT (2020-02-14). Ending 'endless war'? US & Taliban reach 'violence reduction agreement' that could lead to Afghanistan pullout. rt.com Washington and Taliban militants have reportedly agreed on a seven-day "violence reduction" in Afghanistan. If upheld, it could open doors for another deal that would see US troops withdraw after 19 years of conflict. | The news came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Pentagon chief Mark Esper met Afghan president Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to discuss the situation in the war-torn country. Both earlier hinted at some developments in negotiations with the Taliban, which Pompeo described as a "pretty important breakthrough." | US President Donald Trump said on Thursday…

RT (2020-02-14). Barr assigns outside prosecutor to review Russiagate's Michael Flynn's case — report. rt.com General Michael Flynn seems to be getting a lifeline from the attorney general following his claim that prosecutors in the Mueller investigation "concocted the alleged false statements" he was accused of making. | Attorney General William Barr has assigned an outside prosecutor to examine the criminal case against US President Donald Trump's former national security advisor, according to a report from the New York Times. | St. Louis prosecutor Jeff Jenson is heading the team reexamining the Justice Department's case against Flynn. The second look at Flynn's case is part of a larger probe by Barr to go over pol…

WSWS (2020-02-14). SEP builds support for Free Assange and Manning rallies in Australia. wsws.org Members and supporters of the SEP and its youth movement, the IYSSE, have been campaigning in working-class suburbs, at workplaces and university campuses.

Media Lens (2020-02-14). 'Burned at the Stake' — The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Demolishes the Fake Claims Targeting Julian Assange. globalresearch.ca On the face of it, the task seems almost hopeless. As Tolstoy wrote: | 'The power of the government is maintained by public opinion, and with this power the government, by means of its organs — its officials, law courts, schools, …

Media Lens (2020-02-14). UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Demolishes Fake Claims Targeting Julian Assange. dissidentvoice.org On the face of it, the task seems almost hopeless. As Tolstoy wrote: 'The power of the government is maintained by public opinion, and with this power the government, by means of its organs — its officials, law courts, schools, churches, even the press — can always maintain the public opinion which they need.' (Leo …

orion the elder (2020-02-14). Gracias Chelsea Manning & Julian Assange for Exposing Bush's War Crimes. indybay.org Fruitvale and MacArthur oakland 94602…

BACFJA (2020-02-14). International Day Of Action To Free Julian Assange & Chelsea Manning. indybay.org UK Consulate | 1 Sansome St. | San Francisco…

Aaron Mate (2020-02-14). New Leaks Shatter OPCW's Attacks on Douma Whistleblowers. globalresearch.ca Facing accusations that it issued a doctored report alleging a chemical attack in Syria, the OPCW has released an inquiry attacking two whistleblowers as rogue actors. Leaked documents obtained by The Grayzone reveal serious distortions in the OPCW inquiry as …

Telesur (2020-02-14). US Rejects UN List of Firms with Ties to Israeli Settlements. globalresearch.ca United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday the U.S. government would not give any information for The list was released Wednesday by the United Nations' human rights …

RT (2020-02-14). Russia seeks Canada's aid in probing 95-yo Nazi death squad member over mass murder of vulnerable children. rt.com A nonagenarian former Canadian citizen, whose appeal against deportation was turned down by the Supreme Court in December, is suspected of involvement in the cruel mass murder of vulnerable children by a Nazi death squad. | Russia's Investigative Committee has asked Canadian law enforcement to provide legal papers related to Helmut Oberlander, who may have been involved in the mass murder of 214 residents of a shelter for disabled children in the Nazi-occupied Krasnodar region in 1942. The dreaded Sonderkommando SS-10a, a death squad tasked with culling racially impure or weak people under Hitler's sick vision…

sputniknews (2020-02-14). Veterans Peace UK Organise Pro-Assange Public Outreach Event. sputniknews.com Julian Assange and WikiLeaks have been credited with helping inform military veterans who subsequently chose to speak out against US and UK foreign polices following revelations of war crimes, falsehoods, and corruption.

WSWS (2020-02-13). Petition for Assange's freedom tabled again in Australian parliament. wsws.org Despite the powerful public support and strongly expressed sentiments of the petition, its tabling received virtually no coverage in the corporate media.

WSWS (2020-02-13). After 10 months' silence, UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn warns against extradition of Julian Assange. wsws.org For the past year, Corbyn has led the suppression of any discussion over Assange's imprisonment in Britain and the country's participation in the US-led attempt to destroy him.

WSWS (2020-02-13). US spied on governments for decades through secret ownership of Swiss encryption firm. wsws.org The revelations that the CIA and NSA have been spying on the diplomatic cables of governments around the world for the past five decades demonstrates that the American imperialism has long operated as a law unto itself in world affairs.

Staff (2020-02-13). Devin Nunes Is Leading Republicans in a Post-Impeachment "Strike" truthout.org Less than a week after President Trump All nine Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee were absent for a Wednesday morning hearing on the development of artificial intelligence for the purposes of national sec…

The Canary (2020-02-12). No plans for public inquiry after spy claims in Harry Dunn case — Foreign Office. thecanary.co The Foreign Office (FCO) has said it has "no plans" to launch a public inquiry despite reports that Harry Dunn's alleged killer had worked as a spy for the CIA.The PA news agency understands that the FCO responded to questions from the teenager's family on Wednesday — saying the case had been handled "properly and lawfully throughout".Dunn's parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, had demanded answers from foreign secretary Dominic Raab as to whether he was notified of Anne Sacoolas's history with the CIA and if she was still serving at the time of their son's death.(L to R) Harry Dunn's mother Charlotte Ch…

John McEvoy (2020-02-12). Australian MP to visit Julian Assange after tabling historic petition in parliament. thecanary.co Australian MP Andrew Wilkie has Visiting Assange in Belmarsh: | On 12 February, Wilkie shared a video announcing his plans to visit Assange at his own expense: | This weekend I will travel to the United…

Neema Singh Guliani (2020-02-12). Deadline Looming, Strongest Surveillance Reform Bill Yet Emerges. aclu.org Congress has just five weeks to decide the fate of key foreign | intelligence surveillance powers — forcing a showdown between surveillance | reformers and defenders. And now, a group of Republicans and Democrats have | unveiled the strongest comprehensive reform proposal that we have seen | yet. | The Safeguarding Americans' Private Records Act of 2020, introduced by a

RT (2020-02-11). US promises 'enormous pressure' on Tehran over… failed satellite launch? Pompeo says missile development behind Iran space program. rt.com Iran's latest attempt to launch a scientific satellite has apparently unnerved Washington, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lashing out at Tehran and vowing that the US would not let it continue the launches. | Washington used the occasion to once again slam Iran and the 2015 deal on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, from which the US itself unilaterally withdrew back in 2018. | Also on rt.com | | Since then, America has been hell-bent on s…

RT (2020-02-11). Four Roger Stone prosecutors quit case as DOJ backs down from 'horrible & unfair' sentencing advice blasted by Trump. rt.com The US Justice Department has reconsidered its recommendation that former Trump advisor Roger Stone serve nine years in prison for lying to Congress, instead deferring to the court, while four of its prosecutors have resigned. | Punishing the self-described "dirty trickster" with seven to nine years in prison "could be considered excessive and unwarranted," prosecutors said in a statement on Tuesday. "Ultimately, the government defers to the Court as to what specific sentence is appropriate." | Wow, Mueller prosecutor Zelinsky withdraws from the Stone case AND includes this footnote(!): | "The Court is advised…

Aaron Maté (2020-02-11). Exclusive: New leaks shatter OPCW's attacks on Douma whistleblowers. thegrayzone.com Facing accusations that it issued a doctored report alleging a chemical attack in Syria, the OPCW has released an inquiry…

Alexander Rubinstein (2020-02-08). Media darling Pete Buttigieg was in unit that worked with the CIA in Afghanistan. thegrayzone.com While Buttigieg's campaign denies allegations he was a CIA asset, military records reveal Mayor Pete was in a unit that…

Ashley Gorski (2020-02-05). The Government is Using its Foreign Intelligence Spying Powers for Routine Domestic Investigations. aclu.org More than forty years ago, Congress | gave the executive branch a set of exceptional surveillance powers to pursue | foreign spies on U.S. soil. Now, the government is increasingly relying on those | powers to advance ordinary domestic criminal investigations. | In United States v. | Osseily, a fraud prosecution in California, the government appears to have used | this surveillance — which is conducted under the Foreign Intelligence | Surveillance Act (FISA) — to a longtime perm…

CounterSpin (2020-01-17). Chip Gibbons on FBI vs. 1st Amendment. fair.org Media…

2020-02-14: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

Gracias Chelsea Manning & Julian Assange for Exposing Bush's War Crimes
orion the elder | indybay.org | 2020-02-14
Fruitvale and MacArthur oakland 94602…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/14/18830662.php

International Day Of Action To Free Julian Assange & Chelsea Manning
BACFJA | indybay.org | 2020-02-14
UK Consulate | 1 Sansome St. | San Francisco…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/11/18830618.php

International Day Of Action To Free Julian Assange & Chelsea Manning
BACFJA | indybay.org | 2020-02-14
UK Consulate | 1 Sansome St. | San Francisco…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/11/18830618.php

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Demolishes Fake Claims Targeting Julian Assange
Media Lens | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-14
On the face of it, the task seems almost hopeless. As Tolstoy wrote: 'The power of the government is maintained by public opinion, and with this power the government, by means of its organs

SEP builds support for Free Assange and Manning rallies in Australia
wsws.org | 2020-02-14
Members and supporters of the SEP and its youth movement, the IYSSE, have been campaigning in working-class suburbs, at workplaces and university campuses.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/14/rall-f14.html

New Leaks Shatter OPCW's Attacks on Douma Whistleblowers
Aaron Mate | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-14
Facing accusations that it issued a doctored report alleging a chemical attack in Syria, the OPCW has released an inquiry attacking two whistleblowers as rogue actors. Leaked documents obtained by The Grayzone reveal serious distortions in the OPCW inquiry as …
globalresearch.ca/new-leaks-shatter-opcws-attacks-douma-whistleblowers/5703663

NYC Taxpayers Spending Millions on Cyber Center with Controversial Ties to Israeli Intelligence
Whitney Webb | mintpressnews.com | 2020-02-14
New York City taxpayers are on the hook for a multi-million dollar cyber center in the heart of Manhattan with deep ties to Israel's high-tech intelligence apparatus.
mintpressnews.com/cybernyc-taxpayers-millions-cyber-center-israel-ties-intelligence/264984/

US Rejects UN List of Firms with Ties to Israeli Settlements
Telesur | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-14
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday the U.S. government would not give any information for a database listing companies operating in the occupied West Bank. | The list was released Wednesday by the United Nations' human rights …
globalresearch.ca/us-rejects-un-list-firms-ties-israeli-settlements/5703670

Ending 'endless war'? US & Taliban reach 'violence reduction agreement' that could lead to Afghanistan pullout
rt.com | 2020-02-14
Washington and Taliban militants have reportedly agreed on a seven-day "violence reduction" in Afghanistan. If upheld, it could open doors for another deal that would see US troops withdraw after 19 years of conflict. | The news came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Pentagon chief Mark Esper met Afghan president Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to discuss the situation in the war-torn country. Both earlier hinted at some developments in negotiations with the Taliban, which Pompeo described as a "pretty important breakthrough." | US President Donald Trump said on Thursday…
rt.com/news/480900-us-taliban-violence-reduction-afghanistan/

Russia seeks Canada's aid in probing 95-yo Nazi death squad member over mass murder of vulnerable children
rt.com | 2020-02-14
A nonagenarian former Canadian citizen, whose appeal against deportation was turned down by the Supreme Court in December, is suspected of involvement in the cruel mass murder of vulnerable children by a Nazi death squad. | Russia's Investigative Committee has asked Canadian law enforcement to provide legal papers related to Helmut Oberlander, who may have been involved in the mass murder of 214 residents of a shelter for disabled children in the Nazi-occupied Krasnodar region in 1942. The dreaded Sonderkommando SS-10a, a death squad tasked with culling racially impure or weak people under Hitler's sick vision…
rt.com/russia/480855-russia-canada-death-squad/

Veterans Peace UK Organise Pro-Assange Public Outreach Event
sputniknews.com | 2020-02-14
Julian Assange and WikiLeaks have been credited with helping inform military veterans who subsequently chose to speak out against US and UK foreign polices following revelations of war crimes, falsehoods, and corruption.
sputniknews.com/military/202002141078314880-veterans-peace-uk-organise-pro-assange-public-outreach-event/

Petition for Assange's freedom tabled again in Australian parliament
wsws.org | 2020-02-13
Despite the powerful public support and strongly expressed sentiments of the petition, its tabling received virtually no coverage in the corporate media.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/13/parl-f13.html

After 10 months' silence, UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn warns against extradition of Julian Assange
wsws.org | 2020-02-13
For the past year, Corbyn has led the suppression of any discussion over Assange's imprisonment in Britain and the country's participation in the US-led attempt to destroy him.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/13/assa-f13.html

US spied on governments for decades through secret ownership of Swiss encryption firm
wsws.org | 2020-02-13
The revelations that the CIA and NSA have been spying on the diplomatic cables of governments around the world for the past five decades demonstrates that the American imperialism has long operated as a law unto itself in world affairs.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/13/cryp-f13.html

Devin Nunes Is Leading Republicans in a Post-Impeachment "Strike"
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-13
Less than a week after President Trump lauded Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., as "the hardest worker," the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee refused to show up for his first day back at work following the president's impeachment trial. | All nine Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee were absent for a Wednesday morning hearing on the development of artificial intelligence for the purposes of national sec…
truthout.org/articles/devin-nunes-is-leading-republicans-in-a-post-impeachment-strike/

US Rejects UN List of Firms With Ties to Israeli Settlements
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-13
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday the U.S. government would not give any information for a database listing companies operating in the occupied West Bank. | RELATED: | Israel Approves 1,900 New Illegal Settlement Units in Occupied West Bank | The list was released Wednesday by the United Nations' human rights office (…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-Rejects-UN-List-of-Firms-With-Ties-to-Israeli-Settlements-20200213-0029.html

Australian MP to visit Julian Assange after tabling historic petition in parliament
John McEvoy | thecanary.co | 2020-02-12
Australian MP Andrew Wilkie has announced that he will travel to London this week to visit WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange in Belmarsh prison. On 10 February, Wilkie also tabled a "massive petition" in defence of Assange in Australia's parliament. | Visiting Assange in Belmarsh: | On 12 February, Wilkie shared a video announcing his plans to visit Assange at his own expense: | This weekend I will travel to the United…
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2020/02/12/australian-mp-to-visit-julian-assange-after-tabling-historic-petition-in-parliament/

Deadline Looming, Strongest Surveillance Reform Bill Yet Emerges
Neema Singh Guliani | aclu.org | 2020-02-12
Congress has just five weeks to decide the fate of key foreign | intelligence surveillance powers

Exclusive: New leaks shatter OPCW's attacks on Douma whistleblowers
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-11
Facing accusations that it issued a doctored report alleging a chemical attack in Syria, the OPCW has released an inquiry…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/11/new-leaks-shatter-opcws-attacks-douma-whistleblowers/

Exclusive: New leaks shatter OPCW's attacks on Douma whistleblowers
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-11
Facing accusations that it issued a doctored report alleging a chemical attack in Syria, the OPCW has released an inquiry…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/11/new-leaks-shatter-opcws-attacks-douma-whistleblowers/

US promises 'enormous pressure' on Tehran over… failed satellite launch? Pompeo says missile development behind Iran space program
rt.com | 2020-02-11
Iran's latest attempt to launch a scientific satellite has apparently unnerved Washington, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lashing out at Tehran and vowing that the US would not let it continue the launches. | Washington used the occasion to once again slam Iran and the 2015 deal on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, from which the US itself unilaterally withdrew back in 2018. | Also on rt.com | | Weighs less & packs more range: Iran unveils new ballistic missile with composite-built engine (VIDEO) | Since then, America has been hell-bent on s…
rt.com/usa/480605-us-pressure-iran-satellite-launch/

Four Roger Stone prosecutors quit case as DOJ backs down from 'horrible & unfair' sentencing advice blasted by Trump
rt.com | 2020-02-11
The US Justice Department has reconsidered its recommendation that former Trump advisor Roger Stone serve nine years in prison for lying to Congress, instead deferring to the court, while four of its prosecutors have resigned. | Punishing the self-described "dirty trickster" with seven to nine years in prison "could be considered excessive and unwarranted," prosecutors said in a statement on Tuesday. "Ultimately, the government defers to the Court as to what specific sentence is appropriate." | Wow, Mueller prosecutor Zelinsky withdraws from the Stone case AND includes this footnote(!): | "The Court is advised…
rt.com/usa/480613-roger-stone-doj-sentencing-reversal/

Media darling Pete Buttigieg was in unit that worked with the CIA in Afghanistan
Alexander Rubinstein | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-08
While Buttigieg's campaign denies allegations he was a CIA asset, military records reveal Mayor Pete was in a unit that…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/07/pete-buttigieg-cia-afghanistan/

The Government is Using its Foreign Intelligence Spying Powers for Routine Domestic Investigations
Ashley Gorski | aclu.org | 2020-02-05
More than forty years ago, Congress | gave the executive branch a set of exceptional surveillance powers to pursue | foreign spies on U.S. soil. Now, the government is increasingly relying on those | powers to advance ordinary domestic criminal investigations. | In United States v. | Osseily, a fraud prosecution in California, the government appears to have used | this surveillance