2019-11-18: News Headlines

James Risen (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.

RT (2019-11-18). Outrage erupts over Trump administration's 'legalization' of (still-illegal) Israeli settlements in West Bank. rt.com The US announcement that it will no longer view West Bank Israeli settlements as inconsistent with international law has provoked outrage in all corners of the globe, on humanitarian, legal, and common-sense grounds. | The Trump administration's controversial move on Monday reversed decades of US policy, contradicting numerous United Nations resolutions and international human rights conventions. In an effort to downplay the change, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the decision came as a result of a "legal review" of the State Department opinion on the settlements from 1978, but reactions exploded both dome…

WSWS (2019-11-18). Protesters at London's Trafalgar Square speak out to demand freedom for Julian Assange. wsws.org World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke to some of the protesters who attended Saturday's demonstration to demand the freedom of the WikiLeaks founder.

WSWS (2019-11-18). UN special rapporteur exposes Swedish sexual misconduct frame-up of Assange. wsws.org Despite never having been charged with a crime, Sweden's investigation provided the pseudo-judicial pretext for embroiling Assange in the legal system.

Mnar Muhawesh (2019-11-18). Social Media Censorship Reaches New Heights as Twitter Permanently Bans Dissent. globalresearch.ca It's an open secret. The deep state is working hand in hand with Silicon Valley social media giants like Twitter, Facebook and Google to control the flow of information. That includes suppressing, censoring and sometimes outright purging dissenting voices — …

Stephen Lendman (2019-11-18). US Dirty Hands Escalate Hong Kong Violence. globalresearch.ca Months of violence and chaos in Hong Kong have US dirty hands all over them. | Orchestrated by the CIA in cahoots with other anti-democratic US agencies and anti-government Chinese hooligans, there's nothing spontaneous about what's going on endlessly. | Days earlier, …

Staff (2019-11-18). Pressure Mounts Against Trump as 8 New Witnesses Prepare to Testify. truthout.org At the end of former U.S. ambassador Marie Yovanovitch's testimony on Friday, House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff emphasized her bravery as the first State Department official to "[ break] the dam," the first one through the "stone wall that the president was trying to set up." Once the hearing adjourned, House Intelligence Committee member Mike Co…

Betsy Reed (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…

Peter Kornbluh (2019-11-18). Secret US Intelligence Files Provide History's Verdict on Argentina's Dirty War. thenation.com Secret US Intelligence Files Provide History's Verdict on Argentina's Dirty War…

Nauman Sadiq (2019-11-18). After Al-Baghdadi, Islamic State Is Being Headed by Shura Council. globalresearch.ca In July 2015, the security officials of Afghanistan and Pakistan were holding an important meeting in Islamabad to initiate a dialogue process with the Taliban when the Afghan National Directorate of Intelligence publicly announced that Taliban chief Mullah Mohammed Omar…

James Risen (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…

Aaron Maté (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…

Staff (2019-11-18). U.S. Angers Palestinians With Reversal on Israeli Settlements. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Monday softened the U.S. position on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, reversing four decades of American policy and further undermining the effort to gain Palestinian statehood. | Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. is repudiating the 1978 State Department legal opinion that held that civilian settlements in the occupied territories are "inconsistent with international law." Israeli leaders welcomed the decision while Palestinians and other nations warned that it undercut any chance of a broader peace deal. | Pompeo told reporters at…

Tyler Durden (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.

RT (2019-11-18). Catalonia's president on trial for 'disobedience'. rt.com President of Catalonia's regional government Quim Torra went on trial Monday in Barcelona for "disobedience" after refusing to remove pro-independence symbols from public buildings. | Prosecutors have called for Torra to be fined €30,000 ($33,000) and declared ineligible for public office for 20 months, AFP reported. This would make it impossible for the politician to remain president and likely trigger an early election in the wealthy northeastern region. | His ineligibility would only come into effect if the sentence is confirmed by Spain's Supreme Court, which could take months. | Torra's one-day trial…

Staff (2019-11-18). Chief Justice Orders Delay in House Fight for Trump Financial Records. truthdig.com The move gives no indication as to what the Supreme Court ultimately will do in the high-stakes tussle over the president's tax returns.

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-11-18). House Impeachment Investigators Probing Whether Trump Lied to Mueller. commondreams.org "The House is trying to determine whether the current president should remain in office. This is unbelievably serious and it's happening right now, very fast." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/donald_trump_14.jpg

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-11-18). 'There Is No More Two-State Solution': Trump Administration to Further Soften Opposition to West Bank Settlements. commondreams.org "How the hell is it possible for the U.S. policy to be any softer?" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pompeo_6_0.jpg

Staff (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…

Ron Jacobs (2019-11-18). Stefanik Stands By Her Man and Roger Stone Gets Convicted on All Counts: Impeachment Day Two. counterpunch.org The myth that the United States is a nation of laws provides the context for Friday's hearings, if not for the entire process. The most obvious irony is that this occurs while lawless acts by the president of this nation of laws are being discussed. It is the trumpist belief that Trump either did nothing illegal or that even if he did, it doesn't matter because he is president, As this process moves forward, it becomes clearer that many trumpists have little understanding of what is illegal. This is more than apparent just in their demands to name the whistleblower, which would be a blatant violation of the law s…

Tom Coburg (2019-11-17). A secretive propaganda unit is manipulating our social media. But it's not Russian. thecanary.co The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) dossier on Russian meddling into UK politics remains unpublished. But Britain has its own meddling 'agency' — a designated brigade of the British army. Moreover, it has a connection with Twitter management.Exclusively, The Canary can also reveal that one of the brigade's forerunners was a British army 'psyops' division linked with the parent body of discredited data miners Cambridge Analytica.Small world.Inside the 77th: In Ma…

teleSUR (2019-11-17). Trump 'Frustrated' With Netanyahu Amid Israel Political Impasse. telesurenglish.net United States President Donald Trump is "frustrated, bewildered, and angry" with the current political situation in Israel and especially with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Ynet News reported Sunday citing top White House officials who spoke with their Israeli counterparts on condition of anonymity. | RELATED: | US Pompeo Supports Israel Attacking Alleged Iranian Threats | In a reference to the Trump administration's long-delayed peace plan for the region, the source…

teleSUR (2019-11-17). Obama Hinted Democratic Candidates Should Not Move Too Far Left. telesurenglish.net Former United States President Barack Obama said Friday before a crowd of wealthy liberal donors from the Democratic Party that voters won't choose a presidential candidate whose ideas are, according to him, "too zealous and radical," the New York Times reported. | RELATED: | Forsaken by Trump, DACA Dreamers Seek US Supreme Court Reprieve | While the ex-president did not mention any specific candidate or policy proposal, he said that the Democrats, independents, and moderate R…

WSWS (2019-11-16). Roger Stone conviction affirms he lied about having connections with WikiLeaks. wsws.org The conviction of Roger Stone on all seven federal offenses shows, contrary to the fabrications in the corporate media, that he lied about having a relationship with Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.

United Nations (2019-11-16). UN film festival encourages young people to promote peace, dialogue and empathy. un.org Demonstrating empathy, humour and intelligence, a group of young film-makers have been recognized for their short videos, which tackle the weighty issues of discrimination, intolerance and misogyny in a creative and entertaining way, at a ceremony held at UN Headquarters.

Christine Harrison (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."

Aaron Maté (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…

RT (2019-11-15). Roger Stone conviction: Trump attacks double-standards on LYING while media repurposes a disproved 'WikiLeaks insider' connection. rt.com Former Donald Trump campaign strategist Roger Stone has been found guilty of all felony charges over his false claim of having an inside contact at WikiLeaks (he didn't). Trump said those who lied under oath against him walk free. | Stone was convicted of lying to Congress, witness tampering, and obstruction, all charges centered around misrepresenting the nature of his contacts with WikiLeaks during intelligence committee hearings related to the special counsel's 'Russian collusion' inquiry. Not only did Stone falsely claim comedian and former friend Randy Credico was the "intermediary" discussed in emails wi…

Kate Ruane (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…

Staff (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…

Staff (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…

Mnar Muhawesh (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…

Meagan Burrows (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…

Staff (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.

Staff (2019-11-13). Trump: The Most Corrupt President in US History. therealnews.com So says whistleblower and former federal investigator Bill Black, who defines with fine detail what will likely be emerging from the impeachment hearings.

Staff (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…

Staff (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…

Activist Post (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 …

Staff (2019-11-12). The Edge of Democracy: Lula Is Freed in Brazil in Victory for Movement to Resist Bolsonaro. democracynow.org In Brazil, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was freed from prison Friday after 580 days behind bars. Lula's surprise release came after the Brazilian Supreme Court ruled to end the mandatory imprisonment of people convicted of crimes who are appealing their cases. He was serving a 12-year sentence over a disputed corruption and money laundering conviction handed down by conservative Judge Sérgio Moro, an ally of current far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and has long maintained his innocence. Lula has vowed to challenge Bolsonaro in the 2022 elections. At the time of his imprisonment in April…

Staff (2019-11-12). Headlines for November 12, 2019. democracynow.org Longtime Bolivian President Evo Morales Takes Asylum in Mexico, Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on DACA Cases, Televised Impeachment Hearings to Start Tomorrow, Former MA Gov. Deval Patrick May Jump Into 2020 Race, NY Republican Congressman Peter King Retires, Donald Trump Jr. Heckled Off Stage by His Own Supporters, EPA to Restrict Scientific Research Used to Write Public Health Regulations, Israeli Military Kills Palestinian Commander in Targeted Assassination in Gaza, Afghan Government & Taliban Agree on Prisoner Exchange, Chilean Government Bows to Protests & Agrees to Rewrite Constitution, 260 Arrested in…

Stuart Munckton (2019-11-12). The whistleblower who vindicated the anti-war movement. greenleft.org.au films anti-war Alex SalmonIssue 1247 BritainNovember 12, 2019Official Secrets
| Directed by Gavin Hood
| Starring Keira Knightly, Matt Smith, Matthew Goode, Ralph Fiennes & Adam Bakri
| Screening from November 21 at selected cinemas. | "I work for the British people, I d…

Staff (2019-11-10). Brazil's Ex-President Lula Freed, Promises to Continue Fight for Justice. therealnews.com After spending 19 months in jail on a 12-year prison sentence, Brazil's Supreme Court ruled that Lula had to be freed until his appeals are exhausted. Supporters greeted him enthusiastically and Lula promised to fight the unjust case against him and for social justice in Brazil.

Ryan Cristián (2019-11-09). Possible False Flag In Iraq, US Votes Against Anti-Nazi Res. & Pompeo's Iran Nuclear Lies Debunked. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (11/6/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Ryan Cristián (2019-10-26). More Troops/Tanks To Syria Confirmed, OPCW Whistleblower, Barr's PreCrime & Mossad Clinton Blackmail. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (10/25/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Ryan Cristián (2019-10-21). Turkey Breaks Ceasefire, US "Secures Syria's Oil" & Assange's Torture & Violation Of Rights Exposed. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (10/19/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

CounterSpin (2019-10-04). Dana Gold on Whistleblower Protections, Craig Aaron on Net Neutrality Setback. fair.org Media…