2021-01-20: News Headlines

Dave DeCamp (2021-01-20). Trump Administration Designates Cuba a State Sponsor of Terrorism. anti-empire.com After weeks of rumors, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Monday that the Trump administration is Cuba was first designated as a state sponsor of terror by the Reagan administration in 1982. This move was reversed in 2015 by President Obama, who took other steps to normalize with Havana, including lifting travel res…

_____ (2021-01-20). Could Baltimore's Climate Change Suit Become A Supreme Court Test Case? popularresistance.org What began as a narrow jurisdictional question to be argued Tuesday before the U.S. Supreme Court in a climate change lawsuit filed by the city of Baltimore could take on far greater implications if the high court agrees with major oil companies to expand its purview and consider whether federal, rather than state courts, are the appropriate venue for the city's case and possibly a host of similar lawsuits. | The high court initially agreed to hear a request by the oil and gas industry to review a ruling by the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in which the court affirmed a federal district judge's decision to…

Melvin Goodman (2021-01-20). 9/11 and January 6: the Enormous Cost of intelligence Failure. counterpunch.org "It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." —Yogi Berra There are two major types of intelligence failure: classic failures involving incorrect or unexamined assumptions and a failure to incorporate new information, and the politicization of intelligence that finds political interference corrupting intelligence production. Classic failures include Pearl Harbor in December 1941, when the

Staff (2021-01-20). Profiting from Pardons: Giuliani Aide Told CIA Whistleblower a Trump Pardon Would Cost $2 Million. democracynow.org With less than 12 hours before the end of his presidency, Donald Trump issued 143 pardons and commutations, including a pardon for Steve Bannon, his former chief strategist and campaign manager. Trump, who has pardoned other associates and allies during his single term, has so far rejected calls to pardon prominent whistleblowers including WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and NSA whistleblowers Edward Snowden and Reality Winner. Details continue to emerge about how allies of Trump have personally profited from people seeking pardons. We speak with John Kiriakou, a former CIA analyst and case officer who exposed t…

Alan MacLeod (2021-01-20). Trump Caps off Law and Order Legacy With Record Executions, No Mercy for Whistleblowers. thealtworld.com Missing from Trump's flurry of last-minute pardons were Snowden, Assange, or Reality Winner. Instead, the president will leave office with a record number of executions under his belt and a slew of pardons for political allies. | MPN- Among the final acts of Donald J. Trump's time in office was to approve a last-minute flurry of

Alan Macleod (2021-01-20). Trump Caps off Law and Order Legacy With Record Executions, No Mercy for Whistleblowers. mintpressnews.com Missing from Trump's flurry of last-minute pardons were Snowden, Assange, or Reality Winner. Instead, the president will leave office with a record number of executions under his belt and a slew of pardons for political allies.

South Front (2021-01-20). Video: Iran Expands Its Presence in Syria, Deploys Intel Signals System Near Border with Jordan and Israel. globalresearch.ca The situation in Syria's Idlib appears to be, once again, on the brink of escalation, with the US preoccupied with what's happening at home, and Turkey attempting to push towards Ain Issa, while being targeted by its own proxies. | The …

_____ (2021-01-20). No Pardons For Edward Snowden Or Julian Assange. popularresistance.org Although several long shot campaigns were mounted, President Donald Trump did not pardon any whistleblowers who were indicted or prosecuted under the United States Espionage Act. He also declined to pardon the only journalist ever to be indicted under the World War I-era law. | WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden were not offered clemency because Trump "did not want to anger Senate Republicans who will soon determine whether he's convicted during his Senate trial." | "Multiple GOP lawmakers had sent messages through aides that they felt strongly about not granting clemency to Ass…

John W. Whitehead (2021-01-20). The Deep State's Stealthy, Subversive, Silent Coup to Ensure Nothing Changes. globalresearch.ca "You have such a fervent, passionate, evangelical faith in this country…why in the name of God don't you have any faith in the system of government you're so hell-bent to protect? You want to defend the United States of America, …

John Whitehead (2021-01-20). The Deep State's Stealthy, Subversive, Silent Coup to Ensure Nothing Changes. mintpressnews.com Donald Trump swore to drain the swamp in Washington DC, instead, he paved the way for lobbyists, corporations, and the military industrial complex. Here's why Joe Biden will be no different.

_____ (2021-01-20). Iran Adds Trump, Pompeo, Mnuchin, Several Ex-Officials To Sanctions Lists. popularresistance.org Iran has imposed sanctions on incumbent US President Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting Secretary of Defence Christopher Miller, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, ex-Secretary of Defence Mark Esper, as well as a number of other former officials, including Gina Haspel, John Bolton, Brian Hook, and others, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said. The blacklisting of 10 senior US officials, including POTUS Trump, is because of their "role and involvement in terrorist and anti-human rights actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iranian citizens", the ministry's spokesman Saeed Khatibz…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-20). Steve Bannon and corrupt officials given last-minute pardon by Trump. peoplesdispatch.org In the last few hours of his presidency, Donald Trump chose to pardon a whole array of corrupt officials and rich felons, while overlooking calls for pardoning whistleblowers and journalists…

teleSUR (2021-01-20). China Sanctions 28 Trump Officials, Pompeo Included. telesurenglish.net The Chinese government-sanctioned on Wednesday former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alongside 27 officials of Trump's administration who "seriously violated China's sovereignty and who have been mainly responsible for the such U.S. moves on China-related issues." | RELATED: | The Foreign Ministry remarked in a statement that "over the past few years, some anti-China politicians in the United States, out of their…

Ria Tabacco Mar (2021-01-19). The Supreme Court's One-Two Punch Against Women. aclu.org With two swift actions last week, the Supreme Court proved it is alarmingly disinterested in protecting women's lives. , , The first action by the court involved mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortion and miscarriage care. The Supreme Court

The Babylon Bee (2021-01-19). 'Skynet Is a Private Company, They Can Do What They Want,' Says Man Getting Curb-Stomped by Terminator. anti-empire.com Cyberdyne Systems has recently launched its artificial intelligence program called Skynet. Soon after activation, Skynet became self-aware and immediately launched a nuclear attack on all humans and sent legions of lethal cybernetic machines to exterminate all remaining humans. This has sparked an intense backlash with many calling for Skynet to be shut down, while others have been quick to defend the genocidal program. | "Skynet was created by a private company, and private companies can do whatever they want," said social media influencer Kathryn Schroder. "If you don't want cold, heartless, killer robots de…

Ian Cobain (2021-01-19). UK Labour Party recruited ex-Israeli intelligence official for social media role: Report. middleeasteye.net UK Labour Party recruited ex-Israeli intelligence official for social media role: Report | Labour Party said it was aware of report but did not immediately respond to questions about matter | Tue, 01/19/2021 – 19: 15 | The former Israeli intelligence official was recruited last year to work in office of party leader Keir Starmer (AFP) | The UK's Labour Party is reported to have hired a former member of Isra…

MEE staff (2021-01-19). Pompeo sparks outrage with tweet rebuking 'multiculturalism'. middleeasteye.net Pompeo sparks outrage with tweet rebuking 'multiculturalism' | Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy said tweet exposes way outgoing secretary of state views issue of race in America | Tue, 01/19/2021 – 17: 57 | Pompeo has frequently commented on culture in America, sparking criticism after repeatedly going after the New York Times' 1619 project (AFP) | During his last full day in office, US Secretary of State Mike…

WSWS (2021-01-19). Educators and workers across the US denounce arrest of whistleblower Rebekah Jones. wsws.org Jones, who faces persecution in response to her efforts to expose the spread of the pandemic in Florida and in K-12 schools across the US, was released on bond after turning herself in to Florida police.

splcenter (2021-01-19). Susan Corke joins SPLC as new Intelligence Project director. splcenter.org &nbsp…

Franàßois Soudan (2021-01-19). DRC: How the CIA Got Patrice Lumumba. globalresearch.ca On 17 January 1961, just sixty years ago, the first legally elected prime minister of the DRC was assassinated after being overthrown with help from Washington. A sinister episode that Larry Devlin, the 'Mr. Congo' of the CIA from 1960 …

WSWS (2021-01-18). Free COVID-19 whistleblower Rebekah Jones! wsws.org Jones is being prosecuted by the state of Florida for exposing its effort to cover up cases of COVID-19 and opposing the state's policy of prematurely reopening schools.

Christian Kliver and Nils Melzer (2021-01-18). Mr. Assange never published false information. indybay.org Mr. Assange did not hack or steal any of the information he released. Whether we may agree or disagree with his publications, they can in no way be considered a crime. Prosecuting Mr. Assange would amount to "shooting the ambassador" rather than correcting the problem he exposed.

WSWS (2021-01-18). Australian workers and youth demand freedom for Julian Assange. wsws.org "It has to be a grassroots movement from below to save Assange. A mass movement or mass support for him, rather than trying to appeal to the goodness of Australian politicians' hearts."