Taxing Financial Transactions Is More Strategic Than Taxing High Wealth
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-10-07
| Presidential candidate Joe Biden is considering to propose a financial transactions tax as part of his campaign for the Democratic nomination, according to a recent report from the Washington Post. This is big news for those of us who have long advocated such a tax. | Bernie Sanders has taken the lead on this issue among presidential candi…
truthout.org/articles/taxing-financial-transactions-is-more-strategic-than-taxing-high-wealth/

Sanders Unveils Plan to Get Corporate Money Out of Politics
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-10-07
| Holding up the small-donor campaign model his campaign has revolutionized as proof alternatives exist, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday unveiled an ambitious new plan to get "corporate money out of politics." | The Sanders plan aims to end the corrupting influence of dark money by dramatically curbing the ability of corporations to dominate giving to political parties, replacing the Federal Election Commission with a new enforcement agency, establishing public funding for all federal elections, and pushin…
truthout.org/articles/sanders-unveils-plan-to-get-corporate-money-out-of-politics/

We've Waited Too Long for Corporations to Fix the CEO Pay Problem on Their Own
Sarah Anderson | counterpunch.org | 2019-10-07
I went on CNBC's Squawk Box this week to talk about a new proposal from Senator Bernie Sanders to put tax penalties on corporations with extreme gaps between their CEO and worker pay. This is an issue I've been working on for many years. In fact, a dozen years ago, in August 2007, I had…
counterpunch.org/2019/10/07/weve-waited-too-long-for-corporations-to-fix-the-ceo-pay-problem-on-their-own/

Bernie Sanders Has a Plan to Remove Corporate Money From Politics
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-10-07
Holding up the small-donor campaign model his campaign has revolutionized as proof alternatives exist, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday unveiled an ambitious new plan to get "corporate money out of politics." | The Sanders plan aims to end the corrupting influence of dark money by dramatically curbing the ability of corporations to dominate giving to political parties, replacing the Federal Election Commission with a new enforcement agency, establishing public funding for all federal elections, and pushing for a Constitutional Amendment that makes clear that "money is not speech and corporations are not people." | T…
truthdig.com/articles/bernie-sanders-has-a-plan-to-remove-corporate-money-from-politics/

Why Wall Street red-baits Bernie Sanders
Rick Nagin | peoplesworld.org | 2019-10-07
As the world dominance of U.S. imperialism fades and the social fabric of American capitalism disintegrates, Wall Street is beset with persistent nightmares and, as proclaimed in Marx's Manifesto, continually haunted by the specter of communism. Its mouthpiece, The Wall Street Journal, tries to beat back the growing support for socialism by red-baiting people like …
peoplesworld.org/article/why-wall-street-red-baits-bernie-sanders/

Why Are Americans So Confused About the Meaning of "Democratic Socialism"?
Lawrence Wittner | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-10-07
The meaning of democratic socialism‚Äïa mixture of political and economic democracy‚Äïshould be no mystery to Americans. After all, socialist programs have been adopted in most other democratic nations. And, in fact, Americans appear happy enough with a wide range of democratic socialist institutions in the United States, including public schools, public parks, minimum wage laws, Social Security, …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/10/why-are-americans-so-confused-about-the-meaning-of-democratic-socialism/

Trump's Syria Withdrawal Announcement Draws GOP Condemnation
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-10-07
Sen. Lindsey Graham calls it "a disaster"; other Republicans express deep concerns, and Syria's Kurds accuse the U.S. of turning its back on allies.
truthdig.com/articles/trumps-syria-withdrawal-announcement-draws-gop-condemnation/

The political giving history of Trump's Ukraine diplomats
Karl Evers-Hillstrom and Yue Stella Yu | nationofchange.org | 2019-10-07
A series of text messages between U.S. diplomats released Thursday night reveals an apparent effort to pressure Ukraine into performing an investigation that could prove harmful to President Donald Trump's potential 2020 opponent. | One of the diplomats involved has a lengthy history as a Republican donor, while another performed lobbying work for foreign clients and a major defense company. | In the exchanges, acting ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor asked Gordon Sondland, ambassador to the European Union, if U.S. secur…
nationofchange.org/2019/10/07/the-political-giving-history-of-trumps-ukraine-diplomats/

Ukrainegate goes to Pentagon: House Democrats subpoena DoD & OMB as part of Trump impeachment probe
rt.com | 2019-10-07
Seeking to impeach President Donald Trump over allegedly using military aid to pressure Ukraine, House Democrats are demanding documents from the Pentagon and the Office of Management and Budget. | Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees of the US House of Representatives have sent out subpoenas, giving the Pentagon and the OMB a week to produce documents related to Trump's decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine. The deadline for compliance is October 15. | Trump "jeopardized national security by pressing Ukraine to interfere with our 2020 election and by withholding military assistance prov…
rt.com/usa/470382-house-subpoena-pentagon-omb-impeachment/

The Dem-CIA Impeachment. Remove Trump from the Oval Office
Renee Parsons | globalresearch.ca | 2019-10-07
It has been more than fascinating if not totally absorbing to watch the chain of events unfold over recent days with the Democrats in open cahoots with the CIA. Their joint goal is to remove the implacable Donald Trump from …
globalresearch.ca/dem-cia-impeachment/5691253

US impeachment campaign escalates with claim of second whistleblower
wsws.org | 2019-10-07
The Democratic Party continues to draw support from the intelligence agencies for its anti-Trump effort.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/07/trum-o07.html

Ofcom to address the BBC's 'lack of transparency' in Naga Munchetty rulings
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-10-07
Ofcom will address the BBC's "lack of transparency as a matter of urgency" for failing to publish its reasoning for its initial decision over Naga Munchetty, and the Director-General's move to reverse it. | The BBC's executive complaints unit (ECU) last month ruled that BBC Breakfast presenter Munchetty breached editorial guidelines when she remarked on comments made by US president Donald Trump telling female Democrats to "go back" to where they came from. | The ruling was overturned last week by D-G Tony Hall following a large public backlash. | However, Ofcom has said that, following its own assessment, the Ju…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2019/10/07/ofcom-to-address-the-bbcs-lack-of-transparency-in-naga-munchetty-rulings/

Biden Benefit Picketed by AFSCME3299 At Senator Feinstein & UC Regent Blum's House
Labor Video Project | indybay.org | 2019-10-07
UC AFSCME 3299 workers protested a benefit for Joe Biden at the mansion of UC Regent Richard Blum and Senator Diane Feinstein. The tickets cost $1 thousand plus.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/10/04/18827050.php

Trump Is Still Riding Herd Over the GOP
Jeet Heer | thenation.com | 2019-10-07
Trump Is Still Riding Herd Over the GOP…
thenation.com/article/trump-ukraine-republican/

Socialists Win in Portugal in Rebuke to Far-Right Populism
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-10-07
The center-right Social Democratic Party had its worst result in over three decades. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/socialists-win-portugal-2019.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2019/10/07/socialists-win-portugal-rebuke-far-right-populism?cd-origin=rss

"We Have to Mass Mobilize": Laverne Cox & Chase Strangio Sound the Alarm on Major LGBTQ SCOTUS Cases
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-07
At the start of its new term, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday in three cases to determine whether LGBTQ people can be fired from their jobs due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employers cannot discriminate against employees on the basis of sex, as well as race, color, national origin and religion, but the Trump administration claims the law does not cover discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The cases mark the first time the Supreme Court will rule on LGBTQ rights since conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh re…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/7/trans_rights_us_supreme_court_hearings

"A Shakespearean Act of Betrayal": Trump Agrees to Let Turkey Invade Kurdish-Controlled Syrian Area
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-07
U.S. troops have begun withdrawing from northeast Syria as Turkey prepares to invade Kurdish-controlled areas of the country. For years, the Kurds have been close allies to the United States in the fight against ISIS. On Sunday, however, the White House released a statement that surprised many in the region, announcing that Turkey would be "moving forward with its long-planned operation in Northern Syria," following a phone call between President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in that operation, and the United States forces, having…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/7/syria_us_troops_withdrawal_turkey_invasion

"A Backlash Against Our Existence": Laverne Cox Speaks Out on Violence Against Trans Women of Color
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-07
At least 19 transgender people have been killed in the United States in 2019 — most of them trans women of color. Last year, there were at least 26 killings of transgender people. The American Medical Association has declared the wave of violence an "epidemic." Laverne Cox, the award-winning transgender actress and longtime trans rights activist, says such violence has long been part of the lives of trans people. "For my entire life as a trans woman, for 21 years, I have been hearing about, witnessing, going to memorials [and] going to Trans Days of Remembrance," she says. Cox says the violence reflects a s…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/7/laverne_cox_violence_trans_women_of

The Movement Bernie Started Is Bigger Than Any One Person. Have Faith in That Movement, Not Just the Man
Emily Kirklin | commondreams.org | 2019-10-06
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, pumps his fist in the air toward supporters as he arrives to speak during a campaign rally at Civic Center Park on September 9, 2019 in Denver. (Photo: Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/bernie_sanders_9.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2019/10/06/movement-bernie-started-bigger-any-one-person-have-faith-movement-not-just-man?cd-origin=rss

A Poor Perspective on the UBI
Andrew M. Johnson | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-10-06
Of late there has been a lot of ink spilled over the idea of a Universal Basic Income (UBI). Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang has made it the center of his campaign. Before going too far, it should be noted that there are legitimate questions to be answered with such a revolutionary proposal and many …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/10/a-poor-perspective-on-the-ubi/

2nd Whistleblower in Trump-Ukraine Scandal Comes Forward
telesurenglish.net | 2019-10-06
A second whistleblower has come forward with first-hand knowledge of United States President Donald Trump's attempts to get his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate political rival Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, lawyers for the intelligence official informed Sunday. | RELATED: | More Than Half in US Approve of Trump Impeachment Inquiry: Poll…
telesurenglish.net/news/2nd-Whistleblower-in-Trump-Ukraine-Scandal-Comes-Forward-20191006-0010.html

'Biden family was PAID OFF, pure and simple!' Trump in latest rant over Ukrainegate
rt.com | 2019-10-06
Attacking the Bidens, the Democrats and the "fake news" media in one powerful swipe, President Donald Trump has fired a volley of trademark Sunday tweets, calling Joe and Hunter Biden's involvement in Ukraine "inexcusable." | "It is INCREDIBLE to watch and read the Fake News and how they pull out all stops to protect Sleepy Joe Biden and his thrown out of the Military son, Hunter," Trump started out, before launching into a Twitterstorm of seemingly damning facts about the Bidens, Ukraine and China. | He brought up Hunter's "$100,000 a month (Plus,Plus)" income from the Ukrainian gas company Burisma "even thou…
rt.com/usa/470336-trump-biden-family-paid-off/

2nd whistleblower 'comes forward' with more Ukrainegate 'proof' in Trump impeachment saga — report
rt.com | 2019-10-06
The lawyer representing a whistleblower, whose complaint fueled the Democrats' attempt to impeach Trump for "pressuring" Ukraine, said that a second intelligence officer with "first-hand knowledge" of allegations has spoken up. | Attorney Mark Zaid told ABC News that he is now representing the second whistleblower, who had already been interviewed by Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Michael Atkinson. | Earlier, the New York Times reported that a second person may come forward and testify about the case, but it was not immediately clear whether Zaid's new client is the same person. | Zaid told me…
rt.com/usa/470319-second-whistleblower-trump-impeachment/

'This Is Not What Democracy Looks Like': Outrage as London Police Use Battering Ram to Raid Extinction Rebellion Building
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-10-06
"These tactics are very questionable and are arguably infringing on our rights to peaceful protest, and indeed our efforts to preserve people's right to life." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/extinction_rebellion_raid.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2019/10/06/not-what-democracy-looks-outrage-london-police-use-battering-ram-raid-extinction?cd-origin=rss

Bernie Sanders says feeling 'great' after doctors confirm 78yo senator suffered heart attack
rt.com | 2019-10-05
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack before his admission into the hospital this week, his campaign and doctors have confirmed, but the Democratic presidential contender said he will remain in the 2020 race. | The senator, 78, had a "myocardial infarction" — the medical term for a heart attack — before his hospital visit in Las Vegas on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by doctors through Sanders' campaign. | After leaving the Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center on Friday, Sanders said he felt "great," and took to Twitter to confirm that he would continue campaigning for t…
rt.com/usa/470234-bernie-sanders-heart-attack/

North Korea Breaks off Nuclear Talks With US in Sweden
telesurenglish.net | 2019-10-05
North Korea's top negotiator said late on Saturday that working-level nuclear talks in Sweden between officials from Pyongyang and Washington had broken off, dashing prospects for an end to months of stalemate. | RELATED: | North Korea Fires Submarine Missile in Show of Strength | The North's chief nuclear negotiator, Kim Myong Gil, who spent much of the day in talks with an American delegation, cast the blame on what he portrayed as U.S. inflexibility, saying the other side's negotia…
telesurenglish.net/news/North-Korea-Breaks-off-Nuclear-Talks-With-US-in-Sweden-20191005-0008.html

White supremacist Coast Guard officer pleads guilty to drug and weapons charges
wsws.org | 2019-10-05
A list of potential targets found on Paul Hasson's computer included the Democratic Party politicians and media figures routinely attacked by President Donald Trump and his supporters.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/05/coas-o05.html

Trump continues to defy Democrats' impeachment inquiry
wsws.org | 2019-10-05
On Friday, President Donald Trump stepped up his defiance of the impeachment inquiry launched by the Democrats with the support of the intelligence agencies.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/05/trum-o05.html

Corbyn vows to 'restore dignity to people's lives' by scrapping Universal Credit
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-10-05
Jeremy Corbyn has vowed to restore "dignity to people's lives" by scrapping Universal Credit, during a pre-election rally which roused his loyal supporters.Speaking in front of 2,000 people in Newcastle, he said Labour would restore the social security system and replace the current controversial benefits scheme — which he said was "cruel and unfair".He also outlined plans to make football more democratic, with more funds from the Premier League elite being used to support the grass roots level of the game. | We're in Newcastle, coming together, united and determined to build a country which works for the ma…
thecanary.co/breaking-news/2019/10/05/corbyn-vows-to-restore-dignity-to-peoples-lives-by-scrapping-universal-credit/

Ecuadorian government arrests hundreds and deploys military against nationwide strike
wsws.org | 2019-10-05
The Moreno government has responded to protests triggered by a massive gas price hike by imposing a national state of exception for 60 days, involving the deployment of the military against demonstrators and the suspension of democratic rights.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/05/ecua-o05.html

Turkey Will Launch Operation Against Kurdish Forces: Erdogan
telesurenglish.net | 2019-10-05
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that the Turkish Armed Forces are prepared to launch a new military operation against the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria. | RELATED: | UN's Guterres Announces Syria Constitutional Committee | In a new statement, Erdogan said the Turkish Armed Forces will be mounting a military operation in northeastern Syria, as he blamed the U.S. of not doing enough to expel the Kurdish-led forces along the border.
telesurenglish.net/news/Turkey-Will-Launch-Operation-Against-Kurdish-Forces-Erdogan-20191005-0005.html

Hong Kong's chief executive invokes emergency law against protest movement
wsws.org | 2019-10-05
The use of this British colonial era law is a warning that the ruling class in the Hong Kong and Beijing are preparing to suppress the months-long demonstrations for basic democratic rights.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/05/hong-o05.html

'Shifty Schiff' an anti-semitic slur?! The latest fabricated racism scandal targeting Trump
rt.com | 2019-10-05
Democrats have called President Donald Trump every synonym for "racist" in the book. But if you assume Trump's insults — calling his rivals "shifty," and "savages" — are coded references to Jews, doesn't that make you the racist? | With Adam Schiff leading an impeachment drive against him, Trump has made no secret of his animosity towards the California Democrat, calling him a "shifty," "lowlife" who should be "questioned at the highest level for Fraud & Treason." The president has also turned his anger on fellow impeachment Democrat Jerry Nadler (D-New York) and socialist New York Congresswoman Al…
rt.com/usa/470290-trump-schiff-anti-semitic/

Impeachment, Brought to You by the CIA
Rob Urie | counterpunch.org | 2019-10-04
For the first time in half a century, the political left in the U.S. is ascendant. Bernie Sanders is holding his own in the primaries. A group of well-considered programs to save the environment and provide good jobs and health care for all is gaining political traction. And the need is dire. The climate is warming, the seas are polluted and fished out and industrial agriculture threatens to end life on the planet. So, it's time to change the subject?
counterpunch.org/2019/10/04/impeachment-brought-to-you-by-the-cia/

Shot down? Testimony by Trump's Ukraine envoy seems to skewer Democrats' impeachment narrative
rt.com | 2019-10-04
Another transcript has poked a hole in the narrative of House Democrats trying to impeach President Donald Trump, as former US special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker testified he never pushed Kiev for 'dirt' on former VP Joe Biden. | Volker was grilled for nine hours in a closed-doors session of the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence, and Oversight committees on Thursday. Democrats on the committees claimed that he was instrumental in pushing the Ukrainian government to reopen a corruption investigation into Joe Biden's son Hunter's business dealings in Ukraine. | House Intelligence chair Adam Schiff (D-Califor…
rt.com/usa/470228-volker-testimony-transcript-released/

Bernie: Keep Fighting On
Eric Mann | counterpunch.org | 2019-10-04
Senator Sanders. Sorry to hear about your heart surgery but it will make you stronger. We can't let your opponents seize on this and imply that it proves something about your age or your heart. You have more heart than most of the dead-people-walking Democratic pretenders. A stent is a commonly used procedure to open…
counterpunch.org/2019/10/04/bernie-keep-fighting-on/

The Ukraine affair is damning, all right — just not in the way you're being told to think
rt.com | 2019-10-04
Democrats say texts and transcripts involving US officials dealing with Ukraine prove President Donald Trump should be impeached. What they actually confirm, however, is the extent to which the US treats Ukraine as a vassal. | At the heart of the latest media firestorm are the text messages between US diplomats and Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. House Democrats seeking to impeach Trump have already sent a subpoena to the White House seeking more documents, and their allies in the media have proclaimed the texts to be "damning." | Much of the brouhaha centers on messages from Bill Taylor, charge d'af…
rt.com/usa/470232-ukraine-texts-volker-impeachment/

As impeachment fever grips Washington, Ukraine reopens Biden probe following Trump's demands
rt.com | 2019-10-04
As Democrats clamor to impeach President Donald Trump for allegedly pressuring Ukraine into probing the Biden family, Kiev's top prosecutor announced that he will reopen the investigation. | Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Ryaboshapka announced on Friday that he will review 15 high-profile corruption cases. Among them is an investigation into the owner of energy firm Burisma, which paid former vice president Joe Biden's son Hunter $50,000 per month to sit on its board for five years, despite his lack of qualifications in the field. | President Trump believes that Joe Biden wielded his political influence t…
rt.com/usa/470209-ukraine-opens-biden-investigation/

No Development Without the Politics of Mass Mobilization and Demilitarization in Kashmir
Nyla Ali Khan | counterpunch.org | 2019-10-04
Amidst that pandemonium of 1947, Jammu and Kashmir was the first state in the newly freed Indian subcontinent to have its own written constitutional plan. The constitution guaranteed enfranchisement of all adult citizens, men and women, and took particular care to protect the dignity and religious freedoms of minorities. The admirable egalitarian and democratic quality…
counterpunch.org/2019/10/04/no-development-without-the-politics-of-mass-mobilization-and-demilitarization-in-kashmir/

UN highlights milestone of 1,000 Ebola survivors in DR Congo amid complex environment of conflict and mistrust
United Nations | un.org | 2019-10-04
One thousand people have survived the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): a testament to the strong leadership of the Congolese health authorities combined with the tireless efforts of thousands of local health workers and partners, United Nations agencies said on Friday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/10/1048562

Echoing Trump, Russian TV Casts Joe Biden and Kurt Volker as Villains of Ukraine Saga
Robert Mackey | theintercept.com | 2019-10-04
Russian television coverage of the unfolding scandal over Ukraine, which has focused on promoting smears against Joe Biden, has been fervently pro-Trump.
theintercept.com/2019/10/04/russian-state-tv-echoing-fox-news-calls-biden-villain-ukraine-giuliani-hero/

From Trump to Nixon: "Watergate" Film Explains "How We Learned to Stop an Out of Control President"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-04
President Donald Trump called openly Thursday for the leaders of Ukraine and China to investigate Trump's campaign rival Joe Biden and Biden's son Hunter for corruption. Trump's explicit remarks during a press conference came as leaders of the Democratic-led House pushed ahead rapidly with their impeachment investigation. President Trump is just the fourth U.S. president to face a formal impeachment inquiry, joining Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. We spend the hour looking at back at the Watergate scandal, which led to Nixon's resignation in 1974 and is the focus of a documentary titled "Watergate…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/4/charles_ferguson_interview_watergate_impeachment

Climate Change, Migration, and Militarization in Arizona's Borderlands
Ryan Devereaux | theintercept.com | 2019-10-03
Imagine a sensation akin to sticking your face in a furnace, except the furnace is everywhere and you are walking through it. The air is not just hot. It actually burns against your eyeballs. Every step you take is met with a hidden conspiracy of loose rocks, barbed plants, and poisonous animals. You can't touch anything. Your body's internal alarm system blinks red. If you stop moving for any significant amount of time, you die. Even if you keep moving, you might also die. In fact, the heat is already killing you. | This is not some future hellscape. It was the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, along the U.S.
theintercept.com/2019/10/03/climate-change-migration-militarization-arizona/

HELP FAIR: Want a Better World? Fight for Better Media
fair.org | 2019-10-03
Dear FAIRites, FAIR holds firm to its belief that documenting and challenging corporate media is critically important to maintaining democratic values. The news industry's use of government officials, unnamed sources and right-wing think tank "experts" to distort the news needs to always be called out–now is not the time to let up on media activism. …
fair.org/home/help-fair-want-a-better-world-fight-for-better-media/

As Man Dies in ICE Custody, California Moves to Ban For-Profit Prisons, Including Immigrant Jails
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-03
A Cameroonian immigrant died this week in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in California. The man, identified as 37-year-old Nebane Abienwi, died on Tuesday after suffering a brain hemorrhage. This comes as California lawmakers passed a bill last month that would ban private prisons statewide, a major blow to the for-profit prison industry in the U.S. that is deeply entangled in immigration detention. The legislation also orders the closure of four ICE prisons that can jail up to 4,500 immigrants. The bill is currently awaiting the signature of Governor Gavin Newsom, who said in his January…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/3/california_private_prisons_bill_immigration_detention

"Nothing Ends Homelessness Like a Home": Advocates Slam Trump's Attack on SF & Homeless People
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-03
President Trump is continuing an all-out attack on San Francisco's homeless population and political leaders. On Wednesday, the Trump administration filed an environmental notice of violation against San Francisco, falsely claiming that the city's homelessness crisis has caused water pollution. City officials have repeatedly rejected Trump's unfounded claims that homelessness is connected to water quality. California is home to 12% of the country's population but half of the country's unsheltered homeless people. President Trump has been pushing for a crackdown on the crisis for weeks and threatened to destroy ho…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/3/homelessness_california_trump_attacks_water_quality

Trump vs. California: In Blow to Climate, U.S. Revokes State's Stricter Auto Emissions Standards
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-03
California is in a legal battle with the Trump administration over tailpipe emissions, air quality and climate change. California recently joined nearly two dozen other states to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration after it revoked the state's air pollution standards for cars and light trucks, in its latest regulatory rollback of laws aimed at slowing the climate crisis. Auto emissions are California's single largest source of greenhouse gases. From Los Angeles, we're joined by Mary Nichols, the longtime chair of the California Air Resources Board. She has led the board in crafting California's intern…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/3/trump_admin_california_climate_policies

A Third of Voters Who Oppose Impeachment Are Worried About Backlash for Democrats, New Poll Suggests
Aída Chávez | theintercept.com | 2019-10-02
Last week, after the revelation of a phone call with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. But many of the details are yet to be sorted out: Which of the six investigations into Trump currently being conducted by House committees should impeachment include? And will impeachment proceedings, which are likely to pass the House but fail in the Republican-held Senate, end up backfiring on the Democrats? | A new YouGov Blue poll for the Progressive Change Institute, the nonprofit polling arm of the Progressive Chang…
theintercept.com/2019/10/02/impeachment-poll-democrats/

Botham Jean Family's Lawyer Hails White Cop's Murder Conviction as "Precedent-Setting Case"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-02
A white off-duty police officer who shot and killed a 26-year-old black man in his own home in Dallas in 2018 was convicted of murder on Tuesday. The officer, Amber Guyger, entered Botham Jean's apartment, mistaking it for her own, and shot and killed him. Jean's apartment was located one floor below Guyger's in the building. She claimed during trial to have believed Jean was an intruder. Guyger is the first Dallas police officer to be convicted of murder since the 1970s, according to The Dallas Morning News. For more on the case, we speak with Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the family of Botham Jean. He says th…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/2/botham_jean_murder_conviction_for_white

"Impunity & Corruption": Haiti Protesters Demand President MoàØse's Resignation Amid Failing Economy
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-02
In Haiti, massive anti-government protests calling for the resignation of U.S.-backed President Jovenel MoàØse continue to escalate. The worsening economic crisis, a shortage of fuel and food, and corruption allegations against MoàØse have sent protesters to the streets on and off for over a year. Hundreds demonstrated in the capital Port-au-Prince Monday, and another protest is scheduled for today. Much of Port-au-Prince has been on lockdown for the past two weeks, and at least four people have been killed in recent days after Haitian police opened fire on protesters, using live ammunition and tear…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/2/haiti_protests_moise_resignation_jacqueline_charles

Hong Kong Youth Face Military Crackdown While Fighting "One of the Most Unequal Societies Anywhere"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-02
China held its largest military parades ever in Beijing this week to mark 70 years of Communist rule. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, police escalated violence Tuesday by firing live ammunition at demonstrators for the first time in the months-long protests. In a widely viewed video posted online, a riot police officer is seen firing his gun into the chest of 18-year-old protester Tsang Chi-kin. The teenager is reportedly in stable condition. Police also fired tear gas and water cannons, while protesters were seen throwing Molotov cocktails. Ninety-six protesters were arrested on Tuesday on rioting charges.‚&Auml…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/2/hong_kong_protests_chinese_militarization

Newark Water Crisis: Mayor Ras Baraka Responds to Critics & Promises City Is Working on Solution
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-01
Newark, New Jersey, city officials recently announced thousands of water filters handed out to residents have significantly reduced lead in drinking water to safe levels. Lead contamination has plagued the city for years, spiking even higher in 2019. Over the summer, the Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit against Newark, accusing it of violating federal safe drinking water laws. The crisis came to a head last month following revelations that water filters distributed to residents may not have been effective. Meanwhile, New Jersey officials have signed off on a $120 million bond with Essex County to…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/1/newark_water_crisis_mayor_baraka

To Impeach or Not to Impeach? Chris Hedges & John Bonifaz Debate What Congress Should Do Next
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-10-01
House Democrats subpoenaed President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani Monday, seeking documents related to his work in Ukraine. Last week, Guliani admitted on television that he had urged the Ukrainian government to investigate Trump's political rival and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. This comes as House Democrats continue to build their case for impeaching the president, following a whistleblower complaint focused on a phone call in which Trump asked the Ukranian president to do him a "favor" investigating the actions of Democrats, including Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Meanwhile, Trump…
www.democracynow.org/2019/10/1/trump_impeachment_inquiry_debate

Reports on China 'organ harvesting' derive from front groups of far-right cult Falun Gong
Ryan McCarthy | thegrayzone.com | 2019-09-30
A wave of corporate media reports on Chinese organ harvesting rely without acknowledgement on front groups connected to the far-right…
thegrayzone.com/2019/09/30/reports-china-organ-harvesting-cult-falun-gong/

Lancaster, PA march demands right to healthcare in the face of hospital closure, corporate profiteering
Ryan Gebhardt | liberationnews.org | 2019-09-30
Community members in Lancaster, Pennsylvania came into the streets on September 21 to march in the heat for the right to quality healthcare.
liberationnews.org/lancaster-pa-march-demands-right-to-healthcare-in-the-face-of-hospital-closure-corporate-profiteering/

In Media Newspeak, a 'Peace Plan' for Israel/Palestine Is Anything US Proposes
Joshua Cho | fair.org | 2019-09-30
Prior to the elections in Israel/Palestine in September–marred by blatant racism posturing as the "democratic process," with millions of Palestinians living under varying degrees of Israeli rule unable to vote due to their ethnicity–Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu generated headlines for repeatedly pledging to annex nearly a third of the illegally occupied West Ba…
fair.org/home/in-media-newspeak-a-peace-plan-for-israel-palestine-is-anything-us-proposes/

Snowden Reveals How He Secretly Exposed NSA Criminal Wrongdoing Without Getting Arrested
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-30
Edward Snowden talks about his decision to leak documents to journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras rather than WikiLeaks, and the issues with the U.S. government's response to whistleblower disclosures. His recently published memoir, "Permanent Record," tells the story of his decision to expose the system of mass surveillance. "I think it's so obvious that no harm to national security has resulted from this process of disclosure. And yet, the same criticisms, the same allegations are made to me as have been every other whistleblower," Snowden says. "What we need to understand here is not my model of publi…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/30/whistleblower_edward_snowden_permanent_record_nsa

Headlines for September 30, 2019
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-30
Facing Threats from Trump, Anonymous Whistleblower to Testify on Capitol Hill, Trump Warns Impeachment Could Lead to Civil War, Calls Critics "Savages", Pompeo Subpoenaed over Ukraine; Trump Envoy for Ukraine Resigns, More Than 2 Million Take Part in Global Climate Strike, Nearly 70 Arrested at New Hampshire Coal Plant Protest, Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration Effort to Indefinitely Detain Migrant Children, Low Turnout Reported on Election Day in Afghanistan, Egyptian Dissident Alaa Abd El-Fattah Arrested Amid Growing Crackdown, Houthis Claim to Have Killed 500 Saudi Soldiers in August Attack, El País: S…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/30/headlines

Edward Snowden: Private Contractors Play Key Role in U.S. Intelligence's "Creeping Authoritarianism"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-30
As a whistleblower complaint against President Trump rocks Washington, Democrats begin an impeachment inquiry and Trump threatens "big consequences" for the person who came forward, we continue our conversation with one of the world's most famous whistleblowers: Edward Snowden, now in exile in Russia. Six years ago, he shocked the world when he leaked a trove of secret documents about how the United States had built a massive surveillance apparatus to collect every single phone call, text message and email, and pry into the private lives of every person on Earth. He has just published a memoir titled "Permanent R…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/30/edward_snowden_us_surveillance_corporate_america

Whistleblower Edward Snowden on Trump, Obama & How He Ended Up in Russia to Avoid U.S. Extradition
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-30
We conclude our interview with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, who has just published his memoir titled "Permanent Record." In 2013, after quitting his job at the NSA, Snowden attempted to fly from Hong Kong to Latin America in order to avoid being extradited to the United States. But the U.S. revoked his passport when he stopped through Russia, effectively stranding him there. Snowden has lived as an exile in Moscow ever since. He tells us his story.
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/30/how_edward_snowden_avoided_extradition_to

SDS strengthens at 14th annual national convention
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-09-29
Jacksonville, FL — On September 20, New Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) chapters from across the United States convened at the University of North Florida to reaffirm their commitment to student organizing and to discuss ways to, "Stop Trump, Stop Racism, Stop U.S. Military and Police Terror." The conference peaked at over 80 students with a dozen chapters represented. | Speeches and applause rang through the halls all weekend. Students opened the conference chanting, "Dare to struggle, dare to win!" The conference ended with, "It is our duty to fight for each other, it is our duty to win!" | On Sat…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/9/29/sds-strengthens-14th-annual-national-convention

James Risen: I Wrote About the Bidens and Ukraine in 2015. The Right-Wing Media Twisted My Reporting
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-27
Democrats are coalescing behind an effort to impeach President Trump over his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which he pressed the Ukrainian leader to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Meanwhile, Republicans have latched onto the Biden-Ukraine story as a means of smearing the former vice president as corrupt, in an attempt to damage one of Trump's political rivals. For more on the story, we speak with James Risen, senior national security correspondent for The Intercept, who first wrote about the Bidens and Ukraine in 2015, when he was a reporter for The New York Times. He says the "r…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/27/ukraine_president_biden_investigation

Headlines for September 27, 2019
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-27
Whistleblower Warned White House Tried to "Lock Down" Ukraine Call Details, Acting DNI Maguire Says Whistleblower "Acted in Good Faith", Trump Suggests Whistleblower Should Get Death Sentence for Treason, Global Youth-Led Strikes Demand Action on Climate Crisis, Study Finds Climate Crisis May Threaten 60% of World's Wheat Crop by 2100, States Challenge Trump's Rollback of Endangered Species Act, Senate Advances Confirmation of Ex-Monsanto Executive to Lead Wildlife Agency, EPA Chief Blames California's Homeless Population for Poor Water Quality, Protesters Defy Security Crackdown in Egypt, Demanding Ouster of Pre…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/27/headlines

James Risen: Whistleblower Complaint Shows "Trump Is a Habitual Criminal" Abusing His Office
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-27
Democrats are ramping up efforts to impeach President Trump for pressing the president of Ukraine to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Nearly 90% of House Democrats now support impeachment. On Thursday, a declassified version of a complaint by an anonymous whistleblower was released, detailing his concerns about Trump's July phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky. In the complaint, the unnamed whistleblower — who has been identified as a CIA official — accused the president of "using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 202…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/27/trump_impeachment_inquiry_james_risen

Over 2,000 Arrested in Egypt in Growing Protests Against Sisi, Trump's "Favorite Dictator"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-27
Demonstrations continued in Egypt Friday, with thousands taking to the streets to demand the resignation of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi over accusations of corruption. Nearly 2,000 people have been arrested over the past week amid protests in Cairo and other cities. The demonstrations were triggered by social media posts by a former army contractor accusing Sisi and other officials of misusing public money. Anti-government protests are rare in Egypt as they've been effectively banned since Sisi came to power following the 2013 overthrow of former President Mohamed Morsi and launched a widespread crackdown on d…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/27/egypt_protests_sharif_abdel_kouddous

New Season of Amazon's Jack Ryan Focused on Venezuela Denounced as 'Over-the-Top and Ridiculous' US Propaganda
Eoin Higgins, Common Dreams | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-09-08
The upcoming season of Amazon's Jack Ryan could have been scripted by John Bolton.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14650