Monthly Archives: August 2019

2019-08-31: News Headlines

Glen Ford (2019-08-31). Is Warren talented enough to betray the people as masterfully as Obama? mronline.org Elizabeth Warren is seen as a counter Bernie Sanders, but she will melt (like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris) if she stops raising Democrats' expectations to bust corporate power. | Source

Staff (2019-08-31). Why Are Hong Kong Protesters Asking Trump for Help? therealnews.com Journalist Ilaria Maria Sala discusses the arrest and release of demonstration "leaders," the history of Hong Kong's struggle for democracy, American involvement in the protests, and the complexity of the current movement…

Staff (2019-08-31). Hong Kong Police Storm Subway With Batons Amid Fiery Protests. truthdig.com HONG KONG—Protesters in Hong Kong threw gasoline bombs at government headquarters and set fires in the streets on Saturday, while police stormed a subway car and hit passengers with batons and pepper spray in scenes that seem certain to inflame tensions further in a city riven by nearly three months of pro-democracy demonstrations. | Police had denied permission for a march to mark the fifth anniversary of a decision by China against fully democratic elections in Hong Kong, but protesters took to the streets anyway, as they have all summer. They provoked and obstructed the police repeatedly but generally re…

Ed Sykes (2019-08-31). Bernie Sanders nails the vileness of Republican and Democratic elites in just one tweet. thecanary.co On 30 August, US presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders nailed the big problem with both Republicans and establishment Democrats. And he did it in just one tweet: | If the environment were a bank it would have been saved already. | — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) August 30, 2019 | Remember when Bush and Obama used taxpayers' money to bail out the banks, but not ordin…

teleSUR (2019-08-31). U.S. Presidential Hopeful Bernie Sanders Backs Lula's Freedom. telesurenglish.net The United States democrat presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders made statements in favor of Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva release during a political rally held in Florence, South Carolina, on August 30. | RELATED: | Brazil Supreme Court Judge Says Lula Deserves Retrial | At the event stage designated to answer questions from the audience, a young man asked the Democrat senator on his opinion regarding the emergence of far-right governments around the world. | One o…

Justin Mikulka (2019-08-31). Bernie Sanders' plan to phase out nuclear power draws attacks — here's why they're wrong. nationofchange.org Attacks on the Sanders' climate plan appear to have less to do with the ongoing viability of nuclear power as a legitimate climate solution and more to do with an ongoing effort to convince the public to subsidize another unsuccessful sector of the energy industry.

John Atcheson (2019-08-31). Neoliberals' Attack on Sanders' GND Plan Is a Clear and Present Danger. commondreams.org Last week Bernie Sanders released his version of the Green New Deal—a $16.3 trillion 10-year plan to get down to zero carbon in the power industry and in transportation. Right on schedule, the neoliberal establishment pounced on it as "too expensive," not "realistic" and not "prudent."

Norman Solomon (2019-08-31). The Primary Contradiction: Corporate Power vs. Progressive Populism. indybay.org Political investors worry about Biden…

Stephen Lendman (2019-08-31). GOP Hardliners Want China Sanctioned. globalresearch.ca Time and again, the US, its key NATO allies and Israel blame their victims for wrongdoing committed against them. | According to the Daily Beast, Republicans are pushing for sanctions on China over how Hong Kong authorities are handling months …

Anya Parampil (2019-08-31). Hausmann hypocrisy: Guaido coup official raked in dollars from dictators and banking behemoths while promoting 'democracy' for Venezuela. thegrayzone.com Ricardo Hausmann slammed banks for doing business with Venezuela's elected government. But financial disclosure forms filed with Harvard show the…

Khubaka, Michael Harris (2019-08-31). 2019 Folsom Community Service Day ~ 170th Anniversary of the Gold Rush Town, Negro Bar, CA. indybay.org Together, we are poised for a special 170th Anniversary of Negro Bar, Sacramento County by utilizing both private and public resources to forever preserve and interpret our unique contributions to the forward flow of humanity.

Juan Cole (2019-08-31). As Hurricane Dorian Threatens Florida, Gov. DeSantis & Trump—Who Haven't Curbed CO2 Emissions—Should Resign. commondreams.org Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, " is doing nothing practical about the state's carbon dioxide emissions, which are what cause sea level rise and warming oceans and monster hurricanes." (Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/25303733820_138e65082d_o11.jpg

United Nations (2019-08-31). UN chief and senior officials show solidarity with DR Congo during three-day visit. un.org United Nations chief António Guterres and senior members of the UN, have embarked on a three-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where civilians are facing insecurity and ongoing health crises, including a year-long Ebola epidemic which has claimed more than 2,000 lives.

WSWS (2019-08-31). Home video security systems increasingly linked to US police departments in violation of democratic rights. wsws.org More than 400 police department partnerships have been established by Amazon's Ring home security system across the US over the past year.

Fight Back (2019-08-31). Chicago students say, 'CIA off campus!'. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – On the afternoon of August 28, members of Students for a Democratic Society and AnakBayan Chicago, at the University of Illinois at Chicago, passed out flyers on the quad to oppose the partnership that the university has with the CIA. SDS members held a banner reading "CIA off campus," the slogan that has been used in past decades by student activists around the country in similar campaigns. Protesters held signs each detailing a different CIA operation and the number of deaths it caused. | In February 2018, the UIC announced that they had become a CIA Signature School. Only three months later, Gina…

The Canary (2019-08-31). Standing ovation for sister of Lyra McKee as she delivers speech at Stormont. thecanary.co The sister of murdered journalist Lyra McKee received a standing ovation as she followed in her footsteps to deliver a powerful talk at Stormont.The author's Ted talk about religious education and its impact on the mental health of young LGBT people was viewed thousands of time around the world following her death at the hands of dissident republicans in April.On Saturday, four and a half months after Ms McKee's murder, her sister Nichola Corner delivered her own talk at the TedXStormont event at Parliament Buildings in Belfast.Lyra McKee was shot dead by the New IRA as she observed rioting in Derry (Family hando…

The Canary (2019-08-31). Tory tensions on Brexit erupt again as Hammond intervenes. thecanary.co Tory Brexit tensions ripped into the open as former chancellor Philip Hammond expressed anger at reports Conservative MPs who actively oppose a no-deal EU withdrawal will be barred from standing at the next election.Mr Hammond insisted a no-deal exit would be "undemocratic" as Boris Johnson's Brexit stance faced cross party opposition in the Commons next week.Reports that any bid to extend Brexit beyond October 31 to stop a no-deal exit would be treated as a no confidence issue, with supporting Tory MPs stopped from standing for the party, drew a harsh response from the ex-chancellor. | If true, this would be sta…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-08-31). Sanders Campaign Demands Washington Post Retract 'Fact Check' of Medical Bankruptcies Remarks. commondreams.org As Democratic presidential primary candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders teased a proposal to cancel all past due medical debt and address all future medical debt in the United States, his campaign sent a letter Saturday to Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron, demanding that the newspaper retract a controversial "fact check." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1141714918.jpg

Andrew Levine (2019-08-30). Let's Make the Next Debates Good for Something. counterpunch.org Do we really need three-ring circus "debates" to figure out that the only two candidates in the running for president who should be taken seriously are Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren? Perhaps with Joe Biden still leading the pack; the sooner he is put back out to pasture, the better. Perhaps with Kamala Harris running More

Al Neal (2019-08-30). Indigenous sovereignty issues confront Democratic candidates at Frank LaMere Forum. peoplesworld.org SIOUX CITY, Iowa—The road to the White House, as they say, begins in Iowa. As summer slowly turns to fall in the third year of Donald Trump's catastrophic presidency, national news outlets and presidential candidates turn their attention to this agricultural state. Iowa—home to the Dakota-Sioux, Ho-Chunk, Ioway, Missouria, and Otoe Native American Tribes; bordered …

Ramzy Baroud (2019-08-30). Humanity Denied: What Is Missing from the Omar, Tlaib Story. counterpunch.org Israel's decision to bar two United States Democratic Representatives, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, from entering Israel and visiting Palestine has further exposed the belligerent, racist nature of the Israeli government. But our understanding of the Israeli decision, and the massive controversy and discussion it generated, should not stop there. Palestinians, who have been at More

People's World Editorial Board (2019-08-30). Communist Party USA: 100 years in struggle for peace, democracy, socialism. peoplesworld.org One hundred years ago this weekend, on Sept. 1, 1919, 128 women and men, meeting in a hall in Chicago, founded the Communist Party of America. In their founding Manifesto, the members declared: "The world is on the verge of a new era. Europe is in revolt. The masses of Asia are stirring uneasily. Capitalism …

Pierre Sprey, Chuck Spinney and Winslow T. Wheeler (2019-08-30). Bankrupt and Irrelevant: the Presidential Debates and Four Recent Studies on Pentagon Spending. counterpunch.org In the almost 12 hours of Democratic Party presidential primary debates on June 26-27 and July 30-31, the words "Pentagon budget" or "defense spending" were not uttered, except for a fleeting, unanswered comment from Senator Bernie Sanders. Nor did any of the cable news moderators ask a single question about the more than $1.25 trillion More

Staff (2019-08-30). Is it Cynical to Believe the System is Corrupt? therealnews.com While a new poll shows most US citizens believe the political and economic system is rigged against them, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren also echo this sentiment. Some conservatives are now pushing back. But what says the evidence? Bill Black analyzes the situation…

Ralph Nader (2019-08-30). From Trump Tower to Dictatorial Power. commondreams.org President Donald Trump, writes Nader, "has neutralized our country's checks and balances and separation of powers, including judicial accountability. He adds to his monarchal presidency by unleashing the Republican Party's suppression of the vote and other electoral shenanigans." (Photo: Getty) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump_gun_0_0.jpeg

Robert Mackey (2019-08-30). How Larry Fink, Joe Biden's Wall Street Ally, Profits From Amazon Cattle Ranching, a Force Behind Deforestation. theintercept.com The giant investment firm BlackRock has contributed to the climate crisis by investing in a Brazilian meatpacker, JBS, linked to Amazon deforestation.

WSWS (2019-08-30). Johnson's proroguing of Parliament: The British ruling class declares war on democratic rights. wsws.org The move by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to prorogue the "Mother of Parliaments" and govern by executive fiat is part of a turn toward dictatorial forms of rule by the ruling classes throughout the world.

Yves Engler (2019-08-30). Time for Direct Action International Solidarity. dissidentvoice.org How do we make people question the lies they have been told? How do we make our voices heard? Direct action democracy is required. In order to show politicians, the media and even many progressives that some of us are hostile to Canadian foreign policy we need to raise our voices and be disruptive in …

Staff (2019-08-30). DNC Reverses Course on Virtual Voting in Two States. truthdig.com Cybersecurity concerns have prompted the Democratic National Committee to reverse course on offering a telephone voting option in 2020's presidential caucuses in Iowa and Nevada. But those key early states may find another way for voters not present at February caucuses to take part—possibly by voting early at voting centers. | The DNC's announcement on Friday came a week after the DNC held its summer meeting, where its Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) continued reviewing each state's 2020 plans. The DNC technology staff, an advisory panel, and the RBC co-chairs concluded that there was too great a risk of…

United Nations (2019-08-30). Alarming number of Ebola deaths in DRC a 'rallying cry' to scale up treatment. un.org Since the Ebola epidemic struck in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) one year ago, almost 600 of around 850 children who have caught the virus have now died, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported on Friday.

WSWS (2019-08-30). Five Star Movement and social democrats to continue attacks on Italian working class in new government coalition. wsws.org The new government, if it is actually formed, will only accelerate the lurch of Italian politics to the right.

Nanjala Nyabola (2019-08-30). Brexit Gives Its Former Colonies a Whiff of Schadenfreude. thenation.com Brexit Gives Its Former Colonies a Whiff of Schadenfreude…

Joshua Holland (2019-08-30). Democrats Need Litmus Tests on Health Care. thenation.com Democrats Need Litmus Tests on Health Care…

David Rosen (2019-08-30). Sex Work and the 2020 Presidential Campaign. counterpunch.org The next Democratic presidential-candidates debate is scheduled for mid-September and it would be interesting if a network moderator asks the candidates whether they were in favor of decriminalizing consensual, adult sex work? One can well imagine the question provoking a host of reactions ranging from cautious non-answers to strong statements of support. Most revealing, no one More

susan_p (2019-08-30). Rojava: Human shields defy threats of Turkish invasion. greenleft.org.au Rojava revolutionIssue 1235 Northern Syria Turkish military Democratic Federation of Northern SyriaAugust 30, 2019The people of Rojava in Northern Syria are continuing human shield actions along the Syria-Turkey border, to prevent an invasi…

Staff (2019-08-30). Justice for José Antonio: Family Demands Accountability for Mexican Teen Killed by U.S. Border Agent. democracynow.org Nearly seven years ago, 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodríguez was killed in Nogales, Mexico, by U.S. Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz, who fired his gun from the U.S. side of the border. The teenager — who was unarmed — died face-down on the sidewalk just a couple of blocks from his home. Border Patrol has for years been plagued with hundreds of allegations of abuse and unnecessary use of deadly force, including the cross-border killings of at least six people on Mexican soil. Most cases are not investigated, and border agents are rarely criminally charged for using violent force. After nearly fiv…

Staff (2019-08-30). "All-Out Attack": Trump's Anti-Immigrant Policies Target Children, Cancer Patients & Servicemembers. democracynow.org On Tuesday, the Trump administration reportedly ended its "medical deferred action" program, which allows immigrants with serious health problems to stay in the U.S. for up to two years beyond the terms of their visas to receive critical treatment. Just one day later, it announced that some children born to U.S. servicemembers and government employees stationed overseas will no longer automatically receive citizenship. The policy changes come days after the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to allow the Trump administration to implement its rule banning almost all migrants from seeking asylum in the Unit…

Staff (2019-08-30). Family of Mexican Teenager Slain by Border Agent Awaits SCOTUS Ruling to Determine If They Can Sue. democracynow.org This fall, the Supreme Court will decide whether the parents of Sergio Hernández Gàºereca, a 15-year-old Mexican teen killed by a Border Patrol agent in 2010, can sue the American agent in a U.S. federal court. It's been nearly 10 years since Border Patrol agent Jesus Mesa Jr. shot across the El Paso-Juárez border and struck Hernández Gàºereca in the head. The central question in the case is whether a Mexican citizen killed on Mexican soil by a U.S. border agent is protected by the U.S. Constitution — allowing for the family members of victims to file civil lawsuits. If the Supreme Court rules in…

Staff (2019-08-30). Border Patrol Has Killed At Least 97 People Since 2003. Hear Some of Their Victims' Stories. democracynow.org U.S. Border Patrol agents have killed 97 people since 2003, including at least six Mexicans on Mexican soil. Democracy Now! traveled to the borderlands of Arizona earlier this month to cover one of these killings: the death of José Antonio Elena Rodríguez, who was gunned down by a Border Patrol agent in 2012. We met with Richard Boren of the Border Patrol Victims Network in Nogales, Arizona, at exactly the spot where agent Lonnie Swartz pointed his gun through the border wall to shoot and kill José Antonio. At this site, Richard Boren displayed a banner with images of José Antonio and other victims of Border Patr…

Staff (2019-08-30). Headlines for August 30, 2019. democracynow.org Florida Declares State of Emergency Ahead of Hurricane Dorian, Justice Department: Comey Violated FBI Rules But Will Not Face Charges, Former FARC Rebels to Take Up Arms Again in Colombia, Report: Indian Forces Are Beating and Torturing Kashmiris in Detention, UAE Accused of Bombing Saudi-Backed Forces in Yemen, Prominent Pro-Democracy Activists Arrested Ahead of Saturday's Protest, Scottish Judge Refused to Block Boris Johnson's Plan to Suspend Parliament, Ebola Death Toll Tops 2,000 in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Environmental Groups Threaten to Sue Trump over Methane Rules, NAACP Calls for Alabama Gov. t…

The Canary (2019-08-30). Protesters vow 'if you steal our democracy, we'll shut down the streets'. thecanary.co Organisers are hoping "hundreds of thousands" of people will take part in disruptive protests across Britain this weekend in response to the Prime Minister's plan to prorogue Parliament.Anti-Brexit campaign group Another Europe Is Possible has organised 32 #StopTheCoup demonstrations to take place in England, Scotland and Wales on Saturday.Meanwhile, left-wing group Momentum is calling on its members to "occupy bridges and blockade roads" in conjunction with the protests.According to the Mirror, Laura Parker, Momentum's national co-ordinator, said she would join an occupation of Parliament as the group stepped up…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-08-30). 'If Environment Were a Bank,' Says Bernie Sanders, 'It Would Have Been Saved Already'. commondreams.org Sanders has introduced a $16.3 trillion Green New Deal plan to avert climate catastrophe and create 20 million jobs in the process | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/climate_bernie_sanders.jpg

Eds. (2019-08-29). The quiet death of the "white Bernie bro" attack. mronline.org A majority of Sanders supporters are non-white, in contrast to all the other top tier candidates, including Kamala Harris. | Source

H. Claire Brown (2019-08-29). How Ohio's Chamber of Commerce Killed an Anti-Pollution Bill of Rights. theintercept.com Emails reveal that the Ohio Chamber of Commerce enlisted a key Republican lawmaker in a successful effort to nullify the Lake Erie Bill of Rights.

RT (2019-08-29). #Resistance goes nuts over Trump axing automatic citizenship for kids born overseas. Only he didn't. rt.com Mainstream media, Democrats, and #Resistance Twitter have united to eviscerate a change to citizenship policy regarding children of overseas-deployed military members. The only problem is, they're all reading the policy wrong. | US Citizenship and Immigration Services released an update to its policies on how citizenship is assigned to children of American citizens born overseas on Wednesday. The admittedly confusing document centered on the definition of the term 'residence' and how it figures in the transmission of citizenship from parents to child — a potentially thorny subject, given the Trump adminis…

Joan Walsh (2019-08-29). Kirsten Gillibrand Leaves the 2020 Race With No Apologies. thenation.com Kirsten Gillibrand Leaves the 2020 Race With No Apologies…

Staff (2019-08-29). Boris Johnson Suspends Parliament Ahead of Brexit in "Shameless and Brazen Attack" on U.K. Democracy. democracynow.org The United Kingdom is in uproar after Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked the queen to prorogue, or suspend, Parliament from mid-September to mid-October, leaving little time for lawmakers to avoid a disastrous no-deal Brexit when the country exits the European Union on October 31. Thousands took to the streets in London and across the country Wednesday to protest the move. We speak with Ash Sarkar, senior editor at Novara Media, who describes Johnson's latest move as unprecedented, calling it "the most shameless and brazen attack on the British democratic process" in decades. "The unspoken rule of the British con…

Staff (2019-08-29). Remembering Legendary Peace Activist Frances Crowe, Who Died at 100 After Decades of Resisting War. democracynow.org The legendary peace activist Frances Crowe died this week at the age of 100 in Northampton, Massachusetts. Over the past seven decades, Frances had been arrested countless times while protesting war, nuclear weapons, nuclear power and the construction of new pipelines. She is survived by her two sons, a daughter and an international community of peace activists. We revisit a 2005 interview of Frances Crowe by Amy Goodman and recognize her lifetime of advocacy.

Staff (2019-08-29). Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Arrives in NYC to Fight "Biggest Crisis Humanity Has Ever Faced" democracynow.org Following weeks of anticipation, Swedish climate justice activist Greta Thunberg arrived on the shores of Lower Manhattan Wednesday afternoon after a 15-day voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in an emissions-free yacht. She was welcomed on land by hundreds of supporters at the North Cove Marina. As Thunberg's yacht sailed over the horizon and past the Statue of Liberty, youth climate activists chanted "The sea levels are rising, and so are we!" and "We are unstoppable! Another world is possible!" The 16-year-old climate activist is kickstarting a months-long tour of the Americas. For her first action, she will be j…

Staff (2019-08-29). Headlines for August 29, 2019. democracynow.org EPA to Roll Back Methane Regulations in Blow to Limiting Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Trump Moves to Allow Logging in World's Largest Intact Temperate Rainforest, Hurricane Dorian Gains Strength, Threatens Bahamas & Florida, Swedish Youth Climate Justice Activist Greta Thunberg Arrives in NYC After 15-Day Boat Trip, Gillibrand Drops Out of 2020 Race as Just 10 Dems Qualify for Sept. Debate, Thousands Protest "Coup" in U.K. as Boris Johnson Suspends Parliament Ahead of Brexit, New Coalition Government May Be Formed in Italy, Italian Humanitarian Ship Rescues 100 Migrants Off Coast of Libya, Separatists & Government-B…

Mehdi Hasan (2019-08-28). When Ilhan Omar Is Accused of Anti-Semitism, It's News. When a Republican Smears Muslims, There's Silence. theintercept.com Rep. Ilhan Omar participates in a panel discussion during the Muslim Collective for Equitable Democracy Conference and Presidential Forum at the National Housing Center in Washington, D.C., on July 23, 2019. | the Benjamins, baby." | That is, of course, what Rep. Ilhan Omar famously tweeted on February 10, in response to a tweet from my colleague Glenn Greenwald decrying "how much time U.S. political leaders spend defending a foreign nation" — namely, the state of Israel. Then, when a journalist followed up by asking Omar w…

Fidel Castro Ruz (2019-08-28). Fidel Castro's prescient warning on climate change. liberationnews.org Fidel Castro Ruz, historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, warned almost 30 years ago that collective and urgent action was needed to combat the destruction of the Earth's environment.

Ramzy Baroud (2019-08-28). Humanity Denied: What Is Missing from the Omar, Tlaib Story. dissidentvoice.org Israel's decision to bar two United States Democratic Representatives, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, from entering Israel and visiting Palestine has further exposed the belligerent, racist nature of the Israeli government. But our understanding of the Israeli decision, and the massive controversy and discussion it generated, should not stop there. Palestinians, who have been at …

Fight Back (2019-08-28). Israeli drone attack on Beirut suburb. fightbacknews.org Washington, DC – Israel launched a drone attack in Beirut's southern suburb, Dahiyeh, August 24, targeting the media offices of the national democratic political party Hezbollah. Lebanese politicians denounced the attacks as "acts of war," and Hezbollah stated it will respond. | Hezbollah reports that one of the Israelis drones exploded and the other did not – due to a technical failure. Of the drone that failed to blow up, Hezbollah stated "it was laden with a bomb which was professionally wrapped and isolated," made up of C4 explosives. | In recent days, Israel has launched attacks on Syria, Iraq, Gaza, and ea…

United Nations (2019-08-28). Corruption undermines democracy and contributes to instability, warns senior UN anti-crime official. un.org Corruption undermines democratic institutions, slows economic development and contributes to governmental instability, Mirella Dummar-Frahi, Civil Society Team Leader at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warned at the UN Civil Society Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Julie Kohler (2019-08-28). The Republican Party's White Women Problem. thenation.com The Republican Party's White Women Problem…

John Nichols (2019-08-28). How Democrats Can Win Back Rural Wisconsin. thenation.com How Democrats Can Win Back Rural Wisconsin…

Staff (2019-08-28). Airstrikes in Lebanon, Syria & Iraq Mark Dangerous Escalation in Decades-Long Israeli Aggression. democracynow.org Tensions are mounting across the Middle East following a series of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. Lebanese President Michel Aoun likened the recent Israeli attacks to a "declaration of war." Israeli drones bombed targets in Lebanon on both Monday and Tuesday. Meanwhile, some Iraqi lawmakers are calling on the United States to fully withdraw its troops following a series of Israeli air raids conducted by Israel. Israel has only claimed responsibility for an attack on Syria Saturday, which they said targeted an Iranian-operated base that was preparing to launch a drone assault on Israel. We speak wi…

Staff (2019-08-28). How Bolsonaro's Climate Change Denial & Anti-Indigenous Policies Led to Massive Fires in the Amazon. democracynow.org In Brazil, fires continue to rage in the Amazon, and new drone footage shows the smoke and flames gathering strength. A vast plume of smoke has spread across South America and the Atlantic Ocean and is visible from space. The fires are also destroying large swaths of land in Bolivia. The fires are unprecedented in recorded history, and environmentalists say most of the fires were deliberately set by illegal miners and cattle ranchers. So far this year, there have been nearly 73,000 fires in Brazil, with over half of them in the Amazon region — an 83% increase from the same period last year. Far-right Brazil…

Staff (2019-08-28). "We're in a Crisis of Deaths": Migrant Death Toll Tops 900 in Mediterranean as 40 Die Off Libya. democracynow.org At least 40 refugees and migrants are feared dead off of the coast of Libya after a boat carrying dozens of people en route to Europe capsized Tuesday morning in the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Libyan coast guard, some 65 migrants and refugees, mostly from Sudan, were rescued with the help of local fishermen. With Tuesday's tragedy, the number of migrants and refugees who have lost their lives this year in the Mediterranean en route to Europe is up to 900. Meanwhile, far-right European leaders like Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini continue to criminalize refugees and migrants, as well as humanitar…

Ryan Grim (2019-08-27). A Top Financier of Trump and McConnell Is a Driving Force Behind Amazon Deforestation. theintercept.com Steve Schwarzman is the CEO of the Blackstone Group, which partially owns a Brazilian firm that is helping transform the Amazon from jungle to farmland.

ACLU (2019-08-27). New Resource Tool Sheds Light on Government's Prepublication Review System. aclu.org Millions of current and former government employees are subjected to this far-reaching censorship system. | This piece was originally published in Just Security. | For more than three years, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University have been litigating a series of Freedom of Information Act requests relating to "prepublication review." Under this far-reaching censorship system, millions of current and former government employees, con…

Staff (2019-08-27). "This Ruling Is Huge": Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay $572 Million for Fueling Opioid Epidemic. democracynow.org In a landmark ruling, an Oklahoma judge has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for contributing to the state's opioid crisis. It marks the first time a drug company has been held responsible for the opioid crisis, though it fell far short of the $17 billion judgment sought by the state. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 400,000 people died from an overdose involving opioids from 1999 to 2017, including from prescription and illicit opioids. Court documents say more than 6,000 people have died of painkiller overdoses in Oklahoma alone. The Oklahoma ruling sets the stage…

Staff (2019-08-27). "Kochland": How David Koch Helped Build an Empire to Shape U.S. Politics & Thwart Climate Action. democracynow.org Billionaire conservative donor David Koch died Friday at the age of 79 from prostate cancer. David Koch — who was worth some $42 billion — and his brother Charles poured massive amounts of money into funding climate change denial through conservative think tanks and politicians. The Koch brothers founded the political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity in 2004, which is credited with turning the "tea party" into a full-fledged political movement. They also backed "right-to-work" efforts, which aim to weaken labor rights and quash union membership. The brothers made their fortune running Koch Indu…

Staff (2019-08-27). Headlines for August 27, 2019. democracynow.org Oklahoma Wins Case Against Johnson & Johnson as Court Finds Pharma Giant Fueled State's Opioid Crisis, Brazil Rejects G7 Amazon Aid Amid Mounting Environmental Disaster, Prosecutors Investigate After Gov't Ignored Warnings About Planned Amazon Fires, Trump Dismisses Wind Power Again at G7 as WH Walks Back Comments on Kim Jong-un, Lebanon Says Air Attacks Over Weekend Amount to "Declaration of War" from Israel, U.N. Says Floods in Sudan a "Humanitarian Emergency" as Death Toll Tops 60 People, Iran Sentences Journalist and Activist Marzieh Amiri to 10 Years & 148 Lashes, 19 States and D.C. Sue to Block Trump's Term…

Ken Freeland (2019-08-26). Rogues' Gallery: A Sober Look at the "Progressive" Democratic Presidential Candidates. mintpressnews.com Unless someone new enters the race or one of the existing candidates is stricken on the road to Damascus, there will be no genuinely progressive foreign policy offered by either of the two major political parties in the 2020 presidential election.

Akela Lacy (2019-08-26). Before Kamala Harris Soured on Bernie Sanders's Medicare for All Bill, She Grew Her Email List From It. theintercept.com Kamala Harris distanced herself from Bernie Sanders's Medicare for All bill at an event with large-dollar donors two weeks after her campaign ran those ads.

Staff (2019-08-26). Mysterious Russian Nuclear Missile Accident Sparks Fears of Cover-Up & "Chernobyl Redux" democracynow.org Questions are swirling over a mysterious nuclear accident in northern Russia on August 8. Seven people, including five nuclear scientists, died in an explosion, which caused a radiation spike in the surrounding area — and possibly as far as Scandinavia. U.S. experts suspect the explosion was caused during a test of a nuclear-powered cruise missile. Russia initially denied a radiation leak, but earlier today its state weather agency confirmed radioactive isotopes have been found in test samples in the city of Severodvinsk near the military test range. Norway's nuclear test ban monitor now believes two explos…

Staff (2019-08-26). Unreported Deaths, Child Cancer & Radioactive Meat: The Untold Story of Chernobyl. democracynow.org Following a mysterious nuclear accident in Russia that left seven dead, we look back at the 1986 nuclear disaster in Chernobyl. It sent a cloud of radioactive fallout into Russia, Belarus and over a large portion of Europe, but the death toll from Chernobyl remains unknown. Chernobyl is considered the worst nuclear accident in history, but Kate Brown, an MIT professor of science, technology and society, says much of what we understand about the disaster is inaccurate. Her new book, "Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future," chronicles the devastating and underreported impact of radiation on tens of t…

Staff (2019-08-26). "The Situation Was Very Bad": Feminist Activist Kavita Krishnan on What She Saw in Kashmir. democracynow.org In Kashmir, residents have entered their fourth week of a severe lockdown after India revoked the special status of the Indian-controlled part of the Muslim-majority territory. On August 5, India imposed a curfew and cut off all communications to the region. More than 4,000 people, including many political leaders, have been detained, while local residents report facing increasing shortages of food and medicine. Over the weekend, India blocked a delegation of Indian opposition politicians from visiting Kashmir, including Rahul Gandhi, the former president of the Indian National Congress. India's actions have led…

Staff (2019-08-26). Headlines for August 26, 2019. democracynow.org World Leaders Pledge Amazon Help as Trump Sends Mixed Signals About China at G7 Summit, Iran's Foreign Minister Zarif Makes Surprise Appearance at G7 to Hold Talks with European Officials, Protesters Call Out G7 Leaders over Corporate Ties, Climate Inaction and Inequality, Wildfires Continue to Consume Amazon as Public Outrage Grows, Police Deploy Water Cannons, Fire a Live Warning Shot at Hong Kong Protesters, Attacks in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq Add to Mounting Tensions in Middle East, EU Countries Say They Will Relocate Migrants Stranded on Ship After 2-Week Standoff, 200,000 Rohingya Refugees March for "Genocid…

Staff (2019-08-25). Why is the Far-Right Rising Globally? (1/2). therealnews.com Walden Bello, author of "Counterrevolution: The Global Rise of the Far-Right," argues that the far-right is in ascendancy at the moment not only in reaction to the failures of neoliberalism, but also because of the failures of liberal democracy…

unitedEditor (2019-08-25). Qatar pulls its Turkish investments. uwidata.com Erdoƒüan Toprak, the chief adviser to the chairman of the People's Republican Party (CHP) and the parliamentary deputy from the province of Istanbul, prepared a report on the issue of Qatari investments, which, in recent years, have been increasingly discussed throughout Turkey. According to the Turkish Ministry of Economy, from 2002 to March 2017, Qatar …

Aída Chávez (2019-08-24). National Democrats Endorse John Hickenlooper, a Proponent of Fracking, in Competitive Colorado Primary. theintercept.com In Colorado, nearly a dozen Democrats are vying for the opportunity to take on Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in 2020 — a race widely seen as the party's most promising pick-up in the Senate. One of the leading contenders, former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, is running on a platform that includes Medicare for All and an aggressive plan to combat the climate crisis — and his campaign has already topped $1 million in fundraising. | But the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has thrown its weight behind former Gov. John Hickenlooper, a pro-fracking moderate. After months of rejecting calls…

Rachel M. Cohen (2019-08-23). How Democrats Plan to Win Wisconsin in 2020. theintercept.com Democrats, labor unions, and progressive groups are investing heavily in new organizing techniques in Wisconsin, where electoral victory is considered crucial to the party's path to the White House. They are hoping to boost voter turnout in a state that the national party took for granted in 2016. | The efforts, spearheaded by Wisconsin leaders and liberal donors across the country, include massive new investments in field organizing, a targeted focus on communities of color, and capitalizing on the Democratic Party convention that will be held in Milwaukee next July. | "I think the whole country recognizes that…

Staff (2019-08-23). Sen. Merkley on the Dangers of a New Nuclear Arms Race & Why He Backs the Green New Deal. democracynow.org Fallout from the Trump administration's decision to pull out of the landmark 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is mounting. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to prepare for what he called a "symmetrical response" after the U.S. tested what it said was a nonnuclear cruise missile earlier this week. The U.S. launch was the first test of its kind since the Trump administration withdrew from the INF. We speak to Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon about U.S. nuclear policy, as well as the Green New Deal, President Trump's wish to buy Greenland and more.

Staff (2019-08-23). Sen. Merkley Condemns Trump's War Against Migrant Families as U.S. Moves to Indefinitely Jail Kids. democracynow.org The Trump administration is moving to indefinitely detain migrant children and their families, reversing decades of U.S. policy. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services is expected to issue a new rule today to withdraw from a 1997 federal court settlement known as the Flores agreement, which put a 20-day limit on migrant family detentions. We speak with Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, who made headlines last year when he was barred from entering an old Walmart where the government was detaining about 1,500 immigrant children in Brownsville, Texas.

Staff (2019-08-23). "Our House Is On Fire": Brazil Faces Global Outrage as Massive Fires Spread in Amazon Rainforest. democracynow.org The United Nations is calling for the protection of the Amazon amid fears that thousands of fires raging across Brazil and some parts of Bolivia are rapidly destroying the world's largest rainforest and paving the way for a climate catastrophe. The fires have spread a vast plume of smoke across South America and the Atlantic Ocean that's visible from space. They're unprecedented in recorded history, and environmentalists say most of the fires were deliberately set by illegal miners and cattle ranchers. Indigenous people in Brazil have accused far-right President Jair Bolsonaro of encouraging the destruction. Bols…

Staff (2019-08-23). Headlines for August 23, 2019. democracynow.org U.N. Calls for Protection of the Amazon as Rainforest Burns at Record Pace, Indigenous Communities Say Brazil's President Is Encouraging Destruction of Forests, Bernie Sanders Unveils Ambitious Green New Deal to Avert Climate Catastrophe, Democratic Leaders Reject Resolution Calling for Candidate Climate Debate, French Authorities to Crack Down on Protest as 13,000 Police Mobilize for G7 Summit, Syrian Forces Encircle Last Major Rebel-Held Stronghold in Hama Province, U.N.: Burmese Troops Had "Genocidal Intent" in Targeting Rohingya for Sexual Violence, Indonesia Deploys Troops to Quell Independence Protests in W…

Staff (2019-08-22). 2020 Candidates Address Historical Trauma, Missing Indigenous Women & More at Native American Forum. democracynow.org Following this week's historic Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum in Sioux City, Iowa, we speak with Mark Trahant, editor of Indian Country Today and moderator of the Native American voter forum; Christine Nobiss, director of Seeding Sovereignty's SHIFT project; and Mark Charles, independent candidate for president, Native American activist and writer. They respond to the candidates' proposals to tackle issues affecting the Native American community, including the chronic murder and disappearance of Native American girls and women, land sovereignty, and generational trauma caused by colonialism.

ACLU (2019-08-21). An Arizona Law Requires Surveillance of People Who Are Presumed Innocent. aclu.org The government cannot take shortcuts around constitutional rights. | A pillar of our democracy is the presumption of innocence: before a person has been convicted of a crime, they are considered completely innocent under the law. Yet across the country, people who have not been convicted are punished—both explicitly and implicitly—based on the mistaken assumption that they are dangerous, purely on the basis of an accusation. We do not live in a society where you can be incarcerated or monitored simply because you have been accused of a crime. Doing so violates constitutional rights, fuels mass incarce…

Common Dreams (2019-08-20). Joe Biden's Wife Says Vote for Husband Even If You Like Other Candidates More. theantimedia.com "Jill Biden may have settled for her husband, but I'm not sure why anyone else should."

unitedEditor (2019-08-20). Hong Kong: Flashpoint of Class Struggle in China. uwidata.com What began as isolated protests against a standard criminal-extradition law has somehow erupted into a violent fury throughout Hong Kong. The Chinese city's American-and-British-flag-waving protesters are, on the one hand, calling for "freedom, human rights, and democracy" while, on the other, assaulting police and even random bystanders alike. Western media have already been on the …

Brad Bennett (2019-08-20). Maryland teacher incorporates hard lessons about slavery into public school curriculum. splcenter.org At a workshop for teachers about educating children on American slavery, one instructor grew angry and insisted that Thomas Jefferson — who fathered biracial children with an enslaved woman on one of his plantations — was an advocate for racial equality.

Eoin Higgins (2019-08-01). Kamala Harris Team Accused of "Inventing Conspiracies" About Tulsi Gabbard. theantimedia.com The Kamala Harris' campaign jumped to tie Gabbard and her campaign to a nebulously defined and unclear Russian conspiracy.

2019-08-31: Social Media Postees

Is Warren talented enough to betray the people as masterfully as Obama?
Glen Ford | mronline.org | 2019-08-31
Elizabeth Warren is seen as a counter Bernie Sanders, but she will melt (like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris) if she stops raising Democrats' expectations to bust corporate power. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/08/31/is-warren-talented-enough-to-betray-the-people-as-masterfully-as-obama/

Bernie Sanders nails the vileness of Republican and Democratic elites in just one tweet
Ed Sykes | thecanary.co | 2019-08-31
On 30 August, US presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders nailed the big problem with both Republicans and establishment Democrats. And he did it in just one tweet: | If the environment were a bank it would have been saved already. | — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) August 30, 2019 | Remember when Bush and Obama used taxpayers' money to bail out the banks, but not ordin…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/08/31/bernie-sanders-nails-the-vileness-of-republican-and-democratic-elites-in-just-one-tweet/

U.S. Presidential Hopeful Bernie Sanders Backs Lula's Freedom
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-31
The United States democrat presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders made statements in favor of Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva release during a political rally held in Florence, South Carolina, on August 30. | RELATED: | Brazil Supreme Court Judge Says Lula Deserves Retrial | At the event stage designated to answer questions from the audience, a young man asked the Democrat senator on his opinion regarding the emergence of far-right governments around the world. | One o…
telesurenglish.net/news/U.S.-Presidential-Hopeful-Bernie-Sanders-Backs-Lulas-Freedom-20190831-0005.html

Neoliberals' Attack on Sanders' GND Plan Is a Clear and Present Danger
John Atcheson | commondreams.org | 2019-08-31
Last week Bernie Sanders released his version of the Green New Deal—a $16.3 trillion 10-year plan to get down to zero carbon in the power industry and in transportation. Right on schedule, the neoliberal establishment pounced on it as "too expensive," not "realistic" and not "prudent."
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/31/neoliberals-attack-sanders-gnd-plan-clear-and-present-danger?cd-origin=rss

Bernie Sanders' plan to phase out nuclear power draws attacks — here's why they're wrong
Justin Mikulka | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-31
Attacks on the Sanders' climate plan appear to have less to do with the ongoing viability of nuclear power as a legitimate climate solution and more to do with an ongoing effort to convince the public to subsidize another unsuccessful sector of the energy industry.
nationofchange.org/2019/08/31/bernie-sanders-plan-to-phase-out-nuclear-power-draws-attacks-heres-why-theyre-wrong/

The Primary Contradiction: Corporate Power vs. Progressive Populism
Norman Solomon | indybay.org | 2019-08-31
Political investors worry about Biden…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/29/18825800.php

GOP Hardliners Want China Sanctioned
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-31
Time and again, the US, its key NATO allies and Israel blame their victims for wrongdoing committed against them. | According to the Daily Beast, Republicans are pushing for sanctions on China over how Hong Kong authorities are handling months …
globalresearch.ca/gop-hardliners-want-china-sanctioned/5687669

Hausmann hypocrisy: Guaido coup official raked in dollars from dictators and banking behemoths while promoting 'democracy' for Venezuela
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-31
Ricardo Hausmann slammed banks for doing business with Venezuela's elected government. But financial disclosure forms filed with Harvard show the…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/31/hausmann-hypocrisy-guaido-dollars-dictators/

2019 Folsom Community Service Day ~ 170th Anniversary of the Gold Rush Town, Negro Bar, CA
Khubaka, Michael Harris | indybay.org | 2019-08-31
Together, we are poised for a special 170th Anniversary of Negro Bar, Sacramento County by utilizing both private and public resources to forever preserve and interpret our unique contributions to the forward flow of humanity.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/30/18825857.php

As Hurricane Dorian Threatens Florida, Gov. DeSantis & Trump—Who Haven't Curbed CO2 Emissions—Should Resign
Juan Cole | commondreams.org | 2019-08-31
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, " is doing nothing practical about the state's carbon dioxide emissions, which are what cause sea level rise and warming oceans and monster hurricanes." (Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/25303733820_138e65082d_o11.jpg
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/31/hurricane-dorian-threatens-florida-gov-desantis-trump-who-havent-curbed-co2?cd-origin=rss

Hong Kong Police Storm Subway With Batons Amid Fiery Protests
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-31
HONG KONG–Protesters in Hong Kong threw gasoline bombs at government headquarters and set fires in the streets on Saturday, while police stormed a subway car and hit passengers with batons and pepper spray in scenes that seem certain to inflame tensions further in a city riven by nearly three months of pro-democracy demonstrations. | Police had denied permission for a march to mark the fifth anniversary of a decision by China against fully democratic elections in Hong Kong, but protesters took to the streets anyway, as they have all summer. They provoked and obstructed the police repeatedly but generally re…
truthdig.com/articles/hong-kong-police-storm-subway-with-batons-amid-fiery-protests/

Home video security systems increasingly linked to US police departments in violation of democratic rights
wsws.org | 2019-08-31
More than 400 police department partnerships have been established by Amazon's Ring home security system across the US over the past year.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/31/ring-a31.html

Why Are Hong Kong Protesters Asking Trump for Help?
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-31
Journalist Ilaria Maria Sala discusses the arrest and release of demonstration "leaders," the history of Hong Kong's struggle for democracy, American involvement in the protests, and the complexity of the current movement…
therealnews.com/stories/why-are-hong-kong-protesters-asking-trump-for-help

UN chief and senior officials show solidarity with DR Congo during three-day visit
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-31
United Nations chief António Guterres and senior members of the UN, have embarked on a three-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where civilians are facing insecurity and ongoing health crises, including a year-long Ebola epidemic which has claimed more than 2,000 lives.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1045362

Chicago students say, 'CIA off campus!'
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-08-31
Chicago, IL – On the afternoon of August 28, members of Students for a Democratic Society and AnakBayan Chicago, at the University of Illinois at Chicago, passed out flyers on the quad to oppose the partnership that the university has with the CIA. SDS members held a banner reading "CIA off campus," the slogan that has been used in past decades by student activists around the country in similar campaigns. Protesters held signs each detailing a different CIA operation and the number of deaths it caused. | In February 2018, the UIC announced that they had become a CIA Signature School. Only three months later, Gina…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/31/chicago-students-say-cia-campus

Standing ovation for sister of Lyra McKee as she delivers speech at Stormont
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-08-31
The sister of murdered journalist Lyra McKee received a standing ovation as she followed in her footsteps to deliver a powerful talk at Stormont.The author's Ted talk about religious education and its impact on the mental health of young LGBT people was viewed thousands of time around the world following her death at the hands of dissident republicans in April.On Saturday, four and a half months after Ms McKee's murder, her sister Nichola Corner delivered her own talk at the TedXStormont event at Parliament Buildings in Belfast.Lyra McKee was shot dead by the New IRA as she observed rioting in Derry (Family hando…
thecanary.co/breaking-news/2019/08/31/standing-ovation-for-sister-of-lyra-mckee-as-she-delivers-speech-at-stormont/

Tory tensions on Brexit erupt again as Hammond intervenes
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-08-31
Tory Brexit tensions ripped into the open as former chancellor Philip Hammond expressed anger at reports Conservative MPs who actively oppose a no-deal EU withdrawal will be barred from standing at the next election.Mr Hammond insisted a no-deal exit would be "undemocratic" as Boris Johnson's Brexit stance faced cross party opposition in the Commons next week.Reports that any bid to extend Brexit beyond October 31 to stop a no-deal exit would be treated as a no confidence issue, with supporting Tory MPs stopped from standing for the party, drew a harsh response from the ex-chancellor. | If true, this would be sta…
thecanary.co/breaking-news/2019/08/31/tory-tensions-on-brexit-erupt-again-as-hammond-intervenes/

Sanders Campaign Demands Washington Post Retract 'Fact Check' of Medical Bankruptcies Remarks
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-31
As Democratic presidential primary candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders teased a proposal to cancel all past due medical debt and address all future medical debt in the United States, his campaign sent a letter Saturday to Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron, demanding that the newspaper retract a controversial "fact check." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1141714918.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/31/sanders-campaign-demands-washington-post-retract-fact-check-medical-bankruptcies?cd-origin=rss

Let's Make the Next Debates Good for Something
Andrew Levine | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-30
Do we really need three-ring circus "debates" to figure out that the only two candidates in the running for president who should be taken seriously are Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren? Perhaps with Joe Biden still leading the pack; the sooner he is put back out to pasture, the better. Perhaps with Kamala Harris running…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/30/lets-make-the-next-debates-good-for-something/

Bankrupt and Irrelevant: the Presidential Debates and Four Recent Studies on Pentagon Spending
Pierre Sprey, Chuck Spinney and Winslow T. Wheeler | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-30
In the almost 12 hours of Democratic Party presidential primary debates on June 26-27 and July 30-31, the words "Pentagon budget" or "defense spending" were not uttered, except for a fleeting, unanswered comment from Senator Bernie Sanders. Nor did any of the cable news moderators ask a single question about the more than $1.25 trillion…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/30/bankrupt-and-irrelevant-the-presidential-debates-and-four-recent-studies-on-pentagon-spending/

Is it Cynical to Believe the System is Corrupt?
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-30
While a new poll shows most US citizens believe the political and economic system is rigged against them, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren also echo this sentiment. Some conservatives are now pushing back. But what says the evidence? Bill Black analyzes the situation…
therealnews.com/stories/is-it-cynical-to-believe-the-system-is-corrupt

Humanity Denied: What Is Missing from the Omar, Tlaib Story
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-30
Israel's decision to bar two United States Democratic Representatives, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, from entering Israel and visiting Palestine has further exposed the belligerent, racist nature of the Israeli government. But our understanding of the Israeli decision, and the massive controversy and discussion it generated, should not stop there. Palestinians, who have been at…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/30/humanity-denied-what-is-missing-from-the-omar-tlaib-story/

From Trump Tower to Dictatorial Power
Ralph Nader | commondreams.org | 2019-08-30
President Donald Trump, writes Nader, "has neutralized our country's checks and balances and separation of powers, including judicial accountability. He adds to his monarchal presidency by unleashing the Republican Party's suppression of the vote and other electoral shenanigans." (Photo: Getty) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump_gun_0_0.jpeg
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/30/trump-tower-dictatorial-power?cd-origin=rss

How Larry Fink, Joe Biden's Wall Street Ally, Profits From Amazon Cattle Ranching, a Force Behind Deforestation
Robert Mackey | theintercept.com | 2019-08-30
The giant investment firm BlackRock has contributed to the climate crisis by investing in a Brazilian meatpacker, JBS, linked to Amazon deforestation.
theintercept.com/2019/08/30/amazon-rainforest-fire-blackrock-jbs/

Indigenous sovereignty issues confront Democratic candidates at Frank LaMere Forum
Al Neal | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-30
SIOUX CITY, Iowa–The road to the White House, as they say, begins in Iowa. As summer slowly turns to fall in the third year of Donald Trump's catastrophic presidency, national news outlets and presidential candidates turn their attention to this agricultural state. Iowa–home to the Dakota-Sioux, Ho-Chunk, Ioway, Missouria, and Otoe Native American Tribes; bordered …
peoplesworld.org/article/indigenous-sovereignty-issues-confront-democratic-candidates-at-frank-lamere-forum/

Communist Party USA: 100 years in struggle for peace, democracy, socialism
People's World Editorial Board | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-30
One hundred years ago this weekend, on Sept. 1, 1919, 128 women and men, meeting in a hall in Chicago, founded the Communist Party of America. In their founding Manifesto, the members declared: "The world is on the verge of a new era. Europe is in revolt. The masses of Asia are stirring uneasily. Capitalism …
peoplesworld.org/article/communist-party-usa-100-years-in-the-struggle-for-peace-democracy-and-socialism/

Alarming number of Ebola deaths in DRC a 'rallying cry' to scale up treatment
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-30
Since the Ebola epidemic struck in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) one year ago, almost 600 of around 850 children who have caught the virus have now died, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported on Friday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1045302

Johnson's proroguing of Parliament: The British ruling class declares war on democratic rights
wsws.org | 2019-08-30
The move by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to prorogue the "Mother of Parliaments" and govern by executive fiat is part of a turn toward dictatorial forms of rule by the ruling classes throughout the world.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/30/pers-a30.html

DNC Reverses Course on Virtual Voting in Two States
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-30
Cybersecurity concerns have prompted the Democratic National Committee to reverse course on offering a telephone voting option in 2020's presidential caucuses in Iowa and Nevada. But those key early states may find another way for voters not present at February caucuses to take part–possibly by voting early at voting centers. | The DNC's announcement on Friday came a week after the DNC held its summer meeting, where its Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) continued reviewing each state's 2020 plans. The DNC technology staff, an advisory panel, and the RBC co-chairs concluded that there was too great a risk of…
truthdig.com/articles/dnc-reverses-course-on-virtual-voting-in-two-states/

Five Star Movement and social democrats to continue attacks on Italian working class in new government coalition
wsws.org | 2019-08-30
The new government, if it is actually formed, will only accelerate the lurch of Italian politics to the right.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/30/ital-a30.html

Time for Direct Action International Solidarity
Yves Engler | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-30
How do we make people question the lies they have been told? How do we make our voices heard? Direct action democracy is required. In order to show politicians, the media and even many progressives that some of us are hostile to Canadian foreign policy we need to raise our voices and be disruptive in …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/time-for-direct-action-international-solidarity/

Democrats Need Litmus Tests on Health Care
Joshua Holland | thenation.com | 2019-08-30
Democrats Need Litmus Tests on Health Care…
thenation.com/article/healthcare-reform-democrats-medicare-for-all/

Brexit Gives Its Former Colonies a Whiff of Schadenfreude
Nanjala Nyabola | thenation.com | 2019-08-30
Brexit Gives Its Former Colonies a Whiff of Schadenfreude…
thenation.com/article/brexit-prorogue-colonialism-democracy/

Sex Work and the 2020 Presidential Campaign
David Rosen | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-30
The next Democratic presidential-candidates debate is scheduled for mid-September and it would be interesting if a network moderator asks the candidates whether they were in favor of decriminalizing consensual, adult sex work? One can well imagine the question provoking a host of reactions ranging from cautious non-answers to strong statements of support. Most revealing, no one…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/30/sex-work-and-the-2020-presidential-campaign/

Rojava: Human shields defy threats of Turkish invasion
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-30
Rojava revolutionIssue 1235 Northern Syria Turkish military Democratic Federation of Northern SyriaAugust 30, 2019The people of Rojava in Northern Syria are continuing human shield actions along the Syria-Turkey border, to prevent an invasi…
greenleft.org.au/content/rojava-human-shields-defy-threats-turkish-invasion

Family of Mexican Teenager Slain by Border Agent Awaits SCOTUS Ruling to Determine If They Can Sue
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-30
This fall, the Supreme Court will decide whether the parents of Sergio Hernández Gàºereca, a 15-year-old Mexican teen killed by a Border Patrol agent in 2010, can sue the American agent in a U.S. federal court. It's been nearly 10 years since Border Patrol agent Jesus Mesa Jr. shot across the El Paso-Juárez border and struck Hernández Gàºereca in the head. The central question in the case is whether a Mexican citizen killed on Mexican soil by a U.S. border agent is protected by the U.S. Constitution — allowing for the family members of victims to file civil lawsuits. If the Supreme Court rules in…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/30/scotus_case_border_patrol_killings_mexico

"All-Out Attack": Trump's Anti-Immigrant Policies Target Children, Cancer Patients & Servicemembers
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-30
On Tuesday, the Trump administration reportedly ended its "medical deferred action" program, which allows immigrants with serious health problems to stay in the U.S. for up to two years beyond the terms of their visas to receive critical treatment. Just one day later, it announced that some children born to U.S. servicemembers and government employees stationed overseas will no longer automatically receive citizenship. The policy changes come days after the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to allow the Trump administration to implement its rule banning almost all migrants from seeking asylum in the Unit…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/30/lee_gelernt_aclu_immigrant_rights

Border Patrol Has Killed At Least 97 People Since 2003. Hear Some of Their Victims' Stories
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-30
U.S. Border Patrol agents have killed 97 people since 2003, including at least six Mexicans on Mexican soil. Democracy Now! traveled to the borderlands of Arizona earlier this month to cover one of these killings: the death of José Antonio Elena Rodríguez, who was gunned down by a Border Patrol agent in 2012. We met with Richard Boren of the Border Patrol Victims Network in Nogales, Arizona, at exactly the spot where agent Lonnie Swartz pointed his gun through the border wall to shoot and kill José Antonio. At this site, Richard Boren displayed a banner with images of José Antonio and other victims of Border Patr…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/30/richard_boren_border_patrol_victims_network

Justice for José Antonio: Family Demands Accountability for Mexican Teen Killed by U.S. Border Agent
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-30
Nearly seven years ago, 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodríguez was killed in Nogales, Mexico, by U.S. Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz, who fired his gun from the U.S. side of the border. The teenager — who was unarmed — died face-down on the sidewalk just a couple of blocks from his home. Border Patrol has for years been plagued with hundreds of allegations of abuse and unnecessary use of deadly force, including the cross-border killings of at least six people on Mexican soil. Most cases are not investigated, and border agents are rarely criminally charged for using violent force. After nearly fiv…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/30/jose_antonio_elena_rodriguez_border_patrol

Protesters vow 'if you steal our democracy, we'll shut down the streets'
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-08-30
Organisers are hoping "hundreds of thousands" of people will take part in disruptive protests across Britain this weekend in response to the Prime Minister's plan to prorogue Parliament.Anti-Brexit campaign group Another Europe Is Possible has organised 32 #StopTheCoup demonstrations to take place in England, Scotland and Wales on Saturday.Meanwhile, left-wing group Momentum is calling on its members to "occupy bridges and blockade roads" in conjunction with the protests.According to the Mirror, Laura Parker, Momentum's national co-ordinator, said she would join an occupation of Parliament as the group stepped up…
thecanary.co/uk/2019/08/30/protesters-vow-if-you-steal-our-democracy-well-shut-down-the-streets/

'If Environment Were a Bank,' Says Bernie Sanders, 'It Would Have Been Saved Already'
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-30
Sanders has introduced a $16.3 trillion Green New Deal plan to avert climate catastrophe and create 20 million jobs in the process | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/climate_bernie_sanders.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/30/if-environment-were-bank-says-bernie-sanders-it-would-have-been-saved-already?cd-origin=rss

The quiet death of the "white Bernie bro" attack
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-08-29
A majority of Sanders supporters are non-white, in contrast to all the other top tier candidates, including Kamala Harris. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/08/29/the-quiet-death-of-the-white-bernie-bro-attack/

How Ohio's Chamber of Commerce Killed an Anti-Pollution Bill of Rights
H. Claire Brown | theintercept.com | 2019-08-29
Emails reveal that the Ohio Chamber of Commerce enlisted a key Republican lawmaker in a successful effort to nullify the Lake Erie Bill of Rights.
theintercept.com/2019/08/29/lake-erie-bill-of-rights-ohio/

#Resistance goes nuts over Trump axing automatic citizenship for kids born overseas. Only he didn't
rt.com | 2019-08-29
Mainstream media, Democrats, and #Resistance Twitter have united to eviscerate a change to citizenship policy regarding children of overseas-deployed military members. The only problem is, they're all reading the policy wrong. | US Citizenship and Immigration Services released an update to its policies on how citizenship is assigned to children of American citizens born overseas on Wednesday. The admittedly confusing document centered on the definition of the term 'residence' and how it figures in the transmission of citizenship from parents to child — a potentially thorny subject, given the Trump adminis…
rt.com/usa/467511-trump-attack-citizenship-military-mccain/

Senate Democrats' Campaign Arm Is Pressuring Consultants Not to Work With Leading Progressive Candidate in Colorado
Aída Chávez | theintercept.com | 2019-08-29
Andrew Romanoff said the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee pressured a number of firms not to work with his Senate campaign.
theintercept.com/2019/08/29/dscc-colorado-senate-democrats/

Kirsten Gillibrand Leaves the 2020 Race With No Apologies
Joan Walsh | thenation.com | 2019-08-29
Kirsten Gillibrand Leaves the 2020 Race With No Apologies…
thenation.com/article/kirsten-gillibrand-leaves-race/

Remembering Legendary Peace Activist Frances Crowe, Who Died at 100 After Decades of Resisting War
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-29
The legendary peace activist Frances Crowe died this week at the age of 100 in Northampton, Massachusetts. Over the past seven decades, Frances had been arrested countless times while protesting war, nuclear weapons, nuclear power and the construction of new pipelines. She is survived by her two sons, a daughter and an international community of peace activists. We revisit a 2005 interview of Frances Crowe by Amy Goodman and recognize her lifetime of advocacy.
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/29/remembering_legendary_peace_activist_frances_crowe

Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Arrives in NYC to Fight "Biggest Crisis Humanity Has Ever Faced"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-29
Following weeks of anticipation, Swedish climate justice activist Greta Thunberg arrived on the shores of Lower Manhattan Wednesday afternoon after a 15-day voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in an emissions-free yacht. She was welcomed on land by hundreds of supporters at the North Cove Marina. As Thunberg's yacht sailed over the horizon and past the Statue of Liberty, youth climate activists chanted "The sea levels are rising, and so are we!" and "We are unstoppable! Another world is possible!" The 16-year-old climate activist is kickstarting a months-long tour of the Americas. For her first action, she will be j…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/29/greta_thunberg_nyc_climate_activists

Boris Johnson Suspends Parliament Ahead of Brexit in "Shameless and Brazen Attack" on U.K. Democracy
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-29
The United Kingdom is in uproar after Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked the queen to prorogue, or suspend, Parliament from mid-September to mid-October, leaving little time for lawmakers to avoid a disastrous no-deal Brexit when the country exits the European Union on October 31. Thousands took to the streets in London and across the country Wednesday to protest the move. We speak with Ash Sarkar, senior editor at Novara Media, who describes Johnson's latest move as unprecedented, calling it "the most shameless and brazen attack on the British democratic process" in decades. "The unspoken rule of the British con…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/29/ash_sarkar_boris_johnson_prorogation_brexit

When Ilhan Omar Is Accused of Anti-Semitism, It's News. When a Republican Smears Muslims, There's Silence
Mehdi Hasan | theintercept.com | 2019-08-28
Rep. Ilhan Omar participates in a panel discussion during the Muslim Collective for Equitable Democracy Conference and Presidential Forum at the National Housing Center in Washington, D.C., on July 23, 2019. | the Benjamins, baby." | That is, of course, what Rep. Ilhan Omar famously tweeted on February 10, in response to a tweet from my colleague Glenn Greenwald decrying "how much time U.S. political leaders spend defending a foreign nation" — namely, the state of Israel. Then, when a journalist followed up by asking Omar w…
theintercept.com/2019/08/28/when-ilhan-omar-is-accused-of-anti-semitism-its-news-when-a-republican-smears-muslims-theres-silence/

Humanity Denied: What Is Missing from the Omar, Tlaib Story
Ramzy Baroud | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-28
Israel's decision to bar two United States Democratic Representatives, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, from entering Israel and visiting Palestine has further exposed the belligerent, racist nature of the Israeli government. But our understanding of the Israeli decision, and the massive controversy and discussion it generated, should not stop there. Palestinians, who have been at …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/humanity-denied-what-is-missing-from-the-omar-tlaib-story/

Corruption undermines democracy and contributes to instability, warns senior UN anti-crime official
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-28
Corruption undermines democratic institutions, slows economic development and contributes to governmental instability, Mirella Dummar-Frahi, Civil Society Team Leader at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warned at the UN Civil Society Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1045081

Israeli drone attack on Beirut suburb
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-08-28
Washington, DC – Israel launched a drone attack in Beirut's southern suburb, Dahiyeh, August 24, targeting the media offices of the national democratic political party Hezbollah. Lebanese politicians denounced the attacks as "acts of war," and Hezbollah stated it will respond. | Hezbollah reports that one of the Israelis drones exploded and the other did not – due to a technical failure. Of the drone that failed to blow up, Hezbollah stated "it was laden with a bomb which was professionally wrapped and isolated," made up of C4 explosives. | In recent days, Israel has launched attacks on Syria, Iraq, Gaza, and ea…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/28/israeli-drone-attack-beirut-suburb

Fidel Castro's prescient warning on climate change
Fidel Castro Ruz | liberationnews.org | 2019-08-28
Fidel Castro Ruz, historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, warned almost 30 years ago that collective and urgent action was needed to combat the destruction of the Earth's environment.
liberationnews.org/fidel-castros-prescient-warning-on-climate-change/

The Republican Party's White Women Problem
Julie Kohler | thenation.com | 2019-08-28
The Republican Party's White Women Problem…
thenation.com/article/republican-women-candidates-gender-gap/

How Democrats Can Win Back Rural Wisconsin
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2019-08-28
How Democrats Can Win Back Rural Wisconsin…
thenation.com/article/democrats-can-win-wisconsin-2020/

"We're in a Crisis of Deaths": Migrant Death Toll Tops 900 in Mediterranean as 40 Die Off Libya
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-28
At least 40 refugees and migrants are feared dead off of the coast of Libya after a boat carrying dozens of people en route to Europe capsized Tuesday morning in the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Libyan coast guard, some 65 migrants and refugees, mostly from Sudan, were rescued with the help of local fishermen. With Tuesday's tragedy, the number of migrants and refugees who have lost their lives this year in the Mediterranean en route to Europe is up to 900. Meanwhile, far-right European leaders like Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini continue to criminalize refugees and migrants, as well as humanitar…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/28/migrant_deaths_mediterranean_unhcr_charlie_yaxley

Airstrikes in Lebanon, Syria & Iraq Mark Dangerous Escalation in Decades-Long Israeli Aggression
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-28
Tensions are mounting across the Middle East following a series of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. Lebanese President Michel Aoun likened the recent Israeli attacks to a "declaration of war." Israeli drones bombed targets in Lebanon on both Monday and Tuesday. Meanwhile, some Iraqi lawmakers are calling on the United States to fully withdraw its troops following a series of Israeli air raids conducted by Israel. Israel has only claimed responsibility for an attack on Syria Saturday, which they said targeted an Iranian-operated base that was preparing to launch a drone assault on Israel. We speak wi…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/28/israel_airstrikes_lebanon_syria_iraq

How Bolsonaro's Climate Change Denial & Anti-Indigenous Policies Led to Massive Fires in the Amazon
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-28
In Brazil, fires continue to rage in the Amazon, and new drone footage shows the smoke and flames gathering strength. A vast plume of smoke has spread across South America and the Atlantic Ocean and is visible from space. The fires are also destroying large swaths of land in Bolivia. The fires are unprecedented in recorded history, and environmentalists say most of the fires were deliberately set by illegal miners and cattle ranchers. So far this year, there have been nearly 73,000 fires in Brazil, with over half of them in the Amazon region — an 83% increase from the same period last year. Far-right Brazil…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/28/brazil_jair_bolsonaro_unprecedented_amazon_fires

New Resource Tool Sheds Light on Government's Prepublication Review System
aclu.org | 2019-08-27
Millions of current and former government employees are subjected to this far-reaching censorship system. | This piece was originally published in Just Security. | For more than three years, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University have been litigating a series of Freedom of Information Act requests relating to "prepublication review." Under this far-reaching censorship system, millions of current and former government employees, con…
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/employee-speech-and-whistleblowers/new-resource-tool-sheds-light-governments

Corporate Media Take the Trump Line on Trade
Dean Baker | fair.org | 2019-08-27
The New York Times ( 8/10/19) takes a Trumpian approach to trade. | The New York Times ( 8/10/19) ran an article this month with a headline saying that the 2020 Democratic presidential contenders faced a major problem: "How to Be Tougher on Trade Than Trump." Serious readers might have struggled with the idea of getting "tough on trade." After all, trade is a tool, like a shovel. How is it possible to get tough on a shovel? | While this hea…
fair.org/home/corporate-media-take-the-trump-line-on-trade/

A Top Financier of Trump and McConnell Is a Driving Force Behind Amazon Deforestation
Ryan Grim | theintercept.com | 2019-08-27
Steve Schwarzman is the CEO of the Blackstone Group, which partially owns a Brazilian firm that is helping transform the Amazon from jungle to farmland.
theintercept.com/2019/08/27/amazon-rainforest-fire-blackstone/

"Kochland": How David Koch Helped Build an Empire to Shape U.S. Politics & Thwart Climate Action
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-27
Billionaire conservative donor David Koch died Friday at the age of 79 from prostate cancer. David Koch — who was worth some $42 billion — and his brother Charles poured massive amounts of money into funding climate change denial through conservative think tanks and politicians. The Koch brothers founded the political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity in 2004, which is credited with turning the "tea party" into a full-fledged political movement. They also backed "right-to-work" efforts, which aim to weaken labor rights and quash union membership. The brothers made their fortune running Koch Indu…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/27/christopher_leonard_kochland_koch_brothers

"This Ruling Is Huge": Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay $572 Million for Fueling Opioid Epidemic
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-27
In a landmark ruling, an Oklahoma judge has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for contributing to the state's opioid crisis. It marks the first time a drug company has been held responsible for the opioid crisis, though it fell far short of the $17 billion judgment sought by the state. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 400,000 people died from an overdose involving opioids from 1999 to 2017, including from prescription and illicit opioids. Court documents say more than 6,000 people have died of painkiller overdoses in Oklahoma alone. The Oklahoma ruling sets the stage…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/27/oklahoma_johnson_and_johnson_572_million

Before Kamala Harris Soured on Bernie Sanders's Medicare for All Bill, She Grew Her Email List From It
Akela Lacy | theintercept.com | 2019-08-26
Kamala Harris distanced herself from Bernie Sanders's Medicare for All bill at an event with large-dollar donors two weeks after her campaign ran those ads.
theintercept.com/2019/08/26/kamala-harris-medicare-for-all-sanders/

Rogues' Gallery: A Sober Look at the "Progressive" Democratic Presidential Candidates
Ken Freeland | mintpressnews.com | 2019-08-26
Unless someone new enters the race or one of the existing candidates is stricken on the road to Damascus, there will be no genuinely progressive foreign policy offered by either of the two major political parties in the 2020 presidential election.
mintpressnews.com/rogues-gallery-sober-look-progressive-democratic-presidential-candidates/261498/

Unreported Deaths, Child Cancer & Radioactive Meat: The Untold Story of Chernobyl
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-26
Following a mysterious nuclear accident in Russia that left seven dead, we look back at the 1986 nuclear disaster in Chernobyl. It sent a cloud of radioactive fallout into Russia, Belarus and over a large portion of Europe, but the death toll from Chernobyl remains unknown. Chernobyl is considered the worst nuclear accident in history, but Kate Brown, an MIT professor of science, technology and society, says much of what we understand about the disaster is inaccurate. Her new book, "Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future," chronicles the devastating and underreported impact of radiation on tens of t…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/26/kate_brown_chernobyl_manual_for_survival

"The Situation Was Very Bad": Feminist Activist Kavita Krishnan on What She Saw in Kashmir
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-26
In Kashmir, residents have entered their fourth week of a severe lockdown after India revoked the special status of the Indian-controlled part of the Muslim-majority territory. On August 5, India imposed a curfew and cut off all communications to the region. More than 4,000 people, including many political leaders, have been detained, while local residents report facing increasing shortages of food and medicine. Over the weekend, India blocked a delegation of Indian opposition politicians from visiting Kashmir, including Rahul Gandhi, the former president of the Indian National Congress. India's actions have led…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/26/kavita_krishnan_india_kashmir_special_status

Mysterious Russian Nuclear Missile Accident Sparks Fears of Cover-Up & "Chernobyl Redux"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-26
Questions are swirling over a mysterious nuclear accident in northern Russia on August 8. Seven people, including five nuclear scientists, died in an explosion, which caused a radiation spike in the surrounding area — and possibly as far as Scandinavia. U.S. experts suspect the explosion was caused during a test of a nuclear-powered cruise missile. Russia initially denied a radiation leak, but earlier today its state weather agency confirmed radioactive isotopes have been found in test samples in the city of Severodvinsk near the military test range. Norway's nuclear test ban monitor now believes two explos…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/26/aug_8_russia_nuclear_accident

Qatar pulls its Turkish investments
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-08-25
Erdoƒüan Toprak, the chief adviser to the chairman of the People's Republican Party (CHP) and the parliamentary deputy from the province of Istanbul, prepared a report on the issue of Qatari investments, which, in recent years, have been increasingly discussed throughout Turkey. According to the Turkish Ministry of Economy, from 2002 to March 2017, Qatar …
uwidata.com/5052-qatar-pulls-its-turkish-investments/

Why is the Far-Right Rising Globally? (1/2)
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-25
Walden Bello, author of "Counterrevolution: The Global Rise of the Far-Right," argues that the far-right is in ascendancy at the moment not only in reaction to the failures of neoliberalism, but also because of the failures of liberal democracy…
therealnews.com/stories/why-is-the-far-right-rising-globally-1-2

National Democrats Endorse John Hickenlooper, a Proponent of Fracking, in Competitive Colorado Primary
Aída Chávez | theintercept.com | 2019-08-24
In Colorado, nearly a dozen Democrats are vying for the opportunity to take on Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in 2020 — a race widely seen as the party's most promising pick-up in the Senate. One of the leading contenders, former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, is running on a platform that includes Medicare for All and an aggressive plan to combat the climate crisis — and his campaign has already topped $1 million in fundraising. | But the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has thrown its weight behind former Gov. John Hickenlooper, a pro-fracking moderate. After months of rejecting calls…
theintercept.com/2019/08/24/dscc-john-hickenlooper-andrew-romanoff-colorado-senate/

How Democrats Plan to Win Wisconsin in 2020
Rachel M. Cohen | theintercept.com | 2019-08-23
Democrats, labor unions, and progressive groups are investing heavily in new organizing techniques in Wisconsin, where electoral victory is considered crucial to the party's path to the White House. They are hoping to boost voter turnout in a state that the national party took for granted in 2016. | The efforts, spearheaded by Wisconsin leaders and liberal donors across the country, include massive new investments in field organizing, a targeted focus on communities of color, and capitalizing on the Democratic Party convention that will be held in Milwaukee next July. | "I think the whole country recognizes that…
theintercept.com/2019/08/23/democrats-wisconsin-2020/

Sen. Merkley on the Dangers of a New Nuclear Arms Race & Why He Backs the Green New Deal
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-23
Fallout from the Trump administration's decision to pull out of the landmark 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is mounting. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to prepare for what he called a "symmetrical response" after the U.S. tested what it said was a nonnuclear cruise missile earlier this week. The U.S. launch was the first test of its kind since the Trump administration withdrew from the INF. We speak to Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon about U.S. nuclear policy, as well as the Green New Deal, President Trump's wish to buy Greenland and…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/23/amazon_fires_brazil_andrew_miller

Sen. Merkley Condemns Trump's War Against Migrant Families as U.S. Moves to Indefinitely Jail Kids
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-23
The Trump administration is moving to indefinitely detain migrant children and their families, reversing decades of U.S. policy. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services is expected to issue a new rule today to withdraw from a 1997 federal court settlement known as the Flores agreement, which put a 20-day limit on migrant family detentions. We speak with Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, who made headlines last year when he was barred from entering an old Walmart where the government was detaining about 1,500 immigrant children in Brownsville, Texas.
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/23/jeff_merkley_trump_administration_child_separation

"Our House Is On Fire": Brazil Faces Global Outrage as Massive Fires Spread in Amazon Rainforest
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-23
The United Nations is calling for the protection of the Amazon amid fears that thousands of fires raging across Brazil and some parts of Bolivia are rapidly destroying the world's largest rainforest and paving the way for a climate catastrophe. The fires have spread a vast plume of smoke across South America and the Atlantic Ocean that's visible from space. They're unprecedented in recorded history, and environmentalists say most of the fires were deliberately set by illegal miners and cattle ranchers. Indigenous people in Brazil have accused far-right President Jair Bolsonaro of encouraging the destruction. Bols…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/23/jeff_merkley_us_nuclear_policy_green

2020 Candidates Address Historical Trauma, Missing Indigenous Women & More at Native American Forum
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-22
Following this week's historic Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum in Sioux City, Iowa, we speak with Mark Trahant, editor of Indian Country Today and moderator of the Native American voter forum; Christine Nobiss, director of Seeding Sovereignty's SHIFT project; and Mark Charles, independent candidate for president, Native American activist and writer. They respond to the candidates' proposals to tackle issues affecting the Native American community, including the chronic murder and disappearance of Native American girls and women, land sovereignty, and generational trauma caused by colonialism.
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/22/mark_trahant_christine_nobiss_mark_charles

An Arizona Law Requires Surveillance of People Who Are Presumed Innocent
aclu.org | 2019-08-21
The government cannot take shortcuts around constitutional rights. | A pillar of our democracy is the presumption of innocence: before a person has been convicted of a crime, they are considered completely innocent under the law. Yet across the country, people who have not been convicted are punished–both explicitly and implicitly–based on the mistaken assumption that they are dangerous, purely on the basis of an accusation. We do not live in a society where you can be incarcerated or monitored simply because you have been accused of a crime. Doing so violates constitutional rights, fuels mass incarce…
aclu.org/blog/privacy-technology/surveillance-technologies/arizona-law-requires-surveillance-people-who-are

Joe Biden's Wife Says Vote for Husband Even If You Like Other Candidates More
Common Dreams | theantimedia.com | 2019-08-20
"Jill Biden may have settled for her husband, but I'm not sure why anyone else should."

Joe Biden's Wife Says Vote for Husband Even If You Like Other Candidates More

Hong Kong: Flashpoint of Class Struggle in China
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-08-20
What began as isolated protests against a standard criminal-extradition law has somehow erupted into a violent fury throughout Hong Kong. The Chinese city's American-and-British-flag-waving protesters are, on the one hand, calling for "freedom, human rights, and democracy" while, on the other, assaulting police and even random bystanders alike. Western media have already been on the …
uwidata.com/4966-hong-kong-flashpoint-of-class-struggle-in-china/

Maryland teacher incorporates hard lessons about slavery into public school curriculum
Brad Bennett | splcenter.org | 2019-08-20
At a workshop for teachers about educating children on American slavery, one instructor grew angry and insisted that Thomas Jefferson — who fathered biracial children with an enslaved woman on one of his plantations — was an advocate for racial equality.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/20/maryland-teacher-incorporates-hard-lessons-about-slavery-public-school-curriculum

Kamala Harris Team Accused of "Inventing Conspiracies" About Tulsi Gabbard
Eoin Higgins | theantimedia.com | 2019-08-01
The Kamala Harris' campaign jumped to tie Gabbard and her campaign to a nebulously defined and unclear Russian conspiracy.

Kamala Harris Team Accused of "Inventing Conspiracies" About Tulsi Gabbard