Daily Archives: September 15, 2019

2019-09-15: News Headlines

RT (2019-09-15). Yang says SNL novice should not be fired over Chinese racial slur, drowned out by PC crowd. rt.com Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang has said that Saturday Night Live's new hire Shane Gillis should not be sacked for making a tasteless joke after a clip of him mocking Chinatowns resurfaced, setting Twitter alight. | Yang, a son of immigrants from Taiwan, struck a distinctly different tone from most online warriors when he said he would be "happy to sit down and talk" with Gillis about the ill-fated clip that resurfaced on Friday. The video shows the comedian tearing into Chinatowns and their inhabitants. | "Damn, Chinatown is f**king nuts," Gillis says in the clip, referring to the ability of Chi…

Staff (2019-09-15). Republicans Partied in a Monument to American Wealth Inequality. therealnews.com The little-known back story of the hotel where Republican's gathered in Baltimore last week is how it embodies all the unjust policies that have created record wealth inequality in the US…

teleSUR (2019-09-15). AOC's Face Burned in Republican Party Video to Slam Socialism. telesurenglish.net The United States Congresswoman Ilhan Omar slammed a video aired during the Democratic Debate Thursday which showed her fellow Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez's burning face while a former congressional candidate spo…

Robert Freeman (2019-09-15). Teaching Democrats to Talk About Socialism. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/another-world-is-possible-955px.jpg

teleSUR (2019-09-15). Tunisia: People Vote in Highly-Anticipated Elections. telesurenglish.net Tunisians were casting votes in an unpredictable presidential election Sunday where there is no overwhelming front-runner, with the young democracy's economic ills dominating the agenda. | RELATED: | Tunisia: Meet Main Candidates in Sunday's Presidential Election | Polling stations opened at 8 am local time from the capital Tunis on the Mediterranean coastline to the cork forests of the northwest, the mining towns of the interior and sand-swept Saharan villages in the south.

Fight Back (2019-09-15). USF students demand no immigration authorities on campus. fightbacknews.org Tampa, Fl – On September 10, students at the University of South Florida (USF) participated in a national day of action that was called by National Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to speak out against the Trump administration's attacks on undocumented immigrants. The event was hosted by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Over 30 students and staff attended. | During President Donald Trump's tenure, his administration has engaged in escalating attacks against undocumented immigrants. Some of these attacks include Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detaining undocumented children in h…

Ed Sykes (2019-09-15). Angela Rayner just flipped the tables on the Lib Dems with a message we all need to remember. thecanary.co Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson has stressed that "on so many grounds, David Cameron cannot be forgiven". But in doing so, she seemed to gloss over the damning fact that she and her party propped Cameron up for five years between 2010 and 2015. And Labour's Angela Rayner, for one, was not going to let that go.The shadow education minister insisted: | t.co/FKRgSykXQa | — Angela Rayner 🌈 (@AngelaRayner) Fight Back (2019-09-15). USF students demand no immigration authorities on campus. fightbacknews.org Tampa, Fl – On September 10, students at the University of South Florida (USF) participated in a national day of action that was called by National Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to speak out against the Trump administration's attacks on undocumented immigrants. The event was hosted by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Over 30 students and staff attended. | During President Donald Trump's tenure, his administration has engaged in escalating attacks against undocumented immigrants. Some of these attacks include Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detaining undocumented children in h…

Staff (2019-09-15). Jim Crow Steals Election in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District. truthout.org | | Stolen again. Democrat Dan McCready supposedly lost the special election in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District to Republican Dan Bishop by less than 4,000 votes. However, racially biased vote suppression schemes easily account for the supposed GOP victory margin. | Under the violently partisan Elections Board chief Kim Strach (pronounced "Strake") — her husband was the attorney for the state's Republican Party — North Carolina targeted half a million voters (561,693) bas…

RT (2019-09-15). Presumption of innocence? Dems call for Kavanaugh's impeachment amid new sex assault allegations. rt.com A number of 202 Democratic nomination hopefuls didn't waste time before taking a shot at Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh just as new harassment allegations surfaced. And they hardly see a place for the benefit of the doubt. | The new storm around Kavanaugh, who was accused of past sexual misconduct last year, started with a New York Times feature on one of the accusers. | Deborah Ramirez, who went to Yale University with the future Justice, insists that he thrust his penis at her at a drunken party in 1980s. The paper wrote that it uncovered a similar incident of penis pushing into a female's hand based…

James Wright (2019-09-15). On Andrew Marr, Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson hints at a betrayal worse than tuition fees. thecanary.co Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson hinted at a betrayal worse than tuition fees on the 15 September edition of the Andrew Marr Show. | Cashing in on Remain for votes?: | Speaking to Marr, Swinson refused to rule out another coalition with the Conservative government, despite its hard-Brexit stance. The exchange will fuel suspicions that the Lib Dems' support for Remain is predominantly an opportunistic vote-winning strategy. | On #Marr, Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson hints at…

Ed Sykes (2019-09-15). Swinson tries to attack Corbyn on the BBC, but it totally backfires. thecanary.co Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson is currently trying to convince Britain that her party — and not Jeremy Corbyn's — is the 'progressive one in town'. But with basic scrutiny, her attempts crash and burn like a Lib Dem tuition fees pledge. | Lib Dems? 'Fair and inclusive'? Lol.: | On 15 September, Swinson spoke to the BBC's Andrew Marr. And she lumped Corbyn into the same bag as Boris Johnson, saying: I want to build an open, inclusive, and fair society — and…

Ryan Devereaux (2019-09-14). How the FBI Increased Its Power After 9/11 and Helped Put Trump in Office. theintercept.com Former FBI agent Mike German recounts the transformation of the FBI from a law enforcement agency into a dangerously powerful domestic intelligence force.

Eds. (2019-09-14). Which Way Out of Neoliberalism: Fascism or Socialism? mronline.org All eyes are on the ongoing struggle between forces of fascism (whether Democratic Party or Republican in character) and the social democratic forces of the Western world with the hopes that a decisive break from imperialism is on the horizon. | Source

RT (2019-09-14). Bolton resurrects pair of PACs to prop up Congress' top warmongers. rt.com Former National Security Advisor John Bolton has wasted no time relaunching his political action committees and endorsing five Republican congressmen, all of whom appear to love war almost as much as he does. | The John Bolton PAC has endorsed Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Cory Gardner (R-Colorado), and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), along with Reps Adam Kinzinger (R-Illinois) and Lee Zeldin (R-New York), according to its first post-resurrection press release on Friday, which referred to the now-unemployed hawk as "Ambassador John Bolton" despite the fact that he has not held a diplomatic position in year…

Kathleen Romig, Kathleen Bryant (2019-09-14). Cutting Social Security to Offset Paid Parental Leave Would Weaken Retirement Security. commondreams.org Weakening Retirement Security for Parents Opting for Parental LeaveSen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) talks to journalists with fellow Republicans (L-R) Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) at the U.S. Capitol March 05, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/joni_ernst-mitch_mcconnell-955px.jpg

Michael Winship (2019-09-14). Democratic Debate's Top Ten in Texas. commondreams.org Candidates debate guns—and much more—in an open carry state.

United Nations (2019-09-14). UN chief urges 'active, substantive and meaningful participation' on International Day of Democracy. un.org On the International Day of Democracy, the United Nations chief urged each Government to respect its citizens' right to "meaningful participation" in the political process.

teleSUR (2019-09-14). Bolivia President Rejects Violent Attack Against His Party's HQ. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's President Evo Morales rejected Friday the latest violent acts in the central city of Santa Cruz, where the campaign headquarters of his Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) was attacked by opposition protesters. | RELATED: | Bolivia: Evo Morales Leads Presidential Election Poll by 11% | "This is a conspiracy against democracy and, above all, a conspiracy to the defenders of democracy that are social movements. Don't give in to this game from paid participants…we reject and…

Common Dreams staff (2019-09-14). Cowardly Democratic Senator Coons Attacks Beto for Standing Up to NRA. commondreams.org O'Rourke: "But the time for letting status quo politics determine how far we can go is over. If we agree that having millions of weapons of war on the streets is a bad idea, we have to do something about it. " | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/ar-15-955px_1.jpg

Michael Payne (2019-09-14). The American people will impeach the Republican Party and its members. nationofchange.org House Democrats remain in a state of confusion about whether or not they should impeach President Trump. "Should we, can we, yes we can, no we can't. Speaker Pelosi continues to waffle, saying that the American people are not strongly behind such action, and the polls back up her observations. But she doesn't seem to understand that, by her negative statements about the chances of initiating an impeachment, she is adding to their reluctance to call for it. | Let's take a closer look at those polls to better understand who is for and who is not for impeachment. Most polls indicate that 72% of Democratic support…

WSWS (2019-09-14). Fascistic elements in Republican Party threaten Democrats O'Rourke and Ocasio-Cortez. wsws.org Both incidents reflect the growing threat of political violence from the far-right.

WSWS (2019-09-14). The Democratic presidential debate: A million miles from American social reality. wsws.org The 10 candidates on the stage in Houston avoided any discussion of the deepening social crisis in America and the growing opposition to social inequality.

WSWS (2019-09-14). British judge jails Assange indefinitely, despite end of prison sentence. wsws.org The ruling, which confines Assange to prison indefinitely, is the latest in a series of attacks on his legal and democratic rights by the British judiciary.

Texas Tribune (2019-09-14). Texas Republican Lawmaker to Beto O'Rourke: "My AR is Ready for You" theantimedia.com Twitter took the comment down within hours because it violated a rule, and O'Rourke's campaign planned to report the tweet to the FBI.

John Atcheson (2019-09-14). The Plutocratic War on People: Centrists and Conservatives are Ignoring the Giant Elephant in Our National Living Room. commondreams.org The list of problems getting buried by money is nearly endless. Gun control; health care; a living wage; the high cost of education; endless war; each is rooted in the power of the oligarch's coup, and each is a function of money in politics. But only two candidates — Sanders and Warren — address this issue head on in the debates, and to hear the media, the pundits' and the Party's post mortem, both are "extreme" and the guy who's debating whether the lifeboat needs a patch is "reasonable" and the best bet for winning the election. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/c

Peadar O'Cearnaigh (2019-09-14). Despite needing another 309 seats, Jo Swinson still believes she can be the next PM. thecanary.co Just ahead of its autumn conference, leader of the Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson actually believes her party can win at least 326 seats at the next election. Swinson claims: Our polling suggests there are hundreds of seats where L…

Naomi Klein (2019-09-14). Maxime Bernier Attacked Greta Thunberg's Autism. Naomi Klein Says Autism Made the Teen a Global Voice of Conscience. commondreams.org Greta Thunberg joins activists outside the United Nations during a protest on September 6, 2019 in New York. (Photo: Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/greta_thunberg-united_nations-955px.png

Ryan Grim (2019-09-13). Joe Biden's Stunningly Racist Answer on the Legacy of Slavery Has Been Overlooked. theintercept.com For the Washington Post, former Vice President Joe Biden delivered "the kind of performance his supporters have been waiting for — combative when needed and in the thick of the action throughout" during Thursday's presidential debate. Cable news commenters largely agreed. The New York Times was slightly less kind, subtitling its analysis "St…

Mark Gruenberg (2019-09-13). Medicare for All dominates debate; Sanders, Warren defend it against Biden. peoplesworld.org HOUSTON—Tussles over health care dominated the discussion as the ten leading Democratic presidential hopefuls debated each other before a boisterous crowd in Houston on Sept. 12. The key disagreements were between Sens. Bernie Sanders, Ind.-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who championed single-payer government-run Medicare for All, and former Vice President Joe Biden. He vowed to …

RT (2019-09-13). Biden defends Obama's record from onslaught of inconvenient facts during Democratic debate. rt.com Democratic presidential candidates called out former vice president Joe Biden for clinging to the reputation of former president (and his former boss) Barack Obama with all his might — except when it's inconvenient. | Biden "wants to take credit for Obama's work, but not have to answer any questions" about the negative aspects of his presidency, former secretary of labor Julian Castro pointed out during Thursday's Democratic primary debate, adding that New Jersey Senator Cory Booker had also taken note of Biden's reliance on his former boss' reputation during the previous debate. | Also on rt.com

Maxximilian Seijo (2019-09-13). Money Politics before the New Deal with Jakob Feinig. mronline.org Jakob Feinig, assistant professor of human development at Binghamton University, joins Money on the Left to discuss the history of political organizing and activism around money in the United States, from the pre-Revolutionary period to the New Deal era. Characterized alternately by periods of widespread "silencing" and mass mobilization, the history of money politics that […] | Source

Staff (2019-09-13). 3rd Democratic Debate: Foreign Policy Continues Imperialist Tradition (3/3). therealnews.com While most Democratic candidates are finally shifting the debate on Afghanistan, 18 years after the war began, the discussion on other issues, such as Latin America, continues in the same old imperialist vein as before…

RT (2019-09-13). O'Rourke reports Texas Republican to FBI over 'death threat' in tweet reacting to AR-15 ban. rt.com Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O'Rourke says he has forwarded a so-called "death threat" to the FBI, after Republican Congressman Briscoe Cain suggestively told the candidate his rifle was "ready" for him to confiscate. | Cain's tweet was the reaction to O'Rourke's declaration that "we're going to take your AR-15 and AK-47" during the presidential debate among Democrat contenders on Thursday in Houston. | On Friday morning, O'Rourke responded by informing the congressman that he interpreted his comment — effectively a play on "Molon Labe," or "come and take them" — as a threat to his life. | Th…

RT (2019-09-13). Buying votes? Yang announces he'll give 10 people $1,000 a month… but read the fine print first. rt.com Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang is dangling cash in front of voters, announcing he'll raffle off 10-year-long samples of his Universal Basic Income program — $1,000 a month — in a promo he swears is legal. | Yang opened the third Democratic presidential debate with the "unprecedented" promotion, having teased his followers with the "debate surprise" in the days leading up to the event. Winners will receive $1,000 per month for 12 months even if Yang does not win the nomination, with the funds coming from his campaign war chest. | In his opening statement, Andrew Yang says his campaign w…

RT (2019-09-13). AOC's face on fire in Republican 'genocide' ad makes Democrats cry racism. rt.com With no clear winner emerging from the third Democrat primary debate, the party has found something to unify around: calling Republicans racist over a provocative ad that linked socialism to Pol Pot and the Cambodian genocide. | "This is the face of socialism. And ignorance," says the thirty-second clip, opening on the smiling image of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), a self-described democratic socialist. The face then begins to burn away, revealing the grisly photos of the 1970s genocide in Cambodia. | "Does Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez know the horror of socialism? My father was minutes from death…

Staff (2019-09-13). 3rd Democratic Debate: Education, Inequality, and Racism (2/3). therealnews.com Our panel on the 3rd Democratic presidential debate takes a closer look at how the candidates look at and overlook crucial issues related to inequality and education in the United States…

Staff (2019-09-13). 3rd Democratic Debate: Medicare for All as the Bogeyman? (1/3). therealnews.com The third Democratic Party's presidential debate featured all ten front-runners for the first time. In segment one of our debate discussion, we take a closer look how candidates discussed the healthcare issue. Our panelists are Osita Nwanevu, Helena Olea, and Jacqueline Luqman, with Greg Wilpert as host…

Rob Urie (2019-09-13). Bernie Sanders and the Realignment of the American Left. counterpunch.org The neoliberal revolution that has been underway since the mid-1970s fundamentally reoriented American governance toward the interests of capital. While the distance between government and the so-called private sector was never that great, all pretense that government served the broader public interest was cast aside in favor of state-corporatism. This wasn't simply a matter of privatizing the public realm— it overlaid a capitalist rationale on all public undertakings. More

Julie Hollar, Jim Naureckas (2019-09-13). ABC Democratic Debate Lowlights. commondreams.org Democratic presidential candidates (from left) Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Elizabeth Warren. (Photo: ABC News/Univision) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/dem_debate.jpg

Sam Husseini (2019-09-13). Joe Biden: New Level of Iraq War Lies. "Yes, I did oppose the war before it began." globalresearch.ca Presidential candidate Joe Biden is now claiming about the 2003 Iraq invasion: "Yes, I did oppose the war before it began." | Biden has been claiming: | "From the moment 'shock and awe' started, from that moment, I was opposed to the …

Jud Lounsbury (2019-09-13). Democratic Debate #3: Mr. Rogers, Re-runs, and Real Talk. progressive.org A side-stepped apology from Biden, two gimmick-meisters, and seven remaining candidates who gave solid performances.

Ryan Gunderson (2019-09-13). Here's to the Last Philosophes, the Frankfurt School. counterpunch.org The "Frankfurt School" refers to a group of unorthodox Marxist intellectuals associated with Frankfurt, Germany's Institute for Social Research. The most famous first-generation members, whose collective work spans from the 1930s into the early 1970s, include Theodor W. Adorno, Max Horkheimer, and Herbert Marcuse. They wondered why advanced capitalist societies were sinking into new forms More

teleSUR, rb- EF (2019-09-13). Ecuador's Ex-President Correa Meets With Raul Castro in Havana. telesurenglish.net Leader of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), Raul Castro, and former president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa spoke on Friday in Havana on topics of regional and international current events during Correa's unofficial visit to the island. | RELATED: | Cuba Sends Humanitarian Aid to The Bahamas | Correa has been visiting Cuba privately for several days, but his stay had not been confirmed until Friday by local media. | During the friendly meeting, the two leaders discussed regional and international a…

Rebekah Barber (2019-09-13). How the South Could Help Flip the US Senate. commondreams.org For over 130 straight weeks, activists in North Carolina have protested the policies of Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, who faces re-election next year in one of the three Senate races in Southern states where Democrats stand the best chance of winning. (Photo: Tuesdays With Tillis/Facebook) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/thom_tillis.jpg

Robert Mackey (2019-09-13). Creepy Republican Ad During Democratic Debate Attacks Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. theintercept.com The strange Republican obsession with attacking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reached a new low in a commercial break during the Democratic presidential debate in Houston on Thursday night. | The widely reviled commercial, which aired on ABC and was paid for by donors to the GOP New Faces PAC, opened with a photograph of the young Latinx congresswoman's face being set on fire to reveal images of the 1970s genocide in Cambodia underneath. | The attack ad…

Joan Walsh (2019-09-13). Joe Biden Botches a Question on Race—Again. thenation.com Joe Biden Botches a Question on Race—Again…

John Nichols (2019-09-13). Jorge Ramos Was the Best Debate Moderator Yet. thenation.com Jorge Ramos Was the Best Debate Moderator Yet…

Jeet Heer (2019-09-13). Sanders and Warren Make a Good Team. thenation.com Sanders and Warren Make a Good Team…

Jeffrey St. Clair (2019-09-13). Roaming Charges: They Are the Walrus. counterpunch.org + What I learned at the debate last night…. + We're going to be stuck in the middle with Klobuchar… + Booker: such fancy rhetorical skills in the service of nothing. + The common theme seems to be that the Democrats will "unify" America. Is a "unified America" a 54-46 split? + Bernie's voice may not More

Julia Conley, staff writer (2019-09-13). Majority in US Back Free College Tuition and Student Debt Cancellation, New Poll Finds. commondreams.org A majority of voters support the bold proposals for free college tuition and the wiping out of student debt that have been put forward by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic primary, according to a new poll out Friday. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-6136316521.jpg

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-09-13). Sanders Campaign Hits Back Against 'Dishonest' Biden Attack on Medicare for All. commondreams.org "It's disappointing Joe Biden is echoing the deceptions and falsehoods of the healthcare industry which is spending millions to protect the $100 billion in profits they made." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/sanders-biden-3rd-dem-debate.jpg

Staff (2019-09-13). Should Latinos Trust Biden? Former VP Refuses to Criticize Obama's Deportation of 3 Million People. democracynow.org Debate moderator Jorge Ramos of Univision grilled former Vice President Joe Biden over the Obama administration's deportation record. Biden refused to answer whether he did anything to prevent Obama from deporting a record 3 million people.

Staff (2019-09-13). Joe Biden Faces Criticism over His Healthcare Plan & His Support for Iraq Invasion at Third Debate. democracynow.org The 10 leading Democratic presidential candidates appeared for the first time on the same stage Thursday night at a debate at Texas Southern University in Houston. It was the third debate of the primary season, but it marked the first time former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren took part in the same debate. Biden repeatedly faced criticism for his healthcare plans and for his vote to support the war in Iraq.

Staff (2019-09-13). "Racism in America Is Endemic": Democratic Candidates Vow to Confront White Supremacy & Legacy of Slavery. democracynow.org During the third Democratic debate Thursday night, the discussion of race and racism got personal for former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, who brought up last month's El Paso massacre. He said the white gunman who killed 22 people, mostly Latinos, had driven to the border city "to kill people who look like me." Former Texas Congressmember Beto O'Rourke, who is from El Paso, said racism is endemic and foundational of the United States. He mentioned that this year will mark the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved African being brought to America, and promised he would create a slavery reparations commission.

Staff (2019-09-13). Medicare for All: Sanders & Warren Defend Plan to Expand Healthcare Coverage to Everyone. democracynow.org At Thursday's debate, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren defended their Medicare for All plan. They faced criticism from several rivals, including Senator Amy Klobuchar, who described it as a "bad idea," and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who claimed the bill shows Sanders and Warren do not "trust the American people."

Staff (2019-09-13). Bernie Sanders on Democratic Socialism: We Want to Create an Economy That Works for All of Us. democracynow.org After being questioned about the crisis in Venezuela, Senator Bernie Sanders defended his vision of democratic socialism. "I agree with what goes on in Canada and in Scandinavia: guaranteeing healthcare to all people as a human right. I believe that the United States should not be the only major country on Earth not to provide paid family and medical leave," Sanders said. "I believe that every worker in this country deserves a living wage and that we expand the trade union movement."

Staff (2019-09-13). Elizabeth Warren Calls for Withdrawal of U.S. Troops from Afghanistan. democracynow.org At the third presidential primary debate in Houston, Texas, senator and 2020 candidate Elizabeth Warren called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Warren also spoke about her stance on U.S. trade policy and how "our trade policy in America has been broken for decades."

Staff (2019-09-13). Headlines for September 13, 2019. democracynow.org Ten Candidates Square Off in Third Democratic Presidential Debate, Greenpeace Activists Rappel Off Houston Bridge, Halting Oil Shipments, 2.2 Million Somalis At Risk of Starvation Amid Massive Drought, 7 Million People Displaced by Extreme Weather in First Half of 2019, House Votes to Block Drilling in Alaskan Wildlife Refuge as Trump Admin Readies Lease Sales, New York Schools Won't Penalize Students Who Join Climate Strike, Trump Admin Repeals Rule Protecting Drinking Water of 100+ Million, Trump Admin Allows Michigan Trophy Hunter to Import Body Parts of Endangered Rhino, House Committee Opens Impeachment Proc…

Editor (2019-09-13). Democrats: No debate on climate crisis. workers.org In a small room at Hudson Yards, a ritzy, new Manhattan retail and housing complex, 10 Democratic candidates for president took turns Sept. 4 presenting their programs on the climate crisis. Each candidate was questioned separately by CNN moderators and audience members for 40 minutes in a televised seven-hour "Climate . . . | Continue reading Democrats: No debate on climate crisis at Workers.org

Michael Hudson (2019-09-13). Break Up the Democratic Party? counterpunch.org Thursday's debate on Walt Disney's ABC channel shaped up as yet another shameless charade. The pretense was that we are to select who the Democratic presidential candidate will be. But most Americans, as the Irish say, vote with their backsides, belonging to the informal but dominant party of non-voters who choose not to be sucked More

Aída Chávez (2019-09-12). Senate Democrats Draft Pro Athlete Instagram Influencers Into Climate Fight. theintercept.com On Thursday, after a summer of extreme heat, the Senate Democrats' Special Committee on the Climate Crisis convened to hear from a group of people especially affected by climate change. They were not members of low-income communities or communities of color, people who have been hit by hurricanes, wildfires, and other disasters. They were current and former professional athletes, appearing to testify on how climate change impacts winter sports and tourism industries. | The 10-member special committee, chaired by Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, is tasked with investigating the impacts of climate change to develop the…

Staff (2019-09-12). Bernie Sanders Is Fighting to End the Media's Demonization of Socialism. therealnews.com We had a conversation with Sen. Sanders' Press Secretary Briahna Joy Gray on the right-wing talking points used by mainstream media to discredit Sen. Sanders and the falsehoods about socialism perpetuated by the GOP…

Staff (2019-09-12). UPDATED: Protesters Greet Trump in Baltimore Weeks After He Attacked City. therealnews.com Over one hundred demonstrators protested President Trump's visit to Baltimore on Thursday Sept 12th, the first of several planned demonstrations against a gathering of Congressional republicans at a ritzy waterfront resort. | Trump's visit came just weeks after he attacked the city in a series of incendiary tweets. He called Baltimore "rat infested" and "a place no one wants to live," and called local congressman Elijah Cummings a "racist" and a "failure." | As chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Cummings is leading probes into the Trump administration, as well as the Trump family's business dealings. | Pr…

RT (2019-09-12). 'Loser' v 'warmongering chickenhawk': 2 Republican lawmakers in epic Twitter beef. rt.com A disagreement on 9/11 over John Bolton and US withdrawal from Afghanistan descended into a full-on Twitter war between Rep. Liz Cheney and Senator Rand Paul, in a sequel to the beef between their fathers over invading Iraq. | It all started when Paul (R-Kentucky) backed two state legislators who blasted Cheney (R-Wyoming) for demanding a more aggressive foreign policy. "Why do some neocons continue to advocate for endless wars?" he quipped. "Let's focus on America First, not Afghanistan!" | Cheney snapped back that she stands with Trump and US troops in not surrendering to terrorists, "unlike [Paul], who seem…

John Nichols (2019-09-12). Democrats Can Become the Party of Death Penalty Abolitionism. thenation.com Democrats Can Become the Party of Death Penalty Abolitionism…

Staff (2019-09-12). Another Flint? Newark, NJ, Faces Public Health Crisis over Lead Contamination in City's Water Supply. democracynow.org Thousands of residents in Newark, New Jersey, remain unable to drink their tap water in an enduring public health nightmare. Lead contamination has plagued the city for years, but lead levels have spiked even higher in 2019. The crisis recently came to a head following revelations that water filters distributed to residents may not have been effective. New Jersey's political leaders are facing mounting criticism for their handling of the water crisis. Advocates say the city downplayed the severity of the problem for years and has been slow on solutions, comparing Newark's water crisis to Flint, Michigan. We speak…

Staff (2019-09-12). Will U.S. & Iran Resume Talks After John "Bomb Iran" Bolton Is Ousted as National Security Adviser? democracynow.org President Trump has ousted John Bolton, becoming the third national security adviser to be ousted by Trump so far. Bolton has long been a fierce critic of diplomacy. He had strongly pushed for Trump to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. He also opposed negotiations with North Korea, as well as the Taliban in Afghanistan. And he was a key supporter of the attempted U.S.-backed coup in Venezuela and an advocate of regime change in Cuba and Nicaragua. Trump is expected to announce a replacement next week. We speak with Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and a member of the national board of J…

Staff (2019-09-12). Noura Erakat: Netanyahu's Proposed West Bank Annexation Is Logical End to Israel's Apartheid Policy. democracynow.org Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing worldwide condemnation for vowing to annex nearly a third of the occupied West Bank if he wins next week's snap election. The United Nations, the Arab League, the European Union and Russia have all criticized Netanyahu's plan, which he unveiled Tuesday. Netanyahu's pledge comes just a week before Israeli voters return to the polls on Tuesday for new elections after Netanyahu failed to form a coalition government following Israel's April 9 election. Netanyahu's annexation plan would crush hopes of an eventual Palestinian state. We speak with Noura Erakat, Palesti…

Staff (2019-09-12). Headlines for September 12, 2019. democracynow.org U.S. Denies Protected Status to Bahamians as 2,500 Listed as Missing, Supreme Court Allows Trump's Asylum Ban to Take Effect, "I Don't Want to Die": Honduran Teen with Cystic Fibrosis Says Deportation Would Kill Him, 37-Year-Old Mexican Man Dies in ICE Custody, the 8th Such Death This Fiscal Year, Reporters Barred from Secretive Immigration Tent Courts on Southern Border, Sacklers Would Remain Billionaires & Admit No Wrongdoing Under Tentative Opioid Settlement, Trump Says FDA Will Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes, U.N. Investigators Say U.S.-Led Forces Committed War Crimes in Syria, Skyrocketing Violence Continues Ahea…

Staff (2019-09-11). The Real News' Union Signs First Contract. therealnews.com by TRNN Union Reps | The Real News Network has a contract now, y'all! | We've been working on this for 18 months. It's taken many hours of our lives. We laughed, we cried, etc. We couldn't be more proud. | This is a very exciting time to work in journalism, but it's also a scary one. Thousands of workers have been laid off from media companies like Buzzfeed, Vice Media, and Gannett since the beginning of 2019. | Just a few days ago, the Democratic Party-aligned Center for American Progress shut down…

Vasuki R (2019-09-11). Pittsburgh Google contract workers start unionization process, bosses prep union-busting campaign. liberationnews.org In these crucial coming weeks, solidarity and militancy will keep the workers united as they fight for democracy and the ability to collectively bargain.

Ryan Grim (2019-09-11). Joe Biden Is Demanding Financial Transparency While Concealing His Own Wealth. theintercept.com Former Vice President Joe Biden is telegraphing that he plans to attack his rivals on the debate stage for a lack of transparency into their finances. Biden is expected to go after Sen. Elizabeth Warren in particular, Bloomberg reported, for failing to disclose details of private income during the 1990s and 2000s from the types of companies that she now lambasts for "rigging the system." | Warren, as a law professor, did consulting work for private companies that involved her bankruptcy ex…

Staff (2019-09-11). "We Are Striking to Disrupt the System": An Hour with 16-Year-Old Climate Activist Greta Thunberg. democracynow.org In her first extended broadcast interview in the United States, we spend the hour with Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist who has inspired millions across the globe. Last year she launched a school strike for the climate, skipping school every Friday to stand in front of the Swedish parliament, demanding action to prevent catastrophic climate change. Her protest spread, quickly going global. Hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren around the globe have participated in their own local school strikes for the climate. Since her strike began in 2018, Greta has become a leading figure in the clim…

Staff (2019-09-11). Headlines for September 11, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Ousts National Security Adviser John Bolton, Palestinians Say Annexation of West Bank Would Be "Paramount to a War Crime", Scottish Court Declares Johnson's Suspension of Parliament Ahead of Brexit "Unlawful", Japan Warns Radioactive Water from Fukushima to Be Dumped into Pacific Ocean, Republicans Win Two Special Congressional Elections in North Carolina, Study: 1,700 Polling Places Have Closed Since Gutting of Voting Rights Act, California Votes to Force Gig Companies to Treat Contract Workers Like Employees, Number of Uninsured Americans Jumps to 27.5 Million, CDC Warns Against Vaping Use as Sixth User D…

Ryan Grim (2019-09-10). Jon Ossoff Is Back: "I'm Still Standing and I'm Ready to Fight" theintercept.com Ossoff, a Democrat who narrowly lost a Georgia congressional special election in 2017 — the most expensive House race of all time — starts the race as a frontrunner.

Fight Back (2019-09-10). Kenosha SDS wins demand for gender neutral bathrooms on campus. fightbacknews.org Kenosha, WI – Just in time for the new semester, Students for a Democratic Society at UW Parkside came out victorious in their gender neutral bathrooms campaign from the previous semester. Four bathrooms were converted on campus to support the trans and gender non-conforming community, a demand which some students have been proposing for several years. | Before, there were only two gender neutral bathrooms on campus located on the opposite ends of campus. This was an obstacle for transgender students taking classes in the central area of the university, as the only gender neutral bathrooms were inconveniently far…

Fight Back (2019-09-10). Kenosha SDS wins demand for gender neutral bathrooms on campus. fightbacknews.org Kenosha, WI – Just in time for the new semester, Students for a Democratic Society at UW Parkside came out victorious in their gender neutral bathrooms campaign from the previous semester. Four bathrooms were converted on campus to support the trans and gender non-conforming community, a demand which some students have been proposing for several years. | Before, there were only two gender neutral bathrooms on campus located on the opposite ends of campus. This was an obstacle for transgender students taking classes in the central area of the university, as the only gender neutral bathrooms were inconveniently far…

Staff (2019-09-10). "They Need Our Help": Bahamian-American Lawmaker Urges U.S. to Let In Storm Survivors Seeking Refuge. democracynow.org The death toll in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian hit 50 Monday and is expected to keep rising exponentially. Many survivors of the Category 5 storm are now seeking refuge in the United States. At least 4,000 hurricane survivors have traveled to the U.S. since the hurricane hit, but many more are facing a struggle with paperwork and mounting confusion about what's necessary to gain entry. Over the weekend, more than 100 people seeking aid and refuge in the U.S. were turned away after boarding a ferry bound for Florida. Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan said that the U.S. is consi…

Staff (2019-09-10). From a Lebanese Refugee Camp to Harvard, Ismail Ajjawi Inspires Other Palestinian Students. democracynow.org Today marks a week since Ismail Ajjawi, a 17-year-old Palestinian student who was denied entry into the United States, began classes with his fellow Harvard freshmen. Ajjawi was initially turned away at Boston's Logan Airport after immigration officials searched his phone and computer, and interrogated him about his religion and social media posts by friends that were critical of U.S. policy. He was then forced to return home to Lebanon, but his case provoked outrage on the Harvard campus and among some Palestinian rights and academic freedom groups. Ajjawi, who is attending Harvard on a full scholarship, was edu…

Staff (2019-09-10). An Invisible Crisis: Thousands of African Migrants Are Stranded in Mexico Hoping to Head North. democracynow.org Hundreds of African migrants in Mexico are protesting the country's refusal to grant them transit visas to travel to the United States or Canada, where they want to apply for asylum. For months, thousands of African migrants have been forced by the Mexican government to stay in the southern state of Chiapas, on the Guatemalan border. Many of them have been sleeping in tent cities, cooking on the streets and bathing their children in buckets, without the promise of shelter, food or work permits. The long waits for African migrants began in June, when it was reported that Mexican immigration authorities were ignori…

Staff (2019-09-10). Headlines for September 10, 2019. democracynow.org Wilbur Ross Under Fire After Reports of Political Meddling at NOAA, Trump Says "Bad People" from Hurricane-Ravaged Bahamas Trying to Enter U.S., Boris Johnson Dealt More Blows over Brexit Plan as U.K. Parliament Suspended, U.N. Human Rights Chief: Climate Change Greatest Threat to Human Rights, French Summer Heat Waves Linked to 1,500 Deaths, Paraguay: Human Remains Found Under Former Property of Ex-Dictator Alfredo Stroessner, Bangladesh Imposes Mobile Phone Blackout on Rohingya Refugees, North Korea Fires 2 Projectiles After Proposing Renewal of Talks with U.S., Reports: CIA Extracted Russian Informant Who Prov…

Joshua Cho (2019-09-09). As Biden Invokes Dead Family Members Against Medicare for All, Media Play Along. fair.org by Joshua Cho | Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden last month released a new Iowa TV ad called " Personal," which recounts the former vice president's personal tragedy of losing his wife and daughter to a car crash, and the subsequent loss of his son Beau Biden from brain cancer. | Biden presented his story as a celebration of for-profit health insurance by saying that he "couldn't imagine" what it would've been like if their insurance didn't cover the healthcare required "immediately," and that…

unitedEditor (2019-09-09). Safe zone in Syria, Trump and the Taliban, Maduro vs. Guaido. uwidata.com Safe zone in Syria On Sunday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused the United States of attempting to use the creation of a security zone in northeastern Syria, not for Ankara's sake, but in order to protect the Washington-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDS) operating in the area. Turkey sees the SDS and the Kurdish units of …

Staff (2019-09-09). "No Accountability": FBI Investigates ICE Shooting of Undocumented Man in Nashville Suburb. democracynow.org The FBI is investigating the shooting of an undocumented immigrant by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a traffic stop last week. The shooting occurred Thursday at a supermarket parking lot in Antioch, a suburb of Nashville, where workers often gather to be picked up for a day's work. ICE agents were attempting to detain an unnamed 39-year-old Mexican man, who reportedly attempted to flee in a white box truck, when one of the agents shot him twice. It has now been revealed that the ICE agent involved in the shooting is one of the officers who made headlines in July after community members blocke…

Staff (2019-09-09). "These Negotiations Have Not Been About the Afghan People": Trump Calls Off Peace Talks with Taliban. democracynow.org This weekend, President Trump publicly called off a secret meeting at Camp David with the Taliban and the president of Afghanistan that aimed to end the 18-year war, the longest in U.S. history. The United States and Taliban had appeared close to signing an agreement after holding nine rounds of talks in Doha, but the negotiations took a surprise turn when President Trump suggested a Camp David meeting that included Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who had not been involved in the previous talks. For more, we go to Kabul to speak with Ali Latifi, a freelance journalist; Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Cre…

Staff (2019-09-09). Hurricane Dorian Was Fueled by Climate Change. Why Isn't the Mainstream Media Making the Connection? democracynow.org At least 44 people are dead, and the number is expected to rise dramatically, as the Bahamas continues to reel from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Dorian last week. More than 70,000 on Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands have been left homeless, and hundreds, perhaps thousands, remain missing. As the Bahamas faces unprecedented destruction and thousands continue to seek shelter and aid, the island nation has been described as "ground zero" for the climate crisis. Despite this, the mainstream media has largely omitted any mention of global warming in its coverage of the disaster. We speak to Allison Fisher, o…

Staff (2019-09-09). Headlines for September 9, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Calls Off Secret Afghanistan Meeting, Putting Fate of Possible Peace Deal in Question, Bahama Grapples with Hurricane Dorian's Devastation as U.S. Turns Away Asylum Seekers, FBI Investigates Shooting of Undocumented Man by ICE Agent in Tennessee, Trump Admin Failing to Provide Legal Aid for Migrant Children, 8.5-Month-Pregnant Asylum Seeker Kicked Out of U.S. Under "Remain in Mexico" Policy, U.S. Air Force & House Dems Investigate Spending at Trump's Scottish Turnberry Resort, Heating of Pacific Ocean Threatens Marine Life, Endangered Species, Israeli Military Fatally Shoots Two Palestinian Teens in Gaza, S…

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

Julie Hollar (2019-09-06). CNN Town Hall Went Deep on Climate Crisis—but Was Anyone Listening? fair.org Given the Democratic National Committee's refusal to allow its party's presidential hopefuls to take part in a televised climate debate, CNN (and, later this month, MSNBC) agreed to host "town halls" on the climate crisis—events with one candidate at a time on stage, fielding questions from network hosts as well as network-selected audience members. | CNN's climate crisis town hall ( 9/4/19) showed that, when it's not setting up mock combat among candidates, the network can actuall…

Aaron Maté (2019-09-06). Embassy insider exposes CNN lies about Julian Assange. thegrayzone.com A "bombshell" CNN report claimed to show how Wikileaks founder Julian Assange published stolen Democratic Party emails in 2016 in…

unitedEditor (2019-09-06). NATO Deep State in Turkey. uwidata.com àúnal àáevikà∂z, the deputy opposition leader of the main opposition party in Turkey, the Republican People's Party (RPP, Turk. CHP), commented on President Recep Tayyip Erdoƒüan's recent trip to Russia, saying: "We are concerned that if Turkey, a member of NATO, continues to purchase weapons that are not can be integrated into the Alliance system, …

Staff (2019-09-06). Shut It Down: Veteran Organizer Lisa Fithian Offers a Guide to Resistance in Era of Climate Crisis. democracynow.org Lisa Fithian is a longtime organizer and nonviolent direct action trainer since the 1970s. She has shut down the CIA. She has occupied Wall Street, disrupted the World Trade Organization and stood her ground in Tahrir Square. She has walked in solidarity with the tribal leaders at Standing Rock and defended communities in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. She joined us at the Democracy Now! studio to talk about her new book, which was published this week, titled "Shut It Down: Stories from a Fierce, Loving Resistance." Fithian is currently on a book tour and doing a new workshop called "Escalating Resistance: Mass R…

Staff (2019-09-06). "We Are on the Frontline": Despite Tiny Carbon Footprint, Bahamas Is Ground Zero of Climate Crisis. democracynow.org Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm over the weekend, lingering for days and leaving nearly unimaginable destruction in its path. The airport on Grand Bahama Island has been completely decimated, and entire neighborhoods have been razed. Hundreds, if not thousands, remain missing. We speak with University of Miami assistant professor Erica Moiah James about the climate change-fueled hurricane and how the people in the Bahamas are on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

Staff (2019-09-06). "Staggering" Death Toll Feared in Bahamas as Thousands Remain Missing After Hurricane Dorian. democracynow.org As Hurricane Dorian lashes North Carolina and continues its path north, the death toll in the Bahamas has risen to 30 people. The actual number is expected to be far higher, with hundreds, if not thousands, still missing in the island nation. We speak to Susan Mangicaro, senior adviser for emergency response at the International Medical Corps, about ongoing rescue efforts in the Bahamas.

Staff (2019-09-06). Robert Mugabe, Ousted Zimbabwean President & Liberation Leader, Dies at 95. democracynow.org Zimbabwe's first post-independence leader, Robert Mugabe, has died at the age of 95. In 1963, he helped found the Zimbabwe African National Union in an effort to liberate the country from decades of white-minority rule. He was jailed from 1963 to 1974. Once freed, Mugabe became a leader of the liberation movement which successfully led to the formation of an independent Zimbabwe in 1979. He became Zimbabwe's first prime minister in 1980, but he would continue ruling the country for the next 37 years. While Mugabe has been hailed as one of the most significant anti-colonial leaders of the 20th century, he was wide…

unitedEditor (2019-09-05). Elections in Germany, Split in the Italian Government, US-China Trade War. uwidata.com Elections in Germany Angela Merkel's the Christian Democratic Union came out victorious in the elections which took place in Brandenburg and Saxony. However, the party was followed closely by the far-right party "Alternative for Germany" (AfD). According to preliminary data, in Saxony, the right-wing formation received 27.5% of the vote, while the CDU received 32.1%. …

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…

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…

2019-09-15: Social Media Postees

AOC's Face Burned in Republican Party Video to Slam Socialism
telesurenglish.net | 2019-09-15
The United States Congresswoman Ilhan Omar slammed a video aired during the Democratic Debate Thursday which showed her fellow Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez's burning face while a former congressional candidate spo…
telesurenglish.net/news/AOCs-Face-Burned-in-Republican-Party-Video-to-Slam-Socialism-20190915-0004.html

USF students demand no immigration authorities on campus
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-09-15
Tampa, Fl – On September 10, students at the University of South Florida (USF) participated in a national day of action that was called by National Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to speak out against the Trump administration's attacks on undocumented immigrants. The event was hosted by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Over 30 students and staff attended. | During President Donald Trump's tenure, his administration has engaged in escalating attacks against undocumented immigrants. Some of these attacks include Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detaining undocumented children in h…
fightbacknews.org/2019/9/14/usf-students-demand-no-immigration-authorities-campus

Jim Crow Steals Election in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-09-15
| Stolen again. Democrat Dan McCready supposedly lost the special election in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District to Republican Dan Bishop by less than 4,000 votes. However, racially biased vote suppression schemes easily account for the supposed GOP victory margin. | Under the violently partisan Elections Board chief Kim Strach (pronounced "Strake") — her husband was the attorney for the state's Republican Party — North Carolina targeted half a million voters (561,693) bas…
truthout.org/articles/jim-crow-steals-election-in-north-carolinas-9th-congressional-district/

USF students demand no immigration authorities on campus
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-09-15
Tampa, Fl – On September 10, students at the University of South Florida (USF) participated in a national day of action that was called by National Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to speak out against the Trump administration's attacks on undocumented immigrants. The event was hosted by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Over 30 students and staff attended. | During President Donald Trump's tenure, his administration has engaged in escalating attacks against undocumented immigrants. Some of these attacks include Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detaining undocumented children in h…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/9/14/usf-students-demand-no-immigration-authorities-campus

Teaching Democrats to Talk About Socialism
Robert Freeman | commondreams.org | 2019-09-15
commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/another-world-is-possible-955px.jpg

Yang says SNL novice should not be fired over Chinese racial slur, drowned out by PC crowd
rt.com | 2019-09-15
Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang has said that Saturday Night Live's new hire Shane Gillis should not be sacked for making a tasteless joke after a clip of him mocking Chinatowns resurfaced, setting Twitter alight. | Yang, a son of immigrants from Taiwan, struck a distinctly different tone from most online warriors when he said he would be "happy to sit down and talk" with Gillis about the ill-fated clip that resurfaced on Friday. The video shows the comedian tearing into Chinatowns and their inhabitants. | "Damn, Chinatown is f**king nuts," Gillis says in the clip, referring to the ability of Chi…
rt.com/usa/468851-yang-snl-chinese-slur/

Tunisia: People Vote in Highly-Anticipated Elections
telesurenglish.net | 2019-09-15
Tunisians were casting votes in an unpredictable presidential election Sunday where there is no overwhelming front-runner, with the young democracy's economic ills dominating the agenda. | RELATED: | Tunisia: Meet Main Candidates in Sunday's Presidential Election | Polling stations opened at 8 am local time from the capital Tunis on the Mediterranean coastline to the cork forests of the northwest, the mining towns of the interior and sand-swept Saharan villages in the south.
telesurenglish.net/news/Tunisia-People-Vote-in-Highly-Anticipated-Elections-20190915-0001.html

Swinson tries to attack Corbyn on the BBC, but it totally backfires
Ed Sykes | thecanary.co | 2019-09-15
Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson is currently trying to convince Britain that her party — and not Jeremy Corbyn's — is the 'progressive one in town'. But with basic scrutiny, her attempts crash and burn like a Lib Dem tuition fees pledge. | Lib Dems? 'Fair and inclusive'? Lol.: | On 15 September, Swinson spoke to the BBC's Andrew Marr. And she lumped Corbyn into the same bag as Boris Johnson, saying: I want to build an open, inclusive, and fair society — and…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/09/15/swinson-tries-to-attack-corbyn-on-the-bbc-but-it-totally-backfires/

Angela Rayner just flipped the tables on the Lib Dems with a message we all need to remember
Ed Sykes | thecanary.co | 2019-09-15
Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson has stressed that "on so many grounds, David Cameron cannot be forgiven". But in doing so, she seemed to gloss over the damning fact that she and her party propped Cameron up for five years between 2010 and 2015. And Labour's Angela Rayner, for one, was not going to let that go.The shadow education minister insisted: | t.co/FKRgSykXQa | — Angela Rayner ?? (@AngelaRayner)

Republicans Partied in a Monument to American Wealth Inequality
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-09-15
The little-known back story of the hotel where Republican's gathered in Baltimore last week is how it embodies all the unjust policies that have created record wealth inequality in the US…
therealnews.com/stories/republicans-partied-in-a-monument-to-american-wealth-inequality

Presumption of innocence? Dems call for Kavanaugh's impeachment amid new sex assault allegations
rt.com | 2019-09-15
A number of 202 Democratic nomination hopefuls didn't waste time before taking a shot at Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh just as new harassment allegations surfaced. And they hardly see a place for the benefit of the doubt. | The new storm around Kavanaugh, who was accused of past sexual misconduct last year, started with a New York Times feature on one of the accusers. | Deborah Ramirez, who went to Yale University with the future Justice, insists that he thrust his penis at her at a drunken party in 1980s. The paper wrote that it uncovered a similar incident of penis pushing into a female's hand based…
rt.com/usa/468876-kavanaugh-democrats-impeachment-sex-assault/

On Andrew Marr, Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson hints at a betrayal worse than tuition fees
James Wright | thecanary.co | 2019-09-15
Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson hinted at a betrayal worse than tuition fees on the 15 September edition of the Andrew Marr Show. | Cashing in on Remain for votes?: | Speaking to Marr, Swinson refused to rule out another coalition with the Conservative government, despite its hard-Brexit stance. The exchange will fuel suspicions that the Lib Dems' support for Remain is predominantly an opportunistic vote-winning strategy. | On #Marr, Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson hints at…
thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2019/09/15/on-andrew-marr-lib-dem-leader-jo-swinson-hints-at-a-betrayal-worse-than-tuition-fees/

On Andrew Marr, Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson hints at a betrayal worse than tuition fees
James Wright | thecanary.co | 2019-09-15
Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson hinted at a betrayal worse than tuition fees on the 15 September edition of the Andrew Marr Show. | Cashing in on Remain for votes?: | Speaking to Marr, Swinson refused to rule out another coalition with the Conservative government, despite its hard-Brexit stance. The exchange will fuel suspicions that the Lib Dems' support for Remain is predominantly an opportunistic vote-winning strategy. | On #Marr, Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson hints at…
thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2019/09/15/on-andrew-marr-lib-dem-leader-jo-swinson-hints-at-a-betrayal-worse-than-tuition-fees/

Cutting Social Security to Offset Paid Parental Leave Would Weaken Retirement Security
Kathleen Romig, Kathleen Bryant | commondreams.org | 2019-09-14
Weakening Retirement Security for Parents Opting for Parental LeaveSen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) talks to journalists with fellow Republicans (L-R) Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) at the U.S. Capitol March 05, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/joni_ernst-mitch_mcconnell-955px.jpg
commondreams.org/views/2019/09/14/cutting-social-security-offset-paid-parental-leave-would-weaken-retirement-security?cd-origin=rss

How the FBI Increased Its Power After 9/11 and Helped Put Trump in Office
Ryan Devereaux | theintercept.com | 2019-09-14
Former FBI agent Mike German recounts the transformation of the FBI from a law enforcement agency into a dangerously powerful domestic intelligence force.
theintercept.com/2019/09/14/fbi-mike-german-book/

Maxime Bernier Attacked Greta Thunberg's Autism. Naomi Klein Says Autism Made the Teen a Global Voice of Conscience
Naomi Klein | commondreams.org | 2019-09-14
Greta Thunberg joins activists outside the United Nations during a protest on September 6, 2019 in New York. (Photo: Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/greta_thunberg-united_nations-955px.png
commondreams.org/views/2019/09/14/maxime-bernier-attacked-greta-thunbergs-autism-naomi-klein-says-autism-made-teen?cd-origin=rss

How the FBI Increased Its Power After 9/11 and Helped Put Trump in Office
Ryan Devereaux | theintercept.com | 2019-09-14
Former FBI agent Mike German recounts the transformation of the FBI from a law enforcement agency into a dangerously powerful domestic intelligence force.
theintercept.com/2019/09/14/fbi-mike-german-book/

Despite needing another 309 seats, Jo Swinson still believes she can be the next PM
Peadar O'Cearnaigh | thecanary.co | 2019-09-14
Just ahead of its autumn conference, leader of the Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson actually believes her party can win at least 326 seats at the next election. Swinson claims: Our polling suggests there are hundreds of seats where L…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/09/14/despite-needing-another-309-seats-jo-swinson-still-believes-she-can-be-the-next-pm/

The Democratic presidential debate: A million miles from American social reality
wsws.org | 2019-09-14
The 10 candidates on the stage in Houston avoided any discussion of the deepening social crisis in America and the growing opposition to social inequality.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/09/14/pers-s14.html

Fascistic elements in Republican Party threaten Democrats O'Rourke and Ocasio-Cortez
wsws.org | 2019-09-14
Both incidents reflect the growing threat of political violence from the far-right.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/09/14/cort-s14.html

UN chief urges 'active, substantive and meaningful participation' on International Day of Democracy
United Nations | un.org | 2019-09-14
On the International Day of Democracy, the United Nations chief urged each Government to respect its citizens' right to "meaningful participation" in the political process.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/09/1046372

The American people will impeach the Republican Party and its members
Michael Payne | nationofchange.org | 2019-09-14
House Democrats remain in a state of confusion about whether or not they should impeach President Trump. "Should we, can we, yes we can, no we can't. Speaker Pelosi continues to waffle, saying that the American people are not strongly behind such action, and the polls back up her observations. But she doesn't seem to understand that, by her negative statements about the chances of initiating an impeachment, she is adding to their reluctance to call for it. | Let's take a closer look at those polls to better understand who is for and who is not for impeachment. Most polls indicate that 72% of Democratic support…
nationofchange.org/2019/09/14/the-american-people-will-impeach-the-republican-party-and-its-members/

Which Way Out of Neoliberalism: Fascism or Socialism?
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-09-14
All eyes are on the ongoing struggle between forces of fascism (whether Democratic Party or Republican in character) and the social democratic forces of the Western world with the hopes that a decisive break from imperialism is on the horizon. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/09/14/which-way-out-of-neoliberalism-fascism-or-socialism/

British judge jails Assange indefinitely, despite end of prison sentence
wsws.org | 2019-09-14
The ruling, which confines Assange to prison indefinitely, is the latest in a series of attacks on his legal and democratic rights by the British judiciary.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/09/14/assa-s14.html

Democratic Debate's Top Ten in Texas
Michael Winship | commondreams.org | 2019-09-14
Candidates debate guns—and much more—in an open carry state.
commondreams.org/views/2019/09/14/democratic-debates-top-ten-texas?cd-origin=rss

Cowardly Democratic Senator Coons Attacks Beto for Standing Up to NRA
Common Dreams staff | commondreams.org | 2019-09-14
O'Rourke: "But the time for letting status quo politics determine how far we can go is over. If we agree that having millions of weapons of war on the streets is a bad idea, we have to do something about it. " | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/ar-15-955px_1.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/09/14/cowardly-democratic-senator-coons-attacks-beto-standing-nra-0?cd-origin=rss

Fascistic elements in Republican Party threaten Democrats O'Rourke and Ocasio-Cortez
wsws.org | 2019-09-14
Both incidents reflect the growing threat of political violence from the far-right.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/09/14/cort-s14.html

Bolivia President Rejects Violent Attack Against His Party's HQ
telesurenglish.net | 2019-09-14
Bolivia's President Evo Morales rejected Friday the latest violent acts in the central city of Santa Cruz, where the campaign headquarters of his Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) was attacked by opposition protesters. | RELATED: | Bolivia: Evo Morales Leads Presidential Election Poll by 11% | "This is a conspiracy against democracy and, above all, a conspiracy to the defenders of democracy that are social movements. Don't give in to this game from paid participants…we reject and…
telesurenglish.net/news/Bolivian-President-Rejects-Violent-Attacks-Against-Party-HQ-in-Santa-Cruz-20190914-0008.html

Texas Republican Lawmaker to Beto O'Rourke: "My AR is Ready for You"
Texas Tribune | theantimedia.com | 2019-09-14
Twitter took the comment down within hours because it violated a rule, and O'Rourke's campaign planned to report the tweet to the FBI.

Texas Republican Lawmaker to Beto O'Rourke: "My AR is Ready for You"

Bolton resurrects pair of PACs to prop up Congress' top warmongers
rt.com | 2019-09-14
Former National Security Advisor John Bolton has wasted no time relaunching his political action committees and endorsing five Republican congressmen, all of whom appear to love war almost as much as he does. | The John Bolton PAC has endorsed Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Cory Gardner (R-Colorado), and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), along with Reps Adam Kinzinger (R-Illinois) and Lee Zeldin (R-New York), according to its first post-resurrection press release on Friday, which referred to the now-unemployed hawk as "Ambassador John Bolton" despite the fact that he has not held a diplomatic position in year…
rt.com/usa/468791-bolton-revives-pacs-fundraising-neocons/

The Plutocratic War on People: Centrists and Conservatives are Ignoring the Giant Elephant in Our National Living Room
John Atcheson | commondreams.org | 2019-09-14
The list of problems getting buried by money is nearly endless. Gun control; health care; a living wage; the high cost of education; endless war; each is rooted in the power of the oligarch's coup, and each is a function of money in politics. But only two candidates — Sanders and Warren — address this issue head on in the debates, and to hear the media, the pundits' and the Party's post mortem, both are "extreme" and the guy who's debating whether the lifeboat needs a patch is "reasonable" and the best bet for winning the election. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/c
commondreams.org/views/2019/09/14/plutocratic-war-people-centrists-and-conservatives-are-ignoring-giant-elephant-our?cd-origin=rss

ABC Democratic Debate Lowlights
Julie Hollar, Jim Naureckas | commondreams.org | 2019-09-13
Democratic presidential candidates (from left) Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Elizabeth Warren. (Photo: ABC News/Univision) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/dem_debate.jpg
commondreams.org/views/2019/09/13/abc-democratic-debate-lowlights?cd-origin=rss

Medicare for All dominates debate; Sanders, Warren defend it against Biden
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2019-09-13
HOUSTON–Tussles over health care dominated the discussion as the ten leading Democratic presidential hopefuls debated each other before a boisterous crowd in Houston on Sept. 12. The key disagreements were between Sens. Bernie Sanders, Ind.-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who championed single-payer government-run Medicare for All, and former Vice President Joe Biden. He vowed to …
peoplesworld.org/article/health-care-dominates-debate-sanders-and-warren-defend-medicare-for-all-against-biden/

Bernie Sanders and the Realignment of the American Left
Rob Urie | counterpunch.org | 2019-09-13
The neoliberal revolution that has been underway since the mid-1970s fundamentally reoriented American governance toward the interests of capital. While the distance between government and the so-called private sector was never that great, all pretense that government served the broader public interest was cast aside in favor of state-corporatism. This wasn't simply a matter of privatizing the public realm— it overlaid a capitalist rationale on all public undertakings.
counterpunch.org/2019/09/13/bernie-sanders-and-the-realignment-of-the-american-left/

AOC's face on fire in Republican 'genocide' ad makes Democrats cry racism
rt.com | 2019-09-13
With no clear winner emerging from the third Democrat primary debate, the party has found something to unify around: calling Republicans racist over a provocative ad that linked socialism to Pol Pot and the Cambodian genocide. | "This is the face of socialism. And ignorance," says the thirty-second clip, opening on the smiling image of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), a self-described democratic socialist. The face then begins to burn away, revealing the grisly photos of the 1970s genocide in Cambodia. | "Does Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez know the horror of socialism? My father was minutes from death…
rt.com/usa/468778-aoc-republican-ad-genocide/

Biden defends Obama's record from onslaught of inconvenient facts during Democratic debate
rt.com | 2019-09-13
Democratic presidential candidates called out former vice president Joe Biden for clinging to the reputation of former president (and his former boss) Barack Obama with all his might — except when it's inconvenient. | Biden "wants to take credit for Obama's work, but not have to answer any questions" about the negative aspects of his presidency, former secretary of labor Julian Castro pointed out during Thursday's Democratic primary debate, adding that New Jersey Senator Cory Booker had also taken note of Biden's reliance on his former boss' reputation during the previous debate. | Also on rt.com
rt.com/usa/468722-biden-clings-obama-fail-record/

Joe Biden's Stunningly Racist Answer on the Legacy of Slavery Has Been Overlooked
Ryan Grim | theintercept.com | 2019-09-13
For the Washington Post, former Vice President Joe Biden delivered "the kind of performance his supporters have been waiting for — combative when needed and in the thick of the action throughout" during Thursday's presidential debate. Cable news commenters largely agreed. The New York Times was slightly less kind, subtitling its analysis "St…
theintercept.com/2019/09/13/joe-biden-democratic-debate-slavery/

Democratic Debate #3: Mr. Rogers, Re-runs, and Real Talk
Jud Lounsbury | progressive.org | 2019-09-13
A side-stepped apology from Biden, two gimmick-meisters, and seven remaining candidates who gave solid performances.
progressive.org/dispatches/democratic-debate-reruns-and-real-talk-lounsbury190913/

Joe Biden: New Level of Iraq War Lies. "Yes, I did oppose the war before it began."
Sam Husseini | globalresearch.ca | 2019-09-13
Presidential candidate Joe Biden is now claiming about the 2003 Iraq invasion: "Yes, I did oppose the war before it began." | Biden has been claiming: | "From the moment 'shock and awe' started, from that moment, I was opposed to the | …
globalresearch.ca/biden-iraq-war-lies/5689129

Here's to the Last Philosophes, the Frankfurt School
Ryan Gunderson | counterpunch.org | 2019-09-13
The "Frankfurt School" refers to a group of unorthodox Marxist intellectuals associated with Frankfurt, Germany's Institute for Social Research. The most famous first-generation members, whose collective work spans from the 1930s into the early 1970s, include Theodor W. Adorno, Max Horkheimer, and Herbert Marcuse. They wondered why advanced capitalist societies were sinking into new forms…
counterpunch.org/2019/09/13/heres-to-the-last-philosophes-the-frankfurt-school/

Ecuador's Ex-President Correa Meets With Raul Castro in Havana
teleSUR, rb- EF | telesurenglish.net | 2019-09-13
Leader of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), Raul Castro, and former president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa spoke on Friday in Havana on topics of regional and international current events during Correa's unofficial visit to the island. | RELATED: | Cuba Sends Humanitarian Aid to The Bahamas | Correa has been visiting Cuba privately for several days, but his stay had not been confirmed until Friday by local media. | During the friendly meeting, the two leaders discussed regional and international a…
telesurenglish.net/news/Ecuadors-Ex-President-Correa-Meets-With-Raul-Castro-in-Havana-20190913-0015.html

3rd Democratic Debate: Foreign Policy Continues Imperialist Tradition (3/3)
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-09-13
While most Democratic candidates are finally shifting the debate on Afghanistan, 18 years after the war began, the discussion on other issues, such as Latin America, continues in the same old imperialist vein as before…
therealnews.com/stories/3rd-democratic-debate-foreign-policy-continues-imperialist-tradition-3-3

Break Up the Democratic Party?
Michael Hudson | counterpunch.org | 2019-09-13
Thursday's debate on Walt Disney's ABC channel shaped up as yet another shameless charade. The pretense was that we are to select who the Democratic presidential candidate will be. But most Americans, as the Irish say, vote with their backsides, belonging to the informal but dominant party of non-voters who choose not to be sucked…
counterpunch.org/2019/09/13/break-up-the-democratic-party/

How the South Could Help Flip the US Senate
Rebekah Barber | commondreams.org | 2019-09-13
For over 130 straight weeks, activists in North Carolina have protested the policies of Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, who faces re-election next year in one of the three Senate races in Southern states where Democrats stand the best chance of winning. (Photo: Tuesdays With Tillis/Facebook) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/thom_tillis.jpg
commondreams.org/views/2019/09/13/how-south-could-help-flip-us-senate?cd-origin=rss

Creepy Republican Ad During Democratic Debate Attacks Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Robert Mackey | theintercept.com | 2019-09-13
The strange Republican obsession with attacking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reached a new low in a commercial break during the Democratic presidential debate in Houston on Thursday night. | The widely reviled commercial, which aired on ABC and was paid for by donors to the GOP New Faces PAC, opened with a photograph of the young Latinx congresswoman's face being set on fire to reveal images of the 1970s genocide in Cambodia underneath. | The attack ad…
theintercept.com/2019/09/12/debate-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-new-faces-pac-ad/

Buying votes? Yang announces he'll give 10 people $1,000 a month… but read the fine print first
rt.com | 2019-09-13
Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang is dangling cash in front of voters, announcing he'll raffle off 10-year-long samples of his Universal Basic Income program — $1,000 a month — in a promo he swears is legal. | Yang opened the third Democratic presidential debate with the "unprecedented" promotion, having teased his followers with the "debate surprise" in the days leading up to the event. Winners will receive $1,000 per month for 12 months even if Yang does not win the nomination, with the funds coming from his campaign war chest. | In his opening statement, Andrew Yang says his campaign w…
rt.com/usa/468720-yang-buying-votes-lottery-income/

Democrats: No debate on climate crisis
Editor | workers.org | 2019-09-13
In a small room at Hudson Yards, a ritzy, new Manhattan retail and housing complex, 10 Democratic candidates for president took turns Sept. 4 presenting their programs on the climate crisis. Each candidate was questioned separately by CNN moderators and audience members for 40 minutes in a televised seven-hour "Climate . . . | Continue reading Democrats: No debate on climate crisis at Workers.org
workers.org/2019/09/12/democrats-no-debate-on-climate-crisis/

O'Rourke reports Texas Republican to FBI over 'death threat' in tweet reacting to AR-15 ban
rt.com | 2019-09-13
Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O'Rourke says he has forwarded a so-called "death threat" to the FBI, after Republican Congressman Briscoe Cain suggestively told the candidate his rifle was "ready" for him to confiscate. | Cain's tweet was the reaction to O'Rourke's declaration that "we're going to take your AR-15 and AK-47" during the presidential debate among Democrat contenders on Thursday in Houston. | On Friday morning, O'Rourke responded by informing the congressman that he interpreted his comment — effectively a play on "Molon Labe," or "come and take them" — as a threat to his life. | Th…
rt.com/usa/468787-beto-death-threat-fbi/

3rd Democratic Debate: Medicare for All as the Bogeyman? (1/3)
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-09-13
The third Democratic Party's presidential debate featured all ten front-runners for the first time. In segment one of our debate discussion, we take a closer look how candidates discussed the healthcare issue. Our panelists are Osita Nwanevu, Helena Olea, and Jacqueline Luqman, with Greg Wilpert as host…
therealnews.com/stories/3rd-democratic-debate-medicare-for-all-as-the-bogeyman-1-3

3rd Democratic Debate: Education, Inequality, and Racism (2/3)
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-09-13
Our panel on the 3rd Democratic presidential debate takes a closer look at how the candidates look at and overlook crucial issues related to inequality and education in the United States…
therealnews.com/stories/3rd-democratic-debate-education-inequality-and-racism-2-3

Joe Biden Botches a Question on Race–Again
Joan Walsh | thenation.com | 2019-09-13
Joe Biden Botches a Question on Race–Again…
thenation.com/article/joe-biden-debate-election-2020/

Joe Biden Botches a Question on Race–Again
Joan Walsh | thenation.com | 2019-09-13
Joe Biden Botches a Question on Race–Again…
thenation.com/article/joe-biden-debate-election-2020/

Jorge Ramos Was the Best Debate Moderator Yet
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2019-09-13
Jorge Ramos Was the Best Debate Moderator Yet…
thenation.com/article/democratic-debate-jorge-ramos/

Jorge Ramos Was the Best Debate Moderator Yet
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2019-09-13
Jorge Ramos Was the Best Debate Moderator Yet…
thenation.com/article/democratic-debate-jorge-ramos/

Sanders and Warren Make a Good Team
Jeet Heer | thenation.com | 2019-09-13
Sanders and Warren Make a Good Team…
thenation.com/article/dem-debate-sanders-warren/

Sanders and Warren Make a Good Team
Jeet Heer | thenation.com | 2019-09-13
Sanders and Warren Make a Good Team…
thenation.com/article/dem-debate-sanders-warren/

Roaming Charges: They Are the Walrus
Jeffrey St. Clair | counterpunch.org | 2019-09-13
+ What I learned at the debate last night…. + We're going to be stuck in the middle with Klobuchar… + Booker: such fancy rhetorical skills in the service of nothing. + The common theme seems to be that the Democrats will "unify" America. Is a "unified America" a 54-46 split? + Bernie's voice may not…
counterpunch.org/2019/09/13/roaming-charges-they-are-the-walrus/

Majority in US Back Free College Tuition and Student Debt Cancellation, New Poll Finds
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-09-13
A majority of voters support the bold proposals for free college tuition and the wiping out of student debt that have been put forward by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic primary, according to a new poll out Friday. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-6136316521.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/09/13/majority-us-back-free-college-tuition-and-student-debt-cancellation-new-poll-finds?cd-origin=rss

Sanders Campaign Hits Back Against 'Dishonest' Biden Attack on Medicare for All
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-09-13
"It's disappointing Joe Biden is echoing the deceptions and falsehoods of the healthcare industry which is spending millions to protect the $100 billion in profits they made." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/sanders-biden-3rd-dem-debate.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/09/13/sanders-campaign-hits-back-against-dishonest-biden-attack-medicare-all?cd-origin=rss

Medicare for All: Sanders & Warren Defend Plan to Expand Healthcare Coverage to Everyone
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-13
At Thursday's debate, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren defended their Medicare for All plan. They faced criticism from several rivals, including Senator Amy Klobuchar, who described it as a "bad idea," and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who claimed the bill shows Sanders and Warren do not "trust the American people."
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/13/democratic_debate_2020_candidates_medicare_for

Bernie Sanders on Democratic Socialism: We Want to Create an Economy That Works for All of Us
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-13
After being questioned about the crisis in Venezuela, Senator Bernie Sanders defended his vision of democratic socialism. "I agree with what goes on in Canada and in Scandinavia: guaranteeing healthcare to all people as a human right. I believe that the United States should not be the only major country on Earth not to provide paid family and medical leave," Sanders said. "I believe that every worker in this country deserves a living wage and that we expand the trade union movement."
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/13/bernie_sanders_democratic_socialism_defense_democratic

Should Latinos Trust Biden? Former VP Refuses to Criticize Obama's Deportation of 3 Million People
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-13
Debate moderator Jorge Ramos of Univision grilled former Vice President Joe Biden over the Obama administration's deportation record. Biden refused to answer whether he did anything to prevent Obama from deporting a record 3 million people.
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/13/democratic_debate_joe_biden_obama_immigration

Joe Biden Faces Criticism over His Healthcare Plan & His Support for Iraq Invasion at Third Debate
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-13
The 10 leading Democratic presidential candidates appeared for the first time on the same stage Thursday night at a debate at Texas Southern University in Houston. It was the third debate of the primary season, but it marked the first time former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren took part in the same debate. Biden repeatedly faced criticism for his healthcare plans and for his vote to support the war in Iraq.
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/13/bernie_sanders_joe_biden_war_healthcare

Should Latinos Trust Biden? Former VP Refuses to Criticize Obama's Deportation of 3 Million People
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-13
Debate moderator Jorge Ramos of Univision grilled former Vice President Joe Biden over the Obama administration's deportation record. Biden refused to answer whether he did anything to prevent Obama from deporting a record 3 million people.
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/13/democratic_debate_joe_biden_obama_immigration

Joe Biden Faces Criticism over His Healthcare Plan & His Support for Iraq Invasion at Third Debate
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-13
The 10 leading Democratic presidential candidates appeared for the first time on the same stage Thursday night at a debate at Texas Southern University in Houston. It was the third debate of the primary season, but it marked the first time former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren took part in the same debate. Biden repeatedly faced criticism for his healthcare plans and for his vote to support the war in Iraq.
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/13/bernie_sanders_joe_biden_war_healthcare

"Racism in America Is Endemic": Democratic Candidates Vow to Confront White Supremacy & Legacy of Slavery
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-13
During the third Democratic debate Thursday night, the discussion of race and racism got personal for former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, who brought up last month's El Paso massacre. He said the white gunman who killed 22 people, mostly Latinos, had driven to the border city "to kill people who look like me." Former Texas Congressmember Beto O'Rourke, who is from El Paso, said racism is endemic and foundational of the United States. He mentioned that this year will mark the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved African being brought to America, and promised he would create a slavery reparations commission.
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/13/democratic_debate_white_supremacy_racism

"Racism in America Is Endemic": Democratic Candidates Vow to Confront White Supremacy & Legacy of Slavery
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-13
During the third Democratic debate Thursday night, the discussion of race and racism got personal for former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, who brought up last month's El Paso massacre. He said the white gunman who killed 22 people, mostly Latinos, had driven to the border city "to kill people who look like me." Former Texas Congressmember Beto O'Rourke, who is from El Paso, said racism is endemic and foundational of the United States. He mentioned that this year will mark the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved African being brought to America, and promised he would create a slavery reparations commission.
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/13/democratic_debate_white_supremacy_racism

Elizabeth Warren Calls for Withdrawal of U.S. Troops from Afghanistan
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-13
At the third presidential primary debate in Houston, Texas, senator and 2020 candidate Elizabeth Warren called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Warren also spoke about her stance on U.S. trade policy and how "our trade policy in America has been broken for decades."
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/13/elizabeth_warren_trade_afghanistan

Elizabeth Warren Calls for Withdrawal of U.S. Troops from Afghanistan
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-13
At the third presidential primary debate in Houston, Texas, senator and 2020 candidate Elizabeth Warren called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Warren also spoke about her stance on U.S. trade policy and how "our trade policy in America has been broken for decades."
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/13/elizabeth_warren_trade_afghanistan

Bernie Sanders Is Fighting to End the Media's Demonization of Socialism
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-09-12
We had a conversation with Sen. Sanders' Press Secretary Briahna Joy Gray on the right-wing talking points used by mainstream media to discredit Sen. Sanders and the falsehoods about socialism perpetuated by the GOP…
therealnews.com/stories/bernie-sanders-is-fighting-to-end-the-medias-demonization-of-socialism

Senate Democrats Draft Pro Athlete Instagram Influencers Into Climate Fight
Aída Chávez | theintercept.com | 2019-09-12
On Thursday, after a summer of extreme heat, the Senate Democrats' Special Committee on the Climate Crisis convened to hear from a group of people especially affected by climate change. They were not members of low-income communities or communities of color, people who have been hit by hurricanes, wildfires, and other disasters. They were current and former professional athletes, appearing to testify on how climate change impacts winter sports and tourism industries. | The 10-member special committee, chaired by Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, is tasked with investigating the impacts of climate change to develop the…
theintercept.com/2019/09/12/senate-democrats-climate-special-committee/

'Loser' v 'warmongering chickenhawk': 2 Republican lawmakers in epic Twitter beef
rt.com | 2019-09-12
A disagreement on 9/11 over John Bolton and US withdrawal from Afghanistan descended into a full-on Twitter war between Rep. Liz Cheney and Senator Rand Paul, in a sequel to the beef between their fathers over invading Iraq. | It all started when Paul (R-Kentucky) backed two state legislators who blasted Cheney (R-Wyoming) for demanding a more aggressive foreign policy. "Why do some neocons continue to advocate for endless wars?" he quipped. "Let's focus on America First, not Afghanistan!" | Cheney snapped back that she stands with Trump and US troops in not surrendering to terrorists, "unlike [Paul], who seem…
rt.com/usa/468710-paul-cheney-twitter-bolton-terrorists/

UPDATED: Protesters Greet Trump in Baltimore Weeks After He Attacked City
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-09-12
Over one hundred demonstrators protested President Trump's visit to Baltimore on Thursday Sept 12th, the first of several planned demonstrations against a gathering of Congressional republicans at a ritzy waterfront resort. | Trump's visit came just weeks after he attacked the city in a series of incendiary tweets. He called Baltimore "rat infested" and "a place no one wants to live," and called local congressman Elijah Cummings a "racist" and a "failure." | As chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Cummings is leading probes into the Trump administration, as well as the Trump family's business dealings. | Pr…
therealnews.com/columns/protesters-greet-trump-in-baltimore-weeks-after-he-attacked-city

Democrats Can Become the Party of Death Penalty Abolitionism
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2019-09-12
Democrats Can Become the Party of Death Penalty Abolitionism…
thenation.com/article/2020-democrats-death-penalty/

Democrats Can Become the Party of Death Penalty Abolitionism
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2019-09-12
Democrats Can Become the Party of Death Penalty Abolitionism…
thenation.com/article/2020-democrats-death-penalty/

Will U.S. & Iran Resume Talks After John "Bomb Iran" Bolton Is Ousted as National Security Adviser?
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-12
President Trump has ousted John Bolton, becoming the third national security adviser to be ousted by Trump so far. Bolton has long been a fierce critic of diplomacy. He had strongly pushed for Trump to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. He also opposed negotiations with North Korea, as well as the Taliban in Afghanistan. And he was a key supporter of the attempted U.S.-backed coup in Venezuela and an advocate of regime change in Cuba and Nicaragua. Trump is expected to announce a replacement next week. We speak with Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and a member of the national board of J…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/12/john_bolton_fired_national_security_adviser

Will U.S. & Iran Resume Talks After John "Bomb Iran" Bolton Is Ousted as National Security Adviser?
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-12
President Trump has ousted John Bolton, becoming the third national security adviser to be ousted by Trump so far. Bolton has long been a fierce critic of diplomacy. He had strongly pushed for Trump to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. He also opposed negotiations with North Korea, as well as the Taliban in Afghanistan. And he was a key supporter of the attempted U.S.-backed coup in Venezuela and an advocate of regime change in Cuba and Nicaragua. Trump is expected to announce a replacement next week. We speak with Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and a member of the national board of J…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/12/john_bolton_fired_national_security_adviser

Noura Erakat: Netanyahu's Proposed West Bank Annexation Is Logical End to Israel's Apartheid Policy
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-12
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing worldwide condemnation for vowing to annex nearly a third of the occupied West Bank if he wins next week's snap election. The United Nations, the Arab League, the European Union and Russia have all criticized Netanyahu's plan, which he unveiled Tuesday. Netanyahu's pledge comes just a week before Israeli voters return to the polls on Tuesday for new elections after Netanyahu failed to form a coalition government following Israel's April 9 election. Netanyahu's annexation plan would crush hopes of an eventual Palestinian state. We speak with Noura Erakat, Palesti…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/12/benjamin_netanyahu_israel_west_bank_annexation

Another Flint? Newark, NJ, Faces Public Health Crisis over Lead Contamination in City's Water Supply
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-12
Thousands of residents in Newark, New Jersey, remain unable to drink their tap water in an enduring public health nightmare. Lead contamination has plagued the city for years, but lead levels have spiked even higher in 2019. The crisis recently came to a head following revelations that water filters distributed to residents may not have been effective. New Jersey's political leaders are facing mounting criticism for their handling of the water crisis. Advocates say the city downplayed the severity of the problem for years and has been slow on solutions, comparing Newark's water crisis to Flint, Michigan. We speak…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/12/newark_new_jersey_water_contamination_crisis

Noura Erakat: Netanyahu's Proposed West Bank Annexation Is Logical End to Israel's Apartheid Policy
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-12
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing worldwide condemnation for vowing to annex nearly a third of the occupied West Bank if he wins next week's snap election. The United Nations, the Arab League, the European Union and Russia have all criticized Netanyahu's plan, which he unveiled Tuesday. Netanyahu's pledge comes just a week before Israeli voters return to the polls on Tuesday for new elections after Netanyahu failed to form a coalition government following Israel's April 9 election. Netanyahu's annexation plan would crush hopes of an eventual Palestinian state. We speak with Noura Erakat, Palesti…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/12/benjamin_netanyahu_israel_west_bank_annexation

Another Flint? Newark, NJ, Faces Public Health Crisis over Lead Contamination in City's Water Supply
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-12
Thousands of residents in Newark, New Jersey, remain unable to drink their tap water in an enduring public health nightmare. Lead contamination has plagued the city for years, but lead levels have spiked even higher in 2019. The crisis recently came to a head following revelations that water filters distributed to residents may not have been effective. New Jersey's political leaders are facing mounting criticism for their handling of the water crisis. Advocates say the city downplayed the severity of the problem for years and has been slow on solutions, comparing Newark's water crisis to Flint, Michigan. We speak…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/12/newark_new_jersey_water_contamination_crisis

Joe Biden Is Demanding Financial Transparency While Concealing His Own Wealth
Ryan Grim | theintercept.com | 2019-09-11
Former Vice President Joe Biden is telegraphing that he plans to attack his rivals on the debate stage for a lack of transparency into their finances. Biden is expected to go after Sen. Elizabeth Warren in particular, Bloomberg reported, for failing to disclose details of private income during the 1990s and 2000s from the types of companies that she now lambasts for "rigging the system." | Warren, as a law professor, did consulting work for private companies that involved her bankruptcy ex…
theintercept.com/2019/09/11/joe-biden-financial-disclosure/

Pittsburgh Google contract workers start unionization process, bosses prep union-busting campaign
Vasuki R | liberationnews.org | 2019-09-11
In these crucial coming weeks, solidarity and militancy will keep the workers united as they fight for democracy and the ability to collectively bargain.
liberationnews.org/pittsburgh-google-contract-workers-start-unionization-process-bosses-prep-union-busting-campaign/

The Real News' Union Signs First Contract
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-09-11
by TRNN Union Reps | The Real News Network has a contract now, y'all! | We've been working on this for 18 months. It's taken many hours of our lives. We laughed, we cried, etc. We couldn't be more proud. | This is a very exciting time to work in journalism, but it's also a scary one. Thousands of workers have been laid off from media companies like Buzzfeed, Vice Media, and Gannett since the beginning of 2019. | Just a few days ago, the Democratic Party-aligned Center for American Progress shut down…
therealnews.com/columns/the-real-news-union-signs-first-contract

"We Are Striking to Disrupt the System": An Hour with 16-Year-Old Climate Activist Greta Thunberg
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-11
In her first extended broadcast interview in the United States, we spend the hour with Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist who has inspired millions across the globe. Last year she launched a school strike for the climate, skipping school every Friday to stand in front of the Swedish parliament, demanding action to prevent catastrophic climate change. Her protest spread, quickly going global. Hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren around the globe have participated in their own local school strikes for the climate. Since her strike began in 2018, Greta has become a leading figure in the clim…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/11/greta_thunberg_swedish_activist_climate_crisis

"We Are Striking to Disrupt the System": An Hour with 16-Year-Old Climate Activist Greta Thunberg
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-11
In her first extended broadcast interview in the United States, we spend the hour with Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist who has inspired millions across the globe. Last year she launched a school strike for the climate, skipping school every Friday to stand in front of the Swedish parliament, demanding action to prevent catastrophic climate change. Her protest spread, quickly going global. Hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren around the globe have participated in their own local school strikes for the climate. Since her strike began in 2018, Greta has become a leading figure in the clim…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/11/greta_thunberg_swedish_activist_climate_crisis

Jon Ossoff Is Back: "I'm Still Standing and I'm Ready to Fight"
Ryan Grim | theintercept.com | 2019-09-10
Ossoff, a Democrat who narrowly lost a Georgia congressional special election in 2017 — the most expensive House race of all time — starts the race as a frontrunner.
theintercept.com/2019/09/10/jon-ossoff-georgia-senate/

Jon Ossoff Is Back: "I'm Still Standing and I'm Ready to Fight"
Ryan Grim | theintercept.com | 2019-09-10
Ossoff, a Democrat who narrowly lost a Georgia congressional special election in 2017 — the most expensive House race of all time — starts the race as a frontrunner.
theintercept.com/2019/09/10/jon-ossoff-georgia-senate/

Kenosha SDS wins demand for gender neutral bathrooms on campus
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-09-10
Kenosha, WI – Just in time for the new semester, Students for a Democratic Society at UW Parkside came out victorious in their gender neutral bathrooms campaign from the previous semester. Four bathrooms were converted on campus to support the trans and gender non-conforming community, a demand which some students have been proposing for several years. | Before, there were only two gender neutral bathrooms on campus located on the opposite ends of campus. This was an obstacle for transgender students taking classes in the central area of the university, as the only gender neutral bathrooms were inconveniently far…
fightbacknews.org/2019/9/10/kenosha-sds-wins-demand-gender-neutral-bathrooms-campus

Kenosha SDS wins demand for gender neutral bathrooms on campus
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-09-10
Kenosha, WI – Just in time for the new semester, Students for a Democratic Society at UW Parkside came out victorious in their gender neutral bathrooms campaign from the previous semester. Four bathrooms were converted on campus to support the trans and gender non-conforming community, a demand which some students have been proposing for several years. | Before, there were only two gender neutral bathrooms on campus located on the opposite ends of campus. This was an obstacle for transgender students taking classes in the central area of the university, as the only gender neutral bathrooms were inconveniently far…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/9/10/kenosha-sds-wins-demand-gender-neutral-bathrooms-campus

An Invisible Crisis: Thousands of African Migrants Are Stranded in Mexico Hoping to Head North
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-10
Hundreds of African migrants in Mexico are protesting the country's refusal to grant them transit visas to travel to the United States or Canada, where they want to apply for asylum. For months, thousands of African migrants have been forced by the Mexican government to stay in the southern state of Chiapas, on the Guatemalan border. Many of them have been sleeping in tent cities, cooking on the streets and bathing their children in buckets, without the promise of shelter, food or work permits. The long waits for African migrants began in June, when it was reported that Mexican immigration authorities were ignori…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/10/african_migrants_mexico_transit_policy

"They Need Our Help": Bahamian-American Lawmaker Urges U.S. to Let In Storm Survivors Seeking Refuge
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-10
The death toll in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian hit 50 Monday and is expected to keep rising exponentially. Many survivors of the Category 5 storm are now seeking refuge in the United States. At least 4,000 hurricane survivors have traveled to the U.S. since the hurricane hit, but many more are facing a struggle with paperwork and mounting confusion about what's necessary to gain entry. Over the weekend, more than 100 people seeking aid and refuge in the U.S. were turned away after boarding a ferry bound for Florida. Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan said that the U.S. is consi…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/10/dorian_refugees_us_support

From a Lebanese Refugee Camp to Harvard, Ismail Ajjawi Inspires Other Palestinian Students
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-10
Today marks a week since Ismail Ajjawi, a 17-year-old Palestinian student who was denied entry into the United States, began classes with his fellow Harvard freshmen. Ajjawi was initially turned away at Boston's Logan Airport after immigration officials searched his phone and computer, and interrogated him about his religion and social media posts by friends that were critical of U.S. policy. He was then forced to return home to Lebanon, but his case provoked outrage on the Harvard campus and among some Palestinian rights and academic freedom groups. Ajjawi, who is attending Harvard on a full scholarship, was edu…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/10/palestinian_student_ismail_ajjawi_harvard

From a Lebanese Refugee Camp to Harvard, Ismail Ajjawi Inspires Other Palestinian Students
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-10
Today marks a week since Ismail Ajjawi, a 17-year-old Palestinian student who was denied entry into the United States, began classes with his fellow Harvard freshmen. Ajjawi was initially turned away at Boston's Logan Airport after immigration officials searched his phone and computer, and interrogated him about his religion and social media posts by friends that were critical of U.S. policy. He was then forced to return home to Lebanon, but his case provoked outrage on the Harvard campus and among some Palestinian rights and academic freedom groups. Ajjawi, who is attending Harvard on a full scholarship, was edu…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/10/palestinian_student_ismail_ajjawi_harvard

As Biden Invokes Dead Family Members Against Medicare for All, Media Play Along
Joshua Cho | fair.org | 2019-09-09
by Joshua Cho | Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden last month released a new Iowa TV ad called " Personal," which recounts the former vice president's personal tragedy of losing his wife and daughter to a car crash, and the subsequent loss of his son Beau Biden from brain cancer. | Biden presented his story as a celebration of for-profit health insurance by saying that he "couldn't imagine" what it would've been like if their insurance didn't cover the healthcare required "immediately," and that…
fair.org/home/as-biden-invokes-dead-family-members-against-medicare-for-all-media-play-along/

Safe zone in Syria, Trump and the Taliban, Maduro vs. Guaido
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-09-09
Safe zone in Syria On Sunday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused the United States of attempting to use the creation of a security zone in northeastern Syria, not for Ankara's sake, but in order to protect the Washington-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDS) operating in the area. Turkey sees the SDS and the Kurdish units of …
uwidata.com/5269-safe-zone-in-syria-trump-and-the-taliban-maduro-vs-guaido/

"These Negotiations Have Not Been About the Afghan People": Trump Calls Off Peace Talks with Taliban
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-09
This weekend, President Trump publicly called off a secret meeting at Camp David with the Taliban and the president of Afghanistan that aimed to end the 18-year war, the longest in U.S. history. The United States and Taliban had appeared close to signing an agreement after holding nine rounds of talks in Doha, but the negotiations took a surprise turn when President Trump suggested a Camp David meeting that included Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who had not been involved in the previous talks. For more, we go to Kabul to speak with Ali Latifi, a freelance journalist; Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Cre…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/9/afghanistan_peace_talks_taliban

"These Negotiations Have Not Been About the Afghan People": Trump Calls Off Peace Talks with Taliban
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-09
This weekend, President Trump publicly called off a secret meeting at Camp David with the Taliban and the president of Afghanistan that aimed to end the 18-year war, the longest in U.S. history. The United States and Taliban had appeared close to signing an agreement after holding nine rounds of talks in Doha, but the negotiations took a surprise turn when President Trump suggested a Camp David meeting that included Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who had not been involved in the previous talks. For more, we go to Kabul to speak with Ali Latifi, a freelance journalist; Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Cre…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/9/afghanistan_peace_talks_taliban

"No Accountability": FBI Investigates ICE Shooting of Undocumented Man in Nashville Suburb
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-09
The FBI is investigating the shooting of an undocumented immigrant by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a traffic stop last week. The shooting occurred Thursday at a supermarket parking lot in Antioch, a suburb of Nashville, where workers often gather to be picked up for a day's work. ICE agents were attempting to detain an unnamed 39-year-old Mexican man, who reportedly attempted to flee in a white box truck, when one of the agents shot him twice. It has now been revealed that the ICE agent involved in the shooting is one of the officers who made headlines in July after community members blocke…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/9/ice_agent_shooting_undocumented_migrant_nashville

Hurricane Dorian Was Fueled by Climate Change. Why Isn't the Mainstream Media Making the Connection?
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-09
At least 44 people are dead, and the number is expected to rise dramatically, as the Bahamas continues to reel from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Dorian last week. More than 70,000 on Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands have been left homeless, and hundreds, perhaps thousands, remain missing. As the Bahamas faces unprecedented destruction and thousands continue to seek shelter and aid, the island nation has been described as "ground zero" for the climate crisis. Despite this, the mainstream media has largely omitted any mention of global warming in its coverage of the disaster. We speak to Allison Fisher, o…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/9/hurricane_dorian_climate_change_link_underreported