Daily Archives: September 30, 2019

2019-09-30: News Headlines

Serge Halimi (2019-09-30). The New Evil Empire. counterpunch.org The US seems to have decided that it can't take on China and Russia at the same time, so its principal geopolitical rival in the coming decades will be China. Trump's Republican administration and the Democrats agree on this, though they are campaigning vigorously against each other ahead of next year's presidential election. China has More

FAIR (2019-09-30). What media like best about Elizabeth Warren: She's not Bernie Sanders. mronline.org If Warren ever finds herself without media's bête noire to draft off of—assuming her policy stances remain the same—the media headwinds can be expected to get much more intense for her. | Source

RT (2019-09-30). Democrats say they will ban fracking nationwide. An empty campaign promise or are they serious? rt.com Several contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination have promised a nationwide ban on fracking. How viable is that proposal and do they really want to do it — or is it just a campaign promise they can never fulfil? | Banning 'fracking' — the process of extracting oil and natural gas via hydraulic fracturing — is popular among environmentalists and activists who are increasingly concerned about climate change. Among the candidates who have backed a ban are the current frontrunner Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), as well as her colleagues Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and K…

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers (2019-09-30). 'Ukrainegate' teaches us more about ourselves than Trump or Biden. nationofchange.org As residents in a corrupt, corporate-controlled, imperialist country, we have a responsibility to ourselves and the world to take action to stop the US disastrous foreign policy.

Victor Grossman (2019-09-30). Playing the Trump card. mronline.org Clearly, the ingredients of anti-Trump cooking create a very mixed batter. Some spoonfuls may even contain a "Save Biden as candidate" flavor, outweighing the truly weighty reasons for baking a completely new kind of cake. | Source

RT (2019-09-30). Trump tweets quote warning that impeachment will cause 'Civil War-like fracture' in US. rt.com US President Donald Trump responded to the Democrats-led impeachment inquiry by posting an ominous quote from a church leader who warned that removing him from office would inflict "Civil War-like" wounds on the nation. | Known for regularly watching shows on Fox News, Trump apparently liked how the Southern Baptist minister and televangelist Robert Jeffress appeared on the channel on Sunday and blasted the Democrats for wanting to impeach him. | "And I do want to make this prediction this morning: If the Democrats are successful in removing the president from office, I'm afraid it will cause a Civil War-like…

Rachel M. Cohen (2019-09-30). Nina Turner, Bernie Sanders's Campaign Chair, Led Charge for Education Reform as Ohio Legislator. theintercept.com Nina Turner said she's "definitely evolved" since her time in the Ohio state Senate, but she remains proud of pro-charter policies she helped pass.

Joe Lauria (2019-09-30). The Untold Story of the Trump-Ukraine 'Scandal': The Routine Corruption of US Foreign Policy. globalresearch.ca The most crucial aspects of the Trump-Ukraine "scandal," which has led to impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, are not being told, even by Republicans. | Trump was very likely motivated by politics if he indeed withheld military aid to Ukraine in …

Miles Mogulescu (2019-09-30). Fighting Corruption Must Be Our Focus In 2020. commondreams.org Why would Democrats want to spend even a minute during this Presidential campaign defending Biden against corruption charges, when there are plenty of other qualified Democratic candidates without this liability? (Photo: Scott Eisen/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/joebiden_1.jpeg

United Nations (2019-09-30). DPRK reports 'little progress' since historic June 2018 summit with US. un.org Lack of progress in achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula is "entirely attributable" to the United States, a senior official from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) told the UN General Assembly on Monday.

WSWS (2019-09-30). Democrats frame impeachment drive as defense of "national security" wsws.org There is not the slightest democratic content to the Democrats' impeachment inquiry.

WSWS (2019-09-30). Democrats praise CIA whistleblower on Ukraine, persecute Manning, Assange and Snowden. wsws.org While the Democrats declare that "Congress must do all it can to protect… all whistleblowers," they support exile and prison for the men and women who have exposed the crimes of US imperialism.

Andrew Korybko (2019-09-30). The 'Hong Kong Human Rights & Democracy Act' Will Intensify the Hybrid War on China. globalresearch.ca As if the ongoing "trade war" wasn't an intense enough Hybrid War against China as it is, the US might soon pass the so-called "Hong Kong Human Rights & Democracy Act" in order to take its asymmetrical aggression even further …

Staff (2019-09-30). Private Contractors Play Key Role in US Intelligence's Creeping Authoritarianism. truthout.org | | As a whistleblower complaint against President Trump rocks Washington, Democrats begin an impeachment inquiry and Trump threatens "big consequences" for the person who came forward, we continue our conversation with one of the world's most famous whistleblowers: Edward Snowden, now in exile in Russia. Six years ago, he shocked the world when he leaked a trove of secret documents about how the United States had built a massive surveillance apparatus to collect phone calls, text messages…

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2019-09-30). When Convenience Counts: Leaking and Whistleblowing. Trump and the Zelensky Affair. globalresearch.ca The entire Trump presidency has been a sequence of "watch this space" moments. Dismissals and political executions; attacks and distractions; gestures of deal making and promises of apocalypse. Perhaps it was high time for another bit of material to be …

Michael Harris (2019-09-30). Media Event ~ 9th Annual Pan African Global Trade and Investment Conference. indybay.org California State Capitol Park | Camillia Grove ~ near 12th and L St | Downtown Sacramento…

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

Curt Wechsler (2019-09-30). That Impeachment Inquiry? Now is the time to take to the streets. indybay.org 1590 Bryant (at 15th Street), San Francisco…

D.D. Guttenplan (2019-09-30). We Don't Have to Choose Between Warren and Sanders Yet. thenation.com We Don't Have to Choose Between Warren and Sanders Yet…

Joan Walsh (2019-09-30). Democrats Must Reject False Choices as They Pursue Impeachment. thenation.com Democrats Must Reject False Choices as They Pursue Impeachment…

Aaron Maté (2019-09-30). The Ukraine Scandal Might Be a Bad Gambit for Democrats. thenation.com The Ukraine Scandal Might Be a Bad Gambit for Democrats…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-09-30). GOP Rep. Chris Collins Resigns From Congress Amid Reports He'll Plead Guilty to Insider Trading Charges. commondreams.org Republican Congressman Chris Collins of New York, who was indicted last year for his alleged role in an insider trading scheme, resigned from his seat Monday amid reports that he will plead guilty to federal charges on Tuesday. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/rep._chris_collins_at_yahoo_0.jpg

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-09-30). Pelosi's Endorsement of Anti-Choice Henry Cuellar Over Progressive Jessica Cisneros Reveals Lack of Leadership, Justice Democrats Say. commondreams.org "The Democratic Party should be embracing our most fundamental values and put voters ahead of big corporate donors." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pelosi_2.jpg

Julia Conley, staff writer (2019-09-30). CNN Slammed for Labeling Five Centrist Democrats as 'Leaders on Impeachment' and Erasing Efforts of Progressive Women of Color. commondreams.org Progressives expressed outrage on Monday over CNN's weekend segment on five centrist freshman congresswomen who the network gave credit for their so-called "leadership" on the impeachment of President Donald Trump—just days after the lawmakers backed impeachment proceedings following months of demands from ethics watchdogs and other critics. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/picmonkey_image2.jpg

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

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

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

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

Joshua Cho (2019-09-30). In Media Newspeak, a 'Peace Plan' for Israel/Palestine Is Anything US Proposes. fair.org by Joshua Cho | Prior to the elections in Israel/Palestine in September—marred by blatant racism posturing as the "democratic process," with millions of Palestinians living under varying degrees of Israeli rule unable to vote due to their ethnicity—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu generated headlines for repeatedly pledging to annex nearly a third of the illegally occ…

Democracy Now! (2019-09-30). Edward Snowden Condemns Trump's Mistreatment of Whistleblower Who Exposed Ukraine Scandal. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-09-30_at_2.51.54_pm.png

RT (2019-09-29). 'I deserve to meet my accuser!' Trump wants both Ukrainegate 'whistleblower' and his SOURCE to face him. rt.com US President Donald Trump has demanded to meet with the whistleblower who accused him of pressuring Kiev for political gain, as well as with the actual alleged source that passed the information presented in the Ukraine complaint. | With the Ukrainegate scandal gathering pace, Trump has launched another scathing attack at one of its main peddlers, House Intel Committee chair Adam Schiff, saying that he wants to see the Democratic senator tried for treason for his parody interpretation of Trump's call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. | Like every American, I deserve to meet my accuser, especially wh…

Ryan Grim (2019-09-29). Democratic Senators Orchestrated Infamous Caning of Slavery Opponent, According to New Book. theintercept.com Sidney Blumenthal's "All the Powers of Earth: 1856-1860," dives deep into the greatest act of physical violence ever perpetrated on the U.S. Senate floor.

Christian Sorensen (2019-09-29). The Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex Defeats Tulsi Gabbard. dissidentvoice.org The military-industrial-congressional complex (MIC) is the noxious alliance comprised of the Pentagon, the war industry, and Capitol Hill. U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard has spoken out against U.S. military interventions in such sovereign nations as Iraq, Syria, and Libya. While Gabbard's public discussion of the costs of war rankles some within the MIC, she does not …

teleSUR (2019-09-29). More Than Half in US Approve of Trump Impeachment Inquiry: Poll. telesurenglish.net More than half of the people in the United States approve for the House of Representatives to move forward with an official impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, according to a new CBS News survey conducted by YouGov. | RELATED: | Trump Did Ask Ukrainian President to Investigate Joe Biden | The poll, which was released Sunday morning, found that…

United Nations (2019-09-29). Guterres welcomes conduct of Afghan elections, commends 'all who braved security concerns to uphold their right to vote'. un.org UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the conduct of presidential elections in Afghanistan on 28 September and commended all Afghans "who exercised their democratic voice and upheld their right to vote, braving security concerns".

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

Jon Queally, staff writer (2019-09-29). As 2020 Democrats Eye Impeachment, Sanders Campaign Adjusts Slogan to Note: 'Bernie Beats Trump… (or Pence)'. commondreams.org "I look forward to seeing Donald Trump impeached as soon as possible," Sanders said on Sunday as Democrats target president following Ukraine revelations. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bernie_beats_trump_or_pence1.jpg

The Canary (2019-09-29). Johnson blimp unveiled for protest at Tory conference. thecanary.co Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets of Manchester as the Conservative conference gets underway.A giant Boris Johnson blimp was inflated at Castlefield Bowl ahead of a Reject Brexit — Defend Our Democracy event on Sunday afternoon.The six-metre tall inflatable depicted the prime minister dressed in blue shorts with red hearts and the word "Nigel" on, and a T-shirt showing a £350 million bus.Demonstrators gathered on Oxford Road at about midday for a Shut Down the Tories event before marching through heavy downpours to Deansgate, where a rally was due to be held.Shadow education secretary An…

Jon Schwarz (2019-09-28). Nixon's Revenge: This Time, Republicans Are Ready to Fight Impeachment. theintercept.com The right has patiently spent decades creating a system to make sure no Republican president is ever forced from office again, no matter what he does.

Vern Loomis (2019-09-28). Hell Yes, Take Them Away! dissidentvoice.org "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47!" With that unequivocal statement, Beto O'Rourke ignited right wing gun pundits who've kept some powder dry for just such a remark: "Who is this "we" he speaks of? Democrats? Liberals? Bring it, fools. Come and try to take my legally purchased guns. I double-dog dare …

RT (2019-09-28). NRA was a 'foreign asset' of Russia in 2016 election, claims report by Senate Democrats. rt.com Injecting new life into the 'Russiagate' conspiracy theory, Senate Democrats produced a report claiming that the largest US gun rights organization acted like a 'foreign asset' for the Kremlin and should lose tax-exempt status. | The 77-page document, published Friday by Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), insinuates that the National Rifle Association (NRA) abused its tax-exempt status by working with the gun rights activist Maria Butina — branded a "Russian agent" &#150…

RT (2019-09-28). 'This is war': Trump's critics & backers trade blows as Washington braces for impeachment showdown. rt.com With impeachment the talk of the town in Washington, President Donald Trump's most fierce critics and defenders are squaring off, reacting to a Democratic initiative to remove him from office over an alleged abuse of power. | On Tuesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) said the House was "moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry," unifying ongoing investigations in six congressional committees under the umbrella of an impeachment probe. Citing a July phone call between President Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, Pelosi argued that the president abused his authority and bro…

WSWS (2019-09-28). CIA sets terms for Democrats' impeachment inquiry into Trump's crimes. wsws.org Both factions in the political warfare that has erupted in Washington are hostile to the democratic and social rights of the working class.

WSWS (2019-09-28). US Census report: Inequality grew rapidly in 2018 to record levels. wsws.org The US is now as unequal as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and less equal than Kenya, Mexico and Malaysia.

RT (2019-09-27). 'They lost the election, now they want to STEAL this one': Trump targets Democrats in impeachment ad. rt.com US President Donald Trump is blasting Democrats and "their media lapdogs" in a new campaign ad, claiming they seek to impeach him for wanting to investigate corruption in Ukraine involving former Vice President Joe Biden. | The 30-second ad that Trump tweeted out Friday afternoon opens with Biden boasting about getting a Ukrainian prosecutor fired after he threatened to withhold $1 billion from Kiev. The footage is from the former vice-president's January 2018 appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations. | I AM DRAINING THE SWAMP! pic.twitter.com/U7WxKrO6Kx— Donal…

Charles Davis (2019-09-27). Mass Killings In Afghanistan Are Acts of White Supremacy. counterpunch.org An American white nationalist killed over 30 people recently. The victims, all brown, had full lives; children, loved ones, and years, full of plans, ahead of them. But then they were incinerated. Worst of all, they were murdered while Afghan. The deaths were noted in the press, and one Democrat running for president even acknowledged More

Staff (2019-09-27). The Democratic Party Remains a Party of War, Not Peace. therealnews.com Green Party candidate Madelyn Hoffman says that even the progressive Democratic presidential candidates remain unwilling to challenge the Pentagon.

Staff (2019-09-27). The Impeachment: Will This Be Trump's Unraveling? therealnews.com Ryan Cooper, National Correspondent for The Week, joins us to look at today's testimony, the president's petulance, and what all this means for the presidential campaign.

David Daley (2019-09-27). "Worth This Investment": Memos Reveal the Scope and Racial Animus of GOP Gerrymandering Ambitions. theintercept.com In court and in public, many top Republicans have denied gerrymandering gives them any advantage at all. They've captured state legislatures and won an edge in Congress, some have suggested, due to superior candidates, better campaigns, and natural geographic sorting that clusters Democrats in urban areas and spreads Republicans more efficiently across the suburbs and rural America. | "The problem is not district lines; the proble…

Jeet Heer (2019-09-27). The Left Needs to Seize Impeachment From Centrist Elites. thenation.com The Left Needs to Seize Impeachment From Centrist Elites…

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

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

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

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

Jeffrey St. Clair (2019-09-27). Roaming Charges: Rough Trade Transcript. counterpunch.org I think we can all agree that refusing to send military aid to Ukraine would have been a wise decision by Trump. But trading the slaughter of civilians in eastern Ukraine for political dirt on HRC and the Bidens pretty much exposes his America First foreign policy as little more than diplomatic narcissism, which, of course, we've known all along but it's useful to have it confirmed in his own "Rough Trade Transcript"…. More

RT (2019-09-26). House Intelligence Committee releases whistleblower report on Trump-Zelensky call. rt.com The whistleblower complaint that led to the impeachment inquiry against US President Donald Trump has been released. In it, the leaker admits he did not actually hear the phone call at the center of the scandal. | Released by the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday, the complaint details the circumstances surrounding Trump's July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Democrats argue that Trump attempted to pressure Zelensky into reopening a corruption inve…

Mehdi Hasan (2019-09-26). Democrats, Please Don't Mess This Up. Impeach Trump for All His Crimes, Not Just for Ukraine. theintercept.com Impeaching Trump only for Ukraine would give him a clean bill of health on everything else, like his obstruction of the Mueller investigation.

RT (2019-09-26). Schiff's 're-telling' of Trump phone call with Ukraine head gets mocked as 'unhinged Orange-Man-Bad fan fiction'. rt.com With impeachment efforts against President Donald Trump resting on the content of a single phone call, who could blame Congressman Adam Schiff for embellishing the truth a little, all to sell his "Orange Man Bad" narrative. | Though Trump released a transcript of the call in question on Wednesday, the Democrat-controlled House Intelligence Committee pressed ahead with questioning Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire on Thursday, about his handling of the whistleblower complaint that first thrus…

Robert Mackey (2019-09-26). How Trump Pushed Ukraine's President to Probe Conspiracy Theories About Democrats. theintercept.com Donald Trump pressed Ukraine's new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to help legitimize conspiracy theories about his Democratic rivals during a private telephone conversation in July, and again at a public meeting at the United Nations on Wednesday. | White House notes on the July call, released before the two presidents met in New York, showed that Trump urged his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate false claims about the theft of emails from the Democratic National Committee's servers in 2016, as well as former Vice Presi…

Joan Walsh (2019-09-26). The Republican Party Is Going Down With Trump. thenation.com The Republican Party Is Going Down With Trump…

Staff (2019-09-26). Edward Snowden Condemns Trump's Mistreatment of Whistleblower Who Exposed Ukraine Scandal. democracynow.org Responding to news of a whistleblower's complaint at the center of an impeachment inquiry filed against President Trump this week, famed whistleblower Edward Snowden speaks about his own decision to leak classified documents in 2013. The House Intelligence Committee has released the declassified whistleblower complaint, which details a July phone call between President Trump and the Ukrainian president. The White House is trying "to make the conversation not about the allegations," Snowden told Democracy Now! "They want to talk about the whistleblower rather than the government's own wrongdoing."

Staff (2019-09-26). "Financial Censorship Is Still Censorship": Edward Snowden Slams Justice Dept. Lawsuit Against Him. democracynow.org As a whistleblower complaint filed against President Trump rocks Washington and threatens Trump's presidency, one of the world's most famous whistleblowers, Edward Snowden, joins us from Moscow, Russia. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Snowden alleging that his newly released memoir, "Permanent Record," violates the nondisclosure agreements he signed with the federal government when he was a National Security Agency employee. The Justice Department also argued that they are entitled to all of Snowden's book profits. Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman and Juan González speak with Sno…

Staff (2019-09-26). Permanent Record: Why NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Risked His Life to Expose Surveillance State. democracynow.org Six years ago, Edward Snowden leaked a trove of secret documents about how the United States had built a massive surveillance apparatus to spy on Americans and people across the globe. Snowden was then charged in the U.S. for violating the Espionage Act and other laws. As he attempted to flee to Latin America, Snowden became stranded in Russia after the U.S. revoked his passport. He has lived in Moscow ever since. Snowden just published his memoir, "Permanent Record," in which he writes about what led him to risk his life to expose the U.S. government's system of mass surveillance. From Moscow, he speaks to Democ…

Staff (2019-09-26). Headlines for September 26, 2019. democracynow.org Transcript Shows Trump Pressured Ukrainian Leader to Probe Joe Biden and Son, President Trump on Ukraine Phone Call: "Impeachment for That?", Majority of House Lawmakers Back Impeachment Inquiry Against Trump, Iranian President Rules Out Talks with U.S. While Sanctions Remain, Saudi-Led Coalition Airstrikes Kill 16 Civilians in Yemen, Israel's President Asks Benjamin Netanyahu to Form New Government, 2 Million Wild Animals Perish as Fires Rage in Bolivia, Climate Crisis Drives Mont Blanc Glacier Toward Collapse, 7 Arrested as San Francisco Climate Protesters Block Wells Fargo Entrance, Doctors Glue Themselves to…

Jud Lounsbury (2019-09-25). It's Time to Impeach Members of Congress for Not Impeaching Trump. progressive.org The question is no longer whether it's a good idea. It's about whether the members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike, will follow their oath of office to defend the Constitution.

Staff (2019-09-25). Trump Lashes Out at Iran, China & Venezuela in Nationalist Address to U.N. General Assembly. democracynow.org On Tuesday, President Trump made his third address to the United Nations General Assembly amid simmering tensions in the Middle East over recent attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities, which the United States blames on Iran. Tehran denies the allegations. Trump also lashed out at China and Venezuela. We speak with Vijay Prashad, director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and chief editor of LeftWord Books. His latest article for Salon is headlined "World leaders gather at the UN in the face of war, climate catastrophe & global worker exploitation."

Staff (2019-09-25). Billy Bragg: What the U.K. Supreme Court's Historic Ruling Against Boris Johnson Means for Brexit. democracynow.org The U.K. Parliament has reconvened after the country's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had unlawfully suspended Parliament in order to push through Brexit with or without a deal. Johnson made the unprecedented move late last month, asking the queen to prorogue Parliament in order to limit debate on leaving the European Union, which the U.K. is scheduled to do by October 31. Calls for Johnson's resignation are mounting since the news broke, with opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn calling for a general election and demanding Johnson apologize to the queen and to the country. For mo…

Staff (2019-09-25). "We've Reached Critical Mass": Rep. Al Green on Pelosi Vow to Impeach Trump for "Dastardly Deeds" democracynow.org Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has launched a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump following allegations from an intelligence community whistleblower that Trump sought help from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a July 25 phone call to investigate Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden and his son Hunter. On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Senate unanimously passed a nonbinding resolution calling for the Trump administration to release the whistleblower complaint to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. We get response and look at next steps with Congressmember Al Gree…

Staff (2019-09-25). Headlines for September 25, 2019. democracynow.org Pelosi Launches Impeachment Inquiry Against President Trump, IPCC: World Must Cut Greenhouse Emissions or Face Catastrophic Sea Level Rise, Bolsonaro Faces Condemnation For Defending Deforestation of Amazon in U.N. Speech, Trump Denounces Iran, Venezuela & Calls for Countries to Embrace Nationalism at U.N., Pakistani PM Demands World to Address Crisis in Kashmir, U.K. Parliament Reconvenes After Court Declares Boris Johnson's Parliament Suspension Illegal, Egyptian Authorities Arrest At Least 900 Following Anti-Government Protests, Spain to Exhume Body of Former Dictator Francisco Franco from State Mausoleum, Nig…

Staff (2019-09-24). Nate Silver and the Pitfalls of the Corporate Pundit Class. therealnews.com Political statistician and editor-in-chief of FiveThirtyEight Nate Silver found himself in hot water recently when he seemed to refer to the diverse supporters of Bernie Sanders' campaign as "residue." Jacqueline Luqman talks to Anoa Changa about why that language, and the bias of the corporate pundit class, is an issue.

Deborah (2019-09-24). Support FAIR: Corporate Media Sidetracking Real Election Issues—Again — copy. fair.org Dear FAIR Friends, While corporate media focus on who's up/who's down in the horserace for the Democratic nomination, more substantive concerns—What are the candidates' policy proposals? Are they adequate to the scale of the problems we face? Will our votes be suppressed, or even miscounted?—go unaddressed. With so much at stake, we've got to …

Steven Schwinn (2019-09-24). Trump Seeks to Kneecap Consumer Protection Agency Advocated for by Elizabeth Warren. progressive.org We've grown accustomed to Donald Trump's relentless political attacks. but, in the end, his constitutional attacks on the administrative state could cause the most damage.

Staff (2019-09-24). Ta-Nehisi Coates on His Debut Novel "The Water Dancer," Slavery & Reparations. democracynow.org Celebrated writer Ta-Nehisi Coates's first novel, "The Water Dancer," was released today. Centering on a man named Hiram Walker, who was born into slavery in 19th century Virginia, the novel is a "crowd-pleasing exercise in breakneck and often occult storytelling," a review in The New York Times stated. Over the past decade Ta-Nehisi Coates has become one of the nation's most celebrated writers. In 2014, he wrote a piece titled "The Case for Reparations," which rejuvenated the push for the government to pay reparations to the descendants of slaves. His 2015 book, "Between the World and Me," a National Book Award…

Staff (2019-09-24). How Dare You! Greta Thunberg Slams World's Focus on Economic "Fairy Tales" While Ecosystems Collapse. democracynow.org Scores of world leaders gathered in New York on Monday for the U.N. Climate Action Summit, but the world's largest greenhouse gas emitters announced few new measures to address the climate crisis. President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence briefly attended the summit but left after just 14 minutes. At the beginning of the summit, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg delivered an impassioned address to world leaders, explicitly naming their inaction on the climate crisis. "People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing," Greta said. "We are in the beginning of a mass ext…

Staff (2019-09-24). In Landmark UN Complaint, 16 Children Accuse Nations of Failing to Protect Them from Climate Change. democracynow.org Youth climate activists from around the world also attended the U.N. Climate Action Summit Monday, where they spoke at UNICEF about a landmark new climate complaint they filed with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. Hailing from countries including Argentina, Brazil, Germany, the Marshall Islands and Tunisia, the young representatives spoke about why they feel compelled to act on the climate crisis. Among the youth climate activists were Alexandria Villaseñor of New York and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Staff (2019-09-24). Meet Brazil's Indigenous Leader Attacked by Bolsonaro at U.N. over Efforts to Preserve the Amazon. democracynow.org A number of indigenous leaders from Brazil traveled to New York to protest Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's push to open the Amazon rainforest for agribusiness, logging and mining. Democracy Now!'s Nermeen Shaikh spoke to Chief Raoni Metuktire of the Kayapó tribe on Monday outside the U.N. Climate Action Summit about the situation in the Amazon, including the recent outbreak of devastating fires. After the interview, Chief Raoni attempted to enter the U.N. summit, but despite support from dozens of activists, he was barred from entering. He is a nominee for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.

Staff (2019-09-24). Headlines for September 24, 2019. democracynow.org Greta Thunberg and Youth Activists Take On World Leaders at U.N. Climate Action Summit, Trump Admin Tells U.N. to Drop Term "Reproductive Health and Rights", Trump Ordered Hold on Ukrainian Aid Before Call with President Zelensky About Bidens, U.K. Supreme Court: Boris Johnson's Suspension of Parliament Is Unlawful, U.K., France & Germany Say Iran Responsible for Saudi Oil Attacks as Trump Addresses UNGA, Afghanistan: At Least 40 Civilians Killed by U.S.-Afghan Attack, Haiti: Senator Shoots AP Photographer in Face During Anti-Gov't Protests, Video of Blindfolded Prisoners in Xinjiang Adds to Fears of Mass Human R…

Julie Hollar (2019-09-23). What Media Like Best About Elizabeth Warren: She's Not Bernie Sanders. fair.org When the Washington Post's Paul Waldman ( 9/18/19) recently attempted to explain Elizabeth Warren's rise in the Democratic primary polls, he attributed it in part to media: Reporters on the campaign trail have said for some time that she is the one who generates the most enthusiastic response among voters on the ground. A…

susan_p (2019-09-23). History will judge Mugabe's legacy. greenleft.org.au Alan BroughtonIssue 1239 Zimbabwe Movement for Democratic Change MDC ZANU-PFSeptember 23, 2019Zimbabwe's independence leader and former president Robert Mugabe is remembered for his leadership of the succ…

Staff (2019-09-23). 19-Year-Old Indigenous Climate Activist Artemisa Xakriabá: "We Fight for Mother Earth" democracynow.org Friday's climate strike in New York City concluded with remarks from indigenous leaders, activists and organizers. Artemisa Xakriabá, a 19-year-old indigenous climate activist of the Xakriabá people, spoke about the increasing intensity of environmental destruction across Brazil and the interconnectedness of the fight for climate justice. "We fight for our Mother Earth because the fight for Mother Earth is the mother of all other fights," Xakriabá said. "We are fighting for your lives. We are fighting for our lives. We are fighting for our sacred territory. But we are being persecuted, threatened, murdered, only…

Staff (2019-09-23). Millions Took Part in the Youth-Led Global Climate Strike Friday. Here's Why People Marched. democracynow.org As many as a quarter-million people marched on the streets of New York City Friday for a youth-led climate strike inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Globally, as many as 4 million people took to the streets in hundreds of countries. Democracy Now! was in the streets of New York on Friday speaking with climate strikers from the United States and around the world.

Staff (2019-09-23). Bill McKibben: Youth Who Led Global Climate Strike Are Bringing a New "Spirit" to Climate Fight. democracynow.org Following Friday's youth-led climate strike — the largest-ever global protest focused on climate — we speak with Bill McKibben, longtime journalist and co-founder of 350.org. McKibben's latest piece for The New Yorker is titled "Money Is the Oxygen on Which the Fire of Global Warming Burns," and his cover piece for Time magazine is headlined "Hello from the Year 2050. We Avoided the Worst of Climate Change — But Everything Is Different." McKibben's 1989 book, "The End of Nature," was the first book for a general audience about climate change.

Staff (2019-09-23). "Our House Is on Fire": Greta Thunberg Addresses Hundreds of Thousands at NYC Climate Strike. democracynow.org Sixteen-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg spoke at Friday's climate strike in New York, where an estimated 300,000 people took to the streets. Thunberg inspired the global spread of weekly climate strikes when she started skipping school to protest outside of the Swedish parliament last year. "We will not just stand aside and watch," Thunberg told a crowd of thousands in her speech at Manhattan's Battery Park. "We are united behind the science, and we will do everything in our power to stop this crisis from getting worse."

Michael Sainato (2019-09-18). 2020: Democratic Establishment vs. Democratic Socialists. progressive.org Meet three new challengers to the entrenched old guard.

Andy Spears (2019-09-17). Tennessee Republicans in Fisticuffs Over School Vouchers. progressive.org Hot chicken, sex, and cocaine are part of the story of how Tennessee became the latest state to succumb to the Betsy DeVos-backed voucher craze. The result could determine how the GOP addresses the issue across the country.

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.

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.

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.

2019-09-30: Social Media Postees

Democrats say they will ban fracking nationwide. An empty campaign promise or are they serious?
rt.com | 2019-09-30
Several contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination have promised a nationwide ban on fracking. How viable is that proposal and do they really want to do it — or is it just a campaign promise they can never fulfil? | Banning 'fracking' — the process of extracting oil and natural gas via hydraulic fracturing — is popular among environmentalists and activists who are increasingly concerned about climate change. Among the candidates who have backed a ban are the current frontrunner Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), as well as her colleagues Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and K…
rt.com/usa/469917-democrats-fracking-ban-2020/

What media like best about Elizabeth Warren: She's not Bernie Sanders
FAIR | mronline.org | 2019-09-30
If Warren ever finds herself without media's bête noire to draft off of–assuming her policy stances remain the same–the media headwinds can be expected to get much more intense for her. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/09/30/what-media-like-best-about-elizabeth-warren-shes-not-bernie-sanders/

Nina Turner, Bernie Sanders's Campaign Chair, Led Charge for Education Reform as Ohio Legislator
Rachel M. Cohen | theintercept.com | 2019-09-30
Nina Turner said she's "definitely evolved" since her time in the Ohio state Senate, but she remains proud of pro-charter policies she helped pass.
theintercept.com/2019/09/30/nina-turner-cleveland-ohio-education-reform/

'Ukrainegate' teaches us more about ourselves than Trump or Biden
Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers | nationofchange.org | 2019-09-30
As residents in a corrupt, corporate-controlled, imperialist country, we have a responsibility to ourselves and the world to take action to stop the US disastrous foreign policy.
nationofchange.org/2019/09/30/ukrainegate-teaches-us-more-about-ourselves-than-trump-or-biden/

The Untold Story of the Trump-Ukraine 'Scandal': The Routine Corruption of US Foreign Policy
Joe Lauria | globalresearch.ca | 2019-09-30
The most crucial aspects of the Trump-Ukraine "scandal," which has led to impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, are not being told, even by Republicans. | Trump was very likely motivated by politics if he indeed withheld military aid to Ukraine in …
globalresearch.ca/untold-story-trump-ukraine-scandal/5690573

The New Evil Empire
Serge Halimi | counterpunch.org | 2019-09-30
The US seems to have decided that it can't take on China and Russia at the same time, so its principal geopolitical rival in the coming decades will be China. Trump's Republican administration and the Democrats agree on this, though they are campaigning vigorously against each other ahead of next year's presidential election. China has…
counterpunch.org/2019/09/30/the-new-evil-empire/

Fighting Corruption Must Be Our Focus In 2020
Miles Mogulescu | commondreams.org | 2019-09-30
Why would Democrats want to spend even a minute during this Presidential campaign defending Biden against corruption charges, when there are plenty of other qualified Democratic candidates without this liability? (Photo: Scott Eisen/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/joebiden_1.jpeg
commondreams.org/views/2019/09/30/fighting-corruption-must-be-our-focus-2020?cd-origin=rss

Playing the Trump card
Victor Grossman | mronline.org | 2019-09-30
Clearly, the ingredients of anti-Trump cooking create a very mixed batter. Some spoonfuls may even contain a "Save Biden as candidate" flavor, outweighing the truly weighty reasons for baking a completely new kind of cake. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/09/29/playing-the-trump-card/

When Convenience Counts: Leaking and Whistleblowing. Trump and the Zelensky Affair
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2019-09-30
The entire Trump presidency has been a sequence of "watch this space" moments. Dismissals and political executions; attacks and distractions; gestures of deal making and promises of apocalypse. Perhaps it was high time for another bit of material to be …
globalresearch.ca/leaking-whistleblowing-democrats/5690595

Democrats praise CIA whistleblower on Ukraine, persecute Manning, Assange and Snowden
wsws.org | 2019-09-30
While the Democrats declare that "Congress must do all it can to protect… all whistleblowers," they support exile and prison for the men and women who have exposed the crimes of US imperialism.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/09/30/pers-s30.html

The 'Hong Kong Human Rights & Democracy Act' Will Intensify the Hybrid War on China
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2019-09-30
As if the ongoing "trade war" wasn't an intense enough Hybrid War against China as it is, the US might soon pass the so-called "Hong Kong Human Rights & Democracy Act" in order to take its asymmetrical aggression even further …
globalresearch.ca/hong-kong-human-rights-democracy-act-intensify-hybrid-war-china/5690611

DPRK reports 'little progress' since historic June 2018 summit with US
United Nations | un.org | 2019-09-30
Lack of progress in achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula is "entirely attributable" to the United States, a senior official from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) told the UN General Assembly on Monday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/09/1048232

Private Contractors Play Key Role in US Intelligence's Creeping Authoritarianism
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-09-30
| As a whistleblower complaint against President Trump rocks Washington, Democrats begin an impeachment inquiry and Trump threatens "big consequences" for the person who came forward, we continue our conversation with one of the world's most famous whistleblowers: Edward Snowden, now in exile in Russia. Six years ago, he shocked the world when he leaked a trove of secret documents about how the United States had built a massive surveillance apparatus to collect phone calls, text messages…
truthout.org/video/private-contractors-play-key-role-in-us-intelligences-creeping-authoritarianism/

Democrats frame impeachment drive as defense of "national security"
wsws.org | 2019-09-30
There is not the slightest democratic content to the Democrats' impeachment inquiry.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/09/30/impe-s30.html

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

Trump tweets quote warning that impeachment will cause 'Civil War-like fracture' in US
rt.com | 2019-09-30
US President Donald Trump responded to the Democrats-led impeachment inquiry by posting an ominous quote from a church leader who warned that removing him from office would inflict "Civil War-like" wounds on the nation. | Known for regularly watching shows on Fox News, Trump apparently liked how the Southern Baptist minister and televangelist Robert Jeffress appeared on the channel on Sunday and blasted the Democrats for wanting to impeach him. | "And I do want to make this prediction this morning: If the Democrats are successful in removing the president from office, I'm afraid it will cause a Civil War-like…
rt.com/usa/469920-trump-impeachment-civil-war/

Media Event ~ 9th Annual Pan African Global Trade and Investment Conference
Michael Harris | indybay.org | 2019-09-30
California State Capitol Park | Camillia Grove ~ near 12th and L St | Downtown Sacramento…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/09/30/18826937.php

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

That Impeachment Inquiry? Now is the time to take to the streets
Curt Wechsler | indybay.org | 2019-09-30
1590 Bryant (at 15th Street), San Francisco…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/09/28/18826888.php

We Don't Have to Choose Between Warren and Sanders Yet
D.D. Guttenplan | thenation.com | 2019-09-30
We Don't Have to Choose Between Warren and Sanders Yet…
thenation.com/article/sanders-warren-wfp/

Democrats Must Reject False Choices as They Pursue Impeachment
Joan Walsh | thenation.com | 2019-09-30
Democrats Must Reject False Choices as They Pursue Impeachment…
thenation.com/article/democrats-impeachment-ukraine-russia-trump/

The Ukraine Scandal Might Be a Bad Gambit for Democrats
Aaron Maté | thenation.com | 2019-09-30
The Ukraine Scandal Might Be a Bad Gambit for Democrats…
thenation.com/article/ukraine-scandal-democrats/

GOP Rep. Chris Collins Resigns From Congress Amid Reports He'll Plead Guilty to Insider Trading Charges
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-09-30
Republican Congressman Chris Collins of New York, who was indicted last year for his alleged role in an insider trading scheme, resigned from his seat Monday amid reports that he will plead guilty to federal charges on Tuesday. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/rep._chris_collins_at_yahoo_0.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/09/30/gop-rep-chris-collins-resigns-congress-amid-reports-hell-plead-guilty-insider?cd-origin=rss

Pelosi's Endorsement of Anti-Choice Henry Cuellar Over Progressive Jessica Cisneros Reveals Lack of Leadership, Justice Democrats Say
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-09-30
"The Democratic Party should be embracing our most fundamental values and put voters ahead of big corporate donors." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pelosi_2.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/09/30/pelosis-endorsement-anti-choice-henry-cuellar-over-progressive-jessica-cisneros?cd-origin=rss

CNN Slammed for Labeling Five Centrist Democrats as 'Leaders on Impeachment' and Erasing Efforts of Progressive Women of Color
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-09-30
Progressives expressed outrage on Monday over CNN's weekend segment on five centrist freshman congresswomen who the network gave credit for their so-called "leadership" on the impeachment of President Donald Trump—just days after the lawmakers backed impeachment proceedings following months of demands from ethics watchdogs and other critics. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/picmonkey_image2.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/09/30/cnn-slammed-labeling-five-centrist-democrats-leaders-impeachment-and-erasing-efforts?cd-origin=rss

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

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

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

Edward Snowden Condemns Trump's Mistreatment of Whistleblower Who Exposed Ukraine Scandal
Democracy Now! | commondreams.org | 2019-09-30
commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-09-30_at_2.51.54_pm.png

The Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex Defeats Tulsi Gabbard
Christian Sorensen | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-09-29
The military-industrial-congressional complex (MIC) is the noxious alliance comprised of the Pentagon, the war industry, and Capitol Hill. U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard has spoken out against U.S. military interventions in such sovereign nations as Iraq, Syria, and Libya. While Gabbard's public discussion of the costs of war rankles some within the MIC, she does not …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/09/the-military-industrial-congressional-complex-defeats-tulsi-gabbard/

More Than Half in US Approve of Trump Impeachment Inquiry: Poll
telesurenglish.net | 2019-09-29
More than half of the people in the United States approve for the House of Representatives to move forward with an official impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, according to a new CBS News survey conducted by YouGov. | RELATED: | Trump Did Ask Ukrainian President to Investigate Joe Biden | The poll, which was released Sunday morning, found that…
telesurenglish.net/news/More-Than-Half-US-Approve-of-Trump-Impeachment-Inquiry-Poll-20190929-0010.html

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

Democratic Senators Orchestrated Infamous Caning of Slavery Opponent, According to New Book
Ryan Grim | theintercept.com | 2019-09-29
Sidney Blumenthal's "All the Powers of Earth: 1856-1860," dives deep into the greatest act of physical violence ever perpetrated on the U.S. Senate floor.
theintercept.com/2019/09/29/sidney-blumenthal-book-all-powers-earth/

Guterres welcomes conduct of Afghan elections, commends 'all who braved security concerns to uphold their right to vote'
United Nations | un.org | 2019-09-29
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the conduct of presidential elections in Afghanistan on 28 September and commended all Afghans "who exercised their democratic voice and upheld their right to vote, braving security concerns".
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/09/1048122

'I deserve to meet my accuser!' Trump wants both Ukrainegate 'whistleblower' and his SOURCE to face him
rt.com | 2019-09-29
US President Donald Trump has demanded to meet with the whistleblower who accused him of pressuring Kiev for political gain, as well as with the actual alleged source that passed the information presented in the Ukraine complaint. | With the Ukrainegate scandal gathering pace, Trump has launched another scathing attack at one of its main peddlers, House Intel Committee chair Adam Schiff, saying that he wants to see the Democratic senator tried for treason for his parody interpretation of Trump's call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. | Like every American, I deserve to meet my accuser, especially wh…
rt.com/usa/469893-trump-wants-meet-whistleblower-source/

As 2020 Democrats Eye Impeachment, Sanders Campaign Adjusts Slogan to Note: 'Bernie Beats Trump… (or Pence)'
Jon Queally, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-09-29
"I look forward to seeing Donald Trump impeached as soon as possible," Sanders said on Sunday as Democrats target president following Ukraine revelations. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bernie_beats_trump_or_pence1.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/09/29/2020-democrats-eye-impeachment-sanders-campaign-adjusts-slogan-note-bernie-beats?cd-origin=rss

Johnson blimp unveiled for protest at Tory conference
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-09-29
Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets of Manchester as the Conservative conference gets underway.A giant Boris Johnson blimp was inflated at Castlefield Bowl ahead of a Reject Brexit — Defend Our Democracy event on Sunday afternoon.The six-metre tall inflatable depicted the prime minister dressed in blue shorts with red hearts and the word "Nigel" on, and a T-shirt showing a £350 million bus.Demonstrators gathered on Oxford Road at about midday for a Shut Down the Tories event before marching through heavy downpours to Deansgate, where a rally was due to be held.Shadow education secretary An…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2019/09/29/johnson-blimp-unveiled-for-protest-at-tory-conference/

Nixon's Revenge: This Time, Republicans Are Ready to Fight Impeachment
Jon Schwarz | theintercept.com | 2019-09-28
The right has patiently spent decades creating a system to make sure no Republican president is ever forced from office again, no matter what he does.
theintercept.com/2019/09/28/impeachment-republicans-nixon-watergate/

US Census report: Inequality grew rapidly in 2018 to record levels
wsws.org | 2019-09-28
The US is now as unequal as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and less equal than Kenya, Mexico and Malaysia.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/09/28/inco-s28.html

'This is war': Trump's critics & backers trade blows as Washington braces for impeachment showdown
rt.com | 2019-09-28
With impeachment the talk of the town in Washington, President Donald Trump's most fierce critics and defenders are squaring off, reacting to a Democratic initiative to remove him from office over an alleged abuse of power. | On Tuesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) said the House was "moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry," unifying ongoing investigations in six congressional committees under the umbrella of an impeachment probe. Citing a July phone call between President Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, Pelosi argued that the president abused his authority and bro…
rt.com/usa/469803-trump-backers-critics-impeachment-showdown/

NRA was a 'foreign asset' of Russia in 2016 election, claims report by Senate Democrats
rt.com | 2019-09-28
Injecting new life into the 'Russiagate' conspiracy theory, Senate Democrats produced a report claiming that the largest US gun rights organization acted like a 'foreign asset' for the Kremlin and should lose tax-exempt status. | The 77-page document, published Friday by Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), insinuates that the National Rifle Association (NRA) abused its tax-exempt status by working with the gun rights activist Maria Butina — branded a "Russian agent" &#150…
rt.com/usa/469798-nra-foreign-asset-russia-democrats/

Hell Yes, Take Them Away!
Vern Loomis | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-09-28
"Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47!" With that unequivocal statement, Beto O'Rourke ignited right wing gun pundits who've kept some powder dry for just such a remark: "Who is this "we" he speaks of? Democrats? Liberals? Bring it, fools. Come and try to take my legally purchased guns. I double-dog dare …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/09/hell-yes-take-them-away/

CIA sets terms for Democrats' impeachment inquiry into Trump's crimes
wsws.org | 2019-09-28
Both factions in the political warfare that has erupted in Washington are hostile to the democratic and social rights of the working class.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/09/28/pers-s28.html

"Worth This Investment": Memos Reveal the Scope and Racial Animus of GOP Gerrymandering Ambitions
David Daley | theintercept.com | 2019-09-27
In court and in public, many top Republicans have denied gerrymandering gives them any advantage at all. They've captured state legislatures and won an edge in Congress, some have suggested, due to superior candidates, better campaigns, and natural geographic sorting that clusters Democrats in urban areas and spreads Republicans more efficiently across the suburbs and rural America. | "The problem is not district lines; the proble…
theintercept.com/2019/09/27/gerrymandering-gop-hofeller-memos/

The Democratic Party Remains a Party of War, Not Peace
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-09-27
Green Party candidate Madelyn Hoffman says that even the progressive Democratic presidential candidates remain unwilling to challenge the Pentagon.
therealnews.com/stories/the-democratic-party-remains-a-party-of-war-not-peace

Message to the Climate Strike Marchers in Detroit
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-09-27
Merge the strikes! Merge the tiers! | We are all for the Green New Deal! | Make Detroit the Arsenal for a Green Economy! | Frank Hammer | This is a historic day, especially for those of us here in Detroit. We are at the center of not one but two strikes: | The nation-wide strike by 46,000 UAW members to determine fate of GM, Ford and Chrysler autoworkers which will have ripple effects for the entire working class and gm communities, right here in Detroit and Warren, in the US and globally. The other strike, today's youth-led global climate strike, is a huge step in our fight to shape the fate of our planet, the…
therealnews.com/columns/message-to-the-climate-strike-marchers-in-detroit

'They lost the election, now they want to STEAL this one': Trump targets Democrats in impeachment ad
rt.com | 2019-09-27
US President Donald Trump is blasting Democrats and "their media lapdogs" in a new campaign ad, claiming they seek to impeach him for wanting to investigate corruption in Ukraine involving former Vice President Joe Biden. | The 30-second ad that Trump tweeted out Friday afternoon opens with Biden boasting about getting a Ukrainian prosecutor fired after he threatened to withhold $1 billion from Kiev. The footage is from the former vice-president's January 2018 appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations. | I AM DRAINING THE SWAMP! pic.twitter.com/U7WxKrO6Kx– Donal…
rt.com/usa/469793-trump-democrats-media-lapdogs-steal/

Mass Killings In Afghanistan Are Acts of White Supremacy
Charles Davis | counterpunch.org | 2019-09-27
An American white nationalist killed over 30 people recently. The victims, all brown, had full lives; children, loved ones, and years, full of plans, ahead of them. But then they were incinerated. Worst of all, they were murdered while Afghan. The deaths were noted in the press, and one Democrat running for president even acknowledged…
counterpunch.org/2019/09/27/mass-killings-in-afghanistan-are-acts-of-white-supremacy/

The Impeachment: Will This Be Trump's Unraveling?
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-09-27
Ryan Cooper, National Correspondent for The Week, joins us to look at today's testimony, the president's petulance, and what all this means for the presidential campaign.
therealnews.com/stories/impeachment-trump-unraveling

The Left Needs to Seize Impeachment From Centrist Elites
Jeet Heer | thenation.com | 2019-09-27
The Left Needs to Seize Impeachment From Centrist Elites…
thenation.com/article/trump-impeachment-democrats/

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

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

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

Roaming Charges: Rough Trade Transcript
Jeffrey St. Clair | counterpunch.org | 2019-09-27
I think we can all agree that refusing to send military aid to Ukraine would have been a wise decision by Trump. But trading the slaughter of civilians in eastern Ukraine for political dirt on HRC and the Bidens pretty much exposes his America First foreign policy as little more than diplomatic narcissism, which, of course, we've known all along but it's useful to have it confirmed in his own "Rough Trade Transcript"….
counterpunch.org/2019/09/27/roaming-charges-rough-trade-transcript/

How Trump Pushed Ukraine's President to Probe Conspiracy Theories About Democrats
Robert Mackey | theintercept.com | 2019-09-26
Donald Trump pressed Ukraine's new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to help legitimize conspiracy theories about his Democratic rivals during a private telephone conversation in July, and again at a public meeting at the United Nations on Wednesday. | White House notes on the July call, released before the two presidents met in New York, showed that Trump urged his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate false claims about the theft of emails from the Democratic National Committee's servers in 2016, as well as former Vice Presi…
theintercept.com/2019/09/26/donald-trump-wants-ukraines-president-probe-conspiracy-theories-democrats/

Schiff's 're-telling' of Trump phone call with Ukraine head gets mocked as 'unhinged Orange-Man-Bad fan fiction'
rt.com | 2019-09-26
With impeachment efforts against President Donald Trump resting on the content of a single phone call, who could blame Congressman Adam Schiff for embellishing the truth a little, all to sell his "Orange Man Bad" narrative. | Though Trump released a transcript of the call in question on Wednesday, the Democrat-controlled House Intelligence Committee pressed ahead with questioning Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire on Thursday, about his handling of the whistleblower complaint that first thrus…
rt.com/usa/469703-schiff-trump-opening-statement/

House Intelligence Committee releases whistleblower report on Trump-Zelensky call
rt.com | 2019-09-26
The whistleblower complaint that led to the impeachment inquiry against US President Donald Trump has been released. In it, the leaker admits he did not actually hear the phone call at the center of the scandal. | Released by the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday, the complaint details the circumstances surrounding Trump's July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Democrats argue that Trump attempted to pressure Zelensky into reopening a corruption inve…
rt.com/usa/469679-trump-zelensky-whistleblower-complaint-released/

Democrats, Please Don't Mess This Up. Impeach Trump for All His Crimes, Not Just for Ukraine
Mehdi Hasan | theintercept.com | 2019-09-26
Impeaching Trump only for Ukraine would give him a clean bill of health on everything else, like his obstruction of the Mueller investigation.
theintercept.com/2019/09/26/impeachment-trump-ukraine-democrats/

The Republican Party Is Going Down With Trump
Joan Walsh | thenation.com | 2019-09-26
The Republican Party Is Going Down With Trump…
thenation.com/article/trump-republicans-ukraine-impeachment/

"Financial Censorship Is Still Censorship": Edward Snowden Slams Justice Dept. Lawsuit Against Him
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-26
As a whistleblower complaint filed against President Trump rocks Washington and threatens Trump's presidency, one of the world's most famous whistleblowers, Edward Snowden, joins us from Moscow, Russia. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Snowden alleging that his newly released memoir, "Permanent Record," violates the nondisclosure agreements he signed with the federal government when he was a National Security Agency employee. The Justice Department also argued that they are entitled to all of Snowden's book profits. Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman and Juan González speak with Sno…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/26/edward_snowden_memoir_permanent_record

Edward Snowden Condemns Trump's Mistreatment of Whistleblower Who Exposed Ukraine Scandal
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-26
Responding to news of a whistleblower's complaint at the center of an impeachment inquiry filed against President Trump this week, famed whistleblower Edward Snowden speaks about his own decision to leak classified documents in 2013. The House Intelligence Committee has released the declassified whistleblower complaint, which details a July phone call between President Trump and the Ukrainian president. The White House is trying "to make the conversation not about the allegations," Snowden told Democracy Now! "They want to talk about the whistleblower rather than the government's own wrongdoing."
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/26/edward_snowden_on_writing_his_memoir

Permanent Record: Why NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Risked His Life to Expose Surveillance State
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-26
Six years ago, Edward Snowden leaked a trove of secret documents about how the United States had built a massive surveillance apparatus to spy on Americans and people across the globe. Snowden was then charged in the U.S. for violating the Espionage Act and other laws. As he attempted to flee to Latin America, Snowden became stranded in Russia after the U.S. revoked his passport. He has lived in Moscow ever since. Snowden just published his memoir, "Permanent Record," in which he writes about what led him to risk his life to expose the U.S. government's system of mass surveillance. From Moscow, he speaks to Democ…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/26/edward_snowden_trump_whistleblower_impeachment

It's Time to Impeach Members of Congress for Not Impeaching Trump
Jud Lounsbury | progressive.org | 2019-09-25
The question is no longer whether it's a good idea. It's about whether the members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike, will follow their oath of office to defend the Constitution.
progressive.org/dispatches/impeach-congress-for-not-impeaching-trump-lounsbury-190925/

Trump Lashes Out at Iran, China & Venezuela in Nationalist Address to U.N. General Assembly
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-25
On Tuesday, President Trump made his third address to the United Nations General Assembly amid simmering tensions in the Middle East over recent attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities, which the United States blames on Iran. Tehran denies the allegations. Trump also lashed out at China and Venezuela. We speak with Vijay Prashad, director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and chief editor of LeftWord Books. His latest article for Salon is headlined "World leaders gather at the UN in the face of war, climate catastrophe & global worker exploitation."
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/25/trump_un_general_assembly_speech_vijay

Billy Bragg: What the U.K. Supreme Court's Historic Ruling Against Boris Johnson Means for Brexit
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-25
The U.K. Parliament has reconvened after the country's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had unlawfully suspended Parliament in order to push through Brexit with or without a deal. Johnson made the unprecedented move late last month, asking the queen to prorogue Parliament in order to limit debate on leaving the European Union, which the U.K. is scheduled to do by October 31. Calls for Johnson's resignation are mounting since the news broke, with opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn calling for a general election and demanding Johnson apologize to the queen and to the country. For mo…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/25/brexit_british_parliament_billy_bragg

"We've Reached Critical Mass": Rep. Al Green on Pelosi Vow to Impeach Trump for "Dastardly Deeds"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-25
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has launched a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump following allegations from an intelligence community whistleblower that Trump sought help from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a July 25 phone call to investigate Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden and his son Hunter. On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Senate unanimously passed a nonbinding resolution calling for the Trump administration to release the whistleblower complaint to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. We get response and look at next steps with Congressmember Al Gree…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/25/formal_impeachment_inquiry_trump

Nate Silver and the Pitfalls of the Corporate Pundit Class
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-09-24
Political statistician and editor-in-chief of FiveThirtyEight Nate Silver found himself in hot water recently when he seemed to refer to the diverse supporters of Bernie Sanders' campaign as "residue." Jacqueline Luqman talks to Anoa Changa about why that language, and the bias of the corporate pundit class, is an issue.
therealnews.com/stories/nate-silver-and-the-pitfalls-of-the-corporate-pundit-class

Trump Seeks to Kneecap Consumer Protection Agency Advocated for by Elizabeth Warren
Steven Schwinn | progressive.org | 2019-09-24
We've grown accustomed to Donald Trump's relentless political attacks. but, in the end, his constitutional attacks on the administrative state could cause the most damage.
progressive.org/dispatches/trump-attacks-consumer-agencys-independence-schwinn-190924/

Support FAIR: Corporate Media Sidetracking Real Election Issues–Again — copy
Deborah | fair.org | 2019-09-24
Dear FAIR Friends, While corporate media focus on who's up/who's down in the horserace for the Democratic nomination, more substantive concerns–What are the candidates' policy proposals? Are they adequate to the scale of the problems we face? Will our votes be suppressed, or even miscounted?–go unaddressed. With so much at stake, we've got to …
fair.org/zmail/support-fair-corporate-media-sidetracking-real-election-issues-again-copy/

In Landmark UN Complaint, 16 Children Accuse Nations of Failing to Protect Them from Climate Change
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-24
Youth climate activists from around the world also attended the U.N. Climate Action Summit Monday, where they spoke at UNICEF about a landmark new climate complaint they filed with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. Hailing from countries including Argentina, Brazil, Germany, the Marshall Islands and Tunisia, the young representatives spoke about why they feel compelled to act on the climate crisis. Among the youth climate activists were Alexandria Villaseñor of New York and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/24/children_vs_climatecrisis

How Dare You! Greta Thunberg Slams World's Focus on Economic "Fairy Tales" While Ecosystems Collapse
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-24
Scores of world leaders gathered in New York on Monday for the U.N. Climate Action Summit, but the world's largest greenhouse gas emitters announced few new measures to address the climate crisis. President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence briefly attended the summit but left after just 14 minutes. At the beginning of the summit, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg delivered an impassioned address to world leaders, explicitly naming their inaction on the climate crisis. "People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing," Greta said. "We are in the beginning of a mass ext…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/24/un_climate_action_summit_greta_thunberg

Ta-Nehisi Coates on His Debut Novel "The Water Dancer," Slavery & Reparations
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-24
Celebrated writer Ta-Nehisi Coates's first novel, "The Water Dancer," was released today. Centering on a man named Hiram Walker, who was born into slavery in 19th century Virginia, the novel is a "crowd-pleasing exercise in breakneck and often occult storytelling," a review in The New York Times stated. Over the past decade Ta-Nehisi Coates has become one of the nation's most celebrated writers. In 2014, he wrote a piece titled "The Case for Reparations," which rejuvenated the push for the government to pay reparations to the descendants of slaves. His 2015 book, "Between the World and Me," a National Book Award…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/24/ta_nehisi_coates_the_water_dancer

Meet Brazil's Indigenous Leader Attacked by Bolsonaro at U.N. over Efforts to Preserve the Amazon
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-24
A number of indigenous leaders from Brazil traveled to New York to protest Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's push to open the Amazon rainforest for agribusiness, logging and mining. Democracy Now!'s Nermeen Shaikh spoke to Chief Raoni Metuktire of the Kayapó tribe on Monday outside the U.N. Climate Action Summit about the situation in the Amazon, including the recent outbreak of devastating fires. After the interview, Chief Raoni attempted to enter the U.N. summit, but despite support from dozens of activists, he was barred from entering. He is a nominee for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/24/un_climate_summit_indigenous_leader_barred

What Media Like Best About Elizabeth Warren: She's Not Bernie Sanders
Julie Hollar | fair.org | 2019-09-23
When the Washington Post's Paul Waldman ( 9/18/19) recently attempted to explain Elizabeth Warren's rise in the Democratic primary polls, he attributed it in part to media: Reporters on the campaign trail have said for some time that she is the one who generates the most enthusiastic response among voters on the ground. A…
fair.org/home/what-media-like-best-about-elizabeth-warren-shes-not-bernie-sanders/

History will judge Mugabe's legacy
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-09-23
Alan BroughtonIssue 1239 Zimbabwe Movement for Democratic Change MDC ZANU-PFSeptember 23, 2019Zimbabwe's independence leader and former president Robert Mugabe is remembered for his leadership of the succ…
greenleft.org.au/content/history-will-judge-mugabe-legacy

19-Year-Old Indigenous Climate Activist Artemisa Xakriabá: "We Fight for Mother Earth"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-23
Friday's climate strike in New York City concluded with remarks from indigenous leaders, activists and organizers. Artemisa Xakriabá, a 19-year-old indigenous climate activist of the Xakriabá people, spoke about the increasing intensity of environmental destruction across Brazil and the interconnectedness of the fight for climate justice. "We fight for our Mother Earth because the fight for Mother Earth is the mother of all other fights," Xakriabá said. "We are fighting for your lives. We are fighting for our lives. We are fighting for our sacred territory. But we are being persecuted, threatened, murdered, only…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/23/brazil_indigenous_climate_activist_artemisa_xakriaba

"Our House Is on Fire": Greta Thunberg Addresses Hundreds of Thousands at NYC Climate Strike
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-23
Sixteen-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg spoke at Friday's climate strike in New York, where an estimated 300,000 people took to the streets. Thunberg inspired the global spread of weekly climate strikes when she started skipping school to protest outside of the Swedish parliament last year. "We will not just stand aside and watch," Thunberg told a crowd of thousands in her speech at Manhattan's Battery Park. "We are united behind the science, and we will do everything in our power to stop this crisis from getting worse."
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/23/new_york_city_climate_strike_greta

Bill McKibben: Youth Who Led Global Climate Strike Are Bringing a New "Spirit" to Climate Fight
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-23
Following Friday's youth-led climate strike — the largest-ever global protest focused on climate — we speak with Bill McKibben, longtime journalist and co-founder of 350.org. McKibben's latest piece for The New Yorker is titled "Money Is the Oxygen on Which the Fire of Global Warming Burns," and his cover piece for Time magazine is headlined "Hello from the Year 2050. We Avoided the Worst of Climate Change — But Everything Is Different." McKibben's 1989 book, "The End of Nature," was the first book for a general audience about climate change.
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/23/bill_mckibben_climate_crisis_global_demonstrations

Millions Took Part in the Youth-Led Global Climate Strike Friday. Here's Why People Marched
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-23
As many as a quarter-million people marched on the streets of New York City Friday for a youth-led climate strike inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Globally, as many as 4 million people took to the streets in hundreds of countries. Democracy Now! was in the streets of New York on Friday speaking with climate strikers from the United States and around the world.
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/23/climate_march_interviews_youth_protesters

2020: Democratic Establishment vs. Democratic Socialists
Michael Sainato | progressive.org | 2019-09-18
Meet three new challengers to the entrenched old guard.
progressive.org/dispatches/democratic-socialists-congress-2020-sainato-190918/

Tennessee Republicans in Fisticuffs Over School Vouchers
Andy Spears | progressive.org | 2019-09-17
Hot chicken, sex, and cocaine are part of the story of how Tennessee became the latest state to succumb to the Betsy DeVos-backed voucher craze. The result could determine how the GOP addresses the issue across the country.
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/tennessee-republican-school-voucher-fight-spears-190917/

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/

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/

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