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JUNE 1 THROUGH 10

JUNE 10, 2019

Letter from Chelsea Manning to Judge Anthony Trenga.  Aaron Swartz Day  

Chomsky and Herman’s Propaganda Model Foretells a Weaponized Facebook.  TruthOut  

Does Truth Matter? Donald Trump has told 4140 false stories, made 12,538 untrue statements, and proposed 1177 unfulfilled promises as of late May 2019, according to PoltiFact, The Washington Postannounced that Trump reached the “unthinkable milestone” of 10,000 bogus claims on April 29, 2019.  CounterPunch  

At Democratic Retreat, Chiefs of Staff Coached on Schmoozing With K Street.  Intercept  

"This Is What Fascists Do": Trump Attempted to Suppress State Dept Analyst's Testimony on Climate Crisis. ... "This is as damning as it is shameful."  CommonDreams    Related:  'This Is an Emergency. We Need the Democrats to Act Like It': Outrage as DNC Announces It Will Not Host 2020 Debate on Climate Crisis. ... "The DNC is silencing the voices of Democratic activists, many of our progressive partner organizations, and nearly half of the Democratic presidential field, who want to debate the existential crisis of our time."  CommonDreams   

Police raids raise fears of Australian media crackdown, ,,, Searches of an editor’s home and at the ABC’s offices spark talk of a ‘slippery slope’ for press freedom.  Guardian    Related:  ABC vows to continue reporting 'without fear' after police raid Sydney offices. ... Broadcaster’s managing director says AFP raid over 2017’s The Afghan Files series ‘raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press’.  Guardian  

Journalist and Educator Among Those Caught Up in YouTube's Latest Attempt to Purge Online Hate Speech. ... "It's absolutely vital that YouTube work to undo the damage caused by their indiscriminate implementation as soon as possible."  CommonDreams  

Trump Administration To Deprive Migrant Kids In Shelters Of English Lessons, Legal Aid. ... Immigrant advocates say the government is using child welfare rights as a political lever to secure more funding.  HuffPost    Related: Warren and Jayapal Launch Probe into 'Rapid, Cynical, and Unethical' Profiteering Off Trump Child Detention Policy by Former Top Aide John Kelly. ... The former White House chief of staff and former head of DHS is specifically advising the company on child detention.   CommonDreams  

Technotyranny: The Iron-Fisted Authoritarianism of the Surveillance State. ... "We are living the prequel to The Matrix with each passing day,... " CounterPunch  

Facebook’s new public policy manager for Ukraine is nationalist hawk who volunteered with fascist party during US-backed coup. ... Facebook’s new public policy manager for Ukraine Kateryna Kruk is a former government official, diehard nationalist, and anti-Russian jingoist who volunteered with the extreme-right party Svoboda during the 2014 US-backed coup.  
Gray Zone
 

Weekend of June 7-9, 2019

Weekend Read: We've Got People: From Jesse Jackson to AOC, the End of Big Money and the Rise of a Movement - by Ryan Grim.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may seem like she came from nowhere, but the movement that propelled her to office – and to global political stardom – has been building for 30 years. We’ve Got People is the story of that movement. DemocracyNow interview  

Joe Biden Worked to Undermine the Affordable Care Act’s Coverage of Contraception.  Intercept  

A Swedish Court Injects Some Sense.  ... When, eight years late, the European Arrest Warrant request for Assange was finally put before a Swedish court, the court refused to issue it.   Craig Murray  Related: (previous comments)  The Missing Step.  
Craig Murray

Bipartisan thirst for more war: 75% of Congress calls on Trump to boost intervention in Syria, to ‘pressure’ Iran and Russia. ... While Trump threatens Iran and Venezuela with new wars, 400 Congress members, including leaders from both parties, want to intensify the eight-year war on Syria, to weaken Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah.  Gray Zone  

Democratic Divide: Ryan Grim on the New Progressives in the Party at Odds with the Establishment.  DemocracyNow  

'Existential' Risk of Climate Crisis Could Lead to Civilizational Collapse by 2050, Warns Report. ... "The world is currently completely unprepared to envisage, and even less deal with, the consequences of catastrophic climate change."  CommonDreams  

RISE OF THE AMERICAN NAZI

White Supremacists Keep Beating The Federal Government In Court. ... The latest setback in a domestic terrorism-related case shows how much tougher it is for the feds to prosecute neo-Nazis than Muslim extremists.  HuffPost  

The Rise Above Movement.  SPLC  

Koch Network Alums Are Going Full-On White Nationalist.  .... At a 1976 libertarian conference funded by oil executive Charles Koch, conservative think-tanker Leonard Liggio presented a paper on the Nazis’ success at recruiting youth to their movement. Liggio urged the clandestine group of wealthy libertarians to embrace the Nazis’ approach as a way to strengthen their own movement to slash taxes and gut regulations.   TruthOut  

Trump officials approved Saudi nuclear permits after Khashoggi murder. ... Seven licenses approved for Riyadh by US energy department ... Democrats: ‘Were decisions … based on Trump’s financial ties?’  Guardian 

Iraq Combat Veteran: Pardon of War Criminals Sends Disturbing Message to U.S. Military, World.  DemocracyNow  

“Thank You For Your Service” Is Apolitical to a Fault.  HuffPost

Internal emails reveal how the chemical lobby fights regulation.  Guardian  

How Monsanto manipulates journalists and academics. ... Monsanto’s own emails and documents reveal a disinformation campaign to hide its weedkiller’s possible links to cancer.  Guardian  

Damning Canadian Inquiry Calls the Murder and Disappearance of Indigenous Women & Girls Genocide. DemocracyNow  

JUNE 6, 2019

Why the US is Persecuting Assange.  CounterPunch/Cockburn  

Ecological Importance and Human Rights Be Damned, Trump Admin Says Fossil Fuel Pillaging in Arctic Refuge Coming Soon. ... Interior Dept. statement that "lease sale will happen in 2019" comes as oil companies face heat over possible extraction on previously protected public land.  CommonDreams   Related: Interior Department’s coal reboot ignores tribes and curtails public input. ... The Obama administration wanted to rethink coal leasing; now, Trump is rushing forward.  HCN  

Trump tolerates May with his mind focused on sycophantic colonic irrigation.  (English is Trump's second language ... bullshit being the first.)  Guardian   

Venezuela Is a Case Study in the Brutality of U.S. Sanctions. ... Sanctions are a violent tool of U.S. control. And now this tool is in Trump’s hands.  In These Times  

In Scott Warren’s No More Deaths Trial, Prosecutors Attempt to Paint a Web of Conspiracy. Intercept

The Supreme Court’s Harrowing New Lurch Right  TruthDig  

US greenlights missiles for al-Qaeda-linked, Turkish-backed Salafi-jihadists occupying Syria’s Idlib. ... The Trump administration has approved a Turkish shipment of US-made anti-tank missiles to al-Qaeda-linked Islamist rebels fighting a Russian-backed offensive in Syria’s Idlib province.  Gray Zone  

What Connects Meghan Markle to a Philosopher of Totalitarianism? Donald Trump’s Lies.  Intercept 

Homeland Security Watchdog Finds Migrants Standing On Toilets At Packed Detention Center. ... The inspector general’s office said that detainees were in soiled clothes and had been forced to stay in standing-room-only conditions for days or weeks.  HuffPost  

Iraq Combat Veteran: Pardon of War Criminals Sends Disturbing Message to U.S. Military, World. DemocracyNow  

Facebook Says It Is Deleting Accounts at the Direction of the U.S. and Israeli Governments.  Intercept  

If Fracking Is So Harmless, Why Is Cabot Using The Courts to Silence Ray Kemble? ... What’s more important to preserve — the freedom of regular people to defend their rights to clean water and other natural resources, or the greed of dirty fossil fuel companies?  Food and Water Watch  

JUNE 5, 2019

Republican Plot to Entrench White Power Revealed.
TruthDig  

Ari Berman: GOP Docs Prove Census Citizenship Question Is About Preserving White Political Power
DemocracyNow  

Mass Shootings, Dinner, and the Cognitive Dissonance of Just Living in America.  Intercept

CLICK BAIT

Report: Massive Hypocrisy Just Flat-Out Gets The Job Done.  > Go  

Geologists Uncover Slab Of Amber Containing Perfectly Preserved Adam And Eve.  > Go

ICE Agent Can’t Believe He Being Reprimanded For Child Who Died All Those Months Ago.
 > Go  

The Incredible Disappearance of Shai Masot.  
Craig Murray
 

'Gatekeeper Mentality' of DCCC Blacklist Adding to Divisions Within Democratic Party. ..."I'd like to see a majority of women in Congress, and it’s not going to happen with this policy."  CommonDreams

CNN Warns It May Expose an Anonymous Critic if He Ever Again Publishes Bad Content.  
Intercept  

The gig is up: America’s booming economy is built on hollow promises. ... Contract workers prop up big earners but under Trump’s anti-labor administration are ruthlessly exploited themselves.  Guardian

Conservative Groups Are Stifling Criticism of Israel On and Off Campus.  TruthOut  

The House Has Found Bipartisan Agreement on Reform to Retirement Accounts. Be Afraid.
 Intercept  

US mafia explosives expert 'helped Sicilian mob kill judge'. ... Informant says American helped Cosa Nostra assassinate Giovanni Falcone in 1992.  Guardian  

JUNE 4, 2019

Manufacturing War With Russia. 
TruthDig/Hedges
 

American Society Is in Rapid Decay.  
TruthDig/Nader

Russiagate Trumps Environmental Catastrophe for the Dismal Democrats.  CounterPunch  

Group Demands to Know: Who at Trump's EPA Decided to Slash Funds Used to Protect Children From Toxic Poisoning?  "This latest assault on children's health is the opposite of what millions of Americans want, which is a safe environment for their kids."  CommonDreams

U.S. Begins Vastly Expanded Visa Screening.  TruthDig  

Nancy Pelosi’s False Dichotomies.
 CounterPunch  

"This latest assault on children's health is the opposite of what millions of Americans want, which is a safe environment for their kids."  CommonDreams  

After Baghouz: A Jihadi Archipelago.  Oxford Research Group  

Senate Committee Votes to Raise Defense Spending for Second Year in a Row to $750 Billion.
 Intercept   Related: Scientific Panel Votes to Recognize the Destructive Impact of the "Anthropocene”.  TruthOut  

The Final Punishment of Julian Assange. CounterPunch  

Mike Pence's West Point Address Should Keep Us Awake at Night.  TruthDig

Meltdown Showed Extent of NSA Surveillance - and Other Tales From Hundreds of Intelligence Documents.  Intercept  

A Supreme Court Face-Off Decades in the Making.  Frontline

Jeremy Corbyn vs. Operation Chaos.  Jacobin  

JUNE 3, 2019

Noam Chomsky: Trump’s “Economic Boom” Is a Sham.  TruthOut  

Society Is In Decay – When the Worst is First and the Best is Last.  CounterPunch  

ASSANGE UPDAT E

Abuses show Assange case was never about law.  Jonathan Cook  

The Unrelenting State.  Craig Murray  

U.N. Special Rapporteur Calls for Julian Assange to Be Freed, Citing “Psychological Torture”  
DemocracyNow  

Jeremy Hunt (UK Secretary of State) Works That Rogue State Status.  Craig Murray  

Swedish Sex Pistol Aimed at Assange.
CounterPunch
 

North Korea Reportedly Executes Officials For Failed Trump-Kim Summit. ... Talks between the U.S. president and Kim Jong Un abruptly collapsed in Hanoi earlier this year.   HuffPost  

The Only Solution to America's Political Crisis.
TruthDig

There Are Cameras Everywhere. It’s Time to Reject the Surveillance State.  TruthOut  

Europe's far-right bid to take back 'Christian Europe'. ... Focus on Russian 'interference' risks ignoring the growing role of American religious conservatives in fuelling the far-right surge.  Open Democracy  

Republicans aren’t just climate deniers. They deny the extinction crisis, too. ... Republican officials and their industry benefactors are sowing doubt about the wildlife extinction crisis that threatens as many as one million species.  Guardian  

God, Gas, and Cash: How Texas Fell in Love With Israel — and Then Trampled on the Constitution. Intercept

WEEKEND OF MAY 31 - June 2, 2019

Weekend Read: Target Iran: The Truth about the White House's Plans for Regime Change by Scott Ritter.  Tattered Cover    Related: Targeting Iran - 2013 Documentary   Wiki  

The Weapons Industry Lobbyist Advising Joe Biden. ... Stuart Eizenstat has worked as a powerful political advisor, as well as a corporate lobbyist for the oil and arms industries.  In These Times  

Imperial Joe: Biden Trades Bread and Circuses for War.  CounterPunch  

NOAM CHOMSKY INTERVIEW

Trump Radically Interfered with Israel’s Election to Help Re-elect Netanyahu .DemocracyNow

By Focusing on Russia, Democrats Handed Trump a “Huge Gift” & Possibly the 2020 Election.  DemocracyNow  

Arrest of Assange Is “Scandalous” and Highlights Shocking Extraterritorial Reach of U.S.  DemocracyNow  

Mitch McConnell Says He’d Go After Supreme Court Vacancy In 2020: ‘We’d Fill It’ ... The Senate majority leader blocked Merrick Garland’s nomination during the Obama administration in 2016, purportedly because it was an election year.  HuffPost  

Julian Assange too ill to appear in court via video link, lawyers say. ... Hearing is latest stage in possible extradition of WikiLeaks founder to US.  Guardian  

'Democracy has been hijacked by white men': how minority rule now grips America. ... The US is becoming more diverse and progressive, but white men’s grip on power is being exercised via the courts, gerrymandering and dark money in politics.  Guardian  

Mission Creep: How the NSA’s Game-Changing Targeting System Built for Iraq and Afghanistan Ended Up on the Mexican Border.  Intercept  

'Criminalizing Compassion': Trial Begins for Humanitarian Facing 20 Years in Prison for Giving Water to Migrants in Arizona Desert. ..."If Dr. Warren were convicted and imprisoned on these absurd charges, he would be a prisoner of conscience."  CommonDreams  

The Rapid Decline Of The Natural World Is A Crisis Even Bigger Than Climate Change. ... A three-year UN-backed study from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform On Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services has grim implications for the future of humanity.  HuffPost  

Trump administration sabotages major conservation effort, defying Congress. ... Revealed: federal support to research centers cut off as scientists fear years of successful work will go ‘down the drain’.
Guardian


.

.

 

JUNE 11 THROUGH 21

Weekend of June 21-23, 2019

Weekend Read: Loaded - A Disarming History of the Second Amendment - by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz.  .... a deeply researched—and deeply disturbing—history of guns and gun laws in the United States, from the original colonization of the country to the present. As historian and educator Dunbar-Ortiz explains, in order to understand the current obstacles to gun control, we must understand the history of U.S. guns, from their role in the "settling of America" and the early formation of the new nation, and continuing up to the present.  City Lights     Interview with Dunbar-Ortiz by Robert Sheer on TruthDig 

Let’s Shut Down the Authoritarian Machine.  TruthOut/Giroux  

Donald Trump, Iran, and the Gulf of Tonkin Redux. Intercept  

Robert Reich: The GOP Is the Most Corrupt Party in Living Memory.  TruthDig/Reich  

'Joints Will Be Separated': Revealing Gruesome New Details of Khashoggi Murder, UN Report Says 'Inconceivable' Crown Prince Not Involved. ... "Evidence points to the 15-person mission to execute Mr. Khashoggi requiring significant government coordination, resources, and finances." Intercept

Bosses pocket Trump tax windfall as workers see job promises vanish. ... AT&T, General Motors and Wells Fargo vowed to use tax cuts to create jobs. In fact, they did the opposite.  Guardian  

'We Have to Fight Back': Progressives Call for Mobilization as Koch Brothers Open Their Pockets to Protect Corporate Democrats. ... "While we might not have millions of dollars from fossil fuel barons or wealthy elites, we have thousands of grassroots activists who are motivated by the vision of a just future for all."  CommonDreams  

New York Times cartoon ban leads to a world where we say nothing at all. ... In a world where political cartoonists are routinely jailed, the paper should show more courage.  Guardian  

Glenn Greenwald, Intercept Brasil staff threatened after publishing corruption investigation.  CPJ  

How Biblical ‘Chosenness’ Has Justified Violence, Misogyny, and Anti-Immigrant Sentiment. Rewire 

Deepfake Videos And The Threat Of Not Knowing What’s Real. ... The rapid spread of technology that can essentially bend our digital reality has alarmed experts worldwide.  HuffPost  

Mitch McConnell Calls Puerto Rican Statehood ‘Full-Bore Socialism’. ... Yet his own Republican Party’s platform endorses “the right of the US citizens of Puerto Rico to be admitted to the Union as a fully sovereign state.”  The Nation  

JUNE 19, 2019

How corporate forces are lobbying for a coup in Venezuela. ... A video report on the forces behind the Venezuelan regime change lobby in Washington, DC and the campaign of disinformation the opposition and its US backers have waged to gin up support for sanctions and even military intervention.  
Gray Zone  

In Israel, With Netanyahu at Her Side, Miriam Adelson Places Her Bet for 2024 – if Not Sooner. ... Increasingly involved in politics and now the richest person in Israel, Sheldon Adelson’s wife has always been keen to support pro-Israel Republicans, and none fit that bill better than Nikki Haley.  Haaretz  

Israel Announces Golan Heights Settlement To Be Named After Trump. ... Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a sign Sunday calling a settlement in the disputed Golan Heights territory “Trump Heights.”  HuffPost  

Straight to Wall Street Fundraiser After Leaving Poor People's Forum, Biden Tells Fat Cat Donors: 'You Guys Are Great'. ... Billionaire Trump backer was among those solicited by the 2020 Democratic candidate.  CommonDreams  

Top scientist slams OPCW leadership for repressing dissenting report on Syria gas attack... MIT rocket scientist Theodore Postol has accused the OPCW leadership of overseeing “compromised reporting” and ignoring evidence that challenged claims that the Syrian government carried out a chemical attack in Douma.  Gray Zone  

China Bans The Intercept and Other News Sites in “Censorship Black Friday”. Intercept  

Where does your plastic go? Global investigation reveals America's dirty secret. ... A Guardian report from 11 countries tracks how US waste makes its way across the world – and overwhelms the poorest nations.  Guardian  

Corporate Media Enable Industry War Against Medicare for All.  TruthOut  

Global heating to inflict more droughts on Africa as well as floods.  ...  New UK research predicts extremes of weather will hit food production.  
Guardian  

JUNE 19, 2019

Julian Assange Indictment “Criminalizes the News Gathering Process,” Says Pentagon Papers Lawyer.  DemocracyNow  

The Coming Show Trial of Julian Assange.  TruthDig/Hedges  

'If This Is True, They Are Even Bigger Lunatics Than We Realized': UN Officials Reportedly Believe Trump Planning 'Massive' Bombing Campaign in Iran. ... "There would be no going back from this. There's no such thing as a 'one and done' military strike on Iran."   CommonDreams  

'Everything You Need to Know': With Warren and Sanders Not an Option, Wall St. Abuzz Over Biden, Harris, & Buttigieg. CommonDreams  

CLICK BAIT

Huckabee Sanders Tells Colleagues She’s Taking Temporary Post As Google CEO Before Transitioning Into Full-Time Role As Sultan Of Brunei.  > Go  

Bleeding John Bolton Stumbles Into Capitol Building Claiming That Iran Shot Him.  > Go  

Pence Visits Conversion Therapist For Routine Gay-Preventative Checkup.  > Go  

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner made as much as $135m last year. ... In their second year as White House aides, couple took in funds from real estate holdings, stocks, and a book deal.    Guardian   

Is Netanyahu Grooming His Son to Succeed Him as His Leadership Spins Out of Control? ... Netanyahu may not get another chance to form a government ¦ The only voice of reason in the Prime Minister's Office quits.Haaretz

US Attacks Russia’s Power Grid; Trump Kept in Dark. ... 'The question now is whether placing the equivalent of land mines in a foreign power network is the right way to deter Russia'  CommonDreams  

Remember the Vincennes? The US’s Long History of Provoking Iran.  CounterPunch  

How the Trump administration tried to weaponize ICE against Democrats. ... White House raised the idea of releasing detained immigrants into Democratic opponents' constituents.  Salon  

JUNE 18, 2019

The Broader View Reveals the Ugliest of Prospects. ... Standing back a little and surveying the events of the last couple of weeks, gives a bleak view of the current state of western democracy.  
Craig Murray  

The Trump administration is waging a quiet war on education. ... The Trump/DeVos vision of American education? Unshackle the rich and let them turn a profit at the expense of working-class students.  Guardian  

An Iranian Activist Wrote Dozens of Articles for Right-Wing Outlets. But Is He a Real Person?  Intercept 

Ola Bini Was Friends with Julian Assange. He Has Spent Two Months in Jail Without Charge in Ecuador.  DemocracyNow  

Tom Paine, Christianity, and Modern Psychiatry. CounterPunch  

Remember the Vincennes? The US’s Long History of Provoking Iran.  CounterPunch  

Mexico Made Refugee Concessions Months Before Trump Tariff Threats, DHS Documents Say.  
Intercept  

New Strategy Fuels Global Demand For More New Bombers.  Aviation Week  

As San Francisco District Attorney, Kamala Harris’s Office Stopped Cooperating With Victims of Catholic Church Child Abuse.  Intercept  

‘The US Has No Real Moral Authority to Talk About Freedoms’. ... CounterSpin interview with Netfa Freeman on Cuba sanctions.  FAIR  

Interior Department’s coal reboot ignores tribes and curtails public input. ... The Obama administration wanted to rethink coal leasing; now, Trump is rushing forward.  HCN  

The Wall Street Journal's Disgraceful Defense of Gina Haspel  TruthDig  

Meet the Animal Rights Activists Facing Prison Time for Rescuing Ducks, Piglets from Factory Farms.  DemocracyNow  

JUNE 17, 2019

Lies Liberals Tell Themselves About the Second Amendment. ... TruthDig  

Welcome to Trump's Corrupt State – the Star Wars cantina of world politics. ... The administration and the Republican party are nests of lobbyists and con artists who make Greedo look like a saint.
Guardian  

TANKER ATTACK

Vijay Prashad: U.S. Rushes to Blame Iran for Tanker Attacks as Much of World Pushes for Diplomacy.  DemocracyNow   

Oman Attack: Iran Is the Immediate, but Unlikely, Suspect.  Haaretz  

US gov narrative blaming Iran for oil tanker attacks falls apart in hours. ... The Trump administration’s claims Iran attacked oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman were quickly debunked, with the ship’s crew saying it “was hit by a flying object.” But the US disrupted important Iranian diplomatic efforts at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.  Gray Zone  

The Gulf of Credibility. ... I really cannot begin to fathom how stupid you would have to be to believe that Iran would attack a Japanese oil tanker at the very moment that the Japanese Prime Minister was sitting down to friendly, US-disapproved talks in Tehran on economic cooperation that can help Iran survive the effects of US economic sanctions.  Craig Murray  

Secret Files Show How Brazil’s Elites Jailed Former President Lula and Cleared the Way for Bolsonaro.  DemocracyNow      Related:  WATCH: Glenn Greenwald Explains the Political Earthquake in Brazil Caused by Our Ongoing Exposés.  Intercept  

It Can’t Happen Here: From Buzz Windrip and Doremus Jessup to Donald Trump and MSNBC.  CounterPunch  

Four in 10 Americans prefer socialism to capitalism, poll finds. ... Axios poll reveals 55% of women aged 18-54 prefer socialism. ... Majority of men would rather live in a capitalist country.  Guardian  

'Eye-Popping': Analysis Shows Top 1% Gained $21 Trillion in Wealth Since 1989 While Bottom Half Lost $900 Billion. ... "The top one percent owns nearly $30 trillion of assets while the bottom half owns less than nothing."  CommonDreams  

The U.S. Government’s Crusade Against Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning. DemocracyNow

Say Goodbye to the First Amendment. TruthDig

Overcrowding, Rotten Food & Nooses: DHS Watchdog Confirms Horrific Conditions at Immigrant Jails.  DemocracyNow  

WEEKEND Of JUNE 14-16, 2019

Weekend Read: Dark Age Ahead - by Jane Jacobs.  In this indispensable book, urban visionary Jane Jacobs argues that as agrarianism gives way to a technology-based future, we’re at risk of cultural collapse. Jacobs—renowned author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities and The Economy of Cities—pinpoints five pillars of our culture that are in serious decay: community and family; higher education; the effective practice of science; taxation, and government; and the self-regulation of the learned professions.   Tattered Cover  

'Deja Vu' of Iraq War Lies as Mike Pompeo Blames Iran for Tanker Attack Without Single Shred of Evidence. ... "Secretary Pompeo gives zero proof but insists that Iran is responsible for ship attacks in Gulf of Oman. Lies, lies, and more lies to make a case for war."  CommonDreams  

Is Trump a Fascist? Well, He’s Not Hitler or Mussolini Yet, But He’s Getting Closer.  CounterPunch/Cockburn  

Microsoft and the Pentagon Are Quietly Hijacking U.S. Elections.  TruthDig   

Why Won’t the Democratic Candidates Move to the Left on Foreign Policy?.  Intercept  

Greenwald defiant after 'grotesque' threats over Brazil's Car Wash leaks.  Yahoo News  

Bernie Sanders Has Laid Out the Stakes of the 2020 Election: Democratic Socialism or Barbarism. ... In a widely touted speech, Sanders explained why an unapologetic democratic socialist vision is the only antidote to the oligarchy and authoritarianism embodied by President Trump. In These Times  

Team of American Hackers and Emirati Spies Discussed Attacking The Intercept.  Intercept  

Team of American Hackers and Emirati Spies Discussed Attacking The Intercept.  Interdept  

According to NYT, ‘Relentless Flooding’ in Midwest Just Happens.  FAIR  

A Soldier's Defense of Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange  TruthDig  

These Parents May Never See Their Kids Again If ICE Won’t Let Them Back In The U.S. ... The ACLU is arguing in court that parents separated from their children and pressured into deportations deserve another shot at asylum.  HuffPost  

'This Is Sick': Horror as Trump Administration Plans to Detain Migrant Children at Former Japanese Internment Camp. ... "It feels as though history can't yell any louder than this."  CommonDreams  

As New Pipeline Battle Looms, Texas Moves Toward Criminalizing Pipeline Protest.  TruthOut  

A FEW BRITISH PROPAGANDA OUTLETS

Institute for Statecraft -Integrity Initiative WIki

77th Brigade  Wiki

Bellicat Wiki

Atlantic Council Wiki

JUNE 13, 2019

As San Francisco District Attorney, Kamala Harris’s Office Stopped Cooperating With Victims of Catholic Church Child Abuse.  Intercept  

How Mining Corporations Plunder the Global South.  TruthDig  

Ur-Fascism - by Umberto Eco. NYRoB  

Canada's Conservatives are adopting a disinformation strategy straight from Trump's playbook. Rabble

Jim Naureckas on Bret Stephens, Paul Paz y Miño on Ecuador’s Oil Devastation.  FAIR  

The Generals Won’t Save Us From the Next War.  TruthDig  

Jeff Bezos’s Corporate Takeover of Our Lives. ... How Amazon’s relentless pursuit of profit is squeezing us all - and what we can do about it. In These Times

Tariff Temper Tantrum: Trump “Created a Fake Crisis & Has Announced a Fake Solution” with Mexico.  DemocracyNow  

ISRAEL

The Treacherous Falsification of Palestine-Israel History.  TruthOut  

Doublespeak in Israel as the United States Targets “the Left” as Traitorous.CounterPunch

With One Word, Trump's Envoy Sets Stage for Israeli Annexation of West Bank. ... Washington distanced itself from David Friedman's comments on Israel's 'right' to annex parts of the West Bank, but history teaches that the ambassador is a much better barometer for which way the wind is blowing in the Oval Office.   Haaretz  

As Trump Signals Support for Israel's Proposed West Bank Annexation, Lawmakers and Rights Advocates Condemn Plan to Commit 'War Crime'. ... "That is not the path to peace, that is the road to an endless conflict."   CommonDreams  

Israel to auction prefab classrooms donated by EU to Palestinians. ... Calls for Israeli authorities to rebuild West Bank structures confiscated by military.  Guardian  

Israel Gave This Gaza Family a Five-minute Warning. Then It Bombed Its Home. ... 'How can the Israelis remain silent? In Gaza there are people with no arms or legs, there’s not a house without someone dead,' says Khamis Ziada, who lost everything in an Israeli air force attack. Haaretz 

Alter Egos Trump and Netanyahu, Partners in Slime, Set to Help Each Other. ... The Tweedledee and Tweedledum of nationalist populim, the Bonnie and Clyde of the rule of law and the Spiro Agnew and Huey Long of accountability in government will soon campaign in tandem.  Haaretz  

JUNE 12, 2019

The Thought Police are Coming. ... First Assange. Then Us.  TruthDig/Hedges  

Press Freedom Under Attack: Australian Police Raid Network for Exposing War Crimes in Afghanistan.  DemocracyNow     Related:   Outrageous raids on journalists in Australia and elsewhere threaten press freedom.  FPF 

The Conspiracy to Discredit Brazil’s Left. ... In a paranoid age, the corroboration provided by The Intercept's latest exposé is unusual.  
The New Republic  

“We Are Facing an Existential Crisis”: Gov. Inslee Slams DNC for Refusing to Hold Climate Debate DemocracyNow      

CLICK BAIT

New ‘Call Of Duty’ Praised For Depicting Grim, Harrowing Fun That Can Be Had While Killing Civilians  > Go  

Environmental Win! The San Diego Zoo Has Announced They Have Acquired A Big Stupid Gorilla That Loves To Eat Plastic And Styrofoam.  > Go  

Cackling Mitch McConnell Reveals To Stunned Democrats He’s Been Working Undercover For Republican Party This Whole Time.  > Go  

Under Trump arms deal, high-tech U.S. bombs to be built in Saudi Arabia. ... Democrats in Congress say the administration should not hand the Saudis valuable weapons tech given the kingdom's conduct in Yemen and its human rights record. NBC  

Tariff Temper Tantrum: Trump “Created a Fake Crisis & Has Announced a Fake Solution” with Mexico.
DemocracyNow  

All Americans Have Blood on Their Hands.  
TruthDig  

Corporate Media Have Second Thoughts About Exiling Julian Assange From Journalism.  FAIR

The populist right is forging an unholy alliance with religion. ... From Salvini to Orbán, ethno-nationalists are hijacking religious themes to fuel their agenda. Progressives need to fight back.  Guardian  

While the World Watches Trump, It’s Missing What’s Really Going On.  CounterPunch  

Trump Has a Soft Spot for American War Criminals.  TruthDig  

JUNE 11, 2019

Hidden Plot - Exclusive: Brazil’s Top Prosecutors Who Indicted Lula Schemed in Secret Messages to Prevent His Party From Winning 2018 Election.  Intercept  

”Why Do British People NOT Like Trump?
World of Wonder

Official’s Climate Warning Blocked Because It Didn’t ‘Jibe’ With Trump’s View: Report. ... The White House stepped in when the State Department refused to cut comments about “potentially catastrophic” warming from an analyst’s House testimony.  HuffPost  

Electoral Politics Versus Democracy, ,,, American Party politics would be a complete farce if the consequences weren’t so grave. Were either of the dominant Parties to achieve 100% consensus on any issue, it would represent the views of about 18%* of eligible voters. And while a diversity of views would represent social vitality in a functioning democracy, in the winner-take-all American system, it represents continued rule by the oligarchs.  CounterPunch

Damning Canadian Inquiry Calls the Murder and Disappearance of Indigenous Women & Girls Genocide.  DemocracyNow  

A Vast Archive Exposed the Secret History of Kidnapping and Assassination in Guatemala. Now It’s Under Threat..  Intercept  

Venezuela’s gold fever fuels gangs and insecurity: 'There will be anarchy'. ... Puerto Ordaz has been swept up in a gold rush that powers the city as the armed groups running the mines flourish.
 Guardian 

Whitewashing War Crimes Has Become the American Way.  TruthDig  

Arctic Is Thawing So Fast Scientists Are Losing Their Measuring Tools.  TruthOut  

GCHQ’s Rainbow Lights: Exploiting Social Issues for Militarism and Imperialism.  Intercept  

The Right Opens Up a New Front in the Census War: Criminal Records.  Intercept  

Fears grow over 'food swamps' as drugstores outsell major grocers. ... With CVS selling more groceries than Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s combined, researchers fear food ‘deserts’ are becoming ‘swamps’ of processed food.  Guardian  


JUNE 24 THROUGH 30

WEEKEND OF JUNE 28-30, 2019

Weekend Read: The Precariat - The New Dangerous Class.  by Guy Standing. ... – an emerging class, comprising the rapidly growing number of people facing lives of insecurity, moving in and out of jobs that give little meaning to their lives. ... this class is producing instabilities in society. Although it would be wrong to characterise members of the Precariat as victims, many are frustrated and angry. The Precariat is dangerous because it is internally divided, leading to the villainisation of migrants and other vulnerable groups. Related  Guy Standing Interview  CounterPunch  
Book available at Bloomsbury  

Stephanie Grisham Is a Perfect Fit as Trump’s Press Secretary — Because She’s a Proven Liar. Intercept  

Supreme Court OKs Excessive Partisan Gerrymandering. ... The ruling opens the door for lawmakers to draw districts that greatly benefit their party.  HuffPost  

US generates more electricity from renewables than coal for first time ever. ... In April, renewables provided 23% compared to coal’s 20%. ... ‘The fate of coal has been sealed. The market has spoken’.  Guardian  

How a Fringe Muslim Cleric From Australia Became a Hero to America’s Far Right.  Intercept   

Someone accused the US president of rape. The media shrugged  Guardian  

A Moment in History. ... Sometimes we do not know when small actions could have the most momentous effects.  Craig Murray  

The Failed Venezuelan Coup and the Decline of US Hegemony.  CounterPunch 

What Russia Rightfully Remembers, America Forgets.  TruthDig  

Scientists Are Stunned by How Rapidly Ice Is Melting in the Arctic.  TruthOut  

‘Climate apartheid’: UN expert says human rights may not survive. ... Right to life is likely to be undermined alongside the rule of law, special rapporteur says.  Guardian    Related: To Prevent 'Climate Apartheid Scenario' Where Rich Escape and Poor Suffer, UN Report Issues Urgent Call for Global Economic Justice. ... "While people in poverty are responsible for just a fraction of global emissions, they will bear the brunt of climate change, and have the least capacity to protect themselves."  CommonDreams  

Trump’s America and Egypt’s Dictatorship Deserve Each Other  TruthDig  

NYT Presents Social Security Cuts as ‘Solution’ to Problem of Social Security Cuts. ... The New York Times report failed to inform readers on the remarkable injustice of cutting Social Security benefits, in view of where the funding gap came from.  FAIR  

How Sen. Rick Scott became Big Oil’s point man on Venezuelan regime change. ... The US oil cartel has given Florida’s Rick Scott 500 million reasons to be one of the Senate’s most fanatical cheerleaders for toppling Venezuela’s leftist government.  Gray Zone  

JUNE 27, 2019

The Question of Character.  Craig Murray  
Related Video
YouTube  

Trump May Already be in Too Deep to Avoid War With Iran. .... President Trump’s last-minute change of mind over launching US airstrikes against Iran shows that a military conflict of some description in the Gulf is becoming highly probable.   CounterPunch  

Exclusive: Leaked Trump vetting docs.  Axios
 Related: Full list: The leaked Trump transition vetting documents. ... Nearly 100 internal Trump transition vetting documents were leaked to "Axios on HBO," identifying a host of "red flags" about officials who went on to get Trump administration jobs and others who never had an administration materialize.  Axios  

Which 2020 Democrats are powering their campaigns on fossil fuel donations? ...Democrats accept the climate crisis must be confronted – but there’s a split between those who signed a pledge to no longer accept industry money those who haven’t.  Guardian  

Congressional Interns and Congress Redirections -- A Meeting.  CounterPunch/Nader  

Greenwald defiant after 'grotesque' threats over Brazil's Car Wash leaks.  France24  

'An existential threat': Bernie Sanders faces mounting opposition from moderate Democrats. .. Moderates are increasingly vocal in their disdain for socialism, and Sanders, but the question of how to constrain him is complicated.  Guardian  

Iran Had Every Right to Shoot Down That Drone.  TruthDig  

An Invitation You Can’t Refuse: How Rep. Steny Hoyer Makes Sure AIPAC’s Israel Junket Is Well Attended.  Intercept  

Still Manufacturing Consent: An Interview With Noam Chomsky.  FAIR  

JUNE 26, 2019

Walmart Got a $2.2 Billion Tax Cut. Now It’s Laying Off Workers.  TruthOut  

We Have to Finance a Global Green New Deal — or Face the Consequences.  Intercept  

Financed by Tax on Wall Street Speculators, Sanders Plan Would Wipe Out All $1.6 Trillion in US Student Loan Debt. ... "We bailed out Wall Street in 2008. It's time to tax Wall Street's greed to help the American people."  CommonDreams

There Are No Democratic Adults in the Room.  TruthDig  

“So Happy”: The Trump “Boom,” the Nation’s Despair, and the Decline of Joe Biden.  CounterPunch  

CLICK BAIT

Bolton Calls For Forceful Iranian Response To Continuing U.S. Aggression.  > Go  

U.S. Claims Drone Was Minding Own Business On Its Way To Church When Iran Attacked It Out Of Nowhere.  > Go  

After Decades As A Print-Only Publication, Onion Gamers Network Has Decided That The Internet Is The Future Of Video Game Journalism  > GO  

Trump’s America and Egypt’s Dictatorship Deserve Each Other.  TruthDig  

“Somebody Is Going to Die”: Lawyer Describes Chaos, Illness & Danger at Migrant Child Jail in Texas.  DemocracyNow  

'This is a dark moment for our country': Lawmakers condemn federal border patrol stations over reports of inadequate conditions for migrant children.  Business Insider  

$74 Billion Big Pharma Merger Could Be A Power Surge for Bristol-Myers Squibb.  Tarbell  

JUNE 25, 2019

Noam Chomsky: The Real Election Meddling Isn't Coming From Russia.  TruthDig  

Burning Down the Future.... The hulk of Grenfell Tower, its charred sides covered by sheets of white plastic, stands as a mute and ominous testament to the disposability of the poor and the primacy of corporate profit.  TruthDig  

Forget Bernie vs. Warren. Focus on Growing the Progressive Base and Defeating Biden 
Intercept

Trump Wasn't the Only Candidate to Test Our Campaign Laws.  TruthDig  

ENVIRONMENT

Interior Department’s coal reboot ignores tribes and curtails public input. ... The Obama administration wanted to rethink coal leasing; now, Trump is rushing forward.  HCN  

We Are Witnessing Imperial Decline in an Age of Planetary Decline.  TruthDig  

'Canary in the Coal Mine': Experts Warn of Climate Tipping Point as Scientists Find Permafrost Thawing 70 Years Ahead of Schedule. ... "It's very likely that this phenomenon is affecting a much more extensive region."   CommonDreams  

Environment reporters facing harassment and murder, study finds. Guardian  

Koch-Oil Big Lies and Ecocide Writ Large in Canada.  CounterPunch  

Teflon Toxin Safety Level Should Be 700 Times Lower Than Current EPA Guideline.
 Intercept  

Why You Can’t Trust Yourself. ... Even when you think you know for sure, think again.  
Get Pocket

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Apologizes for Treatment of Native Americans: It Was "Genocide. No Other Way to Describe It" ... Newsom issues apology to gathering of tribal leaders and in new executive order.  CommonDreams  

Venezuelan coup: From coup leaders to con artists: Juan Guaidó’s gang exposed for massive humanitarian aid fraud. ... An explosive new report reveals how Guaidó representatives in Colombia embezzled $125,000 meant for humanitarian aid, suckering deserting soldiers and blowing the aid money on luxury goods.  Gray Zone  

Study Linking US Sanctions to Venezuelan Deaths Buried by Reuters for Over a Month.  FAIR  

JUNE 24, 2019

How a Right-Wing Attack on Protections for Native American Children Could Upend Indian Law.  Intercept  

American History for Truthdiggers: The Reagan Revolution. TruthDig  

The Omnipresent Surveillance State. CommonDreams  

I’m a Journalist but I Didn’t Fully Realize the Terrible Power of U.S. Border Officials Until They Violated My Rights and Privacy.  Intercept  

The US as Rogue Nation Number 1  
CounterPunch
 

While Much of US Media Plays Along, Critics Warn Assange Indictment an 'Obvious' Ploy With Deeper Dangers. ... "This precedent means that any journalist can be extradited for prosecution in the United States for having published truthful information about the U.S."  CommonDreams  

IMMIGRATION


Trump Hits Pause On ICE Plan To Raid Homes Of Undocumented Families. ... The raids were expected to begin before dawn on Sunday.  HuffPost  

4 Severely Ill Migrant Toddlers Hospitalized After Lawyers Visit Border Patrol Facility. ... The kids were unresponsive, feverish and vomiting, yet receiving no medical care, according to lawyers.  HuffPost  

'Not On Our Watch': Rights Groups Rally to Help Immigrant Communities Ahead of Reported Weekend Raids by ICE. ... "ICE is doing this to not just rip apart hundreds of families apart but also to terrorize everyone else. This is the definition of terrorism.".  CommonDreams

They Are Concentration Camps — and They Are Also Prisons.  TruthOut  

Trump Prepares to Open New 'Captured Children' Facility in Texas as Hundreds of Rights Groups Call for Decriminalizing Migration. ... Federal policies on immigration continue trending in a more punitive direction.  CommonDreams  

A Brief History of US Concentration Camps.  CounterPunch  

Any Dem Who Wants to Be President Should Reject War with Iran, Not Hide Behind Process Criticisms. ... Here’s where 2020 Democratic hopefuls stand. In These Times  

“16 Shots”: Chicago Police Killing of Laquan McDonald Exposed a System Built on Lies.  DemocracyNow  


 
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