'They Called Us Enemy': Star Trek's George Takei pens graphic novel memoir
Anthony Mangos | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-08
What does it mean to be an American? Who gets to decide? When the world is against you, what can one person do? These are the questions that emanate from George Takei's new graphic novel account of life as a child in two Japanese internment camps during World War II. Takei, well-known for his inspiring …
peoplesworld.org/article/they-called-us-enemy-star-treks-george-takei-pens-graphic-novel-memoir/

Gaza Journalists Target of Israeli Snipers
Mahmoud Barakat | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-08
Palestinian journalists covering the weekly protests against the decades-long Israeli occupation are complaining of being the target of Israeli snipers stationed along the border of the blockaded territory. | Since the protests began in March of last year, two journalists have …
globalresearch.ca/gaza-journalists-target-israeli-snipers/5685918

Escalating US War on China by Other Means. Undermining Stability in Asia-Pacific Region
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-08
The US is hostile toward all nations it doesn't control, waging war on them by naked aggression and other means, including against China. | Pressuring and bullying the country to bend to its interests failed, what Trump and hardliners surrounding him …
globalresearch.ca/escalating-us-war-china-other-means/5685952

Obama, Biden, Mattis and Clapper Expressed Skepticism on Syria, so Why Is Gabbard Singled Out?
Ali A. Taj | mintpressnews.com | 2019-08-08
Why must Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard be smeared and attacked for questioning the mainstream narrative on Syria when even Barack Obama has done the same?
mintpressnews.com/skepticism-syria-why-tulsi-gabbard-singled-out/261257/

Foreign Correspondent: The U.S. Trade War with China is Not Going So Well
Reese Erlich | progressive.org | 2019-08-08
For the past year, the U.S. has escalated economic warfare with grudging acceptance by high-level Democrats and Republicans.
progressive.org/dispatches/foreign-correspondent-u-s-trade-war-with-china-erlich-190808/

India dramatically intensifies repression in Kashmir
wsws.org | 2019-08-08
India's ruling elite has rallied behind the BJP-led state assault on Jammu and Kashmir, even while conceding that it is a "roll of the dice" fraught with domestic and geopolitical "risk."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/08/kash-a08.html

Kashmir Under Siege: India Moves to Annex Territory, Heightening Tensions with Nuclear Rival Pakistan
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-08
Tensions are escalating over the disputed region of Kashmir following India's revocation earlier this week of its special status, which granted the area some autonomy. Kashmir remains on lockdown, with internet and other communications blocked and leaders placed under house arrest. The Modi government has also deployed tens of thousands of additional troops in Kashmir. Pakistan announced Wednesday it would expel India's ambassador and stop its newly appointed envoy from assuming his position in New Delhi. It also announced it was cutting off all bilateral trade with India. We speak with three guests: Sanjay Kak,…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/8/kashmir

A Wretched Day for Democracy: Revocation of the Special Status of Kashmir
Nyla Ali Khan | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-08
The India that Jammu and Kashmir acceded to in 1947 had chosen democracy, secularism, and socialism as its goals. Although the Praja Parishad, predecessor of the RSS, was determined to foist a solution of the entire Kashmir issue along communal lines even prior to 1953, and its leaders had been vocal about their views, it was heartwarming that India had chosen democracy and secularism as its goals.
counterpunch.org/2019/08/08/a-wretched-day-for-democracy-revocation-of-the-special-status-of-kashmir/

India Moves to Annex Territory, Heightening Tensions With Nuclear Rival Pakistan
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-08
| Tensions are escalating over the disputed region of Kashmir following India's revocation earlier this week of its special status, which granted the area some autonomy. Kashmir remains on lockdown, with internet and other communications blocked and leaders placed under house arrest. The Modi government has also deployed tens of thousands of additional troops in Kashmir. Pakistan announced Wednesday it would expel India's ambassador and stop its newly appointed envoy from assuming his po…
truthout.org/video/india-moves-to-annex-territory-heightening-tensions-with-nuclear-rival-pakistan/

If Crimea Matters, Russia Should Support Kashmir
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-08
There are striking structural similarities between Kashmir and Crimea that should make Russian decision makers think twice before endorsing the unilateral actions of their decades-long Indian partners if they want to remain politically consistent. | Kashmir and Crimea share many structural …
globalresearch.ca/if-crimea-matters-russia-should-support-kashmir/5685871

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan move closer to war after Kashmir annexation
Sweta Choudhury | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-08
Kashmir is back on a knife edge with the Indian government's outrageous unilateral decision to scrap article 370 of the Indian Constitution that has given Indian-administered Kashmir its special status since May 14, 1954. This catastrophic and unconstitutional decision taken under right-wing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership will have far-reaching consequences and spark civil unrest …
peoplesworld.org/article/nuclear-armed-india-and-pakistan-move-closer-to-war-after-kashmir-annexation/

Trump Judge Approves Manslaughter Charges for Pregnancy Loss
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-08
| Recently, the ultra-conservative 8th Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated an involuntary manslaughter charge against a Native woman from Sisseton, South Dakota. That charge is based on allegations that she ingested illegal drugs while pregnant, resulting in the death of her newborn. Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy explain why this decision is an alarming escalation of the anti-choice efforts to establish fetal personhood and punish people for their pregnancy outcomes.
truthout.org/audio/trump-judge-approves-manslaughter-charges-for-pregnancy-loss/

Explosions in Three States Highlight Dangers of Aging Fossil Fuel Infrastructure
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-08
| On August 1, for the third time in as many years, Enbridge's Texas Eastern Transmission gas pipeline exploded. This tragic incident in central Kentucky killed a 58-year-old woman, Lisa Denise Derringer, and injured at least five others. Flames towered 300 feet high when the 30-inch diameter pipe ruptured at 1 a.m. and forced at least 75 people to evacuate. | "We opened the backdoor and it was like a tornado of fire going around and around and he said we were trapped," survivor Jodi…
truthout.org/articles/explosions-in-three-states-highlight-dangers-of-aging-fossil-fuel-infrastructure/

Judge: Neo-Nazi must pay more than $14 million to Jewish woman targeted by harassment campaign
splcenter.org | 2019-08-08
A federal judge adopted a recommendation that the publisher of a major neo-Nazi website must pay more than $14 million in damages to a Jewish woman targeted for a relentless barrage of antisemitic threats and messages by the neo-Nazi and his followers.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/08/judge-neo-nazi-must-pay-more-14-million-jewish-woman-targeted-harassment-campaign

Police officer fired for hitting handcuffed woman on video
Andrew Emett | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-08
Recently released surveillance video footage revealed a Vermont police officer beating a handcuffed woman for no justifiable reason. After an investigation into the assault, the officer was terminated from the department. On March 14, Amy Connelly was arrested for disorderly conduct after allegedly tearing a man's shirt at a bar and refusing to leave Shooters …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/08/police-officer-fired-for-hitting-handcuffed-woman-on-video/

Syria Slams US-Turkey Safe Zone, Calls it 'Blatant Aggression'
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-08
The Syrian government said Thursday that an agreement between Turkey and the United States over northeastern Syria represented a "blatant attack" on the country's sovereignty and territorial unity and a "dangerous escalation." | RELATED: | Syrian Army Resumes Operations After Attacks on Idlib | The agreement setting up a joint operation center to manage a strip…
telesurenglish.net/news/syria-slams-us-turkey-safe-zone-aggression-sovereignty-20190808-0010.html

In wake of 'collapsed' agreement, new wave of violence threatens millions in Syria's Idlib
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-08
Following the "deeply regrettable" announcement that the Idlib truce had "collapsed" at the start of this week, the Senior Humanitarian Adviser to the UN's Syria Envoy urged Member States on Thursday to increase their support for "critical humanitarian needs" in the country's last opposition-held enclave.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1043951

Video: Quitting Cold Turkey
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-08
Until literally a couple of years ago, courtesy of its enviable position in Asia Minor positioned in direct proximity of USSR (during the Cold War), Iran (after the Islamic Revolution), Iraq, and of course Syria in most recent years, Turkey …
globalresearch.ca/video-quitting-cold-turkey/5685875

Why SAA Resumed the Military Operation against Al Qaeda to Clean Idlib
Arabi Souri | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-08
The latest 13th round of talks in Astana between the Syrian state with Russia and Iran as its guarantors on one side, and Al-Qaeda and the Turkish regime as it guarantor on the other side, would have slowly but steadily …
globalresearch.ca/saa-resumed-military-operation-clean-idlib-post-astana-talks/5685773

Amid Turkish war threats, Ankara and Washington to build "safe zone" in Syria
wsws.org | 2019-08-08
The Turkish government is seeking US approval to invade Syria and target Kurdish nationalist militias that serve as key US proxies in the Middle East.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/08/turk-a08.html

Hong Kong, Kashmir: A Tale of Two Occupations
Pepe Escobar | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-08
Readers from myriad latitudes have been asking me about Hong Kong. They know it's one of my previous homes. I developed a complex, multi-faceted relationship with Hong Kong ever since the 1997 handover, which I covered extensively. Right now, if …
globalresearch.ca/hong-kong-kashmir-tale-two-occupations/5685932

Hiroshima and the New Arms Race — No Winners
Robert Dodge | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-08
Seventy-four years ago today the United States dropped the first atomic bomb over the city of Hiroshima, Japan. This nuclear weapon resulted in the deaths of an estimated 140,000 individuals. Three days later on August 9, a similar attack was carried out on the city of Nagasaki, Japan killing an additional 80,000 people. These events changed…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/08/hiroshima-and-the-new-arms-race-no-winners/

Russia Accuses the US of Interfering in Venezuela's Dialogue
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-08
Russia's Foreign Ministry said it regrets the cancellation of the round of negotiations that had been developed in Barbados, between a delegation of the government of President Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan opposition. | RELATED: | ALBA Countries Condemn Trump's Total Blockade Against Venezuela | The office of the Russian Foreign Ministry, through a statement, said that regardless of who is responsible for this decision, the main…
telesurenglish.net/news/Russia-Accuses-the-US-of-Interfering-in-Venezuelas-Dialogue-20190808-0015.html

Earth's hottest month lights a fire for progress
John R. Platt | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-08
Well folks, we did it. July 2019 was the hottest month in recorded human history, with record-breaking temperatures in many parts of Europe, wildfires raging over tens of thousands of square miles of Arctic Alaska and Russia, and a staggering ice melt in Greenland that dumped 197 billion gallons of water into the ocean — 12.5 billion …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/08/earths-hottest-month-lights-a-fire-for-progress/

Israel Rules in Favor of Homophobic Political Campaign Ads
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-08
Israeli companies cannot deny anti-gay campaign ads of the ultra-Orthodox Zionist Noam party according to a new ruling by the acting chairman of the Central Elections Committee Neal Hendel. | RELATED: | Israeli Far-right Ministers Attend Event Honoring Rabbi Who Praised Palestinian Massacre | The decision came Tuesday after a petit…
telesurenglish.net/news/Israel-Rules-in-Favor-of-Homophobic-Political-Campaign-Ads-20190808-0007.html

New Israeli Military Strategies for Annexation and Undermining Palestinian Identity
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-08
Shir Hever discusses two new Israeli military strategies, presented by Israeli chief of staff Aviv Kochavi, who calls for a more deadly invasion of Gaza, and former general Yossi Kuperwasser's plan of "changing the Palestinian narrative" in order to annex Palestinian land…
therealnews.com/stories/new-israeli-military-strategies-for-annexation-and-undermining-palestinian-identity

Iran on the Precipice
Jonathan Power | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-08
There's never been a full-scale war between two nuclear-armed states. If Iran one day did cross the nuclear threshold the same deterrence will apply. No one rational would want to provoke their own incineration. Columbia University professor, Kenneth Waltz, the distinguished theorist on the conduct of war, wrote in Foreign Affairs that with Israel possessing…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/08/iran-on-the-precipice/

Nicaragua To Open Embassy in Palestine
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-08
The Sandinista government of Nicaragua have sent their first ambassador to Palestine, handing over diplomatic credentials to Riyad Malki, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Wednesday. | RELATED: | 8 Curious Facts About Nicaragua's Sandinista Revolution | The new ambassador will be Mazen Khuffash, a Nicaraguan official of Palestinian heritage,…
telesurenglish.net/news/Nicaragua-To-Open-Embassy-in-Palestine-20190808-0006.html

UNRWA Accusations: (Im)Perfect Timing
Daniel Warner | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-08
A damaging internal report has cast a dark shadow over the ethical behavior of top officials of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). As disclosed by Al Jazeera and AFP, the report cites "credible and corroborated reports" that members of an "inner circle" at the top of UNRWA, including Swiss Commissioner-General Pierre Krà§henbàºhl, have engaged in "sexual misconduct, nepotism, retaliation, discrimination and other abuses of authority for personal gain, to suppress legitimate dissent, and to otherwise achieve their personal objectives." The report was sent to UN Sec…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/08/unrwa-accusations-imperfect-timing/

"Global Hawk" drone: evidence of Iran's advanced defensive capability
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-08-08
The recent downing of an American "Global Hawk" drone by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards is evidence of Iran's advanced defensive capability. Iran has proven that it can answer a direct military threat, even from a global power like the US. The same can be said for the UK, whose international immunity provided by world authorities …
uwidata.com/4788-global-hawk-drone-evidence-of-irans-advanced-defensive-capability/

Iranian War Veteran Gives Advice to Trump
Habib Ahmadzadeh | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-08
Dear President Trump, In a recent Tweet, you claimed that "Iranians never won a war, but never lost a negotiation." As a world citizen and a veteran of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, I have firsthand experience with the bitterness of war, and I have a few suggestions and responses for you. First, I would advise you against …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/iranian-war-veteran-gives-advice-to-trump/

Mobilizing Muslim Resistance to the War in Yemen
Huzaifa Shahbaz | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-08
Right now, the people of Yemen are suffering through the world's worst humanitarian disaster. The Saudi-led coalition, backed by the United States, continues to bomb Yemen and launch unlawful airstrikes that have hit homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques. This violence has left millions at risk of starvation and death due to repeated outbreaks of diseases…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/08/mobilizing-muslim-resistance-to-the-war-in-yemen/

Bond markets point to global recession
wsws.org | 2019-08-08
The signs of a global slowdown, if not an outright recession, are most evident in Germany and the Asia-Pacific region, where three central banks cuts their interest rates yesterday.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/08/glob-a08.html

In Afghanistan, U.S. Faces Formidable Foes–Its Own Allies
Edward Hunt | progressive.org | 2019-08-08
As the war approaches the end of its second decade, U.S. officials show no signs that they are willing to address the fundamental power dynamics that have fueled the war for so long. Meanwhile, innocent people die.
progressive.org/dispatches/US-fights-allies-in-afghanistan-hunt-190808/

Oil Rises More Than 2%, Expectations of More OPEC Cuts
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-08
Oil jumped more than 2 percent on Thursday on expectations that falling prices could lead to production cuts, coupled with a steadying of the yuan currency after a week of turmoil spurred by an escalation in U.S.-China trade tensions. | RELATED: | US Renews Chevron License in Venezuela Despite Trump Sanctions | Prices rebounded after tumbling nearly 5 percent to their lowest since January on Wednesday after data showed an unexpected build in U.S. crude stockpiles after nearly t…
telesurenglish.net/news/Oil-Rises-More-Than-2-Expectations-of-More-OPEC-Cuts-20190808-0018.html

Neoliberalism Has Met Its Match in China
Ellen Brown | truthdig.com | 2019-08-08
When the Federal Reserve cut interest rates last week, commentators were asking why. According to official data, the economy was rebounding, unemployment was below 4% and gross domestic product growth was above 3%. If anything, by the Fed's own reasoning, it should have been raising rates. | Market pundits explained that we're in a trade war and a currency war. Other central banks were cutting their rates, and the Fed had to follow suit in order to prevent the dollar from becoming overvalued relative to other c…
truthdig.com/articles/neoliberalism-has-met-its-match-in-china/

A New App Allows Readers in China to Bypass Censorship of The Intercept
Ryan Gallagher | theintercept.com | 2019-08-08
Since June, people in China have been unable to read The Intercept, after the country's government apparently banned our website, along with those of several other media organizations. Today, we are happy to announce a workaround that will allow people in China to circumvent the restrictions, access our full site, and continue to read our award-winning journalism. | In partnership with Psiphon, an anti-censorship organization based in Canada, we are launching…
theintercept.com/2019/08/08/china-censorship-bypass-app/

Currency war: A new stage in capitalist breakdown
wsws.org | 2019-08-08
A global currency conflict will take the economic warfare being waged by the US against "strategic competitors" such as China as well as its nominal allies to a new level.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/08/curre-a08.html

Diabetic Man Deported by US to Iraq Dies from Lack of Insulin
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-08
Jimmy Aldaoud, a man from Detroit who was deported to Iraq in June, was found dead Wednesday after being unable to procure insulin for his diabetes. | RELATED: | ICE Raids 7 Food Factories in MS, Promising Deportations | The 41-year-old man was born in Greece and lived in the U.S. since he was six months old. He had never been to Iraq, did not speak Arabic, neither…
telesurenglish.net/news/Diabetic-Man-Deported-by-US-to-Iraq-Dies-from-Lack-of-Insulin-20190808-0013.html

Five Years After the Genocide, Yazidis Share Their Forgotten Stories and Demand Justice
Jesuit Refugee Service | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-08
Five years after Islamic State (ISIS) militants launched a genocide against the Yazidi community in Sinjar, northern Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Yazidis are still displaced and living in harsh conditions. The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) calls on the | …
globalresearch.ca/five-years-after-genocide-yazidis-share-their-forgotten-stories-demand-justice/5685924

Biden Is Doubling Down on Iraq War Lies
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-08
| For the second consecutive Democratic debate, Joe Biden has failed to come to terms about his critical role in supporting the illegal, unnecessary, and predictably disastrous U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. | There is nothing new about this. Biden has a long history of inaccurate claims regarding that oil-rich country. For example, in the lead-up to the critical Senate vote authorizing the invasion, Biden used his role…
truthout.org/articles/biden-is-doubling-down-on-iraq-war-lies/

The hidden refugee 'hell' in Melbourne
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-08
Located in the suburb of Broadmeadows, Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation (MITA) has been described as a "hidden hell for refugees". | Addressing a forum organised by the Refugee Action Collective (RAC) on August 5 by video message, Iraqi refugee Ali Yousuf, who was previously in MITA and is now in an Adelaide detention centre, said MITA guards regularly provoke people, seeking any reaction as an excuse to attack them. Yousuf suffered a broken hand when assaulted by a guard. | Yousuf said that detention is a waste of money that could be spent on helping the sick and people with disabilities. | He said th…
greenleft.org.au/content/melbournes-refugee-hell

The real threat to free speech
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-08
greenleft.org.au/content/real-threat-free-speech

Rally To Stop Restarting of Japanese NUKE Plants, Defense Of Families-Children
No Nukes Action | indybay.org | 2019-08-08
San Francisco Japanese Consulate | 275 Battery St near California St. | San Francisco…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/08/18825297.php

Readings from Civil Liberties United: Diverse Voices from the SF Bay Area
Oakland Asian Cultural Center | indybay.org | 2019-08-08
Oakland Asian Cultural Center | 388 9th St., Suite 290 | Oakland, CA 94607…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/05/18825224.php

Trump's 'diplomacy' in Iran is a cynical farce
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2019-08-07
The problem for any negotiations is that the U.S. position is untenable. The U.S. wants to prevent Iran from exercising its right under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968) to enrich uranium even to low levels. It is this impossible position by Washington that will prevent diplomacy. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/08/07/trumps-diplomacy-in-iran-is-a-cynical-farce/

Wednesday's Daily Brief: Syrian detainees, Zimbabwe hunger crisis, Kabul attack, Mexico disappearances, new tech to feed the world
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-07
Wednesday's top stories: Syrian detainees "failed by Security Council"; Zimbabwe experiencing "worst-ever hunger crisis"; Guterres welcomes new Mozambique peace accord; deadly Kabul attack; Mexico "responsible for enforced disappearances"; indigenous languages at risk; and how innovation should be used to feed the world.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1043901

This Iran War Vet Has Some Advice for Trump: Don't Play Checkers with the Grandmasters of Chess
Habib Ahmadzadeh | mintpressnews.com | 2019-08-07
War is not our business, but negotiations and diplomacy are. War is not our purpose. Peace is our mission. Peace is our philosophy in life, and you are right, diplomacy is our art.
mintpressnews.com/iran-war-vet-advice-trump-dont-play-checkers-grandmasters-chess/261160/

Nuclear-Armed Pakistan, China Condemn India Over Kashmir Move
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-07
Pakistan said Wednesday it was downgrading diplomatic relations and suspending bilateral trade with neighbor India after its government scrapped Indian Occupied Kashmir's Special status Monday. | RELATED: | Kashmir Under Seige: Is India Using Israel's Colonial Playbook in Kashmir? | Nuclear-armed neighbors China and Pakistan, both o…
telesurenglish.net/news/kashmir-india-pakistan-cancels-diplomatic-ties-china-warns-nuclear-armed-countries-protesters-killed-20190807-0008.html

General strike signals entry of working class into Hong Kong protests
wsws.org | 2019-08-07
The mass protests in Hong Kong, which have continued for more than two months, are part of the resurgence of the working class internationally.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/07/pers-a07.html